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Global Entry is a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) program that allows expedited clearance for pre-approved, low-risk travelers upon arrival in the United States. Members enter the United States by accessing the Global Entry processing technology at selected airports .

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While Global Entry’s goal is to speed travelers through the process, members may still be selected for further examination when entering the United States. Any violation of the program’s terms and conditions will result in the appropriate enforcement action and termination of the traveler’s membership privileges.

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These are the 4 best family travel insurance plans

Find coverage that fits your family's travel plans with these four companies..

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Family vacations are a special time, and ensuring they go smoothly is essential to making memories that will last forever. Travel insurance is one way to ensure that any bumps in the road can be smoothed over, from a lost bag to an injury abroad.

CNBC Select reviews the best travel insurance plans for families based on coverage, cost and plan variety. (See our methodology for more information on how we choose the best family travel insurance companies.)

Best family travel insurance  

  • Best for families with young children : Allianz   
  • Best for affordability : Faye   
  • Best for CFAR coverage : Travel Insured International  
  • Best for cruises : Berkshire Hathaway Travel Protection  

Best for families with young children 

Allianz travel insurance.

The best way to estimate your costs is to request a quote

Policy highlights

10 travel insurance plans make it possible to customize your coverage. For families, Allianz's OneTrip Prime package covers children age 17 and younger when traveling with a parent or grandparent.

24/7 assistance available

  • Trip cancellation benefits can reimburse your prepaid, nonrefundable trip payments if you have to cancel your trip for one of the covered reasons stated in your plan documents. 
  • Limited coverage for risky sports

Who's this for? Allianz is great for families with young children as its OneTrip Prime travel insurance policy offers free coverage for children ages 17 or under when traveling with a parent or grandparent. Though this benefit isn't available to Pennsylvania residents, it could help families with younger children lower the cost of their travel insurance coverage.  

Standout benefits:  Allianz's cancel for any reason (CFAR) coverage has an enhanced version available that can cover up to 80% of trip expenses if you have to cancel for a reason that's not covered.  

[ Jump to more details ]  

Best for affordability 

Faye travel insurance.

Faye offers travel insurance with a convenient online buying experience and an app with real-time travel alerts. It's one simple plan includes coverage for common issues, like trip cancellation, emergency medical expenses and trip delay coverage. It also offers coverage for pre-existing medical conditions when plans are purchased within 14 days of an initial trip deposit.

  • Covers Covid like any other medical condition
  • CFAR is available for up to 75% of trip costs for an additional cost.
  • Additional coverage options like vacation rental damage coverage and pet care coverage.
  • Not all benefits are available in all states.

Who's this for?  Faye travel insurance stands out for families on a budget. Its policies start at just $4.64 per day (for 14 days) for domestic trips and $5.16 per day (for 14 days) for international trips. It's also great for those who want a completely digital experience and would rather manage a policy through an app than an agent or by phone.

Standout benefits:  Faye's intuitive interface makes it easy to get travel insurance coverage on your own time, and quotes are available entirely online. On top of the standard trip delay, cancellation and interruption coverage, you can purchase CFAR coverage, coverage for adventure and sports activities and a pet care add-on, which can cover illness or injury for your pet when traveling with you, or extra kenneling costs if your trip is delayed if you leave your pet at home.  

Best for CFAR coverage 

Travel insured international travel insurance.

Travel Insured International has two simple travel insurance plans — the Worldwide Trip Protector and Worldwide Trip Protector Gold. Its plans are affordable and offer the option of cancel for any reason (CFAR) coverage.

  • Optional CFAR coverage and interruption for any reason coverage
  • Medical coverage can be lower than other options

Who's this for?  Travel Insured International could be a great fit for families looking for the flexibility of a CFAR addition to ensure they'll be covered for any reason they need to cancel. The company's wide variety of reasons for cancellation includes coverage for school year extensions with all plans.  

Standout benefits:  Travel Insured International's Worldwide Trip Protector can cover all children 17 and under for free when traveling with related adults.  

Best for cruises  

Berkshire hathaway travel protection.

Berkshire Hathaway Travel Protection has multiple plans to cover vacations from luxury travel to adventure travel. The brand's LuxuryCare offers the highest limits of travel insurance coverage offered by the company. Quotes and policies are available online.

  • Wide variety of policies available
  • Strong financial strength rating by AM Best
  • Cancel for any reason only provides reimbursement for up to 50% of non-refundable trip payments

Who's this for?  Berkshire Hathaway Travel Protection offers cruise-specific packages for families setting sail on a cruise.  

Standout benefits:  Cruise plans include coverage for missed connections and unique challenges you could face on a cruise vacation, like cruise disablement and diversion. 

More on our top family travel insurance companies 

Allianz offers 10 different travel insurance policies for travelers and trips of all types, including single-trip and multi-trip coverage. It also offers quotes and claims online, making the experience simple.  

CFAR coverage available?  

Yes, up to 80% of prepaid, non-refundable trip costs 

24/7 assistance?  

[ Return to summary ]  

While relatively new to the space, Faye's travel insurance plans combine affordability and easy access. Policies are backed by the United States Fire Insurance Company.  

Yes, up to 75% of prepaid, non-refundable trip costs 

Travel Insured International 

Travel Insured International has been offering travel insurance for over 25 years. It has two tiers of coverage (available in most states) that can help you meet all your travel protection needs.  

Berkshire Hathaway Travel Protection 

Berkshire Hathaway Travel Protection offers several tiers of travel protection and insurance, including packages specifically designed for road trips and cruises. Its strong A++ financial strength rating also helps it stand out against the competition.  

Up to 50%, only available on LuxuryCare packages 

Does travel insurance cover family members?  

Generally, you can insure your whole family on one travel insurance plan, so you won't have to buy separate plans for every traveler. Your travel insurance plan will cover every person listed on the policy.  

Does travel insurance cover cancellation due to a death in the family? 

In many cases, travel insurance can help you recoup the cost of your vacation if you have to cancel due to a death in your family. However, you'll want to carefully read your policy's definition of a family member, as not everyone in your life could be included.  

Bottom line

A family vacation can be a big investment, so it's important to protect yourself in case anything goes awry. Having a travel insurance plan that's easy to access, provides 24/7 support and fits your specific travel concerns and budget can help ensure your trip will go smoothly.

Money matters — so make the most of it. Get expert tips, strategies, news and everything else you need to maximize your money, right to your inbox.  Sign up here .

Why trust CNBC Select? 

