12 ways to protect your family on vacation

Transit hike sparks violent protests in Brazil

TSA agent accused of harassing 15-year-old girl over shirt

A popular blogger and publisher has accused a TSA agent of criticizing his 15-year old daughter for having clothing the agent said was too revealing.On Sunday June 16, Mark Frauenfelder, co-founder of the Boing Boing blog, posted that a TSA agent at LAX had "shamed" his daughter, Sarina, for the outfit she wore that day while traveling.Based on text messages he received from his daughter, Frauenfe

Travel writer Paul Theroux's final trip to Africa

Paul Theroux, the author who made his name in part writing cranky travelogues on Africa, is done with the dark continent. He told NBC News his latest book, “Last Train to Zona Verde, My Ultimate Safari,” represents his final book-writing excursion into Africa."I have no interest in urbanized Africa or safari Africa or failed state Africa," he said.His reasons are found within the pages of "Last T.

Japan’s Yoron Island to host real world Game of LIFE

You could be a winner in the Game of LIFE—the real-life, large-scale version on Japan’s Yoron Island, that is.Just in time for the summer travel season and the 45th anniversary of the Game of LIFE in Japan, Yoron Island will host a real-life version of the Milton Bradley board game from July 20 to September 16.As in the popular pastime, players will shuttle across the board—er, island—in a bus and

See a theme park like a VIP with no waits, hassles

America's biggest theme parks will pack in around 120 million people this year. That's a lot of standing in long lines for roller coasters, juggling show schedules and figuring out when and where to eat. But there's a way to eliminate the stress of making the annual trek to Disney, Universal, Six Flags and other popular parks. Many now have VIP tours with perks usually reserved for celebritie...

One in four flights late in April, US says; airlines blame furloughs

The nation's airlines struggled to stay on schedule in April, with nearly one in four flights arriving late, according to new government figures. The airlines blamed furloughs of federal air traffic controllers and bad weather. A nationwide computer outage at American Airlines added to the slowdown. The Transportation Department said Thursday that among the 16 airlines that report such inform...

Thousands rock the roll at Duct TapeFestival

Duct tape can fix anything, even a festival. Avon, Ohio is host to the 10th annual Duct Tape Festival this weekend and tens of thousands are attending for the crafty duct tape floats, costumes, parades and sculptures. Like many things involving duct tape, the festival's concept was a fix born of a crisis.Local resident Marty Noga, 46, a production supervisor at a nearby electric-motor plant, was a

Colombian police rescue two kidnapped Spanish tourists

Colombian police early on Saturday rescued two Spanish tourists held captive by a criminal gang for nearly a month in northern Colombia, finding them sleeping in hammocks, and two men collecting a ransom were arrested in Spain, police officials said. Maria Concepcion Marlaska, 43, and Angel Fernandez, 49, were seized on May 17 while traveling by car to the popular tourist destination of Cabo ...

Why the World Cup can't save Brazil's tourism industry

For soccer fans flocking to Confederations Cup matches in Brazil's tropical northeast next week, getting tickets to the stadium should be simple - but two in three will not find accommodations in the host city Recife.Officials are sending visitors as far as 120 kilometers (75 miles) inland to spend the night, a detour on par with staying in Philadelphia for a New York Knicks game.The tournament st

From NBC Film Vault: 'Every Young Chick Wants to Fly'

Meet me in St. Louis -- for a most sinful time!

Las Vegas might have the nickname “Sin City,” but a new study says St. Louis, Mo. is really the most sinful city in the United States. Yes, St. Louis!Online brokerage Movoto Real Estate published a top 10 list of what it claims are the most sinful cities. The blog looked at the 100 most populous cities in the country, and its criteria for ranking sinfulness was based on the Seven Deadly Sins: prid

Horses help net shrimp in Belgium

New 'green' Airbus jet takes to skies for 1st time

Hawaiian, Alaska and Delta rated most punctual in April

First an air strike, now a rail protest in France

Hobbits and elves drawing tourists to New Zealand

Hobbits, elves and dragons appear to be luring tourists to New Zealand as fans await their first glimpse of the second movie in "The Hobbit" trilogy. Figures released this month by government agency Tourism New Zealand show that international vacations to the South Pacific nation rose 10 percent from January through April when compared to the same period last year. The agency said a survey in...

