Weekly Roundup with Mark Murphy

Mark: Hey folks, Mark Murphy back with TravelTube.com.

Big week. A lot going on — and I do mean a lot. We’ll get into some of the byproducts of the situation with Iran, including what it means for gas prices and oil. But first, as always: please subscribe at TravelTube.com, follow us on social media and your favorite podcast app, and share the show. Sharing extends our reach more than almost anything else, and it costs you nothing. This channel is about showcasing travel agents as the true experts in the travel space, and we need everyone who believes in that mission — agents first, and the suppliers and destinations that support them — to get on board.

All right, let’s get into it.

TSA Funding: Are We Headed for Round Two?

The TSA is about to run out of funding — and if you have travel plans starting around the second week of May, you need to pay attention. CNN is reporting that DHS has warned it will run out of money to pay airport security workers within weeks.

Here’s the context: there’s an ongoing partial government shutdown affecting small portions of DHS. The stated reason Democrats have blocked a resolution is opposition to ICE funding — except ICE is already funded through 2029. So that rationale doesn’t hold up on its face.

It’s also worth noting that the circumstances have shifted significantly since the shutdown began. We’re now in an active military engagement with Iran. And over the previous administration, somewhere around 20 million people entered the country without a formal screening process. A significant number — often referred to as “gotaways” — crossed the border and disappeared without going through any asylum process whatsoever. That’s a legitimate security concern regardless of where you fall politically.

Meanwhile, TSA workers went weeks without paychecks. An emergency fund was used to cover them, which is why you haven’t heard much about it recently. But make no mistake — this issue is coming back.

Congress has failed on both sides. But the math is straightforward: this is a Democrat-led shutdown, justified by opposition to ICE funding that isn’t actually on the table. The practical result is that millions of travelers may face four- or five-hour security lines in the coming weeks.

The original emergency allocation was $10 billion. It wasn’t resolved in time, and now only about $1.4 billion remains. At current burn rate, that’s gone within weeks. Pass the budget. Fund TSA. Let’s move on.

Gas Prices: Déjà Vu

I filled up my Sprinter van recently — diesel, about $5.70 a gallon, over $100 for the tank. And yes, with the Iran situation ongoing, prices have crept above $4 nationally.

But here’s the number the media isn’t leading with: we are still roughly a dollar below the national average peak of over $5 a gallon reached in 2022. In 2022, the dominant narrative was “Putin’s price hike.” Today, it’s “Trump’s war.” The framing changes; the finger-pointing doesn’t.

What actually happened in 2022? Trillions of stimulus dollars flooded the economy. Money supply expanded rapidly. Demand surged. Supply couldn’t keep pace. Inflation hit 9% — the worst in four decades — and gas prices followed.

In May 2020, gas was under $2 a gallon due to COVID-related demand collapse. By late October 2021 — well before any Russian troop movements near Ukraine — prices had already climbed to $3.38. When Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, prices jumped to $4.31 and eventually pushed past $5. The invasion contributed roughly 75–80 cents on top of an already elevated baseline.

PolitiFact, fact-checking Biden’s claim that the spike was “largely the fault of Vladimir Putin,” ruled it “mostly true” — while acknowledging that about two-thirds of the total price increase had already occurred before Ukraine became front-page news. Draw your own conclusions.

Night Markets: Why Asia Belongs on Your Bucket List

Have you ever been to a night market? If you’ve traveled in Asia, you almost certainly have. If you haven’t: imagine a massive outdoor market combining a flea market, street food, live cooking, and local culture — all at prices that will make your head spin.

One of my favorites is the Shilin Night Market in Taipei. It’s enormous. Street food there can feed a family of four for around $10. Five-star hotels in Asia run $100–$150 a night. It’s one of the best value destinations in the world.

My suggestion: use a hub like Bangkok, base yourself there, and take short regional flights to neighboring destinations. Singapore alone is worth a stop — the Marina Bay Sands rooftop pool is something you have to see in person.

Florida Tourism: The Numbers Tell a Different Story

There’s been a lot of noise about Florida tourism suffering. Let’s look at what the data actually shows.

Pre-COVID 2019: 131.4 million visitors. COVID low: ~80 million. 2021 (early reopening): 121 million. 2022: 137 million. 2023: 140 million. 2024: a record 142.9 million. And in 2025, amid all the boycott coverage: 143.3 million. Another record.

Canadian visitors did dip — from about 3.2 million in 2024 to roughly 2.9 million in 2025, a decline of about 300,000. But that gap is more than offset by growth elsewhere: Brazil up over 10%, Colombia up over 6%.

The headline — Florida tourism is tanking — simply isn’t supported by the data.

Disney’s New Pricing: Who Gets Left Behind?

Disney has announced dynamic, date-based ticket pricing — the same revenue management model the airlines use. Here’s what it means in practice: a single one-day park ticket during peak periods now tops out at $209 per person. A family of four: $836 for one day.

Multi-day passes bring the average down to around $100 per person per day. But the trajectory is clear.

Disney was once the kind of vacation a middle-class family could drive to and make happen without financial strain. That’s increasingly not the case. The long-term risk isn’t just lost ticket sales — it’s losing the next generation of Disney loyalists entirely.

Disney’s stated rationale is demand management. But they already proved during COVID that daily attendance can be capped through a reservation system. If crowd control is the goal, that’s a cleaner solution. This looks more like margin optimization.

River Cruising Without a Passport

With geopolitical uncertainty running high, domestic river cruising deserves a closer look. American Cruise Lines operates on the Mississippi, the Columbia and Snake Rivers, and the Great Lakes. Viking has also entered the Great Lakes market. No passport required.

Mississippi itineraries are well-suited to history enthusiasts — some departures begin in New Orleans, then head upriver with stops at plantations offering living history programming. The Columbia River route out of Portland offers more dramatic scenery: basalt cliffs, gorges, and geological formations alongside the Lewis and Clark history.

A few honest caveats: this is not a high-energy experience. It’s not ideal for families with young children. The demographic skews older — median age on some Mississippi sailings is in the mid-70s.

But for a traveler who values history, scenery, and a relaxed pace — it’s a genuinely compelling option, especially right now.

That’s the week. Follow us on your favorite podcast app, connect on social media, and if you’re a travel agent, head to TravelTube.com and sign up for the newsletter. Take care, everyone.