(CNN) — In this week’s travel news, we look at China opening its borders, US aviation suffering another disaster, and Italy as a destination for historians.
Arrrg-vision news
The Federal Aviation Administration has lifted rest periods on all domestic flights after the system that gives pilots pre-flight safety briefings went offline. CNN aviation correspondent Pete Muntean reports on the effects.
Another week, another aviation failure. Flights across the United States were grounded on Wednesday after the system that provides pilots with safety alerts was disrupted. Meanwhile, US federal authorities are still acting on thousands of complaints related to Southwest Airlines’ holiday cancellations.
Passengers in Bengaluru, India, are stuck on their plane’s driver’s bus and watch it take off without them, while a teenage pilot was forced to fly a single-engine plane with family members earlier this month. Emergency stop near California Highway.
Italian historical tourism
Once owned by two freed slaves before being buried in an eruption in AD 79, an ancient Pompeian home has been opened to the public after a 20-year restoration project. The house is full of unique art. Look here.
Some of Italy’s 20th century historical monuments are more controversial. A map of the country’s fascist monuments, listing more than 1,400 landmarks related to Benito Mussolini’s dictatorship, went online last year.
One of the sites listed is Villa Carpena, a mansion in the northeastern Emilia Romagna region, whose owners say it is haunted by the ghost of Mussolini and several members of his family: “This place is alive with them, they are all still here and we can hear them, they are constantly watching us.”
China opens up.
As China’s borders reopen without quarantine requirements after three years of strict restrictions, CNN’s Selina Wang talks with Jen Sun, CEO of Chinese travel platform Trip.com, about what the travel industry can expect under China’s open borders.
After three years of covid isolation, China reopened its borders on January 8, and there were jubilant gatherings at airports across the country. “I’ve waited so long,” said one newlywed who was separated from her husband. “Now … everything is starting to improve.”
As well as renewed flight connections, Chinese airlines are launching new routes that will make it easier for travelers to visit China via Budapest, Athens, Johannesburg and other major cities.
Unsurprisingly, demand for outbound travel among Chinese consumers is now at an all-time high. CNN spoke to travelers to find out which destinations are at the top of their bucket lists.
Losing the traveler of the week
It was a little squeeze for the boa constrictor in the bag.
TSA
Unlike snakes that move in an S shape, boa constrictors move in a straight line. And if one woman in Florida had her way, a boa constrictor would fly straight into the air. Luckily, TSA agents found the four-foot chunky reptile in her carry-on bag before any travelers got into a loop.
Love on the sleeper train
“It looks so clean and American,” said English drama student Katie Vernon in 1991 when she saw US airman Randy Vanderwood on an Amsterdam train platform. Randy thought Katie and her friends “obnoxious and loud.”
If you missed it
A California man uses DNA analysis to find his family and sends him across three continents.
“After a lifetime of believing I was a basic white American, I realized that was only half the truth.”
A New York man has set a world record for eating at the most Michelin-starred restaurants in one day.
20 hand-held essentials
Given the frequency with which travelers carry checked bags on their own independent adventures of late — one woman’s luggage even went to McDonald’s — going carry-on-only is more appealing than ever.
Our partners at CNN Underscored, the CNN-owned guide to product reviews and recommendations, have put together these 20 items to help you make your travel essentials lighter and smarter without missing out on any of them.
