Expert tips to avoid flight delays ✈️⏰🌴

Plus: ☀️ How to beat heat and humidity when you're outdoors

View this email online This newsletter is brought to you by Life Kit digital producer Clare Marie Scheider Happy summer! If you’re planning on traveling this season, airline delays can negatively affect your vacation. If you, say, get stuck in Los Angeles for three days on your way to Hawaii, that could seriously cut into your tropical beach time.  That’s what happened to travel journalist Amelia Edelman earlier this year. This snafu inspired her recent Life Kit episode on how to manage and prevent flight delays. Today, we’ll share some of the tips she gathered from travel experts so you’ll know what to do if your hard-earned vacation goes awry!  Help, my flight is delayed! protopicture / 500px/Getty Images If your flight gets delayed or canceled …  ➡️ Use the airline app to rebook your flight. While waiting to speak with a customer service agent at the airport, try rebooking the flight yourself via the airline’s app. There's often a seamless way to get it done, no customer service conversation necessary. And online booking will likely solve your problem much quicker than waiting to get help from an agent. ➡️ Know what you're entitled to from the airline. Most airlines in the U.S. aren't required to compensate you for delays or cancellations unless it's the airline's fault (think maintenance issues or staffing problems). To find out what you're entitled to, check the Department of Transportation's Airline Cancellation and Delay Dashboard. Depending on the specific details of your delay and which airline you booked with, you might be entitled to travel vouchers, hotel accommodations and cash for meals.   ➡️ Check what your travel insurance covers. Many credit cards include some travel insurance coverage, which can provide everything from trip cancellation to luggage insurance to any medical needs that might arise en route. ➡️ Don't let yourself get stranded. If your airline can't quickly rebook you, look for creative ways to get to your final destination. Buy a one-way ticket on another airline (ask for reimbursement later), skip the flight altogether and take a train or bus, or fly into a nearby city and drive the rest of the way.   More ✈️ tips, please Traveling with others this summer? Forward them this newsletter so they have the tips in their pocket too. And tell them to sign up for Life Kit's newsletter!. Newsletter continues after sponsor message More travel hacks and vacation tips from Life Kit  Photograph by Tsering Bista and Beck Harlan 5 money-draining mistakes travelers make when planning a vacation. People get a lot wrong when it comes to paying for vacation, say travel experts, and that can cost serious cash. 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Listen to the episode.  Keep your house cool with less energy Quote of the week Your pelvic floor helps with all sorts of bodily functions — it helps you go to the bathroom, breathe and orgasm, and it supports your internal organs. But many women don’t realize that pelvic floor dysfunction can lead to painful sex, constipation, urinary leakage and pelvic pain.  That’s why pelvic floor physical therapist Sara Reardon wants to normalize conversations around pelvic floor health so women can get the treatment they need. She is the author of Floored: A Woman’s Guide to Pelvic Floor Health at Every Age and Stage, a new book published in June.   Read her interview with Life Kit In case you missed it Dajah Callen for NPR Planning to be outside on a hot and humid day? Take these precautions. People spend a lot of time outside during hot and humid weather. Whether you’re going to the beach or working your shift as a lifeguard, try these 7 proven ways to stay cool while outside. Read the story.  Staying safe in extreme heat. The summer's first major heat wave has arrived. Our bodies have natural ways to dissipate heat, but when temperatures get extreme, sometimes they just can't keep up. In this episode of Life Kit, learn how to keep cool, hydrated and safe in extreme heat. Listen to the episode.  Just got laid off? Get back on your feet with this step-by-step guide. When you lose your job, it can be tough to know what to do next. Career coach Octavia Goredema shares a practical checklist of next moves, from reviewing exit paperwork to securing health care. Read the story here.  It's tick season. Here's how to protect yourself. More than 31 million people in the United States get bitten by ticks each year, and some of those ticks carry diseases such as Lyme disease, according to the CDC. In this episode of Life Kit, we cover where you might encounter ticks this summer, how to protect yourself against them and what to do if you get bitten. Read the story here.  Stream your local NPR station. Visit NPR.org to find your local station stream. What do you think of today's email? We'd love to hear your thoughts, questions and feedback: LifeKit@npr.org Enjoying this newsletter? Forward to a friend! They can sign up here. Looking for more great content? Check out all of our newsletter offerings — including Daily News, Code Switch, Health and more! You received this message because you're subscribed to Life Kit emails. This email was sent by National Public Radio, Inc., 1111 North Capitol Street NE, Washington, DC 20002 Unsubscribe  |  Privacy Policy