With flights getting more expensive around Thanksgiving and the winter holidays, you may be inclined to use accumulated points and miles to try to save some money. About 30% of holiday travelers plan to use points and miles to pay for travel expenses in 2023, according to a NerdWallet survey conducted by The Harris Poll of more than 2,000 adults.

That might have been a dependable money-saving strategy five or 10 years ago, back when airlines published award charts that clearly showed how many points or miles you’d need to book a flight. But most U.S. airlines have switched to dynamic award pricing, meaning the cost in points can fluctuate as much as cash prices do.

So in many cases, holiday flights on points are no longer the deal they once were — and can be high enough to make your jaw drop. In fact, you might get a lower cent-per-point value than usual if you’re not careful.

What the data says about holiday travel on miles

NerdWallet does an annual analysis of the value of airline miles. Conducted in August, the analysis looks at redeeming miles for flights 15 days in advance, for flights 180 days in advance, and for holiday flights. (For the latter, NerdWallet looked at flights departing Dec. 22, one of the busiest days to fly around the winter holidays, and returning Dec. 29.) The results show that airline miles are generally worth less around the last week of December.

If you’re flying domestically, there are two ways to think about getting maximum value for miles.

• One would be to use the airline miles that are worth the most around the holidays, so you’ll need fewer miles than you would if you booked a similarly priced flight on another airline. In that case, your best bet would be to fly American Airlines or Southwest Airlines, because both airlines’ miles are worth 1.5 cents, the highest holiday valuation of the domestic airlines in the analysis.
• The alternative is to use airline miles that have the greatest value at the holidays relative to other times of the year. The analysis found that miles on Frontier Airlines are actually worth more at the holidays, although that comes with some caveats. Meanwhile, miles on Southwest, Delta Air Lines and Spirit Airlines had the same value on holiday redemptions as on nonholiday flights.

If you’re flying internationally, you have other options to maximize your miles.

1.5 cents per mile is good for holiday travel

Among U.S. airlines, American and Southwest have the highest-valued miles when redeemed for holiday flights. Their miles are worth about 1.5 cents per dollar during the holidays. For American, this is slightly lower than its usual valuation at 1.7 cents per dollar. For Southwest, the 1.5 cents per point is the same as nonholiday travel redemptions.

To determine the redemption value of miles, divide the cash price of the flight by the number of miles required to get it.

Frontier Airlines is the only airline that fared better in the analysis than usual. Its holiday valuation of 1.3 cents per point is slightly higher than its normal baseline of 1.1 cent. However, this cost considers only the base fare — added fees for seat selection or baggage might decrease your value per point.

To maximize your points, consider international airlines

The highest-valued miles during the holidays don’t come from U.S.-based airlines. If you’re planning on vacationing during the holidays and aren’t tied to a specific location, you could blow the 1.5-cents-per-point mark out of the water if you were to fly, say, ANA (All Nippon Airways) or Singapore Airlines to Asia.

Not only do both airlines consistently rank as the world’s best in Skytrax’s rankings, but they also still have award charts, so their award flight prices generally don’t go up as much as the dynamic prices in other programs. ANA’s miles are worth 2.8 cents per mile during the holidays, the same as usual. Singapore’s miles are worth 2.1 cents per mile during the holidays, up from 1.5 cents usually.

If you haven’t flown these airlines recently (or ever), you might still be able to book with miles if you have a travel credit card that transfers to either of these airlines’ loyalty programs. ANA is a transfer partner of American Express Membership Rewards, and Singapore Airlines is a transfer partner of both AmEx and Chase Ultimate Rewards.

Use the same strategies to save as you would on flights booked with cash

If the price in miles makes your head spin, remember that the principles for saving are the same for flights booked in cash and points. To reduce the cost of holiday flights, you can try:

• Flying on less popular days. Less demand equals lower cash prices. And less expensive flights mean they usually cost less in miles, too. According to Transportation Security Administration data, you’ll want to avoid days like the Sunday after Thanksgiving, which is generally the busiest single travel day in U.S. airports all year.
• Use a combination of miles and cash. Delta and United offer the choice of paying for your fare partially in miles and partially in cash, which is a nice option if you don’t have sufficient miles for the fare you’re booking. Booking through your credit card’s travel portal also yields a miles and cash option. Lastly, consider other ways to unbundle your travel like paying cash for a one-way flight and miles for the way back.
• Go international when everyone else is going domestic. Thanksgiving week can be a cheaper time to travel abroad because it’s not a holiday in other countries. If you’re thinking about going abroad around the end of December, consider Thanksgiving instead.

