Okay, so let’s say you get through customs. Now it’s time to make your way to the apartment you booked through Airbnb, the service that pairs travelers with residents who rent out their homes. But if you’re in New York City, you’ll soon be headed elsewhere; NPR’s Bill Chappell reports that Airbnb stays have been declared illegal in the City That Never Sleeps.
As we dive into Memorial Day weekend here in the States, it’s time to look ahead to the summer travel season, which promises to be the busiest in at least five years. That’s great for the travel industry and a very good sign that travel-minded people are in a position to explore the world. Of course, it also means long airport security lines and the frustration that often comes with big crowds. The Wall Street Journal’s Scott McCartney offers a summer travel survival guide to help travelers avoid and/or overcome travel frustration.
Something that can lead to frustration – and, by the way, be pretty unhealthy for you – is checking in to your no-smoking hotel room and being greeted by the stench of stale smoke. The New York Times’ Nikolas Bakalar reports on a new study that shows that no-smoking rooms aren’t really free of smoking pollutants.
Earlier this week, Monica Montesa offered you 7 ways to travel sustainably. Conde Nast Traveler apparently is on the same wavelength as Monica – this week Dorinda Elliot writes about how destinations are being rated for their sustainability efforts.
At Gadling, Sean McLachlan reports on a new website launched by the European Environmental Agency that details the cleanest (and dirtiest) beaches in Europe.
Headed to China? Be careful about what you eat. Reuters’ David Stanway and Niu Shuping report on the discovery of dangerous levels of cadmium in rice in the southern China city of Guangzhou. And at CNN, Lucretia Seu offers a guide to a healthy trip to Beijing.
So look up above – overwhelmingly this week, the media’s been filled with plenty of reasons not to travel. But of course, the reasons to travel far outweight whatever inconveniences there may be along the way. At the New York Times, Christopher Solomon makes a case for getting away from it all – far, far away. But that’s nothing – as you know, space travel is coming. For real. New York magazine’s Dan Lee reports on passenger travel into space, something you’ll be able to do later this year.
Of course, it’s a touch pricey.