Articles

Zac Thompson

Article / Passportable

Italian Airline Now Offers Free Stopovers in Rome

Rome remains a destination that rarely lacks for tourists. In 2017, more than 14.5 million of them visited the Eternal City—a nickname that might as well refer to the wait times in…

Article / Passportable

A Luxury Island Retreat Where Only Women Are Welcome

We told you women-only travel was going to be a big deal in 2018.To wit: In September, a private island off the coast of Finland will begin welcoming guests—and dudes need not…

Article / Passportable

Plans for Cartoon Network Cruise Being Drawn

The first fully immersive Cartoon Network cruise ship is currently in the works.We'd like to tell you the plans are being cooked up in Dexter's Laboratory, but in fact the project is a…

Article / Passportable

Legoland Coming to New York (Assembly Required)

A new Legoland theme park is being built, plastic brick by plastic brick, in the town of Goshen, New York, located about a two-hour drive north of New York City. Expected to open in…

Article / Passportable

"Three Billboards" Locations Way Outside Missouri

The titular small town in Martin McDonagh's Oscar-nominated dark comedy Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri does not exist in real life. And we're not sure we'd want to visit if…

Article / Passportable

Pop-Up Marriage License Office Opening at Vegas Airport for Valentine's Day

Around 80,000 couples get married in Las Vegas each year, and about 80% of them are tourists.For obvious reasons, the nuptials biz is especially brisk around Valentine's Day, when the…

Article / Passportable

San Francisco Airport Can Now Send Emergency Texts to Passengers

San Francisco International Airport has become the first in the nation to receive approval from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to send emergency text messages directly to any…

Article / Health, Insurance, Security

U.S. State Department Travel Advisories: Where to Find Them, How to Read Them

In 2018, the U.S. State Department revamped its travel warnings to make them easier to understand. Here's how to find them and how to use them to plan a safe trip overseas.

Article / Passportable

U.S. Civil Rights Trail Links Dozens of Historic Sites in 14 States

Fourteen states, covering a chunk of the U.S. from Delaware to Kansas, are joining together to promote tourism to more than 100 landmarks crucial to the struggle for civil rights.The…

Article / Passportable

Tour Operator to Pay Passport Fees for Travelers Age 18–35

More than half of Americans age 18–35 don't have passports, according to Contiki, a tour operator specializing in that very demographic.For a limited time, Contiki is offering some…

Article / Air Travel

New York City's Airport Dentist Looks Back on 30 Years in the "Smile High Club"

Did you know there are dental offices at New York City's LaGuardia and JFK Airports? Dr. Robert Trager has been tending to the smiles of airport personnel and passengers for three…

Article / Passportable

No More Airline Miles for Hotel Stays Among Changes to Hilton's Loyalty Program

Hilton Worldwide is making changes to its 70-million-member hotel loyalty program, Hilton Honors.Among the most consequential of the updates: Starting April 1, members will no longer…

Article / Passportable

Strange Japanese Ferris Wheel Reopening After Nearly a Decade

It sure doesn't look like it, but the structure pictured above is actually a Ferris wheel. The oblong oddity adorns the Don Quijote discount shopping center along the Dotonbori River…

Article / Passportable

NYC's Met to Charge Mandatory Admission to Out-of-Towners

For the first time since its founding in the 1870s, New York City's Metropolitan Museum of Art is instituting a mandatory admission fee. Starting March 1, visitors who do not live in…

Article / Passportable

When Southern California Museums Open for Free This Month

The 13th annual Free-for-All day at Southern California museums will be Sunday, January 28. Nineteen institutions in the area will waive their admission fees on that day, offering…

Article / Passportable

To Visit This Island Paradise You Have to Pledge to Protect the Environment

In order to enter the island nation of Palau in the western Pacific Ocean, visitors must now sign a "passport pledge" to protect the environment.The mandatory vow was enacted to…

Article / Passportable

Huge Nature-Themed Light Show Illuminates Winter Nights in Japan

Each winter at Japan's Nagashima Resort in the city of Kuwana, millions of LED lights are used to create ravishing nighttime nature scenes. Held in the gardens of the complex (which…

Article / Passportable

Royal Caribbean Increases the Daily Fee Used to Tip Staff

For the third time in three years, Royal Caribbean Cruises is hiking up its "automatic gratuity"—the term for the service fee that lines recommend each passenger pays per day during a…

Article / Passportable

Robert De Niro’s Hotel Brand Goes On a Building Spree in 2018

Nobu Hotels, co-owned by actor Robert De Niro, star chef Nobu Matsuhisa, and movie producer Meir Teper, will have a busy 2018. The upscale chain is adding new properties in Chicago;…

Article / Passportable

New App Helps Visually Impaired Travelers Navigate Airport

American Printing House for the Blind's "Nearby Explorer" app—a GPS-enabled mobile wayfinding service developed specifically for visually impaired users—has a brand-new feature to help…

Article / Passportable

Lady Gaga Residency in Vegas Set for Late 2018

By the end of next year, it will be easier than ever for Las Vegas gamblers to watch Lady Gaga perform "Poker Face" on the same day they perfect their own.The singer is settling in at…

Article / Passportable

In January, Learn to Ski—for Less—in Michigan

It might surprise you to learn that Michigan has one of the highest concentrations of ski areas in the United States. There are around 40 places to hit the slopes in the…

Article / Passportable

Why Hotel Bills in Hawaii Are About to Go Up

On January 1, the tax on lodgings in Hawaii will increase by 1% statewide.But that's not all. The fee charged to tourists who rent rooms in hotels, condos, B&Bs, and "transient…

Article / Passportable

Neapolitan Pizza, Panama Hats Among Traditions Given UNESCO Heritage Status

As anybody who travels with open eyes and an open mind soon discovers, a place isn't made unique just by its buildings and scenery. The dishes, dances, crafts, languages, and other…

Article / Passportable

U.S. Government Won't Require Bag Fee Disclosure in Airfares

An Obama administration proposal designed to protect airline passengers from hidden fees has been discarded by the current Department of Transportation. Under the proposed…