Travel Week in Review – July 28th, 2023

Already thinking about next summer’s vacation plans? If Europe is on your short list, there could be one extra step to take before boarding that plane. Starting in 2024, American passport holders traveling to 30 European countries will need authorization via the European Travel Information and Authorization System (ETIAS). Though it may sound complicated, the ETIAS and the reasoning behind it are quite similar to other locales. Read More…

The unusually intense heat waves currently scorching wide swaths of the U.S. ar now causing air carriers to adjust operation in some of the worst-affected cities. Measures airlines are being forced to implement include reducing their baggage and fuel loads, sometimes even reducing the number of passengers a plane can carry. Why would airlines take such steps when faced with extreme heat? Read More…

A recent Saturday evening Mass at Sagrada Familia parish had all the hallmarks of a neighborhood worship service, from prayers for ill and deceased members to name-day wishes for two congregants in the pews. But it also featured security checks to get in and curious tourists peering down to take photos of the worshippers from above. The regular Mass is held in the crypt of modernist architect Antoni Gaudí’s masterpiece church. Read More…

Amsterdam’s city council voted this week to put an end to large cruise ships sailing into the heart of the city. “The polluting cruise does not match the sustainable ambitions of our city,” Ilana Rooderkerk, leader of the centrist D66 party that put the proposal forward, said in a statement. “In addition, cruise ships in the city center do not fit into Amsterdam’s assignment to reduce the number of tourists.” Read More…

The Department of Transportation (DOT) will require bathrooms in new single-aisle aircraft to be wheelchair accessible, in a new rule finalized Wednesday. The ruling will require bathrooms on any new single-aisle aircraft with 125 seats or more to be large and wheelchair-accessible and include features like grab bars, accessible faucets and controls, and accessible call buttons and door locks, according to the DOT? Read More…