Month: September 2022

Package holidays are great, but sometimes it’s more fun and rewarding to book your own bespoke trip, which you can tailor to your own particular needs, interests and schedule. There is, however, one common downside to this approach: the amount of time, energy and stress involved in organizing separately hotelsflights, car hire, day trips and more.

Why, you often think, isn’t there one single, easy-to-use website where you can organize all of these things at once? Well, the great news is that, if you’re visiting Iceland, there now is!

Guide to Iceland makes it simple to access the best Icelandic travel services, within one clean, uncluttered interface. So rather than making you tear your hair out, planning a trip can become part of the fun.

Even if you weren’t thinking about heading to Iceland, maybe you should. It’s only a short flight from the UK, and despite being

The number you’re looking for is 225,000. That’s how many miles Phil Keoghan typically logs per year as the host and executive producer of “The Amazing Race.” “It’s the most ambitious reality show out there because we’re always on the move,” he says. “In any given season, we’re constantly switching countries thousands of miles away from each other.”

Keoghan’s work with the CBS stalwart — in which teams of two span the globe in hopes of winning $1 million — has led to 23 Emmy nominations and 10 wins since its 2001 premiere. But exhausted eliminating contestants at pit stops is just a small part of his journey. He’s also embarked on don’t-try-this-at-home adventures such as pedaling his bike from Los Angeles to New York City to raise money for MS Disease (documented in the film “The Ride”), enjoying a 5-star meal on top of an erupting volcano

At long last, we can soon welcome you back to Japan as the country is reopening fully for international tourism. Starting October 11, Japan will resume visa-free entry and independent travel after two-plus years of tight border restrictions. The daily entry cap will also be scrapped along with the red-yellow-blue country classification scheme.

Some details are still being finalized by the government at the time of publication, but we will keep you updated as more information is released. In the meantime, here’s what we know so far about the new entry protocols.

No more quarantine

This is a big one. Until October 10, which of the three entry protocols travelers need to follow will depend on whether the country they are arriving from falls into the ‘red’, ‘yellow’ or ‘blue’ category. According to Nikkeihowever, Japan will ditch this red-yellow-blue country classification system along with the last of its quarantine

A Northwest Portland startup that facilitates group travel said Tuesday it has raised an additional $15 million, reporting rapid growth as the pandemic wanes.

TrovaTrip facilitates multiday travel to international destinations. It offers tools to help hosts gauge interest in potential destinations, helps them budget and price the excursion and market the trip. Its clients include social media personalities seeking to boost revenue by arranging trips with their online followers.

TrovaTrip says 15,000 travelers have booked through its site and it had bookings of $15 million last year, despite the lingering effects in the pandemic. The company said “rapid growth” has continued this year.

Founded in 2017, TrovaTrip has now raised $20 million in total. Seattle-based Madrona Venture Group led the funding joined by prior backers including the Oregon Venture Fund, Elevate Capital and the Portland Seed Fund.

TrovaTrip employs 56, including 52 in Oregon. It said it will use

This week, Visit California (the state’s tourism marketing arm) revealed plans to launch a new online platform designed to promote Indigenous tourism destinations, experiences and enterprises in California.

Visit Native California will launch on VisitCalifornia.com in March 2023 with blog posts, suggested itineraries and podcasts that highlight opportunities for travelers to visit and learn more about California’s 109 federally recognized tribes and tribal communities.

The announcement was made at one of the centerpieces of tribal-based tourism in California, the Agua Caliente Cultural Plaza in downtown Palm Springs, which is set to open sometime early in 2023.

Native Californian tourism

State officials and tribal leaders from across the state gathered for a press conference last week to discuss the new platform and call attention to a few of the destinations it will promote.

“Our Native cultures discovered, protected and preserved the

(CNN) — The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Monday moved three tropical island getaways and one Middle Eastern nation into its “moderate” risk category for Covid-19. There were no new additions to its “high” risk category this week.

Previously, Dutch Sint Maarten had been listed as “Unknown,” which happens when the CDC doesn’t have enough data to make a risk assessment. The other three places dropped down from “high” risk, or Level 3.

Just over

(CNN) — The Chinese government on Monday, September 19, issued draft regulations that aim to bolster tourism along its border and make it easier for some foreigners to enter China.

According to a draft policy document released by China’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism on Monday, tour groups organized by travel agencies in China’s border areas will be able to choose their port of entry and exit “flexibly” — however, further details on locations and dates weren’t provided.

China has shut its borders to foreign tourists since the Covid-19 pandemic began in 2020, only allowing certain groups of foreign nationals to enter the country, such as those holding valid visas.

In recent weeks, the Chinese government has significantly tightened Covid restrictions to contain the spread of the highly transmissible Omicron variant. In September, multiple megacities were placed in full or partial lockdowns.

Under the new draft policy, foreign tourists will