Matador Network's Blog, page 165

What Happens When Someone Falls Overboard on a Cruise Ship?

If you’ve ever spent time at sea on a cruise ship, you probably have given some thought about what would happen if you, or any other passenger or crew, were to fall overboard. While it’s not a scenario that anyone likes to imagine while trying to have a relaxing vacation, it’s an intrusive thought cruisers experience, especially those who have been on long sailings like transatlantic crossings during which land is nowhere in sight for days on end. While overboard incidents are very rare, they do happen, and there are official measures and protocols in place to prevent and deal with these occurrences.

How often do people fall overboard on a cruise ship?

Photo: Pau Peset/Shutterstock

Reassuringly, overboard incidents are extremely rare. A report from the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) indicates that between 2009 and 2019, a total of 212 people fell overboard on cruise ships, with only 48 having been rescued. While over 200 people falling overboard in the space of 11 years might seem like an awful lot, in reality, the average incident rate for all cruise passengers over this period was 0.0004, a spokesperson for CLIA explains in an email.

The Department of Transportation tracks and publishes every incident that happens on board cruise ships that dock in the United States, including assaults with serious bodily injury, suspicious deaths, firing or tampering with the vessel, homicides, kidnappings, sexual assaults, rapes, thefts over $10,000, and missing persons. The quarterly reports published by the DOT indicates that between January and March 2024, one US national has gone missing on board a ship from Royal Caribbean Cruise Line.

Overboard incidents are almost never the result of someone losing their balance under normal circumstances. “Unfortunately, the vast majority of cases of individuals going overboard are a result of unsafe or reckless behavior, or some form of intentional act,” a CLIA spokesperson says.

What is done to prevent overboard incidents?

Photo: eldar nurkovic/Shutterstock

A variety of measures are taken to keep passengers and crew safe at all times, the most common-sense of which is to repeatedly “urge passengers to exercise due caution/diligence,” Ira Breskin, senior lecturer at the State University of New York Maritime College and author of The Business of Shipping (9th edition), explains in an email.

Blocking access to the outer decks during inclement weather with high winds or rough water is another way cruise lines keep passengers safe from falling overboard or just falling and hurting themselves. Cruise lines use barriers stretched across doors leading to the outside, as well as large printed notices, to inform passengers of the potentially dangerous situation.

Another obvious method to keep people from falling overboard is to erect railings that are high enough to prevent incidents. According to CLIA, “By law, railings must be 42 inches tall. This height governs the railing of ships sailing not only in the USA but elsewhere in the world.” Note that 42 inches is the minimum height required, and many cruise lines opt for even higher railings.

Also by law, cruise lines must equip their ships’ public spaces with video surveillance, as well as technology capable of capturing images of passengers or detecting passengers who have fallen overboard.

“The detection systems that have been prototyped since the Cruise Vessel Security and Safety Act was enacted [in 2010] have sought to be sensitive enough to detect a person going overboard and alarm a ship’s crew, but not be triggered by other objects such as birds flying by and causing false alarms,” the CLIA spokesperson explains.

MOBtronic is one such sophisticated system, with sensors placed in strategic locations around cruise ships for immediate detection in case of an overboard incident.

What happens when someone falls overboard during a cruise?

@cnn A man was saved by the US Coast Guard possibly 15 hours after he fell overboard on a Carnival cruise ship in the Gulf of Mexico. CNN correspondent Nick Valencia shows footage of the helicopter rescue. #cnn #news #fyp ♬ original sound – CNN

While overboard incidents are very rare, when they occur, they often end in death. Depending on the circumstances of the fall, a person may die on impact with the water or with the vessel. Those who survive a fall face a multitude of dangers at sea and are very hard to find, explaining why only 28.2 percent of those who fell overboard between 2009 and 2019 were rescued.

Miracles do happen, however, as proven by the story of a crew member on board NCL’s Norwegian Getaway who fell overboard near Cuba in July 2018 and survived the ordeal. After spending 22 hours in the water, he was spotted by a crew member on a different cruise ship, CCL’s Carnival Glory, and subsequently rescued. Coast guards surveyed more than 1,630 square miles of ocean looking for him.

No matter what, cruise line have strict protocols they adhere to when someone falls overboard, including alerting the local coast guard, stopping the ship, and turning it around to find the person who fell overboard. In an email, a CLIA spokesperson explains that “often, smaller boats that can move at high speeds are deployed from the ship to search for the person.” According to Breskin, other vessels present in the area where the person has fallen can be requested to participate in a search. When someone falls overboard on a cruise ship, time is of the essence: Potential injuries from the fall, the temperature of the water, and the movements of the water, among other dangers, are all factors that can accelerate a person’s death, hence the importance of detection systems. Whether or not a person is successfully rescued after falling overboard, an investigation is conducted to determine exactly what happened.

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Airbnb Debuts Icons Category With Experiences Like Staying in the ‘Up’ House and Hanging With Kevin Hart

You likely know Airbnb for its original purpose: finding a place to stay just about anywhere in the world. Maybe you also know it for the exclusive, limited opportunity stays, like a book-filled night at the Hidden Library of St Paul’s Cathedral. On May 1, Airbnb took a step toward making the latter a bigger focus with a new Icons category that puts guests at the center of major cultural locations both real and imagined.

“What I’m about to show you is a decade in the making,” Airbnb cofounder and CEO Brian Chesky said at the launch even in Los Angeles on May 1. He went on to say that 10 years ago, he went to Ikea to get furniture with his roommate and cofounder Joe Gebbia. They passed a show bedroom, and they said, “we should put this on Airbnb,” Chesky recalled. It was a hit. “So we said let’s do it again.”

