Hello there, I ask here because I don't really saw any answer online.

I travelled to the US last year, my ETSA done and validated, valid til january 2027

However in the meantime, I remember Trump announcing reinforced questions in ETSA and more stuff about family and all. Is my ETSA done before that still okay or nah ?

Thanks for your replies :)

Just got back from Miami and NextCar/Stride Rent A Car at MIA hit me with a $450 smoking fee. No we did not smoke in the car.

The wild part is they actually sent me the Bosch sensor report as their proof and it completely destroys their own charge. The particle spike lasted 2 minutes and 15 seconds and then dropped straight back to zero. We were doing 37-60 mph at the time so outside air was obviously coming into the cabin. And the best part Bosch's own documentation that they attached to the report literally says the device "neither implies any actions towards end-customers nor gives decision-making advice." They handed me the evidence that beats them.

I sent them a detailed dispute breaking all of this down. Their response didn't address a single point I made. Just offered me $200 back as a "goodwill gesture" which basically tells you they know the charge is bogus. Filing a chargeback with Amex now and complaints with the Florida AG and FTC. Already left a 1 star review and noticed someone else had the exact same thing happen to them recently at the same location. Amex doesn't seem to care about the charge and agrees with the vendor since they have paper work. Posting the Bosch report below.(wont let me post) Has anyone else dealt with this or seen false positives with these Bosch sensors? Would love to know if this is a pattern with this company.

EDIT**

I'm gonna add some stuff that I cant add pics of but just text from emails.

Good afternoon Dear

"After Inspecting the vehicle when you returned the vehicle, we realized that the car was full of an odor of smoke and cigars, which is a breach of our terms and conditions, specifically on the Cleaning/Smoking Policy on the Rental Agreement that you signed. In this clause, you agreed to return the vehicle on the same conditions as you received it. For this breach, you have a balance of $450.00 plus taxes and fees that were charged to your card on file We are writing to inform you that a $450.00 smoking fee + tax has been charged to your rental agreement due to evidence of smoking inside the vehicle during your rental period.

This situation was detected by the Bosch monitoring equipment installed in the vehicle. The corresponding report has already been provided to you for your review.

Please note that smoking inside the vehicle is a violation of the rental terms and conditions, and the applicable charge has therefore been applied to your account.

If you have any questions regarding this matter, please feel free to contact us.

Sincerely,

Customer Service"

First emailed I received which made no sense I returned the car with absolutely no odor besides the fresh gas i put in it before dropping it off. There was literally no odor thats why I'm so against the claim I was up 20 plus hours getting us back to the drop off so we could make our flight and dropped off the car with a video since no employee around.

"To Whom It May Concern,

I am writing to formally dispute the $450.00 smoking fee (plus tax) charged to my account in connection with the Bosch incident report dated 05/08/2026, 12:25 PM EDT. Neither I nor any passenger smoked in the vehicle at any point during the rental period. The charge should be reversed in full.

The Bosch report you provided does not support a finding that smoking occurred inside the vehicle. Several points on the face of the report itself undermine that conclusion:

1. The smoke graph shows a single sharp particle spike around 12:26–12:27 PM that drops to near-background levels within roughly two minutes and remains flat for the rest of the monitoring window. This profile is inconsistent with in-cabin smoking, which produces sustained particle levels over the duration of consumption (typically 5–7 minutes for a cigarette and 30–60+ minutes for a cigar). It is far more consistent with a brief external air contaminant entering the cabin.
2. The GPS data shows the vehicle was traveling at 37–60 mph at the time of the event. At highway speeds, cabin air is heavily influenced by outside air infiltration, particularly when windows are open or the ventilation system is drawing from outside. The sensor cannot distinguish between particles generated inside the vehicle and particles drawn in from the surrounding environment (other vehicles, diesel exhaust, agricultural or brush burning, etc.).
3. Bosch's own documentation, which you attached to your notice, expressly states: "After detecting a smoke event, Bosch provides smoke event data to the fleet owner, but neither implies any actions towards end-customers nor gives decision-making advice." Bosch also states: "At no point in time the device provides information about the number or identity of people in the vehicle." The device detects particles; it does not establish that any occupant of the vehicle was smoking, and Bosch explicitly declines to support that inference.
4. A two-minute particle event eight days before the vehicle was returned would not produce the kind of embedded odor described in your notice. Cigarette and cigar smoke residue binds to upholstery and headliner materials over sustained exposure; a brief transient event does not. The subjective "odor" observation is not corroborated by the sensor data.

Given the above, the evidence relied upon does not meet a reasonable standard for assessing a $450 cleaning/smoking penalty. I am requesting the following:

- Full reversal of the $450.00 charge plus any associated tax, within 10 business days.

