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June 2009
- The Best Hotel Minibars
  
  AskMen.com | Jun 14, 09 8:01 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - If your big summer vacation isn’t complete without raiding the hotel minibar, AskMen.com has a list of the best the industry has to offer. A sampling: The Delano, Miami: If you get lucky on South Beach, you’ll be glad for the condoms and other sex accessories alongside the tiny bottles of booze. W Spa and Retreat, Maldives: Comes with a bikini from high-end designer Heidi Klein in the hotel chain’s signature purple. More »
- Gauguin's Echoes Haunt Pacific Island
  
  Time | Jun 11, 09 1:35 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Tucked into French Polynesia is Hiva Oa, the Marquesan island that French painter Paul Gauguin made his home 100 years ago. Remnants of Gauguin litter the remote settlement of 2,000 people, as do heaps of skulls left from its violent past. But today, Hiva Oa serves as a serene destination for modern escape artists, Matthew Link writes for Time . More »
- Seoul's Airport Is World's No. 1
  
  BBC | Jun 9, 09 2:10 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Incheon International airport in Seoul, South Korea, is the world's best, according to a British survey that took into account passengers' experiences with check-in, departures, transfers, and arrivals. Two other Asian airports, in Hong Kong and Singapore, finished second and third, the BBC reports. More »
- Vancouver Tops Most Livable Cities
  
  Economist | Jun 9, 09 7:39 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Vancouver has once again topped the Economist's list of the most livable cities in the world. Canadian and Australian cities dominated the upper reaches of the list, which is ranked by factors including stability, health care, and environment. The highest-ranked US city was Pittsburgh, at 29th out of 140 while Harare, Zimbabwe came bottom. The rest of the top ten: Vienna, Austria Melbourne, Australia Toronto, Canada More »
- FAA May Shut 20 Air Traffic Weather Offices
  
  Washington Post | Jun 5, 09 7:22 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - The FAA may close 20 weather offices in air traffic control centers across the US, and instead connect all air traffic controllers to a pair of stations in Maryland and Missouri, the Washington Post reports. The money-saving plan would mean cutting controllers’ face-to-face contact with weather officials, something technology has eliminated the need for, says the FAA. More »
- America's Top 10 Beaches
  
  Boston Globe | Jun 4, 09 1:24 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - The magnificent setting of Hawaii's Hanalei Bay helps make its beach this year's best in the US, according to Florida-based expert Steven "Dr. Beach" Leatherman. The runners-up, judged on 50 criteria including water quality and facilities: Siesta Beach in Sarasota, Fla. Coopers Beach in Southampton, NY Coronado Beach in San Diego More »
May 2009
- World's Most Luxe Pools
  
  Woman's Day | May 31, 09 4:23 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - On the lookout for a unique summer vacation experience? Woman’s Day recommends eight stunning pools in some of the world’s most beautiful locations: The hanging pool atop the Joule hotel in Dallas projects 8 feet over the edge of the building. The Homestead Crater at Homestead Resort in Utah is a 55-foot-high dome filled with warm spring water, popular with water skiers and scuba divers. More »
- Recession Pits Luxe Hotels' Owners Vs. Operators
  
  New York Times | May 26, 09 2:13 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - The recession is igniting new hotel wars: not battles for customers, but between owners of luxury hotels and the properties’ operators, the New York Times reports. The owners are often struggling to keep up with big debt payments, hindered by a more than 16% average drop in hotel bookings across the sector. But operators are loathe to cut rates or amenities, saying that doing so will diminish a property’s brand. More »
- Cheap Deals Bring Back the Vacation
  
  Wall Street Journal | May 19, 09 11:53 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - When it comes to vacationing this summer, “the power is with the consumer,” says a consultant: The troubled economy has airlines, hotels, and cruises dropping prices dramatically. International airfares are down 14%, domestic fares 17%, Travelocity says; and for the first time since 2005, AAA predicts an uptick in Memorial Day travel, thanks to cheaper fuel and good deals, the Wall Street Journal reports. More »
- Catch Swine Flu, Stay for Free: Mexican Hotels
  
  Times (UK) | May 14, 09 12:41 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Several Mexican resorts are offering free stays to tourists who catch swine flu while vacationing there, the Times of London reports. They hope to restore confidence in the sunny destination, which they say has been completely sanitized of the H1N1 virus. The hotel leading the promotion also slashed rates by 40%. Holiday bookings have fallen 83% during the flu outbreak. More »
- In Recession, Sewage Tour, Offbeat Destinations Thrive
  
