Destinations

Embrace The Unexpected With Help From The Bureau of Unknown Destinations

The Splits ©Ian Sane A new New York travel agency is offering voyagers the chance to embrace the unexpected in their next travel experience. The Bureau of Unknown Destinations offers, temporary displacements to members of the public seeking to experiment with their migratory impulses… We have provided the opportunity for voyagers to set forth, free [...]

Tame Winter Pushes Canadian Festival Organizers to Buy Snow

There’s no business like snow business ©blmiers2 Countries all over the world are singing praises of what seems to be a record winter with less snow and warmer temperatures. But the milder season isn’t helping Winnipeg, Manitoba. With less snow than usual, the city had to buy 200 loads of snow to accommodate their annual [...]

Tigers Attack Tourist Bus in China

Bengal Tiger ©Paul Mannix A group of tourists visiting Jinan Wildlife World in eastern China narrowly escaped after Bengal tigers attacked their bus. The incident occurred when the worker in charge of the enclosure was on his lunch break. While visitors hid under their bus seats and attempted to call emergency services, eight tigers circled [...]

Bike Sharing Program Coming to NYC This Summer

Bikes ©mosselmaniac Perfect for the hordes of tourists during Manhattan summers, bike sharing finally comes to the city this summer. And for New York residents, no more worries of bike theft. The NYC DOT and Alta Bicycle Share have organized the program, along with private sponsorship. About 10,000 bikes in over 600 stations will be [...]

Human-Like Sculptures Cause Controversy Around the World

Mark Jenkins Installation / Pictoplasma 2011 ©MatiasR Artist Mark Jenkins has spent the last few years travelling the world and installing his controversial life-like sculptures. Civilians have been so shocked by his sculptures that they’ve called the ambulance and police to help what they thought were real struggling or dead people. Perhaps the most controversal [...]

Times Square Celebrates Love This February

Times Square ©Bernt Rostad Times Square is embracing Valentine’s Day with a month-long celebration dubbed “Free Love in Times Square.” This month couples can renew their vows in the square. Also, couples can they can declare their love at the Crossroads of the World, and the declaration will be projected on a flashing digital billboard [...]

Photo of the Moment: Finding Our Path, Austria

Make Way for Cocktails and Skydiving in Singapore

iFly, you fly, we all fly © CNN.go.com If you have a few hours to kill in Singapore, take a trip to iFly–the city’s skydiving destination with a new bar, SkyLoft. That’s right–a wind tunnel for indoor simulated skydiving and an adjacent bar. While divers are not allowed in pre-drink, they are more than welcome [...]

Spanish Museum Reveals Mona Lisa Copy

Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci ©Oh Paris Spain’s Prado Museum has a copy of Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa that was most likely painted alongside the master in the same studio. The Mona Lisa immitation has been part of the Prado collection for years and has been displayed occasionally to the public but it [...]

Untie the Knot With a Stay at the “Divorce Hotel”

Wedding Cake ©Kim Marius Flakstad In the Netherlands you can pair your next weekend getaway with a divorce. Entrepreneur Jim Halfens is the mastermind behind the dutch “Divorce Hotel.” The idea came to Halfens when he recognized a gap in the market in the Netherlands, where the average divorce can easily run into five figures [...]

Photo of the Moment: Virginia Beach Sunrise

Japanese Honor Old Sewing Needles in Festival

Sewing machine © alecs apple Many ceremonies are held around the world to commemorate loved ones, aging flags–but only one is dedicated to old sewing needles. Every year on February 8th, Japanese tailors lay their used needles to rest in “hari-kuyo”, a festival held in Buddhist temples. The old needles are stuck into pieces of [...]

Beer Helps Ultra-Marathoner Run Around the World

Heineken beer bottle ©Creative Tools Irish ultra-marathon runner Richard Donovan has become the first man on the planet to run seven marathons on seven continents in less than five days–thanks to a bottle of beer. In just four days, 22 hours and three minutes, Donovan completed marathons at the Russian Novo science base in Antarctica, [...]

Rowdy Kiwi Expats Spark Complaints to High Commission

NZ flag ©michaeljohnbutton The behavior of participants in the 13th annual Waitangi Day pub crawl in London, England has sparked a complaint to the New Zealand High Commission. Waitangi Day is a New Zealand public holiday held each year on the 6th of Febuary to commemorate the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi, New Zealand’s [...]

Miami Named Most Miserable City in the U.S.

Miami Beach, Florida © kleerteam Sorry, Miami. According to Forbes magazine, the Florida hot spot hit the top of the miserable list due to a high crime rate, housing crisis and long commute times. Miami has sun and beautiful weather but other things make people miserable. You have this two-tier society: glitzy South Beach attracts [...]

Photo of the Moment: Sweeping the Surf, Sydney

Spanish Town Residents Win Lottery, Except for One Man

Better luck next year Costis © doncav The town of Sodeto, Spain became $950 million dollars richer after 70 households heard the news that they won the famed “El Gordo”, Christmas lottery. That is, except for one man. Sodeto residents and people from 17 nearby villages bought tickets with the same winning number from the [...]

