Destination Santa Fe: Outdoor adventure meets modern luxury

Hard to believe it’s April already, but here we are. And as usual, we’ve been busy scouring the world for the latest news, tips and trends to inspire you and help you navigate pandemic-era travel easily – and responsibly.  We hope you'll share this issue (our 14th!) with your friends.

This week's line up includes:

• Protecting your airline credits

• Old meets new at a reimagined lodge in New Mexico

• Final Four scores big for travel

• The skinny on maskless travel

• New airlift for London and Tahiti

• JetBlue enters bidding war for Spirit

• Bitcoin rattles New York's wine country

• The latest travel plays on sustainability and human rights 

Your airline credits may still be worth serious money! 

If you think those two-year-old airline credits are long gone, you might want to check again. As the pandemic has dragged on much longer than most of us ever imagined, travel companies have been fairly generous in extending the deadlines for cashing in on those those long-ago canceled trips.

That was a pleasant surprise for reader Laurie Shook, of Plano, Texas, who said she was expecting to lose $600 worth of airfare on American Airlines this month.

She and her husband had the credits from a canceled 2020 Alaska cruise. “They told us that we absolutely had to use the credits by the end of March or they were gone,” she told Travel Essential. 

A couple’s travel dilemma: “We didn't want to vacation within the U.S. in January or February due to winter weather. And we didn't want to fly out of the country for fear we'd be stuck in ‘quarantine jail.’ I could not fly in March due to work commitments,” she said. “American told us we couldn't convert credits to points or give the credits to someone else. … I get that they wanted the liability off the books, but c'mon! I gave them $600 to use interest-free for two years.” 

But just as they were about to say goodbye to their hard-earned cash, they got an email from American Airlines saying the credits are good until the end of the year.

“It was a nice surprise to hear we had an extension. We're now comfortable traveling, so we'll book a vacation,” she said.

Where to go – Seoul or Santa Fe? With credits in hand, the couple went to the Dallas Travel and Adventure Show and walked away with a number of ideas:

• Santa Fe. “It's affordable and close to the $300 credit we each have. American flies directly to Santa Fe. It has fantastic food and lovely art galleries. And it's a very walkable town, so we won't need a rental car. (Car rental rates are up 40%!)"

• Asia. “We're (also) investigating if we can use the credits toward an international trip to Seoul, Korea. We have family members there we've never visited. Wouldn't that be awesome!”

• North Dakota for a long weekend. “I need to check off state #47 on my 50 states bucket list.”

Old meets new in northern New Mexico

By Jeri Clausing

“New Mexico. I it’s a state, not a country.”

That’s a bumper sticker I spotted on my drive up Interstate 25 recently to visit Bishop’s Lodge, Santa Fe’s newest-oldest resort.

It was a reminder of why I chose to move here 11 years ago, and why it remains a popular tourist destination. I’ve always said that when you cross the border, you don’t really need a sign to tell you so. There’s something magical about how the topography and lighting change here in the high desert. Add in the unique history and mix of Spanish, Native American and Mexican cultures and it oftentimes truly feels like its own country.

And believe it or not, a lot of geographically challenged people still aren’t sure New Mexico is a state. New Mexico Magazine even has a long-standing feature, “One of our 50 is Missing,” where visitors and residents write in to tell their stories about things like being denied marriage or drivers  licenses because New Mexico birth certificates or IDs were deemed to be from a “foreign country.”

State or country, New Mexico – and Santa Fe, in particular – has long been a favored domestic destination. In addition to the normal city attractions (think Canyon Road art galleries, Geronimo’s Restaurant, the Georgia O’Keefe Museum) northern New Mexico has seen some new adventure resorts open  in recent years, including Ted Turner’s Vermejo Park Ranch and Canyon Madness Ranch.

But the newest entrant is its oldest -- the revamped and expanded Bishop’s Lodge.

Just 10 minutes from the heart of New Mexico’s historic capital, the luxury retreat is Santa Fe’s original ranch resort, set on more than 300 acres of private land bordering the Santa Fe National Forest and overlooking the Jemez mountains and picturesque Little Tesuque Valley.

Developed on the former homesite of the first Catholic bishop assigned to the American Southwest, Jean Baptiste Lamy, the property was turned into a resort in 1918 and for decades was a favorite retreat for locals and tourists alike. After being shuttered for several years, it underwent an extensive renovation and reopened in 2021. The reimagining combines its historic Southwestern flavor with a modern luxury twist. 

The resort has 83 guest rooms, suites and casitas with private terraces and kiva fireplaces, all with different sweeping views. There’s also a new 12-bedroom "bunkhouse" that is perfect for groups, weddings and family reunions; and a 2,000-square-foot Chapel House with three bedrooms and a private lawn.