You may be feeling the squeeze on holiday travel because it seems too expensive right now. Flight cash prices can still feel high, even though data from the consumer price index actually indicates that they are lower than they were before the pandemic (September 2023 airfares were about 6.5% lower than airfares in September 2019.) Redeeming miles can be a good way to lower your travel costs, but make sure you’re not spending more miles than it’s worth.

The article The Best Airlines for 2023 Holiday Travel on Points originally appeared on NerdWallet.

The 24th edition of the Latin Grammys will bring together some of the biggest names across Latin music and some new faces that will vie for the award for best new artist. This time the event isn’t taking place in Las Vegas, instead it will be hosted in Sevilla, Spain.

Q: When, where and what time are the Latin Grammys?

A: The ceremony will take place on Thursday, Nov. 16, at the Palacio de Congresos y Exposiciones in Sevilla. It will be televised by the Spanish-language network Univision at 8 p.m. Eastern.

Q: Who is hosting the show?

A: This year the Academy has chosen Colombian singer Sebastián Yatra, Mexican singer Danna Paola with an assist by Roselyn Sánchez and Paz Vega.

Q: Who are the performers?

Q: Who are the presenters?

A: The presenters for the awards ceremony include such names as Majo Aguilar, Anitta, Pedro Capó, Jorge Drexler, Luis Figueroa, Fonseca, Mon Laferte, Yandel, Natalia Lafourcade, John Leguizamo, Nicki Nicole, Carlos Ponce and Carlos Vives.

©2023 Los Angeles Times. Visit at latimes.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

But a recent study conducted by Kantar on behalf of the Family Online Safety Institute (FOSI) found that both parents and teens are not only aware of GAI but also mostly optimistic about its impact. The study included teens (13-17) and their parents completing an online survey with 1,000 participants in each of three countries: The U.S., Japan and Germany. I’ll focus mostly on the U.S. responses, which, for the most part, were similar to those from the two other countries.

Familiarity and use

When it comes to awareness, U.S. teens (69%) and parents (74%) are mostly familiar with GAI with 25% of parents saying they “know a lot,” compared with 22% of teens, which itself is different from most other tech issues where teens tend to be more aware than their parents. But what’s most surprising is that 45% of U.S. teens agreed that their parents know more than they do about GAI while only about a third (32%) of teens said that they know more. Parents concurred, with the same percentage saying their teen knows more compared with 43% saying “I know more than my teen.”

The report didn’t speculate why parents feel more clued-in than teens, but I’m guessing it has something to do with extensive news coverage of GAI and the fact that parents are more likely to consume mainstream news than are teens. Teens are more likely to get their news from digital sources, including social media.

Even though parents are more likely to say they are aware of GAI, U.S. teens are slightly more likely (67%) than parents (64%) to “have used or tried using genAI.”

Nearly three-quarters (73%) of U.S. parents and 63% of teens say they mostly use GAI for its analytical tools while 67% of parents and 61% of teens have used it for creative tasks. The report said that teens are more likely (74% vs. 59%) to use GAI “to be more efficient at tasks including proofreading and creating synopses of longer works.”

Only about a third (34%) of American parents feel that they “don’t have enough information and education about genAI,” compared with 47% in Germany and 73% in Japan.

Top concerns

Respondents were asked to rate their top concerns, and both parents and teens picked job loss as No. 1, followed by the spread of false information. Parents picked “loss of critical thinking skills” as No. 3, while teens were more likely to worry about “AI surpassing humans.” The teens picked “new forms of harassment” as their fourth concern, but that didn’t make it on the parents’ top 5 list. Both groups rated “growing dependency on genAI” as No. 5.

