CNT ~ Travel Articles ~ Nov 2021

33 ~~~ 12 Comfortable Bags to Wear While Riding a Bike ~ Conde Nast ~~~


Backpacks, cross-body bags, and more.

For many of us, 2020 has been a year to embrace a new mode of transportation: the bike. In place of weekend jaunts that require a plane or train, the humble bicycle has allowed us to explore our own neighborhoods in a new way and expand our reach once we felt comfortable venturing (slightly) further afield again. With this new hobby, though, came the realization that biking requires its own set of luggage.


www.cntraveler.com/gallery/best-bike-bags ~ 24 September 2020 ~

35 ~~~ 8 easy packing tips for the eco-friendly traveller ~ Conde Nast Traveller ~~~


Smart, sustainable advice, even if you’re not straying far from home

Juliet Kinsman, our sustainability editor, has written the book on how to be a better traveller – literally. Her new guide, 'The Green Edit: Travel, Easy Tips for the Eco-Friendly Traveller', is packed with post-pandemic travel advice that will help you to be greener even if you’re not heading off anywhere any time soon, or are only planning forays close to home.

What to take or not to take? Let’s consider the three sustainability Rs. Firstly, do a REDUCE evaluation. How much do we really need to take with us? And can we survive on supplies we already have? It’s always good to look at our lifestyles through the REUSE and RECYCLE lenses too. If you’ve got to make a purchase, choose a ‘good’ brand. A sustainable buy could be made from eco-friendly, chemical-free materials, will last for the long haul, or could support a social-impact initiative. Being a more conscious consumer is what it’s all about.


www.cntraveller.com/article/eco-friendly-packing-tips

37 ~~~ 6 Ways Travel Has Become More Accessible During the Pandemic ~ Conde Nast Traveler ~~~


For travelers with disabilities, these shifts make a world of difference.

As a traveler with a neurological condition whose symptoms mimic a stroke, I’ve often wished that the travel industry would extend more flexibility and compassion to people with disabilities. Pre-pandemic, I faced a multitude of challenges when traveling: excessive fees when debilitating symptoms forced me to postpone or cancel a trip; ill-prepared tour operators that excluded me from activities without offering an alternative, or worse, put me in danger due to their lack of forethought. During the pandemic, I’ve seen glimmers of hope and guidelines for reopening safely for travelers with disabilities. While there are a number of pandemic protocols, such as face masks, that have created additional obstacles for those with disabilities, there are also a few new habits that, if made permanent, could make for a much more inclusive travel industry.


www.cntraveler.com/story/travel-has-become-more-accessible-during-the-pandemic ~ 1 September 2020 ~

39 ~~~ How Luxury Hotels Are Staying Clean, According to a Housekeeping Director ~ Conde Nast ~~~


“We say we have three levels of guests: COVID-sensitive, COVID-cautious, and COVID-fatigued. But we’re cleaning as if every guest is COVID-sensitive.”

Carmen Hughes is the director of housekeeping at the five-star Mandarin Oriental Washington, D.C. She has worked with the luxury hotel chain in various capacities, including guest relations manager, and receptionist, for nearly a decade. Hughes was furloughed after the 373-room hotel closed its doors in March but was recalled in August to prepare the property for reopening. Chief among her responsibilities is implementing WeCare, Mandarin’s new health and safety program. We spoke with Hughes to find out how her job has changed and what the future holds for high-end hotels.

When we found out the hotel was closing, it took us two or three days to shut everything down. We started by removing high-touch items such as decorative pillows and blankets, stationery, notepads, pens, magazines, and the in-room dining and spa menus. You don’t realize how much you don’t need those things until you take them out of the room and nobody says anything.


www.cntraveler.com/story/how-luxury-hotels-are-staying-clean-according-to-a-housekeeping-director ~ 16 September 2020 ~

41 ~~~ The Best Places for a Staycation, According to People Who Travel for a Living ~ Conde Nast Traveler ~~~


Because sometimes the best vacation spot is right outside your doorstep.

