Check your email: Some Venture X cardholders can get access to select Taylor Swift tickets

Sep 10, 2024 • 7 min read

A winter getaway vacation just got cheaper. Delta Air Lines recently unveiled a limited-time deal on award redemptions through their SkyMiles program for flights in January 2025. The deals, as low as 17,000 miles round-trip plus taxes, include flights to popular destinations such as Bahamas, Tulum, Mexico; and Turks and Caicos.

Norwegian citizens will no longer need a visa to enter China for visits up to 15 days. The policy shift sees China place Norway in a select group of nations as part of a wider relaxation of visa rules for inbound visitors.

Air Canada is planning to cancel scores of flights in the coming days as it faces an imminent pilot walkout.

For those who have visited Rome’s immensely popular Trevi Fountain, here’s a bit of news that may seen long overdue.Leaders in Rome are contemplating limiting access to the historic fountain, which is not only a baroque masterpiece, but also a magnet for hordes of rank and file travelers, Instagram influencers, TikTokers, and more.The plans being considered would involve visitors making a reservation in advance to visit the fountain, according to a report in The Guardian.“Personally I would be in favour of looking at a new form of access, limited and timed, to the Trevi fountain,” Alessandro Onorato, the city councillor responsible for tourism, told the newspaper Corriere della Sera, per The Guardian.Residents of course, would still be allowed to visit the fountain and do so for free. But everyone else would be required to make a contribution of one to two euros in exchange for the ability to spend time taking in the masterpiece.The goal of the entrance fee is not to raise money, but to use the new system as a mechanism to control the crush of people that surround the fountain from sunup until sundown, and long into the evening.
The new system would also (hopefully) bring an end to such disrespectful behaviors as snacking on pizza and gelato while perched on the fountain.The paid reservation system is merely one of the options the city is considering to protect the historic site.Rome’s mayor, Roberto Gualtieri, said measures to curb tourist numbers were “a very concrete possibility,” adding that a handful of possible solutions are under review.“We’ve decided to study and investigate this because the situation is becoming technically very difficult to manage,” he said. “Local police officers tell us this all the time: there is a concentration of people that makes adequate protection of the monument difficult and is also often a source of degradation.”The discussion surrounding how best to protect the fountain is especially pressing as the city prepares to host the 2025 jubilee, which is a year-long Roman Catholic event that is expected to bring more than 30 million tourists and pilgrims to Rome.But this latest move, which is among a growing number of efforts to curb overtourism around the world, is also prompted by a history of tourists behaving poorly at the fountain.In 2017, for instance, the city rolled out fines for bad behavior at the site after tourists began frolicking in the fountain water. And in 2018, an eight-person fight broke out over, of all things, the perfect selfie spot.

As summer ends, it's time to plan your holiday getaway. Whether you're looking for a family Thanksgiving in the sun, a unique Christmas experience for the kids, or a cultural New Year's celebration with your partner, we've got you covered. 

Welcome back to another episode of the TravelPulse Podcast!

Air Canada is warning of an “orderly shutdown” of its flying program — potentially before the end of the week. On Monday morning, the flag carrier issued a strongly worded statement in response to a long-running labor dispute. 

Virgin Atlantic is expanding its network with the addition of three "new" destinations.

Air Canada Aeroplan has announced a new way to redeem points — but only for elite status members.

The Air Canada Aeroplan loyalty program is offering members up to 50,000 points back when they redeem their Aeroplan points for hotel stays.

Thousands of hotel workers went on strike across major U.S. cities between Sunday and Tuesday. The 21 strikes, organized by the Unite Here union, targeted properties branded by the major hotel groups Hilton, Hyatt, Marriott, and Accor.