Southwest Tightens Power Bank Rules Before Summer Travel
Portable chargers have become one of those travel items that quietly moved from “nice to have” to “absolutely not leaving home without this.”
If you are navigating airports with a screen reader, using your phone for boarding passes, texting a travel companion, checking hotel details, tracking a rideshare, using Aira or another accessibility app, or just trying to keep your battery alive through one aggressively delayed travel day, a portable charger can feel less like a gadget and more like a survival tool.
That is why Southwest’s new rule matters.
Checked Bag Fees Keep Climbing. Here’s What Blind Travelers Need to Know Before Booking
There was a time when checked bags felt like part of the trip.
Now they feel more like a side quest with a service charge.
Across several major U.S. airlines, checked bag fees have climbed again in 2026. Delta now shows $45 for a first checked bag and $55 for a second on many domestic trips. United raised first and second bag fees on tickets purchased on or after April 3, 2026. JetBlue continues to use a tiered structure that can hit $39 or $49 for the first bag and $59 or $69 for the second depending on timing and peak travel periods. American has also raised domestic Basic Economy checked bag pricing for newer bookings.
And then there is Southwest, which used to be the airline people pointed to when they wanted one simple sentence about baggage. That sentence has now gone into witness protection.
New on Blind Travels: Colorado National Monument Accessibility Review
Colorado National Monument is one of those places that feels like it should be talked about more, especially for travelers who want the real story on accessibility before they arrive. I recently visited the monument and put together a new firsthand review for Blind Travels that covers what the official park information says, what the overlooks are actually like on the ground, and how the experience holds up for blind and low vision visitors.
In the new article, I talk about the accessible areas around the visitor center, the paved overlooks that are easier to navigate, and the rougher paths that become much more challenging once you leave those developed spots. I also share which overlooks stood out the most to me, including Cold Shivers Point, Independence Monument View, and Coke Ovens Overlook.
Lyft Service Animal Settlement Is a Real Win for Blind Travelers
For blind and low vision travelers, rideshare can be one of the most useful parts of a trip, and one of the most stressful.
When it works, it works beautifully. You tap a button, track your ride, confirm the plate, and keep moving. When it fails, it can leave you stranded on a curb, outside a hotel, or at the airport, trying to solve a problem you should not have had to solve in the first place.
That is why a newly announced settlement involving Lyft matters.
Minnesota officials announced a settlement with Lyft after a complaint from Tori Andres, a blind college student who said she was repeatedly denied rides because she was traveling with her service dog, Alfred. State officials said the agreement will bring changes that affect Lyft riders nationwide, not just in Minnesota.
That makes this more than just one company fixing one case. It is a practical accessibility story, and for blind travelers, it is a meaningful step in the right direction.
Two Sandals Resorts in Jamaica, Two Very Different Vibes
Not all beachfront all-inclusives feel the same, even when they wear the same brand name.
On our recent travels, Carrie and I spent time at Sandals Negril and Sandals Montego Bay, and while both resorts delivered the kind of warm weather, cold drinks, and ocean air that make you wonder why your house does not come with a swim-up bar, the two properties felt very different once we settled in.
That difference matters.
If you are a blind or low vision traveler, or really any traveler trying to choose the right resort for the right kind of trip, the details are everything. A resort can have beautiful photos on its website and still feel awkward once you are trying to learn the layout, navigate the beach, find your way to dinner, or just get a sense of whether the place feels calm, lively, romantic, or a little too eager to turn every evening into a spring break remix.
That is exactly why I reviewed both.
Carnival Canceled 11 Cruises. Here’s What Blind Travelers Should Do Next
There is a special kind of travel disappointment that arrives before the suitcase even makes it out of the closet.
You have the trip in your head already. You know when you are leaving for the port. You know which bag is carrying the chargers, which one has the sunscreen, and which one somehow became the official snack mule. Maybe you have already lined up assistance, confirmed your accessible cabin, or made peace with the fact that yes, you are absolutely going to hear the safety drill before you hear the ocean.
Then the email lands.