At CNBC Select, our mission is to provide our readers with high-quality service journalism and comprehensive consumer advice so they can make informed decisions with their money. Every travel insurance review is based on rigorous reporting by our team of expert writers and editors with extensive knowledge of travel insurance products. To research the best travel insurance companies, we compiled over 100 data points on more than a dozen travel insurance companies. While CNBC Select earns a commission from affiliate partners on many offers and links, we create all our content without input from our commercial team or any outside third parties, and we pride ourselves on our journalistic standards and ethics. See our methodology for more information on how we choose the best travel insurance companies. 

Our methodology  

To determine the best travel insurance companies, CNBC Select analyzed dozens of travel insurance companies and compared them based on various factors. 

While narrowing down the best travel insurance companies, we focused on the number of plans available, the availability of 24/7 assistance to access while traveling, coverage for Covid-19, the availability of cancel for any reason coverage, and financial strength (which measures a company's ability to pay on contracts) using A.M. Best ratings. We also considered family-friendly features, such as the inclusion of children on policies for free with parent's coverage, and reasons for cancellation, including school year extension as a reason for cancellation.  

Note that the premiums and policy structures advertised for travel insurance companies are subject to fluctuate in accordance with the company's policies.  

Catch up on CNBC Select's in-depth coverage of credit cards , banking and money , and follow us on TikTok , Facebook , Instagram and Twitter to stay up to date.  

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An official website of the United States government

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Official websites use .gov A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS A lock ( Lock A locked padlock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Vaccines for Travelers

Vaccines protect travelers from serious diseases. Depending on where you travel, you may come into contact with diseases that are rare in the United States, like yellow fever. Some vaccines may also be required for you to travel to certain places.

Getting vaccinated will help keep you safe and healthy while you’re traveling. It will also help make sure that you don’t bring any serious diseases home to your family, friends, and community.

On this page, you'll find answers to common questions about vaccines for travelers.

Which vaccines do I need before traveling?

The vaccines you need to get before traveling will depend on few things, including:

  • Where you plan to travel . Some countries require proof of vaccination for certain diseases, like yellow fever or polio. And traveling in developing countries and rural areas may bring you into contact with more diseases, which means you might need more vaccines before you visit.
  • Your health . If you’re pregnant or have an ongoing illness or weakened immune system, you may need additional vaccines.
  • The vaccinations you’ve already had . It’s important to be up to date on your routine vaccinations. While diseases like measles are rare in the United States, they are more common in other countries. Learn more about routine vaccines for specific age groups .

How far in advance should I get vaccinated before traveling?

It’s important to get vaccinated at least 4 to 6 weeks before you travel. This will give the vaccines time to start working, so you’re protected while you’re traveling. It will also usually make sure there’s enough time for you to get vaccines that require more than 1 dose.

Where can I go to get travel vaccines?

Start by finding a:

  • Travel clinic
  • Health department
  • Yellow fever vaccination clinic

Learn more about where you can get vaccines .

What resources can I use to prepare for my trip?

Here are some resources that may come in handy as you’re planning your trip:

  • Visit CDC’s travel website to find out which vaccines you may need based on where you plan to travel, what you’ll be doing, and any health conditions you have.
  • Download CDC's TravWell app to get recommended vaccines, a checklist to help prepare for travel, and a personalized packing list. You can also use it to store travel documents and keep a record of your medicines and vaccinations.
  • Read the current travel notices to learn about any new disease outbreaks in or vaccine recommendations for the areas where you plan to travel.
  • Visit the State Department’s website to learn about vaccinations, insurance, and medical emergencies while traveling.

Traveling with a child? Make sure they get the measles vaccine.

Measles is still common in some countries. Getting your child vaccinated will protect them from getting measles — and from bringing it back to the United States where it can spread to others. Learn more about the measles vaccine.

Find out which vaccines you need

CDC’s Adult Vaccine Quiz helps you create a list of vaccines you may need based on your age, health conditions, and more.

Take the quiz now !

Get Immunized

Getting immunized is easy. Vaccines and preventive antibodies are available at the doctor’s office or pharmacies — and are usually covered by insurance.

Find out how to get protected .

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How a Vermont Ski Area Roared Back From a Financial Scandal

Less than a decade ago, the biggest fraud in ski industry history nearly took down a beloved ski area. But Jay Peak, long known for its powder, has since transformed into a sparkling modern resort.

On a bluebird day, two skiers glide downhill on a ski trail lined with snow-covered trees.

By David Goodman

Settling into the first tram of the morning at Vermont’s Jay Peak resort last month, I looked down to see a young boy wearing a neon helmet pressed against the window, his father next to him, as excited as I was to ski the foot of fresh snow. The boy told me that he was 10 years old. I asked him why he liked coming to Jay Peak.

“Because of the Jay Cloud,” he said matter-of-factly, as if it were obvious. “It has the best snow.” As if on cue, the world outside the aerial tram car suddenly went from blue to white. Sixty of us in the rising tram were in our own personal snow globe.

The mystique of Jay Peak, the northernmost ski area in Vermont, is intimately bound to the Jay Cloud, a mythical storm cloud that hovers over its rocky summit. The resort, five miles from Quebec, claims to receive more snow — an average of about 350 inches — than any resort east of the American Rockies, and even more than many Western ski areas, including Park City, Utah, and Steamboat Springs, Colo.

But another cloud, for years, hung over Jay Peak Resort: Its former owners perpetrated the biggest financial fraud in ski industry history — as well as the biggest fraud in the state of Vermont.

In 2016, officials from the Securities and Exchange Commission seized the ski resort and accused its owners, the longtime Jay Peak president, Bill Stenger, and a Miami businessman named Ariel Quiros, of defrauding foreign investors of $200 million in a Ponzi-like scheme. Both men landed in jail. The ski area remained open while under federal receivership, emerging from it in the fall 2022 when the area was purchased by the Park City-based Pacific Group Resorts for $76 million.

Once the cloud of scandal was finally lifted, a sparkling modern resort was — perhaps paradoxically — revealed. Three hotels, an ice rink, a 60,000-square-foot indoor water park, climbing gym, movie theater, multiple condo complexes, and numerous bars and restaurants have been built since 2009, largely with money from defrauded investors. The buildings and attractions teem with visitors.

“If you haven’t been to Jay Peak in a decade, you literally won’t even recognize the place you pull up to,” said Steve Wright, the resort’s general manager.

But the cloud has been slower to clear from other parts of the state’s Northeast Kingdom. While the resort bustles with new lodging and amenities, related promises to bring thousands of jobs and extensive development to the region, Vermont’s most impoverished, fell far short. In the nearby city of Newport, a 20-mile drive from Jay Peak, there is still a hole in the heart of its downtown.

Powder, challenge and scandal

Jay Peak opened for skiing in 1957, its signature, craggy summit becoming accessible to skiers in the mid-1960s with the opening of a chairlift and Vermont’s only tramway. In the 1970s, the Hotel Jay opened with 48 slope-side rooms.

