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☆ Barcelona restricts cruise ship access, plans to increase tourist taxes
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-12 | by ( Julia Buckley | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —As overtourism continues to throttle European cities, one destination has taken a step against cruise ships, restricting access to the port. Barcelona has closed its northern port terminal to cruise traffic, after an agreement with the local authorities to move ships further out of town. Cruise ships must now dock at the Moll d’Adossat pier, which is the furthest from the city center. Manfred Gottschalk/The Image Bank Unreleased/Getty ImagesBarcelona is Europe’s biggest cruise port. In contrast, the city’s population is just over 1.6 million, according to 2023 data by the local authorities.

Persons: overtourism, Moll, Lluís Salvadó, Salvadó, Ciutat Vella, Manfred Gottschalk, ” Albert Dalmau Miranda, Jaume Collboni, ”, Collboni Organizations: CNN, Trade, Cruises, World Trade, ”, Barcelona, New, Spanish, El Pais Locations: Barcelona, La, Port, ”, Barcelona’s, Europe’s, “, Airbnbs

☆ Ancient Roman site of Pompeii is about to ‘expand’
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-09 | by ( Julia Buckley | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

So with ever more tourists cramming onto the site, the team behind the archaeological park of Pompeii have found a plan B – dispersing visitors around ancient sites that are further afield, with all-in-one tickets and shuttles laid on between the sites. A shuttle service around the sites – the Pompeii Artebus – was piloted in 2021. The ancient city was the most visited heritage site in Italy on the last “Domenica al Museo” – state-run heritage sites have free entry on the first Sunday of the month. Tickets for the ‘scattered’ site will be valid for three days, with free shuttles connecting all the sites. The Villa dei Misteri at Pompeii will also get new lighting which will better replicate the original lighting in the villa.

Persons: we’ll, Stanley Tucci, Torre Annunziata, Gennaro Sangiuliano, Nero, Poppaea Sabina, Villa Arianna, Villa, Villa Poppaea, Poppaea, Libero, Sangiuliano Organizations: CNN, intel, Villa San Marco, Castellammare, Villa Regina, European Union, Major, Museo Locations: Boscoreale, Torre, Oplontis, Stabiae, Rome, Italy, –, It’ll, Civita, Castellamare

☆ Life at Sea's three year cruise hits another obstacle
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-06 | by ( Julia Buckley | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

Life at Sea cruises is due to launch its three-year, round-the-world cruise next month, setting sail from Istanbul on November 1. Choppy watersThe path to freedom on the high seas has not gone smoothly for Life at Sea Cruises. In September, the company announced it would extend the cruise indefinitely, allowing passengers to stay onboard for life if they so wished. It’s a mess.”Some of the residents CNN have spoken with say they will be homeless if the cruise doesn’t go ahead. And although Holmes insists they will make the November 1 launch, the passengers CNN has spoken with are doubtful.

Persons: “ I’ve, – I’m, “, Miray, AIDA Cruises, Heidi Klum, AIDA –, Kendra Holmes, Holmes, ”, it’ll, “ They’ve, I’ve, “ I’m, they’ve, –, aren’t, We’ve, I’ll Organizations: CNN, Cruises Miray Cruises, Carnival, Sea Cruises, Miray, Residents, Cruises, “ Locations: Istanbul, Germany, German

☆ ÖBB Nightjet's new solo sleeping pods aim to revolutionize European train travel
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-06 | by ( Julia Buckley | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Austria’s state railway ÖBB, which has been leading the revival of overnight services in recent years, has unveiled a new 33-strong fleet of night trains, which will debut in December 2023. From ensuite doubles to solo podsThe solo 'pods' allow for privacy in a dormitory-style setup. OBBThe seven-carriage trains will each have a capacity of 254 passengers, and will be composed of two seating cars, three couchettes and two sleeping cars. In the sleeping cars, all compartments will have their own bathroom, including a shower. That’s why we are working together to further expand the European night train network,” she said in a statement.

