Smile: Some airliners have cameras on seat-back screens
Now there is one more place where cameras could start watching you — from 30,000 feet. Newer seat-back entertainment systems on some airplanes operated by American Airlines, United Airlines and Singapore Airlines have cameras, and it’s likely they are also on planes used by other carriers. American, United and Singapore...
Southwest hit by computer outage, adding to its problems
DALLAS — Hundreds of Southwest Airlines flights have been delayed as the carrier deals with winter weather and a computer outage. The outage occurred early Friday and grounded Southwest flights around the country for nearly an hour. A spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration says Southwest had a problem with...
New Harry Potter roller coaster opening at Universal Orlando
ORLANDO, Fla. — Harry Potter fans should get ready to rev their engines. A new roller coaster modeled after the character Hagrid’s motorcycle will open at Universal Orlando Resort in June. The theme park resort said Thursday that Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure will take riders on a trip with...
Pittsburgh Glass Center plans benefit dinner, Seattle glass tour
The Pittsburgh Glass Center is planning its first Seattle, Wash., glass tour, offering participants a behind-the-scenes tour of museums and private glass studios in the Pacific Northwest city. Tour group members will meet artists and learn more about where they live and work. The May 29-June 2 itinerary includes stops...
Think spring with a trip to the Philadelphia Flower Show
In late winter, a gardener’s fancy lightly turns to thoughts of … the Philadelphia Flower Show. Billed as the “oldest and largest indoor flower show in the world,” the annual harbinger of spring is scheduled for March 2-10 in the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia. Drawing more than 250,000 visitors...
Latrobe among 50 small towns Travel Channel dubs ‘most charming’
It likely comes as no surprise to those who claim bragging rights to Latrobe as their hometown, adopted or otherwise. Travel Channel includes the Westmoreland County town as among “50 of the Most Charming Small Towns in America.” The city gave birth to Fred Rogers, the banana split and Rolling...
Welcome-home illnesses an unexpected ‘bonus’ of traveling
You’ve returned from vacation, and that post glow is fading fast. Your nose is dripping, you’re sneezing and your throat is sore. Or your stomach is upset. Really upset. Why is this your reward for travel, and how can you prevent it? And what if your symptoms don’t go away?...
Travelers beware: Va. lawmakers approve use of speed cameras
Virginia lawmakers have approved legislation to allow the commonwealth’s first speed-camera program, a significant shift for the state, which has been slow to embrace technology that has long been used by law enforcement in neighboring Washington, D.C., Maryland and elsewhere in the national. The legislation, if signed by Gov. Ralph...
‘Golden Girls’ themed cruise to launch in 2020
Gather your pals and confidants, a “Golden Girls” cruise is sailing in 2020. Seems Flip Phone Events is throwing a party and inviting everyone they know — and it’s a “Golden Girls” fan’s dream. The five-night Western Caribbean cruise — aboard the Celebrity Infinity — will set sail from —...
Otter-spotters invited to Cook Forest State Park activity
If you’re looking for a different kind of outdoor winter adventure, you’ll find one on Feb. 23 at Cook Forest State Park. An Otter Watch driving tour is set for 7:30-11:30 a.m. that day along the banks of the Clarion River in the 8,500-acre park spanning Clarion, Forest and Jefferson...
Snowbirds trade vacation homes for winters at 5-star resorts
When Upper East Siders Adelle and Robert Rathe boarded a flight to Saint Martin in mid-January, they left behind a typically cold New York day. By the time they return from their resort getaway in mid-April, the trees in Central Park will have started to bloom. The Rathes are hardly...
Spring break: Planning and flexibility key to successful travel
It’s not too early to start thinking about spring break. The annual rite for sun worshipers, which runs from February to mid-April, isn’t just a stampede toward warmer weather. Many ski resorts experience peak demand, too. If you’re traveling somewhere in the coming weeks, you’ll need to start planning now...