By the early 2000s, Jay Peak Resort was renowned among hard-core skiers for its powder and challenge. Half of its skiers were Canadian, with Montreal just two hours away. But its infrastructure of lifts and hotels “was pretty well banged up,” said Mr. Wright, who was hired in 2004 by Mr. Stenger, who led the resort since the mid-1980s. The Tyrolean-themed base lodge and hotel was dated and the ski area described in one news account as shabby, unchic and seedy.

Then came the prospect of seemingly easy money: Mr. Stenger turned to a federal initiative, called the EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program, that offers foreign investors an expedited path to obtaining green cards in return for a job-creating investment of $500,000 if the project is in an economically depressed area like the Northeast Kingdom.

In 2008, Mr. Stenger joined with Mr. Quiros to purchase Jay Peak Resort and they acquired the nearby Burke Mountain Resort several years later. They raised a staggering $350 million from EB-5 investors to upgrade and transform the facilities at both resorts.

But the pair didn’t limit their vision to skiing. In their most ambitious — and outlandish — gambit, they also proposed to locate a biotechnology company in Newport, a working-class city of 4,400 people, and redevelop the city’s downtown, including building a boutique hotel, a conference center and new marina on Lake Memphremagog. They said that the project would employ directly or indirectly 10,000 people, transform the ski areas into four-season resorts and help revitalize the struggling Northeast Kingdom, which has the highest poverty rate, the lowest household income and the highest median age in Vermont.

It turned out that Mr. Quiros had bought the resort with investor funds intended to build hotels, then continued to improperly redirect funds from subsequent projects in a Ponzi-like scheme to cover this original sin. When the S.E.C. and Vermont officials caught up with him, they revealed that Mr. Quiros, along with Mr. Stenger, had misused $200 million of the funds they had raised, including $50 million that Mr. Quiros had spent on luxury purchases, such as a condo in Trump Place New York. Mr. Stenger, who was not accused of personally profiting from the scandal, was nevertheless charged by the S.E.C. with being part of a “massive eight-year fraudulent scheme” that “systematically looted” foreign investors .

“I’m outraged at what he did and I feel abused,” Mr. Stenger said recently.

Mr. Quiros was sentenced to five years in prison for wire fraud and money laundering, and Mr. Stenger was sentenced to 18 months for submitting falsified documents. He served nine months and was released from prison in March 2023. “I’m embarrassed that I didn’t see it earlier,” Mr. Stenger said.

Michael Goldberg, a top receivership attorney who has handled hundreds of Ponzi cases and represented many clients of Bernie Madoff , the financier and architect of the largest Ponzi scheme in history, was appointed federal receiver of Jay Peak in 2016.

Jay Peak was “at one point the poster child of everything good about the EB-5 program,” Mr. Goldberg said. “When it collapsed, it became the poster child for everything bad about the EB-5 world.”

Mr. Wright, Jay Peak’s general manager, teamed up with Mr. Goldberg to steer Jay Peak through a different kind of storm.

Some 836 investors from 74 countries had been duped by the Kingdom Con , as the scandal was later coined. While Mr. Goldberg’s job was to ensure that defrauded investors were made whole, Mr. Wright understood that Jay Peak “has to be successful, not only for making sure that the staff kept their jobs, but because the investors getting their visas was predicated on the business being successful.”

A lot was on the line: Jay Peak’s staff had grown from 350 to 1,200, making it the biggest employer in the region.

“We were nervous that no one was ever going to buy a season pass for Jay Peak or book a vacation here anymore,” Mr. Wright said. To his surprise, as word spread about the ski area’s improvements, skier visits set records.

After the fraud

Then the pandemic shut everything down. The Canadian border closed for nonessential travel for 19 months . For the entire winter of 2020-2021, Jay Peak was inaccessible to half of its clientele and subject to strict health restrictions by the state of Vermont. Annual skier visits plunged to 75,000 from some 300,000.

In a curious twist, weathering the EB-5 scandal prepared the resort for surviving the pandemic. “We can probably get through this,” Mr. Wright recalled thinking during the height of the pandemic. “A lot of it was with the resiliency that we built up through surviving the receivership.”

Jay Peak has set records in revenue and lift ticket sales annually since 2006, said Mr. Wright, who would not reveal exact sales figures. One reason is the many non-skiing options available to visitors, evident in the bustling water park I saw when I visited on a brisk January day. Another is Jay Peak’s tree skiing. Nearly a third of its 385 skiable acres are glades and the mountain has a throwback feel, offering skiers a mix of narrow natural snow trails and broad boulevards. Skiing Jay Peak feels like a safari, where skiers freely roam the snowy landscape, in contrast to the domesticated feel of other resorts.

Jay Peak’s new owners are not planning major changes. “We are very cognizant of the loyal clientele and the unique vibe that it has,” said Mark Fischer of Pacific Group Resorts . “We don’t want to change that culture.”

Chris Young, the principal of the nearby North Country High School, is a lifelong Jay Peak skier.

“I don’t think the Jay vibe has changed at all. If anything, it’s gotten better,” he said.

But wounds from the scandal are still visible in the surrounding area. Burke Mountain Resort, where Mr. Quiros and Mr. Stenger built a hotel, is still under federal receivership (Mr. Goldberg expects the ski area to be sold this year). In Newport, a gaping weed-filled hole sits in the center of downtown. An entire block was razed in 2015 to make way for what Mr. Stenger and Mr. Quiros promised would be a multimillion dollar hotel and conference center. The hole is like a scarlet letter from a cheating paramour. The parcel is awaiting sale by the federal receiver.

The outcome for the foreign investors has been decidedly mixed. Eighty percent of Jay Peak’s EB-5 investors have received green cards, Mr. Goldberg said, but none of the 121 investors in Burke have received one. Getting green cards for investors is one of his remaining priorities, he said. Many investors have lost money.

Is it ironic that one fruit of the fraud is that Jay Peak is a thriving modern resort?

“Having a fraud and having a beautiful end product are not inconsistent,” Mr. Goldberg quipped.

Follow New York Times Travel on Instagram and sign up for our weekly Travel Dispatch newsletter to get expert tips on traveling smarter and inspiration for your next vacation. Dreaming up a future getaway or just armchair traveling? Check out our 52 Places to Go in 2024 .

Where to Go This Winter

Whether you enjoy snowy landscapes or warmer weather, make the most of the season with the destinations below..

Embrace the Cold

Skiing Without Going Broke: Some states and resorts offer discounted passes for children and teens, knowing that those who start young tend to keep coming back .

Try Extreme Sledding : Looking for a thrill? Sledders in Switzerland are rocketing down steep, miles-long slopes , sometimes at night.

