New Program Matches Travelers with Locals for Tours and Activities in Sweden
Posted on 08/10/2017, 8:00 PM
We've said it a million times: One of the most rewarding ways to experience a new place is by getting to know somebody who lives there.The West Sweden Tourist Board is making that a lot easier for travelers to do with a new program called Meet the Locals. It matches visitors with residents willing to lead a variety of cultural, natural, and culinary activities in western Sweden, a region that encom...
Dramatic Drop in Airline Bumping Following United Incident
Posted on 08/09/2017, 8:00 PM
U.S. airlines have dramatically reduced the number of passengers bumped from flights, according to the Department of Transportation.In the agency's latest report card on airline performance, figures show that just one out of every 19,000 customers was not allowed on a plane due to overbooking in the first half of 2017. That's the least amount of bumping since the government began tracking it in 199...
Primera to Become Latest Low-Cost Transatlantic Airline
Posted on 08/08/2017, 8:00 PM
Yet another low-cost European airline has announced plans to enter the increasingly crowded transatlantic market.Danish carrier Primera Air will begin offering daily flights between Newark and the U.K.'s London Stansted Airport on April 19 of next year. Daily service from Newark to Paris and Birmingham, England will be added on May 18. By the end of June 2018, the company will also be flying betwee...
Tourist Jailed for Wearing Sandals in Asian Temple
Posted on 08/07/2017, 12:00 AM
Taiwan's The China Post reports that a Russian tourist has been imprisoned in Myanmar for the crime of wearing sandals in the world-famous tourist site of Bagan.Wearing shoes in pagodas and other holy places is considered highly insulting to the Burmese, and multiple signs sternly warn visitors against it. It's not known whether the Russian tourist couldn't read the signs or if she simply didn't se...
Wonder Woman Roller Coaster Coming to Six Flags Fiesta Texas
Posted on 08/03/2017, 8:00 PM
A new Wonder Woman-themed roller coaster will open next spring at Six Flags Fiesta Texas in San Antonio, the amusement park chain has announced.Dubbed Wonder Woman Golden Lasso after the comic book superheroine turned box office champ, the coaster is expected to offer an exceptionally smooth ride because cars will zip along a single rail instead of two, thus removing the chance of turbulence caused...
New Reservations Website for California State Parks
Posted on 08/02/2017, 8:00 PM
A new website for making reservations for campsites and activities at California's state parks debuts this week.From now on, you'll need to go to ReserveCalifornia to book tent space in Humboldt Redwoods State Park, a beach cottage at Crystal Cove in Orange County, a tour of Hearst Castle (pictured above) in San Simeon, or facilities at more than 100 additional sites across the state, with around 4...
Nevada Clown Motel for Sale
Posted on 07/31/2017, 12:00 AM
A leading contender for the title of World's Creepiest Motel has just gone on the market. The Clown Motel is a 31-room accommodation in tiny Tonopah, Nevada, located about midway between Las Vegas and Reno. As you might have guessed/dreaded from the name, the place is stuffed with an enormous collection of clown paintings, prints, decor, and toys—some of which are suspended over beds. That...
8-Year-Old Becomes Youngest Female to Climb Mt. Kilimanjaro
Posted on 07/30/2017, 8:00 PM
AUGUST 1, 2017FLORIDA GIRL SETS KILIMANJARO RECORD (Travel + Leisure)An 8-year-old Florida girl has made history as the youngest female ever to climb Mount Kilimanjaro. After a weeklong ascent, Roxy Getter reached the summit of the 19,341-foot Tanzanian peak alongside her 10-year-old brother, Ben, and their parents, Sarah and Bobby. The family trained by trudging up and down stairs at parking gara...
Mud Festival Planned for New Zealand
Posted on 07/28/2017, 12:00 AM
The mud in most places isn't worth celebrating. Then again, most places aren't Rotorua, New Zealand, where geothermal activity creates geysers, hot springs, and, yes, mud rich in restorative minerals useful in beauty and wellness treatments. This December, Rotorua will be celebrating that unique feature of the landscape with the first-ever Mudtopia Festival, a three-day event during which ...
Another Big Hotel Chain Makes Cancelling Costly
Posted on 07/25/2017, 1:15 PM
In June, Marriott changed its rules about cancelling hotel reservations. Before then, customers usually could cancel a room all the way until the day of check-in, sometimes the day before, and suffer no penalty. But as of this summer, the new Marriott deadline is 48 hours in North America and Latin America. If you don't cancel your Marriott room at least two days before check-in, you must pay the ...