Londoners Recycling With “Smart” Bins

Renew bins in London © architizer.com Throwing your next soda can into a recycling bin is a win-win for many Londoners, with the installation of new “Renew” bins. The bins display data from stock quotes to weather and transit details. Twenty-five are already in place around London. While the bins don’t come cheap, the developers have [...]

Poll Reveals Most Reassuring Airline Pilot Accent

Cockpit ©kudumomo A recent poll conducted for the Business Travel Show in London found that a pilot with a Home Counties accent to be the most reassuring accent for passengers. A Cockney accent was chosen as the least trustworthy accent, followed by a Midlands accent. Given the results of the poll, airline expert and travel [...]

Cute Pandas Send Edinburgh Zoo’s Numbers Soaring

Panda ©Chi King Since the arrival of two very cute giant pandas, visitor numbers at the Edinburgh Zoo are up 200 percent. Around 70,000 people have visited the new zoo residents since December–more than three times the number who visited the zoo during the same period in 2010. The two pandas, named Tian Tian and [...]

Cold Temperatures Stop Noted Belgian Statue From Peeing

All dried up © julie-n-clarke The famed “peeing” Manneken Pis statue in Brussels is having a bit of a dry spell. Thanks to sub zero temperatures in Brussels this week, the flow of water to the statue has been temporarily shut off to prevent damage to the internal fountain mechanism. The Manneken Pis is one [...]

Dirty Diaper Grounds Qantas Flight

colorful diapers, colorful skies ©simplyla More than 160 Qantas Airlines passengers were delayed about an hour when the flight they were on was forced to make an emergency landing at Mount Isa. Qantas Flight 825, between Darwin and Brisbane, was grounded due to a “strange smell” that was wafting from the front of the cabin. [...]

Ecuador City Seeking Retirees to Live Abroad For a Month

Laguna de Quilotoa, Ecuador © ch.deff The city of Cuenca, Ecuador is hoping to become a new retirement destination and is seeking volunteers for a month-long stay, courtesy of International Living magazine. Applicants must be near retirement age, from the United States or Canada and be willing to relax, explore, shop, try local restaurants, maybe take [...]

Spirit Airlines Charging Passengers New “Unintended Consequences Fee”

Spirit A320 ©PhillipC A change in Department of Transportation regulations is being blamed for a new $2 Sprint Airlines fee. The regulation requires airlines to allow passengers to change their flight within 24 hours of booking without paying a penalty. The new fee has been dubbed the “Department of Transportation Unintended Consequences Fee,” by Spirit [...]

Lesser-Known Groundhog Day Celebrations

A surprised Mayor Bloomberg with Staten Island Chuck © latimes.com North America’s favorite seasonal weatherman, Punxsutawney Phil, has a bit of competition on Groundhog Day. Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania has been home to the largest and oldest celebration, dating back to the late 1800′s. But other groundhogs stretching from Shubenacadie, Nova Scotia to Lilburn, Georgia offer more “unique” celebrations. [...]

Germany Returns Ancient Afghan Sculpture

And you think it’s bad when a friend forgets to return one of your books © Reuters.com A pre-Islamic sculpture traced back to the second century AD, was returned to its native Afghanistan this week. The sculpture was looted during the Afghan civil war in the late 1970s and eventually traced to Munich, Germany last [...]

Rio Statue Replica Causes Uproar in London

Christ the Redeemer ©David Berkowitz The statue of Christ the Redeemer with open arms in Rio is seen around the world as a symbol of peace and friendship. But residents of a posh north London neighborhood are up in arms at the possibility of the Brazilian national tourist board erecting a temporary replica on the [...]

Finnish Flight Attendants Take Off to Bollywood

Finn Air ©Joi To celebration of India’s Republic Day, flight crew on the January 17th Finnair flight AY201 from Helsinki to Dehli donned Indian attire and danced down the airplane aisles to “Deewangi Deewangi” from the Bollywood blockbuster “Om Shanti Om.” The idea for the tribute came from Helena Kaartinen, who has worked for Finnair [...]

World’s Oldest Cheese For Sale In China

After 15 years, it really is time to cut the cheese ©funkyuk Claimed to be the world’s oldest edible cheese, an importer in Hong Kong is hoping to sell a 15-year old, extra mature Bitto, an Italian alpine cheese. Ivona Grgan, the importer in possession of the Bitto, believes the Chinese love good food, particularly “relics”. [...]

Fearing the Zombie Apocalypse? Prepare Yourself With a Survival Course in Portland

Zombie parade, Toronto © Eric.Parker If you’ve found yourself watching too many episodes of “The Walking Dead” and fearing the zombie apocalypse, the folks at Trackers PDX have the solution for you. This March, the outdoor education specialists are offering a 2-day survival course in Portland, Oregon. It’s billed as the “ultimate guide to survival [...]

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