Spend 36 Hours in Vienna: The Austrian capital beckons as a wintry escape  with ice skating paths, cozy coffeehouses and a Christmas market in a palace.

Go Hut-to-Hut in Colorado: Challenge yourself with a backcountry adventure  that rewards skiers with soul-stirring scenery.

Stay in a Cozy Inn: Discover six hotels that are perfect for a weekend of sipping hot cocoa by the fire .

Escape to Warmer Weather

Learn to Love Waikiki:  It’s fashionable to dismiss the famous Honolulu beach as touristy and inauthentic, but it offers more if you know where to look .

Choose Your Cruise: Here are eight cruises to sunny spots  that offer respite from the winter blahs.

Unwind in the Desert: Spend 36 hours dining under the stars and riding mustangs  over a weekend at Joshua Tree in California.

Hunt for a ‘Perfect Beach’:  Search the coast of northern Puerto Rico for a superb stretch of golden sand .

Splurge on a Sailboat Adventure: What you need to know to charter a sailboat in the Caribbean , from costs and type of vessel to timing and itinerary.

'I want to get there before it gets too touristy': How Gen Z is redefining travel

Eli Snyder is a full-time travel content creator on TikTok, a job that didn't exist just seven years ago.

Seven years ago, Eli Snyder’s job didn’t exist, nor would the 25-year-old feel confident about choosing a travel destination.

As a full-time TikTok travel influencer, Snyder is in Laos before spending the next couple of months exploring Vietnam and the Philippines. The Kansas City native then plans to leave Asia and venture into six South American countries, including Argentina and Chile.

To Snyder, travel is all about being “surprised,” and having his “preconceived notions about a place to be turned upside down.” Of course, connecting with the local culture and eating good food is a big part of it too. 

“(Before, if you were) going to Mexico, you’re going to do an all-inclusive, but now you’re going to leave the coast and go inland to see the rural towns,” he said. 

Snyder is inspired by fellow young content creators who travel to less touristy destinations – places his parents would never dream of going to. “There’s an emphasis on finding your own destination and spots rather than tourist hotspots,” Snyder said. 

Learn more: Best travel insurance

Younger people have always been scrappy as they seek to travel the world and discover themselves. After all, youth hostels have been around for over a century . “I think some things don’t change through generations: the fundamental appeal of travel is timeless, offering interesting perspectives of the world and hitting that recharge button,” said Will Jones, brand manager at StudentUniverse, a travel platform exclusively for students and youth. 

Since most Gen Z members are just starting their careers, they have less disposable income to spend on travel and are usually seeking out the best deals. 

“A lot of people in their mid-20s are interested in saving money when they travel, getting the most bang for their buck,” Naomi Schiller, 25, an administrative assistant at the Metropolitan Opera props department, told USA TODAY “I don’t have the money to throw around on awesome accommodations.” 

However, Gen Z is finding new ways to travel. Gone are the days of partying until sunrise. “They’re leaning much more into the cultural side of things and away from the party type,” said Jones. The young generation has an increased desire to go off the beaten path and immerse themselves in the culture they’re visiting – and they can do that with the ubiquity of technology and social media. 

Here are four Gen Z travel trends:

1. #TravelTikTok

Move over travel guidebooks and TripAdvisor, TikTok is the new place for young people seeking travel inspiration.

“A lot of inspiration comes from social media, like TikTok or Instagram reels,” Greta Redleaf, 20, a student at American University, told USA TODAY. Redleaf is in a study abroad program and said social media has been especially helpful as she explores new destinations on the weekends.

“I’m in Scotland right now, so I follow a lot of European travel accounts, and they sometimes post deals,” she said.

In the 2024 State of Student & Youth Travel Report by StudentUniverse, 89% of the 4,000 surveyed 18- to 25-year-olds – who are in full-time education and either live in the U.S., Canada, the U.K. and Australia – said they’ve found new destinations through TikTok, and 70% use TikTok as a trip-planning tool. Over The largest demographic of TikTok users is between the ages of 18 and 24, as of January.

Hailing from Sydney, Issy McDermott, 23, also sources her travel ideas mainly from social media. “When I was younger, I used to watch travel videos on YouTube,” she said. Now she uses TikTok and Instagram.

The vast majority of these Gen Z travelers seek to discover destinations untouched by mass tourism or not easily found. “Right now, I really want to visit Sri Lanka for a mix of the beaches and the more adventurous side,” McDermott said. “It’s kind of building up a hype on social media, so I want to get there before it gets too touristy.”

Snyder said the access and connectivity that social media offers mean “people are willing to go to places older generations would have considered too dangerous.”

2. Sobering up

“Unlike younger generations in the past, Gen Z is steering away from the typical young travel of partying,” Jones said. “They would rather experience a new culture and go sightseeing.” The most popular destinations among Gen Zers were found to be Italy and Japan, which are “more cultural places than the more traditional party places.”

According to the report, 83% of young travelers would consider taking a vacation without any alcohol to avoid unsafe situations. They also “would rather spend money on other things.” 

“I have described myself in the past as a terrible tourist. I don’t usually travel with a strict, ‘I want to see this, this and this,’ ” Arthur Tisseront, 26, a video game dialogue writer living in Finland, told USA TODAY. “I usually try to find somewhere to stay that is reasonably priced but in a part of the city or town or area I’m in that will let me experience whatever older culture exists there.” 

As more research reveals the harmful effects of alcohol, Snyder thinks more young people are going to be traveling sober “big time.” 

For Snyder, alcohol is near the bottom of his priorities when it comes to travel. He recently spent a month in the Middle East with a friend and didn’t have a sip of alcohol, nor did he miss it. “Not once did that come across our mind,” he said. Alcohol is legal in some Middle Eastern countries, like Jordan, but not widely accepted. In others, like Yemen, alcohol is prohibited. “Although there wasn’t alcohol to be had, it wasn’t a deterrent.”

3. Embarking on their own

More younger women are also looking to venture out on their own. Over half of the surveyed women said they are interested in solo travel, with 83% of them inspired by female content creators who travel solo. Those who want to jet-set alone say it’s to get out of their comfort, for self-discovery and enjoy a sense of freedom. 

An international business student in Syndey, McDermott has been traveling by herself for her summer break for the past two months. She’s spent the last three weeks in India, but she’s currently enjoying the “nice vibes”' in Goa. 

“I’ve noticed a lot more people solo travel, and my mom and dad never did anything like that,” she said. “I’m a bit more adventurous when I travel. I like to see the culture and have unique experiences rather than see tourist attractions and prioritize comfort.”

She often connects with fellow young travelers at the hostel and joins them on excursions or doesn’t venture out alone at night, so she rarely feels unsafe, she said.

