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The Independent •

People are planning their vacations around Pokémon Go

People are planning their vacations around their Pokémon Go aspirations. From honeymooners to mountain climbers, Pokémon Go’s vast adult audience has taken their dedication to the popular mobile phone game to the next level: planning their trips around locations where they can “catch” the most digital monsters. Since Pokémon Go owner Niantic incentivizes Pokémon Go travel by hosting Go Fest fan events and unleashing rare Pokémon - including “shinies” and “trims” - only available in certain regio...
The Independent •

Experts find grief retreats can help people cope with loss

Travel can help those afflicted with grief get outside their day-to-day lives and provide the space and time to process their emotions. In a 2020 study published in Research on Social Work Practice, researchers found that grief-focused retreats could significantly reduce the distress caused by grief, their findings remained true when they followed up with participants later on.

With Condé Nast Traveler’s calling “grief-related wellness” one of the top wellness travel trends of 2024, it isn’t su
The Independent •

Man travelling with his wife refuses to switch seats with passenger

A man has questioned whether he was wrong to refuse to switch seats with a fellow passenger on his flight.

In a post to the Am I the A**hole forum on Reddit, a husband wrote about a flight he took with his wife from Dublin, Ireland, to Washington, DC. The thirtysomething couple discovered they had the entire row to themselves, so he moved to the aisle seat while his wife stayed at the window seat before the plane took flight.

According to the man, the first four and a half hours of the flight
The Independent •

Travel experts share their best plane seating hacks

Travel experts have shared their best airplane seating hacks. For some travellers, selecting a plane seat can cause analysis paralysis, in which an overwhelming amount of options may lead to further indecision. Thankfully, a few seasoned travel experts have shared with Huffington Post tips and tricks to make the process less overwhelming for new and frequent travelers alike.

“I always book a window seat on flights,” Gabby Beckford, the founder of travel site Packs Light, recommended for those w
The Independent •

Woman says Delta Air Lines ‘targeted’ her for not wearing a bra

A woman said that Delta Air Lines targeted her for not wearing a bra.

During a news press conference on Thursday, 28 March, 38-year-old DJ Lisa Archbold held a news conference with her attorney, Gloria Allred, claiming that when she showed up to board her Delta Airlines flight at Salt Lake City Airport in January, she was singled out by airline staff. Archbold told the press, “I was targeted and humiliated.”

“It felt like a scarlet letter was being attached to me,” Archbold recalled of being e
The Independent •

Travel expert shares when solo travellers should ask for a hotel room change

In a viral TikTok video, travel writer and content creator Patrice (@patricejwill) advised that solo travellers avoid staying in a hotel room that has been announced by a hotel clerk or front desk employee in the lobby – accidentally or not – for safety concerns. She said that it is best to request a room change just in case there will be unwanted visitors, especially for women who are travelling alone.

“The reason behind that is that the front desk attendant should never say your room number o
The Independent •

How to watch beloved Big Bear bald eagles hatch their chicks

Two California bald eagles are expecting their chicks to hatch any day now.

Jackie and Shadow - a pair of bald eagles nested in a pine tree by Big Bear Lake, California - have developed an online following ever since Sandy Steers, an executive director for the non-profit organisation Friends of Big Bear Valley (FOBBV), installed a 24-hour eagle cam back in 2015.

On the livestream, Jackie and Shadow can typically be seen taking turns sitting in their six-foot-wide nest, protecting their brood f
The Independent •

Utah man bought cruise ship on Craigslist – now it’s sinking after $1m restoration

A Utah man spent $1 million renovating a cruise ship he bought off Craigslist – only for it to sink. In an interview with CNN Travel, technology entrepreneur Chris Willson admitted that he and his partner Jin Li spent 15 years renovating a 293-foot vessel called the Aurora after purchasing it off Craigslist in 2008. From a swimming pool to an indoor theater, the ship boasted many amenities and tons of space for guests, with 85 cabins. After learning more about its history, like how it was origin...
The Independent •

Two passengers lock crying child in airplane bathroom on flight

Two strangers locked a little girl in an airplane bathroom after the child wouldn’t stop crying. According to CNN, the shocking incident occurred on a Juneyao Airlines flight from the southwestern city of Guiyang to Shanghai on 24 August. Video, which went viral on Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok, captured two strangers refusing to let out a little girl from the bathroom if she didn’t stop crying. Although the clip has since been deleted from the platform, one of the strangers, a woman, re...
The Independent •

Workers are increasingly ‘quiet vacationing’ with remote jobs

People are increasingly “quiet vacationing” while working remote jobs, a recent study has revealed. With more than 22 million US adults working remotely, according to the Pew Research Center, workers are taking advantage of not having to be in the office by enjoying so-called “quiet vacations.” The concept of quiet vacationing piggybacks off LinkedIn buzzwords like quiet quitting. But instead of gradually putting minimal effort into their jobs, quiet vacationers take mini-vacations while on the...
The Independent •

Engaged couples are taking ‘earlymoon’ trips to escape wedding planning woes

Engaged couples are taking “earlymoon” trips to escape wedding planning stress. Weddings can be a time-consuming and costly affair to plan, causing strain during a time that should ideally see engaged couples bask in their premarital bliss. As engagement periods grow longer, more couples are taking “earlymoons” to decompress from the stress and spend quality time with each other. Earlymoons riff off the honeymoon concept, except this romantic getaway takes place long before the nuptials and is m...
The Independent •

Passenger refuses to comply with exit row instructions causing plane to deboard

A Frontier Airlines passenger refused to comply with exit row instructions from a cabin crew member forcing everyone on the flight to deboard.

