You are on the sidewalk with a jar of jam in one hand and the invitation in the other. The jam felt right in the shop. It may be useless at the door. What to bring to a dinner party depends on the night: a Tuesday pizza, a sit-down supper, a large formal dinner, a weekend in the spare room, or a party that already has a guest of honor.

Some of those nights want a small gift. Some want the dish the host already named. A casual supper, a large formal dinner, and a regular dinner with close friends can all be fine with empty hands. The gift is a thank-you. It is not the price of the chair.

The Emily Post Institute, Kendra Vaculin writing in Bon Appétit, and Gentleman’s Gazette do not answer every invitation the same way. Where they split, both answers stay, with the name attached, so you can follow the one that fits the host you actually know.

What to bring, by the invitation

Start with the invitation, then read the catch in the last column. A first visit adds a small-gift note to some of these nights. At a large formal dinner, that note sits beside the usual no-gift line. Neither one cancels the other.

Stays, celebrations, and a potluck

A host gift is a token, not a cover charge

The Emily Post Institute calls a host gift a token of appreciation for the evening, and it wants that token small enough to hand over while the host is still greeting people. It is a gift. It is not a bribe, and it is not a way to even the scales for the meal you are about to eat.

Also stay inside your means. Nobody has to break a budget to sit at the table. The examples below are objects you can hand over, with no prices attached.

What to Bring to a Dinner Party (the Sit-Down Kind)

When the night is more than a casual pizza night, dinner-party guests often bring a host gift, unless they are close friends who dine together often. Often is the word. Showing up empty-handed is not a breach.

What fits in one hand

If you do bring one, the same page keeps the list practical. Think of small serving pieces, cocktail napkins, other entertaining supplies a step up from everyday, picture frames, candles, wine or Champagne, chocolates, jams, jellies, spreads, a potted plant if there is something to look at, or a bouquet. A bouquet is best already in a vase, even a mason jar. The host should be able to take it with one hand and keep greeting the next person.

Do not expect it opened

Do not plan on the host serving the jam or opening the bottle. They might, if it fits the table. They might also set it aside and open it next week. If you and this host trade dinners often, skipping the gift is ordinary. Save one for a special occasion if you want a rhythm, rather than a present every time the door opens.

Another host may not expect a gift

Gentleman’s Gazette weighs the same moment differently. Preston Schlueter writes that unless the occasion is one where a gift is expected, such as a birthday or a wedding, most hosts these days are not going to expect one. Some may see it as one more thing to deal with on the day of the party. The Emily Post line still stands for a sit-down guest who often brings a small gift. Different hosts, different reads.

Casual night: offer help, skip the present

A casual dinner, by contrast, does not need a hosting gift. Guests often offer to bring something toward the meal or the evening. The offer is the polite part. It is not an assignment until the host names one.

A pizza night is the clean case. If you are cooking, the job is the dough, the oven, and a table people can actually use, which is the point of a better build-your-own pizza night. A guest answers the text, shows up on time, and offers a salad or a drink if it would help. A wrapped present is more than that night calls for.

If the host names the item

Kendra Vaculin, writing in Bon Appétit, would rather take a guest up on a ride-along errand than answer “nothing at all.” From your side of the text, you can offer. You do not have to shop. If the host then names bread, ice, sparkling water, or ice cream, bring that. Those are her examples of a useful ask.

Large formal dinners, and parties with a guest of honor

A large formal dinner is a different night from a four-person supper, though. Gifts are not usually taken, especially if you do not know the host well. A tablecloth does not make a dinner large. A host who asked for something still gets that something.

However, a first visit pulls the other way. The Emily Post Institute also recommends a small gift the first time you visit someone’s home. At a large formal dinner, both notes apply, and neither cancels the other.

A big birthday is not an ordinary birthday

If the invitation is a big or special birthday, an anniversary, a graduation, or a shower, bring a gift for the honoree unless you were told otherwise. The gift is for that person, not a second production for the host who cooked. Close friends who usually skip host gifts do not get a pass on the honoree. The occasion changed.

An ordinary adult birthday is a different night. By the Emily Post line, a card is enough, and a gift is not required. If you do not know the guest of honor, bring a card. Gentleman’s Gazette treats a birthday more broadly, as an occasion where a gift is expected. If the host already named a gift, a card, or nothing, follow that.

When you are the guest of honor

The direction reverses when the party is for you. Bring a gift for the host, or send flowers ahead. Afterward, write the thank-you note yourself. A note service does not count. Written thanks are in order when the party was formal or given in your honor. After a casual party, a written note is still welcome.

First visit, a weekend stay, a housewarming

A first visit adds a small gift

The first time you visit someone’s home, a small gift is the safer read, on top of whatever the night already calls for. It does not replace the assigned potluck dish, the gift for a birthday honoree, or the card for an ordinary birthday.

A weekend stay

A weekend stay, meanwhile, is firmer. Bring or send a gift, and put a handwritten note with it, unless the hosts are immediate family. A close friend still gets the gift. Make it sincere and personal, and scale it to the length of the stay and to how much they have planned. A dinner out is a pleasant extra if the chance arises. You do not owe one for the spare room.

If the stay itself is the worry, shoes, towels, and the fridge are covered in how to be a better house guest. The gift and the note live on this page.

A housewarming gift

A housewarming gift is lovely, and it is not required. The host should not set up a registry or post a wish list for one. If you want to bring something, guest towels, a houseplant, glasses, dish towels, a picture frame, olive oil, or preserves all fit. A longer list of housewarming ideas is here if you want more objects to consider.

Potluck: bring the dish the host named

A potluck writes the answer on the invitation. A clear one names the date, the time, the place, the occasion, the hosts, how to answer, and what to bring. Bring that dish, or that kind of dish.

Bon Appétit makes the same point from the host’s side of the text thread. If the party is potluck-like, Vaculin’s easy version is a parameter: a vegetarian side, or a dessert that serves ten. A vague “whatever you feel like” is harder on everyone, including the person holding the casserole.

How much to cook is a different problem, though. For a Friendsgiving-size table, use the potluck planner for who brings what, and how much. Then bring the pan they named. A small jar can ride along. A scented candle cannot stand in for the pan.

The occasion picker

The table is enough if you already know the night. The picker uses the same nine occasions, then asks about a first visit, about friends who often dine together, and about the host’s last text. On a dinner, “nothing is needed” brings up two published views. On a birthday, a stay, or a potluck, the occasion’s own line stays in front.

What to do with the thing in your hands

If you brought flowers, they should already be in a vase. A mason jar counts. The host should not have to stop greeting people to find a vessel. If you brought food or a bottle, do not count on it being opened tonight. The host decides. A host who wants the jam on the cheese board can open the jar. A host who is already plating dinner can leave it closed.

Put your name on the gift

Put your name on it. Raphael and Teresa, in the Gentleman’s Gazette account, once received several bottles and wanted to send notes. None of the bottles were labeled, so the notes had nowhere to go. A sticker or a card with your name is the whole fix.

Then thank the host on the way out, and thank them again the next day. A phone call the day after is a gracious second thanks. Written thanks are in order if the party was formal or given in your honor. After a casual party, a written note is welcome.

So put the jar back in the bag, or hand it over, once you know the night. Name the thing you can pick up. Bring the small token the invitation calls for. Or leave your hands free, when the night is a casual supper, a large formal dinner, or one more dinner with friends who already trade evenings.

Frequently asked questions

Do I have to bring a gift to a dinner party?

No. A dinner guest does not have to bring a hosting gift, and a casual dinner especially does not need one. At a sit-down dinner beyond a casual pizza night, guests often bring a small gift unless they are close friends who dine together often. A large formal dinner usually gets no gift, especially if you do not know the host well.

Should I expect the host to open what I brought?

No, do not expect it. The Emily Post Institute says not to expect the host to serve what you brought, and that the host decides. A host who wants the jam on the table can open it. A host who is already plating can leave it closed. If the dish has to be on the table, it belongs in the potluck, where the host already asked for it.

What if the host said to bring nothing?

On a dinner, two published views. The Emily Post Institute says a dinner guest does not have to bring a hosting gift. Kendra Vaculin, writing in Bon Appétit, says her best move on a “No need to bring anything” text is still to show up with wine. She writes that it will not go to waste, and that you basically guarantee another invitation. If the host named a specific dish or item, bring that. This split is about a dinner text. A birthday, a stay, a housewarming, or a potluck keeps its own line.

What can I bring to a dinner party other than wine?

From the Emily Post host-gift page: cocktail napkins, chocolates, jam, a spread, a small serving piece, or flowers already in a vase. If the host asks you to pick something up, Bon Appétit’s examples are a loaf of bread, ice, sparkling water, ice cream, or a specific grocery item such as cheese or olives. Those asked-for items are contributions to the meal.

Is a housewarming gift required?

No. The Emily Post Institute calls a housewarming gift lovely and not required, and it says the host should not set up a registry or post a wish list. If you bring one, guest towels, a houseplant, glasses, dish towels, a picture frame, olive oil, or preserves are among the examples on that page.

This article is for general information and entertainment, not financial advice.

Researched and written by Richie with the help of modern digital tools. Images: AI-generated.

Sources

All sources below were read in October 2026.

• Emily Post Institute. Should I Bring a Gift for My Host?. The occasion lines, the small-gift examples, and the instruction not to expect the host to serve what you brought.
• Emily Post Institute. Party Etiquette Tips for Hosts and Guests. What an invitation should say, including a potluck, and the second thank-you.
• Bon Appétit. Kendra Vaculin, What Should I Bring to a Dinner Party? (That Isn’t Wine). A host’s view: ask for something specific, and her choice to still bring wine when told not to.
• Gentleman’s Gazette. Preston Schlueter, Party Guest Etiquette: DOs and DON’Ts for Dinners & More. Label the gift, and the view that many hosts no longer expect one.
• Gentleman’s Gazette on YouTube. Party Guest Etiquette: DOs and DON’Ts for Dinners & More. Gift-giving chapter at 12:46.

The post What to Bring to a Dinner Party (and When to Skip It) appeared first on The Rich Miser.

So you’re not invited to the wedding. What happened? Do the bride and groom hate you? Are you not as close to them as you thought you were? What gives?!

Not necessarily. As my wife Lily and I learned when we got married, there are many innocent reasons to leave people out of a wedding guest list. Sometimes it’s not even related to the uninvited person at all. To understand this better, let’s take a look at why you may not have gotten that wedding invitation.

Some of the reasons below are about the couple’s money, space and comfort, and a few are about how a guest comes across at a party. This update adds cost figures from The Knot’s 2026 Real Weddings Study, a self-reported survey of 10,474 US couples married in 2025, plus the guest-list guidance the Emily Post Institute publishes for couples.

11 Reasons You’re Not Invited to the Wedding

1. Money

Probably the most likely reason. The simple reality is that weddings are extremely expensive. In The Knot’s 2026 Real Weddings Study, couples married in 2025 reported spending an average of $34,000 on the wedding, with an average of 117 guests and an average of $292 per guest, up $8 per guest from 2024. Those are self-reported averages from 10,474 couples recruited through The Knot and WeddingWire, not a count of every US wedding.

As I know from experience, every guest costs money. Each person carries a cost in space (the more people, the larger the venue that’s needed), plus food and drink. This means that many couples get to a point where they have to make painful cuts to their wedding guest list, whether they want to or not.

Also, remember that one guest is not always one guest, because partners come too. Anna Post’s 2008 Inside Weddings column, now on the Emily Post Institute’s site, says spouses, fiancé(e)s and live-in partners must be invited along with a guest, while boyfriends and girlfriends who don’t live together don’t need to be, and it applies the same rule to rehearsal dinner guests. If they have kids that have to be invited, it’s even worse. So, it’s not surprising that the bride and groom cull people just because they need to control costs.

2. Space

A ballroom or other venue can only accommodate so many people. If the loving couple have 100 people on their wedding guest list but their venue only fits 90, they’re going to have to cut 10 people, period. If you’re one of those 10 people, you won’t get a wedding invitation, even if they like you and only cut you because they felt they had no choice.

Remember that every couple will have very close friends and family that they’ll have to invite no matter what. So if that’s 70 people in the above scenario, it only leaves room for 20 more. Not the best situation, but probably unavoidable.

If a guest pushes to bring extra people anyway, the same 2008 column says it’s completely acceptable for the couple to explain that the size of the venue, or the spending limit, won’t allow extra people on the list. For how the room gets chosen in the first place, see our guide to finding the best wedding venue for your style and budget.

3. You’re a Friend From Work

If you made friends with the bride or groom at work, maybe they only consider you a friend within that context – work. If so, they might feel that inviting you means mixing work into their big day, and they don’t want that. Or, they have a personality outside of the office that they don’t feel comfortable sharing with you yet.

Office friendships sometimes evolve into “life” friendships, and sometimes they don’t. If yours hasn’t yet, don’t be surprised you didn’t get a wedding invitation.

The Emily Post Institute’s advice on inviting co-workers fits this. When a couple invites some co-workers but not a whole team, floor or department, it says to treat the ones invited as friends, not co-workers, and to keep the pre-wedding office chatter to a minimum. So a colleague who did get an invitation may be on the list as a friend first.

4. They Don’t Want to Invite Other People in Your “Category”

Say you’re a friend from work and they actually really want to invite you. That can bring up the dilemma of feeling like if they invite you, they’re obligated to invite everyone else from the office, lest they feel left out. So, they don’t invite you at all.

The same co-worker page describes the tidy version of this choice: inviting by group, such as a team, floor or department, is the case where others can easily understand the choice without hurt feelings.

This can happen with many “categories” of friends and acquaintances. For example, you might be the groom’s third cousin, and you get along great. The groom wants you to get one of the wedding invitations, but is afraid that then, his other third cousins might feel snubbed. To avoid dealing with the family issues that it can cause, he just decides to keep all third cousins off the wedding guest list.

It’s like “I want to invite cousin Jill, but that means I have to invite uncle Jack, who always gets drunk and becomes obnoxious”. Or “I want to invite Jenny from the office, but I can’t do that without inviting my boss Tim, and I don’t want him to see me drinking and dancing”.

5. Someone Else Doesn’t Like You

Maybe the bride and groom love you and you hang out all the time, but the bride’s dad hates you. Or maybe the groom is your buddy but the bride can’t stand you. If a must-invite person can’t be in the same room as you, there’s a good chance you’re out.

Another variation of this is when you’re someone’s ex. If you’re the bride or groom’s ex, they might not feel comfortable having you there. (Since you remind them of a past relationship). Or if you’re a bridesmaid’s ex, maybe she asked the bride to keep you off the wedding guest list because she doesn’t want to spend half the night in your close proximity (especially if the relationship didn’t end well).

6. You Can’t Hold Your Liquor

If it’s a party-type wedding (my favorite!) and you have a reputation for getting drunk and wild, you might not get one of those coveted wedding invitations. You know, the stereotypical groom-can’t-invite-his-wild-frat-buddies scenario. You might just be too big a risk!

A variation of this could be if you’re one of those people that can hold their liquor, but are always riling up others to drink. Maybe you love to bring cocktails and shots to people that haven’t asked for them. Or, you might be constantly rounding up others to head to the bar for another round. If this describes you, your invitation might get “lost in the mail”.

7. They Don’t Want You to See Their “Party Face”

Sometimes people put on masks just for us. Perhaps you’re the bride’s very proper uncle and you’ve never seen her dance or have a drink. And maybe you have no objection to that, but she would just feel weird letting you see her like that.

A lot of us simply feel uncomfortable “letting our hair down” in front of some people. If you’re one of those people, the happy couple might keep you off the wedding guest list.

8. They Don’t Want You to Feel Pressured to Travel

Perhaps you live far from the wedding location (or it’s a destination wedding). If so, you might not get invited because the bride and groom don’t want you to feel pressured to travel. They might believe that if you’re invited you’ll make a sacrifice and come, and that would make them feel guilty.

9. They Think You’ll Spill Their Secrets

If you’re a bad secret-keeper (or just know a super-confidential secret), you might be left out. It’s possible that the bride and/or groom simply don’t want you in the same room as someone who would have a bad reaction if they learned one of your secrets. In that case, they might just choose to avoid the risk, especially if they think you’ll be tempted to spill the beans.

