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Bookings for 2022 nude cruise

Caribbean cruises might feel like a thing of the distant past right now, but cruise company Bare Necessities is already setting its sights on 2022. The nudist cruising company is launching a two-week-long, fully naked Caribbean cruise aboard the Carnival Pride in February 2022.

The ship will depart from Tampa, Florida, on February 13, 2022, and make stops in Panama, Colombia, Bonaire, Curaçao, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, and the Bahamas before returning to Tampa 14 days later.

Photo: Bare Necessities

While at sea, passengers will not be required to wear any clothes — in fact, it’s discouraged to do so, except when arriving in ports. To drive home the point, the ship will be decorated with a range of nude art and classic statues, Inside Hook reported.

This cruise will be Bare Necessities’ 75th chartered voyages and its longest ever.

On its website, Bare Necessities explains, “Passengers have requested longer cruises and many have extended their vacation by taking an admittedly less fun textile cruise before or after our charter. European and Aussie travelers have said they want longer cruises to make flying across the pond or from down under truly worthwhile. This cruise is the answer to everyone who has said they wanted more! More time in the sun, more crystal clear warm water for skinny dipping, more interesting ports of call, more sea days to soak up some rays and more fun aboard a ship that is a passenger favorite: the sleek, fast, over-the-top Carnival Pride.”

Bookings for Carnival’s Bare Necessities Cruise are now open, so whatever happens in 2021, you can already start getting excited for 2022.

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German spa etiquette

I can’t stop dreaming about sweating in a sauna filled with naked strangers. It might seem a curious preoccupation during the current health crisis, but as winter descends, coronavirus cases surge, and I find myself trapped inside a poorly insulated Brooklyn apartment, the recurring fantasy is my escape from reality.

Think about it: a trip to the sauna is the ultimate antidote to frigid alfresco dining in my pandemic-plagued city. Sweating would release the toxins I soaked up while self-medicating my way through 2020 with comfort food and alcohol. Saunas can improve brain function, decrease the risk for cardiovascular diseases, and, according to a Finnish study, reduce the risk of “all-cause mortality.” Everyone who managed to survive the deadliest year in US history deserves a sensible schvitz for making it this far.

But I’m not dreaming of just any sauna.

In my fantasy, I fly across the Atlantic, breeze through passport control, and magically find myself sandwiched between two nude octogenarians in a wood-paneled sauna that’s hot enough to bake bread. I sigh, falling into a meditative state of schwitzen. Borders might currently be closed, but I’m still sweating buckets in Germany.

Spa culture in Germany

Saunas and spas are as crucial to German culture as Wagner and wurst. On the night the Berlin Wall fell, Germany’s first female chancellor, Angela Merkel, famously opted to attend her weekly spa appointment before heading westward to celebrate — a sensible priority for anyone who understands the charm of a German bathhouse.

Enjoying the aquatic ceremony at a German spa — often referred to as “taking the waters” — dates back to Roman antiquity, when soldiers soaked in the hot mineral springs of Baden Baden. Finnish-style saunas gained popularity in the 19th century, as did Freikörperkultur (also known as FKK, or Free Body Culture), which celebrates community-based nudity for mental and physical well-being.

Today, most German bathhouses reserve areas for non-sexualized sweat sessions where men and women from all walks of life gather in their birthday suits to forget the world’s worries. These body-positive safe spaces are inexpensive retreats that Germans view as part of a healthy lifestyle. While living in Germany, I visited as many as I possibly could.

Photo: SWM

In Munich, sauna-seekers can visit Müllersches Volksbad for a measly $6 and enjoy a Roman steam bath, a Finnish sauna, and a pool housed in an Art Nouveau building that dates back to 1901.

A 30-minute drive outside of Munich leads to Therme Erding — the Disney World of German spas. Kids play on 2,700 meters of waterslides, parents sip pilsners at swim-up bars, and adults can sweat around the world in 28 globally theme FKK saunas. A full-day pass costs $50.

Claudius Therme, a beloved spa in the city of Cologne, only charges $27 for a two-hour sweat-fest with panoramic views of the city.

