A True "Wow" in Airfares to Iceland
Posted on 10/26/2016, 12:00 AM
Looks like the American takeover of Iceland is continuing apace. In 2016 alone 325,000 Americans have made their way to this land of geysers, massive waterfalls, fermented shark treats, and Northern Lights. Since the population of Iceland is just 332,000, American visitors are on pace to outnumber the locals quite soon. They're being helped by Iceland's upstart airline WOW. It already was u...
A New National Wildlife Refuge Is Declared
Posted on 10/25/2016, 4:45 PM
Shrubland. OK, it's not as glam an eco-system as beach dunes or plunging, striated canyons. But in the case of this particular swatch—23.4 square non-contiguous miles across six Northeastern states—the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service decided that protection was so crucial to the 380 species of birds and other wildlife who called it home that they took the unusual step of creating a checkerboar...
The Pope's Summer Palace Now Open for Tours
Posted on 10/25/2016, 12:00 AM
For the first time ever, the centuries-old residence intended as a summer retreat for popes has been opened for public viewing. The Apostolic Palace at Castel Gandolfo, located along Lake Albano about 25 kilometers (16 mi) outside of Rome, has 20 rooms you can tour, including a library, study, chapel, and bedroom, all set aside for the use of the Catholic leader while he's on vacation. The ...
Overwater Bungalows Come to the Caribbean
Posted on 10/25/2016, 12:00 AM
(photo: Instagram/@kelly_klassen_tpi) Overwater bungalows—which are almost de rigueur at luxurious South Pacific resorts—have finally made their way to the Caribbean. El Dorado Maroma resort on Mexico's Riviera Maya has unveiled 30 new "palafitos" dubbed the "first and only over-ocean bungalows in Latin America." Each 600-square-foot thatched-roof hut features an open-concept interio...
Study: Oxygen Could Be Key to Curing Jet Lag
Posted on 10/25/2016, 12:00 AM
A cure for jet lag is of course the holy grail of travel-related science research. Could the answer be oxygen deprivation? That's what a new study published in the journal Cell Metabolism seems to suggest. Working with mice, researchers found that when the rodents breathed air with about a quarter to a third less oxygen than usual, they adapted to a six-hour time change (about what you'd ...
Airbnb Offering Chance to Spend Halloween at Dracula's Castle
Posted on 10/24/2016, 12:00 AM
Whatever your Halloween plans are—trick-or-treating, attending a house party dressed as Ken Bone, what have you—we're guessing your evening won't be as memorable as the one that two contest winners will spend as part of a promotion from Airbnb. That pair will get to sleep at Dracula's castle in Romania—making them the building's first overnight guests since 1948. To apply, all you have ...
American Airlines Off to a Slow Start in Cuba
Posted on 10/24/2016, 12:00 AM
U.S. airlines are set to begin commercial service to Havana next month. American Airlines, for example, will be flying to the Cuban capital four times a day from Miami starting November 28, and once per day from Charlotte starting November 30. But in the carrier's third-quarter earnings call with reporters last week, executives revealed that sales to Cuba are off to a slow start. In Septemb...
Are Conditions on Flights Leaving Passengers Vulnerable to Sexual Assault?
Posted on 10/24/2016, 12:00 AM
The accusations from 11 women who say that Donald Trump kissed or touched them sexually without their consent have brought renewed national attention to the issue of sexual assault. And that includes incidents on airplanes; one of the accusers, Jessica Leeds, alleges that Trump groped her during a flight in 1979 (for the record, he says she's lying). In an article in the New York Times, seve...
Pint-Size Princess Confronts Gaston at Disneyland
Posted on 10/21/2016, 12:00 AM
Now let's discuss the big debate of the week. We're talking, of course, about Gaston vs. Snow White. Dressed as that particular Disney princess, a 6-year-old girl named Lucy encountered the Beauty and the Beast bully at Disneyland in California this week. Lucy's mom, Katie Pettit, was filming the interaction, but she didn't coax the youngster to give Gaston a piece of her mind. Lucy did tha...
Delta Unveils New Crew Uniforms
Posted on 10/21/2016, 12:00 AM
(photo: Instagram/@icontips) Delta Air Lines supplied a sneak peek at its new crew uniforms this week during a runway show in the company's hometown of Atlanta. Created by celebrity fashion designer Zac Posen, the snappy new duds will be worn by more than 60,000 front-line workers, including flight attendants and customer-service agents at airports. It's Delta's biggest uniform overhaul...
