Flying Solo, Flying Smart: Women's Travel Tips, Airline Mishaps & Vancouver to Aruba Fare Deals

From springbok biltong and A380 landings to navigating the world solo as a woman, this episode packs in travel chaos, comedy, and a whole lot of smart advice. 🧳 This Week on Landings and Layovers We're back with a packed episode featuring travel misadventures, smart gear upgrades, some very real talk about traveling as a woman, and a jaw-dropping fare from Vancouver to Aruba that's making us rethink our summer plans. Here's what's inside: 🛫 Marty's VIP behind-the-scenes tour of United Airlines' Denver ramp (yes, there's an A380 involved) ✈️ What really happens when your budget flight turns out way better than expected 🧍‍♀️ Tracy joins us to talk solo female travel, hostel hacks, and why Vietnam tops her list 🧳 The truth about backpacks, broken roller wheels, and what travel gear is actually worth your money 🔄 Why you might want to stop planning every second of your trip 💸 Fare of the Week (Sponsored by Notiflyr.com) Vancouver → Aruba | Summer 2026 | ~$500 USD roundtrip ☀️ Book a tropical escape from the Pacific Northwest to the Caribbean with this long-range fare. ✔️ 10-hour journey ✔️ Operated by United (with Air Canada likely to follow) ✔️ Perfect for beating the summer fog or Canadian winter in advance 📌 Tip: Watch for this to go live on both airlines as schedules expand! 🎙️ Guest Spotlight: Tracy Tracy's been everywhere — from high school in Singapore to backpacking Southeast Asia to living in China. She joined us to talk: What it's really like traveling solo as a woman How safety strategies change based on country, community, and culture Why having your own private room at a hostel can be worth every cent How not to get stuck zipping and unzipping your top-loading backpack 12 times a day Why you should leave room in your itinerary to get lost (literally) "Travel doesn't last forever—stop trying to micromanage it like it does." – Tracy ✨ Packing Picks Here's what we learned (the hard way) about packing gear: 💼 Backpacks with full zippers > top-loaders 🛞 Cheap $15 suitcases may last one trip (but you better be going home) 🔒 A door lock or travel latch for solo travelers adds real peace of mind 🎒 You don't need to prove anything. Wheels are your friend. Want the links? Find everything in our Packing Picks roundup [Add