Travel

Lately, several LoyaltyLobby readers have sent us emails with (almost identical) questions on where to find or how book the airfares we feature on our Airfare of the Day section. Image by rawpixel.com on Freepik Readers are encouraged to send us questions, comments, or opinions by email, Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. We'll try to cover them here several times a week. READER'S QUEStion Hi Loyalty Lobby, I am trying to purchase the flight path you highlighted 4 days ago on the following page from Madrid to Shanghai in business class at from 1,531€: Airfare of the Day -Business Class- CHINA EASTERN Madrid to Shanghai from 1,531€ For your reference, I have also screenshotted the summary from the page below. However, when I follow the instructions via eDreams, I cannot seem to find the flights mentioned. Could you please kindly assist me with this? Thank you in advance for your help. Best regards, ...

Show Caption Hide Caption Royal Caribbean finishes construction of world's biggest cruise ship Royal Caribbean's Icon of the Seas, the world's biggest cruise ship, has completed its first set of sea trials and is joining the fleet in 2024. Anastasiia Riddle, USA TODAY A passenger sailing on Royal Caribbean International's Spectrum of the Seas cruise ship went overboard Monday. The ship was on its way to Singapore at the time, according to the cruise line. "The ship and crew immediately reported the incident to local authorities and launched a search and rescue operation," a Royal Caribbean spokesperson said in an emailed statement. "The shipboard team is working with local authorities and our Care team is now offering assistance and support to the family." The Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre Singapore was notified at around 7:50 a.m. th...

Scottish mandolinist Callum Morton, known throughout the UK for his work with Glasgow's The Fountaineers, has embarked on a solo project of his own music. Its first single drops today, Oban Bay , where the Scots make some of the finest whiskey in the world. A very talented young musician, Callum had the opportunity to study mandolin both at the Royal Conservatory of Scotland, and at East Tennessee State University. He explained how that all came about… "Before I auditioned to college, I was classically trained as violinist. I was very much on the classical mandolin train, playing Bach and Bartok, and was accepted to The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland as a classical mandolinist, though I quickly moved to Scottish Traditional music in year two. There wasn't really a course for bluegrass mandolin, though I was always grateful to be given the space to practice and explore all sorts of mandolin styles.   Another benefit of RCS was access to top ...

[unable to retrieve full-text content] Commission boosts data sharing and innovation for a smart ...    European Commission

If you talk to folks from other countries around the world and ask them what they know and love about the United States, outside of our National Parks ("America's Best Idea") and grand cities, they might light up and mention Route 66, one of the most famous historic roads in America. Established in 1926, this route passed through parts of Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California for a total of 2,448 miles. Today, you can still see a road sign in Chicago by the Art Institute of Chicago on one end, and a sign in Santa Monica by the beach on the other end. Even though the US66 route was officially removed from the highway system in the mid-eighties, history lovers and fans of John Steinbeck's novel, The Grapes of Wrath, are forever intrigued. What's amazing is that there are still so many small towns along the now designated National Scenic Byway, or "Historic Route 66", that still fight to stay alive in th...

Last Updated 2 days ago The completion of the Maya Train is projected to be just a few short months away, and the first cars that are part of the much-awaited train have already arrived in Cancun.    So it's only a matter of time before tourists can start taking advantage of the opportunities for exploration that the train will provide.    And there are five reasons the Maya Train will be the best way to experience the Mexican Caribbean.  Budget-Friendly Way To See Multiple Destinations    While the exact rates for the Maya Train have not been published yet, there are a couple of things that have been established.  The rates will be a little more for tourists than they will be for locals.  Despite costing a little more for visitors, it will still be an affordable way to see multiple destinations, with estimates coming in ...

Demand for travel to Eastern Europe is at its strongest in three years, according to tour operators and river cruise lines, some of whom say the region could see a full recovery in 2024.  To be sure, bookings have yet to surpass 2019 levels -- a year many companies say was the region's best, before the pandemic and Russia's war in Ukraine tanked sales. But the uptick in demand is fueling a long-awaited sense of optimism. "Eastern Europe is enjoying a comeback, specifically river cruising on the Danube," said Avalon Waterways president Pamela Hoffee, adding that during Q2 of this year, Eastern Europe outpaced other destinations in sales. Bookings are not back to prepandemic levels, although they easily bested 2022 sales, Hoffee said. But she is optimistic that will change next year.  "The booking trend we're witnessing is exciting and full of promise," she said. "We believe 2024 could be the year for a full rebound." Kensington...