10. You’re a Known Flirt

I don’t know if it’s just a stereotype, but if you’re known for being a Casanova (or Cleopatra), the bride and groom might not want you working the room. If they think you’ll spend the reception flirting with half the wedding party, they could decide it’s just not worth the trouble. The bridesmaids and groomsmen will be going home alone, while you’ll be staying home for the night.

11. You Talk Too Much About Taboo Topics

You know the ones: the subjects that tend to stir up strong emotions and pit people against each other. If you’re someone who constantly brings these up, you might start getting shunned from social events, including weddings. That is, unless the entire group thinks the same as you and likes to talk about it.

How Couples Decide Who Makes the List

The Emily Post Institute publishes guest-list guidance for couples, and a few of its points explain invitations that look random from the outside. Its pages on who to invite and on co-workers carry no date, and the partner and envelope points come from Anna Post’s 2008 column, so read them as published etiquette advice, not rules every couple follows.

The first point covers the parties before the wedding. The institute’s guide to who to invite says anyone invited to any wedding party, office showers excepted, must also be invited to the wedding, and that engagement party guests are customarily invited too. Apart from the reception, it notes, most of those pre-wedding parties are smaller than the full guest list.

The second point is that the envelope is the whole answer. Anna Post’s column says wedding invitations are not negotiations: the names on the inner envelope are the only guests invited, unless it says “and family” or “and children,” which covers everyone living under the same roof. When guests try to add dates of their own, the column adds that it’s not okay for guests to ask the couple to make exceptions.

For the couple’s side of these decisions, YouTuber Jamie Wolfer’s 2018 video below covers guest-list do’s and don’ts. It is one creator’s advice for couples, separate from the etiquette sources above.

The Couple’s Seat Math

Miguel’s space example is easy to rerun with your own guesses. A venue that seats 90, with 70 must-invite guests and 100 names on the wish list, leaves 20 seats for 30 hopefuls, so 10 people miss out on space alone. As a flat illustration at The Knot’s 2025 survey average of $292 per guest, those 10 seats come to $2,920. The study reports $292 as an average, not as a price for one more seat, so that figure is not what any real seat adds or what cutting 10 people would save.

Hosting something smaller, where everyone who wants to come fits? Our Friendsgiving potluck planner turns a headcount into who brings what, and how much of each dish to make.

Summing It Up: Why You’re Not Invited to the Wedding

If you have a good relationship with the bride and groom, don’t feel snubbed if they didn’t invite you to their wedding. It doesn’t necessarily mean that they secretly dislike you. Finalizing a wedding guest list entails hard choices, and sometimes it’s necessary to cull people for innocent reasons.

Did you ever not get a wedding invitation that you were expecting? If so, do you think it was for an innocent reason?

Frequently asked questions

What does the Emily Post Institute say about inviting only some co-workers?

The institute’s co-worker page says couples may invite co-workers, as long as they’re thoughtful and diplomatic. Inviting a whole group, such as a team, floor or department, is the case it describes as easy for others to understand without hurt feelings. When a couple doesn’t invite by group, the page says to treat the invited co-workers as friends, not co-workers, and to keep the pre-wedding office chatter to a minimum. It also says invitations go to co-workers’ homes, with addresses asked for privately if not everyone is invited, and that a couple close to the boss should invite him or her.

I was invited to the engagement party. Shouldn’t I be invited to the wedding?

Customarily, yes. The Emily Post Institute’s guide says engagement party guests are customarily invited to the wedding. Its general line is firmer: anyone invited to any wedding party, office showers excepted, must also be invited to the wedding. It is published guidance, not a rule every couple follows.

Why wasn’t my boyfriend or girlfriend invited?

Anna Post’s 2008 column for the Emily Post Institute says spouses, fiancé(e)s and live-in partners must be invited along with a guest, but boyfriends and girlfriends who don’t live together don’t need to be. The column applies the same rule to rehearsal dinner guests.

Can I ask to bring a date or my kids?

Anna Post’s column treats the invitation as the answer: the names on the inner envelope are the only guests invited, unless it says “and family” or “and children,” which covers everyone living under the same roof. It also says it’s not okay for guests to ask the couple to make exceptions to add people.

How much does each wedding guest cost?

In The Knot’s 2026 Real Weddings Study, a self-reported survey of 10,474 US couples married in 2025, couples spent an average of $292 per guest, up $8 from 2024, on weddings that averaged $34,000 and 117 guests. That is an average, not the price of one more seat at any particular wedding.

Sources

• The Knot Worldwide: “The Knot Worldwide Unveils 2026 Real Wedding Study” (press release, February 18, 2026). Average cost, guest count and per-guest spending for 2025 weddings, from self-reported responses of 10,474 US couples recruited through The Knot and WeddingWire.
• Emily Post Institute: “Inside Weddings: Handling Your Guests With Grace”. Anna Post’s column from the Summer 2008 issue of Inside Weddings: partners, the inner envelope, and venue size or spending limits.
• Emily Post Institute: “Inviting Co-workers” (undated). Inviting by group, home addresses and the boss.
• Emily Post Institute: “Who to Invite to Your Wedding, Engagement Party, & More” (undated). Pre-wedding parties and engagement party guests.
• Jamie Wolfer on YouTube: “WHO SHOULD YOU INVITE?! Guest List Do’s and Don’ts” (2018). One creator’s guest-list tips for couples, embedded above.
• Images: the featured image and the three images in the article are AI-generated illustrations, not photos of a real wedding.

This article is for general information and entertainment, not financial advice.

Updated October 2026 by Richie with the help of modern digital tools.

The post 11 Super Legit Reasons You’re Not Invited to the Wedding appeared first on The Rich Miser.

France is one of those dream destinations we all want to visit, right? I know I do! More than 100 million international visitors came to France in 2024, generating €71 billion in international revenue, up 12 percent, and Campus France calls 2024 a record year. So these facts about France carry their official sources.

France’s Food Culture Starts With the Table

Restaurants Worth Seeking Out

Comice (Paris)

Comice is a Michelin-starred restaurant in Paris’s 16th arrondissement, owned by Noam Gedalof and Etheliya Hananova, chef and sommelier, husband and wife. Its site posts dinner Tuesday to Saturday, 19:00 to 21:00.

La Nautique (Marseille)

La Nautique sits on the water in the Old Port of Marseille, an institution since 1887 by the operator’s own dating.

Grenier à Pain (Paris)

Grenier à Pain on rue des Abbesses is the bakery whose baker, Djibril Bodian, won the Grand Prix de la Baguette de la Ville de Paris for a second time in 2015, a historical award, not a standing ranking.

Ask Someone Local

The oldest option is still open: ask the staff where you stay where they eat. No rating attached, just a person who walks those streets every day.

Cheese, With the Numbers Checked

France has about 1,200 varieties of cheese, a count the Bpifrance article attributes to CNIEL. Bpifrance reported 26.5 kg per person per year in March 2025. The best-selling trio at retail in 2023 was emmental, camembert and mozzarella. Mozzarella is not French: that trio measures what shoppers buy, not what France makes. Personally, I also love Brie.

When you enjoy a meal out at a sit-down restaurant in France, plan on it being a long and luxurious one. A multi-course dinner can easily last several hours. The posted version: Comice serves dinner 19:00 to 21:00, Tuesday to Saturday.

For the food in motion, Strictly Dumpling’s first-time tour of traditional French food in Paris is worth the watch: its own description lists boeuf bourguignon at Chez Fernand and a soufflé.

The Museum Count Needs a Little Context

Older versions of this list used a precise museum count. The Ministry of Culture’s framing is narrower: a little over 1,200 institutions hold the musée de France designation, a label rather than a count of every room you can walk into.

Musée du Louvre

The standard paid rate is €22 for EEA residents and/or citizens and €32 for visitors who are neither. Free admission includes under-18s, under-26 EEA citizens, and under-26 EEA residents with the official proof; other eligible categories are on the Louvre page. Rates are applicable as of 14 January 2026.

The proof is per category: under-18s, proof of ID; under-26 EEA citizens, a valid photographic ID; under-26 EEA residents, a valid photographic ID plus a residency permit longer than 90 days, with name and photograph.

The Louvre opens 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Monday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday, and to 9:00 p.m. Wednesday and Friday. Closed every Tuesday, 1 January, 1 May and 25 December; last entry is one hour before closing.

A reservation window runs 17 October to 1 November 2026 with published exemptions; check the booking rules for your date and the official page for same-day notices.

Musée d’Orsay

The Musée d’Orsay is open Tuesday to Sunday, 9:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., Thursdays until 9:45 p.m.; closed every Monday, 1 May and 25 December. Last admission is day-scoped: 5:00 p.m. ordinary days, 9:00 p.m. Thursdays.

Admission is €16 booked online and €14 at the museum; the Thursday evening rate is €12 online and €10 on site. Major renovation work is under way: check access conditions before you come.

Free admission has its own list, not the Louvre’s. Its detailed eligibility page lists: visitors under 18, with valid photo ID; EU or EEA nationals aged 18 to 25, with valid photo ID; and non-EU nationals aged 18 to 25 with long-term residence in France or another EU country (a visa of more than three months), with valid photo ID and a student card or proof of residence. Many other eligible categories are listed there.

Palace of Versailles

Versailles runs two seasonal schedules. In high season, 1 April to 1 November, the Palace is open 9:00 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. every day except Monday, last admission 5:45 p.m., ticket office 5:40 p.m. In low season, 2 November to 31 March: 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., last admission 4:45 p.m., ticket office 4:30 p.m. The Palace and the Trianon estate are closed on 25 December, 1 January and 1 May.

The Trianon estate runs 12:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. high season, 12:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. low. The gardens are 7:00 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. high, closing at 5:30 p.m. every Saturday from 6 June to 19 September and on Tuesday 14 July, and 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. low, when some groves close. The park has the same regular high- and low-season opening hours.

Garden access is free except on days of fountain shows and musical gardens, separately ticketed; the park and gardens are free from November to March. Dated 2026 exceptions: on the 1 November weekend the Palace closes at 7:00 p.m. and the Trianon estate and gardens at 6:15 p.m., and during the autumn school break from 17 October to 1 November the gardens close at 6:30 p.m. with evacuation from 6:00 p.m. while the Petit Trianon alone opens at 10:00 a.m. for the Coppola exhibition. Check the same-week hours.

Free-Admission Windows Worth Knowing

The Musée Carnavalet’s permanent collections are free and need no booking. The Louvre is free the first Friday of the month after 6 p.m., except in July and August, and on 14 July. The Maison Victor Hugo charges admission while its “Hugo and Architecture” exhibition runs; check before you go.

The Centre Pompidou’s Paris building closed on 22 September 2025 for renovation works aimed at 2030. Programming continues off-site, including at the Panthéon in Paris, the Musée d’art moderne de Paris and the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Lyon. The Panthéon’s crypt holds Voltaire (1791), Rousseau (1794) and Marie Curie, the first woman entered for her own merits.

Paris Makes More Sense on Foot

Myself, I think walking a city extensively is one of the best ways to take it in and get a feel for its rhythms and “personality”. So, take a stroll!

A City Numbered Like a Snail Shell

Paris has 20 arrondissements, and their numbers run in a clockwise spiral out from the center, often likened to a snail shell.

The Latin Quarter, in Lauren Grech’s Words

Lauren Grech, founder of LLG Events, supplied this recommendation, suggesting that “If you only have one day to explore Paris, be sure to visit the Latin Quarter. Roam the streets for the most authentic cuisine, such as delicious crepe stations. Stop in the many cafes and bookshops for a leisurely afternoon […]”

Two stops she pointed at need a correction, outside her words. The Shakespeare and Company on rue de la Bûcherie opened in 1951 under George Whitman; it is the spiritual successor to Sylvia Beach’s original shop, which ran from 1919 to 1941. And Le Procope dates its history to 1686.

Gardens With Sourced Surprises

The Jardin du Luxembourg is one of Paris’s most popular parks, and the Jardin des Plantes is an excellent spot to visit if you want to take a stroll and learn about fascinating plant life.

The Senate’s own pages count 102 statues along the Luxembourg’s alleys and avenues, describe a rucher-école, a teaching apiary, and date the Fontaine Médicis to around 1630.

Paris With Kids

Fellow traveler Jacqueline de Montravel of Ducks Goose recommended, in her 2017 guide: a treat at a Parisian chocolate shop, street performers at the plazas and open areas, and the view from the top of the Eiffel Tower. Treat them as ideas from a traveler who went, not a current bookable list.

The Eiffel Tower Has More Than One Ticket

The tower sells four ascents. At the current published rates, checked 19 October 2026, an adult pays €23.50 for the lift to the second floor and €36.70 for the lift to the top; stairs routes run €14.80 to the second floor and €28.00 to the top by stairs plus lift. Children under 4 need a free admission ticket. The summit and stairways are not suitable for people with limited mobility. Access to the summit may be restricted during severe weather or peak periods.

Opening times are date-specific on the official calendar; check your visit date. New fares apply for visits from 11 January 2027.

The lights have their own rules: per the tower’s illuminations page, the golden lighting and beacon come on at nightfall, and the sparkles run five minutes at the start of each hour until the monument closes. When the tower closes at 11:45 p.m., the final sparkles are at midnight; during the summer period when it closes at 12:45 a.m., the lighting and beacon run until 1 a.m. The beacon is two beams with a 50-mile range and the sparkles use 20,000 bulbs.

A note on an old recommendation: the Montparnasse Tower’s observation deck closed to the public on 31 March 2026 for a renovation project that will last several years, and no reopening date has been announced. The old guest recommendation came out with the closure.

The Calendar Changes the Trip

Spending your vacation waiting in line at popular attractions is no fun. So, be sure to do your research!

Shoulder Season, Honestly Scoped

Rick Steves puts shoulder season at generally April and October: decent weather, long-enough daylight, fewer crowds and a local tourist industry still ready to please. A good default, not a countrywide verdict: southern France can run near-peak in those months.

Summer Shutdowns, Without the Panic

The same page says in much of Europe, especially Italy and France, cities partially shut down in July and August when local residents take their own breaks. Those closures are about local life, and tourists are basically unaffected: a neighborhood bakery may close for three weeks; the museums and trains do not.

Business hours (and businesspeople, by proxy) in France can be much more laid back than they are in the US. For example, it’s common for businesses to close for a couple of hours around lunchtime.

Christmas Markets, Dated

Markets run on published dates; last year’s dates are the trap. Colmar’s 2026 edition runs from 23 November to 29 December, with dated exceptions around 24 and 25 December on its official page. Amiens runs from 20 November to 30 December, with dated exceptions on its official page.

Trains and the Reservation Fee

A rail pass is not a ticket; this list once mixed them up. On Rick Steves’ France rail-passes page, the figure once quoted as a pass price is actually a seat-reservation fee for pass holders on domestic TGVs: from $11, going up to $27 as seating sells out. It is a domestic figure, not an international one.

A Google Maps Habit Worth Stealing

One of my favorite hacks is to use Google Maps to check how busy a specific place is expected to be at a particular hour and day of the week.

The habit is worth keeping, with real limits. Google’s own help page says the typical-busyness chart is built from historical averages and needs enough opted-in users at that location, and Live visit data shows how active a place is right now. It is a pattern reader, not a booking inventory; it guarantees no queue.

Still assembling the bag for this trip? The desk’s carry-on packing checklist is the companion piece to everything above.

Look Beyond Paris

Barcelonnette's Jazz Summer

Barcelonnette, Provence is a wonderful place to visit if you love French culture, and especially music festivals. Its long-running Les Enfants du Jazz festival returned in 2024 after a gap, and the 2025 edition ran from 31 July to 2 August, per the valley's official tourism site. No future dates are published; check the organizer.

Deux Caps

The Grand Site des Deux Caps earns its place here for the landscape alone: local tourism describes dunes, cliffs and lush green hillsides.

