Gotta Gotta Get Up To Get Down
Also: How AI can help get your airline refund, the best hotels in Savannah, and the summer travel surge is officially upon us.
In today’s newsletter, the bombshell that PGA-LIV Golf just dropped, and then:
Travel tip: How to use AI to get an airline refund
From Kyoto to Mexico City — where to stay, eat and play this year.
Next stop: Savannah, Switzerland, and Italy!
Hello June Bugs!
Apologies for the tardiness of this month’s newsletter. I got caught up reporting on some breaking news yesterday following the announcement that the PGA Tour will be merging with Saudi-backed LIV Golf in a surprise move that literally no one saw coming. Well, someone saw it coming, but that someone was definitely not me.
The news couldn’t have come at a better time for my upcoming feature about golf tourism, a $102 billion industry that’s seen a 20% increase since 2016, according to a new economic impact report released by the American Golf Industry Coalition. Even if you’re not into golf, this LIV/PGA news is as juicy and dramatic as tonight’s VPR reunion promises to be, and it’ll be interesting to see how it’s all going to shake out in the days and weeks ahead.
I’m a late adopter of the game, but it’s been fun to report on all things golf and even get out on the links myself lately. Last month, I was offered an exclusive behind-the-scenes tour of the new Omni PGA Frisco Resort before it opened to the public, and I’ve been reporting on some of the best new golf tech, which you can read all about in my Forbes column.
A few weeks ago, it was a treat to spend a few nights at the newly renovated Old Course Hotel in St. Andrews, Scotland, which is not only set on the oldest golf course in the world, but dating back to 1552 is considered the penultimate destination for golf loyalists and neophytes alike. I have to admit, there’s definitely a magical quality to staying here. I have a few Scotland stories in the works, including the best hotels to post up in on your next visit in an upcoming story for Robb Report, so stay tuned!
This week I’m heading to Savannah for a staycation/getaway. I’ve long proselytized that The Hostess City is home to one of the country’s most exciting food scenes, and now you can read all about the best places to stay in my latest story for Forbes Vetted. One place I’m excited to check out on this upcoming visit is The Grey Market which I have on good authority from my friends over at Blacksheep here in Beaufort has the best burger in town. We’ll also be making a requisite stop at Starland Yard for chef Kyle Jacovino’s Vittoria Pizzeria and digestifs at Artillery Bar on the Bull Street corridor.
I’ll be off for most of July with a plan to eat and drink my body weight in gooey fondue and Bucatini all'Amatriciana as I make my way through Switzerland and Italy, so keep in touch and just bear with me if I’m slower than usual to reply. In the meantime, here’s what else is in the hopper this month.
Resistance is futile
How AI Can Help Get Your Airline Refund
On my way home from Scotland in May, what should have been a relatively easy travel day turned into a 36-hour series of flight cancellations and missed connections. How and why the flight came to be canceled is about as interesting as filling out a customs declaration form, suffice it to say, this has become an all too common plight when it comes to plane travel these days.
According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, the number one complaint issued by travelers over the last three years has been their inability to get a refund after the airline canceled a flight. It’s incredibly frustrating when travel mishaps happen, and not surprisingly, many passengers don’t bother to jump through the additional hoops the airlines make you go through to get the refund you deserve.
So, with an extra 24 hours on my hands, with a couple of pints of Guinness in hand at the Doubletree Airport Hotel in Edinburgh, I decided to put AI to the test to help craft my refund letter to United. It was not only incredibly efficient, but it helped me find the EU rules and regulations around flight cancellations, including the fact that I was owed more than $1200 for both the canceled flight and the additional delay. All I had to do was input the flight number, and it was off to the races. Easy, peasy, AI breezy. I wrote and filed the complaint on the United website in under 10 minutes.
I have a feeling the airlines will be inundated with AI-generated refund requests this summer. Who knows, maybe this is the reckoning we’ve all been waiting for. AI is a scary beast, but resistance is futile at this point, and I think if you can use this technology to your advantage, in this case, getting the refund you deserve and that you might not have taken the time to get otherwise, it’s exactly what we should be using it for.
Latest and greatest
Recently Published Stories
I’ve been working on so many fun stories lately, from fine dining in Mexico City in my latest for The New York Post to this gorgeous Guide to Kyoto in Elite Traveler’s Summer Issue, out on newsstands now, here’s a snapshot of my words and work from around the world!
1, 2, 3, 4
Gotta Gotta Get Up To Get Down
This month’s newsletter is named for the delightful ‘Gotta Get Up To Get Down Stout’ I had at Lost Local here in Beaufort on Friday. Now I don’t know if it was the intention of Memphis-based Wiseacre Brewing Co. or not, but I’ve had this Coolio song in my head ever since, and I’m really not mad about it. So you’re welcome. And as always, thanks for reading! I’ll be sending out a truncated newsletter from St. Moritz next month, so stay tuned and safe travels until then! Proscht!