#1 Travel the world for free (with a catch)
Where: Five continents in fifty days
What: Tour booking agency, TourRadar wants to send you on an all-expenses-paid trip (worth more than $22,000) around the world. But, as with anything free, there is a catch – you are stuck on this holiday with a total stranger.
That’s right; the company is looking for two complete strangers to explore the world together, with a film crew, of course. We wonder if there will be producers stirring up the drama along the way too.
If this sounds like your kind of thing, head to their website to apply.
Read also: Why It’s Okay to Be a Tourist and Not a Traveller
#2 A Hanoi barber is giving out free haircuts so you can look like Trump or Kim!
Where: Tuan Duong beauty academy in Hanoi
What: Barber Le Tuan Duong is pretty excited about the upcoming summit between Kim Jong-un and Donald Trump. He’s so excited that he’s offering free haircuts to customers who like Kim’s shorn on the sides but thick on the top look and Donald Trump’s bright, blonde combover. But, which style comes out on top, you ask?
One side can claim a landslide victory. According to Le Tuan Duong, “Over the past three days, I have made 200 Kim style haircuts, but only five for Trump.”
#3 A Virgin Atlantic flight (kind of) broke the sound barrier
That #jetstream! ?️ Highest wind speed at 250 millibars in the period of record for those locations near NYC, and for a jet ✈️ over PA last evening an *801* mph ground speed #wow (h/t @gdimeweather, https://t.co/MIqBu7mHNf) pic.twitter.com/RaL2HRQ5Z1
— Stu Ostro (@StuOstro) February 19, 2019
Where: Over Pennsylvania, USA
What: On 19 Feb, after encountering particularly fast jet streams, a Virgin Atlantic flight travelling from Los Angeles to London hit a ground speed of at least 1,289 km per hour. That’s way faster than the usual cruising speed of 900 km per hour for a plane and 53 km per hour quicker than the speed of sound.
Although its ground speed data shows that the flight broke the sound barrier, the plane did not manage the feat. This is because it did not reach the speed of sound at altitude as it was embedded in the jet stream (and thank goodness it didn’t – breaking the sound barrier could have caused a crash).
Regardless, the flight made it to London a staggering 48 minutes early!
#4 A French travel agency wants to take you to Syria
Where: War-torn Syria
What: Clio, a French travel agency, has decided to start offering cultural tours to Syria, despite warnings from the French foreign ministry. Clio insists that Syria is open to tourism and that they have organised tours at the request of their “Syrian friends”.
The company is offering 10-day tours by coach to the regime-held areas of southern Damascus and Latakia. It is reported that there will be a stopover at UNESCO site, Krak des Chevaliers which is considered to be one of the world’s best preserved medieval castles.
Although the French are considered to “run particularly high risks of terror attacks and kidnapping,” according to the foreign ministry, the first tour of 20 people is already fully booked.
Read also: This Week in Travel: Have You Heard of the Most Dangerous Island in the World?
#5 American Airlines to offer luxury helicopter shuttles
Where: LAX (Los Angeles) and JFK (New York) airports
What: American Airlines will now be offering customers in L.A. and New York helicopter flights into and out of LAX and JFK. In partnership with Blade helicopters, the airline has designed the Blade Bounce program. With it, flyers will not only get to bypass traffic but will have a personal escort at the airport who will take them through priority check-in and an expedited TSA screening.
The program will be available to all American Airlines fliers, regardless of their cabin, although we expect that most economy passengers won’t want to pay the fees which can reach up to $1,600.