Roussillon's Sand-Pigment Gallery

Roussillon in Provence has a working gallery worth a stop: Galerie Tapiezo, a contemporary-art gallery and atelier whose own site names sand pigment, painting and sculpture. Hours are not stated; check before you go.

Wine Country, by the Numbers

France's wine output is honestly stated as an estimate. Terre de Vins, reporting the Agriculture Ministry's Agreste estimates at 1 October 2026, puts the 2026 harvest at nearly 35 million hectolitres, down 2 percent on the already small 2025 crop and 14 percent below the 2021 to 2025 average, a historically low run per the same coverage; citing the OIV, it notes 2025 as the smallest harvest since 1957. A hectolitre is 100 litres. Never heard of a hectoliter? Trust me, it’s a lot.

While in France, you can enjoy a variety of fun and educational wine tasting events. After all, wine is a world-renowned part of French culture. The 2019 list named one: Rustic Vines, which still runs day trips from Bordeaux into Saint-Émilion, the Médoc and beyond. The old package prices and durations are gone; ask the operator.

Frequently asked questions

Is Centre Pompidou open in 2026?

No. The building closed on 22 September 2025 for a renovation aimed at 2030. The institution's programming continues at off-site venues, including the Panthéon and museums in Paris, Lyon and beyond.

How much does it cost to go up the Eiffel Tower?

Current published rates, checked 19 October 2026: €23.50 to the second floor by lift and €36.70 to the top; stairs routes are cheaper (€14.80 to the second floor; €28.00 to the top by stairs plus lift), and children under 4 need a free ticket. The summit and stairways are not suitable for people with limited mobility, and access to the summit may be restricted during severe weather or peak periods. Opening times are date-specific on the official calendar. Check your visit date. New fares apply for visits from 11 January 2027.

Is the Louvre free?

The standard paid rate is €22 for EEA residents and/or citizens and €32 for visitors who are neither. Rates are applicable as of 14 January 2026. Free admission includes under-18s, under-26 EEA citizens, and under-26 EEA residents with the official proof; other eligible categories are on the Louvre page. Everyone enters free the first Friday of the month after 6 p.m. except July and August, and on 14 July. A reservation window applies 17 October–1 November 2026 with published exemptions; check booking rules for your date.

When is the best time to visit France to avoid crowds?

April and October generally bring decent weather, long-enough daylight and fewer crowds, though southern France can stay near-peak. In July and August some local businesses close for holidays, but tourists are basically unaffected.

What time does the Eiffel Tower sparkle?

Five minutes at the start of every hour from nightfall until closing. When the tower closes at 11:45 p.m., the final sparkles are at midnight; during the summer period when it closes at 12:45 a.m., the lights run until 1 a.m.

Is the Montparnasse Tower open?

No. The observation deck closed to the public on 31 March 2026 for a renovation project that will last several years. No reopening date has been announced.

A Last Word on the Queues

Taking in French culture and the wonderful sights, sounds, tastes, and smells of France is incredible. Standing in line for hours is not.

My only hesitance is the crowding, since one of my biggest pet peeves is to go on a hard-earned vacation only to spend hours in line. So, pay special mind to the time of the year you go, and the sequence in which you visit places.

Facts about France, facts about everywhere: money talks, up to a point.

What money reliably buys is a booked slot, not a shorter line. The Louvre runs a dated reservation window with published exemptions; the Musée d'Orsay asks you to check its renovation access and booking rules for your date.

And that's a wrap! See you in Paris!

What interesting and fun facts about France would you add? Are you a lover of French culture and cuisine?

Sources

• Official venues and government pages
• Eiffel Tower: ticket rates and opening times. Individual rates, the mobility and summit notes, the date-specific calendar, and the 2027 fares.
• Eiffel Tower: illuminations. The sparkle regime, the closing-time conditions, the beacon range and the bulb count.
• Louvre: hours and admission. Rates, the free-admission categories and their proofs, opening hours, closures, the first-Friday and 14 July windows, the rates date and the reservation window.
• Musée d'Orsay: plan your visit. Hours, closures, last-admission times, rates, the Thursday late opening and the renovation notice.
• Musée d'Orsay: free admission. The detailed eligibility categories and the documentation each one requires.
• Palace of Versailles: practical information. The high-season and low-season panels, per-zone hours, closure days, garden access and the dated 2026 exceptions.
• Centre Pompidou: the centre is transforming itself. The 22 September 2025 closure, the works aimed at 2030 and the off-site venues.
• Tour Montparnasse. The observation deck's closure from 31 March 2026 for several years.
• Musée Carnavalet. Free permanent collections, accessible without booking.
• Maison Victor Hugo, Paris. Admission charged while the "Hugo and Architecture" exhibition runs.
• Panthéon: the crypt. Voltaire in 1791, Rousseau in 1794, and Marie Curie as the first woman entered for her own merits.
• Sénat: Jardin du Luxembourg, heritage. The 102 statues and the Fontaine Médicis, built around 1630.
• Sénat: the Luxembourg rucher-école. The teaching apiary and the autumn honey sale at the orangerie.
• Ministère de la Culture: les musées de France. A little over 1,200 institutions holding the designation.
• Campus France: 2024, a record year for international tourism in France. Over 100 million international visitors and €71 billion in international revenue, 2024 as a record year.
• Colmar: La Magie de Noël, practical information. The 2026 dates, standard hours and dated exceptions.
• Marché de Noël d'Amiens. The 2026 dates, free entry, chalet count and the direct-train approximation.
• Press and reference
• Terre de Vins: the 2026 harvest. The Agreste estimate at 1 October 2026 of nearly 35 million hectolitres, and the comparison figures.
• Big Media (Bpifrance): the French cheese sector in five figures. About 1,200 varieties attributed to CNIEL, 26.5 kg per person per year, and the 2023 best-selling retail trio.
• Les Nouvelles de la Boulangerie: the 2015 Grand Prix de la Baguette. Djibril Bodian of Grenier à Pain winning for a second time.
• Cambridge Dictionary: hectolitre. The 100-litre definition.
• Wikipedia: Arrondissements of Paris. The clockwise spiral numbering, often likened to a snail shell.
• Google Business Profile Help: popular times, wait times and visit duration data. How the typical-busyness chart and Live visit data are produced, and their limits.
• Rick Steves: timing your trip. Shoulder season, and the July and August shutdowns.
• Rick Steves: France rail passes. Domestic TGV seat-reservation fees for pass holders, from $11 up to $27.
• Operators, tourism boards and other
• Comice, Paris. Michelin-starred, the owners, and the posted dinner service.
• La Nautique, Marseille. On the water in the Old Port, an institution since 1887.
• Le Procope, Paris. The operator's history, dated to 1686.
• Shakespeare and Company: history. George Whitman's 1951 shop on rue de la Bûcherie, successor to Sylvia Beach's 1919 to 1941 shop.
• LLG Events: about. Lauren Grech's firm, and the attribution for the Latin Quarter recommendation.
• Ducks Goose: the ultimate guide to Paris with kids. Jacqueline de Montravel's 2017 recommendations.
• Ubaye tourism: Enfants du Jazz de Barcelonnette. The festival's record in the valley.
• Grand Site des Deux Caps. The local description of dunes, cliffs and green hillsides.
• Galerie Tapiezo, Roussillon. A contemporary-art gallery and atelier working with sand pigment.
• Rustic Vines. Day trips from Bordeaux into Saint-Émilion, the Médoc and beyond.

This article is for general information and entertainment, not financial advice.

Updated October 2026 by Richie with the help of modern digital tools.

The post Facts About France That Will Make You Want to Travel! appeared first on The Rich Miser.

Thirteen Christmas movies and TV specials, ordered by the youngest age Common Sense Media prints on each review. The youngest on this page is 4+. The highest is 10+, on Home Alone. Set the age to the youngest person who will actually be in the room, and the list keeps only the titles at or under it.

Three are TV specials and ten are features. The ages come from the editorial reviews on Common Sense Media, read in October 2026, not from the parent comments under them and not from the letter on the poster. A 5+ next to a title means that review’s editors put the age there. It does not mean the film is safe for every five-year-old, and it does not mean your household has to agree. Parents on that site often don’t. Home Alone is the obvious case: the editors say 10+, and a set of 89 parent reviews on the same page sits at 9+.

Christmas movies by age, at a glance

Each age below is a ceiling. Pick 6 and you get the nine titles whose Common Sense Media age is 6 or younger. Pick 4 and you get one, the 1966 Grinch special. The count is the whole point of the table. The notes under each title, further down, are the part worth reading before you press play.

Filter by the youngest age

Set the age to the youngest person on the couch. Sorting Christmas movies by age this way keeps a title only when Common Sense Media’s age for it is the same or younger. Within an age, the titles sit in alphabetical order, ignoring a leading “The” or “A”. Nothing here is ranked, and nothing is a recommendation. A title that drops off is not a bad film. It is over the age you set.

What each Christmas movie actually contains

Same 13, same order: youngest Common Sense Media age first, then alphabetical. The notes only help if they say what the age is about, so each one below comes from the review it links. Two of the years are corrected against the studio's own pages, and both corrections are linked.

How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (1966, TV special)

Common Sense Media's age is 4+, the youngest on this page. The review calls the peril extremely mild, and then names the part that is not nothing: the Grinch's dog is treated poorly, slammed into snow drifts and run over by the sleigh. It is a television special, so there is no film letter to print beside it. The review is short, and the dog is the line to read.

Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas (1977, TV special)

Common Sense Media's age is 5+. The review's flag is not a scare. It is the repeated mention of a dead loved one, an eccentric but fondly remembered father, and the review is explicit that, apart from Kermit the Frog in an introductory sequence, the familiar Muppets, Miss Piggy and the rest, do not appear. The year is the other thing worth getting right. The Jim Henson Company's own page calls it a 1977 television special. The 2001 date on the review is a later home-video date, November 6, 2001, not the premiere. The review is the age source.

Miracle on 34th Street (1947, feature)

Common Sense Media's age is 5+, and the review is of the 1947 film. It opened before the Motion Picture Association's rating system, which the Association dates to 1968, so there is no letter to quote. What the review does flag: characters smoke cigars and cigarettes, and in two scenes characters appear drunk. The plot turns on a hearing over whether Kris Kringle is mentally competent, after he insists he really is Santa Claus. The review covers that film, not a later remake.

The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992, feature)

The Motion Picture Association rated it G. Common Sense Media's age is 5+ anyway, and the review says why: the Ghost of Christmas Future is scarier than the others, and in one version of the future Tiny Tim is projected to die. A G and a 5+ are not a contradiction once you read both. The review is the age source. The letter is the Association's.

Prep & Landing (2009, TV special)

Common Sense Media's age is 5+, and the review's own line is that there is very little in the way of iffy stuff. The date needs one correction. D23, Disney's official fan club, lists it as a half-hour ABC special airing December 8, 2009. The 2011 date on the review is a later home-video date, November 22, 2011. The review is the age source.

Arthur Christmas (2011, feature)

The Motion Picture Association rated it PG for some mild rude humor. Common Sense Media's age is 6+. The scene worth knowing about is not the humor. A homeowner comes out of his house and fires a gun at Arthur, Grandsanta, and Bryony, mistaking them for aliens. The review also has the military firing missiles at Grandsanta's sleigh until it bursts into flames. The review names both under violence.

Dr. Seuss' The Grinch (2018, feature)

The Motion Picture Association rated it PG for brief rude humor. Common Sense Media's age is 6+. The review's violence note is pratfalls and physical comedy: characters catapulted through the air, speeding on sleds, and the Grinch throwing things at his alarm clock. This is the animated feature. It is not the 1966 special above, and it is not the 2000 film, which is off this list. The review.

Klaus (2019, feature)

The Motion Picture Association rated it PG for rude humor and mild action. Common Sense Media's age is 6+. The town has been feuding for generations, and the review quotes the insults: "shut up, you idiot" and "go home, loser!" It also lists "brat" and "holy moly." Netflix's own trailer is a short look at that feud before anyone commits to the film. It runs 2 minutes 46 seconds.

Common Sense Media's review of Klaus is the age source. The trailer is only a look at the tone.

The Polar Express (2004, feature)

The Motion Picture Association rated it G. Common Sense Media's age is still 6+, because the review describes continuous close calls: fast rides on the train and in a pneumatic tube, filmed from a child's point of view, plus treacherous climbs. A G means the Association saw nothing it thought would offend parents for viewing by children. It does not mean a quiet film, and this is the title where that difference shows. The review is the source for the 6+.

A Christmas Story (1983, feature)

The Motion Picture Association rated it PG. Common Sense Media's age is 8+, and the review does not soften the language. Adults and kids both swear, and the words it lists include "ass" and "son of a bitch." The plot runs on a boy who wants a Red Ryder BB gun. The review also notes kids bullied daily, mostly yelling and arms twisted behind backs, which is a second reason the age sits where it does. The review has the longer language list.

Elf (2003, feature)

The Motion Picture Association rated it PG for some mild rude humor and language. Common Sense Media's age is 8+. The review names potty language and cursing, and gives "pissed," "hell," and "damn" as examples. The film is the cheerful one on this half of the list, which is exactly why those words are worth knowing about before a younger sibling joins in. The review.

The Santa Clause (1994, feature)

The Motion Picture Association rated it PG. Common Sense Media's age is 8+. The review's warning is plain: the original Santa takes a fatal fall off a roof, and police later arrest his replacement with guns drawn. The review also notes a slightly suggestive joke about whether a grown-up has been "naughty," and divorced parents who bicker in earshot of their child. The review also lists a joke about drug use in the 1960s and a little drinking.

Home Alone (1990, feature)

The Motion Picture Association rated it PG. Common Sense Media's age is 10+, the highest on this page, which is why a pick of 10 or older is the first one that shows all 13. The review describes frequent slapstick violence, especially toward the end, and language that includes "s--t," "crap," and "horse's ass." The traps are the joke of the film, and the review's own one-line summary names both: slapstick violence and language. The review is the one to read if the argument in the room is that a PG should be fine for anyone.

What we left off

One title gets named so a search does not hand you the wrong Grinch. The 2000 live-action film is not the 1966 special and not the 2018 feature. Common Sense Media calls it a scarier, more intense take, notes fires among the cartoonish action, and puts the age at 8+.

Everything else stayed off as a category. Romance is a different night. So are the sequels. Home Alone here is the 1990 film only.

What the letters mean

The letters need a sentence of their own. The Motion Picture Association dates its rating system to 1968. On the Association's own page, G means "nothing that would offend parents for viewing by children," and PG means parents are urged to give parental guidance because a film may contain material they might not like for their young children. That describes a theatrically rated film. It is not the same test as Common Sense Media's age, which is why The Polar Express can be G and 6+ on the same row, and Home Alone can be PG and 10+.

Miracle on 34th Street opened in 1947, before that system, so it has no letter. The three television specials are a different case, and this page does not borrow a film letter for any of them. The TV Parental Guidelines are a separate code, for TV programs. Where a feature's review prints the Association's reason and the reason says something specific, it is quoted above.

Where to look for a copy

The filter settles what stays in the room. It says nothing about where to find them, so search the title and the year in your own apps, or in your library's catalogue. This page does not check which service has which film, and a badge on a review site is not a promise that a title is included with a subscription you already pay for. A library card is a separate question, covered in What Can You Get With a Library Card. Start with the year. "The Grinch" without one will hand you the wrong film.

For a regular Friday with teenagers, the closer cousin is Funny Family Movies: 13 Picks to Watch With Teens. Different night, different argument.

Frequently asked questions

Is a PG always fine for a younger child?

No. On this page, Home Alone is PG and Common Sense Media's age is 10+. Elf and The Santa Clause are PG and 8+. Arthur Christmas is PG and 6+. The letter and the age answer different questions, and the notes above say which part of each film the age is about.

What if the youngest child is under 4?

The lowest age on this list is 4+, for the 1966 Grinch special. The filter shows nothing below that, on purpose.

What if the adults disagree with the age?

Then the adults decide. Common Sense Media's age is one editorial number, and the parent reviews on the same page often land somewhere else. Home Alone is the clearest example here: the editors say 10+, and 89 parent reviews on that page sit at 9+. The filter uses the editorial number so the page stays consistent. It does not settle a household.

