Special Edition: After the Shutdown - Families, Food Banks & Flights

Summary

The NewsWorthy – Special Edition: After the Shutdown – Families, Food Banks & Flights

Date: November 15, 2025
Host: Erica Mandy
Guests: Angela Williams (President & CEO, United Way Worldwide), Katie Nastro (Travel Expert, Going.com)

---

Overview of Episode

This special edition of The NewsWorthy dives into the lingering aftermath of the longest US government shutdown in history. Host Erica Mandy explores its effects on American families, food banks, nonprofits, and the air travel industry. The episode features two key interviews: first, with Angela Williams of United Way, who details the impact on vulnerable communities and how to help during the holidays; and second, with travel expert Katie Nastro, who reports on massive travel disruptions and offers actionable tips for holiday travelers.

---

The Shutdown’s Ripple Effect on Families & Food Banks

Guest: Angela Williams (United Way)
Timestamps: 00:00–10:51

Big Picture Impact

• The nonprofit sector and United Way are facing overwhelming demand after the government shutdown.

• Angela Williams:

  "The nonprofit sector cannot fill the gap left behind by the government. We weren't ever intended to." (01:34)

• Federal aid shortfalls mean nonprofits struggled to meet needs during the shutdown, and recovery will be slow, especially heading into the holidays.

Food Aid Crisis and Beyond

• SNAP funds and food stamps were a focal point, but the true impact is broader:

  • Spike in food insecurity: United Way’s food resource searches doubled since Oct 31, reaching 38,000.

    "We had also the need to help food banks that were running out of supplies... if a family can't get food, the children are hungry, they then can't learn if they're going to school hungry." (02:20)

  • Impact on nutrition-sensitive groups, small businesses, and the broader economy.

• Demand for food, utility, and housing assistance has "almost quadrupled" in some areas (05:42).

• The shutdown’s trauma will linger as families struggle to catch up months after operations resume.

  "The problem is still going to be exacerbated for months to come and perhaps even into 2026." (04:41)

The Tough Choices and Mental Health Struggle

• With little or no safety net, families must choose between food, rent, bills, creating real anxiety and despair.

  "It cascades into a series of putting people in a dark place where you don't want anyone to be." (03:33)

• Despite hardships, Angela emphasizes American generosity during tough times.

How Listeners Can Help

• Three Ways to Give:

  • Time, talent, and treasure (money): all are needed. (06:38)
  • Cash gifts are most effective:

    “When you give people the money, it's giving them the dignity of choosing.” (07:14)

  • Nonprofits can stretch dollars further via discounts and strategic partnerships (08:09).

• United Way offers opportunities for both volunteering and monetary donation, working with 70,000+ nonprofit partners.

Clearing Up Misconceptions

• United Way is embedded in 95% of US communities and acts as a connector; it’s not just a fundraising organization.

  “United Way really is a part of the American infrastructure… if you don’t know where to go or who’s doing what in your community, contact us.” (09:01)

Advice for Those Overwhelmed by Hardship or News

• Angela’s advice: “Stay connected with other people, take the time to pause and... know you’re on your way back up to the next mountaintop.” (10:03)

---

Travel Turmoil: Shutdown Fallout for Flyers

Guest: Katie Nastro (Going.com)
Timestamps: 13:34–25:12

Disruption by the Numbers

• The shutdown triggered “one of the most disruptive periods in US aviation history,” with 3,000+ flights canceled on Nov 9 alone, the 4th worst day in 2 years. (13:46)

• Katie Nastro:

  "Flights that have been reduced—a mandate from the FAA...hundreds of thousands of people all over the country [were disrupted]." (13:46)

• Massive ripple effects: Not just specific airports, but the entire interconnected system, causing more cancellations and delays.

• TSA wait times reportedly exceeded 3 hours. (14:34)

Why Recovery Isn’t Instant

• Airlines had just 36 hours to reconfigure schedules; “wrinkles” will take time to smooth out.

