This summer's record-breaking heat has brought environmental consequences across the US, from coral bleaching in Florida to cacti toppling over in Arizona.
27.07.2023 - 18:19 / smartertravel.com
TSA has approved new baggage scanners designed to do two things: Speed up airport security lines, and provide better imaging of your bag’s contents. Once installed, these scanners could make airports safer, and security checkpoints run smoother.
According to the L.A. Times, these new scanners use the same imaging technology that hospitals employ. The device creates a three-dimensional image that TSA screeners can easily manipulate, and uses an algorithm to detect items that may be weapons. The manufacturer says these scanners could increase the number of passengers screened per hour from 180 to 500.
Notably, travelers could leave liquids and personal electronics in their bags. I think many frequent travelers would agree: This sounds like the holy grail of airport security screening, right up there with being able to leave your shoes on.
Related:Is TSA Missing 95% of Banned Items at Security?TSA has been actively pursuing faster, simpler screening for some time. Just this past June, it announced testing for this sort of technology at a handful of airports around the country. At the time, Acting TSA Administrator Huban Gowadia said, “We already use this type of technology for checked baggage, and we expect these smaller checkpoint-sized machines will provide the same high level of security.”
The just-announced scanning devices are part of that testing program. The TSA appears to be testing options from different manufacturers, which hopefully means the agency is confident in the technology itself. That could mean the concept works, and now the task is just determining which device is the best fit for airports—hopefully?
We may be on the cusp of major improvements to the overall airport security experience. With faster, simpler scanners, not to mention facial recognition technology at the airport gates, the future is arriving quickly. Whether it’s for better or worse remains to be seen.
More from SmarterTravel: Don’t Expect TSA to Settle Claims for Lost or Damaged Items Is TSA Missing 95% of Banned Items at Security? TSA’s Secure Flight Program: What It Means for YouWe hand-pick everything we recommend and select items through testing and reviews. Some products are sent to us free of charge with no incentive to offer a favorable review. We offer our unbiased opinions and do not accept compensation to review products. All items are in stock and prices are accurate at the time of publication. If you buy something through our links, we may earn a commission.
This summer's record-breaking heat has brought environmental consequences across the US, from coral bleaching in Florida to cacti toppling over in Arizona.
I meet Donald Macauley, the 37-year-old founder of Sierra Leone's first surf school, along a sunny swath of silky yellow sand at Bureh Beach, a surfing destination on the Western Peninsula where he’s been catching waves for more than 20 years. Macauley learned how to surf from a British soldier; before he had access to a proper board, he and other local teens would ride wooden surfboards shaped from busted fishing boats. In 2012, he launched Bureh Beach Surf Club—whose slogan, “Di waves dem go mak u feel fine,” says it all—and today he leads a handful of instructors, mentors street kids, and rallies behind some of Sierra Leone’s most promising young talents. Among them, I meet 25-year-old Kadiatu “KK” Kamara, the country’s preeminent female surfer. “My dream is to teach more girls in Sierra Leone how to surf,” says Kamara, who herself learned at Bureh Beach eight years ago and hopes to someday open her own school. When girls sign up for lessons, she refuses their money. “It’s my responsibility,” she says solemnly. “I want to motivate them not to be afraid of the water.”
When thinking of city breaks in Hungary, Romania and Greece, certain places will instantly spring to mind: Budapest, Bucharest and Athens, the much-admired capitals. But in 2023, it’s time to make space on your travel wish list for some up-and-coming urban hotspots in these countries: the European Capitals of Culture 2023. This year, why not get under the skin of a secret city that's rich with art, history, gastronomy and vibrant local communities? Step forward Veszprém, Timișoara, and Elefsina: it’s your time to shine.
Nestled in the north-west corner of Ireland, the city of Derry-Londonderry (Northern Ireland) and the county of Donegal (Republic of Ireland) sit snugly side by side. Taken together, this pair have every ingredient you could want from a short break: a dollop of history, a splash of culture and immeasurable quantities of nature and adventure. Better yet, it’s a combination that few have yet to put together.
Northern Ireland's second city and Ireland's northern-most county sit rather snug together in the corner of the island of Ireland. But many are yet to discover the two make a fantastic combination for a twin break. Blending thought-provoking history, striking landmarks and an incredible natural world, Derry~Londonderry and County Donegal's Inishowen Peninsula offer everything you could wish for in a short, action-packed getaway.
Today’s announcement that Southwest has a new marketing relationship with a rideshare company was no surprise. As rideshare services have become an ever-larger part of the travel landscape, such tie-ups have proliferated. It won’t be long before every airline and hotel loyalty program has a rideshare company on its roster of points-earning partners.
It was only a handful of months ago that we were posting headline after headline bemoaning the seemingly sudden onslaught of schedule-and soul-crushing lines at TSA security checkpoints. Back in May it seemed as if travelers might be in for a prolonged quagmire of unknown duration at the country’s airports.
If so-called basic economy fares aren’t yet a pervasive fact of travel life, they soon will be.
The TSA is experimenting with new scanning cameras that can detect concealed explosives on travelers as they walk by. The TSA, along with local law enforcement, is testing the new devices at a busy metro station in Los Angeles and in railway hubs in Washington, D.C.
Fees are now more or less an expected part of booking airline travel, especially bag fees. But as the practice grew over the past eight or nine years, consumer advocates have fought for, if nothing else, maximum transparency around what those fees are so that consumers can make informed buying decisions. Until now.
If you’re planning on visiting any of these destinations, you should read up on how to spot bedbugs in your hotel room (and what to do about it). Pest control company Orkin just released its list of the top cities for bedbugs, using data from both residential and commercial (i.e., vacation rentals and hotels) calls. Orkin noted which destinations had more bedbug outbreaks (Los Angeles, for example, moved up two spots on the list), and which had fewer (good job, New York, dropping four places).
As if air travel wasn’t already a stressful and hostile experience, a whole new threat emerged in late December: drones at airports. By being flown around the Gatwick Airport, at least one drone caused London’s second-busiest airport to shut down completely on two successive days.