Friedrichsbad Spa, which abuts the Black forest, is equally inexpensive considering its rich history. For $48, visitors can soak stark-naked in a neo-renaissance complex built in 1877. After Mark Twain visited, he wrote, “Here at the Friedrichsbad you lose track of time within 10 minutes and track of the world within 20…”

Whether you’re near Bavaria or the Baltic Sea, paying $5 or $50, German bathhouses remain refreshingly consistent. The spaces are immaculately clean, the guests are invariably respectful, and leaving with a smile on your face is commonplace. (Seriously, saunas increase an immunoreactive beta-endorphin in blood that scientists found to reflect the feeling of pleasure.)

Spa culture in the US

If Germany is a sauna lover’s Elysium, the United States is a “taking-the-waters” wasteland. In general, American spas fall into three categories: expensive retreats for the elite, post-workout digestifs in stinky locker rooms, or reasonably priced bathhouses with unreasonable levels of grime. The community-oriented spas of Germany have no stateside equivalent. Nudity is rarely permitted.

Chicago’s outpost for AIRE Ancient Baths, an international chain of uber-luxe spas, might offer the same old-world elegance as Munich’s Müllersches Volksbad — but for a hefty $105 per 90-minute session. New York City’s Spa Castle appears to have the Disney World charm of Therme Erding, but as an anonymous staffer told the New York Post several years ago, “There is a big problem with customers having sex in the pools, and the management doesn’t know how to handle it.” San Francisco’s low-priced Kabuki Springs and Spa might be the closest America gets to Germany. Still, nudity is forbidden on co-ed days, and the men’s-only hours feel more like a trip to Provincetown’s Dick Dock than an excursion worthy of Mark Twain’s praise.

With over 19,000 spas in the United States and over 500,000 German-born citizens living around the country, one might assume it’d be easy to discover a Merkel-worthy sauna in America. But in the “land of the free,” too many sauna-goers ignore a key component of the German spa experience: rules.

German spa etiquette

Photo: Kichigin/Shutterstock

The tired cliche of the rule-abiding German is well-worn for a reason. Ordnung, which translates to “order,” is not merely a German word — it’s a lifestyle. Do not cross the street until the little green man appears. If a sign says verboten, trust that it’s verboten. Just as the Autobahn runs for efficiency, the rules are made with reason. If you aren’t following the rules, a German will happily let you know. The same is true at the spa. Sauna Regeln (sauna rules) is an extension of Ordnung.

Visitors must rinse off with soap and water before entering the spa. After sitting in a sauna or steam bath, guests must rinse again. FKK areas welcome bathrobes, but swimsuits are forbidden. You can cover up with a robe and wear sandals around the complex, but you must always leave them outside the saunas. Two towels should be carried at all times. One towel is for drying post-shower; the other towel ensures your body doesn’t come in direct contact with any part of the sauna bench. No one wants to sit in a pool of someone else’s sweat. Talking in the spa must be kept to a minimum. When in doubt, keep to yourself, and whatever you do, don’t stare in the FKK zones. These are sacred spaces, not sex parties.

It’s a lot of rules — I know — but spa etiquette makes the experience more enjoyable for all. Ordnung isn’t just about doing things right — it’s about doing things well, it’s about honoring everyone in the community, and it’s an understanding that the well-being of your neighbor is related to the well-being of yourself.

The impact of American individualism

In early December, as coronavirus cases soared in my hometown, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced a ban on indoor dining at NYC restaurants — a bleak edict for businesses already struggling to survive. The day I read the news, I ran into a neighbor in my apartment building’s elevator. The neighbor, who wasn’t wearing a mask, let out a dry cough as they joined me in the hot, enclosed space. I started to sweat.

I noticed an increasing number of people around my neighborhood who didn’t seem to wear masks in the coming days: a stranger at the grocer’s, a clerk inside a store, a policeman issuing a traffic ticket. I couldn’t help but wonder how these bare-faced buccaneers were linked to the ban on indoor dining, the loss of local jobs, and the infection rate in my city.

I also thought about US bathhouses. NYC’s Spa Castle and San Francisco’s Kabuki Springs and Spa all have German-style rules posted on their walls to make the spaces safe. Are Americans simply unable to follow them? Is our inability to consider how our actions impact the greater community why we can’t replicate the German spa experience?