The last Blockbuster in Bend, Oregon, was decked out like a living room in the ‘90s and tapped into a deep sense of nostalgia. After the Barbie movie, a house in Malibu was transformed into a Barbieland house complete with all the small details. These limited-time offerings and others like it proved extremely popular.

“They capture people’s imagination and step into other people’s worlds, and that’s what Airbnb does best and has always been about,” Chesky said. “So we asked, ‘what if we took this magic to the next level and you find them right in the app?’”

The inside of the house from Up recreated by Airbnb. Photo: Ryan Lowry

The update comes two years after Airbnb launched its Categories section. At the time, Chesky called the update “the biggest change to Airbnb in a decade,” and it came about as a response to the mass of new location-independent workers. It opened the door for users to book a place by type of accommodation rather than destination. Over the past two years, Categories grew to make it easy to find an Airbnb by style (like tiny homes, churches, or windmills), interest (like golfing or skiing), accessibility features, and much more. There’s even an OMG! category for places that don’t seem real like an underwater bungalow or yellow submarine.

Matador’s guides to the best of Airbnb Categories: 10 Remote, Off-The-Grid Airbnbs Where You Can Get Away From It All The 11 Most Beautiful Converted Churches You Can Stay in Around the World on Airbnb Airbnb Just Made Windmills a Category, and These 9 Have Us Planning a Trip Airbnb Now Has a Towers Category. These 9 Will Climb Your Bucket List Airbnb Launched a Tiny Homes Category, and We’re Already Planning Trips Around These 11 11 Properties in Airbnb’s New OMG! Category You Won’t Believe Are Real These Are the Coolest Properties in Airbnb’s New Play Category These Beautiful Accessible Properties Showcase the Best of Airbnb’s Adapted Category These Are the Most Impressive Listings in Airbnb’s New Trending Category These Unique Abodes Showcase the Best of Airbnb’s Top of the World Category

Icons get their own category on the homepage. Each is limited, with a countdown that shows when it goes live for guests to request to book the stay or experience. While most are free, there aren’t any Icons priced more than $100 per guest (and there are “no cleaning fees,” Chesky joked at the launch event). In its inaugural year, more than 4,000 digital golden tickets will be available and new opportunities announced through October.

A new room in the Musée d'Orsay designed in partnership with Airbnb, with the Olympic torch near the bed against the clock tower. Photo: Frederik VercruysseThe room rentable with Airbnb Icons at the Ferrari museum in Italy. Photo: Thomas PriorPhoto: AirbnbCustom bus that Airbnb guests will stay on for a week with Feid on tour. Photo: SismatycBollywood star Janhvi Kapoor, whose family home is part of the stays on the new Airbnb Icon category. Photo: House of PixelsPhoto: Eric OgdenA room in Airbnb's 2D X-Mansion. Photo: Holly Andres

To start, Airbnb announced the first 11 Icons experiences:

Up house: A recreation of Carl’s home from Disney and Pixar’s Up, complete with more than 8,000 balloons in Abiquiu, New Mexico. The 40,000-pound house was built with input from structural engineers to be able to lift off the ground with a crane, and the Airbnb team brought the actual house to LA for the launch event. Walking inside, the home feels like stepping into the movie, from the small details (everything was made by hand to match, like Carl-sized binoculars and a rusted toy) to the balloon strings that sing like in the movie. Side by sides of stills from the movie to the real house look nearly identical.Ferrari Museum: A room complete with a bed made from the same leather as Ferrari seats, as well as VIP tickets to a Formula 1 race in Emilia-Romagna and a lap with Ferrari ambassador driver Marc Gené in Maranello, Italy. Eight Formula 1 cars that have won championship races are elevated around the bed on 3,000 meters of metalwork (the same length of a track). It’s all hand-painted in Ferrari red, and straight across from the bed are the 110 trophies Ferrari has won.X-Men ‘97: A recreation of Marvel’s X-Mansion in Westchester, New York. Every detail of the house was hand painted to look like walking into a comic book, even the plants, and Chesky reminded people a couple of times that they were looking at photos, not renderings. While the 2D feel is a trip, the true magic is in the details. Professional stunt coordinators are in the Danger Room to train for a mission, and the computer runs on a Microsoft operating system from the ‘90s.Kevin Hart’s Coramino Live Lounge: Rather than a sold-out arena, 30 guests will get an intimate evening of tequila tasting in a custom-built speakeast with Hart and a stand-up performance from Hart and other comedians.Museé d’Orsay: A stay at the art museum’s clock room where guests can watch the Olympics opening ceremony on the Seine in Paris. The room was designed by the same person behind the Olympic torch, which hands in the room near the bed. In the morning, guests get the museum to themselves with a private tour — “quite literally a night at the museum,” Chesky said.Live performance with Doja Cat: A living room performance by Doja Cat highlighting her favorite songs and latest album.Prince’s Purple Rain house: A stay in Prince’s iconic Minneapolis house, open to the public for the first time, complete with rare, never-before-heard tracks during an exclusive studio session and a bedroom recreated to look just like the Purple Rain movie.Khaby Lame game night: A stay with TikTok famous Khaby Lame at a gaming loft he designed in Milan along with a Fortnite Battle Royale face off and pizza from his favorite pizzaria.On tour with Feid: Reggaeton artist Feid has an Icon experience to join the FERXXOCALIPSIS World Tour for a week, including rehearsals, backstage access to every show, and a ride in the tour bus. He approached Airbnb about inviting fans to follow along with him and his band, and a neon-green bus was decked out both inside and out. It’s truly like going on tour, with sound checks, backstage passes, and sleeping on the bus with the band.Bollywood star Janhvi Kapoor’s home: A stay at the Kapoor family home in Chennai, India, that includes beauty secrets and eating southern Indian dishes with Kapoor.Headquarters from Inside Out 2: A stay at a recreation of Headquarters, where Joy will act as host and show the behind-the-scenes of emotions. “There are rooms for each of the emotions,” Chesky said. “Joy, anger, and my personal favorite emotion, anxiety.”

