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Hi from the heart of Croatia!
When Pipeaway turned six in March, I shared the greatest WTF moments from my travels. Number #3 was when a Grab taxi driver in Manila, the Philippines, literally grabbed me away. After confusion in locating each other at the airport, this furious man didn’t want to let me out of the car. I wasn’t saved by the bell, but by the cop who stopped the vehicle, only to produce a fine for driving in a wrong lane.
A family visiting San Diego was not as happy to meet the policemen as I was. Cruising in their rented ride, they found themselves surrounded by the police, guns drawn and handcuffs clicking. The rental company reported their vehicle stolen by mistake, and that unleashed a nightmare.
Navigating foreign lands doesn’t have to be a heart-pounding thriller. The solution is often the pre-arranged transport, where both the car and the driver are bundled in the package, enabling us to go where we want to go without full responsibility for things we cannot control. Dive into the details in our feature this week, but also…
Find this in today’s newsletter:
- Words: Off-road wheelchairs, VIP flights, and sinking dreams.
- Images: The situation is critical.
- Numbers: Largest, longest, lamest.
- P.S.: How to travel light and free.
Have a safe week!
Ivan Kralj
Pipeaway.com
FEATURE SPOTLIGHT
Worry-Free Landings
You step off the plane, and then the stress begins: “Which bus stop? How much is the taxi? And why do all these people bother me with ride offers?” Trips should not start with airport chaos. There is a way to avoid this hassle, but also save time (public transport is occasionally unreliable) and money (taxi hagglers can be insatiable). The smooth solution is the airport transfer service, waiting for you as soon as you land. Bring comfort back to your travels!
FREE WHEELY
Yesterday marked the International Day of Persons with Disabilities. Air Canada incidents may have shocked you recently. But did you know that a wrong choice of words when requesting a wheelchair might land you in jail? To cheer up, dive into a Pakistani traveler’s forest retreat, or explore our interview with a Croatian wheelchair adventurer.
IRONY MAIDEN
A Californian airport limited passengers for environmental concerns, forcing planes to fly empty (sic!). Nepal Airlines flight departed two hours earlier, leaving passengers behind so that the prime minister could make it to a climate change summit (double sic!). Can Virgin Atlantic’s maiden flight with a sustainable fuel offset all that carbon recklessness?
NO SHIP, NO TRIP
As Life at Sea couldn’t find a ship, they canceled the three-year cruise around the world, leaving passengers who sold their houses homeless. Royal Caribbean has no such worries, as the world’s biggest cruise ship was delivered on time for its January debut voyage.
🏗️
You’ve heard of the Leaning Tower of Pisa in Italy, but did you know Bologna also boasts tilted towers? One of them is on the brink of collapse.
🦏
Exciting news from the Indonesian rhino sanctuary. The first captive-born Sumatran rhino gave birth to a cute baby boy, bringing hope to this critically endangered species. For the last northern white rhino in Africa, see the photographs of Matjaž Krivic.
🧳
In the category of moving images, check out one boy’s surely memorable adventure on the airport’s baggage conveyor belt. Don’t try this at home. Or at the airport.
121.9
The length in meters of the world’s largest airship. The Pathfinder 1 is as large as three Boeing 737s, but still three times shorter than the Icon of the Seas.
17h 10m
The duration of the now longest Boeing 747 flight. Air China will operate this non-stopper between New York and Beijing from January.
$450,000
The compensation demand from a man who got beaten up by Mike Tyson on a plane.
Enjoy Your Holidays Without Bags
Nothing ruins vacations like having to drag your luggage around with you. That’s why you need Radical Storage, the service providing travelers with baggage solutions so that they can enjoy their holiday even with early arrivals or late departures. Offering 5,000 storage points in over 70 countries and 500 cities, the network allows you to book your bag storage online in a few clicks. Book before December 16 through this link, and get 5% off with RS_BF23 promo code.
This is the archived version of our free weekly newsletter. To start receiving it in your mailbox on the send-out day, join the newsletter list!
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