Articles

Zac Thompson

Article / Passportable

Tourist Overload: Venice Limits Gondola Capacity Due to Heavier Visitors

The number of passengers allowed at one time aboard the iconic gondolas of Venice is being reduced from six people to five. It sounds like a social distancing thing, but, in fact,…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Lawsuit: Hertz Customers Jailed After False Accusations of Stealing Rental Cars

Rent a car from Hertz and your road trip could end in unjustified jail time, or so a lawsuit filed in Delaware on behalf of nearly two dozen plaintiffs alleges. The accusers—all…

Article / Passportable

Puerto Rico to Tourists: Stay Home!

Because Puerto Rico is part of the United States, flights to the island from the mainland were never completely halted this spring due to the pandemic. But in March, Puerto Rico's…

Article / Passportable

Another Island Paradise Is Welcoming Digital Nomads for Yearlong Stays

If you can work from home, you can work from a pink-sand beach. The island of Bermuda, a British Overseas Territory in the North Atlantic Ocean, is offering one-year residencies to…

Article / Passportable

Take a Look at Nashville's New Dolly Parton–Inspired Rooftop Restaurant

In the divisive times we're living in, Dolly Parton is one of the few public figures you could fairly describe as universally beloved. (The only others we can think of are Betty White…

Article / Passportable

New U.S. Olympic Museum Is Your Only Chance to Cheer on Team USA in 2020

The 2020 Summer Olympics were originally scheduled to kick off in Tokyo at the end of this week. Because of the pandemic, the games have been pushed back to 2021. But at least one…

Article / Passportable

WATCH: Underwater Cam Follows Migrating Beluga Whales

If you can tear yourself away from the bear cams streaming from Katmai National Park in Alaska, there's another entertaining wildlife feed that has launched for the summer. An…

Article / Passportable

Stuck at Home? Send Your Scream of Frustration to the Wilds of Iceland

Babies, mental health experts, and teenagers who hang out near freight trains in movies all agree: Screaming helps relieve frustration and anxiety. And 2020 has given us a lot to…

Article / Passportable

One European Union Country Is Now Allowing Americans to Visit

The European Union has recommended that its 27 member states bar Americans from entry for the time being due to the surge of Covid-19 infections in the United States. But ultimately,…

Article / Passportable

NYC Tourism Creeping Back: Reopening Date Set for Empire State Building

While the coronavirus continues to rampage across most of the United States, New York City has recorded its first 24-hour period with no Covid-19 deaths since the start of the…

Article / Passportable

Airline Now Requires Full Face Shields Plus Masks During Flights

As part of an effort to ramp up safety precautions amid the global health crisis, Qatar Airways is now requiring passengers to wear full face shields as well as masks throughout…

Article / Passportable

WATCH: Hilarious Video on How to Ride a Japanese Roller Coaster Without Screaming

Back in May, when amusement parks began reopening in Japan following coronavirus closures, owners imposed a widely reported ban on screaming while riding roller coasters. Letting out…

Article / Passportable

EU Releases Safety Guidelines for Resuming Cruises in Europe

On the same day the European Union announced that Americans would be barred from entering member states due to the U.S. coronavirus surge, the EU also released guidelines for the…

Article / Passportable

Airline Accidentally Gives Multimillion-Dollar Refund for Canceled Flight

Given the high volume of cancellations and refunds that airlines are processing amid the pandemic, it should come as no surprise that mistakes are popping up. An eyebrow-raising one…

Article / Passportable

Atlantic City Reopens—With No Indoor Dining and Other Big Changes

As of July 2, Atlantic City casinos are back in business after New Jersey shut them down in March due to coronavirus concerns. Of the city's nine casinos, five—Golden Nugget, Hard…

Article / Passportable

TV Investigation Claims to Find Unchanged Sheets at NYC Hotels

An investigative report that aired on the syndicated TV program Inside Edition this week found that hotel rooms—including the sheets—hadn't been thoroughly cleaned at three properties…

Article / Passportable

Global Entry Enrollment Centers Soon to Reopen

Update, July 1: Shortly after announcing that enrollment centers would open on July 6, U.S. Customs and Border Protection backtracked and postponed their return until at least August…

Article / Passportable

Belize Announces Date for Tourism Reopening

Belize has set a date for welcoming back foreign tourists to that Central American nation of jungles, Mayan ruins, and Caribbean beaches (such as at Caye Caulker, pictured…

Article / Outdoor & Adventure

5 Tips for Hiking in Extreme Summer Heat

Some advice for staying safe, hydrated, and relatively comfortable when you go hiking in blistering summer heat

Article / Passportable

WATCH: Alaska’s Bear Cams Are Back—Just in Time for Salmon Season

The bear cams at Alaska's Katmai National Park have been switched on again and are streaming live images of the reserve's furry denizens as they fish for salmon in the Brooks…

Article / Passportable

HomeAway to Go Away—What That Means for Your Rental

Expedia Group is dropping its HomeAway platform for vacation rentals. Instead, the online travel company is focusing its rental business on the similar Vrbo brand. Starting next…

Article / Passportable

Saudi Arabia Blocks International Pilgrims from Mecca

For the first time in modern history, Muslims from around the world will not be allowed to make the pilgrimage to Mecca this year. Saudi Arabia announced yesterday that international…

Article / Passportable

Meet Nakoda, Banff's Ultra-Rare White Grizzly

A virtually unheard-of white grizzly bear has been spotted several times in the Canadian Rockies in recent weeks. The ultra-rare animal made its social media debut in late April, when…

Article / Passportable

WATCH: “Into the Wild” Bus Airlifted from Alaska Backcountry

An abandoned bus in middle-of-nowhere, Alaska, became a grim tourism draw following the 1996 publication of Into the Wild, later made into a film directed by Sean Penn. Jon Krakauer's…

Article / Passportable

Blaming the Pandemic This Time, L.A.'s Oscars Museum Delays Yet Again

Like some troubled Hollywood epic, the overbudget, much-delayed Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles has had its opening date pushed back again. Originally slated to begin…