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Airbnb Releases Updated Nondiscrimination Policy

By Zac Thompson

Posted on 09/09/2016, 12:00 AM

Responding to allegations of racial discrimination on the part of some of its hosts, vacation-rental company Airbnb released an updated antidiscrimination policy on Thursday. According to the guidelines, hosts are barred from declining stay requests or listing preferences based on race, ethnicity, origin, gender, sexual orientation, and disability; violators risk being suspended or removed fr...

Stop Trying to Help Baby Seals in Cornwall

By Zac Thompson

Posted on 09/08/2016, 12:00 AM

(Photo: Tambako The Jaguar/Flickr) If you happen to be in Cornwall on the southwestern tip of England and you see an adorable newborn seal resting on the beach, do the world (and especially the seal) a favor and LEAVE IT ALONE. Authorities in the area have had to issue a similar warning because baby seals kept getting herded into the water by well-meaning but wrong-headed tourists who a...

"Game of Thrones" to Film in Northern Spain

By Zac Thompson

Posted on 09/08/2016, 12:00 AM

A beach near Barrika in Spain's Basque Country (photo: Jesús Ignacio Bravo Soler/Wikimedia Commons) On the one hand, we have a hard time understanding why people would base their travel plans on what they see on Game of Thrones, given that life in Westeros seems pretty horrific all around. On the other hand, some of the landscapes that appear in the HBO fantasy epic are so stunning that ...

Where Travelers Concerned About Safety Are Going (It's Not France)

By Zac Thompson

Posted on 09/08/2016, 12:00 AM

Following the terror attacks in Paris, Brussels, Istanbul, and Nice that have taken place since November, we've heard a lot about how safety concerns are having a negative impact on tourism in those places. The downturn has been especially pronounced in France, one of the world's top travel destinations. One recent report found, for example, that a million fewer people visited Paris from Jan...

Video Appears to Show Vandals Destroying Beloved Oregon Rock Formation

By Zac Thompson

Posted on 09/07/2016, 12:00 AM

From the this-is-why-we-can't-have-nice-things department: Video has surfaced that appears to show vandals in coastal Oregon destroying an iconic rock formation by pushing it over. Located in Cape Kiwanda State Natural Area, the 7- by 10-foot pedestal, commonly known as "the duckbill," was originally thought to have toppled due to erosion and weather. But then a guy named David Kalas came...

London Double-Decker Bus Converted Into Hotel Room

By Zac Thompson

Posted on 09/07/2016, 12:00 AM

The South Causey Inn's double-decker bus room (photo: katyjourno/Instagram) Let's say you want to sleep inside an iconic symbol of London. The royal residences are likely out of the question, until you can get Prince Harry to return your calls. And there's probably a night watchman at the British Museum to expel you if you linger past closing. A better alternative: spend the night in...

Zika Update: U.S. Issues Singapore Travel Advisory

By Zac Thompson

Posted on 09/07/2016, 12:00 AM

Though the largest outbreaks of Zika have been in Latin American and Caribbean countries, there have also been cases of the virus, which can be transmitted by mosquitos, reported in parts of Southeast Asia. Until recently, however, those have been isolated instances. That changed last week, when confirmed cases of Zika in the city-state of Singapore rose to 82. In response, the Centers for ...

Hotel Chains Testing High-Tech Innovations

By Zac Thompson

Posted on 09/06/2016, 12:00 AM

The fully automated future foretold by The Jetsons hasn't quite come to pass yet, but more and more hotels are doing their part to hurry things along. The Washington Post offers a rundown of the high-tech innovations currently being tested at hotel chains. They include: voice-activated rooms that let you control the thermostat, lights, and even soundtrack by speaking (Aloft Hotels); robots th...

World's Longest, Highest Glass-Bottom Bridge Closes for Renovations

By Zac Thompson

Posted on 09/06/2016, 12:00 AM

Zhangjiagie glass bridge in China (photo: skytg24hd/Instagram) That was quick. On Friday the world's longest and highest glass-bottom bridge, located in China's Zhangjiagie mountains, closed—just 13 days after it opened to the public on August 20. Officials say that the record-breaking structure, which stretches 430 meters (1,411 feet) across a drop of 300 meters (984 feet), was over...

Controversial Legislation for Grand Canyon Aerial Tram

By Zac Thompson

Posted on 09/06/2016, 12:00 AM

Last week a Navajo Nation council member introduced controversial legislation for an aerial tram and other tourist attractions at the eastern rim of the Grand Canyon. Dubbed the Grand Canyon Escalade project, the plan calls for a gondola that would shuttle tourists from the cliffs of the Navajo Nation just outside of the national park down into the canyon, to the spot where the Colorado Rive...

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