Today Slate launched Airplane Mode, a series of pieces on the business—and pleasure—of travel. Now, more than ever, we all want to get away. But the rules and possibilities of tourism have changed. We’re here to help make sense of it all.
• There’s one travel perk you’ll never get at an Airbnb, Henry Grabar writes. In an era when most public and commercial spaces have a function, the unsung hotel lobby stands alone as a bastion of luxury and relaxation. Go and be free.
• There’s a trick to going on a memorable vacation with your kids, according to Dan Kois. The family trip is a mainstay of American life, but there’s another way to do it.
• Is there anything more agonizing than a rental car snafu ruining your vacation? Luke Winkie investigates the core issue underlying this mother of all logistical kerfuffles, and offers a glimpse into the possible future of renting a car.
• Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano is a popular tourist destination, but what happens when the lava isn’t flowing? Meg Duff has the story.
Power struggle
Tesla reportedly exaggerated its vehicles’ battery capabilities, making drivers believe they could save the planet without changing their habits, Edward Niedermeyer writes. That made consumers easy marks.
Originalist jujitsu
Ketanji Brown Jackson is using conservatives’ favorite legal strategies against them. Mark Joseph Stern argues that Jackson is adept at deploying originalist and textualist arguments, and “from time to time, she beat the 6–3 supermajority at its own game.”
Thank U, Next
What is going on with Ariana Grande right now, and how does it relate to SpongeBob SquarePants and, uh, the Land of Oz? Buckle up; Heather Schwedel will explain it all.
Classists dismissed
In America’s housing wars, you don’t have to spare NIMBYs’ feelings, Richard D. Kahlenberg writes. Class bias is not, in fact, OK in housing, and we shouldn’t be afraid to say so.
Today, Slate … * KEEPS IT WEIRD
… much like Allan, Michael Cera’s character in Barbie. Heather Schwedel unpacks Allan’s place in Barbie Land—and why the joke about NSYNC all being Allans just doesn’t quite work.
Thanks so much for reading! We’ll be back on Monday.
A daily email update of the stories you need to read right now.