In a study conducted by the Brookings Institute, 64 percent of Americans who choose not to wear masks — a universally recognized way to reduce the spread of COVID-19 — said their right to avoid the inconvenience of a face mask “is more important than reducing the probability of getting sick or infecting others.” For these Americans, individualism supersedes the benefits of protecting the collective whole. With over 340,000 COVID-related deaths in the United States — more than anywhere else in the world — it’s clear we could benefit from a healthy dose of Ordnung.

A foundation for freedom

As coronavirus cases creep higher, it’s unlikely I’ll be sweating in a German sauna filled with naked German strangers anytime soon. Traveling to the land of FKK saunas won’t be possible for the foreseeable future. Still, I’ll continue to dream of Deutschland — and not just because I’m sick of staring at my apartment walls or because I desperately need to warm up after eating outside in a blizzard. I’ll continue to magic myself to those hot-box heavens because no one fights about the rules in a German sauna; no one protests the cotton barrier between a damp derriere and a wooden bench. The laws make sense, so people follow them. If only the same logic worked for my neighbors without face masks.

John Locke, the Enlightenment philosopher and Father of Liberalism, famously wrote, “where there is no Law, there is no Freedom.” Imagine if Americans started following reasonable rules, just like the community of naked guests at a German spa. Perhaps sitting in a German sauna wouldn’t only be fantasy, and maybe, one day, I wouldn’t have to fly to Germany just to realize my dream.

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Travel in 2021 for US travelers

To put it mildly, there was some bad news in 2020. And though some people scoff at celebrating the new year as a way to leave it all behind, there’s plenty of reason for optimism in the travel space as we head into 2021. No, we won’t be speeding back to the world we knew a year ago, but in some ways that’s a good thing. From airlines taking steps towards freer travel to a new Star Wars hotel, here are some things US travelers can look forward to in 2021.

1. Vaccines will, at least, become more commonplace.

Photo: BaLL LunLa/Shutterstock

While some projections have said it could be upwards of 10 years until everyone in the US has the COVID-19 vaccine, at least the most vulnerable among us will be first in line. And maybe, just maybe, that means getting to travel over the river and through the woods to grandmother’s house once again. It may also give airlines some peace of mind (or, at least, legal backup) to allow flights to more places. Qantas has already announced it will require the vaccine for all its passengers, and though no other airline has made a similar announcement, it bodes well as the number of vaccinated passengers rises.

2. Disney World turns 50, and a slew of new rides is on the way.

Speaking optimistically, of course, if you’re comfortable going back to theme parks this year, Walt Disney World will have a massive 50th-anniversary celebration kicking off in October. New attractions will include a Ratatouille-themed ride, a new Guardians of the Galaxy coaster at EPCOT, a TRON ride at Magic Kingdom, and a Star Wars hotel resort. If you’re planning on going to Orlando, Universal Studios is also unveiling its Jurassic World VelociCoaster. Keep in mind, though, parks may or may not be running at full capacity by then, and it remains to be seen if crowds and lines will return to pre-pandemic levels.

3. The Tokyo Olympics is going ahead.

Photo: Chaay_Tee/Shutterstock

When you invest upwards of $25 billion in the Olympics, you’re not just going to cancel it — even if the issue at hand is a global pandemic. Tokyo organizers have stated firmly that they plan to hold the 2020 Olympics in 2021, and not only that, fans from other countries will be allowed to spectate. “By next spring we will be coming up with measures for all spectators including the non-Japan residents,” organizing committee CEO Toshiro Muto said during an online briefing in November, as per the AP. “For the non-Japanese, we need to be sure we secure a spectating opportunity for them as well.” So while there’s no guarantee you’ll be able to get a ticket and wander the Olympic village like it’s Seoul 1988, if the games have been on your list for a while, 2021 still offers some hope.

4. COVID-19 testing in airports and hotels

Photo: Noiel/Shutterstock

Slowly but surely, US airports have figured out that on-site COVID-19 testing is becoming a necessity. As recently as October, over a dozen major airports were offering testing in their terminals. And that number continues to grow each month as airports figure out the logistics of putting medical labs in aviation facilities. Hopefully as the year carries on, it will become a normal airport feature like TSA checkpoints, but for now check ahead with the airport of departure if you need a test to travel.