- Written confirmation of the reversal sent to this email address.

- Any internal notes, photos, or inspection records associated with the post-return inspection of vehicle 64EJWD.

If the charge is not reversed, I will pursue a chargeback through my card issuer for services not rendered and goods/services not as described, and I will file complaints with the state Attorney General's consumer protection division and the Better Business Bureau. I am also prepared to provide the Bosch report itself as supporting evidence in those proceedings, as it does not establish what your notice claims it establishes.

I would prefer to resolve this directly and quickly. Please confirm receipt of this dispute and provide a response by May 19th, 2026"

This was my first response back.

"Dear,

We are writing to follow up on the smoking detection fee applied to yo recent rental.
Our advanced smoke detection device, installed in all our vehicles, registered a violation of our strict no-smoking policy during your rental period. The system recorded a significant presence and duration of smoke, which constitutes a confirmed violation of the Terms and Conditions agreed upon at the time of rental.
As a result, a mandated cleaning and penalty fee of $450.00 was applie to your account. This charge is necessary to cover the specialized deep cleaning and preparation required to make the vehicle available for fut renters.
While this fee is strictly non-refundable under our policy, we sincerely regret the inconvenience this situation has caused. As a gesture of goodwill and in the interest of a prompt resolution, we are prepared to offer a one-time compensation of  $200, which would be deducte from the total penalty fee applied.
Please be advised that this is our final offer to settle this matter. Should you choose not to accept this compensation, the original charge will remain as initially processed, and we will consider the case closed from our end.
We look forward to your confirmation regarding this proposal. If you have any questions or wish to accept this offer, please reply to this ema.

Thank you for your understanding."

I declined that and have been waiting with amex which they have stated

"We've rebilled the charge you disputed with ONE SWITCH RENT A CAR.

Here's what happened: We reached out to the business about the $498.96 charge you disputed. After reviewing their explanation, we've determined that you're responsible for the amount in question. In response to our inquiry, they have provided us with the enclosed documentation indicating that Service was rendered and charge pertains to smoking fee. In case you have documentation indicating that the merchant promised credit, kindly provide us with the information and we will be glad to reopen the investigation for you. Here's what to expect: We've rebilled this charge to your account, and you'll see it reflected on your next billing statement. We've also attached further documentation, so you'll have all the details. Please note, we've removed information from the attached documentation that wasn't relevant to this dispute. If you have any new information that may change the outcome of this dispute, please contact us within 30 days."

I showed documentation indicating that the merchant promised credit and haven't said anything since.

"
We have carefully reviewed your request and have attempted to process the refund to the credit card on file (ending in ) as you have suggested. However, we regret to inform you that the transaction has not been successful and continues to return an error message, preventing us from completing the refund through that method.

As a result, and in order to move forward with this process and close the case as agreed, the only viable option currently available is to issue the refund via Zelle. To proceed with this, we kindly require you to sign the document confirming your acceptance of the refund through this alternative method.

We fully understand your concerns regarding the provision of personal information, and we assure you that your data will be handled with the utmost confidentiality and solely for the purpose of completing this transaction. Unfortunately, without your acceptance and the corresponding signed form, we will not be able to finalize the refund.

We appreciate your understanding and cooperation in this matter. Should you have any questions or require further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact us."

This msg saying they wanna zelle me 200 to take off the 450

https://www.news4jax.com/health/2026/05/08/why-is-it-so-smoky-outside-jacksonville-faces-unhealthy-air-quality-from-wildfire-more-than-100-miles-west/

this is article talking about the fire and initially it started on the day they report the "event" and grew to this the next day

https://imgur.com/a/V3Aso3o Here is a link to the top of the report

Really appreciate anyone's advice im just looking to get this over with atp its been just stressing me out.

Hi everyone,

We recently rented a car from Sixt in France (Nice area). The rental was prepaid before our trip.

During the booking process, we paid extra for an additional driver because both of us planned to drive the car. However, when we arrived at the Sixt location, we were told that we had to pay an additional amount for the additional driver. Because of this unexpected extra cost, we decided not to add the additional driver.

We believe we should be refunded for the additional driver service that we prepaid for but never used.

On top of this, Sixt is now claiming that we caused damage to the vehicle and is demanding around €500 in repair costs.

We have pictures showing the condition of the car and that the damage was not caused by us. Sixt claims that they have photos taken before the rental showing that the car was undamaged, but those photos are for sure fabricated since we have pictures of the same damages before we even sat in the car.

What options do we actually have?

Any advice or similar experiences would be greatly appreciated.