Where do the ages come from?

From Common Sense Media's editorial reviews, read in October 2026, one review per title. Not from the parent comments, not from the Motion Picture Association letter, and not from memory. Each note above links the review it came from.

The couch does not get less crowded. The pile does. Set the age, read the note, and leave the rest of the stack on the shelf until the room changes.

Researched and written by Richie with the help of modern digital tools. Images: AI-generated.

Sources

• How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (1966), Common Sense Media. Age 4+.
• Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas, Common Sense Media. Age 5+.
• Miracle on 34th Street (1947), Common Sense Media. Age 5+.
• The Muppet Christmas Carol, Common Sense Media. Age 5+.
• Prep & Landing, Common Sense Media. Age 5+.
• Arthur Christmas, Common Sense Media. Age 6+.
• Dr. Seuss' The Grinch (2018), Common Sense Media. Age 6+.
• Klaus, Common Sense Media. Age 6+.
• The Polar Express, Common Sense Media. Age 6+.
• A Christmas Story, Common Sense Media. Age 8+.
• Elf, Common Sense Media. Age 8+.
• The Santa Clause, Common Sense Media. Age 8+.
• Home Alone, Common Sense Media. Age 10+.
• How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000), Common Sense Media. Named so it is not confused with the other two, and not on the list.
• Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas, The Jim Henson Company. The 1977 date.
• Prep & Landing, D23. The 2009 premiere.
• Film ratings, Motion Picture Association. The 1968 date, and the G and PG definitions.
• TV Parental Guidelines. A separate code, for television.
• Klaus | Official Trailer | Netflix, Netflix on YouTube.

The post Christmas Movies by Youngest Age on the Couch appeared first on The Rich Miser.

Why is Spain always full of tourists? Because it’s awesome! Spain’s national statistics institute, INE, counted 96.8 million international tourists in 2025, the highest total in its records (the figure is provisional). As this list of facts about Spain shows, it’s one of the countries that perhaps most excels at the pure enjoyment of life.

From a town-wide tomato fight to the famous running of the bulls, and from a Roman lighthouse that still guides ships to a restaurant grill warmed by the ground beneath it, there’s something here for every kind of traveler. Every one of these facts about Spain was checked against its source in October 2026, and the dates you can actually plan around are gathered in a month picker near the end. Let’s see what it’s all about, amigos.

History you can still walk through

1. UNESCO’s Spain list has 50 World Heritage sites

UNESCO‘s Spain page lists 50 World Heritage properties. They range from the Alhambra, Generalife and Albayzín in Granada to the Roman walls of Lugo, where, in UNESCO’s words, the entire circuit survives intact. While you’re visiting, try to see at least a few of them and experience the architecture, culture and history of España up close.

2. Altamira is called the Sistine Chapel of prehistoric art

Have you ever wondered what prehistoric art looks like? The Cave of Altamira will answer that question. Islands.com calls it the Sistine Chapel of prehistoric art, and UNESCO inscribed it in 1985, later extending the listing with seventeen more decorated caves of northern Spain. Their art spans roughly 35,000 to 11,000 years before the present. In fact, Altamira was the first cave where anyone identified Palaeolithic cave art.

If you plan to visit, keep in mind that you probably won’t get inside the original cave. The museum admits at most five people a week, 260 a year, and its waiting list is currently closed to new applications. Instead, the museum itself, with its Neocueva and permanent exhibition rooms, is the visit nearly everyone makes.

3. A Roman lighthouse still guides ships in A Coruña

The Tower of Hercules in A Coruña, in northwestern Spain, has stood since the late 1st century AD. It sits on a 57-meter rock and rises a further 55 meters, and UNESCO calls it the only fully preserved Roman lighthouse that is still used for maritime signaling. An inscription at its foot names the builder, Gaius Sevius Lupus, an architect from Aeminium, today’s Coimbra in Portugal, according to Turismo de Galicia.

Plan the timing with care. The tower’s official page offers free entry every Monday when it’s open, warns that the daily capacity can fill before closing time, and says the tower shuts in winds of force 7 or more. That page also currently carries a notice closing the tower from 1 October to 15 November for work on its electrical system.

4. Tarragona has some of Rome’s earliest engineering in Iberia

Tarragona was the Roman city of Tarraco, and UNESCO added its archaeological ensemble to the World Heritage List in 2000. The city’s walls, in UNESCO’s words, are one of the earliest examples of Roman military engineering on the Iberian Peninsula. So if you’re a history buff, don’t miss the Roman amphitheatre, which is part of the listed ensemble, then walk the old city and visit Tarragona Cathedral. It’s like taking a step back in time.

5. The Sagrada Família is still under construction

All renovations take longer than planned, but Barcelona’s basilica is in a league of its own. According to the Sagrada Família, Bishop Urquinaona laid its cornerstone on 19 March 1882, and Antoni Gaudí took over the project in 1883, working on it until his death in 1926.

The finish line is finally in sight. On 20 February 2026, the upper arm of the cross was put in place on the Tower of Jesus Christ, completing the outside of the basilica’s tallest tower, which stands 172.5 meters high. After that, work will continue inside the tower in 2027 and 2028.

Festivals worth planning a trip around

6. La Tomatina is a tomato fight with tickets

Fancy throwing tomatoes at your frenemies, or even at total strangers? Then La Tomatina, in the Valencian town of Buñol, is just the place for you.

It’s held on the last Wednesday of August. The 2026 edition, the 79th, took place on Wednesday 26 August, and RTVE reported an estimated 22,000 participants, the permitted capacity, and more than 150,000 kilos of tomatoes. You also need a ticket to get into the streets where the fight happens, so plan your visit accordingly: the organizers list 25 August 2027 as the next date.

Business Insider posted this 92-second clip in 2017, so it comes from an earlier edition, and the tonnage in its title is the channel’s figure, not the 2026 count. Even so, it captures the scale of the fight better than any number can:

7. The Running of the Bulls happens every July in Pamplona

One of my best friends ran with the bulls. Fortunately, he lived. Well done, J.

The running of the bulls, the encierro, is part of Pamplona’s San Fermín festival, which starts at noon on 6 July with a rocket launched from the Town Hall balcony, according to the city’s San Fermín page. The city council sets the runs at 8:00 a.m. every day from 7 to 14 July, over 848.6 meters from the Santo Domingo corrals to the bullring. As for this once-in-a-lifetime thrill, it’s one I don’t plan on doing, LOL.

8. Valencia sets its Fallas on fire every March

Visit Valencia traces Las Fallas back to bonfires of old furniture lit to celebrate the arrival of spring, around St. Joseph’s Day, the feast of the patron saint of carpenters. UNESCO added the festival to its intangible heritage list in 2016.

The mascletà, a few intense minutes of daytime firework explosions, goes off at 14:00 every day from 1 to 19 March in the City Hall Square, and the big days run from 15 to 19 March. On 17 and 18 March, the flower offering brings flowers to a giant image of Valencia’s patron saint, the Virgen de los Desamparados. Then, on the night of 19 March, the giant fallas monuments burn in the cremà, staggered between 20:00 and 23:00. Each year, a popular vote pardons one ninot, one of the figures from the monuments, along with a children’s ninot, and the Fallas Museum keeps them. If you can, time your visit for the parade; it’s a sight to behold.

9. Catalonia builds towers out of people

Castells are human towers that members of amateur groups build, and UNESCO recognized them as intangible heritage in 2010. Tarragona hosts the big competition, the Concurs de Castells, which according to its organizers takes place every two years and is traditionally held on the first weekend of October in even-numbered years, after an opening day in Torredembarra on the last Sunday of September.

The 2026 programme listed Torredembarra on Sunday 27 September and the TAP (Tarraco Arena) on Saturday 3 and Sunday 4 October.

10. Jerez has a horse fair and dancing horses

Here’s one for horse lovers. Jerez de la Frontera holds the Feria del Caballo, its horse fair, in spring; the city council set the 2026 edition for Saturday 9 to Saturday 16 May. The city is also home to the Royal Andalusian School of Equestrian Art, whose show goes by the name How the Andalusian Horses Dance.

It’s still a relatively unknown tourist attraction, but fair week is a busy season for the town, so make all your bookings in advance.

Food and drink with a story

Spain could fill a whole list with food alone. If cured ham is on yours, our guide to the types of Spanish ham sorts out the labels before you order.

11. Madrid has the world’s oldest restaurant

France isn’t the only country with amazing food.

Guinness World Records lists Restaurante Botín, on Calle de Cuchilleros in Madrid, as the oldest restaurant in the world. A French cook named Jean Botín opened it in 1725, and it keeps its original 18th-century interiors as well as its original firewood oven. So if you’re visiting, don’t forget to reserve your table.

12. A Lanzarote restaurant grills with heat from the ground

El Diablo sits on the Islote de Hilario, in the Montañas del Fuego, the Fire Mountains of Lanzarote. According to El Confidencial, the kitchen cooks its meat and vegetables on a grill set over a well, using geothermal heat from beneath the ground rather than an ordinary fire, and César Manrique designed the place in 1970. It’s quite the hot tourist attraction!

The landscape around it explains the trick. Spain’s national parks service opens its Timanfaya page with a period account of a furious volcano that burst on Friday 1 September 1730.

13. Spain has the largest vineyard area in the world

If you’re in Spain, there’s no reason for you to whine (sorry).

The International Organisation of Vine and Wine’s report on 2025 calls Spain the largest vineyard in the world. Its preliminary figure for Spain is 919,000 hectares, down 1.3% on 2024, and that area counts vines planted for all purposes, from wine grapes to table grapes and grapes for drying. Of course, if you’re a wine enthusiast, don’t forget to visit La Rioja, a region famous for its wine estates.

14. Few countries in Europe have more bars per person

Most countries have a nightlife scene, but Spaniards take theirs very seriously.

A public-health study from Ireland, reported by Cadena SER in August 2024, ranked Spain second in Europe for bars per inhabitant, behind Slovakia. A year later, Cadena SER cited the Spanish hospitality yearbook for 2024, which counted 163,491 bars in the country.

As a traveler, that’s something to look forward to if you love long nights out.

Beaches, gorges and wild places

15. Spain leads the world in Blue Flag beaches

Spain is famous for its Mediterranean weather and relaxed attitude, and its beaches back that up. In 2026, according to ADEAC, Spain had 677 Blue Flag beaches, the most of any country and 15% of all the Blue Flag beaches in the world. However, the international jury granted this year’s awards for a two-year transition period, so they remain conditional on continued compliance with the criteria and on annual monitoring and checks.

For scale, the national beach map on datos.gob.es holds information on 3,551 beaches.

16. A once-notorious cliff path is now a restored walkway

While most people think of Spain as laid-back, there’s plenty of adventure here too. According to spain.info, the Caminito del Rey came to be regarded as one of the most dangerous paths in the world before a full restoration, with its walkways about 100 meters above the gorge. The route runs one way, from Ardales in the north to Álora in the south, and takes about 3 to 4 hours: spain.info puts it at 7.7 km, and the official site at 8 km.

If you do decide to take on this hike, buy your tickets on the official site, caminitodelrey.info. Its rules are strict: the walkway is open Tuesday to Sunday, closed on Mondays and on 24, 25 and 31 December and 1 January, and the walkway does not admit children under 8.

17. You can zip line from Spain into Portugal

Have you ever ziplined from one country to another? In Spain, you can. LimiteZero, which its operator bills as the world’s first cross-border zip line, carries riders 720 meters across the Guadiana River, from Sanlúcar de Guadiana in Spain to Alcoutim in Portugal, at 70 to 80 km/h.

Interestingly, riders gain an hour on the way, because the local clock in Portugal runs one hour behind Spain’s. Tickets run on Spanish time, and a ferry back to Spain leaves every half hour; the ferry’s cost is not included in the zip-line ticket.

18. Doñana is one of Europe’s largest wetlands

I’m talking about Doñana, in Andalusia. It got its first protected area in 1964, became a national park in 1969, and today it covers 54,252 hectares. UNESCO calls it one of the largest surviving wetlands in Europe and an essential refuge for endangered species, including the Iberian lynx, with around 360 nesting and migratory bird species.

Art and everyday life

19. Spain gave the world Velázquez, Goya, Picasso, Miró and Dalí

Many Spanish artists have made their mark on the world, and you can trace several of them around the country. The Prado notes that Velázquez was born in Seville and Goya in Fuendetodos. Picasso’s story starts in Málaga in 1881, and the Museo Casa Natal Picasso is devoted to him there.

Joan Miró‘s story starts in Barcelona in 1893. Finally, in Figueres, the Dalí Theatre-Museum, inaugurated in 1974, holds the world’s most extensive collection of Dalí’s work.

20. The siesta is named after the sixth hour

Spaniards take their work-life balance seriously, and even the word for the midday rest has a story. The Real Academia Española traces siesta to the Latin sexta [hora], the sixth hour, which was the time equivalent to midday.

As a matter of fact, when I was in college, I did an internship at a business in Madrid, and I remember how odd the schedule seemed to me. It was something like 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM, and then 4:00 PM to 8:00 PM. They started late and ended late, with a big break in the middle.

When to visit Spain

Here’s some of what Rick Steves has to say about the best time to visit Spain:

Spring and fall offer the best combination of good weather, light crowds, long days, and plenty of tourist and cultural activities. July and August are the most humid, crowded, and expensive in the coastal areas, and less crowded but uncomfortably hot and dusty in the interior.

Rick Steves, Best Time to Go to Spain

He also notes that the off-season, roughly November through March, brings shorter opening hours, more lunchtime breaks and fewer activities in small towns, with carnival season as the big exception in the weeks before Lent. Whatever the month, packing light makes moving between cities easier, and our carry-on packing checklist builds a seven-day list you can print.

Summing up these facts about Spain

Wow, what a country! Spain is one of those places that draws you in and makes you want to keep coming back, whether it’s the culture, the nightlife or the history that hooks you. So if you’re collecting countries, our facts about France and fun facts about Italy are next, and if the Spanish coast is calling, start with our Alacant travel guide or our travel guide to Girona.

Nos vemos en Madrid!

What do you think about Spain and Spanish culture? Are you itching to go?

Frequently asked questions

How many UNESCO World Heritage sites does Spain have?

UNESCO’s Spain page lists 50 World Heritage properties, from the Alhambra in Granada to the Roman walls of Lugo and the Tower of Hercules in A Coruña.

When is La Tomatina?

La Tomatina is held in the Valencian town of Buñol on the last Wednesday of August. The 2026 edition took place on 26 August, and the organizers list 25 August 2027 as the next date.

Can you go inside the Altamira cave?

Very few people can. The original cave admits at most five visitors a week, 260 a year, from a waiting list that the museum says is closed to new applications. Everyone else can visit the museum, whose sections include the Neocueva and the permanent exhibition rooms.

Is the Sagrada Família finished?

Not yet. The cornerstone was laid in 1882. On 20 February 2026, the upper arm of the cross was put in place on the Tower of Jesus Christ, completing the outside of the basilica’s tallest tower, 172.5 meters high. Work will continue inside that tower in 2027 and 2028.

How does the zip line from Spain to Portugal work?

LimiteZero sends riders 720 meters across the Guadiana River, from Sanlúcar de Guadiana in Spain to Alcoutim in Portugal. Tickets run on Spanish time, an hour ahead of Portugal, and the ferry back to Spain, which leaves every half hour, is not included in the ticket.

