Hawaiian columnist says it’s no competition: ‘Las Vegas is kicking our okole’ - Las Vegas Review-Journal

Hawaiian columnist says it’s no competition: ‘Las Vegas is kicking our okole’  Las Vegas Review-Journal

* This article was originally published here

Traveling With Dogs During the Cold? Here’s What You Need to Know

The holiday season is a busy time for travel, and if you're bringing your furry friend with you, you may be going to a place where it's pretty cold.  As the saying goes, if you're cold, your pets are cold too. So, here are some essential rules you need to know when traveling with your furry companion.  Come Prepared First, let's get some common sense out of the way. When traveling, you

* This article was originally published here

2021 LAOAG & ILOCOS NORTE TRAVEL REQUIREMENTS for TOURISTS & VISITORS (November 2021)

Traveling to Laoag and Ilocos Norte soon? Here are the latest Laoag and Ilocos Norte travel requirements, entry protocols, and travel guidelines for tourists, visitors and other types of travelers! The Province of Ilocos Norte is under Alert Level 2 from November 16-30, 2021. According to the Department of Tourism Philippine's website, the province is currently open for tourism. As it eases

* This article was originally published here

An Evening of Splendor with Martell at The Westin Kuala Lumpur

An exclusive Evening of Splendor with Martell, where guests immerse themselves at Westin Club Lounge for an evening with Martell host by Martell’s brand ambassador, Jean-Baptiste Gourvil. This exclusive soirée on Friday, 24 September 2021 [...]

* This article was originally published here

DC Restaurant houses the first Louis XIII Room in Southeast Asia

The first of its kind in Southeast Asia, the Louis XIII Room at DC Restaurant is one of the finest collaborations between 2 heavyweight elites: Louis XIII the world first ultra-premium cognac since 1874 that [...]

* This article was originally published here

Raising Naples: how the catacombs of saints transformed Sanità

Tours of ancient catacombs run by a local group of friends are revitalising a Naples neighbourhood that was once prey to the Camorra

“If you walked around Sanità 15 years ago with your camera on your shoulder like that it would’ve been stolen,” says local shopkeeper Antonio Vitozzi, pointing at my battered Nikon. More than likely I would’ve been nowhere near this neighbourhood back then. Riven by urban decay and high unemployment, Naples’ poorest district used to be a dangerous place where the Camorra held sway. It wasn’t just Italians afraid to come here but Neapolitans too.

Not these days, though. Sanità has undergone a quite miraculous transformation thanks to La Paranza, a cooperative of idealistic young friends who began running guided tours to Italy’s finest catacombs in the early 2000s. At the time, the only access to the catacombs was granted by the Catholic church for academic study.

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* This article was originally published here

The towers and the glory: Simon Jenkins’ favourite cathedrals in Europe

Surviving bombs, fires and even secularism, Europe’s great cathedrals stand defiant. Here are 11 ‘masterpieces of art and architecture’

Europe’s cathedrals are its wonders of the world. From Salisbury to Seville, Moscow to Palermo, Trondheim to Istanbul, they tower over its cities, masterpieces of art and architecture whose popularity increases by the generation. Even as religious worship continues to decline, attendance at cathedral services has risen by a third in 20 years.

What is it that still draws people to these places? To me the answer transcends faith. It lies in a quest for spiritual and emotional meaning that is found, quite simply, in the beauty of buildings and their decoration. The medieval imagination has an undying appeal today. Everyone should see Europe’s 100 greatest cathedrals before they die. I offer 11 easily reachable ones.