And there truly is something for everyone here. Take fly fishing lessons, go horseback riding, or simply hike or snowshoe on the resort’s private trails that connect to the adjacent Santa Fe National Forest. Want a wellness escape? Get a massage with CBD oil or touchless sound therapy from a shaman. The hotel also partners with local businesses to offer everything from pottery classes to tours of Santa Fe’s famed Canyon Road to the must-try chocolate immersion with the founder of one of the world’s original artful chocolate shops, Kakawa. Learn about the history of chocolate and colonial Mexican and American chocolate elixir recipes. The best part of course, is the tasting – particularly the drinkable chocolate spiced with New Mexican red chile.

Oh, and did I mention the food? My favorites: the Buffalo tenderloin and the resort’s twist on eggs benedict with green chile hollandaise and jalapeno bacon at SkyFire, the resort’s signature restaurant, bar, lounge and living room featuring a roaring indoor fireplace and expansive outdoor decks with fire pits. 

Final Four scores big for travel – and the Kansas Jayhawks

Whether you’re an NCAA basketball fan or not, last week’s Final Four game marked another positive milestone for travel’s recovery. We say that based on data from Clear, which has 10 million members.

Clear member verifications at the New Orleans airport for one of college sports' biggest events broke records – surpassing even Mardi Gras. It’s a big reversal from last year’s Final Four, which was played in a Covid bubble with limited attendance amid major public health concerns. 

Clear’s numbers at MSY:

• Clear members traveling to New Orleans on the Thursday, Friday and Saturday before the Final Four were up over 1,000% versus last year’s capacity-limited Final Four in Indianapolis.

• Clear member verifications to New Orleans on Thursday, Friday and Saturday were 190% higher than the same days in 2019.

• It was the highest week ever for Clear members traveling to New Orleans.

“We are very bullish on travel – have been – and see very encouraging signs of travel returning from our own data and as well as the companies that we are looking at out there, including travel agencies,” Clear CEO Caryn Seidman told Wall Street analysts during a recent call. She also alluded to new network, partner and product announcements for 2022.

This aligns with our newsletter from February, when we recommended that travelers book ASAP to secure their ideal vacations for spring and summer.

In other news ...

U.S. passports expand gender classifications

Last week we told you about Alaska’s Airlines new gender-neutral uniforms, a first for the industry. A few days later, the Biden Administration announced it will make travel documents more inclusive for Americans who identify as transgender, nonbinary, or who otherwise don’t conform to traditional gender roles. Starting April 11, travelers will have the option of indicating their gender as “X”  on passports and on documents for the Transportation Security Administration’s Trusted Traveler Programs.

The T.S.A. also announced new initiatives aimed at making its security screening more inclusive, including updating body-scanning procedures, according to The New York Times. The current technology differentiates anatomy, meaning that an officer has to press a button to inform the machine of a traveler’s gender before a body scan. That can potentially prompt an alarm if the contours of a person’s body don’t match the generic outlines the software expects.

'Inheritance Pass' celebrates 150 years of Yellowstone

Looking for a unique gift for your heirs? How about an “Inheritance Pass” that will give your descendants a year’s access to Yellowstone National Park in 2172  – yes 2172. The $1,500 passes are being sold as part of Yellowstone’s 150th anniversary celebration. And while you’ll never know if they actually get used, the money will go toward preserving the future of the park by funding things like trail improvements, education, native fish conservation and scientific studies, according to The Associated Press.

“It is our way of celebrating 150 years of Yellowstone National Park and to help preserve the park for the next 150 years,” Lisa Diekmann, president and CEO of Yellowstone Forever, told the Billings Gazette.

Besides giving to a good cause, donors also get their own annual pass, good for a year after its first use.

Tahiti gets more U.S. airlift

When we tell people Tahiti is one of our all-time favorite destinations, we often get the, “but it’s so far” response. In reality, for anyone living in the West, it’s actually just as easy – and often faster – to get to than Europe. The quickest way has always been on Air Tahiti Nui's and several other major carriers' eight-hour nonstops from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) – compared to a 10-hour non-stop from LAX to, say, Rome.  And Air Tahiti Nui has just added a new nonstop, this one from Seattle. That ought to elevate French Polynesia’s competitiveness with Hawaii for Pacific Northwest travelers. And at least one of us would take Tahiti any day over Hawaii, Mexico and other popular beach destinations. 

A return to maskless travel?

Pressure is rising on the Biden Administration to lift mask mandates on airplanes and other forms of public transportation when the current order ends April 18. Last week, the chief executives of American Airlines, United Airlines, Delta Air Lines and other carriers urged Biden to end the airplane mask mandate, which has been blamed for the rise in air rage incidents. And attorneys general from 21 states asked a federal judge to block the mandate. 

