Three New National Monuments Named
Posted on 02/12/2016, 2:45 PM
Meet your newest National Park units. President Obama has set aside some 1.8 million acres of delicate Southern California desertland as three of the United States' newest National Monuments. They're no longer "proposed"—as of today, they're confirmed. The new areas are called Mojave Trails, Castle Mountains (both are in the Mojave Desert), and Sand to Snow (in the Sonoran Desert). All o...
Will Travel Insurance Cover Zika Cancellation?
Posted on 02/09/2016, 7:30 PM
The short answer? No, unless you’re willing to pay extra. Some travel insurance providers offer plans that will cover cancelled travel for any reason, so Zika-related cancellations would inherently be included. But Dean Sivley, president of Berkshire Hathaway Travel Protection, has said that’s not the norm: Such policies are added onto travel insurance “less than 10 percent of the time.” A ...
The World's First Hybrid Plane Is Here
Posted on 02/09/2016, 1:15 PM
Introducing a new type of airplane: One that works on a hydrogen hybrid system. The new concept will be embraced by easyJet, the cheapie that operates in 27 European cities. But this is no publicity stunt—it's happening precisely because the airline is so stingy. The new aircraft, an adapted Airbus A320 to be called A320neo, will use a hydrogen battery to power part of its journey. It wo...
Fly to Iceland & They'll Give You a Friend
Posted on 02/02/2016, 2:45 PM
Icelandair has long been one of the more inventive European airlines. It has to be—people used to believe that Iceland is too far off the beaten path to pay attention to. But for half a century, the country and its airline have successfully worked against that belief, first by offering low-cost stopovers there, and later by expanding flights to Reykjavik to many moderate-sized American citie...
New York City Copter Tours Chopped
Posted on 02/02/2016, 2:00 PM
New York authorities just took a blade to the city's tourist helicopter industry: In an agreement that was jointly announced by the New York City Economic Development Corporation and the Helicopter Tourism and Jobs Council, helicopter operating companies agreed to reduce flights by about 50% annually within a year. All tourist flights would end on Sundays beginning April 1. Overall fli...
A Novel Device for Sharing Wi-Fi in the Sky
Posted on 02/02/2016, 1:45 PM
You're at 1,600 feet and suddenly you feel the bile rising in your throat. It's not turbulence. It's the outrageously high cost of Wi-Fi in the sky. I wish I could tell you've we found a way to get around the exorbitant fees being charged by GoGo Worldwide, the internet provider that serves most of the major airlines. We haven't. But USA Today has found a nifty gadget that allows users to...
Last Chance to Take a Sleeper in Germany
Posted on 02/02/2016, 1:30 PM
Rail Journal, a train industry publication, reports that German Rail (DB), the German rail company, is doing away with its overnight sleeper carriages. That romantic travel tradition of renting a berth or couchette for an overnight journey will soon be over in Germany—everyone will have to sleep in upright chairs from now on. The company said that just 1% of all long-distance travelers hav...
Reunion of the Fabled Pan Am Stewardesses
Posted on 01/25/2016, 2:45 PM
We don't need to be reminded of how miserable the flying experience is today, but it does help us as educated consumers to know what it used to be. In the first decades of air travel, perhaps no job held more mystique than that of the Pan Am stewardess. CBS News Sunday Morning attended a reunion of the sophisticated women who made Pan Am such a glamorous name in midcentury travel—and for whom...
Guy Builds NYC Igloo, Charges $200 on Airbnb
Posted on 01/25/2016, 2:00 PM
It's chilling proof that not every listing on Airbnb is high-quality: After last weekend's snowstorm, which laid more than two feet of snow on New York City, a Brooklyn man built an "igloo" in his front yard—and listed it for rent for $200 a night, reports Metro. No bathroom, no electricity, plastic-covered pillows, and a roof that may not last until the end of the day—oh, Brooklyn. Your comm...
Meet Hilton's New Affordable Hotel Brand
Posted on 01/25/2016, 1:45 PM
Hilton has launched yet another hotel brand—the 12th in its current portfolio— by announcing that it intends to push this one to being its largest in terms of nationwide room count. Tru by Hilton is targeted to open hundreds of properties in the coming years, and with that trajectory will soon overtake Hilton's Hampton brand. In fact, although you haven't stayed in a single Tru yet, there are...