Hotels have also gotten in on the on-site testing craze, as luxury resorts from South Beach to St. Lucia are developing ways for guests to get tested before they go home. Whether that means clinics inside the hotels, local healthcare providers setting up shop in empty ballrooms, or local doctors making room calls, it’s an amenity that’s turning into a competitive advantage in the luxury space.

5. Some live music will be back out on the road.

While there’s no guarantee of a summer festival circuit in 2021 — and organizers haven’t made any optimistic-sounding announcements — the venerable Glastonbury Music Festival is still planning a 50th anniversary edition, even though technically 2020 would have been its 50th year. Beyond that, a handful of artists have announced intentions to tour this summer, albeit with limited capacities. Justin Bieber will hit the road over the summer, as will Queen with Adam Lambert. Chris Stapleton will start touring in the spring. A lot more shows are scheduled for the fall, as well. And as the future clears up a little, more announcements are sure to follow.

6. The Dubai Worlds’ Fair is still a go for October.

Photo: Expo 2020 Dubai/Facebook

Dubai’s Expo 2020 was one of the first major events to get pushed by COVID-19, as it’s now slated to run from October 1, 2021, to April of 2022. It will be the first world’s fair held in the Middle East, and though it likely won’t draw the once expected 25 million visitors, it will still be one of the biggest reasons to travel this year. The theme is “Connecting Minds, Creating the Future,” with 192 countries participating in pavilions constructed to transport visitors to their home countries. Think EPCOT, done Dubai-style. No word on safety precautions or crowd size yet, but stay tuned as more announcements will come over the summer.

7. Immunity passports might make traveling easier.

The end of 2020 saw a lot of talk about “immunity passports,” effectively standardized digital records that tell airlines, governments, and other entities you’ve received the COVID-19 vaccine. The idea would be to allow those who have had it more latitude in terms of travel, large gatherings, and the other stuff we used to enjoy less than a year ago. Qantas and Korean Airlines have already announced they are looking into immunity passports, and the International Air Transport Association has also announced it is developing a passport. Though concerns over privacy abound here at home, the immunity passport is hardly a novel concept; several countries already require proof of vaccinations (yellow fever, for example) to pass their borders. This just adds to the list.

8. Potential travel bubbles

Right about now, the US feels a little like the bully who nobody will play with after he got chicken pox. And while Australia and New Zealand play together, the Baltic states frolic freely across borders, the US is still standing on the side of the playground. But all is not lost! Rumors of a travel bubble with the UK percolated in December, though the new mutant COVID-19 strain across the pond put a big pause on that. Still, if cases can subside the plans are still there, and hopefully by later in the year there’ll be somewhere across an ocean for us to go.

9. Increased connectivity in remote locations

Photo: Patiwat Sariya/Shutterstock

Some may not necessarily see having more WiFi in campgrounds as a positive, but for the ever-increasing mobile workforce, having the ability to work from anywhere opens a lot of opportunities. And, as we learned during a roundtable of travel experts, campgrounds and other remote lodging locations have seen overwhelming demand for high-speed connectivity. The more people can work from those locations, the theory goes, the more nights they will stay. And the more money they’ll spend. So, traditionally off-the-grid locales are clambering for WiFi, and by this summer’s camping season you’ll be able to check your phone every 45 seconds from tons more places.

10. The continuation of some great changes

Look, 2020 wasn’t all bad. Sure, we’d probably trade the abundance of cool pop-ups for the ability to stay out past midnight. But you’ve gotta find the silver linings. And 2020 had plenty that don’t look like they’re going away. During a recent conference of industry leaders, several pointed to flexibility as a new expectation in travel, meaning things like cancellation and change fees are likely gone forever. Now that the traveling public is used to being able to change their flights, hotel reservations, or other plans without a penalty, it’ll be hard to go back.

Other cool things that came about in 2020: More touchless check-in and streamlined airport experiences, as things like bag check and boarding pass scanning are largely all self-serve. Higher sanitation and cleaning standards have been adopted in airplanes and hotels. And though some airlines have gone back to jam-packing airplanes, middle seats still sit largely unoccupied. That day may end soon, but we may as well enjoy it while we can.

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A triple conjunction will appear

If you’re sad that you missed the Christmas star from last month, and thought you’d have to wait awhile before glimpsing another dazzling celestial phenomenon, think again. A “triple conjunction” is happening this weekend, and no, that’s not a grammar term you learned about in middle school. A triple conjunction is a rare occurrence when two or more planets align in the night sky when viewed from Earth.

