Are Fees for Seating Assignments in Restaurants Coming to Las Vegas?
Posted on 01/14/2025, 7:00 AM
MGM Resorts, which operates a host of properties in Las Vegas, is reportedly considering the introduction of "tiered seating" fees at restaurants located at the company's hotels. This would mean diners would have to pay extra to sit at the restaurants' best tables—like the ones next to windows perhaps. Word that MGM is contemplating such a change comes from a recent note to investors by Deutsch...
Get Amtrak's USA Rail Pass for Nearly Half Off in January Flash Sale
Posted on 01/13/2025, 2:45 PM
You have until the end of Friday, January 17, to buy a USA Rail Pass from Amtrak for just $299. The usual price is $499.The USA Rail Pass is like Amtrak's version of Europe's Eurail pass. The American version allows passengers to take 10 rides on Amtrak trains within a 30-day period for one price.Passes bought during the sale will be valid for 120 days from the date of purchase. Once the first ride...
The Ultimate David Bowie Museum Opens in London This September
Posted on 01/10/2025, 7:45 AM
London's iconic Victoria and Albert Museum, more commonly known as the V&A, steps into an expansionist era in 2025 when it opens a brand-new complex designed to provide more public viewing of its massive and ever-growing collection. The V&A's main museum, a Victorian-era, overstuffed labyrinth containing the world's finest examples of decorative arts, has long been inadequate for displaying...
TSA Bins Are Absolutely Disgusting, Says This TSA Agent
Posted on 01/09/2025, 6:00 AM
Here's another reason to hope that the social media trend of posting photos of artfully arranged airport security trays remains back in 2024 where it belongs. Turns out that using those bins as a canvas for self-expression was stomach-churningly disgusting all along. Seems like there's a metaphor in there somewhere. In a recent TikTok video, uniformed Transportation Security Administration agent J...
Very Cool! Take a Look Inside This Winter’s Incredible Icehotel in Sweden
Posted on 12/27/2024, 7:30 AM
The 35th iteration of Sweden's Icehotel—sculpted each year from more than 500 tons of ice and snow from the Torne River—has opened for the 2024–2025 winter season in the Arctic village of Jukkasjärvi. As usual, the finished product is the result of a monumental effort. In just 6 weeks, an international team of 76 builders, artists, lighting designers, and other crew members managed to fashion 10 O...
How to Get Rid of Airplane Ear? You Could Try This "Hot Cup" Trick from TikTok
Posted on 12/23/2024, 4:15 PM
Clogged ears on a flight can be annoying at best and acutely painful at worst. A viral TikTok clip claims to have the solution. Airplane ear, as the condition is known (or ear barotrauma if you want to impress your ENT), happens as a result of sudden changes in air pressure acting on your middle ear. Particularly during takeoff and landing, the quickly altering altitude can result in popping, mu...
The Euro Is Plunging. Is This a Smart Time to Visit Europe for Cheap?
Posted on 12/19/2024, 3:45 PM
The last time the value of the euro bottomed out against the U.S. dollar, it was May 2022. People were exhausted from dealing with Covid, flight schedules were still curtailed, and high summer airfares were setting in. Many people still couldn't afford to get to Europe to take advantage of the big value.The euro is drooping again. But this time, it's happening just as the low season for transatlant...
Thanks to a Donor, You Can Ski for Free all Winter at This Historic New England Spot
Posted on 12/19/2024, 7:00 AM
Skiing has gotten disgustingly expensive, with single-day lift tickets soaring to $300 a pop on some mountains. This winter, though, a historic New Hampshire ski area is offering access to its slopes for free. Throughout the entire 2024–2025 season at Storrs Hill Ski Area in Lebanon, New Hampshire, the cost of lift tickets for skiers and snowboarders of all ages will be $0. This is not a sales ...
No, the U.S. Didn't Just "Ban" Resort Fees. Here's What the FTC Actually Did
Posted on 12/18/2024, 9:00 AM
Another day, another flagrant twisting of the truth by some of the people who cover news of travel industry.You probably saw some posts and news headlines that told you that junk fees and resort fees at hotels have been banned. Here are a few headlines as examples:CBS News: "New federal rule bans "junk fees" on hotels and live event tickets"ABC News: "New federal rule bans 'junk fees' on hotels, li...
America Names Newest National Park Units, Including One for This Trailblazing Woman
Posted on 12/17/2024, 5:00 PM
The U.S. National Park System got its 433rd addition this week, when President Joe Biden established the Frances Perkins National Monument in Newcastle, Maine. Though not exactly a household name today, Perkins (1880–1965) was a pioneering figure in women's history and the labor rights movement. In 1933, she became the first woman to serve in a presidential Cabinet, becoming Secretary of Labor un...