Travel tip: Consider a cruise for a midwinter getaway
Trade your cabin fever for a cruise ship cabin. Cruise Critic offers five destinations for winter vacations on the water: 1. The Caribbean and Bahamas: Warmth and sunlight are a year-round draw. Keep in mind that some February and March cruises fill up with spring breakers and can get rowdy....
American presidents inspired these grand old hotels
Pair history with exploration when you and the family check into a storied hotel inspired by an American leader. Here are five to consider: 1. McKinley Grand Hotel, Canton, Ohio This boutique, independent hotel is the ideal home base from which to learn about our 25th president. Visit the William...
Laurel Highlands 2019 guide has new magazine format
The Laurel Highlands 2019 Destination Guide is being released this week with a new size and a new style. Produced by the Laurel Highlands Visitors Bureau, this year’s annual tourism publication for Westmoreland, Fayette and Somerset counties has arrived with smaller dimensions than past versions and with a shift in...
How long is the airport security wait? These apps will tell you
Airport security lines can behave like curly hair: One small change in the atmosphere and everything can go out of whack. Weather, holidays and most recently the partial government shutdown have turned a routine procedure into a panicky production. The Transportation Security Administration and airlines advise domestic passengers to arrive...
Travel tip: Go batty at Lincoln Caverns’ 12th annual Batfest
What’s the only mammal capable of sustained flight? The bat. Learn more about the much-feared furry flier at the 12th annual Batfest from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Feb. 9 at Lincoln Caverns in Huntingdon County. Visitors will have a chance to view tri-colored bats in their natural habitat and learn about...
Visiting Alaska in wintertime is a travelers’ badge of honor
Bundled in the warmest clothing I own, at least I’m snug while speeding across snow-covered trails and onto the Chena River, covered with a layer of 2-foot-thick ice. The old sofa cushion on which I’m seated helps smooth the ride. Ice crystals, kicked up by the 40 paws of
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Sometimes even the weariest traveler must refuse a hotel room
As a travel seller, I’d hear it from time to time: “That hotel was totally unacceptable.” But you slept there, right? Travelers often abandon rational thinking in pursuit of a travel objective. It’s difficult to make significant emotional investment selecting and booking a hotel, long anticipating a safe, quiet sanctuary...
Travel tip: Get your ‘Phil fix’ during Groundhog Day festivities
Standing in the freezing cold in the middle of the night, waiting for Punxsutawney Phil to emerge from his Gobbler’s Knob burrow, is only a small part of Groundhog Day fun. The Jefferson County borough after which the woodchuck weather forecaster is named has two days of nonstop activities, starting...
Pittsburgh makes BBC Good Food’s 2019 foodie destination list
What does Pittsburgh have in common with Matera, a town perched on a rocky hilltop in southern Italy? According to BBC Good Food, both are Top 10 foodie destinations for 2019. Matera ranked No. 1 on the list compiled by the global food media brand that has a monthly magazine,...
Royal Caribbean bans passengers for life for jumping off Symphony of the Seas balcony
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Royal Caribbean has banned a group of men from Vancouver, British Columbia from ever traveling with the cruise line again after one of them jumped off a ship’s deck and posted a video of the stunt on social media. Nick Naydev posted the video on Instagram...
Some things to consider about alcohol on airplanes
On a recent Delta Air Lines flight from Newark to Minneapolis, a passenger seated near Stephanie Wolkin downed five mini-bottles of vodka in rapid succession. By the time the plane landed, the intoxicated passenger had become violently ill, and Wolkin, a retired union worker from St. Paul, Minn., had earned...
New Amazon headquarters a tale of 2 very different cities
Before mid-November, Long Island City and Crystal City were never on the same page, much less uttered in the same sentence. Though both destinations are on the East Coast (New York and Virginia, respectively) and within shouting distance of a major metropolitan center, they had little else in common. Well,...
Hotels sweat the details to help guests meet their fitness needs
It wasn’t the price or the points or the location that most influenced Ruth Furman to book a stay at the Holiday Inn Express Waikiki in Honolulu last summer. It was the yoga. Namely, the free poolside yoga every weekday morning. Furman, who makes fitness a priority at home, knew...