Saturn takes 29 years to orbit the sun, Jupiter takes 12 years, and Mercury takes 88 days, forming a triple conjunction when all three will be visible to us at once. This rare spectacle is happening just after sunset on January 9, 10, 11. On the first two days, all three planets will form a triangle, while on the third, Mercury will appear next to Jupiter.

Since the conjunction will appear on the west-southwest horizon, however, it might be difficult to actually see. Thirty minutes after sunset is projected to be the best time to catch a glimpse. As always, viewing from a low-light location is preferable for the best view. Jupiter will be more easily visible with the naked eye, while Saturn and Mercury will be a bit tougher to spot without a telescope.

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‘Solving for Z’ film

Professional mountain guide Zahan Billimoria has been through a lot in the high country, both physically and emotionally. Patagonia reveals his journey in a new documentary called Solving for Z, A Calculus of Risk. The short film follows Billimoria on ski and climbing expeditions in stunning terrain and in his hometown of Jackson, WY, illuminating the tough lessons that come with a high-risk lifestyle. Rarely is personal narrative used in such an actionable manner. Exploring the gap between perceived risk and actual risk, the film hammers home essential techniques to prepare for and stay safe in the backcountry. Here are the biggest takeaways from the film to apply to your own outdoor adventures.

To properly approach high-alpine adventures, objective assessment is key

Photo: Patagonia

Billimoria, who was born in London, grew up in Switzerland, and now resides with his family in Jackson, has spent the better part of his life learning how to properly approach extreme terrain. It’s a never-ending process, one that requires constant recalculation and training, especially when dealing with conditions that can change almost instantly due to everything from the addition of wind or snow to the time of day and location of the sun in the sky.

“There’s always this gap between what we perceive is going on in the mountains, and what’s actually going on,” Billimoria says in the film. “As we get more in tune with the mountains, through experience, education and everything, we narrow that gap.”

To help younger adventurers learn and gain this experience in the high country, Billimoria founded the Samsara Experience, an outdoor education guide service and school that trains outdoor athletes in the practice of athletic performance, both mental and physical. What they learn has been gleaned from generations of mountaineers, passing down the knowledge of objective risk assessment from one generation to the next along with how to calculate and approach that risk.

The mountains can be home, even when you don’t fully understand them

“The first time I laid eyes on the Tetons, I’d been waiting for that sight since we left Massachusetts,” Billimoria says in the film, of when he and his wife decided to quit their jobs on the East Coast and head west. “I just stood there and I thought, ‘I’m home.’”

A passion for climbing and skiing landed the pair in Wyoming, where they’ve lived ever since. He found growth and evolution, becoming more engaged with the mountains and bringing his lifelong goal of becoming a mountain guide to fruition. He’d never felt so at home, he notes in the film, feeling that the sky was the limit for his career.

Surround yourself with people who are more experienced than you

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After moving to Jackson, Billimoria surrounded himself with the local mountaineering and climbing community, rubbing elbows not only with local guides but with athletes and influencers including Jeremy Jones and the Teton Gravity Research team.

In doing so, Billimoria learned from many who had spent more time in the backcountry and could pass knowledge and instinct onto him. In his journey to becoming a mountain guide he learned many things. Much of it is mental — when approaching an objective such as a climb or descent, judge your “concern level,” react accordingly, and convey your feeling to the group. Look at the situation from beyond yourself, as if you were seeing it from above or from someone else’s perspective. And, no matter how good you are, know that you are sometimes going to misread the situation.

Confidence can be taken away in an instant

“I came to a point where I thought, if you’re studious and engaged enough you’ll be fine,” Billimoria says.

But in 2015, tragedy struck. Billimoria was on a ski ascent on Mount Moran with three other climbers when what he thought to be a small sluff avalanche making a “hissing” sound appeared above. His three partners were washed out, unable to be seen. Two of the four were killed in the incident.

“You just looked down and you knew, like, life’s going to be different, permanently,” Billimoria says in the film.