Not all Gen Zers agree on this, though. Some told USA TODAY they prefer using trips as a way to visit friends and family who live far away.

At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, "I wanted to be out traveling for work and pleasure, and I ended up stuck at home. I had a roommate move out, so I was by myself, and I want to get out there,” Brendan McPhillips, 24, a construction supply salesperson based in Denver, told USA TODAY. “(Solo travel) can be fun, but I found it kind of isolating, so I kind of looked at where I have friends and saying ‘hey, I want to come visit.’ ”

4. Train takeover

Gen Z travelers are also more interested in alternative modes of transportation, especially trains when they’re available.

“If there’s a train, I’m taking a train, it doesn’t matter if the train is 30 hours,” Snyder said. While the sustainability aspect appeals to him, the main reason is the “intimate connection with the countryside that you miss on a plane and bus because it’s so chaotic.” 

“Ideally, for environmental reasons, I would prefer to take the train if I can, but unfortunately, a lot of times the train can be twice as expensive and twice as long as flying,” Emma Quinn, 26, a librarian in New York told USA TODAY. “My roommate and I are going from Chicago to California by train. That’s two days in a sleeper car, and that’s something I’ll pay a premium for because the experience is really good.” 

Even so, the appeal of the deal can outweigh other concerns.

“I would love to travel more places locally on Amtrak or rail systems like that, but because of the price point and because of schedules or when they come and go, it usually winds up being by car,” Schiller, the Metropolitan Opera employee said.

McPhillips said that he relies on Frontier Airlines’ all-you-can-fly GoWild pass for a lot of his personal travel, which lets him get very cheap last-minute flights.

“People complain about Frontier and Spirit, but I’m kind of just expecting to get from point A to point B. That’s all I really want,” he said. “I want the cheapest ticket. I see people complaining about everything, and I’m like, ‘yeah, but you’re getting the lowest price.’”

Gen Z travelers also often want to find easy ways to get around once they’re in their destination.

“Renting a car sucks,” Tisseront, the video game dialogue writer, said. “If I can go to a place that will let me travel by bus, by tram, by metro, by train, by walking, however, some way that isn’t a car, that makes trips more justifiable to me.” 

Kathleen Wong is a travel reporter for USA TODAY based in Hawaii. You can reach her at [email protected] . Zach Wichter is a travel reporter for USA TODAY based in New York. You can reach him at [email protected] .

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What is the difference between Global Entry, TSA PreCheck® and the other Trusted Traveler programs?

TSA PreCheck® and Global Entry are both Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Trusted Traveler Programs. TSA PreCheck® provides expedited security screening benefits for flights departing from U.S. Airports. Global Entry provides expedited U.S. customs screening for international air travelers when entering the United States. Global Entry members also receive TSA PreCheck® benefits as part of their membership.

Before you apply, we recommend that you review the various DHS trusted traveler programs, such as the TSA PreCheck® Application Program, Global Entry, NEXUS, or SENTRI, to ensure you meet the eligibility requirements and determine the best program for you.  If you travel internationally four or more times a year, consider enrolling in Global Entry.  If you take less than four international trips a year, TSA PreCheck is a great choice for domestic travelers. For more information on all of the DHS Trusted Traveler Programs use the DHS interactive  Trusted Traveler Tool .

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Need travel vaccines? Plan ahead.

woman with mask getting vaccine from doctor

International travel increases your chances of getting and spreading diseases that are rare or not found in United States. Find out which travel vaccines you may need to help you stay healthy on your trip.

Before Travel

Make sure you are up-to-date on all of your routine vaccines . Routine vaccinations protect you from infectious diseases such as measles that can spread quickly in groups of unvaccinated people. Many diseases prevented by routine vaccination are not common in the United States but are still common in other countries.

Check CDC’s destination pages for travel health information . Check CDC’s webpage for your destination to see what vaccines or medicines you may need and what diseases or health risks are a concern at your destination.

Make an appointment with your healthcare provider or a travel health specialist  that takes place at least one month before you leave. They can help you get destination-specific vaccines, medicines, and information. Discussing your health concerns, itinerary, and planned activities with your provider allows them to give more specific advice and recommendations.

Because some vaccines require multiple doses, it’s best to see your health care provider as soon as possible.

Medicines to prevent malaria are pills that you start to take before travel. Take recommended medicines as directed. If your health care provider prescribes medicine for you, take the medicine as directed before, during, and after travel. 

Where can I get travel vaccines?

You may be able to get some travel vaccines from your primary healthcare provider. If you or your healthcare provider need help finding a location that provides certain vaccines or medicines, visit CDC’s Find a Clinic page.

If yellow fever vaccine is recommended or required for your destination, you’ll need to go to a vaccine center authorized to give yellow fever vaccinations. Many yellow fever vaccine centers also provide other pre-travel health care services. Find an  authorized US yellow fever vaccine center .

Examples of Vaccines

Here is a list of possible vaccines that you may need to get for the first time or boosters before you travel.

  • Cholera 
  • Flu (Influenza)
  • Hepatitis A   
  • Hepatitis B   
  • Japanese encephalitis   
  • MMR (Measles, Mumps, Rubella)
  • Meningococcal   
  • Pneumococcal   
  • Polio   
  • Rabies   
  • Tdap (Tetanus, Diphtheria, Pertussis)
  • Typhoid   
  • Yellow fever

More Information

CDC Yellow Book: Travel Vaccine Summary Table

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IRS to go after executives who use business jets for personal travel in new round of audits

FILE - Private jets sit parked at Scottsdale Airport Jan. 27, 2015, in Scottsdale, Ariz. IRS leadership said Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2024, that the agency will start up dozens of audits on businesses' private jets and how they are used personally by executives and written off as a tax deduction — as part of the agency's ongoing mission of going after high-wealth tax cheats who game the tax system at the expense of American taxpayers. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin, File)

FILE - Private jets sit parked at Scottsdale Airport Jan. 27, 2015, in Scottsdale, Ariz. IRS leadership said Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2024, that the agency will start up dozens of audits on businesses’ private jets and how they are used personally by executives and written off as a tax deduction — as part of the agency’s ongoing mission of going after high-wealth tax cheats who game the tax system at the expense of American taxpayers. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin, File)

Staff headshot of Fatima Hussein at the Associated Press bureau in Washington, Tuesday, Aug. 23, 2022. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

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WASHINGTON (AP) — First, there were trackers on Taylor Swift and other celebrities’ private jet usage. Now, there will be more scrutiny on executives’ personal use of business aircraft who write it off as a tax expense.

IRS leadership said Wednesday that the agency will start conducting dozens of audits on businesses’ private jets and how they are used personally by executives and written off as a tax deduction — as part of the agency’s ongoing mission of going after high-wealth tax cheats who game the tax system at the expense of American taxpayers.

