Every trip brings one unforgettable image.
Giedre and her husband (can’t spell his name) were our Lithuanian hosts one lunch on our Backroads biking trip through the Baltics.
The three Baltics — Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania — got their independence only 31 years ago when the Russians left, along with all the appliances they could steal and carry. Progress since the Russian departure has been astounding. Every tiny shop in the tiniest of towns accepted my iPhone Apple Pay, even here:
That’s Michael, my son. He’s fun to travel with.
These robot lawnmowers were everywhere:
You can buy one on Amazon for $1,100. Here.
The three Baltics all border Russia. They are afraid, despite being NATO members. They watch with fear as our president cozies up to Putin. They don’t understand why, and neither do I.
Tonight Nvidia (NVDA) reports. It’s my largest position. I have no idea how the market will respond. But I’m not selling. My dumbest mistake this year remains panicking after Trump’s April “Liberation” tariff day, when I though the world was coming to an end.
Today, my largest positions (in order) are NVDA, NFLX, AMZN, GEV (GE Vernova), Google, META and Microsoft.
My biking trip used four plane rides, and innumerable hotels. Here are “Harry’s Best Travel Tips.” Print and save this blog. It will save your tushy and your pocketbook.
+ + For getting fast through security in the U.S. you need TSA Pre-Check. For getting back into the U.S. without standing in 500-person snaky lines in front of Immigration, you need Global Entry. The two come bundled for $120. They last five years. If you don’t renew them in time (as I did), you’ll go through the nightmare I went though with the government’s weird computers. Apply on-line.
+ Never, ever ever check bags. Because I hadn’t checked , I was able to snag a three-hour earlier flight from Amsterdam to Boston.
+ Covid is still around. Wear a mask in airports, on buses, etc. Open your plane’s air vents fully.
+ The best travel agent is now one of the chatbots, like ChatGPT or Perplexity. Don’t ask it one question — like flights to Amsterdam — but have a dialog about prices, days, airlines, alternate airports, etc. The chatbots are great at finding cheap, better, etc. They’re far more creative than any human travel agent.
+ Business class is the only way to go on long-haul flights — like to Australia or Europe. There’s been a revolution in business class pricing. My flight from Boston to the Baltics started at over $8,000 and settled at $3,000 before I was through. Saving $5,000 took ten minutes. Jet Blue and Air Compagnie are great for business class. Delta’s new business class was great.
+ Don’t forget your frequent flyer miles. I recently flew roundtrip business class to Australia for free using airline miles that were about to expire.
+ Airline websites are all awful. The less you use them, the happier camper you’ll be.
+ A week before you go, lay your stuff out on a bed. Then spend the next week cutting back. Hotels will wash. You can wash. And you can buy stuff locally. I bought new polos for half what the hotel wanted to wash. Ditto for a pair of pants I bought for 25 euros.
+ Europe has a bunch of cheap, comfortable, modern short-haul airlines. I flew Delta to Amsterdam. And then onto Air Baltic. My business ticket from Boston to Vilnius, Lithuania and from Tallinn, Estonia back was cheaper than a roundtrip to Amsterdam where I changed.
+ Amsterdam is a huge airport. Switching from one airline to another can take all day — or feels like all day.
+ In Europe, The best meal of the day is your hotel’s breakfast. Savor the bread, the cheese and the local fruit.
+ Google Translate is glorious. Signs. Menus, Museums. etc.
+ You don’t need money anywhere. Everybody takes credit cards and iPhones. I am impressed how ubiquitous Apple Pay has become. I hope Apple gets a commish on every sale. They won’t get rich from me. But I will get rich with my Apple shares.
+ Check out all the foods. I suddenly like chia pudding and root beer.
+ I wish more airports had the imagination of Tallinn, Estonia. In the airport, they have ping pong tables, weight for exercise, poles for lifting… A complete gym.
+ Your iPhone is a great travel guide. Wi-Fi and cellular are ubiquitous and fast.
+ I flew Delta Airbuses. Why did I feel more comfortable than flying a Boeing?
+ There’s only one charging device you will ever need:
It will charge your laptop/iPad, your Apple Watch and your iPhone simultaneously. Only $40. Here.
+ In business class they give you a useless kit: including ear plugs that don’t block noise and headphones that
don’t have noise cancelling. Take your own. I recommend these Bose ones:
$124. Click here
+ My next business will bundle grey hair dye and a button that says “Please Help Me.” I need help hoisting my wheelie into the overhead compartment. If I do it myself, I will throw my back. There are a million handsome hulking men who will help a enfeebled alta kaka (i.e. me) with his bag.
+ On check-in to a hotel, I always ask for two extra towels and two extra pillows.
+ Kindle is a super way to read on trips. I have a kindle app on my iPhone. It’s magnificent.
+ Download some podcasts and listen to them when you’re waiting in remote places.
+ Don’t eat too much. Returning to the U.S. my first impression was fat. It’s everywhere in the U.S. but not in Europe, yet. Bad for health, but great ( I hope) for my shares in Eli Lilly. They have a new fat drug you swallow, not inject.
+ You need to play tennis. Here’s why: Tennis Is the Ultimate Lifetime Sport – The Atlantic
Good news
Taylor and Travis are engaged.
The joys of travel
I updated the list of stocks I now own. It’s in the right hand column on my web site. Click here.
Do not sell your Nvidia shares — no matter they report this afternoon. Despite what you read, everybody and their uncle are embracing AI.
FYI, this is Latvia: Estonia is on the top and Lithuania on the bottom. Everything on the right is Russia or Belorussia.
I’ll be back very soon with a new blog, but not about the Baltics.
Right now, I’m going off to play tennis,
If you have any travel tips I forgot, please email me. — Harry Newton
