Traveling back to the United States sounds like it will be a lot of fun after reading about the long lines at security checkpoints in airports, the substantial increase in fuel prices, and the domino effect of the delays or cancellations of flights due to either weather or the war in the Middle East.
Traveling Back to the United States Sounds Like It Will Be a Lot of Fun.
I am currently reporting from Vietnam and am preparing for traveling back to the United States over the next few days. I have been traveling since Sunday, February 21, 2026 and was in Las Vegas before visiting such countries as Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, and Taiwan.
The weather plummeted in the greater Atlanta metropolitan area from 70 degrees Fahrenheit to 34 degrees yesterday, Tuesday, March 16, 2026. Atlanta may uncharacteristically be the coldest part of my trip when I return there, as the inclement late winter weather has reportedly been wreaking havoc in the eastern United States only days before the spring season begins on Friday, March 20, 2026.
I have also read reports that even though both the TSA Pre✓ and Global Entry trusted traveler programs are supposedly currently in full operation, numerous agents of the Transportation Security Administration have called in “sick” because they have not been paid — which has resulted in extensive waits in long lines of as long as five hours.
Because of the closure of the Strait of Hormuz by Iran — which has blocked ships from transporting oil through this strategic and narrow waterway and therefore created scarcity — the prices of both gasoline and jet fuel has skyrocketed, which means that the prices of airfares will likely increase significantly.
Final Boarding Call
The United States — and much of the world, for that matter — seemed to change dramatically since I started traveling last month.
I plan on entering the United States through Seattle International Airport, where I have a layover of only one hour and 15 minutes. If the lines through the customs and immigration area are long and the flights are on schedule, chances are good that I will miss the connecting flight.
We shall see…
All photographs ©2020 and ©2023 by Brian Cohen.
