No more PCR tests will be needed to enter China, as of 29 April. Indeed, with regards to COVID-19 entry requirements to China, things have come a long way, even since the first quarter of 2023. In other words, it’s no longer a sisyphean task to enter the country, particularly as a non-resident. The […]
Tourism
Loyalty Burn: the Upcoming Expedia One Key Program
The upcoming Expedia One Key program sucks. But it’s not as if the current state of Expedia travel rewards programs is faring much better: But before we get into my experience with hotels.com, and how it will be affected by the Expdia One Key program, let’s take a brief gander at my tribulations with some […]
Next Month, Japan Is Eliminating All COVID-19 Restrictions
Japan eliminates all COVID-19 restrictions … that has nice ring to it. Especially after all of those months of waiting in vain for the country to open (i.e. to reciprocate). And then seeing it open to badly planned tour groups. And then this: Yep, that was back in September 2022. I was able to get […]
How Awecool: China is Reopening to Tourism
After nearly three years, China will be reopening to tourism. Starting from 15 March, you can once again dust off those Chinese tourist visas. Better yet, if you had a Chinese tourism visa issued before 28 March 2020 — that is, the date China sealed itself off from the world — those will return to […]
Innovations in Airport Security Are Emerging
In spite of having been mostly disappointed by my first visit to the new Terminal A at Newark International Airport (EWR) earlier this March, there was definitely a highlight worth mentioning– the security checkpoint. I’m not referring to how the airport botched the queuing system (i.e. most fliers with airline status don’t get their own […]
United Is Adding Flights from Newark to this Scottish Gem
Did you think I was referring to Aberdeen, the oil capital? Maybe from Houston. Having temporarily suspended routes between the United States and Scotland during the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, United was the first U.S. carrier to resume flights between the two places back in March 2022, from NY/Newark EWR to Edinburgh EDI. Resumptions […]
Japan’s ANA Restarting Two Nonstop Flights to Europe
I try not to make it a habit of flying through Brussels International Airport (BRU). For being located in a wealthy part of the world, it’s complete rubbish. (But hey, at least they have a supermarket on-site). Nevertheless, while flying through the Belgian capital in 2015, I coincidentally noticed the following advertisement: With leisure travel […]
Saudia Starting Flights to At Least Four Destinations in 2023
The SkyTeam airline alliance — of which Delta, KLM/Air France, and ITA Airways form a part — has my two favorite underrated airlines in the industry (thus far; I haven’t flown every airline in the world, not by a long shot). China Airlines is one of those carriers, and the other? Saudia. Since my first […]
