Lisboa’s Newest Attraction Helps City Scale Heights As Short Break Favourite

As I boarded the Caledonian Sleeper with my family at Edinburgh Waverly on a cool Scottish summer night, it was difficult not to get caught up in the romantic quality of this eight-hour journey to London. The train's midnight teal exterior reflected the hue of the sky, and coupled with the vintage-y copperplate gothic font emblazoned on it, the scene felt spliced from the celluloid of a Wes Anderson film. That a kindly bellhop from The Balmoral, our hotel adjacent to the station, loaded our valises off a trolley cart did little to rein in these trappings.

Since losing American Airlines elite status in March, I've been considering switching my loyalty to United Airlines. The carrier happens to have its largest hub at my home airport in Chicago. While considering my elite status strategy, I've been exploring what United has to offer at O'Hare International Airport (ORD), including its lounges.

Ahead of World Oceans Day on 8 June, fresh additions to the Florida Keys Eco-Experience Trail pass are helping visitors to connect with, and protect, the natural environment of the 125-mile-long island chain. The free, mobile-exclusive digital pass enables travellers to find and check in at local businesses while exploring the Keys’ environment and wildlife. Launched in January and created by the Florida Keys Tourism Council and technology company Bandwango, the Eco-Experience Trail pass includes more than 60 geo-tagged, bookable activities and sustainability initiatives.  After accessing the pass, users can explore state parks and nature tours, wildlife centres and refuges as well as eco-adventures in the waters of the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, which protects the continental United States’ only living barrier coral reef.

Anatolia awaits! Passing desert landscapes and snowy peaks, the Mesopotamian Express takes passengers across the Anatolia region with long breaks at its iconic cities. Travelling 1,051 kilometres over 24 hours from Ankara to Diyarbakır, the sleeper train passes through Kayseri, Sivas, Malatya, Elazığ, and Bingöl. The route includes three-hour breaks in Kayseri and Malatya, and a four-hour stop in Elazığ, giving guests time to rest and explore the cities’ unique architecture and delightful local tastes.

Servantrip, the world’s leading B2B activities and transfers platform, has today announced a global strategic partnership with Holidayme,a leading B2B travel solutions provider dedicated to empowering travel agents and service providers worldwide under the Traveazy Group. The partnership will provide Holidayme – which has 10,000+ travel agent clients in over 50 countries and is based in Dubai – with full access to Servantrip’s portfolio via an API connection.

The International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) has partnered with the Exhibitions & Conferences Alliance (ECA) to enhance advocacy for the global business events industry.

City Sightseeing introduces a new social initiative, Changing Lives Day, aiming to provide clean drinking water to 12 Upper Amazon communities by donating 1 euro for every passenger on May 25th.

Meanwhile Holidayme will access Servantrip via an API conexion to offer a curated product portfolio of 100,000+ tours & activities experiences in Holidayme’s main destinations.

Travelers looking for a budget break in Europe this year have something to smile about. A new report that surveyed cities on the continent found costs are down in 60% of destinations.

In September 2022, I booked a 17-day Arabian Sea cruise through Vantage Travel Services to celebrate my 80th birthday with my wife. The cruise was to set sail in October 2023. I used my credit card to leave a $2,000 deposit and paid the remaining $17,905 shortly afterward by bank transfer. I also bought the Worldwide Trip Protector plan from Travel Insured International (for $1,954), in part because it covered financial default and bankruptcy of cruise lines. Vantage then canceled the cruise and offered me an alternative date I could not make; I also declined their offer of credit and asked for a refund, which they agreed to. But no refund ever came, and they stopped answering the phone. My credit card returned the $2,000, and I filed an insurance claim for $17,905. It was denied, as was my first appeal. Then Vantage filed for bankruptcy, and my second appeal was denied too. The reasons given by the insurer were outrageous. They cited a vague parenthetical phrase in the policy’s bankruptcy clause, claiming I wasn’t covered because I purchased the cruise directly from the cruise line (rather than, say, through a travel adviser). Then they said my policy lapsed when I canceled the trip. But I did not cancel; Vantage did. I also filed a complaint with the New York State Department of Financial Services, which was rejected. Can you help?

Hotel booking sites have capitalized on Olympics demand by boosting prices for stays during the Games. But hotels aren’t alone in seizing this opportunity.

Silver Ray (Photo Credit: Silversea)