“Teens,” said the report “are acutely aware of the potential for genAI to be used for more sophisticated means of bullying, or to create new or intensified forms of harassment. From parents’ perspective, many express trepidation that their teens will lose opportunities to engage in deep analysis, original ideas and meaningful thinking.”

Parents were asked if they need more information to help them guide their teens, and 55% of U.S. parents said they wanted to know more about the potential risks vs. the benefits. Just under half (49%) picked benefits. Fortunately, these are not mutually exclusive. ConnectSafely is currently working on a parents guide to GAI which will focus on both risks and benefits.

Perceived vs. actual risks

It’s important to remember that a survey measures perceived risks, not necessarily actual ones. GAI is still very new, and we don’t yet know what the real risks are. It’s not yet clear, for example, whether GAI will result in a net loss or a net gain in jobs, though it’s likely to have a negative impact on some job categories. We know that GAI can result in misinformation, but there are efforts in place to use it to help combat that very scourge. The same can be said for bullying and harassment. Time will tell, and we might be surprised to find that some of our fears don’t turn into major problems, while other problems may emerge that we are not thinking about right now. I know this from personal experience as the author of the1994 booklet, “Child Safety on the Information Highway,” which was written before there was a lot of research and well before some problems emerged that I wasn’t able to anticipate nearly 30 years ago.

Generally positive perceptions of GAI

Despite concerns and plenty of negative press, parents do feel positive about their teens’ use of GAI. Two-thirds (66%) of U.S. parents said they felt positive, compared with 70% in Germany and 59% in Japan.

About two-third of parents (66%) and teens (65%) agreed that “Using genAI tools will be a vital skill to have to remain competitive in school or career. About 60% of both groups also feel that “GenAI will augment or supplement humans, but we’ll still need human creativity,” vs. “it will surpass human capabilities and take over many tasks,” while 55% of parents and 57% of teens say it “will make it easier to stay connected with others,” vs. “it will make it harder to stay connected with others.”

Trying it out

Although this survey sheds light on how adults and teens are using GAI and paints a reasonably optimistic picture of how it’s perceived, the best way for you to learn about GAI is to try it. Google Bard, Microsoft Bing and ChatGPT all offer free access to GAI services that make it easy for anyone to ask questions or create content. I find it fascinating to try out different scenarios on these services and have used them in my work to generate ideas and recently used ChatGPT’s Dalle2 image-generation tool to create artwork to accompany some of my blog posts. I understand that it can make mistakes, so I never rely on it without verifying information. I also have an ethical responsibility to do my own work in my own words, so I use it mainly for ideas and research rather than a shortcut to wordsmithing. But, just as I can’t imagine going back to my old typewriter, it’s now hard to imagine doing creative work without getting at least a little help from Generative AI.

Larry Magid is a tech journalist and internet safety activist. Contact him at larry@larrymagid.com.

The Fish and Wildlife Service also offered the broad scientific explanation for the pond’s color: “It’s natural. Tiny microscopic organisms specialized to live in very salty water live here, including the microscopic algae known as Dunaliella salina and halobacterium.”

Meanwhile, Santa Clara County Parks explains on its website that a nearby levee project could be making A12’s water pinker than usual: “In 2021, Valley Water, the State Coastal Conservancy and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) began construction of the South San Francisco Bay Shoreline Project (Phase I) between the Alviso Slough/Guadalupe River and Coyote Creek. The levee construction requires very low water levels, therefore we did not replenish water into these ponds as they naturally evaporate throughout the summer. As a consequence, Pond A12 got saltier and pinker.”

Note that if you are headed into San Francisco, the massive APEC international conference running through Nov. 19 is going to pose traffic issues. More about that is here along with a map detailing the more heavily affected areas.

And, as always, be sure to double check event and venue websites for any last-minute changes in health guidelines. Meanwhile, if you’d like to have this Weekender lineup delivered to your inbox every Thursday morning for free, just sign up at www.mercurynews.com/newsletters or www.eastbaytimes.com/newsletters.