Persons: ÖBB, Leonore Gewessler Organizations: CNN, OBB, Comfort Locations: Vienna, Austria, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Netherlands, Hamburg, Innsbruck

☆ What travelers to Morocco need to know following the recent earthquake
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-11 | by ( Julia Buckley | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +14 min

CNN —Thousands of people are known to have killed in the Morocco earthquake, with the death toll expected to rise as rescuers continue to search for survivors. Zdenek Kajzr/iStock Editorial/Getty ImagesHow about the High Atlas Mountains? “Many hotels in the High Atlas Mountains have had considerable structural damage with some of them closing,” he says. “I would say that the only part to avoid is the High Atlas mountains, to help the authorities with the rescue process. Santiago Urquijo/Moment RF/Getty ImagesIs there an an alternative to the High Atlas mountains?

Persons: King Mohammed VI, that’s, Al Haouz, “, ”, Zina Bencheikh, CNN’s Ivana Kottosová, storeowners, Kottosová –, Bilal El Hammoumy, Vanessa Branson, El Fenn, Musee Des Confluences, Zdenek Kajzr, Kottosová, ” Kasbah, Richard Branson, El Hammoumy, –, Fez –, Abdelilah El Khadir, Francesco Riccardo Iacomino, Anabel Dean, she’d, Dean, Stallholders, Bencheikh, Ait, they’ve, I’d, ” El Hammoumy, ” Dean, ” Azrou, Santiago Urquijo, Ameziane, Meryem Organizations: CNN, Intrepid Travel’s, EMEA, AFP, Inclusive, Jewish, El, Musee Des, Marrakech medina, Expeditions, US State Department, Foreign Locations: Morocco, Spain, Qatar, UAE, Marrakech, Al, medina, Seaside, Agadir, Casablanca, Fez, Intrepid Travel’s Morocco, Jemaa el, Bahia, Saadian, El, ”, Inclusive Morocco, reroute, “, Hassan, Rabat, Paris, –, Ait Benhaddou, Dades, Santiago

CNN —After enduring nearly a month of heartache and anxiety, a dog owner can finally rest after her missing dog was found safely at Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson Airport on Saturday, according to airport officials. Delta Air Lines passenger Paula Rodriguez’s 6-year-old dog, Maia, was lost in August at the airport, which is considered the busiest in the world. They canceled her visa and told her she would need to return home on the next flight, Rodriguez previously told CNN. Paula Rodriguez poses with her dog, Maia, in a photo taken sometime before she was lost. Her worst fears faded on Saturday when Atlanta Airport officials announced Maia’s discovery three weeks after she was lost.

Persons: Paula Rodriguez’s, Maia, Rodriguez, “, ” Rodriguez, Paula Rodriguez, Paula Rodriguez “, we’re, ”, Maia’s Organizations: CNN, Atlanta’s Hartsfield, Jackson, Delta Air Lines, Punta Cana, Delta, City of Atlanta Department of Aviation, Jackson Airport, Atlanta Airport Locations: Dominican Republic, California, Atlanta, Punta, United States, Delta, Hartsfield

☆ Venice entry fee will start next year
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-06 | by ( Julia Buckley | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —Venice has finally revealed the details for its entrance fee, making it the first city in the world to charge daytripper visitors. But this isn’t a permanent move yet – the Venice authorities have committed to a 30-day “experiment,” according to mayor Luigi Brugnaro, who shared the news on Twitter/X. Daytrippers over the age of 14 entering the “old city” of Venice – the entirety of the lagoon city – will have to pay. Andrea Merola/Bloomberg/Getty ImagesPreviously, Venturini had announced that the entrance fee – which has been discussed since 2019 – would start in January 2023. Venice may be the first city to introduce a fee, but already one village in Italy has introduced a charge for daytrippers.

Persons: we’ll, Stanley Tucci, CNN —, they’re, Luigi Brugnaro, accesso, –, Simone Venturini, ”, Stefano Mazzola, Michele Zuin, Andrea Merola, Venturini, “ Covid, ” Venturini, it’s Ferragosto, Civita, Bagnoregio, Francesco Bigiotti, Venice’s Organizations: CNN, intel, “, Bloomberg, Getty, RAI, UNESCO Locations: CNN — Venice, Venice, Murano, Veneto, Tourism, Italy, ”

☆ When the airline lost his bike, he tracked it himself
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-05 | by ( Julia Buckley | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

His journey had been operated by two different, code-sharing airlines: Brussels Airlines from Lyon to Brussels, then United to the US. “They said, ‘Well, based on our records, Brussels Airlines have the bag and need to give it to us.’ They said they’d message Brussels Airlines. Barnett replied with the location as tracked by AirTag, and two photos of Gray with the bike bag to show her its size. ‘I just needed someone to care’Ella Dollinschi went above and beyond to recover Barnett's bike at Brussels Airport. And in general, I think it’s important to help other people from a humane perspective.”Luke and Gray Barnett certainly agree.

