💭 🧳 Walmart of the Seas & Wet Welcomes

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Good Sunday-noon,

We’re coming at you live from the peaks of Mount NeverRest, where the air is thin and the Wi-Fi is surprisingly decent.

Here’s what’s brewing this week…

🌊 Barcelona's Wet Welcome: Locals vs. Tourist
⚓ Walmart of the Seas: A Wild Reputation
📰 Fly-By Headlines: The juiciest travel news from around the world
⚙️ And More…

🚀⏰ Grab Your Passports, Let’s Go…

💬 Did You Know…

The Longest Concourse in the U.S. is at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. The distance between Terminal B to Terminal E is over 2 miles.

“Your Dose of Travel IQ”

When Europe Say "Thanks, But No Thanks!

🇪🇸🚫 Welcome to the Travel Hunger Games!

Ever dreamed of being a traveling VIP? Well, in some European hotspots, you might just be a “Very Irritating Person” instead.

Barcelona: aka "Splash City” Spain's crown jewel, is drowning in its own popularity. With a mind-boggling 32 million visitors annually. Recently, 3,000 locals decided enough was enough and staged the world's largest impromptu water fight.

Their battle cry? "Tourists, go home!" Talk about a wet welcome!

Why Are the Locals Losing Their Sangria?

• 🏠 Renting Woes: Skyrocketing rents are making it harder for locals to find affordable places to live.

• 🤯 Everyday Chaos: From crowded streets to endless noise, the sheer number of tourists is turning daily life into a real circus.

• 💶 In an effort to restore some sanity, the city decided to hike the tourist tax to €4 per person starting in October. And if that wasn’t enough, they're also planning to revoke 10,000 vacation rental licenses over the next five years. Ouch! That's gonna leave a mark on Airbnb's feelings.

🌍 👀 Other Countries…Over in Iceland, the government has reintroduced a tourism tax, applying fees to hotels, campsites, and cruise ships. Meanwhile, Venice is making waves with a daily tourist tax of up to €10 for day-trippers, aiming to control the crowds. And in Japan, Mount Fuji has introduced a ¥2,000 fee for climbers on the Yoshida trail, limiting daily visitors to 4,000 to ensure a safe and serene ascent.

Walmart on Water… 🫠 

🛳️ 🛒 Is Carnival the “Walmart of the Seas”

Carnival Cruise Line, for decades has been the dubbed the "Walmart of the Seas," and just like your local Walmart on Black Friday, Carnival tops the charts for physical altercations, proving that their customers are getting plenty of bang for their buck - literally.

• 🥊 Move over, UFC - we've got a new contender in town! In 2023, Carnival lead the pack in onboard boxing matches. They have more physical assaults and fights than other cruise lines.

While Walmart shoppers duke it out over discounted TVs, Carnival cruisers seem to be battling it out over... well, who knows what? 

But let's be fair, not all Carnival cruises are floating fight clubs. The longer voyages tend to be calmer than a Walmart at 3AM on a Tuesday. It's those shorter cruises that really bring out the feisty side of folks.

Plus: 🏋️ Carnival is the largest cruise line operator in the world with 2.5 million passengers per year. They're called the "Fun Ships" for a reason - they bring fun, convenience, and affordability just like your neighborhood Walmart. 😃 

• 🍺 A Tail of Two Cruises:

  • Short cruises (3-5 days): Often rowdy and party-focused, attracting a younger, more boisterous crowd.

  • Longer cruises (7+ days): Surprisingly calm and family-friendly, offering a more relaxed atmosphere.

Just remember, what happens on Carnival stays on Carnival... unless it ends up on TikTok….more on that below 🤣👇️ 

Weekly trip around the world

"Your passport to the latest travel news around the world!"

🌀⚠️😢 Tropical Storm Beryl barreled down the Caribbean, causing widespread devastation and claiming at least nine lives across several islands. The storm, which had previously reached Category 4 hurricane strength, weakened after hitting Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula but is expected to regain hurricane status as it moves towards Texa

🍣🇯🇵✈️ Hold onto your sushi rolls, folks! Japan's tourism is leveling up from Pokémon Go to Poké-money-flow. The country aims to attract high-spending visitors and enhance the travel experience with cutting-edge tech.

