TRO Travelgram: Jan 3

Friday, January 3, 2014

Destinations

Near Singapore's Concrete, an Oasis of Nature
Pulau Ubin, a small island where fewer than 50 people live, offers an antidote to Singapore’s crowded urban experience… New York Times
Twenty destinations for 2014
From the wild frontiers of Papua New Guinea, to unspoilt Italian islands, our experts suggest where to go this year… Telegraph (London)

Tours and Activities

5 Off-The-Beaten-Path Tours Anyone Can Book
When traveling, it's not always the typical tourist traps that offer the most memorable experiences. Eiffel Tower? Been there, done that. Trevi Fountain? Meh. Far more interesting are the places you don't see at first glance: galleries nobody visits, hole-in-the-wall eateries serving up exotic dishes, or even entire cities a government tries to hide… The Huffington Post
'Like a Napa Valley wine tour': Pot tourism ready to light up in Colorado
As Colorado becomes the first state in the nation to allow recreational marijuana sales beginning Jan. 1, a budding pool of "potrepreneurs" have high hopes for an influx of out-of-town pot tourists…NBCNews.com
50 states, 50 spots for 2014
The coasts get all the glory in the United States, but there's something fun to do in each and every state. Yes, every state. Not a believer? We're going to prove it… CNN

Cruise

How to keep your New Year's resolutions on cruise ships
As 2013 comes to a close, many of us will make New Year's resolutions and (if we're honest) the large majority of those resolutions will be broken at some point in 2014. On cruise ships you can find a multitude of ways to keep your resolves, but you can also find over-the-top ways to break them… USA Today
Update: Stranded Expedition Ship Passengers Airlifted to Safety
All 52 passengers stranded onboard the MV Akademik Shokalskiy since Christmas Eve have been helicoptered to safety and are now safely onboard the Aurora Australis… CruiseCritic.com

Transportation

Spirit raises baggage fees in the new year
If you're planning to fly Spirit Airlines in the new year, you'll be paying more to carry-on and check your bags… USA Today
100 years of commercial air travel
The first commercial flight in history took place on January 1, 1914, when Tony Jannus piloted a two-seat Benoist XIV from St. Petersburg, Florida, to Tampa, Florida. Jannus and his lone passenger, former St. Petersburg mayor Abram Pheil, traveled 21 miles in 23 minutes. Pheil bid $400 to be the passenger… CNN
Snowstorm hurts airline travel in Midwest, Northeast
As the holiday season draws to a close this weekend, millions of Americans traveling by air or ground Friday face major disruptions as a huge snowstorm rages its way from the Midwest through the Northeast… USA Today

Lodging

Room Service: Hilton Shillim, India 
A hilltop escape with that healing feeling… The Independent
London hotel spas: The Fab Five
Ranging from subterranean saunas to ornate, overground massage rooms, check out the five best London hotel spas… Telegraph (London)

Other and Odd

Eating Well and Staying Active While Traveling 
Don't let travel torpedo your New Year's resolutions. Learn how to stick to your diet and exercise plan on your next trip…IndependentTraveler.com
Bangkok 'shut down' likely to further deter tourists
Protesters in Bangkok are hoping to "shut down" the city from January 13 in order to scupper plans for a general election… Telegraph (London)

TRO Smith

2013 was a year of awesome videos
Several airlines produced great videos in 2013. Similar to a pop music video, they went incredibly viral. These videos have been creative and thoughtful, producing impressive views and shares (think millions)…TRO Smith

 

Today in History

The March of Dimes
In the early part of the 20th century, polio killed or paralyzed thousands of Americans. President Franklin D. Roosevelt, himself a victim, founded the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis on January 3, 1938, better known as the March of Dimes… Travel Research Online