Travel News – January 20, 2024

Travel News graphic created by Melanie Votaw in Canva.

Romania and Bulgaria are joining the Schengen Area at the end of March 2024. This means we can travel between these and other Schengen countries without passport checks.

The Maldives are experiencing an increase in tourism, so if you’re looking for a quiet, not crowded island destination, you might want to choose someplace else.

Self-service TSA screening? Yep! Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas is testing this out. It’s similar to a self-checkout at a store. It will scan ID and carry-on bags. Will this ultimately be safe enough? Who knows? Hopefully, we won’t find out the hard way.

Guard against ticks! Those of us in the U.S. are aware of ticks that carry Lyme disease – a terrible disease that can cause lots of problems, especially if left untreated. (If you come to the U.S. from elsewhere in spring, summer, or fall, be sure to take precautions.)

But Europe has its own disease from tick bites – TBE. It can cause brain inflammation and severe neurological issues. The symptoms include fever, headache, rash, muscle aches, and seizures. It’s mostly in countries in northern and central Europe, although Switzerland, Germany, and Austria are especially problematic.

It helps to wear clothing that’s light in color, long sleeves, and long pants. Tuck your pants into your socks (even if it looks stupid), and use repellent that is effective against ticks. Check your skin frequently for ticks (even skin that was covered by clothes), and if you find a tick, remove it with tweezers right away.

+ posts

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.

0 Comments

Submit a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

You may also like

Restaurant Review: Lunch at Hotel Maria Cristina, San Sebastian, Spain

Restaurant Review: Lunch at Hotel Maria Cristina, San Sebastian, Spain

The city of San Sebastián has become famous for having more Michelin-starred restaurants in and around it than almost any other city in the world. The quality of meals in this city, in general, has been elevated to heights not imagined by diners in many other countries. During my most recent visit, I had lunch at the Hotel Maria Cristina, a 5-star property at the center of town, a few yards from the Gastronomika conference venue.

read more
Spa Review: Doga Thermal Health and Spa, Pamukkale, Turkey

Spa Review: Doga Thermal Health and Spa, Pamukkale, Turkey

This is a destination that had me exclaiming, “Why didn’t anyone ever tell me about this before?” Chances are you’ve never heard of Pamukkale’s travertine slopes even though they tend to overwhelm first-time visitors. What appears to be a sheer cliff of snow rising above the plains of central Turkey is actually the “Cotton Castle” – a mountain coated with calcified carbonate and thermal hot springs bubbling through it.

read more