The audits will focus on aircraft used by large corporations and high-income taxpayers and whether the tax purpose of the jet use is being properly allocated, the IRS says.

“At this time of year, when millions of hardworking taxpayers are working on their taxes, we want them to feel confident that everyone is playing by the same rules,” IRS Commissioner Daniel Werfel said on a call with reporters to preview the announcement. Tax season began Jan. 29 .

FILE - A sign for the Internal Revenue Service building in Washington, on May 4, 2021. The IRS says it expects to collect hundreds of billions of dollars more in overdue and unpaid taxes than previously anticipated using funding provided to the agency by the Democrats' Inflation Reduction Act.(AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File)

“These aircraft audits will help ensure high-income groups aren’t flying under the radar with their tax responsibilities,” he said.

There are more than 10,000 corporate jets in the US., according to the IRS, valued at tens of millions of dollars and many can be fully deducted.

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, passed during the Trump administration, allowed for 100% bonus depreciation and expensing of private jets — which allowed taxpayers to write off the cost of aircraft purchased and put into service between September 2017 and January 2023.

Werfel said the federal tax collector will use resources from Democrats’ Inflation Reduction Act to more closely examine private jet usage — which has not been closely scrutinized during the past decade as funding fell sharply in the last decade.

“Our audit rates have been anemic,” he said on the call. An April 2023 IRS report on tax audit data states that “continued resource constraints have limited the agency’s ability to address high-end noncompliance” stating that in tax year 2018, audit rates for people making more than $10 million were 9.2%, down from 13.6% in 2012. And in the same time period, overall corporate audit rates fell from 1.3% to .6%.

Mike Kaercher, senior attorney advisor at the Tax Law Center at NYU said in a statement that the IRS should also revisit how it values personal use of corporate aircraft, beyond just how flights are reported.

“The current rules allow these flights to be significantly undervalued, enabling wealthy filers to pay much less in taxes than fair market value would dictate, and it’s within the IRS’ authority to revise these rules,” Kaercher said.

Werfel said audits related to aircraft usage could increase in the future depending on the results of the initial audits and as the IRS continues hiring more examiners.

“To be clear, that doesn’t mean everyone in a high-income category partnership or corporation is evading or avoiding their tax responsibility,” Werfel said. “But it does mean that there’s more work to do for the IRS to make sure people are paying what they owe.”

FATIMA HUSSEIN

How antimatter engines could fly humans to other stars in just a few years

  • Antimatter engines could be humanity's ticket to interstellar travel. 
  • When antimatter particles come in contact with regular matter, it produces loads of energy. 
  • That energy, if we learn to harness it, could get us to Pluto in just a few weeks.

Insider Today

Interstellar travel is only something humanity has achieved in science fiction — like Star Trek's USS Enterprise, which used antimatter engines to travel across star systems.

But antimatter isn't just a sci-fi trope. Antimatter really exists.

Elon Musk has called antimatter power " the ticket for interstellar journeys, " and physicists like Ryan Weed are exploring how to harness it.

Antimatter is made up of particles almost exactly like regular matter but with opposite electric charge. That means when antimatter contacts regular matter, they both annihilate and can produce enormous amounts of energy.

"Annihilation of antimatter and matter converts mass directly into energy," Weed, cofounder and CEO of Positron Dynamics, a company working to develop an antimatter propulsion system, told Business Insider.

Just one gram of antimatter could generate an explosion equivalent to a nuclear bomb. It's that kind of energy, some say, that could boldly take us where no one has gone before at record speed.

Space travel at record speed

The benefit of all that energy is that it can be used to either accelerate or decelerate spacecraft at break-neck speeds.

For example, let's take a trip to our nearest star system, Proxima , about 4.2 light years away.

An antimatter engine could theoretically accelerate a spacecraft at 1g (9.8 meters per second squared) getting us to Proxima in just five years, Weed said in 2016 . That's 8,000 times faster than it would take Voyager 1 — one of the fastest spacecraft in history — to travel about half the distance, according to NASA .

Even within our own solar system, an antimatter-powered spacecraft could reach Pluto in 3.5 weeks compared to the 9.5 years it took NASA's New Horizons probe to arrive, Weed said.

Why we don't have antimatter engines

The reason we don't have antimatter engines, despite their tremendous capabilities, comes down to cost, not tech.

Gerald Jackson, an accelerator physicist who worked on antimatter projects at Fermilab, told Forbes in 2016 that with enough funding, we could have an antimatter spacecraft prototype within a decade.

The basic technology is there. Physicists armed with the world's most powerful particle accelerators have made antiprotons and antihydrogen atoms.

The issue is that this type of antimatter is incredibly expensive to make. It's considered the most expensive substance on Earth. Jackson gave us an idea of just how much an antimatter machine would cost to build and maintain.

Jackson is the founder, president, and CEO of Hbar Technologies, which is working on a concept for an antimatter space sail to decelerate spacecraft traveling 1% to 10% the speed of light — a useful design for entering into orbit around a distant star, planet, or moon that you want to study.

Jackson said he's designed an asymmetric proton collider that could produce 20 grams of antimatter per year.

"For a 10-kilogram scientific package traveling at 2% of the speed of light, 35 grams of antimatter is needed to decelerate the spacecraft down and inject it into orbit around Proxima Centauri," Jackson told BI.

He said it would take $8 billion to build a solar power plant for the enormous energy needs of antimatter production and cost $670 million per year to operate.

The idea is just that, for now. "There is currently no serious funding for advanced space propulsion concepts," Jackson said.

However, there are other ways to produce antimatter. That's where Weed focused his work.

Weed's concept involves positrons, the antimatter version of an electron.

A different kind of antimatter engine

Positrons "are several thousand times lighter than antiprotons and don't pack quite as much punch when annihilating," Weed said.

The advantage, however, is that they occur naturally and don't need a giant accelerator and billions of dollars to make.

Weed's antimatter propulsion system is designed to use krypton-79 — a form of the element krypton that naturally emits positrons .

The engine system would first gather high-energy positrons from krypton-79 and then direct them toward a layer of regular matter, producing annihilation energy. That energy would then trigger a powerful fusion reaction to generate thrust for the spacecraft.

While positrons may be less expensive to obtain than more powerful forms of antimatter, they are difficult to harness because they are highly energetic and need to be slowed down, or "moderated." So building a prototype to test in space is still beyond reach, cost-wise, Weed said.

Such is the case for all antimatter propulsion designs . Over the decades, scientists have proposed dozens of concepts, none of which have come to fruition.