In a viral TikTok posted on 9 May, travel blogger Tia (@travelwithtia23) shared with viewers how an unidentified woman in glasses argued with airline employees. Meanwhile, her fellow passengers were pleading with her to deboard the plane for all of their sakes.

“This lady right here, when she first got on the plane and acknowledged the exit row, she sai
The Independent •

JetBlue passenger goes viral on TikTok after getting soaked by ‘rain’ inside plane

Passengers flying to New York City arrived at the airport soaked after condensation mist from the vents poured on them for hours.

In a TikTok video, that has now gone viral, Savannah Gowarty shows fog appearing to fill the cabin on a JetBlue plane. In caption, she quoted the pilot, saying: “It appears to be raining in the cabin.”

“What is this?” Gowarty says in the video, showing how her and fellow passengers’ faces were dripping in water. “Four hour flight. So cold.”

As she became drenched,
The Independent •

Instagram influencers have found a new beauty spot to ruin

Instagram influencers have found their latest target - and locals are not pleased.

Hoomaluhia Botanical Garden, the largest botanical garden on the Hawaiian island of Oahu, has become a hit with those looking for dreamy pictures to boost their social media followings.

On Instagram, a photo of the botanical garden’s lush entryway went viral - and people have been pitching up in greater numbers ever since to capture it for the Gram.

Officials say such viral shots are behind the increase in visi
The Independent •

‘Rage rituals’ are the latest wellness trend among women

“Rage rituals” are the latest wellness trend among women on TikTok.

A new trend is gaining traction online, where women are paying a fortune to go to the woods and smash things, which wellness experts have dubbed “rage rituals”. Some exclusive wellness retreats now include these stress-relieving ceremonies, where participants scream and beat large sticks on the forest’s ground. Since the forest is far away from residential areas, participants have the freedom to fully embody their rage.

For ye
The Independent •

Passenger booted from Mexico WestJet flight for excessive bathroom use

A WestJet passenger alleged that she was booted off a flight for using the bathroom too much before takeoff.

Author Joanna Chiu (@joannachiu) revealed on X, formerly known as Twitter, that airline staff removed her from the flight after an “upset stomach” led her to take multiple trips to the bathroom. The incident reportedly occurred in January.

She wrote on the platform, “Just got kicked off a @WestJet flight from Mexico because I had an upset stomach and was going to the washroom too much b
The Independent •

Why is everyone obsessed with Banff on TikTok?

A ski resort in Banff, a small town in Alberta, Canada, has been taking social media by storm.

There’s another North American ski resort town giving Aspen a run for its money, with its acrobatic ski stunts and impeccable winter fashion, among other draws, going viral on TikTok.

Banff has a lot to offer and thanks to social media, more people can see what sets it apart. It is a famed UNESCO World Heritage Site, full of soaring peaks, lush valleys, and wildlife. It is also home to Canada’s first
The Independent •

American Airlines passenger’s luggage gets crushed after being run over by truck

An American Airlines passenger shared photos on Reddit showing that her luggage had been crushed by a luggage truck.

The passenger explained that the airline forced her to check in her luggage at the gate. When they arrived at baggage claim they were reportedly told by officials that it was “banged-up” but didn’t elaborate on the extent of the damage. The passenger said they discovered that not only the suitcase had been destroyed but “every non-clothing item” as well. All of the clothing withi
The Independent •

Airbnb’s cancellation rules spark backlash as Hurricane Idalia makes landfall

Airbnb’s cancellation rules have angered users who learned they wouldn’t be getting their money back after having to cancel their Florida stays because of Hurricane Idalia.

The hurricane has begun to impact the Sunshine State’s west coast, which sits in the eye of the storm. With winds forecasted to exceed 110 mph, the Category 3 hurricane is expected to hit multiple cities and potentially hit areas of Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina before it calms down.

While the damage caused by
The Independent •

Airport worker shares tips on how to prevent losing baggage

An airport worker on TikTok has given viewers a simple hack to prevent baggage loss.

In a video shared by Ontario International Airport, a worker at the California-based airport revealed that old stickers stuck to a suitcase can cause luggage to be loaded onto the wrong plane. The baggage handler explained that previous stickers can be scanned by the machine, leading them to be sorted to the wrong area and “not get on the plane”.

“Let’s say you flew American and a month later you flew Southwes
The Independent •

Spirit Airlines passengers claim they were stuck on a plane for seven hours

Spirit Airlines passengers were allegedly forced to wait more than seven hours in the plane before takeoff, the latest incident from the controversial airline.

On 15 August, passenger Lindsey Mascera shared a video to TikTok which showed a plane full of passengers who reportedly waited seven hours inside the aircraft. The video has since been viewed more than 11 million times.

Most airlines usually allow passengers to off-board the plane or find another flight in the case of delays, but accord
The Independent •

Delta passenger slams airline for allegedly losing her dog at Atlanta airport

A woman has claimed that Delta Air Lines staff allegedly lost her dog. Now, she’s taken to social media in a desperate bid to find her missing pup.

Former passenger Paula Rodriguez has claimed that Delta staff allegedly lost her dog, Maia, last Friday at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in Georgia.

Rodriguez was reportedly flying in from the Dominican Republic when she was denied entry to the United States by US Border Control officials. In an interview with Atlanta News First,
The Independent •

Woman justifies her 6,000-mile trip to get hair extensions

A TikTok content creator, Bryn Elise, has posted a video about travelling to Turkey for a week to get her hair extensions done for cheaper than it would have cost had she had them done in the US.

As it turns out, the 27-year-old ultimately spent less for the entire trip and the hair extensions at a price of $1,750. She said the whole experience was “100% worth it”.

In her video, Elise explained that after “an email from my US salon letting me know that they were raising the prices of the exten

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