  "We don't want people just assuming they're in the clear." (15:17)

• Recovery expected to continue into Thanksgiving week; some aftereffects may linger due to staffing and rescheduling complexities.

Traveler Sentiment & Caution

• Early shutdown travel saw a 4% YOY increase, but November’s uncertainty has made some travelers “more cautious” and bookings have softened.
• Many travelers are prepping by arriving early and formulating “Plan B” options. (17:59)

Key Travel Survival Tips

• Arrive at the airport earlier than usual.
• Have a backup flight plan—points bookings offer flexibility.

  “If you can take that earliest flight out on the day of, that's always going to give you the best odds at a higher on-time arrival rate.” (18:57)

Air Traffic Controller Shortages: A Deeper Problem

• The sector was already short 3,000 controllers before the shutdown. Staffing issues cannot be fixed overnight:

  “It is one of those very specific type roles that requires years of training... this is not something we can fix quickly.” (19:26)

Safety Concerns and FAA Mandates

• FAA slowed flights deliberately to maintain safety amid staffing shortages:

  “Mandates from the FAA were really in part to give controllers a bit of a break.” (20:13)

Impact Beyond Air Travel

• Alternate transport (Amtrak, rental cars, buses) has seen demand surge as travelers look to avoid flight disruption. Travel insurance interest has also spiked. (20:58)

Advice for the Holidays

• Thanksgiving: Busiest travel week of the year; expect 3 million+ travelers in a single day.

• Book ASAP to avoid price surges—last-minute demand could spike airfares. (22:52)

• Travel on the holiday itself (Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s): cheaper and less crowded.

  “Traveling on the holiday itself is still one of the best tactics... you’re going to experience fewer travelers and more affordable prices” (23:03)

• International Travel Opportunity: Thanksgiving week offers some of the best international fares.

  "New York to Rome for only $368 roundtrip...upwards of almost 50% off average prices." (23:55)

Final Mindset and Practical Tips

• Prepare for unexpected hiccups but stay cautiously optimistic.

  "Hope for the best, but prepare for the unexpected." (24:59)

---

Notable Quotes & Timestamps

• “The nonprofit sector cannot fill the gap left behind by the government. We weren't ever intended to.” — Angela Williams (01:34)
• “When you give people the money, it's giving them the dignity of choosing.” — Angela Williams (07:14)
• "If you can take that earliest flight out...that's always going to give you the best odds at a higher on-time arrival rate.” — Katie Nastro (18:57)
• "We are still down roughly 3,000 [controllers] from a decade ago... this is not something we can fix quickly.” — Katie Nastro (19:26)

---

Key Takeaways

• The end of the shutdown does not mean an immediate return to normalcy for nonprofits, families, or the travel industry.
• Food insecurity, housing instability, and utility needs have increased dramatically; nonprofits remain under pressure.
• For those able to help, cash to nonprofits stretches further and preserves recipient dignity.
• The airline system still faces aftershocks: traveler flexibility and cautious planning are crucial, especially for the holidays.
• Unique deals exist for international travel during Thanksgiving.
• Maintain mindfulness and connectivity during this stressful season.

---

Useful Links

• UnitedWay.org – for help, donations, or volunteering opportunities
• Going.com – for travel deals and tips

(Episode summary excludes advertisements and sponsor segments. For more concise news updates, subscribe to The NewsWorthy for daily 10-minute roundups.)

Transcript

[A]

Today is Saturday, November 15th. The longest government shutdown in US history may be over, but the fallout is still happening all across the country. Later in the show, we'll look at what that means for travelers, from flight cancellations and TSA delays to what to expect if you're flying for the holidays. But first, the shutdown is also still having a big impact on nonprofits and the families they serve. They're struggling to recover from weeks without federal support. And the ripple effects may last through the holidays and even the new year. To help us understand what that looks like on the ground, I'm joined by Angela Williams, president and CEO of United Way Worldwide, a global network that serves more than 48 million people in communities across the U.S. and around the world. Williams has an extensive resume. She's worked across nonprofit, public and private sectors, was named a 2025 USA Today Woman of the Year and much more. Today, she'll share what her team is seeing now in the fallout of the shutdown and how people can best help and get help as we head into the holiday season. Welcome. Welcome to THE NEWSWORTHY Special edition Saturday when we sit down with a different expert or celebrity every Saturday to talk.