Hilton guests may still get room service

The demise of room service may be exaggerated.Sure, it's true that hotels appear to be scaling back or eliminating options. The New York Hilton Midtown made the news last week for its plans to discontinue its food and drink service to rooms in August. It follows in the footsteps of Hilton Hawaiian Village Waikiki Beach Resort, which did so last fall.Nationwide, according to Smith Travel Research,

Bill aims to oust Wright Brothers as first in flight

Connecticut's leading role in aviation has never been disputed, but legislators have passed a bill insisting that a Connecticut aviator flew two years before the Wright brothers at Kitty Hawk, N.C. The measure is the latest twist in an effort to credit the first successful airplane flight to German-born aviator and Bridgeport resident Gustave Whitehead. The legislation is a flight of fancy, s...

Universal Studios $299 VIP line-skipping tours stir online reaction

Angry responses to Universal Studios Hollywood's plan to sell VIP line-cutting passes quickly dotted social media after a New York Times article this weekend brought the plan to a broader audience's attention.In March, Universal Studios, a subsidiary of NBC Universal, the parent company of NBC News, announced a new VIP package tour, allowing customers to pay $299 to skip lines, get reserved seatin

Elite flyers pressure United Airlines to act on climate change

A group of United Airlines' most frequent flyers, including billionaire investor Tom Steyer, on Monday called on the big airline to stop blocking climate change actions. United Airlines Inc has opposed "multiple efforts to curb climate change pollution, at home and abroad," the group, Flying Clean, said in a letter to Chief Executive Jeff Smisek. Flying Clean, launched by several nongovernmen...

Hotel room deaths raise carbon monoxide concerns for travelers

A trio of deaths at a hotel in Boone, N.C., two by carbon monoxide and one by asphyxia, could have travelers wondering if they should be concerned about running out of oxygen on their next vacation.“Travelers should be concerned,” said Ted Panagiotopoulos, owner of Fire & Life Safety Concepts LLC, in Wilton, Conn. “Anywhere there are fuel-fired appliances being used where you have the potenti...

Trapped fliers sing "I Believe I Can Fly"

Dripping with sweat, racked by nausea, Allegiant Air passengers stuck for hours on the tarmac in the 110-degree Vegas sun this weekend cut the tension by bursting out into a spontaneous sing-a-long to R. Kelly's "I Believe I Can Fly." Captured by passenger and YouTuber user "joeypancakes," who asked not to be identified, the video has been seen over 249,000 times since being uploaded Sunday.Allegi

Why the TSA gave up on knives on planes

Politics and arrogance likely scuttled the plan by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to allow small knives back on planes, but it's not clear that fliers are any safer for it.Last week, the TSA announced that while the agency’s “top priority continues to be expansion of efforts to implement a layered, risk-based security approach to passenger screening while maximizing resources,” i

Rome cracks down on cafe tables crowding historic piazzas

Dear to the hearts of tourists visiting Rome are its picturesque piazzas dotted with cafés and restaurants, charming spots where they can enjoy a coffee or aperitif while taking in the architecture and local culture.But the five main piazzas in the city's historical center are overflowing with tables, city officials say, causing them to crack down and establish quotas for how many tables each rest

Dead wheel-well stowaway went undiscovered for 7 flights

A man who died while flying in the wheel well of a Russian charter plane is shining a spotlight on the issue of airplane stowaways and, by extension, routine maintenance and pre-flight inspections. As originally reported in The Aviation Herald, it appears the deceased flew in the wheel well on at least seven flights before being discovered.The incident unfolded on June 6, after the i-Fly flight la

Infamous Carnival Triumph ready to sail again

Just months after an engine fire aboard the ship left its passengers adrift without adequate food or bathrooms, the Carnival Triumph is ready to set sail today on a sold-out cruise from its home port of Galveston."We're really excited and we're here to have fun," Renzo Bomalaya, a bartender aboard the newly refurbished Carnival Triumph, told TODAY.Back in February, a failed propulsion system stran

Watch your legs, American says it will add seats on many planes

American Airlines expects to add more seats to some of its planes, which could mean less leg room for passengers. The airline's parent company, AMR Corp., disclosed the move in a regulatory filing Wednesday. American's vice president of flight service, Lauri Curtis, said that the airline constantly examines its operations, including trying to match the number of seats with travel demand. Curt...

10 items to help you travel smart all summer long

Surf Air is the new Netflix of airlines

The brutally competitive airline industry has a new competitor designed to win over travelers who fly a lot, especially between two cities.It's called Surf Air, an all-you-can-fly private air service based in Santa Monica, Calif. Surf Air will fly you as much as you want between certain cities for $1,650 a month."This is a flat-fee all you can fly subscription," said Wade Eyerly, the founder and C