🚤🌊💶 Uber is expanding its boat services across Europe. Enjoy private yachts in Ibiza, water limos in Venice, and more in Athens, Mykonos, Santorini, and Corfu. Prices start at €200 per person, offering luxury and convenience on the water this summer

Fly-By Weekly Updates ✈️🧳🚀

• We Surfed the Web (So You Don't Have to Wipe Out!) Serving up this week's juiciest travel news, stories and tidbits, with a side of snark.

😱 Several people were injured by stray fireworks at Utah's Stadium of Fire show during a 4th of July celebration in Provo. The fireworks flew into the crowd, causing the show to halt as injured attendees were taken to the hospital.

🎢✈️ Holy turbulence, Batman! Air Europa flight turned into a real-life rollercoaster, sending 30 passengers to the ER. One unlucky flyer even got stuck in the overhead bin - talk about excess baggage! 

🚽✈️ American Airlines X-rated flight: An Oregon man uses the aisle as a personal urinal. This "Jack and Coke" enthusiast faces a sobering reality: 6 months in the slammer and a $5,000 fine for his impromptu peep show.

.Travel Updates & Trends:.

📱 Instagram becomes airlines' customer service MVP! Data shows 27% of questions get answered there, beating X and Facebook. It's also the happiest place for airline-customer chats.

🩹 Boeing's $4.7B Band-Aid: Buying Spirit AeroSystems. After a string of "oopsies," Boeing's throwing money at the problem. Because nothing fixes safety issues like a corporate shopping spree!

✈️ Buckle up, bargain hunters! Spirit Airlines is ditching its notorious fees faster than you can say "carry-on charge." They're hoping to lure back flyers with this wild concept called "not nickel-and-diming." Bold strategy, Spirit. Let's see if it pays off!

. Culture, Adventure & Destinations:. 

🚢 Voyage, retirement goals! Villa Vie's "Endless Horizons" program lets you live out your days cruising the world. For a cool $300K, you can swap your retirement home for an ocean view cabin and endless buffets. Talk about riding off into the sunset – literally!

🇿🇦 South Africa's stealing the show as the world's friendliest hotspot! With a whopping 34.63 on the 'agreeableness' scale, these folks are giving out free hugs at customs.

🏝️ Cirque du Soleil founder's island getaway: $967K/week! Enjoy hermit crab races and "bee therapy" on this mosquito-free paradise. Perfect for billionaires who find regular vacations too...pedestrian.

. Science & Travel Technology:. 

🏕️ VW's Luxury Camper: For When Regular Camping Is Too Pedestrian. At €89,750, it's your ticket to glamping on wheels. Perfect for those who want to rough it... in Scandinavian-inspired luxury.

🔧 Boeing's Parts Roulette: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle... Regret? A whistleblower claims Boeing's playing fast and loose with scrap parts. Looks like their "waste not, want not" policy might need a safety check!

😲 America's tallest waterslide, "The Rise of Icarus," is 145 feet tall at Mount Olympus Water and Theme Park in Wisconsin Dells.

. Travel Tidbits:. 

🛫 No more cancellations: The skies are getting friendlier! The DOT reveals that flight cancellations are at a 10-year low, with only 1.4% of flights getting the axe.

🚗 Micro-cations are a thing? These shorter, more frequent trips are trending as people maximize their time off with quick, revitalizing getaways.

📅 Travel History: July 7, 1928: The first-ever commercial flight to Antarctica by Pan American World Airways opened the continent for tourism and scientific research.

. The Weird, Crazy & LOL:. 

🎸🛫 Hot-dayumm, flight jam, United, United ...You broke my guitar. United, United...Some big help you are.

💘✈️ Love is in the air or “love at first flight”, this couple met on a flight and after chatting and passing notes, they stayed in touch and got engaged two years later.

🍕👊 Carnival buffet brawl, passengers traded punches and threw chairs at a 24hr pizza buffet - the commentary is pure GOLD 🤣👇️ 

. Business & Markets in Travel:. 

A weekly snapshot of the financial landscape in the travel industry. Stay updated with the latest stock prices and market trends.

The Company, Fridays Closing Price, Weekly Gain/Loss Performance

* Prices as of July 5th, 5:00 PM EST

. Passport to Employment:. 

Check out this week's top job picks and business opportunity in the world of travel.

🏢😀 Travel Tycoon Opportunity:

🏖️🌴 Own a beachfront hotel in Costa Rica's Avellanas, Tamarindo! Priced at $4.75M, it offers 21 rooms, restaurants, a pool, and private beach access with 65% land available for expansion. 🌺🏨

Exciting news coming

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