Is This The World's Safest Airport in the Battle Against Coronavirus?
Posted on 08/03/2020, 8:00 AM
When I'm in Dubai International Airport (DXB), I'm impressed not only by the fact that it has camel's milk chocolate bars for sale—gamy, but tasty—but also by the of-the-moment design of the place, which features international brands such as Shake Shack, lots of tinted glass, and shiny metal columns. Today, what's impressing me the most about DXB, which handled 89 million passengers last year, is ...
The Myriad Ways One Hotel Manager's Job Has Gotten Tougher Since Covid-19
Posted on 08/03/2020, 7:00 AM
August 3, 2020 Add hotel manager to the list of jobs that have gotten exponentially more arduous since March. Not only are hotels being tasked with keeping travelers safe under circumstances that would challenge an MIT epidemiologist, but most hotels are also scrambling just to stay in business, thanks to the sharp downturn in travel. Recently, I had an unusually candid conversation with Matthew...
Add Estonia to the List of Countries That Accept Americans As Digital Nomads
Posted on 07/29/2020, 5:00 AM
It seems like a lot of our readers are eager to live somewhere other than the United States for a while. We've posted about several countries that are currently accepting American digital nomads—as governments seek ways to replace tourism income, the number of nations offering this option is steadily growing. The latest addition: Estonia. Starting August 1, the Eastern European country will roll o...
Pauline Frommer: If Casinos Go Touchless, More People May Suffer
Posted on 07/28/2020, 11:00 AM
Like many people who work in the travel industry, I start my day looking at the daily stories sent out by Travel Weekly, a top source for news. Today's edition featured an in-depth piece on the ways tech firms are working with the major casinos of Las Vegas and other cities to make the gambling experience more safe in our coronavirus era. And all I could think was: Once Covid-19 passes, these inno...
Hawaii's Resorts May Allow Visitors to Vacation While Quarantining
Posted on 07/28/2020, 5:00 AM
Hawaii has been ahead of the curve on coronavirus matters. It was one of the first U.S. states to institute a quarantine, and it's the state that has been most proactive about enforcing it—some 200 scofflaws have been arrested so far. Now the state may be experimenting with a new and highly logical form of a travel "bubble." The idea was discussed at the Hawaii County Council meeting, where Manag...
Disney and Hotel Chains Are Enforcing Mask Rules—Why Can't the Government?
Posted on 07/22/2020, 1:00 PM
As government leaders at the state and federal levels continue to send mixed and misleading messages about mask usage—we’re looking at you (but not only you), Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp—scientists are finding a surprising ally in the battle to contain Covid-19: corporate America. A number of large companies, particularly those in the travel industry, have evidently given up on ever getting clear guid...
Amsterdam Re-Closes Parts of Its Red Light District
Posted on 07/20/2020, 9:00 AM
On Saturday, July 18, some of the streets in Amsterdam's Red Light District were closed. Authorities tweeted warnings to stay away in both Dutch and English. Although the area is most known for its brothels, the closure didn't come about because of worries about coronavirus transmission through prostitution. Instead, the city's position was that some of the area's walkways are too tight. Bars, co...
The Country of Georgia to Accept Long-Term Foreign Residents—Including Americans
Posted on 07/20/2020, 6:00 AM
One of our most popular recent stories has to do with three countries that allow Americans not only to visit, but also to live for six months to a year. It's a scenario that many are finding extremely appealing, especially now that so many of us realize we can work from anywhere and don't necessarily need to be tethered to an office in the United States. Add the country of Georgia to the digial no...
American Airlines and JetBlue Become Partners
Posted on 07/20/2020, 5:00 AM
The first sign that something was unusual was that my cell phone rang, and it wasn't a scam. My friend Jill was on the other line, and she asked breathlessly, "Is it true?" When I said, "Is what true?" she replied, "Is it true that you could now think you were booking a JetBlue flight but end up on an American Airlines plane?" The answer is: only if you're not careful. But in a rare move, two ...
Mayflower Replica Soon to Sail Home to Plymouth—How to Track It Along the Way
Posted on 07/17/2020, 11:00 AM
As the Broadway musical Hamilton has shown us, the more we learn about the founders of the United States, the better equipped we are to wrestle with today's issues (though some critics argue that Hamilton doesn't contend sufficiently with slavery and its long-lasting damage). The importance of getting a full picture of the past applies to the Pilgrims, too. You might have heard that those buckle-...