1 SEE, HEAR & LAUGH: Here comes Tiffany

Tiffany Haddish, one of the funniest humans on the planet (and there are a lot of funny humans on the planet) is headed to Oakland’s Paramount Theatre on Saturday. Here’s what she has to say about her comedy tour.

2 DINE: Mexican-Japanese deliciousness

Good Luck Gato, a new joint in Oakland, applies the fun izakaya formula to a Mexican-Japanese menu. Intriguing, huh? We checked the place out recently and here are our thoughts.

3 WATCH: Godzilla’s best performance since …

Yes, the giant lizard and underrated actor is back in the terrific new series titled “Monarch: Legacy of Monsters.” It tops our list of new shows and movies you should totally watch this weekend.

4 COOK: Get a head start on Thanksgiving

No, we aren’t expecting you to start cooking your bird this weekend, but here’s how you can get a jump on the holiday. And if you’re thinking of grilling your turkey this year, here’s a sure-fire recipe for that.

5 BREW & QUAFF: Coffee cocktails, anyone?

Jordan Michelman and Zachary Carlsen identify themselves as coffee journalists, so you know they must be brilliant. And their latest book explores how to employ coffee in some mighty tasty cocktails.

6 SEE & HEAR: Great shows are all over

Smuin Ballet is back with the company’s beloved holiday show (feather boa and all). And that’s just one of the great shows going on this weekend.

7 PLAY: Surprising new ‘Mario Bros’ game

We recently checked out the new “Super Mario Bros. Wonder” game. One of its charms is the way it keeps defying expectations.

SAN FRANCISCO  — Chinese President Xi Jinping signaled that China will send new pandas to the United States, calling them “envoys of friendship between the Chinese and American peoples.”

“We are ready to continue our cooperation with the United States on panda conservation, and do our best to meet the wishes of the Californians so as to deepen the friendly ties between our two peoples,” Xi said Wednesday during a dinner speech with business leaders.

The gesture came at the end of a day in which Xi and President Joe Biden held their first face to face meeting in a year and pledged to try to reduce tensions. Xi did not share additional details on when or where pandas might be provided but appeared to suggest the next pair of pandas are most likely to come to California, probably San Diego.

The bears have long been the symbol of the U.S.-China friendship since Beijing gifted a pair of pandas to the National Zoo in Washington in 1972, ahead of the normalization of bilateral relations. Later, Beijing loaned the pandas to other U.S. zoos, with proceeds going back to panda conservation programs.

The National Zoo’s three giant pandas, Mei Xiang, Tian Tian and their cub Xiao Qi Ji, eight days ago began their long trip to China. After their departure, only four pandas are left in the United States, in the Atlanta Zoo.

“I was told that many American people, especially children, were really reluctant to say goodbye to the pandas, and went to the zoo to see them off,” Xi said in his speech. He added that he learned the San Diego Zoo and people in California “very much look forward to welcoming pandas back.”

Xi is in California to attend a summit of Indo-Pacific leaders and for his meeting with Biden. He made no mention of the pandas during his public remarks earlier in the day as he met with Biden.

But relations showed signs of stabilization as Xi traveled to San Francisco to meet with Biden. The two men met for about four hours Wednesday at the picturesque Filoli Historic House & Garden, where they agreed to cooperate on anti-narcotics, resume high-level military communications and expand people-to-people exchanges.

The National Zoo’s exchange agreement with the China Wildlife Conservation Association had been set to expire in early December and negotiations to renew or extend the deal did not produce results.

The San Diego Zoo returned its pandas in 2019, and the last bear at the Memphis, Tennessee, zoo went home earlier this year.

___

Associated Press writer Ashraf Khalil in Washington contributed to this report.

Can I keep my out-of-state plates and registration “forever,” renewing annually, until I move permanently to California? I’ll be spending three to four months at a time in California.

Anonymous

A: The DMV answered your question. If a driver claims a property tax exemption in California, then they are considered a California resident and must register their vehicle in California. A customer can only claim one primary residence. More information on what constitutes a “California resident” can be found on the DMV’s website at https://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/how-to-determine-residency-when-fees-are-due-on-out-of-state-vehicles-htvr-33/.