“Icons are just the beginning of where we’re taking Airbnb,” Chesky said. “When I was a kid most of my life was experienced in the real world. Nowadays it’s through a device. We’re focused on creating magic in the real world, and everything we do is in service to this.”

Along with the new Icons category, Airbnb updated the way that groups can book and interact with hosts and added new features to make hosting easier.

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Airbnb Just Made It Much Easier to Book Group Trips

Since Airbnb launched in 2008, it’s become a go-to for group trips with family and friends. It’s much easier, after all, to have a proper get together when you’re all in one big house rather than cordoned off in separate hotel rooms. According to Airbnb, 81 percent of bookings are for group trips.

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Still, the app wasn’t designed for groups. A new update announced on May 1 fixes that. The update allows guests to share their Airbnb wishlists, opening up a more collaborative way to add homes, notes, and vote on listings. The messages tab gets a redesign so that everyone on the trip can message with the host in a group thread. Once a trip is booked, guests can send invites to others in their group with digital postcards from artists around the world, and those invites will have the full address, WiFi password, and check-in instructions.

Photo: Airbnb

“Airbnbs are just better when you’re traveling with other people,” Airbnb cofounder and CEO Brian Chesky said at the launch event in Los Angeles on May 1. But there were issues with choosing a home with a group and wishlists were hard to share. Guests would instead lean on screenshots of messages from the host and other “workarounds like a spreadsheet,” Chesky said as an image of a spreadsheet showed on the screen behind him. “You should never have to use a spreadsheet while traveling, but people do.”

Photo: Airbnb

These changes make it much easier for things like booking the perfect Airbnb for a bachelorette party, from Palm Springs to Tulum to Jackson Hole and more. Or maybe it’s a family-friendly Airbnb with a lazy river or bowling lanes.

To top it off, Airbnb’s dedication to design flows through in the group booking updates. Posters, which Chesky described as a design that “harkens back to the golden age of travel,” were designed by artists around the world to show local scenes.

 

New host upgrades

 

Photo: Airbnb

Hosts will also benefit from Airbnb’s 2024 summer release. Based on host feedback, Airbnb instituted an expanded earnings dashboard with interactive performance charts and automated earnings reports. The Listings tab now allows for more control of photo tours, and hosts can now more easily switch between their host account and guest account. On the messaging side, AI-suggested quick replies are now available (which can come in handy when there are a bunch of guests messaging at once).

Interested in becoming an Airbnb host? Check out Matador’s guides before getting started:Everything You Need to Keep Stocked as an Airbnb HostEverything You Need To Know To Become an Airbnb HostHow to Set Up an LLC for Your Airbnb Rental Properties9 Weird and Humorous Things You Can Expect as an Airbnb Host

Along with the change to group booking and host features, Airbnb announced an Icon category that features rare, limited experiences around the world.

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Why 36,000 Feet Is The Optimum Altitude For Airplanes

There’s something very calming about the pilot’s announcement that the plane has reached cruising altitude. If you’re an anxious flyer or are iching to stroll the aisles, reaching this height brings a sense of freedom. However, you will note that it’s not always a height of 36,000 feet. Often it’s 35,000 or 40,000 feet. Each flight is unique. Commercial airplane pilots don’t just pick their cruising altitude at random. Many factors go into this calculation that prioritizes efficiency, safety, and passenger comfort. Most commercial airlines will fly between 30,000 to 42,000 feet; here’s why.

First of all, planes differ in their capabilities. “The range of an aircraft depends on its certification,” says Tomasz Lipiec, a commercial airline’s A320 Rated Senior First Officer. “The Airbus A320 family is capped at FL398 (39,800 feet), while the Boeing 737NG operates at FL410 (41,000 feet),” Lipiec goes on to explain.

However, the main reason an aircraft will fly at a specific altitude is for fuel optimization shares Lipiec. As you ascend, the air thins out, reducing drag on the aircraft. This translates to less resistance against the plane’s forward motion, allowing it to fly faster while burning significantly less fuel. Airlines operate on tight margins, and maximizing fuel efficiency directly translates to substantial cost savings.

Jet streams at these altitudes can also propel aircraft forward, says Lipiec. “My record is 180 knots (almost 280 mph) of tailwind, resulting in ground speed in excess of 650mph,” he shares. Catching a tailwind can significantly increase ground speed. That’s why you often are pleasantly surprised when your pilot announces that the flight time is reduced, and not so when the wind works against the aircraft on the return leg.

The higher altitude also places commercial flights above most weather systems. This significantly reduces turbulence, creating a smoother and more comfortable journey for passengers. Lipiec reminds us that hazardous weather is often unavoidable. “Storm cells,” he says, “occasionally extend beyond an aircraft’s capabilities.” In these instances, pilots often fly horizontally to avoid causing turbulence.

