Category: Travel

How to travel to Cuba (Yes, you can!)

Loknath Das

“I’d love to go to Cuba — but the sanctions are back on, so I guess I can’t,” a friend of mine opined recently after perusing my Instagram pics of the trip to the famed Caribbean island over New Year’s. This is not an uncommon sentiment. Ever since President Trump reinstituted trade, commercial and economic embargoes against Cuba in 2018, American travel to the country has dropped precipitously — but you can still go. In fact, airlines like Jet Blue, Delta, Southwest and American Airlines have direct flights from cities like New…

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Coronavirus: Your travel rights explained

Loknath Das

The coronavirus is now spreading well beyond China. Travellers returning from nine Asian countries and destinations are being advised by Public Health England to avoid contact with other people if they show certain symptoms. In addition to China, the Public Heath England list includes Thailand, Taiwan, Japan, Hong Kong, Macau, Malaysia, Singapore and South Korea. Holiday companies and airlines are still taking people to these countries, while insurers say travel policies are unlikely to cover cancellations – except to China. Travel agents, tour operators and airlines are being contacted by…

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Personal Travel Coaches Are The Hot New Trend. Here’s What They Are And Why You Need One

Loknath Das

Travel coach Dylan Essertier in India. PHOTO COURTESY OF @DYLANGRACETRAVELS A lot of people have life coaches and career coaches—but have you ever heard of a travel coach? Dylan Essertier is a travel writer turned travel coach who now works with people looking to reach their goals through travel. “Over the years, I searched long and hard for a travel advisor that would speak to a ‘woman like me’—someone who didn’t just want to escape through travels but use that time away to help me move toward my long-term goals,”…

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‘Do not travel to China’ because of coronavirus risk, US tells citizens

Loknath Das

Americans shouldn’t travel to China because of the risks from the new coronavirus, the US State Department said. US citizens currently in China should “consider departing using commercial means,” the alert said. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo echoed the warning on Twitter. A Level 4 travel advisory is the most severe warning issued by the State Department, and it applies only to areas with a “greater likelihood of life-threatening risks.” The warning cites a decision earlier today by the World Health Organization to declare the outbreak a global public health emergency. The virus has…

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CDC issues level 3 health warning for coronavirus, advises against nonessential travel to Wuhan, China

Loknath Das

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Thursday escalated its health warning to a level 3 as the coronavirus continues to spread, recommending that people avoid all nonessential travel to Wuhan, China. The State Department reiterated its level 2 travel advisory, which urges people to exercise caution if traveling to an affected area. An initial State Department website post erroneously showed that it had raised its travel advisory to a level 3, but the department later said in a statement to CNBC that it had made a mistake and…

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Travel For Renaissance Men And Women

Loknath Das

The Renaissance traveler is a savvy and intrepid being, with a drive to discover new things and gain knowledge. Curious and creative, willing to take risks, endowed with determination and the ability to thrive in a variety of cultural and geographical landscapes, today’s polymath is proficient in a wide range of areas, including travel. Chanel your inner Leonardo da Vinci, who embodied the always-learning ideals of the Renaissance, and consider the following notions for adventures that are vibrant, challenging, and thought provoking. Filling cow horns with manure to make biodynamic…

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Luxury travel: 50 wealthy tourists, eight countries … and one giant carbon footprint

Loknath Das

Beaches on Bartolome, one of the remote Galápagos islands which are visited on the 24-day world tour. Photograph: Jesse Kraft/Getty Images Forget cruises. The super-rich have found a new way to see the world in the luxurious style of an ocean liner but taking a fraction of the time: private jet round-the-world tours. This week, 50 members of the wealthy elite will board a privately chartered Boeing 757 to begin a 24-day guided tour of the globe, taking in Copacabana beach in Rio de Janeiro, the Galápagos islands and mountain…

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These Are The Cheapest Weekends to Travel in 2020

Loknath Das

Weekend trips are fun, but they can also wind up being pretty expensive. Hotwire recently took a look at historical booking data for hotels to determine when the most affordable weekends are to travel in 2020, and released a list of the most affordable weekends, hotel-wise, for each month. Actually surprising: some of those affordable hotel stays actually fall during holiday weekends. Here’s its list of predictions for the cheapest weekends to travel: •January 31 – February 2 (Groundhog Day) •February 28 – March 1 (Leap Day) •April 10-12 •May 8-10 (Mother’s Day) •June…

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How to travel by train – and ditch the plane

Loknath Das

A string of horrifying climate-related disasters has brought a distinctly environmental theme to many people’s New Year resolutions. Many have chosen to reduce their carbon footprint by flying less, or cutting out planes completely. Flygskam – the Swedish word for “flight-shame” – has become commonplace. In August, Swedish climate change campaigner Greta Thunberg set an example by crossing the Atlantic in a zero-emissions yacht. If she had made the return journey from the UK to New York by air, she would have emitted 11% of the average annual emissions for someone in the…

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The 21 Best Budget Travel Destinations For 2020

Loknath Das

From Milos, Greece to Dahab, Egypt this year’s list of the best budget travel destinations has something for every kind of traveler. Whether you want to explore vibrant Rajasthan in India or relax in style on Lovina, the lesser-known side of Bali, Indonesia, this list has you covered. This is the sixth iteration of my annual Forbes list and in the spirit of keeping things fresh I asked a group of travel experts and influencers to share two of their favorite destinations that offer a good deal – one with a nostalgic pull and one that…

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