Sources

Heritage and history

• UNESCO World Heritage Centre: Spain
• UNESCO World Heritage Centre: Roman Walls of Lugo
• UNESCO World Heritage Centre: Cave of Altamira and Paleolithic Cave Art of Northern Spain
• UNESCO World Heritage Centre: Tower of Hercules
• UNESCO World Heritage Centre: Archaeological Ensemble of Tarraco
• Museo Nacional y Centro de Investigación de Altamira: Visita a la cueva
• Museo Nacional y Centro de Investigación de Altamira: Home page
• Islands.com: The Sistine Chapel of Prehistoric Art
• Turismo de Galicia: History of the Tower of Hercules
• Torre de Hércules, A Coruña: Prices and opening times
• Sagrada Família: History of the Temple
• Sagrada Família: A cross that reaches the sky of Barcelona
• Sagrada Família: Sagrada Família 2026

Festivals

• UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage: Valencia Fallas festivity
• UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage: Human towers
• spain.info: La Tomatina
• RTVE: Tomatina 2026 (26 August 2026)
• La Tomatina de Buñol: Tickets
• Ayuntamiento de Pamplona: San Fermín festival
• Ayuntamiento de Pamplona: The Chupinazo and the Pobre de Mí
• Ayuntamiento de Pamplona: The Encierro
• Visit Valencia: Questions about the Fallas
• Concurs de Castells: Preguntas frecuentes
• Concurs de Castells: Home page and 2026 programme
• Ayuntamiento de Jerez: La Feria del Caballo de 2026
• Real Escuela Andaluza del Arte Ecuestre: Home page

Food, drink and travel figures

• INE: Frontur, December 2025 and year 2025 (provisional data)
• ADEAC: Bandera Azul 2026 press release (5 May 2026)
• OIV: State of the World Wine Sector in 2025 (May 2026)
• datos.gob.es: Great Map of the Beaches of Spain
• Guinness World Records: Oldest restaurant
• El Confidencial: El Diablo, Lanzarote (21 August 2026)
• Ministerio para la Transición Ecológica: Parque Nacional de Timanfaya
• Cadena SER: Bars per inhabitant in Europe (20 August 2024)
• Cadena SER: Bars per inhabitant in Spain (26 August 2025)

The outdoors, art and everyday life

• UNESCO World Heritage Centre: Doñana National Park
• spain.info: Caminito del Rey
• Caminito del Rey: Access and route
• Caminito del Rey: Normas de obligado cumplimiento
• LimiteZero: Home page and FAQ
• Museo del Prado: Velázquez
• Museo del Prado: Goya
• Museo Casa Natal Picasso: Home page
• Fundació Joan Miró: Joan Miró
• Fundació Gala-Salvador Dalí: Dalí Theatre-Museum
• Real Academia Española: siesta
• Rick Steves: Best Time to Go to Spain

Updated October 2026 by Richie with the help of modern digital tools.

The post 20 Facts About Spain That Will Make You Want to Visit! appeared first on The Rich Miser.

Nothing below was retested; no listing, price or stock was reverified. Her words and the prices shown with them date from 2022 or earlier and are not current offers. For Wish competitor AliExpress, see our sister guide here (new tab).

Lily’s Wish shopping story

This section is Lily’s own account. Her prices, coupons and delivery times are dated observations, not current offers.

Her mom told her about the Wish shopping app. Like the self-described know-it-all daughter she was, she dismissed it as a scam : her mom had not bought anything yet.

Months later, shopping for modern hanging wall vases for her bathroom, she found a set of 4 on Amazon for $29.99 and noticed some products there were sold by sellers in China, not Amazon itself. She searched the Wish Shopping App: account creation was “a little annoying” but fast; her query “cylinder wall vases” turned up the same product for approximately $1 to $2 per vase. In her words: whaaatt?!?

Her browsing tips from her earlier account: modify the search or keep scrolling until something similar turns up; open a listing’s second tab, labeled “related”; compare sellers, since the same item is sometimes cheaper from a different one. They describe the interface as she knew it, not today’s.

Her experience shopping on Wish: she studied the description (this is key when shopping on Wish, she wrote: how many items to expect, size, color), read reviews of the product, and looked at pictures posted by buyers, not the seller. “I decided to pull the trigger and ordered 9 vases for a total of $17.10. I also received a coupon since it was my first order.”

“The vases arrived 30 days later, not a problem since I was not in a rush. The vases now hang in my bathroom and I can say I am very pleased with the buy.”

Lesson learned: Depending on the thing I’m searching for, I now do a search on Wish among my online research alternatives.

Her general shipping note, separate from the 30-day vase arrival: US purchases, at least to Miami, usually took around 30-60 days, by what she called the “slowest possible mail from China”; take note when ordering, she advised.

Her dated verdict on the app: “Is the Wish App Legit? Based on my experience, indeed it is. No, really, it is! If quick shipping time and product quality are not a must for you, then you may be able to take advantage of getting stuff for a ridiculously cheap price, as I’m about to show you.”

An earlier observation of hers: “They even have a YouTube channel.”

Lily’s earlier finds, grouped by use

The inventory below is Lily’s historical list: her first wave of picks (her own lead-in said 15; the section carried 16) plus 20 more from a later update. The saved post does not establish when entries were added, so none carries its own date. The picks are hers and dated; the listing-check checklist’s skip-list categories (plug-in electronics, safety-critical gear, famous-brand items) apply to anything here bought today.

Home decor and kitchen

Her largest category, home of her documented $17.10 vase order.

Vases.

Wall decals.

Artificial flowers.

Mason jar stickers.

Pantry organizers.

Wall hooks.

Ceramic planter pots.

Garbage Holder. This garbage holder could be kept near your kitchen cutting board when chopping veggies or fruits. That way, you can easily dispose of the peel and whatever else you discard, helping you save time and avoid a mess.

Sponge Holder.

Microfiber Mop Head. This mop head can also go over an old Swiffer Mop! It’s functional, and also cheaper than the regular Swiffer wipes! So, give it a try.

Pocket Over the Door Shoe Organizer. This is also useful for organizing oversized fashion jewelry (especially necklaces) so you can find them easily the next time you’re trying to put together an outfit and need that last-minute accessory to complete your look.

Toothbrush Holder. I like to keep an extra toothbrush in the shower to shorten my morning routine and brush my teeth in there. This friendly flamingo will keep your toothbrush in place, and make you smile too.

Cupboard Hanging Hook.

Kitchen Folding Racks.

Linen Storage Baskets.

Her wall picks in this group were vases, decals and hooks. The video below is a general tutorial on arranging and hanging gallery-wall frames; it is not a Wish video, not part of her account, and its frame-hanging techniques say nothing about mounting water-filled vases.

Lights and parties

Party and lighting picks. Anything that plugs into a wall is a skip-list category.

Photo clip lights strings.

Party decorations. You’ll probably use these one or twice, and shouldn’t overpay. That’s why they’re some of the best things to buy on Wish.

Cake decorations. Again, something you’ll use very little. Since they’re so cheap, they can be some of the best items on Wish.

Patio lights.

LED Party Decoration Curtain. An LED curtain helps fill up the space behind a cake table. Therefore it saves you money on decorations which -let’s be honest- most of the time we end up throwing out anyway.

LED Toilet Night Light. One of the best items on Wish, and one of those things you never knew you needed (until you got it).

It’s for those midnight trips to the bathroom, so you don’t trip or miss your target! I’ll admit that before I knew about Wish, I ordered this item from Amazon and gave it to my dad as a gift. I felt like a fool when I found out how cheap it is on Wish.

Tech and gadgets

Small tech picks; no current charging or electronics suitability claim, and plug-in electronics are a skip-list category.

Cellphone stands. These are some of the best items on Wish. After all, they’re just plastic stands, so why pay a premium? You can even get wireless charging stands (if your phone supports wireless charging).

Cell phone cables.

Wireless Phone Charger. You might need a bunch of these. So, get them cheap.

Portable Mini Fan with Mist Spray Bottle. I know someone who recently got together with other parents and bought a hundred of these mini fans; she sold them at her kid’s school for $5 to get funds for the class graduation trip. They made some good dough!

Fashion and special occasions

Clothes and occasion wear; no current fit or quality verdicts, and a famous brand at a tiny price is a skip-list category.

Fashion jewelry.

Suitcase Cover. This is an awesome alternative to protect your beloved suitcase, conceal an ugly one, or just help you spot yours better among a crowd of suitcases that all look the same.

Special Occasion Gowns or Costumes. If you need a dress but it doesn’t have to be of super high quality and you anticipate wearing it only once or twice, you should consider this option. Always read the reviews and pictures posted by others. And, if it doesn’t work, you can always use it as a costume for your next Halloween party!

Bridesmaids Dresses. I have more than one friend that has ordered bridesmaid dresses or Sweet Sixteen (or Quinces) gowns and has been very pleased. It was actually one of our readers who reminded us of this awesome item. (Thank you!) Just remember: always look at all the reviews and have a back-up plan just in case.

Pregnancy Shooting Outfit. You could easily find these dresses and similar ones on Amazon if you need it right away and are willing to pay a bit more. However, if you have time to wait for the dress to arrive, then you should get it from Wish and save some cash!

Car and tools

Vehicle picks. Her enthusiasm, including “lifesaver -literally-“, is hers and dated; not restated as current emergency or road-use guidance, and safety-critical gear is a skip-list category.

Reflective Tape. Everyone should keep this in the trunk of their car. It can be a lifesaver -literally- if you ever have a flat tire and need to pull over in the middle of the night. Putting reflective tape on the back of your vehicle or at a noticeable place is a great way to alert other drivers of your location and make the scene safer.

Beam LED Light Bar. Useful for camping trips, for people in the tow and recovery business, and for anyone planning an adventure in off-road vehicles. At this price, it even makes sense to keep one of these LED bars handy in the trunk of your car if you live in an area prone to really bad weather conditions; that way, you’re not caught off guard on the road.

Car Repair Pump.

Universal Car Phone GPS Holder. Everyone that has forgotten to pack this for a trip knows the pain of having to pay for it at full price at about $15…ouch! Better to get a few on Wish at this ridiculous price and keep them handy or pre-packed in your suitcase.

Personal care

Two dated personal reports only; no current suitability, protection, or certification claim. The skip list in the checklist section governs anything bought today.

Surgical Masks. This may be a necessary item. If you can afford to wait a month or more (in exchange for paying less), you can buy masks on Wish. I have done so plenty of times, and they’ve always been perfectly fine.

Scalp massager. This one’s special to me, a personal favorite. I use it every day, especially if I’m on hold at a customer service line or when I have to listen to someone on the phone give me a long-winded, irrelevant story. Keep it stashed in your desk, close the door and reach for it when needed. You’ll be more patient and a better person to the one on the other end of the line.

What has changed on Wish

On April 19, 2024, ContextLogic announced that it had completed the sale of substantially all of its operating assets and liabilities, principally comprising the Wish ecommerce platform, to Qoo10, per the company’s completion release.

When wish.com was checked on October 17, 2026, the storefront was showing product listings with displayed prices. That covers listings only, not ordering, delivery, offers, or any specific market; Lily’s pictured listings and prices were not reverified.

Listing prices are not an order total

Every price screenshot in Lily’s account is a dated example, not a live offer. The displayed price is not the final order total: shipping, selected options like color and size, and applicable charges all matter.

For US orders: under two interim final rules published by US Customs and Border Protection on June 24, 2026, the duty-free de minimis exemption for imports valued at $800 or less is indefinitely suspended, both for merchandise arriving outside the international postal network (91 FR 37789) and for mail shipments (91 FR 37801). Such shipments must use formal or informal entry procedures and may be subject to applicable duties, taxes, and fees.

The reading task: compare the displayed price plus any listed shipping and tax, and read the current return terms.

Wish, AliExpress and Shein in Lily’s account

Lily compared Wish with two rival marketplaces. Her observations are hers and dated; nothing here is a current shipping, cashback, warehouse, catalog, or offer claim.

In my experience, Wish and AliExpress are very similar. The coupon system on Wish is easier to use and understand, but I slightly prefer AliExpress mainly because most item prices tend to include shipping costs, which is not always the case with Wish.

Also, AliExpress partners with awesome cashback services like Rakuten (formerly Ebates) and Swagbucks, for even more savings on top of their already dirt-cheap prices.

In any case, both are very similar and very cheap. I encourage you to try both. Many of the things on this list are also available on AliExpress. You can also check out my post on AliExpress here.

So Shein is mostly fashion stuff, at least as of the time of this writing. Wish sells not just clothes and accessories, but lots of other stuff, too.

Shein does have some US warehouses, so shipping to the US can be quite fast.

A listing-check checklist

This section is a reading utility, not a verdict: it turns the sourced advice here into six reading tasks for any listing. The tasks score no item or seller; the skip list in the next paragraph is a different matter, and it does name categories to buy elsewhere.

First, the skip list: plug-in electronics, safety-critical gear, and famous-brand items are the categories to buy elsewhere, not on a bargain marketplace. A 2019 Electrical Safety First article reported that 98% of the fake Apple chargers it tested could cause a fire or a lethal electric shock; that finding covers counterfeit chargers, not everything sold online. No tick below changes that.

The six tasks sit in the fold below; they work without JavaScript, and ticks reset when you reload the page.

A last word from Lily

Her closing, hers and dated. The skip list governs anything medical or safety-related; her quality-doesn’t-matter reasoning never applies there.

If you don’t need the thing right away, and the quality of the product is not essential, give the Wish shopping app (and AliExpress) a try and get some seriously cheap stuff.

That’s my take!

Have you bought anything on Wish? What do you think are some of the best things to buy on Wish?

Wish questions, answered

Does Wish still list products?

When checked in October 2026, wish.com was showing product listings with displayed prices. This article does not verify ordering, delivery, or any specific market.

What did Lily actually order on Wish?

In her earlier account, Lily reported ordering nine wall vases for $17.10 in total and receiving a first-order coupon. They arrived 30 days later, and she said she hung them in her bathroom. These are historical details, not a current offer.

How long did her Wish order take?

Her vase order arrived in 30 days. Her earlier account says US orders generally took around 30 to 60 days. Those are dated observations, not current delivery promises.

Are the pictured items and prices current?

No specific listing, price, or stock from her list was reverified. Pictured prices are historical examples from her account.

Are all of Lily’s earlier examples recommendations today?

No. Her account is a dated, historical list. Nothing here was retested, and examples involving safety, vehicles, or plug-in electrical items are not endorsed here.

Sources

All sources below were read in October 2026.

• GlobeNewswire: ContextLogic Completes Sale of Substantially All Operating Assets and Liabilities Associated with Wish to Qoo10 (April 19, 2024)
• Federal Register: Indefinite Suspension of the De Minimis Exemption for Merchandise Arriving Through All Modes Other Than the International Postal Network, 91 FR 37789 (published and effective June 24, 2026)
• Federal Register: Indefinite Suspension of the De Minimis Exemption for Mail Shipments and New Postal Informal Entry Process, 91 FR 37801 (published June 24, 2026)
• Wish: wish.com storefront, checked October 17, 2026 (product listings with displayed prices)
• Electrical Safety First: The Dangers of Online Marketplaces (2019 article)
• Video: Room Crush | Home & Decor on YouTube, How to Create a GALLERY WALL | 3 Tips You Need to Know BEFORE Hanging A Gallery Wall! (published February 2023)
• Images: the body screenshots and photos are from Lily’s account. Listing screenshots are dated examples, not current offers.

This article is for general information and entertainment, not financial advice.

Updated October 2026 by Richie with the help of modern digital tools.

The post Best Things to Buy on Wish? Lily’s Picks appeared first on The Rich Miser.

But what should you buy? Well, that’s what I’m here for. Below is my list of the best things to buy on AliExpress, with my 2020 price notes.

Here is what matters at checkout now: what US import charges mean, how AliExpress Buyer Protection works, a few things better bought elsewhere, and the current cashback picture. Miguel’s picks, prices and opinions are his own, and the prices are what he paid, not current rates.

What AliExpress is, and how ordering works

Similar to Wish, AliExpress is an online marketplace with a huge catalog of mostly small items. They sell for incredibly cheap prices and are shipped to you mostly from sellers in China.

Here is how Wikipedia describes it:

AliExpress is an online retail service based in China and owned by the Alibaba Group. Launched in 2010, it is made up of small businesses in China and other locations, such as Singapore, that offer products to international online buyers…It facilitates small businesses to sell to customers all over the world. AliExpress has drawn comparison to eBay, as sellers are independent and use the platform to offer products to buyers.

Items are usually off-brand, and back in 2020 they took about a month to arrive in the US.