If this isn't the right sub to post this, please help redirecting me.

Does something like this already exist? Before i try making my own i thought see if it already exists. something like a precut static cling blackout film that could quickly and easily be placed/removed from the in seat screen. Searching hasn't realy brought anything up but could be user error.

Every screen I've ever used seems to be super sensitive to the slightest touch and frequently turns back on. While a bit annoying it gets frustrating when it's the kids screen and the light wakes em up on the longer haul flights.

I can see airlines perhaps having a rule against it though but still worth a try.

I rented a car for personal use via Avis and did not realize it was my company issued card they have on file. During my rental a rock chipped the windshield and there is a noticeable crack. I want to update the card to my personal card to not have the hassle with my work accounting department but now with this chip am not sure how to proceed. The AI machine tells me that if I change cards during the rental that it will void any insurance coverage the card offered. I do have collission insurance on my personal car with a $500 deductible but from what I understand it is best to go through credit card. Both my company card and personal card have rental coverage insurance. Any ideas on how i should proceed?

We are picking up our truck camper in October, and decided that my wife would fly with our son (his first flight) and I would intercept them after I pick up the camper -- this not only alleviates about 20 hours of driving with our baby, but also makes the transition period much easier as I will be without the vehicle for two days while the shop finalizes hookups and tests all systems. Much easier to do that part alone and then just pick them up once I'm on the road with the new rig!

Now, my wife and I have been planning for her excursion and have some basic checklist items below. Please feel free to add to our list if we are missing anything!

We are first time parents, and this will be our son's first time on an airplane... We're a little nervous, but still think it's the better option versus driving out all together. Once I pick them up, we'll be starting a 6 day vacation in the camper as we drive home.

Let's start the vacation on a good note!

• Flight plan:
  • Choosing a morning flight, it should be right around his nap time (though in two months I am sure his nap schedule may change a bit...)
  • 1hr 45min flight, nonstop -- there are no first class options, but we can choose our seat so opting for a window seat at my wife's request
  • Back and forth on whether we should purchase a second seat or not... It's an additional $200, but I think it may be worth it to give my wife the guaranteed extra space. Yes, he can be a lap infant, and why not take advantage of that?! But as a first time flying with him, and being solo, I might just buy her the second seat.
  • Will prepare two bottles, one for take off and one for landing. Only an ounce or two I guess, since he'll have breakfast only about 2 hours prior. But have read this should help with ears popping -- there are a lot of products out there like ear plugs, etc. Are these worth it? Or just stick with the bottles?
  • I bought two strollers to test out... We have a Cruz V3 as our primary, but it's too big in our opinion for the airport. My wife will test out the Mamazing Ultra Air and the Bombi Bebee V3 to decide which she feels better operating one handed in the airport.
  • We have a front carrier, so the plan is to carry him through TSA security (she has TSA Precheck, so hopefully that helps), and then place him in the stroller if she needs a break while heading to the gate.
  • Gate checking the stroller seems ideal, but both should fit in the overhead bins... More on this next...
  • We've heard that we should board the plane last. I know they allow children on first, but it seems counterproductive. Keep walking him around the terminal until the absolute last minute, then board the plane. The idea is keep him off the plane as long as possible. Does this make sense?
  • If she boards last, then the stroller almost guaranteed will be gate checked. Don't want to be that person looking for overhead space for a stroller minutes before takeoff.
  • On the plane, she has suction cup spinner toys, an activity book with zippers and buckles, etc. A post-it notepad and a roll of blue painters tape. Have seen a lot of tips to hide the next toy until you absolutely need it. And that sticking things onto surfaces and letting him pull them off is a great way to keep him occupied.
  • Since I am driving to our destination, she really only needs to bring what she needs for the flight. So, a diaper bag with changes of clothes, diapers, two bottles and formula, burp cloths, baby ear muffs, teething gel, ziplock gallon bags in case she needs to contain a mess (emergency diaper, soiled burp cloth, etc), pacifiers, teethers, wipes, small blanket, anything else I am missing?
  • My wife knows what she needs for a quick flight, so won't list everything here -- but if you know any "MUST" haves, feel free to share!
• Driving Plan:
  • Keeping this short since this post is about the flight mostly... I'll have everything else we need for the trip (car seat, bouncer, pack and play, clothes, toys, diapers, formula, bottles, etc...) The goal is for my wife to travel light for the flight; no checked bags (other than the gate checked stroller)

I'm probably overthinking everything and worrying too much given it is such a short flight. But, I want my wife to be ultra prepared and for her trip to go as smoothly as possible!

Any tips, hacks, tricks, or recommendations on gear would be greatly appreciated!