Walmart+, the U.S. retailer's Prime competitor, is adding travel benefits to its list of perks. The company has announced that members can book getaways through  WalmartPlusTravel.com and get Walmart Cash. Walmart+ members will receive 5% Walmart Cash on hotels, vacation rentals, car rentals and activities bookings, 2% Walmart Cash on all flights and a blended rate of Walmart Cash on vacation packages.  Travel booking is powered by Expedia Group's White Label Template technology, giving members access to more than 900,000 properties, 500+ airlines, 100+ car rental companies and thousands of activities. "We're bringing together the ultimate savings membership and vacation booking site to deliver a first-ever travel-focused benefit for Walmart+ members," said Venessa Yates, senior vice president and general manager of Walmart+, in a statement. "Combined with our other benefits – including free delivery, streaming and savings on f...

[unable to retrieve full-text content] 9 Jersey Shore donut shops you have to try    The Philadelphia Inquirer

While sitting together one night, Sandy Hazelip looked at her bet friend, Ellie Hamby, with something important on her heart. The two had become fast pals in 2001 while on a medical mission in Zambia and shared everything from being senior travel buddies to supporting each other after the sad loss of their husbands. Now Sandy, a physician for nearly 40 years, and Ellie, a documentary photographer for three decades, would both soon turn 80. While sitting together one night, Sandy looked at her best friend with something important on her heart. We have to do something memorable to commemorate this milestone , Sandy thought. They both love to travel so she thought they could take a trip — not just a vacation but the adventure of a lifetime. "Wouldn't it be fun to go around the world in eighty days at age eighty?" Sandy asked, holding her breath to see Ellie's reaction. Without hesitation, Ellie gave a one-word response. "Absol...

Bucket lists, at least where travel is involved, tend to get a bad rap — sometimes, deservedly so. Lots of travelers count trips to popular destinations like London, for example, as bucket list items. On a more granular level, a London bucket list might include stops at the Tower of London, Buckingham Palace, Abbey Road, Westminster Abbey, Big Ben and the London Eye, to name a few. That's all well and good, save for the fact that it's a copy-and-paste itinerary that thousands of others have also adopted, which often leads to overtourism and just general unpleasantness in those places. "It's an almost sports-like pastime to reference every possible available recommendation and 'best of' list and cobble together a bulletproof itinerary, an activity I've engaged in many times, sometimes with great pleasure," Vox's Rebecca Jennings recently wrote. "But it all ends the same: with thousands of people doing the same things, in the same pla...

Overview Louis Vuitton has unveiled three bookstands in Shanghai to sell its key printed collections, including City Guides, Fashion Eye, and Travel Books. The bookstands — transformed from three local coffee shops, namely Plusone, Metal Hands, and Manner — are in the cover colors of the Beijing, Shanghai and Chengdu editions of the Louis Vuitton City Guide. Visitors can experience the Maison's unique take on "the art of travel" by dropping by the pop-ups, which will be open from June 25 to July 1. Netizens' Reaction Visitors can enjoy coffee and receive an eco-friendly tote bag if they purchase at least two of the house's books. This tactic has helped to drive offline and online traffic. The hashtag "LV Bookstore" has garnered over 168,800 views on Xiaohongshu. According to the social posts, there are long queues outside of the three coffee shops. Some netizens have even visited all three locations to collect the limited-edition tote bags. Local coffee ...

Flight delays and cancellations are unfortunate inevitabilities, especially in summer, when more people are flying and severe weather tends to occur more frequently. How can you get your trip back on track when things go frustratingly wrong? Start by reading the fine print before booking, understanding what's owed to you and being proactive at the airport in asking for what you want. Here's how to do it. Download your airline's app, which often shows an aircraft's location and also posts timely updates on a flight's status or gate changes. Updates may appear here before anywhere else. The day of your flight, you can also scan FlightAware, a flight-tracking service accessible by app and website, to get a sense of delays and cancellations across major airports. Keep an eye on the weather, too. It can help to know what airlines your carrier partners with, in case you need to be rebooked on another airline. In addition to partnerships like code shares, when an airline o...

©Shutterstock.com Probably the most talked about and controversial technological advancement of this year has been the introduction of ChatGPT to the world. Love it or hate it, ChatGPT is here to stay. With its arrival, there is a lot of debate about if the AI tool is better than humans at doing … well, almost anything. Find Out: 4 Ways To Use ChatGPT To Find the Cheapest Airline Tickets More: How To Get Cash Back on Your Everyday Purchases The travel industry is not immune from the reach of ChatGPT, nor are travel agents. As folks shake off the dust of the pandemic and start to book travel to destinations near and far, it begs the question: Which can save you more money when it comes to purchasing a trip — ChatGPT or a travel agent? "Both ChatGPT and travel agents have their advantages, and the choice depends on the situation," said Justin Albertynas, a former travel agent turned CEO of Ratepunk. GOBankingRates reached out to a few travel experts to get their take on ChatGPT...