[B]

About something in the news.

[A]

Don't forget to tune in every Monday through Friday for our regular episodes where we provide all the day's news in 10 minutes. I'm Erica Mandy. It's now time for today's special edition Saturday. Angela Williams, thank you so much for.

[B]

Joining us here on THE newsworthy.

[C]

Thanks, Erica, for the opportunity to join you.

[B]

So first, can you just sum up the big picture impact the government shutdown has had on the work you and the United Way have done and the communities that you serve?

[C]

The impact has been tremendous only because there are tens of millions of people that were affected by the government shutdown. The nonprofit sector cannot fill the gap left behind by the government. We weren't ever intended to. As a sector, we can partner with government and we do that at all levels. But when funds dry up, it's hard. You can't look to philanthropy and you can't look to the nonprofit sector to fill that gap. It is just too huge.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And a lot of the headlines focused on the food aid funding from snap. What impact did you see specifically for that? And anything you feel the public may not realize about the ripple effects of that.

[C]

The impact we saw was an increase in individuals reaching out to us with the need for food. We had also the need to help food banks that were running out of supplies. And then when you talk about the Ripple effect. That means that if a family can't get food, the children are hungry, they then can't learn if they're going to school hungry, and on and on. And then when you think about people with disabilities not having the appropriate nutrition that they need for their conditions, that really impacts the entire family. That affects small business owners, independent contractors. We think a small portion of our population in the United States is affected, but really it's magnified through relationships, through business, through households.

[B]

Are there any other services that really took a hit or surprised you with the shutdown? In all the services that were impacted.

[C]

Historically, over the last three years, the three things that people ask for assistance from United Way are for food, they can't pay their utility bills, or lack of housing. So when money is depleted and resources are depleted, people have to make tough choices. The tough choices became even tougher. So do I use the limited resources to pay for food? Do I use my limited resources to pay my rent or my mortgage? Do I forego paying my utility bill? And then all of that, of course, creates anxiety. It impacts people's mental health, and it just, again, it cascades into a series of putting people in a dark place where you don't want anyone to be. And as we enter this season of Thanksgiving, it's hard for people to think about what to be thankful for when they don't have the resources. But in the United States, people are generous and there's much to be grateful for. And I just hope that as the government reopens, as funds begin to be deployed and people begin to have the resources that they need to survive, that we don't forget that they will need to catch up. Which means that the problem is still going to be exacerbated for months to come and perhaps even into 2026.

[D]

Yeah.

[B]

It's not just, oh, it's over, snap your fingers and everything's back to normal.

[C]

That's correct. And I will tell you, we stood up on the United Way website a link that's called 211. Org, a resource finder for food. And since October 31st, we have had 38,000 searches for food. We are going to continue to monitor that now because we're not taking it down to see how people continue to look for that particular resource. And it will be interesting to see 30, 60, 90 days from now.

[B]

Can you give us a sense of that increase in demand that you've seen now and what you're expecting for the holidays compared to maybe previous years?

[C]

So I will just say anecdotally what I'm hearing from colleagues is that there has been in some ways almost quadruple context of asking for help and for resources. And we know that, especially during the holidays. I just think about households with kids and a caregiver or parent or grandparents natural inclination wanting to give something, a gift to a child, but because they have to make the decision between food, which is an essential, and giving that gift of joy to a child. Those are still, I think, going to be pressing decisions that households are going to have to make. I don't think that that's necessarily going to go away in the coming weeks.