The calls come as several countries in Europe have already ditched their mask requirement. We’re actually cool with continued mask mandates after flying the past two years without bringing home any cold or flu bugs. But if you’re ready to bare your face in the air again, Travel +  Leisure tells you what airlines have ditched the controversial rule.

JetBlue launches Boston-London; intro fares $499 R/T+

JetBlue, the U.S.'s sixth-largest airline, just announced new London service: Nonstop flights between Boston Logan International Airport (BOS) and London Gatwick Airport (LGW) to start on July 19, followed by service to London Heathrow Airport (LHR) on Aug. 22. The airline says Bostonians have been requesting London more than most other destinations. “Our strategy of flying to both Heathrow and Gatwick Airports has been a success for us in New York, and we’ve secured slots to be able to do the same in Boston,” JetBlue CEO Robin Hayes said in a statement. 

That's not JetBlue's only news...

NYT scoop: JetBlue makes surprise bid for Spirit Airlines

Last night, The New York Times broke the news that JetBlue has launched a bidding war with Frontier Airlines for ultra-low-cost carrier Spirit Airlines.  So, Travel Essential immediately checked in with renowned travel industry analyst Henry Harteveldt, principal of Atmosphere Research.

"JetBlue has been exploring a merger partner for several years," Harteveldt told Travel Essential via email. "If you recall, in 2016, JetBlue wanted to buy Virgin America. Alaska was the successful bidder for that airline, but according to JetBlue’s CEO, Robin Hayes, with whom I just spoke, the airline was exploring potential merger partners before the Covid pandemic."

JetBlue believes a merger will allow it to expand faster than it could organically, he said, but...

JetBlue's purchase is no slam-dunk. The Department of Justice under the Biden Administration has expressed concern about mergers between companies in highly contracted industries like aviation, Harteveldt told us. Spirit is one of the largest budget airlines and is an acknowledged price leader. However, JetBlue asserts that the U.S.’s four largest airlines (American, Delta, Southwest and United) pay more attention to its pricing actions than budget airlines do. As a result, JetBlue contends that if it is able to merge with Spirit and expand, it will  be able to bring low fares, and possibly more flights, to more cities  – and with a better product and service, Harteveldt told us.

New York wine country meets … bitcoin mining? 

Protocol caught our eye this week with its story about a brewing controversy in an area that we absolutely adore – New York State’s Finger Lakes region, specifically Seneca Lake. The region is incredibly beautiful, with rolling hills and vineyards that dot the lake and a growing number of quality wineries, bakeries, breweries, distilleries and restaurants. It has that “Napa Valley in the 1990s” vibe, and a laid-back attitude to match.

So what’s threatening tourism in this bucolic area? Turns out that a private equity-backed company is using a once-dormant 1930s power plant on the lake to operate a 24/7 bitcoin mining operation. A local citizens' group made up of local residents, vintners and a Cornell professor believe it will hurt the environment, which could in turn impact tourism. Anna Kelles, a New York state assembly member from the Finger Lakes region, introduced a crypto moratorium bill, saying the plant’s emissions can work against the state’s climate goals. For an exclusive look inside the humming power plant and above it (via drone coverage), check out this good two-minute film by NBC Nightly News.  

Not sure what bitcoin mining even means? Check out this explainer from Investopedia.

We recommend visiting the area for a long weekend and exploring the many small towns. If you do, book your hotel in advance as we expect they'll be packed this spring and summer on weekends. Also, be sure to visit the Forge Cellars winery, which lives up to its reputation for award-winning, bone-dry riesling and panoramic views from the barn (below).

And finally, kudos to Houston for human rights-travel plan

The pandemic heightened concerns about social and environmental inequities, including  human rights. So as we build back travel, many people – including us here Travel Essential – see significant opportunities to do so in a way that’s good for both people and the planet.

That’s why we’re giving a shout out this week to the City of Houston for proactively making human rights a centerpiece of its public bid to win the 2026 World Cup,  a global travel and sporting event that not only bring billions into the local economy, but also the potential for forced labor and sexual exploitation. As many of you know, there is a dark side to travel and it’s important to raise awareness about it.

Last week, the Houston 2026 World Cup Bid Committee and the City of Houston Mayor’s Office hosted a Human Rights Think Tank as part of the Soccer Innovation Institute, which seeks to use the power of soccer to address critical social issues. You can read more about it in the U.K.-based soccer publication FCBusiness here. The city’s human rights plan notes that “children are particularly at risk for sex trafficking because a large and popular event like the World Cup provides a grooming opportunity for traffickers to invite children to fake associated events.”