For example, in 1953, Austrian physicist Eugen Sänger proposed a "photon rocket" that would run on positron annihilation energy. And since the '80s, there's been talk of thermal antimatter engines, which would use antimatter to heat liquid, gas, or plasma to provide thrust.

"It's not sci-fi, but we aren't going to see it flying until there is a significant 'mission-pull,'" Weed said about his engine concept.

Can it work?

To build Weed's concept at the scale of a starship, "the devil's in the engineering details," Paul M. Sutter, an astrophysicist and host of "Ask a Spaceman" podcast, told BI.

"We're talking about a device that harnesses truly enormous amounts of energy, requiring exquisite balance and control," Sutter said.

In general, that enormous energy is another obstacle holding us back from revolutionizing space travel. Because during testing, "if something goes wrong, these are big explosions," Steve Howe, a physicist who worked on antimatter concepts with NASA in the '90s, told BI.

"So we need an ability to test high energy density systems somewhere that don't threaten the biosphere, but still allow us to develop them," said Howe, who thinks the moon would make a good testing base. "And if something goes wrong, you melted a piece of the moon," and not Earth, he added.

Antimatter tends to bring out the imagination in everyone who works on them. "But, we need crazy but plausible ideas to make it further into space, so it's worth looking into," Sutter said.

Weed echoes the sentiment, saying "until there is a compelling reason to get to the Kuiper Belt , the Solar Gravitational Lens, or Alpha Centauri really quickly — or perhaps we are trying to return large asteroids for mining — progress will continue to be slow in this area."

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Watch: NASA wants to land a nuclear-powered spacecraft on Pluto

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Disney World Announces Free Entry to Water Parks for On-Site Hotel Guests Next Year

All hotel guests will be able to go to Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach water parks for free, starting Jan. 1, 2025.

goes for travel

Courtesy of Disney

Disney World is making a splash in 2025 adding even more magic to those staying at one of its many on-site resorts.

Starting on Jan. 1, Walt Disney World will be offering complimentary water park admission to its hotel guests, the park announced in a blog post on Monday.

With this new perk, all guests staying at a Disney hotel, and on the reservation, will be permitted to visit a water park of their choosing absolutely free. This allows a jumpstart on the fun ahead of official hotel check-in at 3:00 p.m. All Disney hotels will receive this benefit, from Value hotels, like Disney’s All-Star Resorts, to Deluxe accommodations, like Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort. 

Diving into the details. There is no minimum length of stay and Disney Vacation Club resort guests are also eligible. This perk is for all stays with check-in dates through all of 2025. This benefit is not an add-on to existing tickets and therefore no park tickets are required.

Walt Disney World water parks are open throughout the entire year, weather permitting, and are home to thrilling slides, winding lazy rivers, kid-focused waterscape play areas, and plenty of spots to relax after a busy theme park day. Guests who choose to visit Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon can journey to a tropical oasis while those choosing Disney’s Blizzard Beach can enjoy its snowy accents and a newly reimagined “Frozen”-themed area .

Currently, Typhoon Lagoon is closed until March 17 while Blizzard Beach is open but will close for refurbishment on the same day.

This new benefit for Disney hotel guests is in addition to others like, complimentary transportation, extra theme park hours, early access to dining reservations, and more.

2025 visitors have a lot to look forward to, including the theme park’s newest attraction, TRON Lightcycle Run, and the soon-to-open Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, a total reimagining of the former Splash Mountain themed to the Disney animation hit “Princess and The Frog.” 

Those looking to take advantage of this new perk can do so now as Walt Disney World theme park tickets, hotel accommodations, and vacation packages for stays January through October 2025 are on sale . Disney also shared that early theme park entry for Disney Resort hotel guests and extra evening hours for guests at Disney Deluxe and Villa resorts will return again in 2025. 

How to apply for Global Entry: Tips for first-timers

Caroline Tanner

As a reporter for TPG, I've written about Global Entry and other expedited security programs, including TSA PreCheck and Clear , which enable travelers to pass through the security and customs process at airports as quickly as possible. Although I've had TSA PreCheck since 2016, I delayed applying for Global Entry until this week.

Before joining TPG, I would travel abroad a few times per year. However, I didn't think Global Entry was necessary, as I only ever experienced extremely long wait times in the customs line when I lived in New York and routinely flew back to John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) .

Waiting in a short line with the rest of the non-Global Entry users at other airports, namely Dulles International Airport (IAD) and O'Hare International Airport (ORD) , never seemed like too much of an inconvenience, even though I may have briefly felt annoyed in the moment. Of course, I was lucky as lines at those airports can get very long as well.

My perspective as a traveler has changed significantly since becoming a travel reporter. I've learned to travel smarter with tools like TSA PreCheck and Clear .

After having TSA PreCheck for six years and Clear for 10 months, I've seen firsthand how helpful these programs can be, so much so that I would never want to travel without them again.

Despite this, I had to travel without the help of either program in April, when I flew French bee to Paris-Orly Airport (ORY) from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) . Because I was flying internationally, I aimed to get to LAX three hours ahead of my flight, but that plan was derailed when it took my Uber driver 30 minutes to arrive. That, plus a 45-minute drive to the airport, resulted in me arriving at the airport behind schedule, and the cherry on top was realizing that French bee does not participate in TSA PreCheck and that there was no Clear lane at Terminal B. This led to me waiting in line, while sweating profusely, for almost an hour, concerned about missing my flight.

Even though I largely travel on airlines and at airports that have both programs, I always glance at the regular TSA security line and shake my head every time at the long line of people about to go through the hassle of taking off their shoes and removing their electronics and laptops to put on the conveyer belt, before saying silently to myself, "This is why you have TSA PreCheck and Clear." Particularly since I only travel with a carry-on, my backpack is always stuffed full, requiring me to take out all of my toiletries to get to my laptop.

The anxiety I no longer feel in knowing that I have both TSA PreCheck and Clear and therefore will not have to go through the stress (or sweat) of waiting in line, emptying my backpack or being concerned about missing my flight is priceless to me and puts me in a good mood from the start.

I suspect a similar sense of comfort will come from having Global Entry.

As more countries continue to welcome back visitors , I am traveling more internationally, including to Asia , which I'll be visiting for the first time this fall. Although I'm unsure whether I will be approved to use Global Entry by that time, I applied for the program so I can hopefully use it for the trip.

Here's what I've learned about the application process so far.

Have an upcoming vacation in mind? See how close you are to paying for it with points with the free TPG App!

What is Global Entry, and how do you use it?

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My increased international travel is what led me to apply for Global Entry, which gives preapproved, low-risk travelers expedited clearance upon arrival to the U.S. from abroad.

Rather than wait in the regular customs line with everyone else coming into the U.S., Global Entry members enter through automated kiosks at 53 airports .