Safety is another crucial factor. Flying high grants pilots precious time in the event of an emergency. Should an engine malfunction or another critical issue arise, the extra altitude gives pilots more time to react, diagnose the problem, and initiate necessary procedures, potentially leading to a safer outcome.

However, there’s a limit to how high commercial planes can fly. As you climb even further, the air becomes exceedingly thin, posing challenges to engine performance. Jet engines require a specific amount of oxygen for efficient combustion, and the rarefied air at extreme altitudes can hinder this process. Additionally, the risk of encountering stall conditions, where the wings no longer generate enough lift to keep the plane airborne, increases significantly at very high altitudes.

You can rest assured you’re in good hands. Commercial airplanes operate within a carefully selected altitude range that balances the benefits of fuel efficiency, smooth flight, and safety. “Pilots and operators carefully evaluate all relevant factors to ensure a smooth and secure flight experience,” says Lipiec.

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CLEAR Vs. TSA PreCheck: You Can Now Get Both at the Same Time

If you’ve ever checked in your bags, wandered to the airport security line, and promptly thought “we are definitely going to miss our flight” when you saw how long it was, well, there’s now yet another way to avoid that.

When TSA PreCheck launched in December of 2013, it had just seven airline partners and was only available in about 40 airports. Today, the government-run service is available at more than 200 airports with 93 participating airlines, allowing approximately 32 million travelers to use expedited security lines without removing their shoes, laptops, or liquids.

And while signing up for PreCheck is pretty easy, the final step of the process — going to an interview at an approved TSA PreCheck office — can be quite difficult if you don’t happen to have an office near you.

Both CLEAR and TSA PreCheck aim to shorten how long it takes for travelers to get through airport security lines. Photo: Jim Lambert/Shutterstock

But as of late April 2024, TSA PreCheck has a new partner, and it’s one you probably recognize if you travel a lot: CLEAR.

“The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) announced today that it is expanding TSA PreCheck® with CLEAR, which is now offering TSA PreCheck enrollment services at participating airports,” wrote the April 30 release. That means you can apply for CLEAR and TSA PreCheck online at the same time, rather than having to do each separately. It also means you can do the in-person part of the application at a CLEAR airport office, instead of having to go to a TSA office. With the announcement, CLEAR becomes TSA’s third PreCheck enrollment partner, along with IDEMIA and Telos. Travelers never had to decide between CLEAR vs. TSA PreCheck, but now, getting them both will require only one application process.

Right now, there are only three CLEAR enrollment centers, at Orland International Airport, FL; Sacramento International Airport, CA; and Newark Liberty International Airport, NJ; but more will be opened in the coming months.

CLEAR vs. TSA PreCheck

Photo: Michael Vi/Shutterstock

TSA PreCheck and CLEAR are both tools to get you through TSA security lines faster, but they work in different ways. When it comes to CLEAR vs. TSA PreCheck, the latter is run by the government and lets you use a special security lane with less strict procedures. These lines are usually much shorter, as they’re available only to TSA PreCheck holders, and also move faster, as PreCheck holders don’t need to pull out laptops or remove shoes. It’s not the same as Global Entry, though Global Entry holders automatically get TSA PreCheck, too.

But CLEAR is a private service that speeds up the part before the security check: the identification check, where you show your license or passport to a TSA officer. CLEAR members can use the fingerprint or eye scan kiosks at select airports to bypass the ID check, going right to the security scans. If you have both CLEAR and PreCheck, you may be able to go straight from the CLEAR kiosk into the TSA PreCheck security line, though some airports may still funnel you back into the general security line. Without TSA PreCheck, you’ll need to use the general security line, even if verify your identity with CLEAR.

CLEAR is available at 70 airports as well as some other large venues, like Madison Square Garden in NYC and the Chase Center in SF. But it’s not without controversy, and a new bill proposed on the West Coast would ban the use of CLEAR at California airports, claiming it’s inequitable and not fair to other travelers.

Of course, there’s a cost to the convenience. While TSA PreCheck on its own is $78 (total) for the first five years, followed by a $70 renewal fee every five years, CLEAR is far pricier, setting users back $189 per year. Since it’s not available at all airports, it’s worth checking if your usual airport has a CLEAR line before springing for both programs.

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Take In The Best of French Ski Country at the Grand Hotel Courmayeur

Resting at the foot of Mont Blanc, Courmayeur consistently ranks as one of Italy’s top alpine resorts with four seasons of mountaineering activities. The Grand Hotel Courmayeur Mont Blanc, by R Collection Hotels, is a modern mountain retreat 500 meters from the heart of the village. You’ll appreciate magnificent views of Western Europe’s highest peak and roll-out-of-bed proximity to the Aosta Valley’s pistes, trails, and cable car from this five-star spa hotel.

Geneva Airport is a two-hour drive from the Grand Hotel through the French Alps and the Mont Blanc Tunnel. Turin is a similar distance in the opposite direction and Milan adds only an extra 30 minutes behind the wheel. While Courmayeur is internationally acclaimed and even a popular self-drive destination for British skiers and summer adventurers, you’ll find yourself mainly in the company of Italians on a weekend getaway.

We hope you love the Grand Hotel Courmayeur Mont Blanc! Just so you know, Matador may collect a small commission from the links on this page if you decide to book a stay. Listed prices are accurate as of the time of publication.

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Luxury suites at Grand Hotel Courmayeur Mont BlancPhoto: BookingPhoto: BookingPhoto: Booking

Get a preview of what’s in store from your room where you’ll feast on uninterrupted views of the Italian Alps. All 72 rooms and suites are scattered across three stylish chalets wrapped around a central building containing the lobby, restaurant, bar, and spa.

