Scotland has a lot going for itself as a tourist destination. England’s northern neighbor is best known for its starkly beautiful wide-open spaces, its crumbling castles, its historic cities and, of course, its whiskey.

Like elsewhere in the U.K., Scotland has a good public transportation infrastructure. Casual tourists who want to see the highlights of this nation are technically able to do so without renting a car or even hailing a taxi. But, like virtually everywhere else in the world, most visitors assume that exploring in depth requires getting behind the wheel.

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Throughout the hills of Italy are scattered many villages, some of them nearly 1,000 years old. Unfortunately, many of these rural towns are in poor condition. Younger residents have moved on, and Italy's modern economy has left these remote outposts behind. Rural residents hang on to the traditional surroundings and slow pace of life, but investing in necessary renovations and upkeep can be challenging.

Residents in many of these small towns have found a way to preserve not only their buildings but also their way of life. It's called "scattered hotel," or albergo diffuso in Italian, and the concept has spread across rural Italy over the past three decades. The idea has worked so well here that it has spread to other places in Europe and as far away as Japan, which recently saw its first officially-certified albergo diffuso open its doors....

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An aura of history and romance surrounds famous highways like Route 66. Modernization, as well as the pursuit of convenience and safety, have led to more four- or eight-lane highways crisscrossing the nation, like I-90, I-35 or I-94. Finite stretches of state and county roads may still have that timeless two-lanes-cutting-through-the-countryside appeal, but road trips that follow the cross-country highways of yesteryear mostly take place in people’s imagination, not on the blacktop

However, there is one historic highway where it is still possible to get in touch with the glory days of the American road trip. U.S. Route 20 covers 3,365 miles from Boston, Massachusetts, to Newport, Oregon. It is currently the longest highway in the country. For most of its length, Route 20 runs roughly parallel to I-90, which connects Boston and Seattle (a distance of 3,100 miles).

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More expensive airfares seem probable, especially when you consider that demand is projected to explode over the next two decades. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) predicts that the number of people taking to the skies will double by 2035. In that year, the trade association expects more than 7 billion passengers to fly on commercial airlines.

Recent trends and the ways that airlines have reacted to market conditions in the past suggest that fares might actually stay the same (or even get cheaper).

Full article on Medium

 

Scuba diving brings the underwater world into focus for adventure-seekers — 2.48 million divers explored below the waves at least once in 2021. Investing in scuba diving insurance can provide peace of mind if you are a traveler who plans your entire vacation around diving.

Diving is relatively safe for certified participants, but risks include decompression sickness, drowning, ear pressure damage, lung issues and encounters with marine wildlife. Scuba diving insurance helps cover the cost of medical services if you get injured during a dive. Some policies also protect diving equipment and reimburse you for canceled or delayed trips, lost baggage and other common travel problems.

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Scuba diving brings the underwater world into focus for adventure-seekers — 2.48 million divers explored below the waves at least once in 2021. Investing in scuba diving insurance can provide peace of mind if you are a traveler who plans your entire vacation around diving.

Diving is relatively safe for certified participants, but risks include decompression sickness, drowning, ear pressure damage, lung issues and encounters with marine wildlife. Scuba diving insurance helps cover the cost of medical services if you get injured during a dive. Some policies also protect diving equipment and reimburse you for canceled or delayed trips, lost baggage and other common travel problems.

Full article on TreeHugger

Iceland is a land of volcanoes. Nowhere is this more evident than on the Vestmannaeyjar (Westman Islands), an archipelago off the southern coast of Iceland. Here, centuries of volcanic eruptions formed sea cliffs that appear almost fairy-tale-like. Among these eye-catching formations, one stands out: A portion of the volcano-formed coast on Heimaey (which means "Home Island") looks almost exactly like the head of a large elephant sticking its trunk in the water.

The rock is elephantine enough that some people think that it must have been shaped with human intervention. That is not the case, however. The elephant's realistic appearance is, at least partially, due to the fact that the cliff consists of basalt rock. The rock gives the figure "skin" that looks wrinkled and grayish, just like a real elephant.

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Why do people still forage for edible plants? Is it a way to reawaken their hunter-gatherer instincts in the age of corporate farming and supermarkets? Are they attempting to eat healthy on a tight budget? Or is foraging merely a convenient excuse for spending time outdoors? Some media outlets have tagged the modern foraging trend as "strange," while others worry that it could cause environmental damage as its popularity grows.

The only thing the two sides have in common is an agreement that the practice is growing. According to a recent study by the Center for a Livable Future at Johns Hopkins, not only is foraging on the rise, but it's thriving in the last places you’d expect: major urban centers like Baltimore.


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The largest airports in the world have the land areas and populations of small cities. They operate around the clock and move tens of millions of passengers each year. They are constantly looking for ways to source the power needed to keep their energy-hungry operations on track.