Occasionally, the best kind of trip happens in the unlikeliest of places: at home.
There’s something to be said for the humble staycation, whether that means whiling away hours reading a book (or two) at your favorite cafe or exploring a close-by historical site for the very first time.
(Or, yes, spending the whole day at the spa.) And though many of us are just starting to peek our heads out again for the summer season, with dreams of getting away, there’s been almost no better—or more necessary—moment to explore what’s nearest to us.
We polled 16 travel industry insiders, many of whom make a living out of being on the move, about the best places for a staycation—because while we may not be going far now, it never hurts to have a little inspiration.


www.cntraveler.com/gallery/the-best-places-for-a-staycation-according-to-people-who-travel-for-a-living ~ 12 June 2020 ~

43 ~~~ How Delta Set the Standard for the Airline Industry's COVID-19 Response ~ Conde Nast Traveler ~~~


The airline has developed a strong strategy in fighting the coronavirus—but it has also led the way in showing how to communicate effectively with its customers.

This story is part of our New Standard series, examining where travel is headed. Read more about how we define the New Standard here.

This has been a year of firsts for everyone, including the airline industry. For the first time ever it held its middle seats open, required passengers to wear masks on board, and gave fliers two years to rebook canceled flights. And the first carrier to enact most of these measures was Delta—but maybe more importantly, it was also the first to tell customers what it was doing. The company's relative success during this time owes a lot to its open communication, right down to its sneak peeks of the new cleaning technology it was developing.

Rival carriers followed Delta's lead, but not all have been as transparent or consistent about implementing changes. Some implied that middle seats would be blocked, then filled planes to capacity anyway, to the alarm of nervous passengers. (Delta, for the record, has promised to continue blocking seats and limiting flier numbers at least into the fall.)


www.cntraveler.com/story/how-delta-set-the-standard-for-the-airline-industrys-covid-19-response ~ 8 September 2020 ~

45 ~~~ How the Cruise Industry Got Passengers Home After the Travel Ban ~~~


Lost in the coverage of outbreaks on a few ships was the cruise industry's extraordinary effort in getting thousands of travelers home safely.

This story is part of our New Standard series, examining where travel is headed. Read more about how we define the New Standard here.

As the coronavirus exploded on the world stage, cruise lines faced the most visible challenge of any sector of the travel industry. Their first problem was assisting stranded cruisers. When President Trump announced his European travel ban on March 11, an estimated 1.1 million passengers were still at sea, according to Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA). Crews, no strangers to the art of crisis response, launched a coordinated effort to bring them back, in spite of port closures and other obstacles. “Their dedication shined during this time,” says Crystal Cruises president and CEO Tom Wolber. His company was one of many that had no reported COVID-19 cases—a reality that may surprise some, given the media's sensationalistic depictions of the pandemic's impact on cruise ships.


www.cntraveler.com/story/how-the-cruise-industry-got-passengers-home-after-the-travel-ban ~ 21 September 2020 ~

49 ~~~ The Best Credit Cards With Transferable Points

Condé Nast Traveler has partnered with CardRatings for our coverage of credit card products. Condé Nast Traveler and CardRatings may receive a commission from card issuers. We don't review or include all companies, or all available products. Moreover, the editorial content on this page was not provided by any of the companies mentioned, and has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities. Opinions expressed here are entirely those of Condé Nast Traveler's editorial team.

This article has been updated with new information since its original publish date.

Frequent flier and hotel points programs make changes and devalue all the time, often hurting members’ ability to use their points with little or no notice. The best strategy to make sure these changes don’t hamper your award travel plans? Diversify.

Although many travel rewards cards are co-branded with individual airlines or hotel chains, four of the major credit card issuers—American Express, Capital One, Chase, and Citi—actually field their own proprietary loyalty programs whose points cardholders can transfer to many different airline and hotel partners.

www.cntraveler.com/story/best-credit-cards-for-transferrable-points#

26 October 2021

51 ~~~ As More Ports Ban Mega Cruise Ships, What Is the Future of the Largest Vessels?