Persons: Luke Barnett, Gray, –, ”, Luke, “, ” Gray’s, Barnett, United wasn’t, Gray’s, ‘, ’ ”, ’, ‘ United, we’re, Barnett wasn’t panicking, hadn’t, he’d, messaged, Ella Barnett, “ Ella, ” “, ” Ella wasn’t, ’ Ella Dollinschi, Ella, She’s Ella Dollinschi, didn’t, ” Luke, Gray Barnett, we’d, Ella Dollinschi, Scott Olson, United –, United, Mr Barnett, We’ve, ” Barnett, he’s, It’s, – Barnett, He’ll Organizations: CNN, EF, Cycling team’s, Brussels –, Brussels Airlines, Star Alliance, United, Brussels Airport, Getty, callbacks, Facebook, US Department of Transport, Cycling team's, . Airlines, Brussels, Chicago O'Hare, Airport Locations: France, Belgium, Greenville , South Carolina, Europe, Lyon, – Lyon, Brussels, United, Vermont, Greenville, “, Chicago, bleeped, Spartanburg

☆ Life at Sea's three-year cruise to become the cruise that never ends
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-02 | by ( Julia Buckley | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —If the idea of spending three years on a cruise ship made you claustrophobic, it’s time to look away now. There will now be seven potential start locations in the first year of the cruise, which departs Istanbul on November 1. Life at Sea CruisesHolmes says the new system shouldn’t affect the company’s policy to sell only 85% capacity. The new policy is the latest change in what has been a baptism of fire for Life at Sea. While they aren’t the first to offer permanent (or semi-permanent) cruises, Life at Sea remains the only (relatively) affordable option for long-term cruising, says Holmes.

Persons: Kendra Holmes, –, Holmes, It’s, ” Holmes, Cruises Holmes, “, ”, ‘, “ We’d, we’d, Lara Organizations: CNN, Miray, Cruises, SDI Locations: Dubai, India, Istanbul, Barcelona, Bahamas, Rio de Janeiro, America

☆ Airline loses passenger’s dog at world’s busiest airport
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-27 | by ( Julia Buckley | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Paula Rodriguez is currently living that nightmare, after her dog, Maia, was lost by airport staff who were bringing her to her Delta flight at Atlanta airport – the busiest in the world. Rodriguez was flying from her home in the Dominican Republic for a two-week vacation in California with her six-year-old dog, Maia, on August 18. “They called a Delta agent, who took Maia from me,” Rodriguez told CNN. When we’d got there [to Atlanta] she’d puked with distress and had diarrhea. “I called Delta, Atlanta airport, even San Francisco.

Persons: CNN —, Paula Rodriguez, Maia, Rodriguez, “ didn’t, “, ” Rodriguez, she’d, we’d, ”, Paula Rodriguez Rodriguez’s, –, ‘ Let’s, ’ ”, Maia wasn’t, panicking, ‘ I’m, ’, Maia didn’t, Maia Hartsfield, Jeff Greenberg, Santo Domingo, “ I’ve, Rodriguez isn’t, Rodriguez’s, “ They’re, Jackson, they’d, we’re, Atlanta . Gale Organizations: CNN, Flying Delta Air Lines, Hartsfield, Jackson Atlanta International Airport, Atlanta, Passengers, Punta Cana, Jackson Atlanta International, Universal, Getty, Santo, Delta, “, ” Hartsfield, City of Atlanta Department of Aviation, Atlanta ., American Staffordshire, Pilots Locations: Atlanta, Dominican Republic, California, San Francisco, Punta Cana, Santo Domingo, Punta, Francisco, United States, American

☆ NASA's supersonic passenger flights are getting closer
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-25 | by ( Julia Buckley | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Since the 2003 end of Concorde, of course, flitting quickly across the Atlantic has been a thing of the past. Flights between London and New York take around eight hours, or closer to seven in the other direction. But now, the thought of supersonic travel has been mooted again – by none other than NASA, which reckons that New York-London flight could take as little as 90 minutes in the future. However, NASA is developing “quiet” supersonic aircraft, called X-59s, as part of its Quesst mission. Lockheed MartinSimilar studies to the ones done now, which were carried out a decade ago, shaped the development of the X-59 aircraft, according to Lori Ozoroski, project manager for NASA’s Commercial Supersonic Technology Project.