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* This article was originally published here

The Real Villain In Final Destination Isn't Who You Think - Looper

The Real Villain In Final Destination Isn't Who You Think  Looper

* This article was originally published here

‘You’ll be changed forever by this journey’: readers’ favourite rail trips

From Corsica’s narrow gauge trains to Scotland’s West Highland line, our tipsters take a window seat and enjoy a kaleidoscope of landscapes

We’ve visited Corsica a few times. As penniless students sleeping on the beach, as new parents with travel cot and buggy in tow, and as newly retired tourers with hire car. But our best-ever Corsican trip was with a seven-day Pass Libertà for the 230 miles of the Chemins de Fer de la Corse, which costs just €50. The Y-shaped network links the coastal towns of Bastia, Ajaccio (both accessible by train and ferry via mainland France), Calvi and hilltop Corte, showcasing Corsica’s unbelievable mountain scenery and spectacular coasts. Hard to pick the best leg of the journey, but pulling in to Calvi station at dusk along the sweeping sandy beach takes some beating.
cf-corse.corsica
Alison

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* This article was originally published here

Flying Private from The Philippines to Canada: The Epitome of Comfort and Ease

So you and your family have been on holiday in the Philippines. It's been a long few years of COVID panic and restrictions, so you decided that, since restrictions have started to ease up, it was time to embrace travel once again and treat your nearest and dearest to exploring somewhere new and exciting. Manila in the Philippines is the cultural hub of the country; so where better to take your

* This article was originally published here

Changes To CDC Travel Advisories List For Week Of November 8, 2021

NOTE:  This post usually updates on Tuesdays.

The Center For Disease Control (CDC) has updated its weekly list of high-risk countries.  Four poplular countries have moved up to the very high-risk, level 4 countries.  The list of country designations continues to be a moving target with some countries moving up the list and some moving down to lower categories.

Updated CDC threat map. Image credit: CDC.

Countries Reopening In The Next 30 Days

• Chile is now open to fully vaccinated visitors without quarantine.  If the results of a PCR test completed upon arrival into one of three Chilean airports (Iquique, Antofagasta, and Arturo Merino Benítez) are negative, the quarantine requirements will be waived.
• India is now open if visitors are fully vaccinated and test negative for Covid within 72 hours of arrival to India.  The Indian travel ban was set to expire on November 15th and has been extended to November 30, 2021.
• Fiji is expected to reopen to tourists on December 1, 2021.  The requirements will be full vaccinations, a negative PCR test within 72 hours of arrival and an rapid test was taken within 48 hours of arrival.

Unvaccinated Americans Returning To the United States

If you are an American who is not vaccinated, returning to the United States will get more complicated.  The new travel rules will make two significant changes:

• The testing window for return Covid testing will be reduced from three days down to one day.  This means a Covid test was conducted 24 hours prior to departure.
• Unvaccinated travelers will be required to test again after they return to the United States.  Where and when this test is to be performed has yet to be decided.

The new testing window for unvaccinated Americans can be problematic because you will need an approved test with a fast turnaround time for the results.  You will have to show proof of a negative Covid test prior to boarding your flight.

Requirement for Proof of Negative COVID-19 Test or Recovery from COVID-19 for All Air Passengers Arriving in the United States can be found here.

Countries Moving Up To Level 4

Destinations that fall into the “Covid-19 very high” Level 4 category have had more than 500 cases per 100,000 residents in the past 28 days, according to CDC parameters. The Level 3 category applies to destinations that have had between 100 and 500 cases per 100,000 residents in the past 28 days.  This week, there are currently 79 destinations that remain at Level 4.

These countries have moved up the list to level 4 from previously lower levels.  The main reason this has happened is that the CDC has received more complete data on the actual conditions in those countries.

• Cayman Islands
• Faroe Islands
• Luxembourg
• Netherlands

Here are popular countries remaining at level 4.  Many of the latest countries that remain at level 4 are the most popular vacation destinations in Europe due to a surge in the Delta variant.

• Austria
• Barbados
• Belgium
• Botswana
• Croatia
• Greece
• Maldives
• Switzerland
• Turkey
• United Kingdom

There were 80 countries at Level 4 as of November 8.

These Countries Have Moved To Level 3

Four countries on the list this week have either improved or were downgraded.   They are:

• Iran – previously level 4
• Republic of Congo – previously level 4
• Sint Martin – previously level 4
• Thailand – previously level 4

Countries That Have Improved To Level 2

• Nepal – previously level 3
• United Arab Emirates – previously level 3

Countries Now Reported At Level 1

      • Côte d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast)
      • Guinea-Bissau
      • Malawi
      • Rwanda
      • Sudan

Popular Countries With Unknown Risks

The following countries have insufficient data for the CDC to assign a risk level:

• Cambodia
• Madagascar
• Nicaragua
• Syria

General Guidance

CDC guidance for Level 3 and Level 4 destinations urges unvaccinated travelers to avoid nonessential travel to those locations.  The CDC also recommends avoiding all international travel until you are fully vaccinated.