[B]

For those listening who may want to help, what are some of the best ways they can help this year, whether that be donating or volunteerism?

[C]

I absolutely say this is the season of giving, and it's a season of giving, of time, talent and treasure. And I will just say that United Way partners with more than 70,000 nonprofits so go through us to find opportunities for volunteerism. But certainly monetary donations are still critical.

[B]

Yeah, let's talk a little bit about that, because I've heard cash can go further than let's say you're going to drop off cans of food to your food bank. Can you explain for people why that is?

[C]

Well, when you give people the money, it's giving them the dignity of choosing. I know that I heard so many different people who said that there was a level of feeling dehumanized or having to stand in line and ask for food. That's something they had never, ever experienced in their lives. Now, I would say that we are always here to help people. We don't ever want people to feel embarrassed to ask for help because all of us need help at some point in time. But giving people the power with having money to decide how to use the money and where to spend it I think is powerful and something that we should be mindful of.

[A]

And even for the organizations, my understanding.

[B]

Is sometimes they can get discounts so that the $1 can go further.

[A]

Is that what you see as well?

[C]

Yes, absolutely. And again, I will just say, for our sector, we are scrappy. We have great relationships. We know how to go to our local grocer. We know how to go to other resources to bring them in so that when people come to us, we have those resources available. I love where I've seen a number of United Ways food depositories and those of our partners and how they've set them up like grocery stores, and they give people the dignity to just walk down the aisles and pick what they want to be able to take home. And I just can't underscore the importance of those of us that have that little bit extra to give to give.

[B]

Any misperceptions that you want to clear up today about how United Way operates or anything else.

[C]

United Way really is a part of the American infrastructure. We have more than 1,000 United Ways. We cover 95% of communities in the United States with means. We have boots on the ground, we have those personal relationships with people in communities and it's cross sector. We have the corporate and the business community, we have government, we have the faith community. And so what's critical for folks to understand is United Way is that one stop shopping. And because of the critical relationships that we have, if you don't know where to go or who's doing what in your community, contact us because I guarantee you we have the relationships and we can direct you to where you need to go.

[B]

I love that. And you in general have accomplished so much.

[A]

You're so impressive. And so I would love to get your advice.

[B]

For people who feel overwhelmed by the news in general or maybe a hardship in their life right now, what advice would you want to give them?

[C]

This is the moment for all of us to stay connected with other people, with other human beings, to spend time with loved ones, with friends, to take the time to pause and to meditate and to breathe to find something that you enjoy doing. Whether it's going to jump in a huge pile of leaves because we are now in the fall and I every time I drive down the neighborhood I see these huge pile of leaves or just to take a walk. No matter what. When you find yourself in the valley of Despair, the valley is between two mountains. So just know you're on your way back up to the next mountaintop.

[A]