Carnival Cruise Line has canceled 11 upcoming Carnival Firenze sailings that were scheduled between October 12 and November 16, 2026. Reports say these were short sailings out of Long Beach, and Carnival told guests the cancellations were tied to changes in itinerary plans. Guests were offered the option to rebook a comparable cruise with protected fare and onboard credit, or to take a full refund for cruise fare and pre-purchased items.
That is frustrating for any traveler. For blind and low vision travelers, it can be even more disruptive because a cruise is rarely just a cruise. It is the hotel the night before, the ride to the port, the accessible room request, the medication timing, the support notes, the backup battery packing, and sometimes the carefully choreographed dance of getting one large floating vacation to behave itself long enough for you to enjoy it.
The good news is this. If your sailing gets canceled by the cruise line, you still have options. The better news is that a little structure can keep the whole thing from turning into a stress festival in flip-flops.
Southwest Is Leaving O’Hare and Dulles. Here’s What Blind Travelers Should Do Next
There is a particular kind of travel stress that hits when an airline changes the rules after you have already learned the rhythm. You finally know which terminal makes sense, which pickup zone is least chaotic, which gate areas feel manageable, and which airport coffee smells like burnt optimism and regret. Then the route changes, the baggage policy changes, the seat system changes, and suddenly the trip you had mentally organized now feels like somebody shuffled the whole deck.
That is where Southwest travelers are right now.
Southwest has announced that it will end service to Chicago O’Hare and Washington Dulles on June 4, 2026. The last day of service to, from, or through O’Hare is June 3, 2026, and travelers booked after the cutoff are being offered free changes to nearby airports or refunds. For Chicago, Southwest is steering travelers toward Midway, Milwaukee, or Indianapolis. For Washington-area travel, options include Baltimore/Washington, Reagan National, Philadelphia, or Richmond.
For many travelers, that is an inconvenience. For blind and low vision travelers, it can be much more than that. Airport familiarity matters. Knowing where the rideshare chaos lives matters. Knowing whether an airport feels compact and readable or sprawling and noisy matters. When an airline leaves an airport, it is not just a route map update. It is the loss of a travel pattern you may have built carefully over time.
The Truth About Wi-Fi on Cruise Ships (Is Cruise Internet Actually Worth It?)
When you are planning your next cruise, the add-ons start piling up quickly.
Drink packages. Specialty dining. Shore excursions. Photo packages. Spa passes.
And then there is Wi-Fi.
Cruise lines present internet access like it is just another simple upgrade. Click a button, pay a few dollars a day, and stay connected with the world while you float through the Caribbean.
But here is the honest truth.
Cruise ship Wi-Fi is not the same thing as internet at home. Not even close.
If you are expecting to stream Netflix on the pool deck while uploading photos to Instagram and FaceTiming your friends back home, you might be in for a surprise.
After many cruises, including plenty of time sailing with Royal Caribbean and their VOOM internet package, I have learned that cruise internet lives in a strange space somewhere between “kind of works” and “maybe you should just unplug.”
So let’s talk about what cruise Wi-Fi actually costs, what it can realistically do, and whether it is worth buying at all.
Rapid-Fire Cruise Hacks That Make Your Next Sailing Easier
Rapid-Fire Cruise Hacks That Make Your Next Sailing Easier
Cruising has a rhythm to it. Once you understand that rhythm, everything feels smoother. Food is easier. Service feels better. Your cabin works for you instead of against you. And you step off the ship thinking, “That was effortless.”
These aren’t big, complicated strategies. They’re small moves that quietly improve your entire week.
Let’s get into it.
Be My Eyes and Amtrak Expand Live Visual Support to Over 50 Stations Nationwide
This is the kind of news that actually changes how we travel.
On February 17, 2026, Be My Eyes announced a nationwide expansion of its partnership with Amtrak. Live visual support through the Be My Eyes Service Directory is now available at more than 50 train stations across the United States, including some of the largest and busiest hubs in the country.
Chicago. Los Angeles. Denver. New York. Washington DC.
This is not a pilot anymore. This is scale.
And for blind and low vision travelers, that matters.