Travel Briefs

Though, at press time, proof of COVID-19 vaccination was not required for Americans traveling to Mexico, on July 26, the state of Quintana Roo, on the Yucatán Peninsula, announced that all businesses, including hotels, restaurants and shops, now require anyone entering to show either proof of vaccination or the results of a negative COVID-19 test taken within the last 72 hours. Popular resort cities such as Cancún, Playa del Carmen and Cozumel are located in Quintana Roo.

In the...

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On Krippenstein mountain, near Hallstatt, Austria, the 5fingers Observation Deck offers views of Hallstatt and the Hallstättersee from nearly 7,000 feet in elevation. Each “finger” of the deck points in a slightly different direction, and one finger has a reinforced-glass floor suspended 1,300 feet over the mountain.

The 5fingers deck is accessed via an easy trail from the Krippenstein cable car station, the end point of section 2 of the cable car system that begins in the...

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A new smartphone app, “Cliffs of Moher,” has been created for the Cliffs of Moher Visitor Experience (www.cliffsofmoher.ie) in County Clare, Ireland. Free to download, the app contains information on points of interest plus an interactive map and a 13-track audio guide on the geological and human history of the cliffs.

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Darwin’s Arch, a natural rock arch off the coast of Darwin Island in the Galápagos Islands, collapsed due to natural erosion on May 17, leaving behind two pillars now being called the Pillars of Evolution. Though the arch and Darwin Island are off limits to landings, the water surrounding the arch is a popular scuba diving spot.

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At press time, most countries in the world allowing US travelers to enter required that passengers each present a negative COVID-19 test regardless of vaccination status. Likewise, US travelers must present a test when returning to the US. With the website TestforTravel (https://testfortravel.com), travelers can search for their nearest testing center in cities across the globe.

When searching for testing centers by city, each search result includes a map pinpointing the testing...

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The underground passageways and corridors, or hypogeum, of Rome’s Colosseum opened to the public for the first time in the modern era on June 26 after a lengthy restoration. Entry to the hypogeum is included with an “Underground and Arena Full Experience” ticket (€22, near $26). Tickets can be purchased at www.coopculture.it/en/colosseo-e-shop.cfm.

In 2015, a portion of the underground known as the Beehive, where elevators took gladiators and animals up to the...

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The Centers for Disease Control approved Royal Caribbean International’s Freedom of the Seas to embark from Miami on July 2 for a Bahamas cruise — the second cruise approved to leave from the US since the CDC suspended cruising on March 14, 2020.

It was expected that most passengers on board would be vaccinated, but unvaccinated guests were also allowed. Those unvaccinated had to submit to additional testing and were banned from certain public areas, such as bars and some...

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Designed to resemble a merchant street from the 1950s, the Shin-Yokohama Raumen Museum (2-14-21 Shinyokohama, Kohoku-ku, Yokohama-City, Japan; phone +81 45 471 0503, www.raumen.co.jp/english) serves ramen in the style of nine different regions of Japan from its “storefronts,” including a facsimile of Rairaiken, the first-ever ramen restaurant, opened in 1910, serving food based on the original recipes. The museum also includes a gallery of ramen history and offers noodle-making workshops...

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