How to survive the travel apocalypse

Tips to survive the 2023 travel apocalypse?

If you’ve been on an airplane lately, you know how hectic it has been to be a traveler. But things got even worse on Wednesday – in the first national grounding of flights in about two decades – when more than 7,300 flights were delayed and 1,100 canceled, according to the FlightAware website.?

Indeed, between flight disruptions and mass cancellations , flying is far from fun these days.

But there are ways to make air travel a little less stressful. First and foremost, check to see if your credit card gives you access to an airport lounge. Aside from free food, WiFi and lots of electrical outlets, you’ll typically get a more comfortable and quiet place to sit and wait.?

My Chase Sapphire Reserve card provides access to more than 1,300 lounges in 50 cities worldwide. I also use this card to book travel since it offers lost luggage reimbursement, travel insurance and other perks.

I’ve written about this before, but I’m also a huge fan of Apple AirTags – now everyone in the family has one for their suitcase, so we can track luggage and make sure our bags arrive at our final destination.?

Here are some other useful travel tips we shared last summer.

College coaches: New fave employee benefit

Last year I did something I never expected to do. I hired someone to help my son with college applications.

It was not a cheap endeavor, but I knew my know-it-all teen would be, ahem, more receptive to the ideas and advice of an expert. Outsourcing also meant less stress and strife for mother and son. Our coach helped my son identify an essay topic, prep for on-campus and virtual interviews and create a list of target, reach and “safety” schools.

That’s why I’m especially excited to hear more employers are offering college coaching as a perk to employees, reports Chris Taylor . It makes perfect sense. In an ultra-tight labor market, companies are trying to figure out how to retain and motivate their best workers while cultivating a sense of loyalty – helping someone's kid is a guaranteed way to do it.

Growing concern about the costs of higher education as well as rising student loan debt is another reason why companies such as Bank of America want to help employees navigate the college application process.

So now that I’ve let you in on this little secret, you should find out if you have this employee benefit, especially if your teenager is looking ahead to college next fall. (And if your kid is a few years away from college age, you can always start lobbying for it now.)

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How casual contacts can boost your career

If you or someone you know is looking for a job right now, you may be surprised to learn that when it comes to career mobility, your “weak ties” are even more important than strong ties.

A recent study published in the journal Science – diving into the LinkedIn data of 20 million people over five years – reveals just how important weak ties are. “We were able to verify the hypothesis that it is not your best friend who is going to help you get a job, but a friend’s friend, or someone’s cousin, or a person you met at a conference,” said Iavor Bojinov , the study’s co-author and an assistant professor at Harvard Business School .

“The advantage of weak ties is that they span a much more diverse network and act as bridges to different parts of that network,” according to Karthik Rajkumar , an applied research scientist at LinkedIn as well as the co-author of the study. "Weak ties give you access to a lot more information.”

Among New Year’s resolutions, finding a better job or career ranks high on many lists. And with Big Tech firms and Wall Street titans leading a string of layoffs across corporate America, this is the perfect time to start bulking up your network.?

Here are ways for job seekers to leverage weak ties (even right here on LinkedIn!) and find new work.

A$K Lauren

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