After they left the White House in January 2017, the Obamas visited some of the most exotic locations imaginable. After spending a few days on American soil in Palm Springs, they crisscrossed the globe, visiting Richard Branson’s Necker Island and exclusive island resort The Brando in French Polynesia. Take a look at their photos below. …
Tag Archives: tourism news
Larry Page and Sergey Brin’s Google Camp is as star studded as ever and most definitely not an ‘actual summer camp’ (GOOG, GOOGL)
Celebrities from entertainment and sports are guests of Google Camp 2018 The annual event, organized by Google cofounders Larry Page and Sergey Brin, is taking place in Sicily. Basketball legend Michael Jordan is rumored to be attending this year. The “conference” known as Google Camp is not your typical sleep away. This is not the …
A religious site in the most contested city in Israel with a complicated, bloody history is the center of gravity for the Israel-Palestine conflict
Hebron is the biggest city in the Palestinian West Bank with a population of 200,000 Palestinians and around 1,000 Israeli settlers. The city is home to the most important religious site for Jews and Muslims outside of Jerusalem: a 2,000 year-old building known as the Cave of the Patriarchs to Jews and Ibrahimi Mosque to …
The TSA has been secretly monitoring US airline passengers using air marshals
The TSA has been secretly tracking airline passengers through a recently revealed domestic surveillance program called Quiet Skies, the Boston Globe reported. Quiet Skies uses federal air marshals to monitor individuals that are not under investigation by another intelligence agency and not in the terrorist database. According to the TSA, Quiet Skies has been around …
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13 places to visit in August for every type of traveler
The best places to visit in August are already on savvy travelers’ lists. Business Insider looked at airfare trends, climate data, and peak travel times to find the best places to visit in August 2018. They include tropical paradises in the Caribbean and Malaysia, a fudge festival in Michigan, and a Buddhist celebration in Sri …
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I tried the two Chinese bike-sharing giants trying to take over the world, and it was immediately obvious why they can’t seem to crack the US
One of the hottest sectors of Chinese tech is “dockless-bike sharing.” The two primary companies, Mobike and Ofo, have expanded aggressively in recent years across the world. Both companies have faced unforeseen challenges upon trying to enter the US market. While in China, I got a chance to use Mobike and Ofo extensively and it …
9 places you can go diving with sharks — and what it looks like
If shows like those on Discovery’s Shark Week or National Geographic’s SharkFest make you think “I’d like to see these creatures up close in the wild,” you should get yourself SCUBA-certified. Sharks are fascinating, often-misunderstood, and far more at risk from humans than we are from them. There are places you can swim and snorkel …
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Richard Branson is building a luxury cruise ship for adults only — here’s a closer look
Virgin Voyages recently released renderings for its maiden ship, the Scarlet Lady. The ship features interiors and exteriors imagined by Tom Dixon Design Studio of London, Roman and Williams of New York, and Concrete Amsterdam Among many amenities, the cruise liner boasts a nightclub, a thermal spa, two restaurants, an indoor and outdoor athletic club, …
These are the best airline economy seats in the world right now
Japan Airlines has won Skytrax’ Best Economy Class Seat Award for the second year running. The seats are much more spacious than some competitors and the airline offers a range of other amenities. Japan Airlines also slipped into the top 10 Best Economy Class Airlines, which crowned Thai Airways its champion this year. Every year, …
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A visit to Israel’s wall with Palestine gave me a sobering perspective
From the Mediterranean shores of Tel Aviv, Israel’s fraught geopolitical position is almost non-existent. Tourists and locals alike sip Goldstar, Israel’s ubiquitous dark lager, as the waves roll in and out. Children laugh and splash in the water. A group of teens play volleyball as the sun sets. It feels like a much nicer version …
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Delta’s website suffered a glitch that wouldn’t let some people buy tickets, and passengers are not happy (DAL)
The official website for Delta Air Lines suffered from a technical glitch that prevented certain passengers from buying tickets on Thursday. Complaints from various Delta customers indicated that there were several nonresponsive icons on the website’s purchase page that prevent tickets from being booked. In a statement, the airline apologized and said it is working …
I stayed at one of the best hotels in the world, where a $16,000-a-night suite includes its own movie theater, popcorn maker, and ‘cabinet of delights’
The Landmark Mandarin Oriental is one of the most exclusive hotels in Hong Kong, and considered to be one of the best hotels in the world. I stayed at The Landmark Mandarin Oriental recently to see if it lives up to the hype. While the hotel’s rooms are spacious — by Hong Kong standards — …
This is what first, business, and economy class looks like on a double-decker Airbus A380
Portuguese airline Hi Fly allowed us onto its Airbus A380. The Airbus A380 is a double-decker plane that can hold up to 800 passengers. Inside business class Hi Fly passengers get a 15.4″ screen to watch films or play games; they also get seats that fully recline to make a bed. In Hi Fly’s luxury …
These photos reveal why the 26-year-old organizer of the disastrous Fyre Festival could spend 10 years in prison
Fyre Festival organizer Billy McFarland pleaded guilty to wire-fraud charges in March. He will be sentenced on Thursday. The 26-year-old was arrested in June 2017 after being accused of misleading investors who had poured investment into Fyre Media, the company behind the Fyre Festival. On Tuesday, July 24, the SEC announced that McFarland, two companies …
