Travel

Fourteen of its 26 vessels operated, while the rest of the fleet was laid up due to the embargo on international clients. (Twelve vessels serve the international market.) Vodohod carried more than 35,000 Russians on 438 sailings from its first in late June to November. New Mustai Karim and refurbished Maxim Gorky Mustai Karim, the first five-star vessel built in Russia in several years, was introduced, and Maxim Gorky was fully refurbished for Siberia expedition cruising on the Yenisei River. Mustai Karim debuted in August with floor-to-ceiling windows, a spa, intimate restaurants and bars and menus by a celebrated chef. The vessel carried out several cruises on the most popular route, between Moscow and St. Petersburg, visiting the Kizhi Ensemble of wooden architecture, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In September, Mustai Karim pioneered an innovative itinerary on the Azov Sea and the Black Sea to Rostov-on-Don, reporting rave reviews from its Russian clients. ...

[unable to retrieve full-text content] Rethinking that cruise vacation? Cancellation, refund policies vary by cruise line    Reverb MSN Music

[unable to retrieve full-text content] CDC Says "Avoid Cruising," Travel Industry Reacts Strongly    Travel Agent

By most accounts, Google Maps does a damn good job navigating from point "A" to point "B," helping users safely get to their destination in the fastest possible time. And once you get to that destination, Google Maps will tell you where to go for dinner, the must-see places in that city, and where you can find a place to stay. But Google Maps does have its moments, as rare as they are, when something goes wrong. According to SF Gate, travelers in Lake Tahoe were directed by Google Maps to drive on roads that were closed or dangerous thanks to record-breaking snowfall. A tweet from Crystal A. Kolden (@pyrogeog) was sent to Google Maps with a screenshot showing the route between Sacramento, California and Reno, Nevada. Google Maps sends travelers down a potentially fa...

DUBLIN , Dec. 30, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Medical Tourism 2022: Asia-Pacific Potential" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The winds of change are sweeping across Asia-Pacific medical tourism. Some countries have taken stock and seek to increase inbound medical tourism while others are moving from increasing medical tourism numbers to increased revenue. Others have decided that wellness tourism is far more lucrative than medical tourism. Outbound medical tourism costs some countries millions of dollars in exchange revenue but produces revenue for others. China wants medical tourists to remain in Greater China rather than going elsewhere. The myth that Asian medical tourism destinations can target customers from the USA and Western Europe is fully busted. The reality is that medical tourists are from Asia , Eastern Europe and the Pacific. This unique analysis of Asia-Pacific medical tourism looks forward rather than back as the pan...

The variant has spurred another round of new travel rules and public health concerns. But all is not lost with these tips and advice for how to navigate travel amid the new (variant) normal. share this article J ust a few weeks ago I returned from my ninth international trip since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic feeling optimistic that international travel might finally be returning to some level of normal. On that trip to Ecuador, I filled out a quick questionnaire, showed my vaccine card with my passport and was in. To get home, it took less than 20 minutes at the airport to get the antigen test required for entry to the United States. Then along came the Omicron variant and with it a cascade of fast-changing, confusing new travel rules. And suddenly, as I prepared for a long-anticipated trip to London and France, it felt like 2020 all over again. Because the United Kingdom and France were among the countries erecting strict new testing requirements practically overnight, what ...

Skift Take Although many tour operators are hopeful they'll stage Christmas market tours next year, they'll rue missing out on an enormous amounts of revenue generated by the popular excursions for a long time — especially as many haven't fully recovered from the pandemic. Rashaad Jorden Europe's large number of Christmas markets — essentially shut down last year because of the pandemic — were poised to welcome huge crowds eager to return to some of the continent's famous and lucrative winter attractions this year. But many tour operators won't get the chance to share the experience with travelers this year as many Christmas activities are being threatened by the Omicron variant. As several European destinations recently announced, they're shutting down their Christmas markets again this year due to surging Covid cases and — in the case of Austria — a lockdown, numerous tour operators have decided to canc...

Skip to content Top Navigation Close this dialog window Explore Travel + Leisure Profile Menu Close this dialog window View image 55 of the World's Most Beautiful Destinations this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines.

