Category Archives for Destinations.
Surprising absolutely no one, Paris airport worker unions have announced a strike to begin days before the Summer Olympics there. Starting July 17, these strikes come in advance of the July 26 Olympics start date, and demand an “Olympics bonus” for all workers from the government-controlled company that operates both Charles de Gaulle and Orly airports.
It’s not enough to go to a place once and develop more than a contingent view. Every city has both positives and negatives, and you may experience more of one or the other on a given visit but that doesn’t mean you have a full sense of the place.
If you don’t like someplace, other than Chicago and Boston, you should probably go back! That way you can discover more about it, and find the things that are good there and that others appreciate.
The Yuntai Waterfall in the Henan province of north central China is supposed to be a majestic natural wonder, “like the Milky Way flying down” according to the park’s website. China’s tallest uninterrupted waterfall features a 1,030-foot drop and is honored with the Ministry of Culture and Tourism’s highest accolade. It’s a UNESCO Global Geopark. Millions of tourists visit annually. And it’s a fraud.
Today marks the 35th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre, where the Chinese government brutally crushed protestors.
The image of ‘Tank Man’ standing athwart the People’s Liberation Army seemed like an historical moment for that nation. The Chinese people who stood up that day were disappeared.
The Maldives has banned entry into the country by Israeli citizens and will fundraise for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency which works directly with Hamas in Gaza and some of whose employees participated in the October 7th terrorist attacks.
A 30-year old American has been arrested after two bullets were found in his backpack prior to boarding a cruise in Turks & Caicos. He now faces 12 years in prison. The Virginia resident is a father of an 18-month old child and says he didn’t realize the bullets were there.
We just heard this story about another American last week. It stems from a change in Turks & Caicos law based on a new court ruling in February, and from TSA’s persistent failure to catch bullets going through security checkpoints at U.S. airports.
Nick Gray headed to Tokyo and, after his trip there last year, felt like he’d have enjoyed it more after a few days if he had someone to hang out along with him. So he posted to the internet that he’d like a blind date and that he’d fly them there (in coach) for a long weekend and cover all expenses. He created a Google Doc with how to apply. This story is going viral, viewed millions of times.
In Lopburi, Thailand, a significant escalation has occurred involving conflicts between rival monkey factions, leading to significant disruptions. To mitigate the situation, officials have engaged, successfully capturing a key figure among the monkeys, Ai Krao, along with several of his followers. Despite these efforts, the challenge persists due to the monkeys’ adeptness with firearms and understanding of human cues.
The customs forms for 1,966 cartons said they were nail clippers and pet grooming supplies. Anyone who opened up the cartons were supposed to just be scared off by the preserved rattlesnakes inside, I guess, though it seems like that would be at least a paperwork violation once found.
Hidden inside – the rattlesnakes were just a decoy – were duck intestines from China.
There’s a lot of confusion over taxes and fees when flying from London, because there are so many of them. European and British airlines like British Airways add fuel surcharges or ‘carrier-imposed surcharges’ onto tickets. These are extra fees for no particular reason, that are quoted as part of the total price when buying a ticket for cash. They are extra fees collected on top of your miles when you redeem points, making them even worse.
Gary Leff is one of the foremost experts in the field of miles, points, and frequent business travel -- a topic he has covered since 2002.
Co-founder of frequent flyer community InsideFlyer.com, emcee of the Freddie Awards, and named one of the "World's Top Travel Experts" by Conde' Nast Traveler (2010-Present) Gary has been a guest on most major news media, profiled in several top print publications, and published broadly on the topic of consumer loyalty. More About Gary »