The Full List And Travel Advisories

The full list along with travel advisories from the CDC can be found here.  This list changes weekly so it might be a site to add to your travel bookmarks.

All air passengers coming to the United States, including U.S. citizens, are required to have a negative COVID-19 test result or documentation of recovery from COVID-19 before they board a flight to the United States. See the Frequently Asked Questions for more information.

Final Thoughts

The list of countries that the CDC maintains continues to change every week as more data is known.  Some countries have improved and some have declined.  Some countries including the United States improve and then fall into a state of decline.  This CDC list and advisories are posted to help you make an educated decision on whether to travel or not. 

The next update is scheduled for November 16, 2021.

Read the rest of this article at Changes To CDC Travel Advisories List For Week Of November 8, 2021.

* This article was originally published here

Holidays on ice at St. Pete's Postcard Inn

The beachfront resort will feature ice skating in its courtyard from Dec. 28 to Jan. 3 as well as snow-making machines, festive lighting, hot cocoa and other goodies.

* This article was originally published here

Cirque du Soleil wants its big-top shows to be an annual 'tourist destination' in Toronto - The Globe and Mail

Cirque du Soleil wants its big-top shows to be an annual 'tourist destination' in Toronto  The Globe and Mail

* This article was originally published here

Holland America Line's new Rotterdam begins inaugural Caribbean season

The Rotterdam will sail in the Caribbean through April, offering cruises ranging from six to 11 days from Fort Lauderdale.

* This article was originally published here

A local’s guide to Biarritz, France: five great things to do

Artist Isabelle de Joantho delights in the Atlantic city’s crashing waves, pinxtos, galleries and green spaces

Isabelle de Joantho is a painter and sculptor who studied at the Bayonne-Anglet-Biarritz School of Art.

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* This article was originally published here

The top 20 dreamy US destinations you can fly to direct from the UK

President Biden has awoken from his slumbers - and given the thumbs up to double-jabbed Britons. So, here's the Daily Mail's guide to where to go in America on direct flights...

* This article was originally published here

Where the wild things are: a trip to Romania’s southern mountains

The reintroduction of bison to the Carpathians is a boon for nature – and local communities – as our writer discovers on a hiking break

“From this pile of logs onwards, we need to be completely silent,” says Georg Messerer, our guide through Romania’s southern Carpathians. His head cocks 45 degrees as a bird starts chirping. “Nuthatch,” he whispers, reaching for his binoculars. “And two red deer.” Georg directs our gaze to a row of apple trees, where sure enough, two deer are grazing.

Georg is an environmental encyclopedia. Give him a fresh footprint or dropping and he can tell you what the animal was and when it was there. Born in Germany, but with extensive guiding experience in Southern Africa, Georg has been guiding here, in the remote hills of Rusca in the Țarcu Mountains, near the villages of Armeniș, for more than five years – ever since the reintroduction of free-roaming bison to the area began.

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* This article was originally published here

American Airlines Operational Meltdown. What’s Behind It?

Starting last Saturday, American Airlines flight operations out of Dallas began a meltdown.  Last month, I wrote about a similar situation that happened to Southwest Airlines.  If you missed that story, you can read it here.  Was this a matter of a bad “trick or treat” that went seriously wrong?  What really happened and what American Airlines originally blamed the problem on.

