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It’s not too late to be an e-bike early adopter
Kimberly Poppke Transportation Technology & AutomotiveNow is prime time to add an electric bike to your life. Familiar as personal transportation in other parts of the world, e-bikes are gaining momentum across the United States. For many reasons, e-bikes are hitting their stride in the U.S., yet you may still be the first of your friends to own one. Zip around your community like a rock star while fielding questions about your cool new ride. You are part of a rising tide, not a passing fad. In some American cities, rental e-bikes are soaring in popularity for door-to-door trips.
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Jakarta, Indonesia’s new airport could be built starting in 2021
Matt Falcus Transportation Technology & AutomotiveIndonesia is one of the nations in the Asia-Pacific region at the center of a growing demand for air travel, which is putting immense pressure on existing airport facilities. With the likes of Bangkok, Beijing and Kuala Lumpur looking at solutions to increase their capacities, Indonesia’s main airport operator, Angkasa Pura II, has revealed plans to build a brand-new airport for Jakarta. Construction could begin in 2021. The announcement naturally raised a few uncertainties over how the project will proceed. A lot of ground needs to be covered before work can commence.
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Top 10 US whale watching sites
Dave G. Houser Travel, Hospitality & Event ManagementFew wildlife watching experiences can match the sighting of a breeching whale for pure excitement. There's something just plain magical about seeing these massive creatures in the wild. Perhaps it is because we are so small compared to them (blue whales can measure more than 90 feet and weigh 150 tons or more). Or maybe it is that most of us rarely get the chance to see a whale. Whale watching can be a hit-or-miss proposition — and there's never a guarantee you'll see them in the wild. There are, however, some ways to improve the odds of spotting these majestic animals.
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An April snow in the Black Hills
Steve and Diane Owens Recreation & LeisureDiane and I first visited Custer State Park in the Black Hills of South Dakota with our young son on a cross-country trip in the summer of 1967. Much has changed and much has remained the same. Since that trip, we have returned several times since retiring. It’s such a wild, wonderful countryside that keeps drawing us back. We arrived at the Game Lodge Campgrounds in the Black Hills on a Thursday afternoon. It was a beautiful warm spring day. The sun was shining, the sky was blue and the trees were showing a bit of green. It’s amazing how quickly conditions change, because in the morning we awoke to a winter wonderland. It snowed all night and morning, leaving at least 4 inches of snow covering my vehicle.
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How social media has changed the way we travel
Bambi Majumdar Travel, Hospitality & Event ManagementIs social media addictive? It sure is. Even if we want to go through a social media detox and break away from it all during a trip, we find it really hard to do so. Intrepid brands like Ibis Hotels have come up with the perfect solution for this dilemma. The Switzerland-based hotel chain is offering its guests an "Instagram sitter" while they travel and take a social media detox. The "sitter" will monitor, post and keep guests' social accounts up to date as a part of the hotel's rather quirky service called "Relax We Post." Ibis is not the only brand to cash in on the social media fervor. Last year, the Conrad Hilton Resort in the Maldives introduced the concept of "Instagram butlers."
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Travel2020: Love Las Vegas-style with daring I do’s
Lark Gould Travel, Hospitality & Event ManagementLas Vegas and weddings go together like neon signage and beehive hairdos. That may be because Las Vegas pronounces more marriages per capita than any other city in the world. In 2017 alone, 78,187 marriage licenses were issued in Las Vegas — which makes for roughly 214 per day or nine marriage licenses an hour on a 24/7 clock. And 2017 was a down year for Las Vegas, which has seen as many as 128,000 weddings in a year, as happened in 2004. Based on the most current data available from the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA), 4 percent of Las Vegas visitors, or 1.7 million people a year, come to Las Vegas to celebrate their own wedding or someone else's.
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What to expect from Airbnb on its 11th birthday
Linchi Kwok Travel, Hospitality & Event ManagementThis month marks the 11th birthday for Airbnb. Founded in 2008, Airbnb is the first and now dominant player in the P2P (peer-to-peer) short-term residential rental business. Last year at Airbnb’s 10th birthday, the company’s CEO Brian Chesky delivered a keynote speech — Airbnb for everyone. Around the same period, the company rolled out two new brands to its current product line: Airbnb Plus and Beyond by Airbnb. There is no doubt that Airbnb has become more than just a room-sharing enterprise, but what other markets is Airbnb after? What can we expect at Airbnb’s 11th birthday? Here are a few possibilities.
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Visiting the Grand Canyon during winter
Dave G. Houser Recreation & LeisureGrand Canyon National Park celebrates its centennial season this year, and the nation's second most popular national park is expected to draw a record number of visitors — a figure that could top 6.5 million. So, if you'd like to join the 100th birthday celebration for the majestic canyon's national park, we'd strongly suggest you beat the crowds with a winter visit. While the canyon's North Rim closes to the public during the winter, the South Rim remains open, and the park's scenic drives, viewpoints, trails, lodgings and RV campgrounds are delightfully uncongested.
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Anchorage airport saw its best year ever with record passenger, cargo figures…
Matt Falcus Transportation Technology & AutomotiveAlaska's principal gateway is celebrating its best year ever following publication of its 2018 figures, which showed record passenger numbers and major growth in its cargo business. Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport reported last week that more than 5.6 million passengers passed through its gates last year, which was a 3.1 percent increase on 2017. What is suddenly making this remote hub more attractive? Airport Manager Jim Szczesniak has attributed "the vast majority of this increase was driven by tourism and that translates into tens of millions of additional dollars being poured into Alaska’s economy."
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Travel2020: Bucket list travel for 2019
Lark Gould Travel, Hospitality & Event ManagementFor those who keep a bucket list, there is no time like the new year to check off the progress. For experienced wanderers or experienced dreamers, there are plenty of special places yet to be crossed off on life's to-do list. According to a recent survey conducted by AARP, travel is the top aspiration for Americans of all ages, not just baby boomers. Research shows that boomers are expected to take four to five leisure trips in 2019 and spend more than $6,600. Gen Xers are forecast to spend $5,400, and millennials $4,440. For those in need of some inspiration or timely recommendations, here’s a starter list to spark the imagination.
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