More than a third of Tahiti’s visitors are cruise passengers, but next year, they won’t be arriving on board some of the industry’s largest mega cruise ships.

In late September, French Polynesia's government announced that cruise ships with a capacity greater than 3,500 passengers will be banned from making port calls in the country as of January 1, 2022. Ships with capacity of more than 2,500 passengers will be limited to calls at Tahiti and two other ports with sufficient infrastructure to accommodate them. Bora Bora, the country’s top tourist draw, will further limit daily cruise passengers to 1,200—effectively barring most large cruise ships from docking.

The country’s leaders are concerned that larger ships would not only tax local infrastructure, but also impact the experience for non-cruise visitors. Local officials on Bora Bora had requested the limits as early as 2019 to “preserve the beauty of its lagoon as well as the quality of service which has made it famous,” according to a government release.

www.cntraveler.com/story/as-more-ports-ban-mega-cruise-ships-what-is-the-future-of-the-largest-vessels#

1 November 2021

53 ~~~ The best holiday destinations for 2022


We’ve pulled together the places that will be truly making their mark in the year ahead

As the green shoots of travel turn to tall, towering oaks, 2022 is a chance for us to reconnect to the best holiday destinations in a deeper, more authentic way. We’ll be reminded often of why we travel; those sparks of curiosity and adventure will be fanned to roaring flames, and as travel steadily finds its way back into our lives, we’ll appreciate every moment that comes with it – every hidden street-food shack, every quiet beach gilded by the low sun, every slow and magnificent swoop of a train journey.


Which is why this year, our list of top holiday destinations is perhaps more important than ever. We’ve taken great care in selecting places to suit all travel appetites, taking our cue from those in the know – the surfers, the food-truck vendors and the museum curators. On the list you’ll find destinations varied in character and geography, from north-east Australia to the very best places to visit in Europe. Evergreen spots such as Edinburgh and Thailand will be singing louder than ever, while others – Jersey and New Orleans – are shining a light on their own untold histories. Big global events, such as the Beijing Winter Olympics and the Birmingham Commonwealth Games, will certainly hold sway, but there are quieter stories to be told too, from family-run farms packing a real foodie punch, to festivals dedicated to the healing properties of the Earth.


www.cntraveller.com/gallery/best-holiday-destinations#

4 November 2021

55 ~~~ Americans Will Soon Be Able to Renew Passports Online


Those difficult-to-get appointments will soon be a thing of the past.

The process of renewing a U.S. passport is frustratingly complicated—there's currently an eight- to 11-week processing time, and you have to pull together tons of forms and possibly snag an in-person appointment to make it happen. But on Monday, President Joe Biden announced the introduction of online passport renewals.

As part of Biden’s executive order on transforming federal customer experience and service delivery to rebuild trust in government, the Secretary of State will be tasked with creating a new online renewal system “that does not require any physical documents to be mailed.”

“Finally, another onerous process has been propelled into the 21st century,” says NerdWallet’s Sara Rathner. “It’s a burden to take time out of your work day. Many people don’t have printers at home. It’s scary to mail in your passport, marriage certificate, and other documents and hope you’ll get them back. This is a serious win for both travelers and the travel industry.”

Indeed, the antiquated system has been a source of anxiety for so many Americans, as it requires filling out a renewal application called DS-82, providing a passport-sized photo, and calculating fees, plus tossing the current passport in the mail. On top of that, not everyone qualifies for mail renewal, as the passport holder must be 16 years old or older when they got the original passport. The original passport must also have been issued within the last 15 years with their current name (or proof of name change), and the passport itself must be completely undamaged, other than from normal use.


www.cntraveler.com/story/americans-will-soon-be-able-to-renew-passports-online#

16 December 2021