Persons: flitting, NASA’s, Lockheed Martin, Lori Ozoroski, ”, Mary Jo Long, Davis Organizations: CNN, Concorde, NASA, NASA’s Glenn Research Center, Atlantic, Air Vehicles, Boeing, Northrop Grumman Aeronautics Systems, Lockheed, NASA’s, Technology Locations: London, New York

☆ ETIAS and Europe's city taxes explained: When, who pays and how much?
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-24 | by ( Julia Buckley | Who Needs Etias Authorization | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

The ETIAS visa waiver program will allow entry into EU countries from $7.70. And, of course, citizens of many countries need “real” visas to EU countries – which is not only a costly process, but a time-consuming one, too. ETIAS will join the myriad accommodation and “tourist taxes” that are already charged around Europe. What other tourist taxes are there in Europe? If your ship docks at Barcelona for 12 hours or more you’ll pay 4.75 euros (3 euros regional fee and 1.75 euros city surcharge).

Persons: ETIAS, you’re, They’re, Pretty, Armando Oliveira, iStockphoto, –, you’ll, Vila Real de Santo António, it’s, doesn’t Organizations: CNN, UAE, EU, United States ’, Manchester, Edinburgh, Vila Real de Santo Locations: Europe, United States, United Kingdom, Japan, Singapore, EU, Amsterdam, Wales, Barcelona, Italy, Portugal, Catalonia, Vienna, it’s, Algarve, Faro, Vila, Rome, Venice, Paris, France, Greece, Caribbean, New Zealand

☆ The airline lost his bags. He crossed the Atlantic to find them
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-17 | by ( Julia Buckley | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

Flying over, they had a 90-minute layover in London, which should have been enough – British Airways recommends an hour between flights. Plenty of travelers these days are packing tracking devices into their bags, meaning that they can see where their “lost” bags are when airlines drop the ball. Each day, buying clothes and toiletries when needed, the family logged into British Airways’ lost luggage system to see where their bags were. Searching for her own lost bags in Florence airport, she had seen theirs and, after noting details on the tags, wanted Bunce to know they were there. The British Airways system still told them that the bags had not been traced, but now they had a lead.

Persons: Brett Bunce, Bunce, Gwyn, Carolina, Bel Paese, she’d, Sandra Shuster, “, ”, Anne Johnson, Tim Clayton, Corbis, it’ll, ” Keen, He’d, you’d, he'd, Brett Bunce Bunce, – they’d, “ I’m, Aleandro, you’re Organizations: CNN —, British Airways, London Heathrow, United Airlines, Baltimore, Staff, Getty, American Airlines, Florence Peretola Airport, ”, CNN, FedEx Locations: Italy, Florence, Miami, London, Rome, Naples, Heathrow, Denver, Chicago, Colorado, Carolina, we’d, cobblestones

☆ Portugal's new housing law threatens its tourism industry, say hostel owners
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-14 | by ( Julia Buckley | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +14 min

The law – proposed and approved by Portugal’s ruling PS party – seeks to address the housing crisis in Portugal. The new law’s resolutions could potentially have far-reaching effects on those running alojamento local (AL) properties – including Portugal’s world-renowned hostels. AL properties outside of low-density areas will also see their current property taxes increase, and be subject to a new tax starting at 15%, known as CEAL. The new legislation threatens the future of all hostels in Portugal, says Miguel Santos, board member at the Associação Hostels de Portugal (AHdP) and owner of a Lisbon hostel. Pedro Nunes/ReutersOne hostel owner fearing for the future is Benedita Vasconcellos, who owns Lisbon’s Goodmorning Solo Traveller Hostel, voted Portugal’s best hostel in 2020.

