Travel News & Advice – November 30, 2024

Travel news. Image by Melanie Votaw.

Bullet hits Southwest plane. A Southwest Airlines plane was struck by a bullet on November 15th at Dallas Love Field airport. The plane returned to the gate and was taken out of service, and there were no injuries.

Spirit Airlines bankruptcy. Spirit has filed for bankruptcy, but it may very well continue to operate after reorganizing.

Gladiator experience at Rome’s Colosseum. In the last travel news, I told you that Airbnb has planned a fully costumed gladiator experience at the Colosseum next year, but Romans aren’t at all happy about it. One of them said it will turn the landmark into a “theme park.” They have a point.

Gladiator. Photo by Barskefranck.

Tourist syndrome. USA Today has reported that a survey of about 1,200 American adults in October showed that 56.5% of them admitted to “tourist syndrome” when traveling. This means they do something out of character, and nearly half of them broke a law while they were on vacation. I assume this is probably due to excessive drinking, but it’s definitely disturbing.

The crowding continues. Some travelers are cutting their dream vacations short because the places they’ve chosen to visit are just too crowded or aren’t quite as gorgeous as Instagram photos made them out to be. It’s true that light has a lot to do with the beauty of photos, not to mention the Photoshop enhancement that many photographers resort to.

Wales tourist tax. Wales is planning to institute a tourist tax in 2027 that will add 1.25 pounds per night to hotel stays and .75 pound per night to campsite and hostel stays. They’re hoping to use the funds to preserve the Welsh language.

From the “now I’ve heard everything” department. A Korean was arrested November 8th when he allegedly tried to smuggle 325 tarantulas, 110 centipedes, and a few bullet ants on an Air France flight from Lima, Peru to Paris, where he planned to connect to a flight to Seoul, South Korea. He had the spiders and insects in plastic bags and strapped to his body. Ewwwww! “Snakes on a Plane” had nothin’ on this guy.

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Melanie Votaw is the Publisher and Executive Travel Writer of LuxuryWeb Magazine. She has visited more than 50 countries on 6 continents and written for such magazines as Executive Travel, Just Luxe, Business Insider, South China Morning Post, Travel Mindset, and more. She is a member of the International Food, Wine & Travel Writers Association, New York Travel Writers Association, and International Travel Writers Alliance. Melanie's photography has won awards, and she has also written 43 nonfiction books as either the author or ghostwriter.

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