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Hi from Lanzarote!
I’ll have a heavy-working summer. So when I saw Ryanair tickets to the Canary Islands on sale, I decided to book a last-minute trip.
Of course, those tickets can be cheap if you minimize your luggage, as add-ons, often known as junk fees, are those that rob your wallet. Luckily, I already had the experience of traveling to Greece for a month with hand luggage only, so I figured, surely I can make this week in the warm, African part of Spain doable.
My hand baggage is a tad larger than the officially allowed dimensions, so I always wonder when I’d get slapped with a fine. But then I saw what another Ryanair passenger in Spain did when the low-cost airline informed him he would have to pay an additional €70 because his carry-on exceeded the hand luggage dimensions. As he paid €30 when he purchased the suitcase 10 years ago, Daniel decided he would rather break the wheels.
Passing the check-in, security, passport and customs control, or even boarding, can be quite a stressful experience. It’s important we come to the airport prepared, and that includes defining what type of travelers we are.
When I went on my first 5-month-long trip, I knew that the bag I carried should be aligned with my travel identity. Am I a backpacker in hostels, or do I see myself rolling my suitcase into a luxury hotel lobby? In the end, I bought a backpack that had wheels, a two-in-one. But everyone decides for themselves.
You can read more on these dilemmas in the feature spotlight, but also…
Find this in today’s newsletter:
- Words: Soft drugs, hard turbulences, and traveling in fur-st class.
- Images: From sky blues to mullet crews.
- Numbers: Longest, heaviest, priciest.
- P.S.: The sea of savings.
Have a wheely good week!
Ivan Kralj
Pipeaway.com
Silly Side: Why do French people eat snails? Because they don't like fast food. A security guide who scanned me for explosives at Zagreb Airport told me this joke, so I decided to smile at it, and share it here. Take your time detecting stories, shots, and stats that make your heart beat faster, and click on them, as that helps the newsletter grow and advance.
FEATURE SPOTLIGHT
Pack Light, Travel Far
Are you ready to transform your travels and make a positive impact on the planet? Discover how swapping luxury hotels for the simplicity of backpacking can lead to a more eco-conscious journey. Learn the art of minimalist packing and choosing sustainable gear to reduce your carbon footprint. Practice leave-no-trace principles, and influence others, so that industry practices can shift towards sustainability. Read the full insights and tips on how to travel green.
PAWS AND RELAX
Led by Matt Meeker, a CEO who traveled from Florida to New York in a dog crate to prove a point, Bark Air launched its luxury travel experience for dogs, pricing it at $6k-$8k per ticket. Pooches can now fly inside the cabin, and get everything from calming music and beverage of choice to noise-canceling ear muffs. In Utah, a new hotel opened – Best Friends Roadhouse and Mercantile. Here, you can have a sleepover with your potential pet before officially taking it from the shelter and committing.
SKY SHAKE
While dogs at Bark Air need to be leashed only when the seat belt sign is on, you should keep it fastened tight whenever seated, despite what those little lights say. That’s the main lesson from a bumpy London-Singapore flight that took turbulent to a deadly level.
POT PLOT
Even in Amsterdam, “where weed is legal” (quote by Nicki Minaj), one can get arrested on suspicion of exporting soft drugs. Because of the unplanned detour to the police station, the rapper had to cancel a concert in Manchester, and reported on her social media that it was all a sabotage attempt.
🐼
Many passengers are not allowed to fly in an exit row, as the flight crew needs to be able to count on your assistance during an emergency. If you still decide to sit there, well, watch your language so you don’t get arrested. That is, unless you are this passenger, who didn’t complain about wearing a seat belt or being served only bamboo during the flight.
💫
The skies above Portugal and Spain briefly turned blue, illuminated by a flashy comet. It’s not every day you get a cosmic light show that could make the Northern Lights green with envy. After you get tired of looking up, check out this week’s #Top4Theme – floors.
💇♂️
If the news missed you, Belgium hosted the most hair-raising event of the year – the European Mullet Festival. Over 200 brave souls showed up to celebrate the “business in the front, party in the back” lifestyle.
140.53 meters
The length of the longest baguette ever made. 18 French bakers in Suresnes had to work 10 hours on the record-breaker, 233 times larger than a regular loaf of the iconic bread. If I were to play dumb, I’d be more impressed with the size of that oven 🙂
2,000 tons
The weight of General Sherman, the largest tree in the world located in California’s Sequoia National Park. With a height of 84 meters, it nearly reaches the Statue of Liberty, and with a diameter of 11 meters, you could hide two sedans behind it. On some large scale, this tree would balance out 400 elephants stacked on top of each other.
$395.99
The price of the Rubyglow pineapple, a newly developed “designer fruit” that’s red on the outside, and yellow on the inside. Only a few thousand of these will be produced this year.
Ferry Fares Take a Dive
Omio, the transportation booking platform that covers Europe and North America has charted another course for savings. Until the stroke of midnight on May 31st, you can snag a ferry ticket for your next adventure with a 15% discount. All you need to do is use the promotion code FERRY15 on this link.
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