Still ahead, we're turning to the impact on travel. I'll talk with travel expert Katie Nastrow, spokesperson for the Going Travel app about why and how the system is still recovering. And she gives some great tips and ideas for avoiding headaches, saving money and grabbing last minute trips this holiday season. That and more coming up. But first, a quick break to thank our sponsors. This time of year, my skin always needs a little extra care. Between some colder weather and the rush of the holidays, it's easy for skin to start to feel dry and stressed. That's why I've been sticking with One Skin. I love their face moisturizer and I have for a long time and now I'm genuinely loving their brand new peptide lip mask. A good lip mask is surprisingly hard to find. I've been looking for one for a while and and this one is incredible. It's smooth and it's instantly comforting. It even comes with a little metal applicator that makes it feel even more lovely to put on. At the core of Oneskin is their patented OS1 peptide, targeting the root cause of wrinkles and loss of elasticity. Oneskin also just launched their limited edition holiday sets including the Nightly Rewind Gift set which adds the perfect touch of luxury to your gift list. It features that best selling face moisturizer plus that brand new peptide lip mask that is my new favorite product of theirs and even a sculpting Gua Sha tool. Each element is designed to work together as your body enters its natural nightly repair mode. For a limited time you can try OneSkin for 15% off using the Code Newsworthy at Oneskin Co Newsworthy. After your purchase they'll ask you where you heard about them. So please support our show and tell them we sent you. Again, get 15% off using the code Newsworthy at Oneskin Co Newsworthy. The Newsworthy is also brought to you by Skims. I really care about the quality of my sleep these days and what I wear to bed, AKA how comfortable I am makes a big difference. I've tried a lot of pajamas over the years and the Skims Sleep Set meets all of my requirements. My favorite part about this set is that the fabric is unbelievably soft. I already loved the Soft Lounge PJ set from Skims last year and I still wear that, but the Skims Sleep Set is somehow even softer. Plus, who doesn't love a cute matching set? It's so cozy and it gives my nighttime routine this extra little touch of joy and feeling good. In fact, this most recent pair of pajamas I got has a fun holiday print, so it's already making this time of year feel festive and special. Shop my favorite [e-mail] after you place your order, be sure to let them know we sent you select podcast in the survey and be sure to select our show the Newsworthy in the dropdown menu that follows. And if you're looking for the perfect gifts for anyone on your list, the Skims Holiday Shop is now [e-mail] now to my conversation with travel expert Katie Nastrow from the travel app goingandgoing.com.

[D]

Katie.

[A]

Nastro, thank you so much for joining.

[B]

Us here on the Newsworthy again.

[D]

Yeah, thanks so much for having me, Erica.

[B]

So first, how would you briefly sum up the overall impact of the government shutdown on air travel.

[D]

Gosh, it has been one of the most disruptive time periods in US Aviation history in the last few years. Just for some perspective, the amount of flights that have been reduced, a mandate from the FAA. On Sunday, November 9th alone, we saw the fourth worst day when it came to cancellations in the last two years. That is pretty significant for scale. Upwards of 3,000 flights were canceled in one single day. You know, we see massive delays happen, but in terms of cancellations, that's pretty significant and very disruptive to hundreds of thousands of people all over the country.

[B]

Yeah. And because it's not just the flights.

[A]

That were canceled themselves, which is surely.

[B]

Impactful, but it also has that ripple effect, Right?

[D]

Correct. Yes. It wasn't just the 40 airports that were mandated. You know, it really is interconnected, the US Aviation system. And so if you were connecting through one of those hubs or, you know, even flying near it, you were likely impacted in some way. As well as, you know, because of the government shutdown, the impacts of understaffing in TSA has been ramping up in the last few weeks. And we've seen some wait times through TSA or just TSA processing in general, over three hours long, which is, again, pretty significant and a big pain point for a lot of travelers out there.

[B]

And even with the shutdown over, it's not just, oh, everything's back to normal. Right. No more travel issues. Can you explain why that is?

[D]

Yeah. So again, going back to the. Everything is interconnected. You know, airlines were given roughly 36 hours to re accommodate not only passengers. But think about rescheduling in terms of, okay, we need to make a specific amount of flight cuts. Where are those impacts going to happen? And do we have crews in place? Do we have planes in place? And that all happened in such a short amount of time. Now, when we see a big winter storm, for example, it usually takes a day, two days, 72 hours at max to really see those ripple effects smooth out. Now think about the amount of impacts we've seen in the last week or so. Think about trying to sort of smooth out those wrinkles. It's going to take some time. And, you know, the FAA mandates are not likely just going to be lifted. And then that is that. It's, it's really, it's going to take a few days for reductions in or really schedules to go back to normal. So we don't want people just assuming that they're in the clear. But we are definitely moving past that sort of peak of disruptions.

[B]

By the time it's Thanksgiving week for probably a lot of people who are traveling for that holiday, do you expect things to be more back to normal Thanksgiving week, or will there still be some of those ripple effects?

