World rituals - eight captivating celebrations

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with 44-year-old Denmark native Torbjørn "Thor" Pedersen. It has been edited for length and clarity. Although world travel isn't well-documented, record-keeper Harry Mitsidis told Condé Nast Traveler that about 199 people had traveled to every country; claims appear to be based on the honor system, the magazine reported. Pedersen spoke to Insider while he was still on his journey. He finally returned home to Denmark on July 26.

Qatar Airways is putting flights across the world on sale, offering 30 percent off travel to everywhere from Bangkok to Sydney.

Extra big and bright, the moon is shining above our planet in a magnificent natural spectacle that features not just one but two supermoon shows for August.

Inspired to live life more fully following the death of a friend, New Jersey native Tom Turcich, set himself a goal to see and experience the world on foot.

From major European cities to small US ports, coastal communities around the world are attempting to curb the number (and size) of massive cruise ships looming over their shores. 

Royal Caribbean already operates the world’s largest cruise ship—Wonder of the Seas—but next January it will break that record with Icon of the Seas, which boasts 2,805 staterooms (including more than 1,800 with balconies) and 179 suites. Nearly 1,200 feet long, Icon of the Seas has 20 decks and features a 55-foot-waterfall, multiple pools and waterparks and a “chill island” and a “thrill island”—depending on a passenger’s vibe.

Carefree days lounging on the sand are a hallmark of an idyllic vacation for many travelers. But beaches themselves are a commodity, vulnerable to retreat that’s exacerbated by climate change. In fact, nearly half of the Earth’s sandy beaches could be extinct by 2100, according to a study published in Nature Climate Change.

When Muslim Advocates and the NAACP issue a joint letter accusing the U.S. airline industry of racism, it’s big news. And when the NAACP, the “nation’s oldest and largest nonpartisan civil rights organization,” follows that up with an advisory specifically questioning the racial policies of the nation’s largest airline, American, it’s nothing less than a media firestorm. Indeed, all the major news media covered the story exhaustively. And “American Airlines” has been a trending Twitter topic for several days.

American Airlines today announced its financial-performance numbers for the fourth quarter and the full year.

You will finally be able to live in a ‘Barbie World’ when Mattel Adventure Park opens in Glendale, Arizona next year.

There are high-speed trains and then there are high-speed maglev trains. While there are plenty of examples of the former (in the UK, in Spain, in France and even in Florida), only one of the latter is in commercial operation today: The Shanghai Maglev Train (SMT), also known as the Shanghai Transrapid Maglev Train. This unique train runs between Shanghai Pudong International Airport and the Shanghai’s financial district every 15 minutes and is the fastest commercial train in the world.

It takes about 20 million steps to walk around the world, not to mention several years of commitment as well as determination, stamina, trekking gear, and a state of mind that few of us can imagine.