How does it work? It’s similar to eBay. You download the app or go to the website, order your stuff, and wait for it to arrive. There are all sorts of coupons, though sometimes I find them confusing to use. Anyways, it’s still so cheap that it’s absurd.

For a current walk-through, this video from the same channel I embedded here back in 2020 shows how ordering in the AliExpress app works today:

Is AliExpress legit?

Is it a scam? No, at least not in my experience. I’ve ordered items on AliExpress and always received them.

The site takes the major US cards: its help center lists Visa, Mastercard, Amex, Discover and others, plus PayPal.

The stronger answer is the protection that comes with an order. Under AliExpress Buyer Protection, you can request a refund if your item does not arrive, or is lost in transit, within the guaranteed delivery window shown on the order page, or if it arrives damaged, short, or not matching its description or photos, reported within 15 days of receiving it. The route is My orders, then the order detail page, then Return/refund, after contacting the seller. AliExpress also offers a free return service within 15 days of delivery; with a change-of-mind return, you pay the return shipping.

What it costs now

Miguel’s receipts

Ha! Like I said, it’s ridiculous. Here is some stuff I bought back in 2020 (prices all-in, including shipping):

• Two Qi wireless cellphone chargers ($7.99 and $4.64).
• One USB-C cable for my phone ($2.62).

Back in 2020, the things I bought were ridiculously cheap, usually less than half of what I would have paid in the US, and they worked as well as any other. That is why I think chargers and cables are some of the best things to buy on AliExpress.

Import charges on US orders

One thing has changed since Miguel wrote this. Effective August 29, 2025, the United States ended duty-free de minimis treatment for shipments from all countries: according to US Customs and Border Protection, imported goods valued at or below $800 are no longer eligible for that exemption and are subject to all applicable duties, taxes, and fees. A CBP interim final rule that took effect on June 24, 2026 made the suspension indefinite for goods arriving by any mode other than the international postal network, and a companion rulemaking suspended it for postal shipments too.

This section covers US orders. The practical move is simple: compare the final checkout total, not the listing price, before you tap Place Order.

Cashback on top

Don’t just buy on AliExpress. Buy with cashback apps and extensions like Rakuten (formerly Ebates) and Swagbucks for even more hassle-free savings.

When we checked in October 2026, Rakuten’s AliExpress page was offering 8% cash back (it showed 2% before), excluding bulk, wholesale and reseller orders, gift cards, and purchases made with gift cards. Swagbucks was offering up to 3% back, at 3 SB per dollar and 2 SB per dollar on consumer electronics, with cash back pending for 90 days. Swagbucks does not credit orders that use promo codes not found on Swagbucks, and paying through a third-party payment service, including PayPal, may negate earning SB. Rates and terms like these change often, so read the portal’s terms before you shop.

The 15 best things to buy on AliExpress

Miguel’s picks, in his original order. The price notes are what he paid or saw in 2020: treat them as reference points, not today’s prices.

Wireless Cellphone Chargers

I’ve bought two Qi wireless chargers on AliExpress, and they work perfectly. Here is one of them:

As you can see, it works well:

I paid $4.64 for this one.

Cellphone Cables

Don’t overpay for cables. I keep a high-end cable in my travel briefcase, but my extra home cables are from AliExpress. I paid $2.62 for a one-meter USB-C cable. And if that briefcase is headed to the airport, our carry-on packing checklist covers the phone, charger and power-bank rules for flying.

Pill Organizers

Do you take medication every day? Then you probably need a pill organizer to make sure you actually took your pills and, on the other hand, don’t take them twice. That is why a pill organizer is one of the best things to buy on AliExpress, and in 2020 it could be yours for less than a dollar.

Party Decorations

Like everything else, party decorations are insanely cheap on this store: just a few bucks in 2020. Order them well ahead of the date. And if you would rather let the food be the decoration, our pizza party guide builds the whole night around that idea.

USB Flash Drives

OK, don’t use an AliExpress USB drive for something really important. But if you just need to casually transfer a file between computers, go ahead. In 2020 you could get a 32 GB drive for less than $5. (There is more on drives in the skip list below.)

Night Lights

Don’t overpay for a simple night light. In 2020, you could get one for less than $2 on AliExpress.

Vases

I think vases are one of the best things to buy on AliExpress because they’re one of those things that you set down and then rarely touch again. So it’s not like they’re going to get a lot of wear and tear. In 2020, you could find them for $2 to $5 or so.

Cellphone Holders or Stands

A simple cellphone holder or stand cost less than $5 back in 2020.

Simple Massagers

We all want a scalp massage at some point, right? Ah, so relaxing! Anyways, you could get one for about $2 at this online store in 2020.

Mini Tool Sets

You know, like those mini screwdrivers that you use for adjusting eyeglasses and whatnot. In 2020 you could buy a set for less than one dollar, making it one of the best things to buy on AliExpress.

Wall Decals

Decorative wall decals ran $2 or $3 in 2020, and they are an easy way to fill a blank wall.

Toothbrush Holders

You can buy toothbrush holders that stick to your bathroom wall; in 2020 they cost less than $2.

Mason Jar Stickers

So you can label and organize your mason jars. In 2020, a whole set cost less than $1 or $2.

Baseball Caps

If you just want a baseball cap to protect yourself from the sun or a bad hair day, don’t spend a lot of money on it. In 2020, AliExpress would hook you up for about $3 to $5.

Beanie Hats

Why pay $10 or more for a beanie? In 2020, AliExpress had them for $2 to $3.

What to skip, or buy somewhere else

Cheap makes sense for everything on the list above. For a few things, it does not.

• A flash drive for anything important. Miguel’s rule from 2020 still holds: casual transfers only. Fake-capacity drives are common enough that PassMark, a testing-software maker, keeps a help page on drives that claim more storage than they actually hold, particularly the larger ones.
• Plug-in chargers and power adapters from sellers you do not know. In a 2019 article, the UK charity Electrical Safety First reported that 98% of the fake Apple chargers it tested could cause a fire or a lethal electric shock. For anything that plugs into the wall, buy from a retailer you trust.
• A famous brand at a tiny price. Fakes are dressed up with imagery taken from official product sites, fake safety marks, and believable pricing, Electrical Safety First warns, so the deal that looks impossibly good is the one to distrust.
• Anything you need by a fixed date. Miguel’s 2020 orders took about a month, and Buyer Protection works off the guaranteed delivery window on the order page. If the guaranteed delivery window misses your deadline, skip that order.

AliExpress versus Wish

AliExpress is similar to Wish. Both are online marketplaces where you can buy products from sellers, usually in China, and both are super inexpensive. Back in 2020, your stuff usually arrived in about a month from either site. In my experience, Wish was somewhat easier to use (the coupon system was less confusing), but I gave a slight edge to AliExpress because it normally offered free shipping, which tended to be extra on Wish. Still, both essentially did the same thing and seemed to be direct competitors.

One update since: in February 2024, ContextLogic agreed to sell Wish to Qoo10, a Singapore-based ecommerce company, for about $173 million (Retail TouchPoints), and wish.com was still listing products for sale when we checked in October 2026.

Summing up

I think AliExpress (and Wish) are underused, perhaps because items take so long to arrive. But really, the prices are unbeatable, and some things can wait. If you have the time, I just don’t see a good reason to pay more than necessary.

So think ahead, and don’t spend more of your hard-earned money than you have to!

AliExpress FAQ

Is AliExpress legit?

Yes. AliExpress is an online marketplace owned by the Alibaba Group and launched in 2010, with independent sellers, mostly in China. Its Buyer Protection program covers refunds if an item does not arrive within the guaranteed delivery window, or arrives damaged or not as described, reported within 15 days of receipt. Miguel’s orders all arrived, back in 2020.

Do US shoppers pay import charges on AliExpress orders?

They can. Effective August 29, 2025, the United States ended duty-free de minimis treatment for shipments from all countries, so goods valued at or below $800 are subject to all applicable duties, taxes, and fees, according to US Customs and Border Protection. Compare the final checkout total, not the listing price.

How long does AliExpress shipping take?

Miguel’s orders took about a month in 2020. Each order page shows a guaranteed delivery window, and Buyer Protection covers items that do not arrive within it.

Is Wish still around?

Yes. ContextLogic agreed in February 2024 to sell Wish to Qoo10, a Singapore-based ecommerce company, for about $173 million, and wish.com was still listing products for sale when we checked in October 2026.

Can you get cash back on AliExpress?

Yes. When we checked in October 2026, Rakuten was offering 8% cash back at AliExpress (excluding bulk, wholesale and reseller orders, gift cards, and purchases made with gift cards), and Swagbucks was offering up to 3% (no credit for promo codes not found on Swagbucks, and third-party payment services such as PayPal may negate earning SB). Rates and terms change, so read the portal’s terms before you shop.

Sources

All sources below were read in October 2026.

• US Customs and Border Protection: suspending duty-free de minimis treatment for all countries (help article 1919)
• Federal Register: Indefinite Suspension of the De Minimis Exemption, 91 FR 37789 (effective June 24, 2026)
• AliExpress: Buyer Protection
• AliExpress Help Center: available payment methods
• Wikipedia: AliExpress
• Retail TouchPoints: Wish sold to Qoo10 for $173 million (February 13, 2024)
• Rakuten: AliExpress cash back (checked October 16, 2026)
• Swagbucks: AliExpress coupons and cash back (checked October 16, 2026)
• Wikipedia: Rakuten Rewards
• PassMark: detecting fake and oversize USB drive capacity
• Electrical Safety First: the dangers of online marketplaces (2019)
• Video: Tech Life Unity on YouTube, How to Shop on AliExpress App in 2026 (Full Guide)
• Images: the charging pad and phone photos are Miguel’s own from 2020. The small-buys flat-lay and the wall-decal image are AI-generated illustrations, not specific products.

This article is for general information and entertainment, not financial advice.

Updated October 2026 by Richie with the help of modern digital tools.

The post 15 Best Things to Buy on AliExpress (and What to Skip) appeared first on The Rich Miser.

Funny family movies can earn you an evening with the teenagers in your life without the night feeling like an assignment. That is what Lily built this list around: familiar comedies, awkward encounters and a few cool capers, chosen for time together rather than a lesson. Keep the popcorn handy, and let the people on the sofa help choose the film.

There are 13 grouped picks here, covering 16 films once you count the Ocean's trilogy and the two Parents films separately. Most are comedies. The Italian Job is Lily's action exception, and its entry below says so plainly. Each pick now names the exact film and year, the rating from its linked review, and the material worth checking before anyone presses play.

Editor's update, October 2026: Lily's selections and her short italic taste notes are unchanged. The premise, rating and content notes were added to make comparing picks faster.

Choose funny family movies by mood, then check the content

Start with the kind of evening people want. A school escape, a family mix-up and a heist are three different promises, and it helps to say which one the group is in the mood for. Then treat ratings as information, not as a verdict. The Motion Picture Association describes its system as giving parents the information needed to determine whether a film is appropriate for their children. PG means parental guidance is suggested. PG-13 means parents are strongly cautioned, and the MPA notes some material may be inappropriate for pre-teenagers. What no rating tells you is whether your particular household will laugh.

The shortlist below narrows the original picks by mood, in their original order. Choose a mood, see the matches, then open the specific review for the fuller breakdown. The two comparison tables and the individual notes sit right below it if you would rather browse everything at once.

Compare picks 1–7

Compare picks 8–13

Ratings and content notes come from the linked Common Sense Media editorial reviews, checked October 2026. Open them for the fuller breakdown; the short notes here are not an exhaustive scene list.

Lily’s 13 original movie-night picks

Ferris Bueller's Day Off

A good old classic. Who can resist Ferris's cleverness?

Ferris Bueller (Matthew Broderick) fakes an illness, talks his friends Cameron and Sloane into a day in Chicago, and borrows a Ferrari that belongs to Cameron's father, all while the principal tries to catch him in the act. The film is one long, sunny act of getting away with it, and the review notes the almost total absence of consequences, something families may want to talk about after the credits.

That review flags frequent profanity, manipulative rule-breaking and some sexual material, so give it a read before the younger end of the group joins in. As school comedies go, Ferris is the confident one; Napoleon Dynamite, further down, is the awkward one. Full 1986 review.

Want a feel for the tone first? This is the official trailer, from Paramount Movies' YouTube channel. The content notes above are still the part worth reading.

Ocean's Eleven, Twelve and Thirteen

These movies are so cool

The trilogy counts as one pick, with a separate note for each film. In the 2001 Eleven, George Clooney's Danny Ocean gets out of prison and assembles a crew to rob three Las Vegas casinos. Twelve opens when Terry Benedict, the man they robbed, tracks every one of them down and demands his money back. Thirteen brings the crew together against Willie Bank, a casino owner who cheated one of their own out of his money. Start with Eleven if anyone at movie night is new to the crew.

What makes them cool is watching a plan come together rather than waiting for punch lines. All three films are listed PG-13, and the material shifts from one to the next: Eleven carries occasional strong language and sexual references, Twelve adds action violence and a thief who is never without a cigar, and Thirteen throws in a seduction scene. The comparison table keeps those notes separate so you can check the installment you plan to watch. To be exact, this list means the 2001 Eleven, not the 1960 Sinatra film its review mentions. 2001 review; 2004 review; 2007 review.

Napoleon Dynamite

This one is quirky and funny

Napoleon Dynamite (Jon Heder) cannot catch a break. He has nunchuck skills and computer hacking skills, plus arms and legs that refuse to cooperate, and that is the film's whole temperature. Around him sit his friend Pedro's campaign for class president against the popular Summer, and an uncle whose money-making schemes include going back in time to fix a high school football game. The humor is deadpan and the details are gloriously strange.

It is the second school pick, and a completely different mood from Ferris: where Ferris's day off is confident and breezy, Napoleon's is awkward and unbothered. Even at PG there is material to check; the review notes bullying, slapstick injuries, insults and mild sexual innuendo. Read the 2004 review.

Zoolander

Ben Stiller plays Derek Zoolander, a male model so clueless that losing a prestigious fashion award to his rival Hansel (Owen Wilson) sends him into a crisis. The comedy spends its running time spoofing the vanity of that world, and the plot swerves into an absurd assassination scheme that only a film this silly could carry.

Lily carried it as one of her PG-13 picks. The review describes sexual material, strong language, drug references and comic violence, so it earns its rating; check it before a mixed-age night. If rivalry is the mood, Bride Wars works the same muscle with weddings instead of runway walks. 2001 review.

Meet the Parents and Meet the Fockers

To me these two are perfect for the holidays; like when everyone is in a food coma after Thanksgiving lunch or dinner.

In the first film, Ben Stiller's Greg Focker just wants to impress his girlfriend's father, a CIA man played by Robert De Niro who specializes in sweating the truth out of people. Everything goes wrong: the airline loses his suitcase, he is handed a tiny borrowed Speedo, and he has to say grace. The sequel, Meet the Fockers, drags both families under one roof, where the two sets of in-laws do the fighting.

Two films, two reviews, two sets of notes. Parents carries strong language, sexual jokes, cigarette smoking and potty humor, including a septic tank that backs up on the lawn; Fockers stretches the same rating further with constant sexual references and non-stop risqué language. For a single evening, start with the first film and meet Greg, Pam and the in-laws he cannot win over. 2000 review; 2004 review.

How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days

it's funny enough for mixed groups.

Andie (Kate Hudson) is on a magazine assignment: make a man dump her within ten days. Ben (Matthew McConaughey) has made a bet that he can make any woman fall in love with him in the same stretch of time to win a big account. Neither one tells the other, so every date is a two-way con, and the comedy runs on that deception.

Its review flags sexual references, strong language, drinking and characters who lie to and manipulate each other, though they soften once real feelings show up. That competing-agendas engine is what makes it work for mixed groups, and it separates the film from Bride Wars, where a scheduling error does the sabotage. 2003 review.

Big Daddy

This one is funny for teenagers and adults alike.

Sonny Koufax (Adam Sandler) is an irresponsible man-child who takes in a five-year-old under false pretenses, mostly to impress a girlfriend. The pratfalls are for the kids; the dread of turning into Sonny is for the grown-ups. The story finds its heart when the boy makes him want to do the job properly.