[D]

That is a great question, and I wish I had a crystal ball to say in certainty that everything is going to be fantastic. But look, it is the busiest week out of the entire year for travel. That Sunday after Thanksgiving sees roughly 3 million people alone in a single day. And I wouldn't be surprised if we saw multiple days like that. Even with the shutdown coming to a close, I still believe that there's going to be some ripple effects, but not near as drastic as we seen in the last week.

[B]

How have travelers themselves been feeling through this whole process and heading into the holidays in 2025?

[D]

I definitely think that the first half of this shutdown, travelers were still going about their business. For October, for perfect example, we actually saw 4% more travelers traveling according to TSA numbers. But I think this, this period in November has really given travelers a bit of caution, especially heading into a busy time period like Thanksgiving. And we actually saw some softness in terms of booking according to Cerium analytics for Thanksgiving. And that means that some people that would have booked tickets by now, they haven't. So there's been a little bit of a slowdown. And we really do think that that's due to the impacts of the shutdown and just people being cautious and not really wanting to roll the dice in terms of am I going to deal with any disruptions during this peak period?

[B]

And even for people traveling, I'm thinking a lot of them are gonna say, well, I better show up even earlier than I thought.

[C]

Sure.

[D]

Oh, yes. You know, even if we see slightly fewer travelers just from just people not wanting to travel to begin with, it is definitely always great advice to show up a little bit earlier than you think for that, just in case. And also, it's not as though we've hired a bunch of people to replace the air traffic controllers that have just decided, you know what? This is not for me. You know, there could be staffing impacts that happen and cause delays during the busiest week out of the entire year. That's still very much a reality. But I do, I do want people to be cautiously optimistic going into Thanksgiving if they are traveling and always have what I like to call a sort of plan B flight or just a backup plan. So having a flight that you don't necessarily have to purchase outright, but maybe you can Purchase with points that you can cancel day of, because you can do that super easily with points. They're, they're less restrictive than when you pay with cash as well as just having sort of. Okay, you know what if this, if this earlier flight that I'm on doesn't work out, what is the rest of the schedule look like? And if you can, my biggest piece of advice, if you can take that earliest flight out on the day of, that's always going to give you the best odds at a higher on time arrival rate than an afternoon or an evening flight. So if you're really concerned about getting out on time, try to target that early morning flight.

[B]

Oh, some good hacks there. You also mentioned staffing of air traffic controllers. So I want to ask about that because to be clear, there was a shortage of air traffic controllers even before the shutdown.

[D]

Yeah, yeah. I think a lot of people don't realize that understaffing in terms of air traffic controllers has been a pain point for US Aviation in the last decade. We are still down roughly 3,000, and that number could change because of everything that's happened in light of the shutdown. Roughly 3,000 controllers from a decade ago. So this has been an ongoing pain point. And I think a lot of people assume that we can hire so many people, but that it is one of those very specific type roles that requires years of training. And so we want people to understand that this is not something that we can fix quickly. And it has been a pain point for some time now.

[A]

And that brings up a good point.

[B]

That the reason for some of the cancellations during the shutdown, not only staffing shortages, but that leads to actual safety concerns. Right, Right.

[D]

The mandates by the FAA were really done so to slow down traffic. Or what I like to, how I like to describe it is if you think about the skies as a highway, when there's an accident on the highway, they like to sort of close off lanes, slow down traffic. Well, when you have the traffic in the sky, when there's so much traffic, they're trying to lessen that traffic so the likelihood of an accident won't happen. And so we want people to think about it like that. This, this, this is. The mandates from the FAA were really in part to give controllers a bit of a break in terms of how many flights that they were managing at.

[B]

Any given hour beyond actual air travel itself. You mentioned TSA wait times. Have you seen the shutdown affect any other parts of the travel industry?

