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This North Carolina Hotel Will Help You Get Married in a Hot Air Balloon

It’s been said that a good love lifts you up—and one hotel in Asheville, North Carolina, is taking it literally with a new wedding package that says the sky’s the limit when it comes to unique wedding venues. The Foundry Hotel has launched a new partnership with Asheville Hot Air Balloons allowing couples to take their love to new heights and swap “I dos'' thousands of feet up in the air in a hot air balloon. While the pandemic caused many people to rethink a destination wedding and get creativ
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American Airlines Just 'Streamlined’ Its Allowances for Free Checked Baggage

American Airlines just announced a major update to its checked baggage policy that aims to make it easier for customers to understand exactly how many checked bags come with a specific ticket type. This change goes into effect immediately for all tickets purchased from Feb. 23, 2021, and onwards. Starting now, all Premium Economy fares across the board will include two free checked bags, and all regular coach cabin fares on long-haul international routes will include one free checked bag. Bagga
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This Site Is Giving Away Up to a Decade of Free Trips to Travelers in Their 20s

CheapTickets is throwing 20-somethings a solid by trying to make up for lost travel time in the year that slipped away: 2020. How? They’re giving one lucky traveler in their 20s a free trip every year until they hit the Big 3-0. Well, technically, the winner will get $5,000 to go towards hotels, flights, activities, and whatever else to help plan their ultimate annual vacation each year. Want to host a huge 21st birthday in Miami with your closest friends? You got it. Feeling like hitting your
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The CDC Won't Require COVID-19 Testing for U.S. Domestic Travel. Here's Why

After revealing last week that COVID-19 testing for domestic U.S. travel was being considered, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced it’s not going to happen after all—even though they recommend all domestic travelers get tested before their flights. “At this time, CDC is not recommending required point of departure testing for domestic travel,” the CDC said to CNN. “As part of our close monitoring of the pandemic, in particular the continued spread of variants, we will
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Abu Dhabi Doubles Down on COVID-19 Precautions with New Mandatory Wristbands

On September 17, Abu Dhabi announced that all international arrivals via air or land will be required to wear electronic quarantine wristbands. The announcement came just a handful of days after the United Arab Emirates reported 1,007 new confirmed coronavirus cases on September 12—a record high for the UAE since the start of the pandemic. The required wristbands are now among the city’s existing coronavirus prevention protocols and precautions that include temperature checks, PCR tests, and
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Viking and Holland America Announce Continued Sailing Suspensions

Yesterday, Viking Cruises Chairman Torstein Hagen announced via an open letter and video message that the luxury line would be suspending all sailings through the end of 2020. On March 11—nearly five months prior to the day—Viking had become the first cruise line to announce cancellations due to the coronavirus pandemic. “I would not have imagined that in August we would still not be sailing and that I would be writing this letter to you,” Hagen said in his statement. “Since Viking’s very first
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Michelob Ultra Is Hiring Someone to Explore America And Drink Beer

Must love beer and the outdoors. That's the job description for a brand-new position that Michelob Ultra Pure Gold (yes, the beer) is looking to fill. Fit the bill? Read on. As you may have already realized, 2020 is the year of the RV vacation—but what if you could also turn it into the year you scored a gig with the ultimate office view and beverages? The successful candidate will become the beer brand’s first-ever CEO (that’s Chief Exploration Officer) and will be paid $50,000 (plus expenses)
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Delta Is Testing the First Facial Recognition Check-in Process for Domestic Flights

Starting this month, domestic Delta passengers traveling out of Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport will have the option to go contactless at check-in. In partnership, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and Delta have launched the first biometric digital ID verification for domestic flights. For this, passenger digital IDs are constructed from your TSA Pre-Check number and passport, plus something no one should ever leave home without—your face. Using the new biometric ID v
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You Can Now Face Criminal Penalties for Not Wearing a Mask While Traveling

As the clock struck 11:59 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 1, 2021, a new mandate from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) requiring masks on all forms of public transportation took effect. This marks the first time since the pandemic hit the U.S. nearly a year ago that masks have been legally and federally required on public transportation and in transportation hubs like airports, stations, and ports. Previously, it was just a guidance and up to individual carriers to enforce and police as
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This Country Is Open To Travelers From Anywhere—As Long As You’re Vaccinated

Last week, the island country Seychelles began welcoming travelers from everywhere in the world, but with one big catch. The archipelago is only swinging open its front door for travelers who have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19. That means both shots, in the arm, good-to-go vaccinated—plus an additional two-week waiting period after the booster shot to ensure there’s been enough time for it to be effective. To sniff out any potential scammers who claim to be vaccinated when they haven’t
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Switzerland to Debut the First Ritz-Carlton Ski Resort in Europe