Billimoria stepped back and reassessed his relationship with the mountains. He began spending time on simpler terrain, attempting to regain the passion he’d long felt for the alpine. Take it too far, it seemed, and the trajectory of progress could be swiped away in an instant. Is it worth it to constantly push boundaries? Perhaps, the film conveys, the passion stems from the process of an adventure itself, rather than the perceived outcome.

The goal shifted, not in terms of being good at what he does, but in how he pursued his passion. He wanted to share his love of the mountains with others. On his return to guiding following the incident, he placed a heavier emphasis on education. He formed the Samsara Experience in the hopes of passing his passion and knowledge onto a younger generation, in hopes that his students could grow what they learn and progress their knowledge and skills even further than his generation had.

In the end, proper planning and execution work to close the risk gap

“I think I’m an infinitely better gauger of risk than I was before,” Billimoria says in the film. With a family that loves him and a community that supports him, making it back home at the end of the day — not a summit or sick ski line — marks the conclusion of an expedition.

“I absolutely have every intention of surviving my career, all the way to the very end. That’s my goal,” he says.

In the end, the mountains call — and with proper planning, training, and execution, coupled with a willingness to pull the plug and hold the adventure for another day when necessary, that call can be answered.

And when it is, says Billimoria, “It can be dangerously empowering.”

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Californians asked not to travel

As part of California’s new measures to curb the spread of COVID-19, the state is urging residents to stay home as much as possible, and asking those from other states to kindly stay away. Updated guidance from the California Department of Public Health takes these advisories one step further, telling Californians not to travel more than 120 miles from their residence except for essential reasons.

Essential trips are defined as those “associated with the operation, maintenance, or usage of critical infrastructure or otherwise required or expressly authorized by law … including work and study, critical infrastructure support, economic services and supply chains, health, immediate medical care and safety and security.”

Nonessential travel, chiefly applying to recreation or tourism, is strongly discouraged.

California is one of the states hit hardest by the pandemic, with cases reaching 2.5 million this week. Since anyone visiting from another state or country — or even a Californian traveling throughout the state — increases the risk of the virus’ transmission, the government is doing whatever it can to keep people at home. Quarantining for 10 days after crossing the border is strongly encouraged, except in cases of essential travel.

According to LA County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer, residents “should keep in mind that community transmission rates are so high that you run the risk of an exposure whenever you leave your home. It’s better to be home than sick.”

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Positive sustainability news 2021

This is The Climate Win, the most positive sustainability news around the world every week.

Last year Massachusetts’ Republican Governor Charlie Baker kicked off an ambitious goal to get the state to net-zero emissions by 2050. That goal became a formal plan this week and appears headed to Baker’s desk for signature, according to local outlet WBUR, after state lawmakers penned a legal agreement that both parties signed onto.

This is a huge win all around, for residents, travelers, and for the planet. For one, Massachusetts was already among the nearly two dozen states which had enacted strict greenhouse gas targets, aiming to reduce its emissions by 80 percent by 2050. This proposal ramps up that commitment while providing investment in scaled renewable energy development as well as incentives for homeowners opting to go solar (namely, a guarantee that the decision won’t ramp up their property tax bill).

But it’s also a big deal because the bill could spur similar measures across the country, even among states that already have targets in place. The Massachusetts plan is laid out to progress in phases rather than all at once. It tightens emissions targets every five years, earmarks revenue for environmental justice initiatives, and directs the state’s Department of Energy Resources to develop net-zero building plans for new construction.

What the Massachusetts plan doesn’t do is call for a specified move to 100 percent clean energy, a fact that has angered some environmental advocates. However, economic factors appear poised to shift American society toward renewable energy by 2050 anyway, meaning it will head in that direction regardless. Moreover, the plan could be adopted in part or in near-copy by other states led by Republican governors or conservative lawmakers hesitant to enforce a set policy on utility companies.

For travelers, the state’s forthcoming efforts to green public and private transportation, and to provide clean heating in residential spaces, could lessen the environmental impact of a trip to Boston or other parts of Massachusetts. It could also make getting around Boston cheaper and more efficient. For example, the city plans to have EV charging stations available in every neighborhood by 2023, Boston.com reported. Meanwhile, the MBTA, which manages public transit in Boston and its surrounding metropolitan area, is negotiating a new contract to power its services, including its stations, entirely on renewable energy, a deal that could save the agency $3 million per year in costs, Streetsblog reported in October.

