Is it too much to ask for our airplane doors to stay ON while in flight? I assume you heard about the Alaska Airlines accident in which a Boeing Model 737-9 MAX aircraft lost a passenger door. The Federal Aviation Administration in the U.S. is now investigating, and Boeing has grounded 171 of this model of airplanes. Are you confident about Boeing, or are they starting to give you the heebie-jeebies?
What routes have the most turbulence? The Independent just reported that certain areas get more turbulence than others. The most turbulent route is between Santiago, Chile and Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia. Most other routes in the top 10 are domestic ones within Japan or China, but Milan to Geneva is also on that list. Zurich also seems to be particularly prone to turbulence into and out of the airport. Scientists do believe that turbulence is on the rise due to the effects of climate change. Fasten those seatbelts!
Open your wallet for new tourism taxes. The Points Guy reports that there are several tourism tax increases expected around the world in 2024. Amsterdam is increasing room taxes and cruise passenger fees. Barcelona is following suit with an increased room tax. Bali has a new entry tax of IDR 150,000 as of February 14th. Iceland is planning to add a tourist tax this year, but we don’t know how much yet. Denmark’s passenger tax for flights is set for 2025, so we have a respite this year. Also in 2025, the EU will require that non-EU folks register. The cost is supposed to be about $7.67US, so it’s a nominal fee. Tourist fees are already being charged in Austria, Belgium, Bhutan, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, and the Caribbean.
The good news and the bad news about prices. At least in the U.S., our fares are supposed to decrease in 2024, although fares around the world are supposed to increase from last year. Meanwhile, car rentals are expected to increase in North America, while gas prices are supposed to go down a bit. Forecasters say hotels will get more expensive, though. Save a little in one place, and expect to pay more on something else.
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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