Most units have a private balcony and all are turned out with hardwood flooring, warm wooden accents, and contemporary bathrooms. Beds are made up with mattresses by Simmons and extravagant leather headboards to ensure a restful night’s sleep before hitting the slopes or trails.

Couples will appreciate the additional space afforded by the junior suite as well as the full-with balcony and deep soaking tub. Larger suites accommodate up to six guests and are designed with families in mind.

Exploring northern Italy’s Aosta ValleyPhoto: BookingPhoto: Booking

Ski season is the reason rooms sell out months in advance at the Grand Hotel Courmayeur Mont Blanc. The Courmayeur ski area is divided between the Checrouit and Val Veny sectors. There’s a handful of blue runs for beginners but this resort is tipped toward competent skiers, boarders, and free-riders. Much of the terrain is glacial with crevasses and moguls and there is the possibility to go heli-skiing. Val Ferret is one of the most spectacular Nordic ski terrains with snowshoeing and fat biking also available.

If you wake up to clouds, scan an eye over the webcams for Chamonix on the French side of the massif. Also included in the Mont Blanc Unlimited lift pass, the French resort is a perfectly doable day trip and only half an hour’s drive through the Mont Blanc Tunnel.

Don’t make the mistake of thinking this mountain resort shuts up shop when the wildflowers bloom. It’s quite the opposite; those 62 miles of runs become a playground for hikers, mountain bikers, and climbers whereas Val Ferret is repurposed as a golfing and yoga haven. Five miles south of town, the Dora Baltea River delivers the best rafting, kayaking, canyoning, and fishing in the Aosta Valley.

Courmayeur is known for the Skyway Monte Bianco which takes you to the highest point in Italy and the closest Mont Blanc lookout point. Enlist a guide to lead you down the unmarked Vallée Blanche or grab a bite to eat in the clouds before taking the cable car back down to 1,224 meters.

Family-friendly activities including ice skating, climbing, tennis, and golf are available in all seasons at the Courmayeur Sports Center.

The hotel operates a regular shuttle service to the Dolonne lifts and Skyway station in Entrèves. A public bus covers the same circuit and passes by the property.

Après-ski, après-hike in CourmayeurPhoto: BookingPhoto: BookingPhoto: BookingPhoto: Booking

Tuck into hearty alpine cuisine with a view of the Brenva glacier from the wood-clad La Fourchette at the Grand Hotel. This light-filled restaurant draws inspiration from Italian, French, Swiss, and Austrian cooking and creates a fine dining experience in a relaxed setting. The Equinox Lounge Bar is an extension of La Fourchette and offers an equally dramatic perspective of the Mont Blanc massif and an all-weather terrace.

Courmayeur village maintains a cheerful après scene in traditional chocolate-box taverns. The Grand Hotel Courmayeur Mont Blanc is a 10-minute walk from the car-free Via Roma where you’ll find a mix of restaurants, bars, and cocktail lounges with ad hoc live music. Things wind down early in town but for a wilder night, have reception call you a taxi to Shatush where DJs spin until the wee hours in Entrèves.

The Wellness Center at Erre Spa comprises a gym, indoor swimming pool, sauna, steam room, and herbal tearoom. These facilities are enough to straighten out aches and pains although a full menu of massages and treatments will see you right after a bumpy journey down Diretta.

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The Ultimate Guide to Outdoor Adventure in Penticton, BC

On sunny spring days, British Columbia’s Okanagan Lake shines like a mirror, reflecting mountains and pine trees as you kayak north from the Penticton waterfront. Giant’s Head, one of the valley’s extinct volcanoes, looms across the lake. Come ashore on a shady beach, unpack the local baked goods you brought from town, and imagine the area’s history. Folks used to arrive here by sternwheeler before the Kettle Valley Railway (KVR) was completed.

A hundred years ago, Penticton enticed visitors looking for a bit of sun in a region that was becoming the province’s fruit basket. Today, it appeals to people like you: travellers seeking outdoor adventure on the lake and in the surrounding mountains. In the warmer months, the city’s mild climate, dry trails, and bluebird days make it a top destination for a wide range of recreation, from kayaking on Okanagan Lake to hiking, cycling, rock climbing, and more.

Spring is less busy than summer, so there’s plenty of room on the beach, at the trailhead, and inside winery tasting rooms and craft breweries for après. Here’s how to achieve peak recreation in Penticton this season.

Hike for vineyard and valley views…

Photo: Jon Adrian/Naramata Bench Wineries Association

Come spring, most of the trails around Penticton are snow-free, signaling the return of hiking season. Warm up with an easy walk like the stroll from Vancouver Place to McCulloch Trestle on the KVR Trail, a onetime railway line that’s now a recreational pathway. Venture a bit farther north along the KVR to stop at a winery like Ruby Blues or a cidery like Creek & Gully (both are a quick detour off the trail), or sample German-style beers at Abandoned Rail Brewing.

Naramata Creek Falls is a short, shady hike up to a pretty waterfall that’s a nice choice on a sunny spring day. Wear sturdy shoes and bring extra socks in case your feet get wet on the creek crossings. Another classic is the trek up Munson Mountain. Not only will it take you right above the famous Penticton sign with Okanagan Lake below, but you’ll also get a panorama of the Naramata Bench and its patchwork of vineyards.