Europe's very first Ritz-Carlton ski resort is coming to the Swiss town of Zermatt, nestled at the foot of the Matterhorn mountain in the Alps. But don’t don your designer dickies just yet. According to a statement, The Ritz-Carlton, Zermatt won’t open its doors for another five years, in 2026. Considering how things have been going over the last year, that seems as reasonable a timeline as any—and one we know we can start daydreaming about without the stress of wondering if we’ll have to cance
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New York City Is Eyeing a Plan to Connect the New Moynihan Train Hall With One of Its Famous Parks

New York City is coming into 2021 with intention. Right out of the gates, the city debuted the gorgeous new Moynihan Train Hall, an addendum to Penn Station rebuilt right on the original Penn Station site that was torn down in the late 1960s. Now, the city is already looking toward the next steps in its plan to revamp the westside of Manhattan—connecting the sparkling new train hall to one of the city’s most unique parks. Governor Cuomo's new plan seeks to build an L-shaped path that will link
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This Hotel Group Is Offering Free Rooms to Travelers That Test Positive for COVID-19

Last week, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced a big, upcoming, and unexpected change to U.S. entry requirements for all airline passengers arriving in the U.S. from a foreign country. On Jan. 26, 2021, travelers must present a negative COVID-19 test to be admitted to the U.S. In response, many hotels and destinations have begun offering guests free COVID-19 testing onsite within 72 hours of their scheduled flight back to the United States. However, one hotel group has
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These Napa Resorts Are Showing Love To Frontline Workers With A $30,000 Wedding Giveaway

Hasn’t the pandemic felt like one big pause button—pause on regular life, travel, family get-togethers, holiday celebrations, and weddings. Well, two resorts in Napa want to try to make things right by helping throw the wedding of a lifetime for one lucky—and very appreciated—first-responder or emergency worker couple who have had to postpone their wedding to fulfill their frontline duties during COVID-19. Winners will get to invite 100 guests to witness their “I dos'' at a dream wedding that c
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A Man Went Undetected for Three Months While Living Inside Chicago O’Hare Airport

On Saturday, Jan. 16, 2021, security at Chicago O’Hare International Airport arrested Aditya Singh, a man who had allegedly been living in the terminal for three months, relying on the kindness of strangers for food and company. Sound familiar? The story is vaguely reminiscent of the 2004 film "The Terminal," where Viktor Navorski, played by Tom Hanks, gets stuck living inside New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport after a war invalidates his passport and makes it so he can no longer
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Portugal Is Launching a Digital Nomad Village On a Gorgeous Island in Madeira

Now that working from home has become a new norm, the question is, where do you want your home office to be? Well, how about on a gorgeous archipelago off the coast of Africa? Portugal’s Madeira Islands invites remote workers en masse to become ‘citizens’ of the country’s first-ever dedicated digital nomad village. Starting Feb. 1, 2021, digital nomads will be able to come and spend one to five months on Ponta do Sol, a beautiful municipality in the Madeira Islands, where they’ll have access to
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Airlines Have Been Flying Up To The Frontlines To Help With Vaccine Distribution

Almost as soon as COVID-19 came and began demolishing the scene, we were desperate for a vaccine. At first, many guessed it might take years to find and trial a vaccine we could use. After all, before COVID-19, the fastest vaccine to ever materialize from lab to jab was for the mumps back in 1971. Developed in record time, the Mumpsvax still took four years. Four years wasn’t going to cut it for a worldwide pandemic with a rising death toll and impact on industry, families, and morale. Somewhat
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Airbnb Is Blocking And Canceling All Reservations in D.C. Metro Area During Inauguration Week

Yesterday, Airbnb announced that it will be canceling all reservations made in the D.C. Metro Area during inauguration week next week, including reservations made on the service's hotel booking site HotelTonight. The vacation home booking company will also proactively block any new reservations from being made in the area during that time. Airbnb’s decision to cancel and block these bookings comes after several local, state, and federal officials urged people to avoid traveling to D.C. during i
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This Digital Health Pass Will Be Ready for Widespread Airline Use as Early as March

As we've all slowly begun to think about traveling in a vaccinated world, we've also had to contend with the challenges of tracking test results and vaccinations before—and while—we hit the road. Thanks to the International Air Transport Association's Travel Pass app, that might be easier than we think. The app, which works like an electronic wallet where travelers can upload and store digital health certifications and records for COVID-19 test results and inoculations, has been trialed in part
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Here's How The New SARS-COV-2 Strains Have Affected Travel

Just as we were about to kick 2020 to the curb, it left us with a couple of unwanted parting gifts: two mutated strains of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. News of a new strain in the United Kingdom first broke on Dec. 14, 2020, as officials announced the variant had been detected in over 1008 SARS-CoV-2 cases in Southern England. This new variant, known most widely as B.1.1.7, contains 14 mutations and a double deletion which work to give it an “estimated increase of between 40 perc
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