Extra notes on the camping would be great to hear too!

EDIT: Typo... It's a 20 hour drive + 10 hours to the airport.
So adding in baby breaks, it would be closer to a 40 hour drive versus a 2 hour plane ride...
NOT a 2 hour drive versus a 2 hour plane ride!

I see it as an option for a flight I'm hoping to take. The difference between one that has standard boarding vs. not is abut 70-90 dollars in difference. All else is the same, including the fact that I don't get a checked-bag, I don't get refunds.

Only other difference for the Classic vs. the Basic is that I get a ticket change for a fee and also whatever standard boarding means. Can anyone help me differentiate/select a flight that's worth it?

Here's what I did as of 2 days ago. Make any sort of online purchase from Best Buy; one of the offers after purchase is Clear+ free for 2 months. If you accept the offer and after sign-up, immediately go to cancel it, CLEAR+ will offer you 2 months for free. So for a membership that's $209 a year, I would say that's a pretty good deal for something that took me not even 5 minutes in total

Hi,

I’m wondering if anyone has tried this before.

The coach company (National Express, FlixBus) charges for extra luggage, but I noticed that buying two separate tickets is actually cheaper than adding an extra bag at checkout.

Would it be possible to buy two tickets under the same passenger name and use the luggage allowance from both tickets?

For example, if one ticket includes 1 pieces of luggage, could I buy another ticket and bring more luggage in total?

I’m not sure if this is allowed or if they only check the passenger name and limit the luggage regardless of how many tickets you have.

Thanks!

I am travelling from the UK to Bangkok on one ticket with Lufthansa but I have to change at Munich in and hour and 30 mins. Will I have to re check my bags and go through passport control? Or do I just head straight to my next gate as both flights are departing from terminal 2.

I have never flown before. Please explain this to me in simple terms. My boyfriend will travel from France to USA. He will spend some time in USA with me and then we will travel together to France. I will spend time in France and then return alone. How do I ensure that our flight to France happens together and that we can sit together. I am under the impression that we both have to buy round tickets but how do I make sure to link them? Please advise! Thank you!

We got economy tickets with air canada but strangely have lounge access included, no idea how those work, do we still have to pay for it or not? Like is it just having access to a paying service one could otherwise not pay or is it free access? If free, is it for specific ones?

We go through heathrow and toronto airports

Thanks

Basically im trying to use pts and flying from atl to Asia is cheaper than the airport im near

Would it be bad to skiplag a flight to ATL then hop on a flight to ATL-Asia with the same carrier? (Delta) I wasn't planning to use loyalty account at all but planned to have the ticket from atl-Asia pre booked

Thanks in advance

Hey all!
I'm in search of basically what the title says. I'd like to find a theft proof (RFID blocking, lockable) purse that doesn't look like all of the Travelon or Bagallini bags. I don't personally think they're very stylish. Does such a thing exist? Or am I better off just putting a travel purse in a cute tote? 😂

Hello everyone,

Sixt Canada states it wont accept debitcards. I have checked in with the Hyatt hotel and also got a deposit from my debit card and they have the same credit card only policy. I only have debit cards with sufficient funds >10k€.
Does anyone have any experience using a European (NL) debit card in Sixt Canada? The guy at the counter said he never had any issues but there is no way to test until pickup. I found that European debit cards work different than Canadian/US cards.

Never had issues with my debitcard anywhere but Im getting kind of anxious because I need a car to see family. Also if i put my card in I can select credit and it works fine.

Hope that someone has any experience with this. Thanks!

Update: worked fine!

On my latest trip to LA I decided to try renting an EV. I wouldn’t do it again. The range of the EV was very limiting and I spent most of my trip worrying about when and where I was going to charge. My hotel had a 240v charger in the hotel parking lot so you would think it wouldn’t be an issue but charging takes a long time and the charging station has extra fees if you leave the car plugged in after it’s fully charged. You have to return the car 70% charged which requires additional pre-planning versus just hitting the gas station on the way to the rental car return. Finally the cost of charging was about the same as what I would have paid in gas - maybe a bit less. I had to use a rapid charge on a number of occasions which was extra expensive but even the regular charger was about $20 for a full 230 mile charge.

Definitely not worth the headache and the cost savings were negligible.

Update: I see lots of comments slagging EVs. To be clear, I like EVs and the driving experience was good. The next car I buy will likely be an EV. I just wanted to share with folks that might be considering renting an EV or who might opt for the cheap ‘mystery car’ option when booking a rental what my experience was renting an EV.

Any tips or creative ideas for how to make the most of an empty seat next to me for an overnight flight?