For more of a challenge, drive to nearby Summerland and hoof it up Giant’s Head on the Grind Trail (be prepared, it’s steep) or take the Friendly Giant Trail for a more moderate climb to the top. You can also head 10 minutes south of Penticton and explore the network of trails in Skaha Bluffs Provincial Park — keep an eye out for rock climbers ascending the park’s steep crags (more on that below).

…or put the pedal to the bike trails.

Photo: Evan Wishloff, Swagman

Penticton is quickly gaining a reputation as an epic place to bike. You’ll understand why as soon as you start riding the trails maintained by the Penticton and Area Cycling Association (PACA).

Get your quads firing on Campbell Mountain’s short cross-country loops, catching eyefuls of the lake and vineyards as you go. In April and May, look for yellow Okanagan sunflowers blooming on the mountain’s west-facing slopes. When you’re ready for a more technical ride, try Three Blind Mice and its extensive network of trails, which wind past rocky bluffs and through stands of ponderosa pine with fast, flowy riding. Kick things off on Lookout Loop, a 12.7-kilometre intermediate circuit that showcases the terrain and vistas (if you dare to look up!) that have put Penticton’s mountain biking trails on the map.

For a more leisurely pedal, don’t miss the famous KVR Trail that starts at the edge of town. It’s an easy 17-kilometre cycle up to Little Tunnel, and you can hit a winery or two on the ride back. If you don’t have wheels, you can rent a bike or e-bike from a few different spots, including Penticton E-Kruise, Pedego Penticton, Epic Cycling, and Freedom The Bike Shop.

Get out on the water…

Photo: Stirl and Rae Photography/Hoodoo Adventures

There’s nothing quite as mesmerizing as dipping a paddle into Okanagan Lake and watching a reflection of the surrounding landscape ripple across its glassy surface. Even in spring when the water is still too cold to swim, piloting a kayak or SUP is the perfect way to get in tune with Penticton’s lakeside lifestyle.

Rent a kayak from Pier Water Sports in town (opening May long weekend) and start paddling right from the city’s waterfront, or book a banana boat ride for more of a thrill on the water. Head to the Sun n’ Sup paddleboard shop in the hamlet of Naramata for a leisurely float in the protected waters around Wharf Park. For a few tips on technique, plus a guide to point out the sights and supply snacks, join a kayak tour with an outfitter like Hoodoo Adventure Company. (Or even better, check out their Wine & Kayak Tour!)

…or up on the crags.

Photo: Kari Medig/Destination BC

Just south of Penticton, formidable cliffs rise on the east side of Skaha Lake, revealing multiple faces of gneiss rock in Skaha Bluffs Provincial Park. The park is a magnet for climbers, with over 1,200 climbing routes of varying grades that are easy to reach via a short walk or hike from the parking lot. This accessibility, plus a climbing season that runs from March to October, makes Penticton one of the best places to rock climb in the country.

But you don’t have to be an expert to climb here. Companies like Skaha Rock Adventures offer full-day climbing and rappelling courses that cover all the basics, from belaying and ascent skills to safety and hazard assessment.

Hit the links and keep on adventuring.

Photo: Visit Penticton/Penticton Golf & Country Club

With six 18-hole courses and six 9-hole courses in Penticton and the South Okanagan area, plus 2,000 hours of annual sunshine and a season that stretches from March to November, Penticton is one of Canada’s premier golf destinations. Tee off at the Penticton Golf & Country Club, a championship course with mountain views, shady weeping willows, manicured gardens, and water features. The valley’s original 18-hole course not only has a reputation for birdies but also for bird-watching from fairways next to the Penticton Channel (or watching floaters on a summer day).

A short drive south will bring you more golfing options, including Fairview Mountain in Oliver and Osoyoos Golf Club in Osoyoos. End any game with a pint of local craft beer or a glass of wine at the clubhouse.

Strutting around fairways is one way to spend a spring afternoon in Penticton. So is ziplining, horseback riding, sailing, or fishing. With so many rewarding ways to get outside and into nature, you’re going to have to visit and discover the rest for yourself.

Europe’s Top Tourist Attractions Make the List of Pickpocketing Hotspots for 2024

On a metro in Barcelona, a woman lost her footing as the train jolted and knocked into my shoulder, which propelled me off balance into the arms of the gentleman on my left. As I apologized, they took my phone from my front pocket.

After decades of traveling, you’d think I’d know better than to have valuables so easily accessible, but perhaps due to my experience, complacency had crept in. Most of us are aware of the scams. This metro bump is a classic, as is the asking-for-directions distraction grab and the train door bottleneck group robbery. These incidents happen in seconds. You often won’t realize anything has happened until you notice your wallet has gone when you go to pay for something later.

Although pickpocketing is anything but glamorous, it is a profession. Pickpockets are skilled in misdirection and utilize dexterity, often working in teams to target demographics perceived as easier targets, like crowded areas or tourists.

Having street smarts will go a long way to protect your valuables, but there are certain places in Europe where you need to be more careful than others. Recent data from Quotezone’s European Pickpocketing Index sheds light on the most likely places to encounter these light-fingered thieves and offers valuable tips to safeguard your belongings.

The index drew conclusions from reviews of the top five tourist attractions in each European country left by visitors on TripAdvisor. And while this does not paint a complete picture, it does indicate what types of experiences (both good and bad) people are having on the ground.

Topping the index is Italy, with its renowned tourist attractions like the Colosseum and Trevi Fountain in Rome and the Gallerie Degli Uffizi in Florence, seeing the highest number of pickpocketing mentions in online reviews.

