Eccentric Florida: 6 ways to weird out in the Sunshine State

Large wildfires burning across the islands of Maui and Hawaii, fueled by intense winds, turned scenic beach destinations into smoky, catastrophic scenes on Wednesday. The fast-moving flames have scorched hundreds of acres, destroyed homes and businesses, and prompted a series of evacuation orders, road closures, and power and cellphone service outages. At least six people have died.

This morning’s non-binding letter of intent by Wheels Up Experience to sell its aircraft management business to Airshare could serve both parties well, say industry insiders.

Henry Miller once wrote, “The light of Greece opened my eyes, penetrated my pores, expanded my whole being.” Greece can be enlightening — and nowhere more so than its capital city, Athens. But it’s also true that, in the summer, it can feel burning hot, with an average temperature of 84 degrees Fahrenheit.

Venice is so congested that it has become the embodiment of overtourism. Each year millions of tourists flock to this small city, home to a dwindling local population of 50,000, and the hordes in St. Mark’s Square are legendary. Yet visiting Venice doesn’t always require taking what Italians call “un bagno di folla” — a bath in the crowd. The city offers plenty of fascinating attractions spared from the congestion, in fact, some of them could use more visitors. Here are some ways travelers can minimize the inconveniences even while visiting the most popular sites.

India is heaven for budget travelers. Few places on earth offer quite so many rewarding travel experiences for such a pocket friendly price, particularly if you travel in cheaper classes on buses and trains and stay in budget hotels or hostels.

Since their inception in 2018, the Brightline trains in Florida are arguably some of the most efficient sources of public transport to be introduced to the state. 

Travel rewards can be an excellent way to save money when you use miles and points correctly. The average credit card rewards point is worth one cent. But some cards, such as business rewards credit cards, offer more bang for your buck. With these suggestions, your rewards points can be worth at least twice the value. Let’s take a look to see how.

From action-packed adventures to relaxing family getaways, everyone has their own particular way of traveling. But for most people, vacation planning is the same scattered process: Ask friends for recommendations, look up what sounds good, and try to keep track of all the ideas. The new TripAdvisor (SmarterTravel’s parent company) is aiming to change that.

Although a lot has changed since the Zika outbreak in 2015-16, Zika is still a concern for some travelers.

Financial site WalletHub analyzed safety data for all 50 states to determine a list of the safest states for Thanksgiving travel this year. The survey is based on COVID-19 data as well as other general safety factors (like crime rates and DUI statistics for November).

You’ve likely already heard about the bush fires in Australia that are currently devastating the country. All six Australian states have seen damage from fires, but New South Wales (which includes Sydney) has been hit hardest, where 136 separate fires (including 69 that are not contained) continued to burn this week, according to a CNN breakdown. At least 24 people are dead. And in New South Wales alone, estimates a University of Sydney professor, nearly half a billion animals are dead, too.