Compact Ring Light for Video Calls

I sometimes struggle to find a good lighting spot for video calls while in random hotel rooms and apartments abroad, but those meetings are too infrequent to justify carrying bulky extra equipment. A solution arrived recently via a trade show giveaway: a clip-on ring light that’s flat and easy to pack. Mine came with a destination logo on it, but you can buy one on Amazon for under $8 here. It has 3 brightness levels and recharges by USB.

Europe’s New Entry Fee, Take 12

Good news/bad news on the ETIAS EU visa that you’re not supposed to call a visa. This “permission to visit” with fingerprints and facial recognition has been pushed back to Q3 2026. The bad news is, the price for Americans has been hiked from 7 euros to 20 before it even launched. See the update here.

Hotel Points in Your Pocket

I treat hotel loyalty point balances like a combined travel savings account. The currency can get me out of a jam, take the sting out of an expensive city visit, or widen my flight options on long hauls. I cashed some in this week for that last category, enabling me to snag the cheapest and most convenient option for a flight from Paris all the way to Los Cabos and then enabling me to take advantage of a cheap business class airline points fare all the way across North America. Next up will be a free stay during a necessary stop in Las Vegas. See more here, with links to top credit cards for racking up a big balance: Save Hotel Points to Solve Travel Problems.

Good Geezer Music

Looking for some new music to stream or download for your travels? Several recent releases are great comebacks by legendary figures. The new albums from Van Morrison (age 79), Neil Young (79), Suzanne Vega (66), and Public Enemy (64 and 66) are downright great at times if you are a fan of their classics. There are a few throwaway tracks on each, but in the age of streaming playlists, you can pick the winners for your appropriate playlist. The latest from David Byrne (73) drops in September.

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A weekly newsletter with four quick bites, edited by Tim Leffel, author of A Better Life for Half the Price and The World’s Cheapest Destinations. See past editions here, where your like-minded friends can subscribe and join you.

07/31/25