Recap: The Week’s Biggest Travel Stories and Best Deals

Following is our regular summary of the latest travel news and best frequent traveler promotions reviewed during the past week.

If it was a good deal—or a notably bad deal—from an airline, hotel, or car rental loyalty program, you can read all about it here, and plan your travel accordingly.

This Country Just Took the Title for World’s Most Powerful Passport

But don’t expect the U.S. to make the top five.

How to Book Unique Experiences with Hyatt Points

Members of Hyatt’s loyalty program can now earn and redeem points for personal experiences from IfOnly.

Earn an Easy 3,000 Bonus Points from Carlson

Earn an easy 3,000 bonus points just by using a mobile app.

The NAACP Accuses the World’s Largest Airline of Racism

The nation’s oldest and largest nonpartisan civil rights organization, the NAACP, has accused the nation’s largest airline, American, of racism.

Starwood Hotels to Cut Ties with Uber

In a surprising move, Starwood has announced the end of its partnership with ride-share service Uber.

Lonely Planet Picks the Best Destinations for 2018

A “top places list” favorite, New Zealand, is obvious, but selections like Djibouti make this an interesting selection.

10 Best Value Hotels for Fall Trips

Where to go this fall? If quality and value are your guides, TripAdvisor has 10 hotel recommendations that deliver the goods.

How to Make Your Dream Vacation an Affordable Vacation

Here’s how to save up to 52% on nine trips picked by TripAdvisor reviewers as their Dream Vacations.

Win a 10-Day Cruise to Spain and Portugal

The grand prize: a 10-day trip for two on Windstar’s cruise.

Somebody has to win this, right? Might as well be you.

More from SmarterTravel:

• The Top 25 Travel Apps to Upgrade Your Smartphone
• Gate Service Fees: Another Basic Economy Caveat
• American or Southwest: Which Is the Real No-Frills Airline?

After 20 years working in the travel industry, and 15 years writing about it, Tim Winship knows a thing or two about travel. Follow him on Twitter @twinship.