Persons: Mais Habitação, –, “, hospedagem, ”, Eduardo Miranda, Valerio Berdini, Miguel Santos, ” Santos, AHdP, Richard Cummins, Kash Bhattacharya, ” Bhattacharya, Pedro Nunes, Vasconcellos, I’m, ” Vasconcellos, won’t, Filipa Aguiar, we’ll, Marco Bottigelli, Airbnb, ALEP’s Eduardo Miranda, Miranda, ” “ We’re, ALEP, Miguel Torres Marques, Marina Gonçalves Organizations: CNN, de, Alamy, Portugal, Artists, Reuters, Getty Locations: Portugal, Lisbon, Western Europe, Porto, Spain, Ericeira, ” Lisbon

☆ This woman used an AirTag to track her lost bag -- and fly to get it
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-06 | by ( Julia Buckley | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

Three months earlier, Shuster had bought an AirTag – Apple’s tracking devices – to know where her daughter’s bag was. “It had moved maybe 50 feet, and the AirTag was embedded in the bag – I doubted someone stole it,” she says. A day off work and a trip to ChicagoThe bag was at Chicago, in exactly the place the AirTag had said it was. ‘We never heard of that’While United staff said the bag was in Baltimore, the AirTag showed its correct location: Chicago. Why couldn’t the guy at baggage claim in Denver call Chicago?

Persons: Sandra Shuster, Shuster, Ruby, –, didn’t, “, ’, ’ ”, we’re, they’d, ”, Barhydt Ruby, ‘ Mam, Nam, she’d, “ We’ve, ORD, I’d, It’s, Shuster –, ” United, we’ve, ” Shuster, she’ll, that’s, She’ll, ’ “ Organizations: CNN, United, Denver, Airlines, Chicago, United’s Twitter, Twitter, ” Staff, ”, ‘ Airlines Locations: Denver, Chicago, Baltimore, O’Hare, San Francisco, California

CNN —A historic Italian bell tower was recently silenced during the night, in response to protests from B&B owners whose guests complained about the noise—but some locals are now complaining that they can’t sleep without the sound of the chimes. A bell has tolled in the clock tower in the main square of the Tuscan town of Pienza for about 560 years. Pienza's ancient town center is protected by UNESCO. Dragoncello/Getty ImagesManolo Garosi, mayor of Pienza, told CNN that the bell is now silent from midnight to 7 a.m. to conform to a 2017 noise pollution rule that requires silence during those hours. With its ancient buildings, narrow cobbled streets and hilltop position overlooking the rolling Tuscan landscape, Pienza has long been a magnet for tourists.

Persons: Manolo Garosi, “, Pienza, Pope Pius II, Pius, — Organizations: CNN, UNESCO, Dragoncello, RAI Locations: Pienza, ”

☆ Italy announces special tourist trains and 'cruise trains'
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-02 | by ( Julia Buckley | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane (FS), Italy’s state-owned railway operator, has announced a new program of tourist-focused trains, using vintage locomotives on popular vacation routes. “Lusso” (luxury) trains will be spearheaded by the long-distance, super-luxury Orient Express Dolce Vita train, which will now launch in 2024, instead of this year as previously anticipated. The luxury Dolce Vita train will debut in 2024. These new routes will include night trains. sphraner/iStock Editorial/Getty ImagesThere will even be “cruise trains” – routes conceived with the idea of shuttling vacationers back and forth from short breaks.

Persons: we’ll, Stanley Tucci, Lusso, DIMORESTUDIO, Lamberto, Luigi Ferraris, ” Antonio Tajani Organizations: CNN, intel, Ferrovie dello Stato, Orient, Express, Golden Eagle, Cortina, d’Ampezzo, FS, Fondazione FS Locations: Italy, Venice, Milan, Tuscan, Rome, Otranto, Puglia, Metaponto, Basilicata, Reggio Calabria, Cortina d'Ampezzo, Calalzo, Umbria, Swiss

☆ Passenger uses AirTag to track the bike his airline lost
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-28 | by ( Julia Buckley | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

“I keep doing these epic bike trips [abroad] and with each one I think it’s probably the last I’m going to do. Inside he put an AirTag – Apple’s luggage tracker – which he’d bought a year earlier, after hearing other cyclists rave about them. Each day, he updated his location on the British Airways website, and each day, his bike failed to arrive – or move from Heathrow, according to the AirTag. The Twitter campaignSherry repeatedly tweeted a photo of his bike and its location to the airline. “And I had no problems with luggage.”So what was the key to reuniting Sherry with his bike?