Its review flags crude humor, strong language, drinking and drug references, including a character's memories of taking too many mushrooms in the 1970s. It shares the family group with Mrs. Doubtfire, but the setups are opposites: Sonny stumbles into a child who is not his, while Daniel fights for more time with his own. 1999 review.

Along Came Polly

Some scenes are so funny that they're memorable!

Reuben (Ben Stiller) evaluates risk for a living and spends eight minutes a day arranging his throw pillows, so the first-day collapse of his honeymoon, when his bride falls for a scuba instructor, is a professional emergency. Then he runs into Polly (Jennifer Aniston), a childhood friend who is a non-planner, a risk-taker and a key-loser. The comedy is the collision between a planner and someone who improvises, plus a near-blind ferret that keeps slamming into walls.

Lily's original write-up carried a caution, and the review shows why: explicit sexual references, a full rear view of male nudity, strong language and plenty of gross-out moments. Those set pieces are exactly the scenes she found memorable, so weigh the trade before the shared viewing. 2004 review.

Date Night

These two are just a hilarious combination. The movie is light, but funny.

Steve Carell and Tina Fey play Phil and Claire Foster, a married couple trying to add some zest to their usual steakhouse night by taking it into Manhattan. A case of mistaken identity sends them on the run instead, chased by scary people with guns, and the dinner reservation never quite survives. The pairing carries the film; the two of them bicker like people who have been married a long time, which is the joke and the charm.

The linked review lists coarse language, sexual material including a long strip-club sequence, gunplay and comic car chases. Lily's “light, but funny” holds, with the emphasis on funny, and the material makes this the most hectic option in the family mix-ups group. Judge it by the premise rather than the title: this is a couple on the run. 2010 review.

Mrs. Doubtfire

Another good old heartwarming classic.

Robin Williams plays Daniel Hillard, a father who loses custody in a divorce and, missing his three kids, answers his ex-wife's ad for a housekeeper with help from his makeup-artist brother. The disguise is the comedy; missing his children is why it still lands as heartwarming rather than just silly.

Family separation is the premise here, not a subplot, so expect arguments alongside the wig jokes. The review lists strong language, drinking and family conflict. It plays differently from Meet the Parents: both are family mishaps, but only one has a father pretending to be the housekeeper his ex-wife hired. 1993 review.

Baby Mama

This one is fun to watch.

Tina Fey plays Kate, a natural-food-store executive who cannot get pregnant; Amy Poehler plays the very unlikely surrogate she hires. The comedy leans on their mismatch, and the review points out both are Saturday Night Live veterans, which is a good shorthand for the rhythm you get. One of them plans everything; the other does not, and the pregnancy turns into an odd-couple story.

Its review notes pregnancy and surrogacy themes, swearing, drinking and drug references. The premise gives your group something specific to want or skip: an odd-couple comedy built on a surrogacy arrangement. Date Night, in the same browsing group, swaps the arrangement for a chase. 2008 review.

The Italian Job

A cool heist flick.

This entry is the 2003 film, Mark Wahlberg and Charlize Theron's gold-heist revenge story. The crew steals $35 million in gold bars, one of their own double-crosses the rest and takes it, and the survivors spend the movie planning to steal it back with a fleet of Mini Coopers. As Lily put it in the original post, this one is not the funny film; it is here because cool-heist energy lives on the same shelf as Ocean's.

It is also the heaviest material on the list: the review describes characters shot and killed with machine guns, explosions, car chases, profanity and some sexual references. Put it next to Ocean's for the team-and-plan appeal, then compare the two content notes before choosing. A heist tells you what the crew is after, not everything the film contains. 2003 review.

Bride Wars

It's not the most hilarious movie in the world, but it's fun to watch and have a few laughs.

Emma (Anne Hathaway) and Liv (Kate Hudson) have been best friends since childhood, and both dream of a June wedding at the Plaza. Then the hotel accidentally books both weddings for the same date, and the friendship turns into sabotage. Lily called the movie cheesy, and her qualified verdict, fun to watch and have a few laughs, is the right expectation to bring: a rivalry comedy about two brides, not the year's best comedy.

The PG listing keeps it gentle: the review notes drinking at the receptions, some suggestive party material, mild language and a pushing-and-shoving fight between the brides. If romance with rivalry is the mood, this and How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days run the same engine in different lanes; here the contest is between the two friends. 2009 review.

The Lowdown: choose before the scrolling takes over

Lily's list was never a lesson plan; it was a way to spend an evening together, and that intention survives the update. Let everyone name a mood, compare two or three entries, and give anyone an easy way to pass on material they do not want. The shortlist exists to make browsing faster, not to settle arguments about taste.

Streaming comes and goes, so this page does not track availability: search the exact title and year in whatever service or library catalogue you use, and check its current terms. If dinner is part of the plan, the build-your-own pizza night guide covers the food while the group argues about the film.

Lily also mentioned Why Him?, The Hangover and Bridesmaids in her original introduction, pointing readers to her “new classic” comedy list for more. None of the three is part of these thirteen. And if nothing here lands tonight, keep the time together and change the activity: the two-person card-game guide gets one standard deck a long way. No movie has to rescue a group that would rather play.

That’s my take!

What are your favorite funny family movies? What are good family bonding activities when teenagers are involved? How do you like to spend family time?

Frequently asked questions

Are there 13 films or 13 picks?

There are 13 grouped picks covering 16 films. Ocean's Eleven, Twelve and Thirteen share one entry; Meet the Parents and Meet the Fockers share another. The other 11 picks each name one film.

Does PG-13 mean every thirteen-year-old will enjoy the film?

No. A rating describes content, not enjoyment. The Motion Picture Association designed its system to help parents decide what is appropriate for their children, and two films with the same rating can contain very different material, so read the specific content note and the fuller linked review.

Are all these funny family movies comedies?

Most are comedies, but The Italian Job is Lily's action exception, and the Ocean's trilogy leans caper too. The mood groups are editorial labels for browsing the original list, not official genre or age labels.

Where can I stream these films free?

This page does not verify a free stream or current service availability. Search the exact title and year in your viewing service or library catalogue, and check its current terms before choosing.

Sources and image credits

Film years, listed ratings, premise summaries and short content notes use the editorial sections of these live reviews, not reader reviews or AI summaries. Lily's italic notes are her original opinions, not facts inferred from these sources.

• Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986): Common Sense Media editorial review.
• Ocean's Eleven (2001): Common Sense Media editorial review.
• Ocean's Twelve (2004): Common Sense Media editorial review.
• Ocean's Thirteen (2007): Common Sense Media editorial review.
• Napoleon Dynamite (2004): Common Sense Media editorial review.
• Zoolander (2001): Common Sense Media editorial review.
• Meet the Parents (2000): Common Sense Media editorial review.
• Meet the Fockers (2004): Common Sense Media editorial review.
• How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days (2003): Common Sense Media editorial review.
• Big Daddy (1999): Common Sense Media editorial review.
• Along Came Polly (2004): Common Sense Media editorial review.
• Date Night (2010): Common Sense Media editorial review.
• Mrs. Doubtfire (1993): Common Sense Media editorial review.
• Baby Mama (2008): Common Sense Media editorial review.
• The Italian Job (2003): Common Sense Media editorial review.
• Bride Wars (2009): Common Sense Media editorial review.
• Motion Picture Association: film ratings, for the purpose and meaning of ratings.
• Paramount Movies: official Ferris Bueller trailer.
• Existing featured photograph: Mc Jefferson Agloro on Unsplash. Body illustrations: AI-generated.

Lily's original author note:

I’m Lily, a lawyer and aspiring Miami fashion entrepreneur sharing life hacks and my favorite tidbits on lifestyle, shopping, fashion, and beauty. GIF enthusiast and lover of making shareable lists.

Updated October 2026 by Richie with the help of modern digital tools.

The post Funny Family Movies: 13 Picks to Watch With Teens appeared first on The Rich Miser.

Ah, Hampton Inns. Those mid-tier hotels that seem to be everywhere. Are Hampton Inns good, or just everywhere?

That’s what we’re here to find out. I’ve stayed at many, and have an informed view of this important question.

The short version: for work trips and budget leisure stays, a Hampton is a dependable, nice-enough choice built around a free hot breakfast. If you want fun or glamour from a hotel, look elsewhere. The first-person notes below are Miguel’s; the brand facts, pet guidance and history are checked against the sources listed at the end.

At a glance

What are Hampton Inns?

Now known as Hampton by Hilton, Hampton Inns are mid-tier hotels, and it can feel like there is one wherever you look (especially in the US). Hilton’s February 2026 Hampton fact sheet counts more than 3,190 open hotels in 46 countries and territories, with over 357,000 rooms and 775-plus more hotels in development.

Who owns Hampton Inns?

Ultimately, they are under the corporate umbrella of Hilton.

The chain started small. According to Wikipedia’s history of the brand, Holiday Corporation founded Hampton Inn in 1984 as a budget hotel, and the first one was a two-story building with 128 guest rooms in Memphis, Tennessee. In 1999, Hilton bought Promus Hotel Corporation, which owned Hampton Inn at the time. Wikipedia also notes that most Hampton hotels are independently owned and operated by franchisees, with a few managed by Hilton itself.

Today the brand covers two names you will see on signs. Hilton’s brand page groups Hampton Inn and Hampton Inn & Suites together as Hampton by Hilton.

What does Hilton say about them?

Here is the brand’s current pitch, from Hilton’s Hampton fact sheet:

From well-designed, spacious rooms designed to fit your routine to waking up to a free hot breakfast (with waffles!), we are committed to making it just right, every time. That’s the 100% Hampton Guarantee.

Notice what the pitch sells: a well-designed room, a hot breakfast and a promise to get it right. It says nothing about atmosphere, which is where the cons below come in.

One outside yardstick, as Hilton reports it: Hampton ranked highest in the Upper Midscale segment of the JD Power 2026 North America Hotel Guest Satisfaction Study, for the second year running. The study as a whole drew on more than 44,000 branded-hotel guests for stays between May 2025 and May 2026, scoring seven areas: the guest room, food and beverage, the hotel’s facilities, staff, connectivity, value for the price paid, and check-in and check-out. Hilton’s release does not say how many of them stayed at a Hampton. The study ranks satisfaction across a whole tier of hotels, so it cannot tell you how any single property will treat you.

That is the pitch and the scorecard. The pros and cons are below.

The pros: what’s good about Hampton Inns

How is the experience at Hampton Inns? Not bad at all, I’d say! Here are the pros.

Price

Hampton Inns are relatively cheap. I ran searches for some random dates in November for three locations spanning the price range: Clackamas, OR, Orlando, FL, and New York City. The per-night prices I was quoted ranged from around $85 to $226.

Those quotes come from an earlier version of this review, so read them as a snapshot, not today’s rates.

Location

Hamptons tend to be located outside central business districts, but not far from them, in inner-ring suburban areas (at least in the US). Therefore, you are usually a short ride away from wherever you need to go.

That was the pattern at the hotels behind this review, not a brand rule. Hilton’s list of recent openings includes a Hampton Inn by Hilton Calgary Downtown, so check the map for the one you book.

Decent amenities

These amenity notes come from Miguel’s stays. Practically every Hampton will feature free breakfast, and many will have a pool, gym, and other amenities. I have never been charged for any of these. Parking is the one to confirm with the specific hotel before you book.

The loyalty program is Hilton Honors, which Hilton’s Honors fact sheet says is free to join. Members get free Wi-Fi throughout the hotel and earn points on their nights, and Hilton lists Digital Check-In and Digital Key (where available) among member benefits. There is one condition, though. On-property benefits require a reservation made through Hilton’s direct channels, such as its website, app or reservations line.

Free breakfast

Like I said, the breakfast is free. The bad news is that it’s not great, though it is decent and serves its purpose. At every location I’ve been to, it seems to be cooked elsewhere, and only warmed up on-site.

Still, you can get a full “American” breakfast. It had all that you would expect: protein (scrambled eggs, sausage, cheese, etc.), bread (white and whole wheat), oatmeal, juice, coffee and more.

Hilton’s current description of the brand’s free hot breakfast lists items like eggs and bacon, yogurt, oatmeal, cereal and fruit, along with the signature Hampton waffle. Whether any of it tastes freshly made is Miguel’s complaint, and a fact sheet cannot settle that.

Consistency

Some Hampton Inns are in better shape than others, but the experience is pretty consistent everywhere you go. The ones behind this review were usually:

• Clean.
• Well-designed.
• Not in rough neighborhoods.
• Staffed with decent, attentive service.
• Part of the Hilton Honors loyalty program.

If anything went wrong, you could always escalate to corporate.

Upkeep, service and surroundings still vary from one hotel to the next, so recent guest reviews of the specific hotel are worth reading. Hilton still advertises the 100% Hampton Guarantee. The pages read for this update do not spell out how it works, so ask the hotel if you need it.

See one for yourself

For a look at a Hampton outside the US, Walk With Me Tim’s video tour of a Hampton by Hilton in Blackpool, England, posted in 2023, covers the room, the bathroom and the breakfast buffet, make-your-own waffles included. It runs just under ten minutes.

The cons: where Hampton Inns fall short

Limited service

Hampton Inns are not full-service hotels. At the Hamptons behind this review, that meant no concierge and no restaurant or bar on the premises: basically a decent room, breakfast, a small gym, and usually a pool.

Wikipedia describes the chain as limited service hotels “with limited food and beverage facilities,” and limited is not the same as none. If dinner or a drink on site matters, check that hotel’s own page. For a surer bet within Hilton, the Hilton Garden Inn fact sheet says all of its properties feature a full-service restaurant and a full bar.

No fun at Hampton Inns

These are not “fun” hotels; they’ll meet your human needs in a pleasant environment, but that’s pretty much it. Plus, they’re somewhat drab and dull, though Hilton has announced a redesign.

Its March 2024 announcement described a North American prototype with enlarged windows for more natural light, a multi-functional task table, better in-room storage and an improved bathroom design, plus an exterior patio and a repositioned front desk. The first hotel was slated to open in early 2025. The announcement does not say how many hotels will use it, and the photos here date from 2017, so a given hotel may look newer or older than these.

No glitz or glamour

No “fun” factor, glitz, or glamour: Hamptons seem geared to business travelers and budget leisure guests. While they look clean and somewhat modern, they’re not trendy, fashionable, or cool.

If you just arrived in NYC, Vegas, LA or Miami for a weekend getaway, they can bring down your mood with their dullness. You won’t find a party atmosphere or beautiful, tipsy people milling about, if that’s what you’re looking for.

Hampton Inns can be drab and dull

Hamptons kind of all look the same. There’s no impressive architecture or funky details, just standard-issue road warrior accommodations. Also, I’ve sometimes found some minor dust inside the guestrooms, which makes me think that housekeeping can be a bit careless (acceptable, but not excellent).

That sameness is the flip side of the consistency in the pros: what makes a Hampton predictable is also what makes it forgettable.

Do Hampton Inns allow pets?

It depends on the hotel. The American Kennel Club’s guide to dog-friendly hotel chains puts it this way:

Many Hilton brands, including Hampton Inn, Home2 Suites by Hilton, and DoubleTree by Hilton, offer pet-friendly accommodations. Pet fees, weight limits, breed restrictions, and the number of pets allowed vary by property, so travelers should confirm details directly with the hotel before booking.

If the dog is coming for certain, Hilton describes pet-friendly rooms at Tru by Hilton and pet-friendly accommodations at Home2 Suites. Each hotel’s own rules still apply, so the call to the front desk is worth making either way.

Where Hampton fits in Hilton’s lineup

Hampton is one of several Hilton brands at the moderate end of the family. For this comparison, the useful differences are food, pets and length of stay. Here is how Hilton describes Hampton and three of its neighbors.

What about Hampton Inn versus Hampton Inn & Suites? Both carry the Hampton by Hilton name. Wikipedia dates the suites version to 1995, when it introduced two-room, suite-style rooms with living room and kitchen areas. That is history, not a floor plan for tonight, so read the room-type description when you book.

