As expected, following approval by Chinese regulators, Marriott this morning completed its acquisition of Starwood, creating what the company’s news release touts as “the world’s largest and best hotel company.”
27.07.2023 - 18:17 / smartertravel.com
Survivor meets The Truman Show. As a pretty clever marketing ploy, the Helsinki Airport invited Chinese actor and TV personality, Ryan Zhu, to live in the city’s airport for 30 days.
As noted on the campaign website, the Helsinki Airport is the most-connected airport in Northern Europe and it serves over 18 million passengers each year. It’s also been awarded the best airport in the world by Travellink. To find out if it really is the “best airport in the world,” you can follow Zhu’s journey on social media with the hashtag, #LIFEINHEL. Each of the 30 days is made into a short video, which you can find here.
From following checked luggage to experiencing a Helskini stopover, Zhu discovered the ins and outs of everything “the best airport in the world” has to offer in 30 days.
Highlights from the Best Airport in the WorldZhu moved in on October 10 and completed the 30 days last week. He slept in a small cabin set up for him inside the airport terminal. His prize? A trip to the up-and-coming Finnish Lapland with friends and family.
You Tell Us: Would you live in “the best airport in the world” for a month?
More from SmarterTravel: The 10 Most Livable Cities in the World for 2017 4 Wacky Things to Do in Finland 8 Best Airlines for Free StopoversWe 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.
As expected, following approval by Chinese regulators, Marriott this morning completed its acquisition of Starwood, creating what the company’s news release touts as “the world’s largest and best hotel company.”
Ever dreamed of packing up everything and moving to another country? Here are the most livable cities in the world, according to a study by The Economist.
A recent report released from travel marketing engine Sojern, analyzed travel trends from January 2015 to April 2016 and found the top international destinations for U.S. travelers as well as the top emerging and declining international spots.
Travel website, Trippy, has put together an awesome infographic showing prices for food, beer, taxis, and hotels in the most and least expensive countries. And the best part is that it updates daily, so you can see the average price of something when you’re planning a trip or once you’re in the destination.
We all know that air travel isn’t great for the environment, but a new study has found that tourism is four times worse for the environment than previously thought. The alarming research conducted by University of Sydney researchers and published in the journal Nature Climate Change found that the tourism industry (including direct sources like flights and indirect sources such as souvenir manufacturing) is responsible for eight percent of global greenhouse emissions, which is four times higher than scientists had previously estimated.
I don’t suppose that most travelers choose their trip destinations based on a country’s happiness index. On the other hand, if they knew that Country A scored near the top of the happiness index and Country B scored near the bottom, it seems probable they’d be inclined to book their flights to Country A. Who wants to spend their vacation among unhappy people?
If seeing the seven wonders of the world is on your bucket list, then group-travel operator, Contiki, wants to help you achieve this dream by paying your rent while you do it. With the company’s new Jordan trip, it now has itineraries to all of the “new” Seven Wonders of the World. To get the savings, book each of Contiki’s trips to the seven wonders (these are individual trips that visit the Taj Mahal, Great Wall of China, Christ the Redeemer, Chichen Itza, Machu Picchu, Petra, and the Colosseum) and then prove your rent amount with your rental agreement. Contiki is offering a savings of up to $2,840, the national average of rent for two months.
With rideshare apps like Uber and Lyft taking over, you might be wondering where in the world it’s still possible to take a cheap taxi. Cabs aren’t dead, yet: These countries still heavily rely on them.
2020 likely wasn’t anyone’s favorite year ever, but for citizens of one country, it was a little bit better, according to the United Nations.
For the sixth year in a row, Finland has claimed the top spot in the World Happiness Report. The annual report, compiled by the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network, surveys residents in over 150 countries to determine which nations are the happiest.
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.
Cushioned by the North Shore Mountains, Vancouver is interrupted by pockets of greenery and bay views. The natural landscapes are matched by the port city’s art museums, vibrant food culture, and wine bars that show off what British Colombia is capable of. Downtown Vancouver, BC, hotels put you within walking distance of the main sights and are just a short subway or boat ride to outlying spots. These are the best luxury hotels in Vancouver for living the high life on Canada’s West Coast.