Q: Drivers with high beams are bad enough. More often, I see drivers with no taillights on. They have their daytime running lights on, but that doesn’t turn on taillights. In earlier cars, when headlights were off, your dash was dark. Now, electronic dashboards are always lit up. There ought to be a federal law requiring all new cars to have automatic-on headlights, controlled by solar cells to sense darkness.

Doug Finley

A: And …

Q: I have two cars with auto high beams. I turn the automatic off and do it manually, as they seldom go back to low early enough when a car is approaching. Who wants to blind oncoming traffic?

John Hamblin

A: And …

Gwynne Willison

A: A good idea, having headlights adjusted if many other drivers think your high beams are on.

Q: Declining eyesight is a serious factor in night driving and any driving. It’s not just the headlight issue. I found night driving increasingly difficult, with glare from oncoming headlights blinding me, making driving dangerous and full of anxiety. I had cataract surgery, and my life was transformed. One hour, minor discomfort, zero after-effects. There are now actual colors and clarity. I recovered 20/20 in one eye and 20/40 in the other. Driving, day or night, is now confident and safe.

John Joss, Mountain View

A: And that’s today’s last word.

Look for Gary Richards at Facebook.com/mr.roadshow or contact him at mrroadshow@bayareanewsgroup.com.

A Frozen land was pitched in 2021 as a possible project for a proposed theme park expansion in the DisneylandForward plan presented to the city of Anaheim.

Arendelle village will serve as the centerpiece of the World of Frozen themed land opening Monday, Nov. 20 at Hong Kong Disneyland.

The backstory for the new World of Frozen at Hong Kong Disneyland brings to life the Kingdom of Arendelle for a “summer snow day” celebration in a themed land featuring two rides, a show, a restaurant and two shops amid Nordic-inspired architecture.

The Frozen Ever After water ride at Hong Kong Disneyland updates a similar attraction that opened in 2016 at Epcot in Florida.

Wandering Oaken’s Sliding Sleighs becomes the latest peak to join the man-made mountains made by Walt Disney Imagineering at theme parks around the world. The sleigh-themed kiddie coaster features a dark ride-style show section along a 1,000-foot-long steel track that wraps around and through the Arendelle mountain.

The “Playhouse in the Woods” interactive theater experience features video projections, audio-animatronics and Arendelle citizens celebrating “summer snow day” with Elsa and Anna.

The new World of Frozen themed land at Hong Kong Disneyland also includes the Golden Crocus Inn restaurant serving Nordic-inspired meals, the Northern Delights sweets shop offering chocolates, ice cream and baked goods and the Tick Tock Toys and Collectibles gift shop at the exit of the water ride.

The DisneylandForward proposal seeks to update a 1990s Anaheim city plan to allow for a mix of theme park, hotel, retail, dining and entertainment on the eastern and western edges of the Disneyland resort.

ALSO SEE: Disneyland tightens pin trading rules to rein in ‘pin-sanity’

The long-term planning proposal dangled six possible projects based on “Frozen,” “Tangled,” “Peter Pan,” “Zootopia,” “Toy Story” and “Tron” as the types of lands and attractions Anaheim is missing out on under current city planning and zoning guidelines.

In addition to Hong Kong’s Arendelle village, Frozen themed lands are nearing completion at Disney theme parks in Japan and France.

The Frozen Kingdom will be part of Fantasy Springs, the newest port set to debut at Tokyo DisneySea in June 2024. The Tokyo Disneyland expansion will feature the Frozen boat ride along with an Arendelle castle restaurant and village shops.

The new lands and attractions coming to Tokyo DisneySea “could be the perfect inspiration for the future of Disneyland Park,” according to the DisneylandForward website.

The Kingdom of Arendelle — a third Frozen land — is under construction in Walt Disney Studios Park at the Disneyland Paris resort in France.

Florida’s Epcot theme park at the Walt Disney World resort is already home to the world’s first Frozen Ever After water ride and a meet-and-greet location where visitors can snap photos with Elsa and Anna in the Norway pavilion of World Showcase.

That will eventually leave only two Disney theme park resorts worldwide — in Anaheim and Shanghai, China — without a Frozen-themed land or area.

