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Shipwreck discoveries
It was a good month for wreck hunters.
The ship of the polar explorer Ernest Shackleton, HMS Endurance, was discovered more than 3,000 meters (9,843 feet) in the South Antarctic Ocean, more than a hundred years after sinking in 1915.
Meanwhile, the 130-year-old Atlanta shipwreck was finally discovered at the bottom of Lake Superior, Michigan, the Shipwreck History Society recently announced. The 172-foot (52-meter) schooner barge was carrying a load of coal when it sank in a storm in May 1891.
Policy changes and re-openings
One of the last countries to lift all travel restrictions related to Covid is Ireland (just in time for St. Patrick’s Day on March 17). After two years of closure, Malaysia will reopen its borders to international visitors on April 1, and fully vaccinated travelers will not have to go into quarantine. And on March 27, India will resume regular international commercial flights, for the first time since the pandemic began. Domestic US travelers no longer need to test for Covid or show proof of vaccination to enter Puerto Rico, and Hawaii has been rejecting the same measures for domestic travelers as of March 26. Hawaii will also lift the mask mandate – the last US state to do so. The Maldives and Belize have dropped Covid testing for fully vaccinated newcomers, and Belize has passed curfew and masks no longer need to be worn outside. When it comes to the sites with a high number of Covid cases, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has moved some previous Covid success stories into the highest-risk category for travel.
The war in Ukraine
Airbnb hosts in Ukraine have been inundated with bookings from guests around the world – and have no plans to check in.
It’s all part of a social media campaign to send money to beleaguered Ukrainians as their country fights the Russian invasion.
Elsewhere in the hospitality industry, the hotel chains Hilton, Marriott, and Hyatt are among the top companies in Russia. Flight sanctions still have a big impact. Thailand, a popular holiday destination among Russians, has had to deal with thousands of Russian tourists stranded. You can also take advantage of the ideally located small airport that developed during the Cold War and Covid once again.
A small island, great ambitions
A group of investors raised $ 250,000 to buy their own Caribbean island.
Coffee Caye is an uninhabited island of 1.2 acres off the coast of Belize where the group wants to start their own country called Iceland. While this may be the first community funded island, it is not the first micronation. Many self-proclaimed kings, presidents and emperors have proclaimed themselves rulers over their private empires over the years. Here are some of them.
Love and money
The Italian capital region of Lazio, home to gorgeous hilltop towns and Rome, the Eternal City, has donated $ 11 million of Covid recovery funds this year to couples planning weddings or civil unions in the region.
The scholarships offered are up to approximately $ 2,200 per pair (EUR 2,000). While it won’t in any way cover your dream wedding, the money can certainly cover some of the outfits and flowers. For our honeymoon, we propose Ischia – an island in the Gulf of Naples, made famous by Elena Ferrante’s Neapolitan novels. Or maybe Sicily, which Anthony Bourdain visited in 2013 as part of the “Parts Unknown” series.
If you had missed
Cable cars come to Paris.
The new spherical hotel room in Swedish Lapland allows you to sleep surrounded by birds.
They said women weren’t strong enough to work in the kitchens of Chinese restaurants.
Get ready, travel
They don’t call them red eyes for nothing. If you’re having trouble falling asleep on an overnight flight, our partners at CNN Underscored, CNN’s Guide to Product Reviews and Recommendations, have put together this list of products to help you ease your sleep. And during Sleep Week, March 13-19, check out other great sleepwear items on CNN Underscored.
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