Traditionally, users present their machine-readable passport or U.S. permanent resident card, sometimes place their fingers on the scanner for fingerprint verification and complete a customs declaration. The kiosk will then print a receipt that Global Entry members give to a U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer before exiting the baggage claim area.

As of July, CBP has implemented facial biometric paperless kiosks for Global Entry lanes at 10 airports , meaning travelers will no longer receive a paper receipt but rather proceed to the verification stage after facial scanning.

Whether you enter via a Global Entry lane that is paperless or a traditional queue, you'll save time by eliminating the need to fill out some paperwork or wait in long lines, which is the last thing anyone wants to do after returning home from overseas. Global Entry can literally save you hours.

Related: How Mobile Passport saved me when a banana foiled my Global Entry dreams

When should you apply for Global Entry?

goes for travel

As previously mentioned, I hope to use Global Entry for the first time later this year when I return to O'Hare from Singapore Changi Airport (SIN) . CBP currently says Global Entry applications can take at least 90 days to process, so try to apply at least six months before your next international trip to avoid any issues with your application being processed before your departure date.

Although I am already a TSA PreCheck member , you don't need to apply for that Trusted Traveler Program if you're enrolling in Global Entry first, as it includes access to TSA PreCheck.

You can still apply for TSA PreCheck (which you'll typically be approved for three to five days after submitting your application, according to the Transportation Security Administration ) first if you don't have any international travel plans coming up but will be taking domestic flights in the next six months.

Know, though, that doing this will require paying both the $85 TSA PreCheck fee and the $100 Global Entry fee. You will not be reimbursed for TSA PreCheck after your Global Entry membership is approved (unless you have certain credit cards ).

What is the online application process like?

goes for travel

If you decide to apply, take comfort in the fact that the online application is very straightforward. Although it asks for a substantial amount of information, it's fairly easy to go through the process of submitting everything.

You'll be able to start, save and resume your application, so you can complete it in the way that works best for you. Just be sure to set aside at least 30 minutes if you want to complete the application all in one sitting.

To begin, head to ttp.dhs.gov and click on the "Get Started" button for the Global Entry application. Then, log in to your Trusted Traveler Program account. If you are applying for a TTP for the first time, you'll have to set up a new account.

After a few processing steps, start the nine-part application process by entering basic identifying information, including your full name (as it appears on your passport and driver's license), height and eye color.

From there, you'll need to verify that you are a U.S. citizen via your passport , along with your driver's license information. If you are planning on using Global Entry to drive into the U.S. via a land border, you would also register your vehicle at this point.

Related: How a 5-minute trip to the airport rescued me from months of TSA PreCheck purgatory

The application didn't take much time until steps five and six, which ask you to verify each address and job you've held since August 2017. Since I've had six residences and several jobs since then, these steps required a bit more effort on my part.

Fortunately, I've had to enter this information for other applications, including TSA PreCheck, so I had it stored in the Notes app on my phone. If this is your first time entering this information online, I would recommend compiling and saving it for future use.

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Once you complete these steps, you'll need to then specify the countries you have traveled to since August 2017, excluding the U.S., Canada and Mexico . If you've frequently traveled outside of those countries since then, it may take a few minutes to remember them all. I turned to my Instagram as a starting point since I document most of my travels there.

After completing steps one through eight, you'll be asked to disclose information regarding your criminal background (if applicable) before reviewing your application. Although you may be eager to submit everything at this point, I recommend taking at least a few minutes to verify all of the information since any errors in your application could delay being approved.

All that's left to do for the online portion once you submit your application for review is to pay the $100 application fee.

If you hope to avoid paying the $100 fee, there are ways to cover the application fee without using cash. Nearly 50 credit cards , including some cobranded airline and hotel options, offer a $100 statement credit for Global Entry application fees. Usually, this credit is available to cardholders every four to five years, but check the terms for your specific card for the exact frequency.

Related: What happens if you accidentally let your Global Entry expire?

What additional steps do you need to take?

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After submitting your application, you'll be asked to complete an in-person interview. If you are conditionally approved, you may be able to complete this process when you return to the U.S. if arriving at an airport that participates in Enrollment on Arrival . Through this program, travelers can avoid a formal interview at an enrollment center to finalize their applications.

After submitting my application Monday morning, I was notified I had been conditionally approved Tuesday night via email.

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When I attempted to schedule my interview online, I could not find any available appointments at either Chicago location or throughout the state, nor were appointments available in neighboring states, including in Detroit, Des Moines and Milwaukee. The first opening at St. Louis Lambert International Airport (STL) was Nov. 9, which would not help with my trip in October.

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Therefore, my best option is to plan on enrolling upon arriving at O'Hare when I return from Singapore in October, assuming my flight is not delayed.

If you too decide to do the Enrollment on Arrival program, be sure to verify that the airport participates in it and that it will be open during your arrival time. Don't forget to also bring an acceptable document showing proof of residency in addition to your passport when enrolling at an airport.

Should the Enrollment on Arrival program not work for you, you'll be required to schedule an interview at an enrollment center .

Related: Don't necessarily expect shorter waits in applying for Global Entry and other Trusted Traveler Programs

Bottom line

While the application process has been fairly straightforward so far, I'll be curious to see how the Enrollment on Arrival component goes.

Once approved, I should receive a physical Global Entry card within 10 business days by mail, though we'll see how accurate that time estimate is once I get to this step.

I'm excited to add this Trusted Traveler Program to my repertoire of travel essentials. There are some quirks to be aware of, such as the need to carry your Global Entry card with you in certain scenarios like pre-clearing customs abroad and crossing a land border, but the program's benefits more than justify enrollment, especially now, when airports are busier than ever.

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  1. Global Entry

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    Do you want to save time and hassle at the U.S. border? Apply for one of the Trusted Traveler Programs (TTP) offered by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) on their official website. You can choose from Global Entry, TSA PreCheck, SENTRI, NEXUS, and FAST, depending on your travel needs and eligibility. Find out how to get started, schedule an interview, and renew your membership.

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    The Trusted Traveler Programs (Global Entry, TSA PreCheck ®, SENTRI, NEXUS, and FAST) are risk-based programs to facilitate the entry of pre-approved travelers.All applicants are vetted to ensure that they meet the qualifications for the program to which they are applying. Receiving a "Best Match" or program recommendation based on eligibility or travel habits does not guarantee acceptance ...

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  21. Official Trusted Traveler Program Website

    Do you want to apply for trusted traveler programs, such as Global Entry, NEXUS, or SENTRI? Visit the official website of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection to find out how to enroll, renew, or manage your account. You can also access frequently asked questions and contact information for customer service.

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  25. FAQ

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