Shanghai Disneyland has a Frozen sing-along show — much like the film that once played in the Sunset Showcase Theater at Disney California Adventure that now screens “Mickey’s PhilharMagic.”

The Broadway-caliber “Frozen Live” show at the Hyperion Theater in Disney California Adventure closed during the COVID-19 pandemic and didn’t return with the reopening of the park.

Disney has announced that a “Frozen 3” sequel is in development.

A Taylor Swift themed cruise is setting sail in 2024. The fan sponsored event organized by Marvelous Mouse Travels will take Swifties on a Royal Caribbean cruise sailing from the port of Miami to Nassau, Bahamas. According to a post by event organizers in the Facebook group for the Taylor Swift themed cruise, because of limited capacity they are operating on a waitlist model, showcasing the impact a Swift theme can have on businesses.

This experience is a chance for Swifties to make the friendship bracelets yet again, connect with other fans and make memories to hold onto.

Related: ‘Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour’ is one of the greatest concert films of all time

Here’s what you need to know:

When is it?

The 5 day/4 night cruise departs on Oct. 21, 2024 from Miami, Florida and returns on Oct. 25.

How much is it?

Originally, prices were advertised from $1,573-$1,967 depending on your room for the 4 night stay onboard the Allure of the Seas. However, Jessica Malerman, one of the event organizers, shared in the Facebook group that this price has changed because they got additional rooms from Royal Caribbean to accommodate the demand and that the new rates are slightly higher. There are three room options available; Interior, Boardwalk Balcony and Oceanview Balcony.

What’s included?

For meals, dinner is included in the main dining room, as well as some buffet and a la carte options on board. Entertainment such as stage shows, game shows and karaoke.

For an additional fee, there are premium add-ons guests can choose from including speciality dining, beverage packages, and excursions.

What is the itinerary for Swifties?

As far as travel goes, after departing the Port of Miami on day one, the second day will be spent at Coco Cay which is Royal Caribbean’s private island. Day three is spent in Nassau, Bahamas. The fourth day is at sea before returning to the Port of Miami on day five.

Who is organizing it?

Marvelous Mouse Travels is organizing the “In My Cruise Era” event. The group began in 2014 and this year became a Disney Diamond Earmarked Agency. Additionally, it is a Preferred Universal Agency, Presidents Club at Travel Leaders Network, Mark Travel 500 Club, and a Preferred Sandals Agency. It is not endorsed or affiliated with TASRM or Taylor Swift.

The Taylor Swift Fan Cruise is being led by three travel agents, Jessica Malerman, Nicole Rivera and Shelby Reyes, who are also Taylor Swift fans.

Because of capacity restrictions, only those who book with Marvelous Mouse Travels are guaranteed to participate in the Eras-themed events the group is organizing.

Will Taylor Swift be there?

Taylor Swift is not affiliated with the cruise so it is unlikely that she will attend. However, if you want a chance to see her before the cruise sets sail, you could visit Miami a few days before. Swift is performing for three nights at the Hard Rock Stadium from Oct. 18-20.

Legoland California will open the new Dino Valley themed land in the spring and the Lego World parade in the summer, according to Legoland officials.

The new Dino Valley themed land where the past roars to life in Lego form will feature two new rides alongside the park’s 2004 Coastersauraus roller coaster that zips around Lego versions of a Brachiosaurus and Parasaurolophus.

Located near the park entrance, Dino Valley will include the Explorer River Quest and the Duplo Little Dino Trail rides, a dino-themed Lego brick build-and-play area, a reimagined Dino Dig fossil-finding sandbox and meet-and-greet opportunities with new prehistoric characters.

The boat ride will sail past Lego dinosaurs, including a T-Rex. Kids can use cameras to “capture” Lego dinos in a game of hide and seek on the Duplo safari ride.

The Lego World parade will make its North American debut at Legoland California. The world’s first Legoland parade was presented at Legoland Deutschland in Germany.

The Legoland California parade will include floats themed to Ninjago, Duplo, Lego City and Lego Friends along with dancers in colorful costumes.

The new parade weaving along the west side of the park will serve as the kiss goodnight finale to the day.