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Hawaii to Tear Down Oahu’s Historic Haiku Stairs

Hawaii's Instagram-famous Haiku Stairs, which are often cited as boasting the state's best views, are expected to be dismantled next year. The decision comes from the Honolulu City Council, who spends approximately a quarter-of-a-million dollars each year on security to keep trespassers from hiking the 3,922 steps along Oahu's Koolau Mountain Range. "Due to rampant illegal trespassing, Haiku Stairs is a significant liability and expense for the city, and impacts the quality of life for nearby
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Did Anyone Notice the Summer's Wildest Travel News Always Seemed to Involve LAX?

Hollywood may be the hotspot for movies, but this summer, Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) brought all the drama. In the skies, on the tarmac, on the plane, and behind the scenes: the summer action at LAX has been making headlines. LAX kicked off its summer shenanigan showcase on June 4 when a Delta flight heading from LAX to Nashville had to be diverted after a passenger unbelievably stormed the cockpit after screaming for the plane to be stopped. The unruly passenger was immediately ta
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Verandah Staterooms on This Luxury Cruise Line Are Now Cheaper Than Ever

Crystal Cruises is rolling out a big sale, and it might just be enough to persuade anyone who has been eyeing a fall or spring cruise to finally seal the deal. Dubbed their "Limited-Time Verandah Event," this sale is offering up Verandah staterooms for the mere price of an Ocean View—meaning you can swap out your window for an actual personal outdoor space without paying a penny extra for the privilege. During this limited-time sale, Verandah rooms on select all-inclusive Crystal Symphony voyag
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Starting Next Month, United Will Become the First Fully-Vaccinated Airline (Sort Of)

In August, United announced that it was giving all of its employees the choice to be fully vaccinated or wear a mask while working and undergo routine COVID-19 testing. The deadline given was October 1, 2021, or at least five weeks from when any of the available approved vaccines were given the full green light. Now, a month later, the major U.S. airline has some follow-up information that is sure to stir the pot. Starting Oct. 2, 2021, all operational customer-facing employees will be require
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CDC Releases New COVID-19 Testing Guidelines for Cruise Ships

Another month, another round of changes to COVID-19 protocols concerning cruises. And it's good news if you're vaccinated. Carnival, Royal Caribbean, MSC, Disney, and Holland America have announced newly-updated pre-cruise testing protocols set to begin on all sailings from the U.S. from Sept. 13, 2021. Princess Cruises will begin implementing its new pre-cruise testing requirements beginning Sept. 19, 2021. As this stems from updated CDC cruise guidelines, more cruises are expected to announc
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Every Single National Forest in California Just Closed Due to Wildfire Risk

The U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Services temporarily closed all of California’s national forests on Aug. 31, 2021, at 11:59 p.m., citing extreme wildfire risk. "We do not take this decision lightly, but this is the best choice for public safety,” said Regional Forester Jennifer Eberlien. “It is especially hard with the approaching Labor Day weekend when so many people enjoy our national forests.” When Eberlien says the decision wasn’t made lightly, she’s not joking. The California wi
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17 Countries Got New Travel Advisory Levels From the CDC This Week

On Aug. 30, 2021, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently upgraded seven countries to a "Level 4: Very High" risk for COVID-19 on its list of Travel Health Notices. The Level 4 designation is the highest possible category, and the CDC recommends travelers avoid all travel to the destination. New Level 4 countries include the two U.S. territories of Puerto Rico and Guam, and foreign countries inclusive of Switzerland, Azerbaijan, St. Lucia, North Macedonia, and Estonia. It a
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Italy Gets a New National Airline After Alitalia Folds

Alitalia, Italy’s national airline, announced that it would stop selling any new tickets for flights departing after Oct. 14, 2021. After operating for nearly three-quarters of a century, the country’s largest airline will be closing its cabin doors permanently. If you’ve flown Alitalia, the closure may not be a big surprise. While it was never on the bucket list of must-fly carriers (even if the airline has held such precious Italian cargo as the Pope himself), its routes were plentiful, and i
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Hawaii's Governor Asks Tourists to Stay Home Amid Rising COVID-19 Cases

If a trip to the Hawaiian islands has been on your to-do list, the state's governor has an important message for you right now: don't come. During a recent press conference, Governor David Ige asked that all leisure and non-essential business travel to Hawaii (or between the islands) cease immediately. “It is a risky time to be traveling right now,” said Ige. “I encourage everyone to restrict or curtail travel to Hawaii, residents and visitors alike.” He stated that it is not a good time to vi
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A Woman Was Escorted off a Recent Spirit Flight After Smoking Onboard

A Florida-bound woman traveling from Detroit to Fort Lauderdale earlier this week broke one of the cardinal flying rules: no smoking on the aircraft. Even though smoking on board commercial flights from the U.S., Canada, Australia, and New Zealand has been banned since 1994, it appears the woman, who was later escorted off the plane by officials, decided the nicotine was worth the repercussions. According to a TikTok video taken by one of the nearby passengers, when asked by fellow passengers t
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This New Low-Cost Airline Just Became the Best-Funded Startup in U.S. Aviation