France comes in second, with pickpocketing incidents frequently reported in Paris around the Eiffel Tower and other popular spots such as Arc de Triomphe, Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris, and the Louvre Museum.

Spain takes third place, perhaps not surprisingly, with Las Ramblas in Barcelona being the pickpocket hotspot.

Traveling to Europe? Check out Matador’s European accommodations guides: With Views of Edinburgh Castle, These Are the Best Central Airbnbs in Edinburgh The Finest Airbnbs Near the Trevi Fountain With Incredible Views of Rome 11 Rome Airbnbs With a Gorgeous View of the Colosseum
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Here are the top ten places in Europe with the highest reports of pickpocketing according to reviews on Trip Advisor.

Italy — Colosseum, Duomo di Milano, Gallerie Degli Uffizi, Trevi Fountain, PantheonFrance — Musée d’Orsay, Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe, Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris, Louvre MuseumSpain — Basilica de la Sagrada Familia, Plaza Mayor, Madrid,The Alhambra, Prado National Museum, Las RamblasGermany — Brandenburg Gate, Reichstag Building, Marienplatz, East Side Gallery, The Holocaust MemorialNetherlands — Anne Frank House, Van Gogh Museum, Red Light District, Rijksmuseum,Portugal — Castelo de S. Jorge, Oceanário de Lisboa, Ponte de Dom Luís I, Alfama, Mosteiro dos JeronimosTurkey — Hagia Sophia Mosque, Basilica Cistern, Topkapi Palace, Sultanahmet District, Blue MosqueGreece — Acropolis, Acropolis Museum, Little Venice Mykonos, Medieval City, Rhodes town, ParthenonPoland — Krakow’s Rynek Glowny Central Square, Państwowe Muzeum Auschwitz-Birkenau, Old Town Warsaw, Łazienki Królewskie w Warszawie, Rynek of WroclawRepublic of Ireland — Guinness Storehouse, The Book of Kells and the Old Library Exhibition, Killarney National Park, Irish Whiskey Museum, Temple Bar

Top tips for avoiding pickpockets

As stated, pickpockets are often professionals, but there are some basic things you can do to keep you and your possessions safe.

Conceal your valuables: Wear money belts or crossbody bags that are difficult to snatch. Never wear a single-strap bag over your shoulder and avoid putting valuables in easily accessible pockets.Stay alert: Be mindful of your surroundings, especially in crowded areas. Don’t get distracted by performances or street vendors, which are common pickpocketing tactics.Travel light: Carry only what you need for the day. Leave unnecessary valuables in your hotel safe.Beware of bump-and-grab: Pickpockets often work in teams, creating distractions while another member steals belongings. Be wary of sudden bumps or jostles.Photocopy important documents: Keep photocopies of passports and IDs separately.Invest in anti-theft gear: Consider traveling with slash-proof bags or wallets with hidden compartments. More like thisTravelThe Mona Lisa May Finally Be Easy to See in Person After Proposed Louvre Renovation

The Mona Lisa May Finally Be Easy to See in Person After Proposed Louvre Renovation

It’s not an exaggeration to say that the Mona Lisa is the world’s most well-known painting. It’s one of the few artworks that most people can name and locate without hesitation. Because of its iconic status, Leonardo Da Vinci’s most famous work has been given a special spot within the Louvre: the Salle des États, the museum’s largest room. The 16th-century painting, which has been in the museum since 1797 and only left it once when it was briefly stolen in 1911, has been displayed in the exact same place since 1966, but the museum thinks it’s time to move it, preferably in the basement.

While displaying the Mona Lisa, whose actual name is Portrait of Lisa Gherardini, wife of Francesco del Giocondo, in the largest room seems like the best way to accommodate the huge crowds that come to admire it every day, it only works in theory. Because the room is massive, the painting quite small (1.75 feet in width and 2.6 feet in height), and because the artwork is protected by a temperature and humidity-controlled glass case, it appears to lack the grandeur of its reputation. Also, the Salle des États (room 711 on level one), while able to accommodate hordes of visitors, gets packed and chaotic very quickly, and few people actually manage to spend time looking at the painting up close for more than a few seconds.

Photo: Andrea Izzotti/Shutterstock

The idea of moving the Mona Lisa isn’t new. It was already brought up in 2019 when the museum tried to remedy the very same issues. Instead of a move, however, all that was done was changing the color of the walls in the Salle des États, improving the lighting, and ameliorating the flow of visitors. Unsurprisingly, despite those efforts, the situation remains the same. So much so that in February 2024, a study of online reviews conducted by CouponBirds revealed that the painting is the “world’s most disappointing masterpiece,” with 37.1 percent of the reviews analyzed being negative.

Laurence des Cars, director of the museum explains, “visitors have a poor experience in this room and we get the feeling that we’re not doing our job properly.” She believes that moving the Mona Lisa in a dedicated room could remedy the disappointment experienced by so many of the museum’s visitors, of which there are around 8 million every year.

While even the experts recommend that visitors to the Louvre don’t pass their chance to see the Mona Lisa, the museum is acutely aware that things need to change drastically for the painting to be displayed in a much more favorable way and for visitors to enjoy their time looking at it. Their solution is to create a room entirely dedicated to the painting. The construction of such a room, which would be in the museum’s underground area, is no small endeavour, however: it would require building a new museum entrance and would cost a whopping $534 million (500 million euros).