Persons: Barry Sherry, Sherry, “, I’m, ”, it’s, he’d, He’d, –, wasn’t, “ I’ve, didn’t, Sherry wasn’t, Paul Ellis, “ I’d, Ben, “ didn’t, who’d, couriered, Fränk, Andy Schleck, who’ve, I’d Organizations: CNN, de France, American Airlines –, British Airways, Washington DC, Heathrow, Getty Images British Airways, American Airlines, Heathrow Airport, “ AA, Tour de France, Dulles, Virgin, Heathrow Twitter Locations: Virginia, Europe, Swiss, Luxembourg, Finland, Switzerland, Washington, London, Zurich, AFP, Heathrow, Lake Lucerne, Helsinki, Copenhagen, Finnair

☆ Train fares are up to 30 times more expensive than planes in Europe
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-20 | by ( Julia Buckley | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —As Europe swelters in a heat wave, and the climate crisis accelerates, many travelers are looking towards trains rather than polluting planes. According to a new report, taking a long-distance train in Europe can cost nearly 30 times as much as flying. The report, compiled by environmental campaign group Greenpeace, compared the cost of flight and train tickets on 112 European routes on nine different dates. Train tickets were double the cost of flying, on average, while train journeys from the UK to Europe, which involves taking the often-expensive Eurostar to the continent, were four times the price of flying on average. “Governments must remove airlines’ tax exemptions, such as from fuel taxes and VAT, as well as reduce rail tracks tolls.

Persons: Matteo Mirolo, Lorelei Limousin, ” Victor Thévenet Organizations: CNN, Greenpeace, Eurostar, Ryanair, European Environment Agency, Airlines, Transport, Environment, Transport & Environment, “ Airlines, International Air Transport Association Locations: Europe, Spain, London, Barcelona, Belgium, France, Italy, Edinburgh, EU, Greece

☆ Life at Sea's three-year cruise will get a bigger ship
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-05 | by ( Julia Buckley | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

Life at Sea Cruises is now owned and operated entirely by Miray Cruises, a company with a 30-year history of operating in the Aegean. Bigger ship, fewer guestsStaterooms on the new ship will have 20 square feet more per cabin, say Miray Cruises. Life at Sea CruisesMeanwhile, Miray says it is launching its first Life at Sea cruise in its new ship as planned in November. MV Lara will be larger than the Gemini, Kendra Holmes, CEO of Miray Cruises, told CNN. And this Miray team is accommodating to everyone – If there are concerns, they fix it, if there are ideas they put them into place.

Persons: Miray, “, Mikael Petterson, Irina Strembitsky, Petterson, Staterooms, Lara, Kendra Holmes, Holmes, ” Holmes, Cruises, Heidi Klum, AIDA Cruises, Sharon Lane, ”, ’ ”, Meredith Shay, Shay, Ingrid Warwick, “ It’ll, “ That’s, Finnbarr Webster Organizations: CNN, Sea Cruises, Cruises, Miray Cruises, Gemini, Carnival, Sea, Petterson, Vie Locations: Europe, German, “, Florida, Germany, Istanbul

☆ Police say tourist filmed allegedly carving ‘Ivan+Hayley’ on Rome’s Colosseum has been identified
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-29 | by ( Julia Buckley | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —He caused shockwaves around the world when he was filmed apparently carving his name into a wall of Rome’s 2,000-year-old Colosseum – and grinning when he realized he was caught on camera. The visitor who this week allegedly scratched “Ivan+Hayley 23” on a brick wall of one of the world’s most precious buildings, has been identified, according to Italy’s culture minister. Police “identified the main suspect through traditional investigations and photographic comparison,” they wrote. In 2020, an Irish tourist was reported to the police for allegedly carving his initials into a wall. Last August, an American couple were caught carving their initials into the Arch of Augustus, a 2,000-year-old monument beside the Colosseum.

