In a clear acknowledgment that it needs to right the wrong of centuries spent luring unsuspecting travelers into the domain of a bloodsucking monster, a Romanian town is now offering free COVID vaccines to visitors of the not-at-all-ominous Bran Castle.
Read the entire article: Romania would like you to get vaccinated at Dracula’s castle
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A submersible has dived to the world’s deepest-known shipwreck.
The vessel reached the USS Johnston, which lies 6.5km (4 miles) beneath the waves in the Philippine Sea in the Pacific Ocean.
Explorers spent several hours surveying and filming the wreck over a series of dives.
The 115m-long US Navy destroyer sank during the Battle off Samar in 1944 after a fierce battle with a large fleet of Japanese warships.
Victor Vescovo, who led the expedition and piloted the sub, said: “The wreck is so deep so there’s very little oxygen down there, and while there is a little bit of contamination from marine life, it’s remarkably well intact except for the damage it took from the furious fight.”
Read the entire article: USS Johnston: Sub dives to deepest-known shipwreck – BBC News
USS Johnston: Sub dives to deepest-known shipwreck – BBC News Read Post »
The Willamette Valley is the beating heart of Oregon’s picturesque wine region, home to two-thirds of the Beaver State’s wineries and famed for its exceptional Pinot Noir.
Sandwiched between the Oregon Coast Range and the Cascade Range, it also boasts the six largest cities in the state and some of the most pet-friendly destinations in the country.
Read the entire article: BringFido’s Guide to the Willamette Valley – BringFido
BringFido’s Guide to the Willamette Valley – BringFido Read Post »
When classic car restorer and metal detecting enthusiast Kevin Duckett spotted a glint of gold peeking out beneath the soil of an English field in 2017, he initially thought he’d found a crumpled piece of foil. But as the Northamptonshire native continued digging, he soon realized he’d stumbled onto something far more valuable.
Read the entire article: Amateur Treasure Hunter Unearths Missing Centerpiece of Henry VIII’s Crown | Smart News | Smithsonian Magazine
SpaceX announced Monday that it will fly a space tourism flight as early as the fourth quarter of this year, billing it as the first “all-civilian” mission to space.
A tech entrepreneur named Jared Isaacman has financed the mission, named “Inspiration4,” and will serve as commander aboard the autonomous Crew Dragon spacecraft. Isaacman, 37, is a pilot-rated to fly commercial and military aircraft, but he has no formal astronaut training. He is the founder and chief executive officer of Shift4 Payments, a digital payments company.
Read the entire article: SpaceX announces first “free flyer” human spaceflight | Ars Technica
SpaceX announces first “free flyer” human spaceflight | Ars Technica Read Post »
New scholarship points to a paradox of historic scope: Our writing system was devised by people who couldn’t read.
Centuries before Moses wandered in the “great and terrible wilderness” of the Sinai Peninsula, this triangle of desert wedged between Africa and Asia attracted speculators, drawn by rich mineral deposits hidden in the rocks. And it was on one of these expeditions, around 4,000 years ago, that some mysterious person or group took a bold step that, in retrospect, was truly revolutionary. Scratched on the wall of a mine is the very first attempt at something we use every day: the alphabet.
The evidence, which continues to be examined and reinterpreted 116 years after its discovery, is on a windswept plateau in Egypt called Serabit el-Khadim, a remote spot even by Sinai standards. Yet it wasn’t too difficult for even ancient Egyptians to reach, as the presence of a temple right at the top shows.
Read the entire article: Who Invented the Alphabet? | History | Smithsonian Magazine
Who Invented the Alphabet? | History | Smithsonian Magazine Read Post »
In the early days of the coronavirus pandemic, travel screeched to a halt in the United States. In April, airports were devoid of their usual crowds, with ghostly security checkpoints seeing a mere 4 percent of typical traveler volumes that month.
Daily passenger levels — which in 2019 were usually around 2 to 3 million travelers daily — dipped to their lowest levels in a decade; a mere 100,000 travelers passed through airports most days in April.
Read the entire article: Holiday travel numbers broke records. Will the trend continue in 2021? – The Washington Post
2021 is shaping up to be the year of the digital travel pass – most likely in the form of an app – for anyone looking to take to the skies. We can expect things in that sector to develop quickly from here on. And the latest indications are that one particular app is now gaining momentum, with several airlines making plans to begin rolling it out this month.