Considering the costs and the work required, the move won’t happen overnight, but in the meantime, you can plan your visit to the Louvre when the museum is considerably less busy: First thing in the morning, if you make a beeline for the painting, and during the night visits on Fridays after 7 PM. No matter what option you choose, purchase your ticket online in advance to same the time and hassle of waiting in line.

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2024 Is the Best Year in a Decade to Visit Iceland. Here’s Why.

Travel to Iceland skyrocketed in 2014 due to a massive push from homegrown airline Icelandair, which promoted its stopover program as a chance for passengers from North America to receive discounts and accommodations on the island en route to mainland Europe. Since then, the island has averaged more than 1 million visitors annually peaking at nearly 2.5 million visitors in 2018. Cries of over-tourism have grown louder as visitor numbers have rebounded following Covid, but 2024 could be the year to visit Iceland for those seeking a more intimate experience.

That’s thanks to two factors. First, tourist numbers have yet to reach the 2018 peak and some estimates suggest a decline in overall visitation in 2024, allowing for a quieter-than-normal Iceland. Second, boutique tour operators including Hidden Iceland have ramped up small-group tour offerings across the island, taking travelers further from Reykjavik and the Blue Lagoon to more rugged and non-descript areas. Here’s what else makes 2024 the best year to visit Iceland since the explosion of the stopover program.

New accommodations and tours make the Icelandic highlands more accessible year-round

Photo: Timofey Furyaev/Shutterstock

Ryan Connolly founded Hidden Iceland in 2017, drawn by the opportunity to showcase less-visited aspects of the island to those willing to firmly embrace the “adventure travel” mantra. His goal was to fight back against the massive cruise ships and large package tours overruning popular spots like the Blue Lagoon and the nation’s capital city, Reykjavik, by offering custom, privately guided tours built around specific activities like hiking, bouldering, and wildlife spotting. The company aimed to embrace sustainable travel, hoping to stimulate local economies beyond the southwestern region while promoting conservation of the places its tours visited.

“In the past, when we took guests on hiker-friendly trips, we would venture in and out of the highland areas on day trips, such as to the popular Landmannalaugar and Þórsmörk hiking trails, but still had to skirt along the coast in between, where the best hotels and other must see locations were,” says Ryan Connolly, co-founder of tour operator Visit Iceland.

This has changed for 2024, with better road access and the newly opened Highland Base hotel in Kerlingarfjöll. Guests traveling with Hidden Iceland, or on their own, now have an adventure-ready hotel in the heart of the Highlands to base outdoor excursions. Hidden Iceland will run a tour in the summer of 2024 that includes hikes along multi-colored mountains in Kerlingarfjöll, bathing in natural hot springs in nearby valleys, hiking on pristine alpine glaciers in the Vatnajökull National Park, trekking through deep valleys in Þórsmörk and traveling over fast flowing rivers into the hills surrounding Landmannalaugar.

The ‘solar maximum’ means increased solar radiation and therefore, better Northern Lights

Photo: Guitar photographer/Shutterstock

The Northern Lights are most frequently seen mid-August through mid-April in Iceland. However, anytime outside summer (when the sun never sets) it may be possible to see them. The most active phase of the current solar cycle, Solar Cycle 25, takes place between January and October 2024 because of changes in the sun’s magnetic field that cause increased solar activity, including more sunspots and solar flares. That means more opportunities to see the Northern Lights. Connolly notes that early September through late March offers the greatest chance of seeing the Northern Lights at their best.

“When picking dates for the Northern Lights, it really boils down to what else you want to achieve during your time in Iceland,” Connolly says. “For example, September and early October can still be relatively warm – compared to winter – with great hiking opportunities. By mid-October, the blue ice cave season begins. Over the festive season, the Christmas markets and world-class fireworks displays make it a wonderful multi-generational period to travel. January, February and March are the coldest months, with a much higher chance of getting that winter wonderland feeling.”

To coincide with this year’s Solar Maximum, Hidden Iceland will offer its Must See Winter package built around giving guests the best Northern Lights viewing opportunities.

Recent volcanic activity in Iceland, while ongoing, has stabilized

Photo: ImageBank4u/Shutterstock

Iceland’s Reykjanes Peninsula has seen a dramatic increase in volcanic activity in recent years. Compared to the historical average of one eruption every four years across the entire country, the peninsula has experienced a staggering six small, effusive eruptions in just the past three years.

However, there are some reassuring aspects. These eruptions have been localized within the peninsula, far from major infrastructure and populated areas. Additionally, they have been effusive, meaning they primarily produce lava flows with minimal ash, posing no threat to air travel.

The current eruption has been flowing from the same point since March 16th, 2024, leading locals to speculate that there will be a chance to hike there safely in the future. However, at the time of writing, the roads near the eruption site are closed and the infrastructure needed to create a safe environment for tourists has yet to be developed. Until then, Hidden Iceland is offering their guests add-on helicopter rides to hover over the top of the eruption site as part of their most popular multi-day tours.

“This is best and safest way to see the eruption on a clear day,” Connolly says. “If you are traveling on a budget, it is still possible to see the red glow on clear night from the tops of some of the higher buildings in Reykjavík too, though no direct view at the moment.”

Currently, helicopter tours are the only way to safely observe the volcanic activity in the Reykjanes Peninsula. No special gear is required for this option. However, if the area becomes accessible on foot in the future, proper gear will be crucial. Standard hiking boots and waterproof clothing are essential, but the most important aspect would be going with a local guide. This ensures access to gas monitoring equipment and gas masks, which are vital due to the potential presence of harmful gases near the eruption site.

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