More climate wins

Locals in Bali kicked off 2021 by cleaning up Kuta Beach, a popular destination for tourists and expats and a place that had become increasingly riddled with trash in recent years. Global press coverage of the cleanup effort has called attention to the “trashing” of beachfront spaces, and will hopefully inspire similar efforts at popular beach spots around the world.

Solar power — already the cheapest form of power available — is set to become even more affordable. A UK-based company is developing solar panels that convert blue wavelengths from the sun into energy, in addition to the silicon already common in panels and that converts red wavelengths into energy. The increased energy development is expected to make solar panels up to 40 percent more efficient.

And finally, the ambitious climate agenda put forth by the incoming Biden administration took a major step toward enactment following the Senate run-off elections in the state of Georgia. Incoming Senator Jon Ossof favors Biden’s ambitions toward an infrastructure plan to include funding for clean energy development and jobs, while incoming Senator Raphael Warnock laid out support for a clean energy transition and for proper “stewardship of our children’s planet.”

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Ice hotel in Lapland, Sweden, 2021

An iconic ice hotel just opened in Lapland, Sweden, and it’ll really make you feel like you’re staying inside a giant igloo. The Icehotel first opened in 1989 on a seasonal basis and was the first hotel in the world made of snow and ice. Since then, it’s reappeared each winter as a pop-up experience, with 8,000 gallons of water used to build the igloo anew.

Photo: Icehotel

The property is about 124 miles north of the Arctic Circle in the village of Jukkasjärvi, and this year it’s entering its 31st season. Icehotel 31 (named for its age) features 12 unique “Art Suites” made from Torne River ice, an intimate ceremony hall for weddings and events, and six new suites in Icehotel 365 — an adjacent property that includes permanent ice rooms, an ice art gallery, and an icebar, open all year-round.

Photo: Icehotel

If you’re thinking of staying, the two-night “Icelebrate” package starts at $589 per person and includes one night in an “Art Suite,” one night in a warm Kaamos Room on the adjacent property, and breakfast and Champagne upon arrival.

Photo: Icehotel

Around 1,300 blocks of frozen water were used to create the pop-up property for the current season, and this year’s frozen accommodations include ice sculptures like a frozen hot dog stand and a carved sea monster.

Since actually traveling to Sweden is tough right now due to the pandemic’s travel restrictions, you can take an augmented reality tour of the rooms online.

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Where magic mushrooms come from

In pockets of the United States, psychedelic mushrooms — or magic mushrooms, shrooms, mushies, as they are known colloquially — are slowly gaining mainstream acceptance. Oregon legalized psilocybin (the active chemical in mushrooms) for people over 21 in November 2020, and Denver decriminalized magic mushrooms in 2019. California cities Oakland and Santa Cruz decriminalized shrooms in 2019 as well — the same year that the Food and Drug Administration listed psilocybin therapy as a “breakthrough therapy” for depression.

Yet people who partake in the US are just the most modern instance in a long history of humans from all corners of the globe exploring the benefits of magic mushrooms. In fact, in just about every place there are humans, there have been shrooms.

A paper published in 2005 in the International Journal of Medicinal Mushrooms (IJMM) lists 144 hallucinogenic species of mushrooms, though other sources claim there are as many as 180 different types. The geographic diversity is just as impressive as the sheer number. The IJMM paper lists more than 50 species in Latin America and the Caribbean, and more than 20 in Canada and the US. On the other side of the oceans, Europe has 16 native magic mushroom varieties while Asia has 15, Africa has four, and Australia and some nearby Pacific islands are home to 19.

These mushrooms all have two things in common: the psychoactive compounds psilocybin and psilocin. While more research needs to be done, early tests show the duo can boost brain connectivity and bind with the body’s serotonin connectors. The exact effects and the lived experience of what it’s like to take magic mushrooms vary, but many users report feeling euphoria and spiritual connections.

No matter where you are on Earth, you can probably find shrooms growing in the wild.

The historical use of magic mushrooms

It’s not hard to find stories that promote the historical accounts of ancient civilizations that use magic mushrooms, but you might not want to trust everything you read. Psychedelics may not have been as prevalent as all of the stories make it seem, as detailed in a Vice story by Manvir Singh, who writes that modern stories about centuries-old psychedelics use in Central and South America are often exaggerated or fabricated for tourists.

