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The U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) recently reported great news for the domestic travel industry and new solutions for frustrated air travelers.
As of January 8, 2023, TSA checkpoint travel activity this year surpassed volumes last seen in 2019 before the pandemic curtailed most trips.
While this data is great news for the industry, it also means longer wait times at security checkpoints.
However, the TSA is aggressively deploying new digital solutions to empower quicker check-ins and security clearance.
One of those solutions was very effective last year.
In December 2022, 91% of TSA PreCheck® passengers waited less than 5 minutes.
And when traveling with children 12 and under, they can join a parent/guardian at TSA PreCheck® in the dedicated lanes.
In 2023, more than 200 airports and 85+ airlines will provide TSA PreCheck® services.
For TSA PreCheck eligibility requirements and instructions on accessing TSA PreCheck, visit the Help Center.
Note: You do not need to apply for TSA PreCheck® if you already have Global Entry, NEXUS, SENTRI, or hold an active TWIC® or Commercial Driver’s License with an HME and you meet the TSA PreCheck eligibility requirements.
The Government of Canada confirmed on January 7, 2023, Canadians should exercise a high degree of caution in Mexico due to civil unrest.
And to avoid non-essential travel to various areas due to high crime levels.
For example, Canadians visiting Mexico were recently informed to limit their movements in Mexico's northwest area. Canadian tourists in Mexico's Sinaloa state remained in their hotels for several days after civil unrest was reported.
The Canadian government has released a list of travel advisories for countries like Mexico to avoid similar situations, empowering more informed travel decisions.
"The safety of Canadians abroad is a top priority for the Government of Canada," Marilyne Guèvremont, spokesperson at Global Affairs Canada, told Global News on January 8, 2023.
To alert U.S. citizens of these risks, the in-person consular services at the U.S. Consular Agency in Mazatlan remained suspended on January 9, 2023.
This is a continuation of the suspension of services previously announced, stemming from the violence across Sinaloa.
U.S. citizens in need of a passport who plan to fly from Sinaloa to the United States in the next week should email the American Citizen Services unit at the U.S. Consulate General in Hermosillo.
The U.S. Consulates General in Hermosillo and Guadalajara continue to offer in-person consular services.
The U.S. State Department reminds U.S. citizens that Sinaloa is classified as Level 4 – Do Not Travel – in its travel advisory for Mexico.
Please visit travel.state.gov for the entire Mexico Travel Advisory, issued in October 2022, to see state-level summaries and advisory levels for your specific travel destination.
Interesting Engineering (IE) reported today that while attending the Consumer's Electronic Show 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada, it learned the kind of solutions being developed to provide humans food during space flight to Mars.
One solution that stood out was turning plastic into consumable food during the long trip.
NASA says if a spacecraft departs Earth at a speed of about 24,600 mph, the trip to Mars will take about seven months.
To feed inter-galaxy travelers, Columbus, OH-based Beehex is developing deep-space food solutions using various 3D-printed food technologies in microgravity.
"So if you want to create steak out of plastic, the entire mechanism on one side of this container will be able to produce steak out of plastic- or chicken breasts," wrote IE.
Typically, BeeHex's 3D decoration equipment allows bakeries to produce decorated cookies, cakes, cupcakes, and more with high speed and precision.
The full IE article is posted at this link.
As of January 8, 2023, the U.S. CDC has not posted vaccination recommendations for when people visit Mars.
The U.S. State Department will soon begin correctly spelling the Republic of Turkey as "Türkiye" in formal settings.
According to the U.S. Department of State spokesperson Ned Price, on January 5, 2023, the name change was approved by the U.S. Board on Geographic Names following a request from the Turkish embassy.
In June 2021, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan requested the name change by launching a global rebranding campaign. He asked the rest of the world to embrace his country's original name, not the anglicized version.
"Türkiye is the best representation and expression of the Turkish people's culture, civilization, and values," President Erdogan commented.
Turkish people have called their country Türkiye since 1923, at the end of the Ottoman Empire and when the Turkish Republic was formed.
Data sources indicate Türkiye recorded 16 million tourists in 2020, ranking 15th worldwide.
Türkiye's cosmopolitan capital Ankara is positioned in the central Anatolia region.
While Istanbul, formerly known as Constantinople, is Turkey's largest city and is the gateway between Europe and Asia across the Bosphorus Strait.
While the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention does not have an active travel notice, its website says to check the vaccines and medicines list and visit your doctor or pharmacist at least a month before visiting Türkiye to get what is needed for your trip.
And the Department of Stated suggests visitors exercise increased caution when traveling to Türkiye as some areas have increased risk.
The U.S. Embassy in Ankara is located at 1480 Sok No:1 Cukurambar Mah Cankaya 06530, Ankara.
The U.S. Embassy in Bogota recently published a Level 3: Reconsider Travel notice with updates to high-risk areas. As of January 5, 2023, Columbia's U.S. Embassy says to exercise increased caution due to civil unrest.
Specifically, U.S. citizens are advised not to visit Arauca, Cauca (excluding Popayán), and Norte de Santander departments.
And the Colombia-Venezuela border region.
Furthermore, demonstrations occur regularly throughout the country. As a result, road closures may significantly reduce access to public transportation and disrupt travel within and between cities.
As a result, U.S. government employees are not permitted to travel by road between most major cities.
And Colombia's land border areas are off-limits to U.S. government personnel unless authorized.
If you decide to travel to Colombia, the State Department suggests keeping a low profile and enrolling in the Smart Traveler program to receive digital alerts and make it easier to be located during an emergency.
And U.S. citizens can obtain local assistance at U.S. Embassy in Bogota, at Calle 24 Bis No. 48-50, Bogotá, D.C. Colombia.
From a health perspective, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) included Columbia in its Dengue outbreak travel advisory.
Furthermore, the CDC suggests various travel vaccinations, such as malaria, measles, and yellow fever, before visiting Columbia.
Travel vaccines are available in the U.S. at certified clinics and pharmacies.