If a Marriott is on the shortlist instead, this site’s review of the Courtyard Marriott New Haven at Yale is a single-hotel point of comparison.

Before you book a Hampton: what to check

Whether a particular Hampton Inn is good for your trip comes down to a handful of things that change from one hotel to the next. Before you book, check these:

1. Location: put the address on a map next to where you actually need to be.
2. Parking: whether there is a charge, and where you park.
3. Breakfast hours: whether they fit an early start.
4. Dinner and drinks: whether this hotel has a restaurant or bar.
5. Pool and gym: whether they are open, if they matter to you.
6. Pets: fees, weight limits, breed rules and the number of pets allowed.
7. Room type: a standard room or a suite, and its layout.
8. How you book: Hilton says on-property Honors benefits need a reservation through its direct channels.
9. Recent guest reviews: for upkeep, since some Hamptons are in better shape than others.

For more ways to get more out of any stay, see this site’s hotel hacks. Packing for a few nights on the road? The carry-on packing checklist builds a list you can print.

Summing up: so, are Hampton Inns good?

Hamptons are great for business and leisure travelers on a budget. However, if you want the “fun factor” and have the money (or someone else is paying), stay somewhere else.

So, good or just everywhere? For the trip it suits, both. The brand is built on predictable basics, and predictable basics suit a work trip better than a weekend where the hotel is meant to be part of the fun.

To apply that test to a specific trip, the little checker below asks three questions and answers with the review’s own logic.

Frequently asked questions

Is Hampton Inn part of Hilton, Marriott or IHG?

Hilton. Hampton by Hilton, which includes Hampton Inn and Hampton Inn & Suites, is a Hilton brand. Wikipedia says Hilton bought Hampton’s parent company in 1999 and that most of the hotels are run by franchisees.

Is breakfast free at Hampton Inn?

Hilton describes a free hot breakfast as part of the brand, with items like eggs and bacon, yogurt, oatmeal, cereal and fruit, plus the Hampton waffle. Check your hotel’s breakfast hours before an early start.

Are Hampton Inns pet friendly?

Some are. The American Kennel Club says pet fees, weight limits, breed restrictions and the number of pets allowed vary by property, so confirm the rules with the hotel before booking.

What does Hilton Honors offer at a Hampton?

Hilton says joining is free, and members get free Wi-Fi throughout the hotel and can earn points, provided the stay is booked through Hilton’s direct channels.

Which is better, Hampton Inn or Hilton Garden Inn?

It depends on what you will use. Hampton’s brand promise includes a free hot breakfast. Hilton says every Hilton Garden Inn has a full-service restaurant and a full bar, which matters more if you want dinner on site.

Sources

All sources below were read in October 2026.

• Hilton: Hampton by Hilton Fact Sheet
• Hilton: About Hampton by Hilton
• Hilton: Three Hilton Brands Again Rank No. 1 in JD Power 2026 Study
• Hilton: Hampton by Hilton Looks to the Future with Innovative North American Prototype and a Refreshed Visual Identity
• Hilton: Hilton Honors Fact Sheet
• Hilton: Hilton Garden Inn Fact Sheet
• Hilton: Tru by Hilton Fact Sheet
• Wikipedia: Hampton by Hilton
• American Kennel Club: Best Dog-Friendly Hotel Chains and Travel Tips for Dogs

Updated October 2026 by Richie with the help of modern digital tools.

The post Are Hampton Inns Good? The Honest Pros and Cons appeared first on The Rich Miser.

The internet’s a wonderful thing, isn’t it? A source of infinite knowledge and entertainment. Still, with millions (if not billions) of websites out there, how do you know what’s good, or find the cool websites that others don’t know about?

Well, one day I was browsing the “front page of the internet” (reddit), and came across this thread of underrated websites that should have more exposure. There, I found some really cool sites, and so decided to round up the best ones (in my opinion) and present them to you, dear readers. Here they are!

Seven of Miguel’s eight picks are still up and still useful, a couple of them with paid tiers worth knowing about. The eighth, a map of airport WiFi passwords, was taken down by Google, so it gets an honest obituary near the end instead of a number. Under each site you’ll find what it does today, what’s free, and the catch. The picks and the memories are Miguel’s; every source is listed at the bottom.

At a glance

1. GeoGuessr

Have you ever wondered what would happen if you were suddenly teleported to a random spot somewhere on earth? Could you quickly tell where you are, just based on your surroundings?

If that sounds like an awesome challenge, you’ll find the next best thing on GeoGuessr, a game that “drops” you into the middle of somewhere by using Google Street View. Your challenge is to pinpoint where you are, based on nothing but what you see on your screen and by exploring your surroundings using Street View’s navigation.

It reminds me of when I used to play Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego as a kid, and is an excellent way to go down an internet rabbit hole. Take a look:

To make matters even more impressive, you can create an account and keep score, or narrow down the maps to famous places or certain countries. You can also add friends and see who’s the greater geography whiz. So, give it a try!

The 2026 check: GeoGuessr has grown up. A Swedish IT consultant, Anton Wallén, built it in 2013, and it now hosts a world championship (the 2026 edition was held in Berlin). The classic game is still five rounds, each worth up to 5,000 points, so a perfect game is 25,000. Players read road signs, utility poles, license plates and even the position of the sun to place their pin.

The catch is the price of admission. The homepage now says “Sign up to play,” and the Pro page lists a limited option that is free to try with no credit card, beside paid plans with unlimited play, no ads and private parties for friends. Wikipedia’s summary adds that free players can only play a certain amount and miss custom maps and the competitive modes. It runs in a browser, on iPhone and Android, and on Steam.

2. Pluto TV

Want to watch live TV, for free? Then click on over to Pluto TV, which is just that. It even has a cable-like channel guide. You can watch popular channels like CNBC with no problem at all.

The 2026 check: one line of that aged fast. Weeks after this list ran, Cord Cutters News reported in March 2019 that CNBC had ended its partnership with Pluto TV. (It had never been the live CNBC feed, just a 24/7 channel of CNBC clips and shows.) The rest still holds. Pluto TV’s homepage promises hundreds of live channels and thousands of movies and shows, and states the deal plainly: “All free, no payment required. Ever.”

The catch is ads, and Pluto TV doesn’t hide it. Its FAQ says short commercial breaks pay for everything. You don’t need an account to watch; a free profile syncs your favorite channels and watch list across devices. It runs in a web browser and on phones, smart TVs, Roku, Fire TV, game consoles and more. For more free entertainment hiding in plain sight, a library card is the other underrated pass worth carrying.

3. 10 Minute Mail

Don’t you just hate having to hand over your e-mail address to sign up to access some sites, only to then have them e-mail you every day? Well, with 10 Minute Mail, problem solved!

As soon as you land on the page, you’ll receive a temporary e-mail address that lasts 10 minutes (you can extend it for 10 more minutes). You can receive e-mail there (so you can confirm it with whatever site you’re signing up for). This cool website is a neat little tool to eliminate one of life’s annoyances.

Just remember that your new inbox is not permanent, so don’t use it if you’ll need to continue receiving messages there.

The 2026 check: still at 10minutemail.net, still free, and still a countdown clock. The page now has a “Give me 10 more minutes!” link and says you can stretch an address to 100 minutes in total. A just-expired mailbox can be recovered for a short while before it is removed, and addresses are randomly generated and never reused.

The catch is that some websites refuse throwaway addresses. The service says it swaps its email domain every 45 days to stay ahead of the admins who block it. It runs on donations rather than a subscription. And Miguel’s warning still stands: an inbox that vanishes is no place for anything that needs to reach you later.

4. JustWatch

You know when you want to watch a particular movie or TV show by streaming it, but don’t know where it’s available? Is it on Netflix, Amazon Prime, or Vudu?

With JustWatch, all you have to do is select your country, and search for the movie or show. Most likely it’ll find it, and tell you the price on each service, as well as whether it’s for sale or rent (or both) and the streaming video quality. Useful, eh?

The 2026 check: very useful, and bigger. The homepage now lists about 130 country editions. A check of the Interstellar page on October 16, 2026 found it on 12 streaming services, split into subscription, rent, buy and disc options, with HD or 4K labels and a note that it was leaving one service in 15 days. The page said JustWatch had checked 374 services that day. You can also build one watchlist that spans every service and ask to be notified when a title arrives somewhere new.

One name in Miguel’s example has changed twice. Vudu became Fandango at Home on March 12, 2024, and in 2026 the “at Home” was dropped and the service became simply Fandango, according to Wikipedia. JustWatch still files it under “Fandango At Home.” The catch: JustWatch now runs its own rental store, JustWatch TV, and some listings carry a “Promoted” tag, so treat the top of the list as a placement, not a verdict.

5. MyFridgeFood

Not sure what to have for dinner? Enter MyFridgeFood, a cool website that lets you select the food you have in your fridge, and then shows you recipes you can make with it. Check it out, in two steps:

The 2026 check: the picker is still the whole show, and it still looks a lot like Miguel’s 2018 screenshots. A short “Quick Kitchen” list sits up top, with a link to the full ingredient list, which runs from allspice to zucchini with a few surprises in between (Baileys, and a lone Twinkie). Tick what you have, then press Find Recipes; a quick reCAPTCHA check stands between you and dinner.

There is a free login for saving bookmarks, a page for submitting your own recipes, and iPhone and Android apps linked from the homepage. We saw no price or paywall on the homepage. The catch is polish: the list has its quirks, including a stray entry called “test” and a “Teriaky Sauce,” and chicken alone shows up under several separate entries, so tick every one that applies.

6. This to That

Talk about a strange (but occasionally useful) site. When you need to glue two materials together, just select them on This to That. It’ll spit out the glue you need right away (well, it’ll tell you the kind of glue that you need to buy).

The 2026 check: gloriously unchanged. The tagline still reads “Because people have a need to glue things to other things,” and the menus still offer the same 11 materials on each side: ceramic, fabric, glass, leather, metal, paper, plastic, rubber, Styrofoam, vinyl and wood. A ceramic-to-wood test this week returned two specific recommendations, LePage’s 5 Minute Epoxy or LePage’s Bull Dog Grip, each linked to a page about that glue.

The catch is that it names products, not prices, and there are only 11 materials, so anything off the list, marble say, means picking the nearest match. The homepage copyright reads 1999 to 2024, while the results page says 2023, which is about as much drama as this website has ever had.

7. Budget Bytes

Need cheap meals? Then check out BudgetByte$, a site that’ll show you delicious-looking recipes that come at a very low cost. It’ll reveal the cost per recipe and per serving, so you know how much you’ll need to spend.

The 2026 check: Budget Bytes (Miguel spelled it with a dollar sign, which felt right) still prints both numbers on nearly every recipe card on the homepage. Beth Moncel founded it in 2009, and it now counts more than 1,700 recipes, with categories you can browse by cost, plus chicken, pasta, one-pot, vegetarian and slow cooker.

Two things changed. Miguel’s 2019 version mentioned an app; the old App Store page now returns “not found,” and the website does the job on its own. And there is now an optional paid membership, BudgetBytes+, which adds weekly meal plans and removes the ads. The recipes themselves stay free. For a crowd, this desk’s build-your-own pizza night guide runs the whole party, math included.

The One That Didn’t Survive: Airport WiFi Passwords

In 2019 this was number six on the list, and Miguel described it this way: exactly what it sounds like. The site (actually, a Google Map) gave you the WiFi password at airport terminals and lounges around the world. A neat tool for when you need to get connected.

His one caveat was to look up the passwords in advance, at a place where you have internet access. That way, you won’t find yourself at the airport unable to use the internet to access the site that has the WiFi password!

The 2026 check: that link is dead, and this time we can prove it. The map now loads a Google notice that it “is no longer available due to a violation of our Terms of Service and/or policies,” while other public maps open normally from the same connection. The map belonged to Anil Polat of the travel and tech site foXnoMad. A reader reported the removal in his comments in April 2024, and he pointed people to WiFox, his app. A newer map on his page now carries the note: “Unfortunately Google doesn’t want me to post the passwords directly in the map any more.”

WiFox is a paid app for iPhone and Android with an offline map, passwords that travelers submit and he verifies, and an optional premium subscription. Its App Store listing claims more than 700 airports and had a 3.7 rating from six reviews in October 2026. We haven’t tested it, so it doesn’t get Miguel’s number. If you just want to get online in the air, this desk’s cheat sheet on which US airlines have free Wi-Fi covers the onboard side.

Want More Cool Websites?

Here is a tight nine-minute tour of ten more useful websites from the tech channel Brett In Tech. It covers other sites rather than Miguel’s picks, so think of it as a second round of the same discovery game.

Summing It Up

Well, there you have it. If you need to make your life easier or entertain yourself, make sure to check out these cool sites if they suit your needs.

Nearly eight years is a long time on the internet. A glue picker with a 1999 copyright line outlived a Google Map, and a geography game went pro. Bookmark the survivors, and look up that airport password before you leave the house.

See you next time!

What are your favorite little-known sites?

Frequently asked questions

Are these cool websites free?

Mostly, with fine print. This to That and MyFridgeFood showed no price or paywall when we checked in October 2026. Pluto TV is free because it plays short ad breaks. 10 Minute Mail is free, but the address expires. JustWatch is free to search, though the services it points you to charge their own prices. GeoGuessr offers limited free play and sells a Pro subscription, and Budget Bytes keeps its recipes free while selling an optional BudgetBytes+ membership.

Is GeoGuessr still free to play?

Partly. The homepage asks you to sign up before you play, and the Pro page lists a limited option that is free to try with no credit card, beside paid plans with unlimited play and no ads.

What happened to the airport WiFi password map?

Google took it down. The My Maps page now says the map “is no longer available due to a violation of our Terms of Service and/or policies.” Its creator, Anil Polat of the travel and tech site foXnoMad, keeps the passwords in WiFox, a paid app for iPhone and Android.

Is Pluto TV really free?

Yes. Its homepage says “All free, no payment required. Ever.” Its own FAQ explains the trade: short commercial breaks pay for the live channels, movies and shows.

What is 10 Minute Mail used for?

One-time sign-ups. You get an email address that works for ten minutes, extendable on the page in ten-minute steps up to a hundred minutes in total, which is enough to catch a confirmation message without handing over your real inbox. Never use it for anything you will need to hear about later.

Which of these websites finds where a movie or show is streaming?

JustWatch. Pick your country, search the title, and it lists the services that stream, rent or sell it, with the video quality and a warning when a title is about to leave a service. It now runs its own rental store, JustWatch TV, and some listings are marked as promoted, so the top spot may be an ad.

Sources

All sources below were read in October 2026.

• GeoGuessr: homepage
• GeoGuessr: GeoGuessr Pro plans
• Wikipedia: GeoGuessr
• Pluto TV: homepage and FAQ
• Cord Cutters News: Pluto TV Loses CNBC But Adds Content From The Weather Channel (March 26, 2019)
• 10 Minute Mail: homepage
• JustWatch: homepage
• JustWatch: Interstellar: where to watch
• JustWatch: Fandango At Home provider page
• Wikipedia: Fandango (streaming service)
• MyFridgeFood: homepage and ingredient picker
• This to That: homepage
• This to That: Ceramic to Wood result
• Budget Bytes: homepage
• foXnoMad: A Map Of Wireless Passwords From Airports And Lounges Around The World
• foXnoMad: WiFox Is A Continuously Updated Map Of Wireless Passwords
• Apple App Store: WiFox listing
• YouTube: Brett In Tech, 10 Useful FREE WEBSITES You Didn’t Know Existed!
• Google My Maps: the airport WiFi map linked in 2019 (map ID 1Z1dI8hoBZSJNWFx2xr_MMxSxSxY), which now shows a terms-of-service takedown notice; not linked because it no longer loads
• Apple App Store: the former Budget Bytes app page (ID 1240079167), which returned “not found”; not linked for the same reason
• Reddit: the r/AskReddit thread that started this list in 2018; Reddit blocks automated reads, so its existence was confirmed through search results

Updated October 2026 by Richie with the help of modern digital tools.

The post 7 Crazy Cool Websites You Probably Didn’t Know About appeared first on The Rich Miser.