A small Japanese city was deluged with applications after reports of a ninja shortage
The Japanese city of Iga has clarified that it is, in fact, not hiring ninjas. News of the ninja shortage was first reported by an NPR podcast and was picked up by world media, including Business Insider. Iga has made clear, however, that it is not hiring ninjas after being inundated with applications from around …
I ordered a ‘low calorie’ meal on a transatlantic British Airways flight for free — here are all the special meals you didn’t know you could order
I ordered a “low calorie” meal on a recent transatlantic British Airways flight for free — and I’ll never eat the standard economy food again. There are a number of special meals you probably didn’t realise you could order. Ordering a special meal also means you get served first. Scroll down to see BA’s full …
Airplane seats are smaller than ever, but the CEOs of Delta and American vow they won’t shrink anymore (AAL, DAL)
The CEOs of American Airlines and Delta Air Lines “pledged” that the seats on their planes won’t get any more cramped than they are now. The American CEO Doug Parker and Delta boss Ed Bastian made the promise in an interview with the Wall Street Journal. The seats on American Airlines and Delta Air Lines …
Here’s what it’s like to visit Whittier, Alaska — the ‘town under one roof’
Whittier, Alaska, is a small, remote town 60 miles south of Anchorage that is commonly referred to as the “town under one roof.” How small is Whittier? About 217 people live there, and it’s accessible only by boat or a one-way, one-lane tunnel. But the strangest thing about this town is that nearly all of …
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Inside the world’s largest aircraft, which is set to have glass floors and take wealthy travellers on luxury 3-day expeditions
The world’s largest aircraft has revealed its interiors — and they’re extremely luxurious. Airlander 10 is a 300-foot hybrid airship that plans to take travelers on three-day excursions. The airship features en-suite bedrooms, a bar, and a lounge area. There’s also glass flooring so people can take in the views from 16,000 feet. Is it …
Inside one of New York City’s oldest and most famous bars, which serves only 2 beers and didn’t allow women in until 1970
Established in 1854, McSorley’s Old Ale House is one of New York City’s oldest bars. The bar is still open in its original location. Hundreds of items hang on its walls, some of which have been there since the day it opened. McSorley’s Old Ale House is one of the oldest bars in New York …
The CEO of an ‘experiential education’ company explains why he bought one of America’s top Tour de France teams and why a YouTube video will never replace real travel
LES HERBIERS, France — Last August we reported that one of the US’s top pro cycling teams was in danger of folding unless it came up with $7 million within a week, which was kind of crazy considering its star rider had just finished second in the world’s preeminent bicycle race. It wasn’t fake news, …
See stunning nighttime vistas from the US’s first gold-tier ‘Dark Sky’ star-gazing reserve
Deep in the mountains of Central Idaho lies one of the darkest nighttime spots in the US. The International Dark-Sky Association, a nonprofit led by two astronomers, has declared a 1,416-square-mile area in Idaho’s Sawtooth National Recreation Area as the country’s first gold-certified Dark Sky Reserve. That means the central Idaho wilderness — along with …
See stunning nighttime vistas from the US’s first gold-tier ‘Dark Sky’ star-gazing reserve
Deep in the mountains of Central Idaho lies one of the darkest nighttime spots in the US. The International Dark-Sky Association, a nonprofit led by two astronomers, has declared a 1,416-square-mile area in Idaho’s Sawtooth National Recreation Area as the country’s first gold-certified Dark Sky Reserve. That means the central Idaho wilderness — along with …
I tried a $189, 10-course meal at the eclectic San Francisco restaurant that makes ice cream from milk mixed with hot coals and morphs trout into ‘everything bagels’
San Francisco has no shortage of restaurants, fine dining or otherwise, with menus boasting crazy high prices. Seven dollar bacon strips anyone? The city’s newly-opened Avery restaurant isn’t any different in that sense. The prix-fixe East Asian-infused eatery takes reservations through Tock, the high-dollar restaurant equivalent of OpenTable that allows guests to reserve and pay …
I tried a $189, 10-course meal at the eclectic San Francisco restaurant that makes ice cream from milk mixed with hot coals and morphs trout into ‘everything bagels’
San Francisco has no shortage of restaurants, fine dining or otherwise, with menus boasting crazy high prices. Seven dollar bacon strips anyone? The city’s newly-opened Avery restaurant isn’t any different in that sense. The prix-fixe East Asian-infused eatery takes reservations through Tock, the high-dollar restaurant equivalent of OpenTable that allows guests to reserve and pay …
Google’s incredible Pixel 2 has the best camera I’ve ever used on a smartphone — these photos are proof
It’s time to admit the truth: I’m in love with Google’s Pixel 2 smartphone camera. Admittedly, it’s easy to fall in love with. The Pixel 2 camera produces stunning, vibrant, better-than-real-life photos regularly. The building here, for instance: In reality, the building was actually darker than in this photo — the Pixel 2’s high-dynamic range …
Google’s incredible Pixel 2 has the best camera I’ve ever used on a smartphone — these photos are proof
It’s time to admit the truth: I’m in love with Google’s Pixel 2 smartphone camera. Admittedly, it’s easy to fall in love with. The Pixel 2 camera produces stunning, vibrant, better-than-real-life photos regularly. The building here, for instance: In reality, the building was actually darker than in this photo — the Pixel 2’s high-dynamic range …