Steep Decline in Paris Tourism Following Terror Attacks
Posted on 08/29/2016, 12:00 AM
From January to June of this year, a million fewer people visited Paris compared with the same period in 2015. If you follow the news, you shouldn't have trouble figuring out the reasons for this sharp dropoff: recent attacks by Islamist militants in Paris as well as other locations in France including Nice and Normandy. Labor strikes and flooding in the French capital earlier this year have...
Obama Names New National Monument in Maine
Posted on 08/29/2016, 12:00 AM
Mount Katahdin in Maine (photo: InAweOfGod'sCreation/Flickr) On Wednesday of last week—the day before the National Park Service's 100th birthday—President Barack Obama created the 413th site in the system: Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument. It's located in northern Maine, on 87,000 acres donated by Burt's Bees founder Roxanne Quimby. The monument encompasses the East Branch of...
Prince's Paisley Park to Become a Museum
Posted on 08/26/2016, 12:00 AM
Starting today, August 26, at 2pm, you can buy tickets to tour Paisley Park, the estate outside of Minneapolis that once belonged to music legend Prince, who died on April 21. Guided tours will take you through the Purple One's recording studio, private music club, and concert hall, among other rooms. You'll also get to see some of the artist's unforgettable wardrobe and musical instruments,...
Prince's Paisley Park to Become a Museum
Posted on 08/26/2016, 12:00 AM
Starting today, August 26, at 2pm, you can buy tickets to tour Paisley Park, the estate outside of Minneapolis that once belonged to music legend Prince, who died on April 21. Guided tours will take you through the Purple One's recording studio, private music club, and concert hall, among other rooms. You'll also get to see some of the artist's unforgettable wardrobe and musical instruments,...
Myanmar Earthquake Damages Famous Bagan Temples
Posted on 08/26/2016, 12:00 AM
Bagan Temples following Wednesday's earthquake in Myanmar (photo: baganurbanadventures/Instagram) Wednesday's 6.8-magnitude earthquake in Myanmar killed at least one person and damaged about 60 historic Buddhist temples in the ancient city of Bagan, a major archaeological site and one of the country's top tourist destinations. Built between the 10th and 14th centuries, the pagodas are re...
Does Southwest's "Bags Fly Free" Policy Cause Delays?
Posted on 08/26/2016, 12:00 AM
Southwest Airlines makes a big deal out of still not charging passengers for checked bags (well, up to two bags, anyway), even as the carrier's major competitors have all instituted fees over the course of the last decade. A recent study published in the journal Management Science, however, found that letting "Bags Fly Free" might be hurting Southwest's on-time performance. Which begs the q...
World's Highest and Longest Glass-Bottomed Bridge Opens in China
Posted on 08/25/2016, 12:00 AM
Zhangjiajie glass bridge in China (photo: skytg24hd/Instagram) Having just recently become the site of a terrifying cliffside glass walkway, China's Zhangjiajie mountains are now also home to the world's highest and longest glass-bottomed bridge. Connecting two mountain cliffs in the central Hunan province, the structure features 99 glass panels stretching across 430 meters (1,400 feet) ...
Johnny Cash's Tennessee Ranch Made Into Museum
Posted on 08/25/2016, 12:00 AM
(Photo: Trish Keennan/Flickr) Fans of the Man in Black have another pilgrimage site to add to the itinerary. There's already the Johnny Cash Museum in Nashville, the Johnny Cash Boyhood Home in Dyess, Arkansas, Sun Studio in Memphis where Cash got his start (alongside Elvis Presley), and, if you're a real diehard, Folsom Prison in California. Now you can also visit Cash's former ranch...
Happy 100th Birthday, National Parks!
Posted on 08/25/2016, 12:00 AM
Yellowstone National Park (photo: FreeImages/Erik Marr) On August 25, 1916, President Woodrow Wilson signed a bill creating the National Park Service to protect and maintain sites of natural and historical significance. It was one of the smartest moves we ever made as a country, ensuring the longevity of the places that make America, well, America—from majestic mountain ranges and wide ope...
Luxury Travel Service Offers Chance to Meet Pope Francis—for $25,000
Posted on 08/24/2016, 12:00 AM
Pope Francis (photo: Aleteia Image Department/Flickr) There are vacation packages that come with free WiFi and water-park tickets. And then there are apparently vacation packages that include a meet-and-greet with Pope Francis. That's the highlight of a showstopping offering from luxury travel service If Only—part of a trip to Italy that will set you back $25,000 (well, actually, it'll c...