For an increasing number of hubs, this means at least partially switching to renewable energy.


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Now available in every grocery store in every state in both fresh and canned varieties, pineapples were so sought-after in colonial times that people would actually rent them for a day to use as a party decoration.

Yes, at one point in history, the pineapple was literally too expensive to eat. Even today, fake pineapples are seen in centerpieces, while images and carvings of the fruit often appear in historic buildings.

Where did the main ingredient in upside-down cake get its prestige?

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The southern African nation of Namibia is dominated by the Namib Desert. One of most inhospitable sections in this remote land — Mongolia is the only country on Earth less populated than Namibia — is not as barren as it looks, though. The so-called Skeleton Coast, almost completely uninhabited, is actually rich in wildlife. Some of the plants here, such as the strange Welwitschia mirabilis, are unlike anything else on Earth.

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If you want to ride on Japan's Shiki-Shima Express, you are most likely out of luck. A trip on this brand new ultra-luxury train — its full name is Train Suite Shiki-Shima — is not cheap. Fares start at $2,200 and go north of $10,000. These prices are for two- to four-day journeys around eastern Japan. Those who can afford a ticket will still have to wait because the train is completely sold out until the middle of 2018. Tickets are only available by application.

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Cambodia saw five million international tourists in 2016.

Still modest compared to neighboring Thailand’s 30 million international arrivals last year, the number is nonetheless impressive for a still-developing tourism industry.

Cambodia’s tourism growth has been steady. Both the number of international arrivals and overall tourism receipts have moved consistently upward over the past two decades. Yet, more international visitors fly into what is, in theory, the country’s secondary airport, Siem Reap, than fly into the capital, Phnom Penh. Cambodia has one main attraction, Angkor Wat, but it is now poised to capitalize on its growth by promoting places beyond the temple complex’s ancient walls.

Full article on TravelPulse

Thailand does not seem like a country that needs to change when it comes to tourism. It is outpacing its neighbors in terms of revenue and number of international arrivals. Still, the Southeast Asian nation used a recent high-profile event to promote an unexpected series of attractions and experiences. This “rebrand” even involves changes to the kind of cultural and nature attractions that people often associate with Thailand. Why alter something that is working well?


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Billing itself as “Asia’s boutique airline,” Bangkok Airways features organic in-flight meals and lounges that welcome all its passengers (even those in economy class). These traits set the Thai carrier apart from the competition. However, its most attractive attribute may be its routes to underserved destinations within Thailand.

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Ha Noi is a city at peace with its yesterdays. Museums featuring everything from the well known (Vietnam’s wars with France, America, and itself) to the obscure (folk tales featuring the likes of kleptomaniac turtles and suicidal royals), dot the city. Except for Uncle Ho’s Mausoleum, these exhibit halls are mostly aimed at foreign tourists.

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Sitting on the central coastline of Vietnam - an hour's flight from both the political capital of Ha Noi and the overcrowded economic hub of Ho Chi Minh City (Sai Gon) - Da Nang is a metropolis on the rise. Thanks to its relatively newfound economic prowess, some people have started referring to this port city as one of Asia's economic dragons.

As you will see shortly, this nickname is certainly not lost on Da Nang's urban planners. The very definition of an Asian boomtown, Da Nang has changed from a backwater harbor to a metropolis featuring high-rise hotels, expensive real estate, palatial beachside resorts, a beautifully designed airport, and one of the world's most unique bridges....

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Hawaii is considering a move that could give Bitcoin a bigger role in the tourism industry...

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IAG-owned LEVEL recently announced that it will start flying to Oakland and Los Angeles, California from Barcelona, Spain in June. LEVEL is meant to compete in the long-haul, low-cost marketplace—a space that is currently dominated by Norwegian Air.

IAG’s move signals that there is still room to grow in the long-haul, low-cost sector, but will this growth bring lasting lower fares?

Or will the promotional fares give way to prices that are not much different than those offered by legacy carriers?...

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Can a TV show be good enough to inspire tourists to visit a destination? One quiet corner of the Caribbean hopes so, aiming to capitalize on the BBC series "Death in Paradise." The tourist industry in this part of the world is adept at taking advantage of its screen time. An example of this: the interactive Pirates of Nassau Museum in the Bahamas. Though much of the "Pirates of the Caribbean" franchise was shot in studios elsewhere, the Windward Islands, especially Saint Vincent, were used for some of the filming. Another Caribbean pirate tale, the Starz series "Black Sails," is set in the same colonial period, but it is filmed mainly in South Africa.

Full article on TravelPulse

Travelers are using hotel apps for everything from booking and remote check-in to researching amenities and even ordering room service. A recent study by the Global Business Travel Association Foundation showed that most travelers are basically satisfied with how their hotel apps perform, but the hospitality industry could be missing opportunities to offer additional features and to create partnerships with tech companies. 

Full articleon TravelPulse