UPDATE: Please note that only the Fauntleroy/Vashon/Southworth route will have holiday schedule changes for Friday, Dec 24, and Friday, Dec. 31. All other runs will now operate on their current Friday schedules on both days. Vehicle reservations reopen Friday, Dec. 17, for travel after Jan. 1, 2022   SEATTLE – While Santa is making a list and checking it twice, state ferry customers traveling this holiday season should regularly check online sailing schedules. Due to an ongoing staff shortage, the busy Seattle/Bainbridge Island, Edmonds/Kingston and Mukilteo/Clinton routes remain on one-boat service, with a second boat added daily as crewing availability allows. "Because of our recent hiring efforts and new crewing agreements with our labor partners, we've been able to add service nearly every day over the past month on our central Sound routes and operate a full four-boat fall schedule on our Anacortes/San Juan Islands run, but challenges remain," sa...

Consumers have long been familiar with the saying caveat emptor, "let the buyer beware," an ominous warning of how consumers can sometimes get screwed. This has increasingly been an issue with air travel, prompting the newer notion of "let the flyer beware." Complaints regarding refunds and trip cancellations have skyrocketed to record highs during the ongoing, evolving and constantly changing COVID-19 pandemic. The Department of Transportation recently reported that in the 18 months from January 2020 through mid-2021, a staggering 84% of all consumer complaints regarding air travel were about refunds. That is a more than a tenfold increase from life before the pandemic, when only about 8% of these complaints were refund related. According to USA Today , there are hundreds of thousands of consumers still trying to collect refunds from flights cancelled in 2020, totaling an outstanding $10 billion. That's real money. In the current environment there are ...

After Sheila Katz's husband died of a degenerative nervous system disorder in April, she knew she had to get away. But her husband had been her travel partner, and without him, she was hesitant to travel alone. The pandemic's ever-shifting travel regulations were intimidating as well. So Katz, 45, did something she'd never done before: She joined a group tour. "I wanted to not be totally alone, but also to be able to do my own thing when I wanted," she said. So in July, she joined a group of 17 fully vaccinated travelers heading to Belize with EF Go Ahead Tours, making friends as she snorkeled, visited Mayan ruins and took chocolate- and tortilla-making classes. Solo travelers like Katz are joining guided tours at unprecedented rates, say tour organizers, with some companies reporting single bookings up 300 percent over those from couples, families or clusters of friends. The majority of these lone travelers have never taken a group trip before. After years of pla...

Skip to content Top Navigation Close this dialog window Explore Travel + Leisure Profile Menu Close this dialog window View image The 50 Best Places to Travel in 2022 this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines.

"One Happy Island" for visitors as well as retirees: Snowbirding in Aruba for a quick 2-week get-out-of-the-freezing north is the perfect excuse to sample Aruba's wonderful all-inclusive resorts. Snowbirds can stay up to 90 days for a longer thaw and miss winter entirely. This tropical Caribbean island is the answer to all your snowbirding flights. Aruba's easy access, daily sunshine, breezy trade winds, English-speaking citizens, and U.S. dollar-friendly economy are everything you could want in a winter getaway. So many retirees love Aruba so much they have moved to this charming tropical island full time, permanently nesting in beautiful toes-in-the-sand bungalows. Some information in this piece was obtained during a sponsored press trip, but all recommendations are my own. Sandi Barrett 1. The Climate Is Perfect For Snowbirds By the very definition of living the snowbird life, you take flight to a warmer destination. Aruba is perfectly situated 12 degrees...

[unable to retrieve full-text content] Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines cancels more than 100 flights ahead of Christmas    11Alive.com WXIA

Rich in history, overflowing with fascinating culture, and conveniently very affordable, these cities in Eastern Europe offer an authentic and fascinating insight into both the continent's beauty and its volatile past. As underrated as they are stunning, these bustling and picturesque metropolises are prime for anyone curious enough to visit this historically significant and unique part of the world, where cultures collide, food and drink are held dear, historic remnants echo stories of past, and attractions - both new and old - leave visitors speechless. 8 Dubrovnik, Croatia ...