It’s called CommonPass. So what exactly does it do, and will you need to have it on your phone the next time you fly?
Read the entire article: This App Is Emerging As A Leader Among Covid-19 Digital Travel Passes
This App Is Emerging As A Leader Among Covid-19 Digital Travel Passes Read Post »
Everyone has their happy place. A place both real and imagined that brings them a sense of calm, joy, and pure happiness. For me, that’s the mountains in winter.
The fresh snow, crisp air, and joyful shrieks of skiers and snowboarders as they rip down the powder. But, being 2020, I thought my happy place was in peril. Until I visited Mammoth Mountain for opening week.
Read the entire article: Here’s What Skiing at Mammoth Mountain Looks Like Right Now | Travel + Leisure
Here’s What Skiing at Mammoth Mountain Looks Like Right Now | Travel + Leisure Read Post »
Virgin Hyperloop announced that for the first time it has conducted a test of its ultra-fast transportation system with human passengers.
The test took place on Sunday afternoon at the company’s DevLoop test track in the desert outside Las Vegas, Nevada. The first two passengers were Virgin Hyperloop’s chief technology officer and co-founder, Josh Giegel, and head of passenger experience, Sara Luchian.
After strapping into their seats in the company’s gleaming white and red hyperloop pod, dubbed Pegasus, they were transferred into an airlock as the air inside the enclosed vacuum tube was removed.
Read the entire article: Virgin Hyperloop hits an important milestone: the first human passenger test – The Verge
Virgin Hyperloop hits an important milestone: the first human passenger test – The Verge Read Post »
To get the tastiest Thanksgiving dinner this year, you’re going to have to go to Cabo.
Auberge Resorts Collection’s two properties in Los Cabos — Chileno Bay Resort & Residences, Auberge Resorts Collection, and Esperanza, Auberge Resorts Collection — announced in November that chef Mads Refslund, one of the world’s most acclaimed chefs, will celebrate the season of gratitude in Cabo with a limited series of exclusive dining experiences over Thanksgiving weekend.
Read the entire article: Famed Chef Mads Refslund Will Cook You an Unforgettable Thanksgiving Dinner in Mexico | Travel + Leisure
Despite a price tag of up to $496 (£380), the first two seating dates sold out within half an hour.
The airline has added two more dates, with diners signing onto a waitlist for lunch and dinner sittings. Singapore Airlines is one of many carriers looking for new business models to make up for lost revenues.
The airline currently plans to use two Airbus A380 aircraft for each three-hour session. Each one will be half full to help adhere to social distancing regulations.
Read the entire article: Singapore Airlines sells out meals on parked plane – BBC News
Singapore Airlines sells out meals on parked plane – BBC News Read Post »
When I decided to travel to Mexico in the middle of the pandemic for more than a month, I didn’t have many supporters among my friends and family, with fair concern. The country is currently one of the hardest hit by the virus — and is now approaching nearly 900,000 cases.
Traveling now clearly isn’t an option for everyone, but my partner and I both felt we could get away and, with our employers having us work remotely, I probably had no better opportunity to work abroad than this one and only time.
Read the entire article: How I Worked From Home Abroad in Mexico for 35 Days During the Pandemic – The New York Times
How’s this for an October surprise? Despite a significant rise in COVID-19 cases in many parts of the country, it appears that more people are flying on commercial jetliners than at any time over the last seven months.
More than one million people were screened by the Transportation Security Administration at airport security checkpoints Sunday. It’s the first time the TSA’s daily traveler count has topped the one million mark since March 16.
Read the entire article: Air Travel High: TSA Screens 1 Million For 1st Time Since March : Coronavirus Live Updates : NPR
With international leisure travel pretty much at a standstill, Iceland is using its pandemic downtime to make some major upgrades to its tourist infrastructure.
The Icelandic government is putting more than $12 million into improving roads, preserving popular sites, and revamping facilities at national parks, The New York Times reports. The government had already been planning to enhance its tourism infrastructure but decided to double down on its efforts as the pandemic has kept visitors away.
Read the entire article: Iceland Is Using Its Pandemic Downtime to Improve Its Roads, Parks, and Natural Wonders | Travel + Leisure