Persons: Ivan, Hayley, ”, Gennaro Sangiuliano, Hayley ”, Sangiuliano, commesso, k2apyx026A — Gennaro Sangiuliano, UK . Police “, “, ” Sangiuliano, Augustus, CNN’s Sharon Braithwaite Organizations: CNN, . Culture, Ministry, Culture, Piazza Venezia, Carabinieri, UK . Police, ” Locations: shockwaves, England, Irish, American

☆ The first battery-powered trains have arrived in Europe
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-28 | by ( Julia Buckley | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Enter Europe’s first battery-powered trains. In Calabria, the trains are running on the Ionian Coast, while Sicilian routes include Messina to Palermo and Messina-Catania-Syracuse. “It is the first time that batteries are used as the main energy source on a fleet of trains for commercial use in Europe,” Trenitalia said in a statement. The fleet – made with 93% recyclable materials – will cut carbon emissions and fuel consumption by 50% versus diesel trains, Hitachi said in a statement. A battery-powered futureThe trains are running in several regions of Italy.

Persons: ”, ” Trenitalia Organizations: CNN, Hitachi, Friuli Venezia Giulia, Catania, Hitachi Rail Locations: Italy, Calabria, Lazio, Tuscany, Sicily, Sardinia, Messina, Palermo, Syracuse, Europe

☆ Air passenger gets plane all to himself after waiting out 18-hour delay
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-28 | by ( Julia Buckley | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

But by the time his American Airlines plane from Oklahoma City to Charlotte took off, it was Monday morning. By the time the plane finally took off at 12 minutes past midnight, he was the only one to board. “I’m the only person on the plane and they have an entire flight crew, they don’t want to do this flight,” he laughed into the camera. A private plane ride doesn’t stop other travel glitches, however – and with lost bag rates up nearly 75%, the luggage curse struck him. A personal plane and a luggage tracker.

Persons: Phil Stringer, Stringer –, Greensboro –, – Stringer, “, ”, ’, he’d, Stringer Organizations: CNN, American Airlines Locations: Oklahoma, North Carolina, Oklahoma City, Charlotte, Greensboro

☆ How AirTags and luggage trackers became the hottest travel accessory
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-17 | by ( Julia Buckley | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +16 min

That’s right: compact, portable and potentially snatching your perfect vacation from the jaws of lost luggage disaster, the travel accessory of the moment is the humble luggage tracker. “There remain significant problems with lost luggage this year, and this is likely to be worse still in the peak travel period this summer. Possibly because he was one of many: “At one point the agent I was emailing with told me that the building had thousands of lost bags,” he said. Elliot SharodElliot Sharod was one of the first to go viral for tracking his lost luggage through its AirTag. Both Lufthansa and Air New Zealand seemingly banned bag trackers in the hold last year – before swiftly reversing the ban in both cases.

Persons: ” Thomas Romig, Rory Boland, That’s, you’ve, Kate Bevan, it’s, you’ll, you’re, ”, Boland, Jai Rawat, Jai Rawat Jai Rawat, “, –, Virgin, – Rawat, he’d, Rawat, James D, Morgan, Emily McNutt, ” Boland, ’ Elliot Sharod's, Elliot Sharod Elliot Sharod, Sharod, they’re, Bevan, Andrew Kelly, SITA, David Lavorel, Jonas Walzberg, It’s, Boland – Organizations: CNN, Airports, International, SITA, Virgin Atlantic, London Heathrow, Heathrow, Rawat, ‘ Airlines, Samsung Galaxy, “ Passengers, Aer Lingus, Google, Samsung, Apple, Lufthansa, Air New, FAA, Airlines, Reuters, Delta, Twitter, “ Locations: –, London, San Francisco, California, South Africa, Air New Zealand

☆ Nerja Caves: Europe's oldest 'tourist' site
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Julia Buckley | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

The Cueva de Nerja, or Nerja Caves, are a three-mile series of caves near Nerja in Malaga province, southern Spain. Today, visitors can take a 45-minute tour of the “public gallery” to see fantastical formations of stalactites, stalagmites and other speleothems – shapes and structures caused by mineral deposits. So far, 589 prehistoric paintings have been discovered in the caves (modern visitors cannot visit those areas for conservation reasons). Prehistoric visitors mostly burned one type of pine to light their way, the carbon analysis revealed. “I think the magnitude and geological beauty of the Nerja Cave must have overwhelmed its prehistoric visitors, just as it overwhelms us today,” she said.

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