Operational Issues

The first thing that I want to mention is that Southwest and American Airlines operate in two completely different structures.  While Southwest is a point-to-point carrier, American Airlines works on a hub and spoke system.  If the “wheels of the bus” fall off at a large American Airlines hub, there will be a large ripple effect throughout their entire system.  The first flight of the day needs to take off on-time because that aircraft will fly multiple trips that day.  When aircraft fail to depart, the airline will have aircraft out of place for other flights during that day.  In the case of the current American Airlines operational meltdown, the failure occurred at the airline’s biggest hub – Dallas Fort Worth Airport (DFW).  Flight cancellations result in aircraft being out of position during the course of the day.  One of the reasons that flights are not scheduled after midnight is that it gives airlines a chance to get caught up before the first flight out of the next day.

The Beginning Of The Meltdown

This meltdown began on Saturday and continued into Sunday, Monday and Tuesday.  The airline originally blamed that operational failure on the weather at DFW.  Specifically, they blamed high winds in the DFW area for the flight cancellations.  If that was true, the flights of United, Delta, Southwest, JetBlue and the others would have suffered the same fate.  Was weather really to blame?

Looking At The Real Causes

The real cause of the operational problems at American Airlines is a lack of employees.  When Covid hit, airlines shed employees at a wholesale rate.  The problem for airlines is that when air travel increased last summer, they had to either recall or hire new employees to work these flights.  In the case of pilots and flight attendants, recalling these employees is not a quick fix.  Pilots need recurring training to remain in current flight status.  Flight attendants also require training and certification to work on each aircraft type that they fly.  Further compounding operational issues at American is an apparent difficulty in the airlines securing hotel rooms for these employees.  Pilots and flight attendants require a minimum of eight hours of “behind-the-door” rest to be rest compliant.  If aircrew members are not “rest compliant” they are not fit to fly.  Airlines typically don’t board aircraft until all of the flight attendants are on board.  The late arrival of just one flight attendant can delay the boarding process.  It could be that American Airlines was late to recall, hire and train employees to staff an increased flight schedule.

Minimum American Airlines flight attendant staffing levels.

The Reason Behind The Flight Cancellations

American Airlines Boeing 777 pilot and aviation expert, Juan Browne truly has the inside track on the situation.  

Is It Over Yet?

Today is Wednesday, is American Airlines back to normal?  To look for the answer, I went to flightview.com and looked at the American Airlines departures out of DFW for this morning.  The screenshot was taken at 8:30 am CDT and here is what it looks like:

American Airlines flight delays at DFW on 11/03/21 at 8:30 am CDT. Image credit: flightview.com.

The unknowns are how many “delayed” flights will turn into actual cancellations.

Final Thoughts

Operating an airline is a complicated system of aircraft flying many flights to many destinations each day.  If one major problem occurs, it will have a ripple effect across the airline’s entire route system.  When aircraft are out of position, flights get cancelled.  Major aircrew staffing shortages will cause a meltdown and it appears to be the real cause of American Airlines’ current operational failure.   

Things happen in the airline business.  How airlines deal with operational problems will determine how the flying public views their airline loyalty.  One thing that any business needs to do is be transparent to the customer and be honest about the situation.  Blaming the weather for mass cancellations was not being transparent with their customers.

Read the rest of this article at American Airlines Operational Meltdown. What’s Behind It?.

* This article was originally published here

Changes To CDC Travel Advisories List For Week Of November 1, 2021

NOTE:  This post usually updates on Tuesdays.

The Center For Disease Control (CDC) has updated its weekly list of high-risk countries.  Four poplular countries have moved up to the very high-risk, level 4 countries.  The list of country designations continues to be a moving target with some countries moving up the list and some moving down to lower categories.

Updated CDC threat map. Image credit: CDC.

Tonga

This island country in Polynesia just reported its first Covid infection.  This country of 100,000 people is now under lockdown.  There are curfews in effect for the residents of Tonga’s main island of Tongatapu from 8:00 pm to 6:00 am.

Countries Reopening In The Next 30 Days

• Chile is now open to fully vaccinated visitors without quarantine.  If the results of a PCR test completed upon arrival into one of three Chilean airports (Iquique, Antofagasta, and Arturo Merino Benítez) are negative, the quarantine requirements will be waived.
• India is now open if visitors are fully vaccinated and test negative for Covid within 72 hours of arrival to India.  The Indian travel ban was set to expire on November 15th and has been extended to November 30, 2021.
• Fiji is expected to reopen to tourists on December 1, 2021.  The requirements will be full vaccinations, negative PCR test within 72 hours of arrival and an rapid test taken within 48 hours of arrival.

