Travel Briefs

August 2018 issue

Korea infiltration tunnels

Stretching for miles and, at times, hundreds of feet underground, three tunnels dug by North Korea underneath the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) into South Korea are accessible via tours from the south side. Each has been blocked with concrete at the border.

• The Second Tunnel, discovered in 1975 in Cheorwon, has three exits and can accommodate tanks. Only 500 meters of the 3.5-kilometer tunnel is open. Tours, including entry to the Cheorwon Peace Observatory, cost KRW4,000 (near $4) per person. Closed Tuesday.

• The Third Tunnel, discovered in 1978 only 45 miles north...

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August 2018 issue

Congo national park closure

On May 11 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, a park ranger was killed and three people were abducted while visiting Virunga National Park (July ’18, pg. 19). As a result, in early June the park was closed to visitors until at least 2019. The chief warden said that the park would remain closed until he could guarantee the safety of visitors. An international security firm was hired to help restore safety. 

Virunga National Park is home to DRC’s only population of mountain gorillas.

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July 2018 issue

Nero’s palace in Rome

In Rome, visitors can take a 2-hour tour of parts of what was Nero’s palace, the Domus Aurea, visiting rooms with impressive architecture and frescoes and then, in the Octagonal Hall, donning virtual-reality glasses that overlay computer-generated images onto physical spaces. The 200-room Domus, which was destroyed after Nero’s death and had its ruins built over, lies under portions of Palatine Hill. 

Tours, held each Saturday and Sunday, must be booked in advance. €34 (near $41) per person (max., 22). Contact Through Eternity Tours (Rome, Italy; phone, in the...

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July 2018 issue

Free internal flight to Outback

US travelers can get a free one-way internal flight (from Melbourne, Brisbane or Sydney) to Australia’s Outback (Alice Springs, Darwin or Uluru) until Dec. 31, 2018. 

To qualify, you must purchase international airfare to Australia on Qantas by July 31, book at least two nights in the Northern Territory and purchase a travel package from one of these travel partners of Tourism Northern Territory: About Australia (www.aboutaustralia.com), Aspire Down Under (www.aspiredown under.com), Down Under Answers (www.duatravel.com), Goway (goway.com) or Qantas Vacations (www....

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June 2018 issue

Budget British Airways

On April 11, British Airways (800/247-9297, www.ba.com) began offering budget one-way-only fares between London and select cities in the US and elsewhere. These Basic fares are available only on certain dates.

The Basic fares are being offered one-way between London (Heathrow) and either Boston, Dallas-Fort Worth, Philadelphia or Phoenix; between London (Gatwick) and Oakland; between Helsinki and New York, and between Madrid and Boston, Chicago or Dallas-Fort Worth.

Fares start at £175 (near $238) and include two pieces of carry-on and in-flight food and drinks. Options...

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June 2018 issue

Kew greenhouse reopens

In southwestern London, the Temperate House, the largest Victorian-era greenhouse in the world, reopened at Kew Gardens (Richmond, Surrey, England; www.kew.org) on May 5 after a 5-year, £41 million restoration, with some modernization. 15,000 panes of glass were replaced, and 1,160 gallons of paint were used.

The Temperate House contains more than 1,500 species of tropical plants, including the Enchphalantos woodii, known as “the loneliest tree in the world” because it is extinct in the wild. All living examples are clones of the one at Kew. 

Open daily...

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May 2018 issue

Antique planetarium

It consists of six metal balls orbiting in tracks around a representation of the sun, all operated by the original hand-made gears and pulleys, and it accurately shows the positions of all the planets known when it was constructed. Located in northern Netherlands, it’s the world’s oldest working planetarium, built by amateur astronomer Eise Eisinga in 1781 on the ceiling of his living room. 

His home, now known as the Eise Eisinga Planetarium (Eise Eisinga­straat 3, 8801 KE Franeker, Netherlands; phone +31 517 393 070, www.planetarium-friesland.nl/en), also...

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May 2018 issue

Seat-class girth restriction, Thai Air

Airline passengers who need seat-belt extenders will not be allowed to sit in business class on the new Boeing 787 Dreamliner jets of Thai Airways (800/767-3598, www.thaiairways.com), the airline announced on March 21.

On its new jets, the airline has installed seat-belt airbags in business class. However, the airbags will not work with seat-belt extenders, limiting those seats to people with waistlines of less than 56 inches. The airbags also prevent passengers from flying with infants in their laps.

Seats in all other classes are unaffected.