As we mentioned back in March when we announced the launch of Breeze Airways, the new low-cost U.S. airline from JetBlue and WestJet founder David Neeleman, we love rooting for the underdog. If we’d have placed an actual bet on the success of Breeze Airways, we’d be flying high in riches. Thanks to a recent $200-million-dollar Series B investment, the little airline that could just became the best-funded airline startup in U.S. history. That makes for a total of over $300 million in capital rai
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This Popular Italian City Will Soon Charge Tourists an Entrance Fee

Planning a dream trip to Venice, Italy? Better make your budget a little bigger. Starting summer 2022, the famous tourist city will start charging visitors an entrance fee and capping how many people can enter the city. In recent years, Venice has become somewhat of a poster child for over-tourism. The city itself dates back over 1,200 years, and its beautiful architecture, romantic canals, and top-notch food have been drawing tourists for hundreds of years at a constant and increasingly expone
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More People Are Planning Solo Trips for Labor Day—Here's Where They're Heading

Labor Day Weekend is upon us, and that’s our unspoken cue that summer is almost officially over. Surprisingly, it looks like many travelers are looking to send off the season with a solo vacation. According to travel booking company Orbtiz.com, single-ticket trips for the long weekend are soaring. Compared to last year (which, as we all know, was a slow travel year all around), bookings for single roundtrip tickets are up over 200 percent. "There are a lot of reasons why solo travel might be m
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Secret's Out! Booking a Private Flight Isn't as Pricey as You Probably Think

Let’s face it, commercial flights these days feel a little like a game of roulette. Our spirited return to travel has brought along a lot of baggage—soaring prices, hellish airport lines, airline meltdowns, passenger meltdowns, and limited onboard snacks and drinks. But a growing number of travelers are finding an easy way around the mounting hassles of traveling with commercial airlines. They’re flying private, they’re not looking back—and many of them aren’t paying as much for the privilege a
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You've Got 48 Hours to Bring the Drama and Win A "Reality TV" Vacation

Think your friend group has got more drama than Broadway and Bravo combined? Hotels.com is giving your group the chance to prove just how hot the tea really is with a three-night, $50,000 vacation in Palm Desert, California, over Labor Day Weekend. Once you arrive, your LDW (to henceforth be known as Love the Drama Weekend) will begin as you settle into a luxurious one-acre, 6,000-square-foot vacation rental. Like your drama, the house amenities go big, with a lazy river lagoon pool with a slid
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U.S. Cruises Could Begin as Early as November—Here's How

It's been more than six months since the U.S. has seen any cruise ship action (though it's not for lack of want). When concerns about whether cruise ships could cause an increased spread of COVID-19 caused the CDC to issue a No Sail Order on March 14, 2020, it was initially only scheduled to last 30 days. Yet, here we are, two extensions and nearly 200 days later, and U.S. cruises are still suspended—though all of that may be about to change, and soon. Back in early August, the Cruise Line Indu
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Windstar's New 79-Day European Cruise Hits up More Than 20 Countries

Feel like you missed out on a lot of travel in the past 18 months? Need to make up for lost time when it comes to crossing off that bucket list? Never fear, Windstar is here—and they’ve just opened up reservations for their brand new Grand European Bucket List Adventure sailings. And when they say grand, they mean it. The Grand European Bucket List boasts a whale of an itinerary. At 79-days, it’s the longest ever for the small ship cruise line. Before you go booking, know this: it’s going to b
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Norwegian Can Require Vaccination Proof for Florida Cruises, Judge Rules

There’s been a new move in the ongoing game of Battleship being played over in Florida regarding cruise ships and proof of immunization—and this time, it’s a direct hit for Florida governor Ron DeSantis. Late Sunday, a federal judge in Miami ruled DeSantis’ state law prohibiting businesses to ask for vaccine proof in exchange for services was unconstitutional. In this specific case, Norwegian Cruise Lines argued that banning the ability to require vaccine proof was a public health risk and coul
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Here's How Many People Are Planning to Travel This Year

According to a recent AAA survey, people are starting to feel more and more comfortable with the idea of traveling somewhere. However, though many folks are planning to take trips by the end of the year, the survey found that 67 percent were dubious if they would actually be able to. Fair enough. The rollercoaster ride we’ve experienced in the last few months has caused a constant yo-yoing status of travel restrictions around the globe. Forget Vegas, betting on upcoming travel plans seems to be
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Did Cruises Help to Push COVID-19 Numbers Overboard?

Princess Cruises' Diamond Princess made headlines early this February when it became the first cruise ship to have a passenger with a confirmed case of COVID-19. The passenger, who embarked the vessel with a cough in Yokohama, near Tokyo, on Jan. 20, 2020, tested positive for Sars-CoV-2 on February 1—six days after disembarking the ship early in Hong Kong. According to the cruise line, the infected passenger did not seek medical attention during the five days he was aboard the ship. But it gets
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