The U. S. Reopens To Foreign Travelers

The United States will officially reopen to foreign travelers who are fully vaccinated on November 8, 2021.  This date had been a moving target since the plan to reopen to vaccinated foreign travelers has been a moving target.  

The first priority is to reopen the United States to fully vaccinated travelers on non-essential travel from Canada and Mexico.  The November 8th date will include travelers arriving by air or by land.  The new policies will allow fully vaccinated foreign nationals to enter the United States.  

These visitors will have to provide full vaccinations from the vaccines approved by the FDA as authorized.  In addition to those vaccines, the AstraZeneca vaccine will also be allowed.  The Russian Sputnik V vaccine will not qualify for fully vaccinated status.

Unvaccinated Americans Returning To the United States

If you are an American who is not vaccinated, returning to the United States will get more complicated.  The new travel rules will make two significant changes:

• The testing window for return Covid testing will be reduced from three days down to one day.  This means a Covid test was conducted 24 hours prior to departure.
• Unvaccinated travelers will be required to test again after they return to the United States.  Where and when this test is to be performed has yet to be decided.

The new testing window for unvaccinated Americans can be problematic because you will need an approved test with a fast turnaround time for the results.  You will have to show proof of a negative Covid test prior to boarding your flight.

Requirement for Proof of Negative COVID-19 Test or Recovery from COVID-19 for All Air Passengers Arriving in the United States can be found here.

Countries Moving Up To Level 4

Destinations that fall into the “Covid-19 very high” Level 4 category have had more than 500 cases per 100,000 residents in the past 28 days, according to CDC parameters. The Level 3 category applies to destinations that have had between 100 and 500 cases per 100,000 residents in the past 28 days.  This week, there are currently 79 destinations that remain at Level 4.

These countries have moved up the list to level 4 from previously lower levels.  The main reason this has happened is that the CDC has received more complete data on the actual conditions in those countries.

• Belgium
• Burkina Faso
• Russia
• Slovakia

Here are popular countries remaining at level 4.  Many of the latest countries to join level 4 are the most popular vacation destinations in Europe due to a surge in the Delta variant.

• Austria
• Barbados
• Botswana
• Croatia
• Greece
• Ireland
• Maldives
• Switzerland
• Thailand
• Turkey
• United Kingdom

These Countries Have Moved To Level 3

Four countries on the list this week have either improved or were downgraded.   They are:

• Fiji – previously level 4
• Jamaica – previously level 4
• Laos – previously listed as unknown level
• Poland – previously level 2

Countries That Have Improved To Level 2

• Columbia
• Peru
• India

General Guidance

CDC guidance for Level 3 and Level 4 destinations urges unvaccinated travelers to avoid nonessential travel to those locations.  The CDC also recommends avoiding all international travel until you are fully vaccinated.

The Full List And Travel Advisories

The full list along with travel advisories from the CDC can be found here.  This list changes weekly so it might be a site to add to your travel bookmarks.

All air passengers coming to the United States, including U.S. citizens, are required to have a negative COVID-19 test result or documentation of recovery from COVID-19 before they board a flight to the United States. See the Frequently Asked Questions for more information.

Final Thoughts

The list of countries that the CDC maintains continues to change every week as more data is known.  Some countries have improved and some have declined.  Some countries including the United States improve and then fall into a state of decline.  This CDC list and advisories are posted to help you make an educated decision on whether to travel or not. 

The next update is scheduled for November 9, 2021.

Read the rest of this article at Changes To CDC Travel Advisories List For Week Of November 1, 2021.

* This article was originally published here

Paris breaks: Stephen Bayley offers a waspish view of a city where glamour meets Gallic superiority

'I am thrilled to return to Paris after too long away,' says Stephen Bayley. He checks in to the 'understated' Castille hotel in Rue Cambon and rediscovers the city in the wake of the pandemic.

* This article was originally published here