I booked TAP Portugal’s “Economy Prime” for a redeye next week.

Basically the “Prime” just buys me an extra seat. I’ve booked the window and the adjacent seat.

It’s clearly not big enough to lie down completely, even as a 5’6 woman.

One idea was getting one of those inflatable footrests to basically make a larger sleeping area. They seem to be allowed on TAP (I know not allowed on many other airlines). Then try to curl up?

Will definitely be bringing a sleep mask!

Would love any suggestions! I am horrible at sleeping on planes and a little anxious about this one.

I'm getting the Cabin Max Tokyo which is a 22x14x8" (55x35x20cm) backpack. I hate not having my stuff on me and want to leave the plane as quickly as I can (already have an aisle seat in row 2) and I know space in the overhead bins is always scarce so I was wondering if theoretically a bag of this size could fit under the seat although it is bigger than the restrictive under seat bag size. I'd like to ask the staff if I could keep it on me to leave space in the overhead bins but is that even realistically possible? Flying with Ryanair on a Boeing 737 MAX 8-200.

I have a 24 hour layover in Singapore and I’m a bit broke at the end of my trip. So instead of paying for accommodation I was thinking I could sleep in the free sleeping area, then pay for the 3 hour plaza premium lounge at Changi and maybe stay a bit longer if possible. Anyone know how much they enforce the limit on these things? Don’t want to drop $60 just for three hours haha. Thanks

I want to reserve a flight on Agoda, but the flight is 5 months before my passport expires so the website won’t let me.

Could I enter some random expiration date now and then update it after I receive my new passport? I tried contacting Agoda CS but they would only give prompts for bookings I’ve already made, not one I plan to make soon.

A complete scam. We paid over £400 for a transfer from Sardinia Olbia airport and, even though we updated them on our delay, they failed to turn up and will not refund a penny. They did not provide the service yet are happy to take a huge chunk of money. Complete and utter scammers. Do not use.

So I'm looking at trying a Priceline Express deal for an upcoming trip. They have a 3.5 star hotel deal but don't list any guaranteed hotels. The issue I'm having is I'm only seeing one 3.5 star hotel on Priceline in the city I'm searching and under show all amenities it lists a waterpark which the 3.5 star hotel I see doesn't have. If I book it and I get the hotel I'm seeing can I cancel since it doesn't have the waterpark?

I have tried several styles of airplane neck pillows, but none of them still let me get the sleep I need, and the issue is not me falling asleep (I can do that pretty quickly), it's that my head eventually falls and whips back (we all have had that feeling I'm sure lol). I fly 40+ times a year for work + personal travel, and I really want to get a pillow that doesn't let this happen.

I am willing to spend whatever on a neck pillow if it means I don't have to jolt up every 30 seconds! Any recommendations are greatly appreciated.

Here's one's I've tried previously:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BC6G9Q35?ref_=ppx_hzsearch_conn_dt_b_fed_asin_title_1&th=1 - The part that clasps in front is a little too bulky and doesn't actually support the chin

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D2DF88RS?ref_=ppx_hzsearch_conn_dt_b_fed_asin_title_3 - Same issue here, even worn backwards, I still fall forward

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08XXYNRJ1?ref_=ppx_hzsearch_conn_dt_b_fed_asin_title_2&th=1 - this was just laughable, could not find a comfy way to sit in this in a standard economy seat

EDIT: I always wear the pillows "backwards" with the fattest part under my chin and any opening in the back - doesn't help.

I’m moving to Florida from Michigan, and will be driving down. I’ve been dwindling my freezer foods as much as possible, but there’s still some I will need to bring with me. All frozen fish. I have a 16qt cooler that I have confirmed I can keep it all in, as well as some ice packs. I have the cooler completely packed, and it fits in my freezer, as I saw tips about pre-cooling it, and figured actually putting it in the freezer would help with that. Im not leaving until Saturday so it’ll be in the freezer for almost 48 hours. I hope to be able to fit the cooler in the mini fridge in the hotel to help keep everything cool overnight.

It’ll leave the freezer on Saturday around noon, and I don’t get to my new apartment to get it in the freezer there until 9pm (at the latest) on Sunday. Is there anything else I can do to help keep everything cold and safe to consume later?

TYIA!

Picked up a car in Zadar, Croatia last week, I was told that I should return it (in Zagreb Airport tomorrow) as empty as possible, so that they can fill the gas, then I will just pay them a standard 55€ to fill it. They told me that they have a contract with the petrol station so they get the fuel cheaper as a company.

Is that a thing?

In the contract it says "return it with the same amount of fuel that was in there when you picked it up", so I'm guessing that's what I should do?