Still, there’s no denying that there’s evidence of early cultures eating magic mushrooms around the world. Rock paintings from 7,000 to 9,000 years ago that appear to depict psychedelic mushrooms have been found in the Sahara Desert, according to research printed in the Journal of Mind-moving Plants and Culture in 1992. The research also cites theories of magic mushrooms appearing in Bronze Age-era cave paintings in what is now Sweden, as well as in paintings in Siberia from the neolithic period around 4,500 BCE.

It’s impossible to know how users of magic mushrooms and other drugs were regarded by ancient cultures. The evidence, however, suggests that the natural psychedelics were used for spiritual practices more than recreation.

Where popular types of magic mushrooms grow today

Photo: Aleksandr Kurganov/Shutterstock

One of the most ubiquitous, and therefore one of the most popular, types of psychoactive mushrooms is Psilocybe cubensis, according to Psilopedia. Former vice president of J.P. Morgan Chase popularized the strain in the US in 1957 after writing a story for Life magazine about an experience he had in Oaxaca, Mexico. It just so happened that the strain is both easy to find in nature and easy to cultivate at home. Man-made strains like Penis Envy and Pink Buffalo can result in much higher quantities of psychoactive compounds according to Double Blind.

Chances are high that if you’re presented with mushrooms today they will be cultivated rather than gathered. This is especially true if you’re not consuming them in the small harvest window required by many wild varieties. That doesn’t mean naturally occurring mushrooms aren’t waiting to be found by the right person, however (and the right person, meaning a person with expert knowledge in foraging and wild plant species, is important, considering many magic mushroom varieties are similar in appearance to mushrooms that can kill you or make you extremely ill).

The website Psilopedia lists Psilocybe semilanceata (commonly known as Liberty Caps) as the most widespread and the most potent variety of magic mushroom. It’s native to Europe and grows in acidic soil, which is also perfect for lawns — which might explain its prolific growth. Liberty Caps are also found in the Pacific Northwest and parts of northeastern Canada, as well as Chile and New Zealand.

Other popular types of magic mushrooms have a more limited natural range, according to Double Blind. Psilocybe azurescens (Flying Saucer mushrooms) are found almost exclusively in the Pacific Northwest, for example, while Psilocybe mexicana thrives in the high-altitude Mexican states of Oaxaca, Pueblo, and Michoacan.

Psilocybe caerulescens (or Landslide mushrooms) come from Mexico’s Sierra Madre mountains as well as Venezuela and Brazil, while Psilocybe stuntzii (Blue Ringer) is only found on the west coast of the US and Canada. Psilocybe caerulipes (Blue Foot mushrooms) grow on dead wood in the East and Midwestern US.

The list of varieties that can be found in nature on multiple continents is just as long as the list those that are specific to a certain region and environment. Psilocybe cyanescens (Wavy Caps), for example, grows on wood debris. The previously mentioned Psilocybe cubensis can be found from North America to South America, as well as in Australia and Southeast Asia — often growing on dung.

A local variety of magic mushrooms will likely be ripe for the picking in the nature around you, wherever you’re traveling. Whether or not you can legally eat said mushrooms, however, is a different story, so be sure you’re aware of local laws before partaking.

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Stray cats homed in washing machines

You might not think of washing machines as particularly comfortable, but it turns out they can also serve as cat homes. In the Valongo area of Porto, Portugal, old washing machines and dryers are being repurposed to house stray cats. Authorities have been transforming old machines into makeshift shelters, painting and decorating them, and lining them with blankets to enhance their homey feel.

Veterinarian Fernando Rodrigues said, “This year, the Municipality of Valongo started sterilising colonies of stray cats, having sterilised, vaccinated and microchipped more than 100 cats and cats in 12 colonies. We now feel the need to provide them with a home. This project stemmed from that idea, as the old washing or drying machines are a domestic waste that can be reused and are free of charge.”

The cats already have caregivers who feed them on the street, and now they’ll also have a roof over their heads when needed. Right now, each cat colony is being given two to three machines. Calls are going out for people to donate their unused washers and dryers, as around 50 machines total are needed this year. To donate your washing machine, send an email to GMVM@cm-valongo.pt.

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