  Newsweek | May 10, 09 1:12 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - With fancy island getaways now out of most people's price range, alternative attractions are gaining ground, Newsweek reports. Local families have begun flocking to Louisiana's oil rig museum, San Francisco's sewage-plant tour, and Ireland's Famine Museum, perhaps in a spirit of "things are bad, but at least they're not this bad." More »
April 2009
- US Prisons Leave Driving to Greyhound
  
  WFAA | Apr 28, 09 2:31 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Federal convicts regularly transfer themselves between prisons unescorted, riding public transportation without a guard in sight, WFAA-TV reports. Some 5,300 have switched prisons on their own since April 2006; 54,000 have headed to halfway houses. And in 2003-05, 77 escaped while en route. “It’s an inherent safety and security risk for the industry as a whole,” says a Greyhound spokeswoman. More »
- Mexico's Ailing Tourism Hit by Swine Flu
  
  New York Times | Apr 27, 09 5:09 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - The swine flu outbreak is wreaking havoc on Mexico's tourism industry, already severely weakened by a worsening drug war. Tourism dropped 20% over the weekend, the head of a hotel association tells the New York Times . With most attractions closed, tourists already in the capital were seen in masks as they rode double-decker buses. Death toll estimates from the flu are now as high as 100, with more than 1400 sick. More »
- Iris Cards Let Travelers Skip Customs
  
  USA Today | Apr 24, 09 8:56 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - A new digital card will allow Americans to skip customs lines at a foreign airport for the first time, reports USA Today . In a deal between Homeland Security officials and the Netherlands, US travelers approved for the ID card will be able to speed through Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam, while Dutch citizens can do the same at JFK and LAX. The new cards contain an embedded image of the traveler's iris that verifies identity. More »
- US, Others to Curb Antarctic Tourism
  
  BBC | Apr 18, 09 12:10 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Nations led by the US have pledged to check the quickly growing Antarctica tourism industry, the BBC reports. Nearly 30 nations signed a treaty to bar ships carrying more than 500 passengers from landing on the continent and to limit the number of people from a ship on shore to 100 at a time. The move is a response to concerns about safety and the environment. More »
- From Cargo to First Class: Pet-Only Airline Nears Takeoff
  
  ZooToo | Apr 17, 09 12:28 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - With Pet Airways’ summer launch, cats and dogs will get a first-class alternative to flying cargo. Passengers at major US airports will be able to drop their pets off for travel on a seat-free plane staffed with attendants, Zootoo reports. Spots on the first pets-only flight—scheduled for July 14 between New York and Los Angeles—cost $149. More »
- Hurting Hawaii Appeals to Obama for Help
  
  Los Angeles Times | Apr 8, 09 7:33 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Hawaii is asking its most famous son to stop bad-mouthing business travel, the Los Angeles Times reports. The state's tourism industry has seen its worst winter in years. State leaders, believing at least some of the decline comes from hardening attitudes toward business travel after corporate bailouts, are urging President Obama against adopting any policy that limits business travel. More »
- German Hotel Is a Strip Joint
  
  Times (UK) | Apr 2, 09 8:50 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Germany's first mandatory-nudity hotel hasn't even opened yet, but management is laying down the law: Towels must be placed wherever guests sit. The Black Forest resort's clothing ban is an oddity even in Germany, a hotbed of naturism for over a century, reports the Times of London. In fact, clothing will be a badge of shame, reserved for those who violate the rule strictly prohibiting sexual harassment of fellow guests at the kid-friendly hotel. More »
March 2009
- Life's a Beach? Not During Spring Break Recession
  
  Time | Mar 22, 09 4:49 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - College students are refusing to let the economy throw a wet blanket on spring break, Time reports. They're just not going to the usual—and expensive—spots. Flights to the Caribbean and Cancun have sunk about 20%, as many revelers head for Orlando, Los Angeles or New York instead. “Spring break is a once in a lifetime experience, so they’re finding a way to do it,” said a tour operator. More »
- Tourists Return to Iraq
  
  Guardian (UK) | Mar 21, 09 3:18 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - The first package tourists since the days of Saddam Hussein have arrived in Baghdad, the Guardian reports. The group—four Brits, two Americans, a Russian, and a Canadian—are on a 17-day tour of the country, taking in the sights of ancient Mesopotamia in a journey that would have been impossible less than a year ago. More »