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Spend Wisely

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Spend Wisely

Red sea speed

Egypt’s High Speed Railway Project Takes-off As we often talk about here (until we're blue in the face,) rail travel is the future.  In a world of diminishing resources and rising populations, the solutions that modern rail travel can bring for us all are too good to ignore.  That's why we're happy to see governments…

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2000 islands

You'd better get busy . . . Where more than half the country is forest, saunas have a 4,000-year history, and the world’s largest choral festival happens every five years... Welcome to Estonia. Often underestimated as being a small Baltic country sandwiched between Scandinavia and Russia, Estonia is undoubtedly so much more than that. Read more…

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Well, PARDON, madame

English wait staff are tiresomely polite. The French are radically rude. They’re the two stereotypes, anyway. What tourists don’t understand about ‘rude’ French waiters... They’re not being ‘rude’ – they’re being real… Is that the case?  Or is it that some patrons are annoying?  Or all of the above.  How should one handle situations…

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Ne’er BnB

A major European destination just banished Airbnb. Will others follow suit? AirBnB has had a somewhat chequered past when it comes to the neighbours.  Most renters are polite and responsible.  But it doesn't take too many incidents for the love to sour. A recent crackdown in Barcelona portends stronger laws against short-term rentals across the…

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Win or loos

Loo design has barely changed in 150 years – until now. Will people trade their privacy for the chance to find out exactly what is in their waste? For the past 10 years, Sonia Grego has been thinking about toilets – and more specifically what we deposit into them. “We are laser-focused on the analysis…

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Sleeping around Europe

Germany’s green party has proposed an ambitious network of night trains across Europe, which could connect the UK with destinations including Barcelona, Paris, Copenhagen and Stockholm. The proposed network would see some 40 sleeper services operating across the continent, with routes extending as far as Edinburgh, Glasgow and Birmingham as well as London. Read more here courtesy of…

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Equitable cities

Environmental neuroscience is an emerging field devoted to studying the impact of social and physical environments on brain processes and behaviour. From the various opportunities for social interaction to noise levels and access to green spaces, the characteristics of the urban environment have important implications for neural mechanisms and brain functioning, thus influencing our physical state. Read…

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Cinque Terre choo choo

It will come as no surprise to anyone who frequents our site that we are HUGE proponents of rail travel, especially in countries where this mode of getting around is the norm.  Rail makes so much sense in so many ways. Climate change and the slow travel trend have rekindled people’s interest in train rides.…

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All together now

Yay!  Common sense prevails in this day and age! The respective loyalty programs of our affiliate friends, Expedia, Vrbo, Hotels.com and other brands under the Expedia Group umbrella are to be unified into one service. The company says all brands and products will be in the program, covering flights, hotels, alternative accommodation, car rentals, cruises…

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Radisson looks east …. Middle-East

Radisson Hotel Group has secured a record year in its fastest growing region, the Middle East & Africa, with 21 signings and seven hotel openings achieved thus far. The expansion drive includes the announcement of eight hotels in Morocco, the entry into Thakher Makkah with nearly 1,000 rooms, as well as the introduction of the Radisson…

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Science!

During the Airlines Confidential podcast, former Spirit Airlines CEO Ben Baldanza told an interesting story about trying to figure out whether a new route would be profitable. In normal times airlines have great data – required and reported by the federal government.  But, some looked at telephone data and remittance data to get a sense…

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Moral coral

You can be a part of worldwide coral regeneration schemes – here's how. Coral reefs are intricate ecosystems that quite literally breathe life into the world's oceans, but they are under threat. Destruction of reefs – such as mass coral bleaching – is the result of a combination of factors including climate change and pollution.…

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Sit up straight

If you think a chair is simply a chair, you might be right.  But there are designers who think beyond the norm, in all walks of life.  It matters in this day of dwindling resources. Salone is the most important furniture event in the world, strongly connected to the city and the design culture. This…

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At €29 per flight, how does Ryanair even make any money?

If you've flown Ryanair, you'll know that it can be a mixed bag.  On the plus side, the prices are almost unbelievable:  how can anyone operate a jet aircraft (and all of its associated costs) with a €29 fare? On the more questionable side, some passengers feel like cattle (with the same amount of "love"…

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Plead the Fifth (freedom)

You might have heard (recently) of the concept of Fifth Freedom flights.  It may sound like a bad action film, but its principles are fairly straightforward and, to be honest, a bit boring.  But, as you'll see in the video, below, in practice it can bring some benefits. Click here to see part one. In…

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Perché Bucine?

Italy is lovely enough as it is.  But, when you find an opportunity to almost join the family, you should jump on it. Here, we present to you Villa Catola in Bucine, Italy.  Run by Fabio Catola and his family, from the minute you step out of the car, you will instantly feel like you've lived…

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Juan O’Gorman

Walking through the quiet old streets of Mexico City’s San Ángel, a neighborhood hugged by old ash trees and immense colonial style buildings, there’s one edifice that doesn’t quite fit in. Two square houses, one blue and the other one red, are linked  by a narrow bridge and fenced in by immense cactus plants. Most…

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Kenya call me a taxi?

No matter where you look, the world is getting bigger and better - and sometimes in places where you might least expect it.  It's time to change our worldview.  The future is now. A Kenya Airways subsidiary might just be flying “ultra short-haul” in the future through a partnership with Embraer subsidiary Eve Urban Air…

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