[D]

Amtrak is probably thrilled by everything that's going on because a lot of people have opted to maybe take a train, a bus, alternate forms of transport. You know, we saw bookings for rental cars skyrocket in the last week just because people wanted to mitigate their odds of getting disrupted. There have been sort of after effects of everything when it comes to travel. People searching for insurance in the last week has exponentially skyrocketed in during a window of time when we wouldn't necessarily see a lot of people interested in buying travel insurance. So there's been all these ripple effects, but the greatest one has, has surely been on air travel.

[B]

Looking ahead to the holidays coming up. Let's talk more about that.

[A]

What would you say is the most.

[B]

Important thing for people to know if they're traveling for Thanksgiving really soon or even in December for Christmas, Hanukkah, New Year's?

[D]

Yeah, I think, you know, the first thing looking at the next big travel moment is the fact that there is still some consideration to be had for the impacts of the shutdown and, you know, buffering in a little bit more time, understanding it's going to be a busy week. And just having that sort of plan B in mind for the just in case scenarios is never a bad idea for Thanksgiving. And then when we head into the winter holidays, winter storms, winter is still very much as impactful as anything else, and snow can really wreak havoc on the system and the ripple effects can be pretty massive. So just always being prepared for the worst, but hoping for the best. But I really want to just reinforce that if you haven't booked anything for either holiday because of what's gone on, it's likely we do see a sort of blip in demand in the, in the way that most people might book something last minute. And that can actually have a big impact on prices where prices really increase, they go up. And so we don't want people waiting until the last minute to book something because we're really getting down to the wire, especially for Thanksgiving. But, you know, if you're, if you're not going anywhere for, for that holiday, Starting to think about those December winter holidays asap?

[B]

That was my next question, actually.

[A]

Is it too late to book for the holidays?

[B]

And if not. Yeah. What is your advice beyond just book now? Are there any other tips that can help you find a deal?

[D]

Yeah, for sure. I think, you know, obviously not waiting until the last minute, but also traveling on the holiday itself is still one of the best tactics to be able to not only find a more affordable price, but between 15 and 30% on each holiday, but also just in terms of you're going to experience fewer travelers in the airports in general. I have traveled on New Year's Eve, Christmas Day, Thanksgiving Day and can say in certainty that it is the least frequented day out of any of those holidays. And so not only is it more affordable to be able to travel on those days, you're really going to see less of that travel headache of dealing with so many people in airports as well as just for Thanksgiving loan if you can avoid that Sunday after Thanksgiving because it's going to be record breakingly busy.

[A]

Anything to briefly note when it comes.

[B]

To domestic versus international travel over Thanksgiving.

[D]

A lot of people don't realize that it is one of the best weeks out of the entire year to travel internationally, not just for prices, but also because you're going to experience fewer travelers heading to international destinations around the world because so many people are so concentrated in domestic flying. Some of the best flight deals that we've found in the last few months have really been for international travel over that week of Thanksgiving. Gosh, I think I saw recently New York to Rome for only 368round trip, which is a stellar deal that's upwards of almost 50% off average prices. So if you hadn't purchased anything and you're finding some pretty hefty price tags for domestic travel, maybe this is the year that you opt for a little international getaway because the prices they pretty much they're down year over year by 1% and you're going to find just fewer headaches and big crowds to begin with.

[B]

That's great advice.

[A]

Anything else you want to add or maybe just one practical tip or even mindset that travelers should have heading into the holidays this year?

[D]

We're cautiously optimistic that we shouldn't see any big impacts even with the shutdown coming to an end. But we want people to prepare for the unexpected for sure.

[A]

Well, thank you so much to both of our guests today. Be sure to check out the Going app or head to going.com where they help save travelers an average of 40 to 90% off flights. And whether you want to donate, volunteer or you need some help yourself, you can go to unitedway.org we'll link to it all in today's Episode notes on our website thenewsworthy.com and be sure to join us during the week to catch our 10 minute news roundups with a wide variety of stories and perspectives every Monday through Friday right here on the Newsworthy Podcast. Thank you so much for listening. We'll be back on Monday with the latest news to know. For now, enjoy the rest of your weekend.