A Permanent Christmas Wonderland: Exploring the Island Where Everyday is Christmas
Discover the enchanting allure of Christmas Island, where the festive spirit never fades Uncover the magic of this Croatian man's transformed winter wonderland Embrace the joy of holiday travel amidst extreme weather and strikes Stay updated with the latest hot hotel destinations
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This week's travel news includes holiday travel despite extreme weather and strikes, a Croatian man transforming his home into a winter theme park, and insights into what it's like to live on Christmas Island.
Destination inspiration
Christmas Island is a 52-square-mile jungle paradise located in the Indian Ocean, approximately a 3.5-hour plane flight northwest of Perth, Australia. Known for its thriving reefs and 250 endemic species, it has been dubbed "The Galapagos of Australia." Despite its geographical proximity to Indonesia, it is considered a remote gem closer to Indonesia than the Australian mainland.
Approximately 1,700 residents are fortunate to call it their home. Local Sook Yee Lai tells CNN Travel, "We engage in various activities such as free diving, snorkeling, diving, surfing, caving, and jungle walks to visit hidden beaches."
Despite its small size, the community is lively and diverse. Around 22% of the residents have Chinese ancestry, 17% are Australian, 16.1% Malay, 12.5% English, and 3.8% Indonesian. This diversity leads to the daily use of multiple languages such as English, Mandarin, Malay, Cantonese, Min Nan Chinese, and Tagalog. Learn more about life in this extraordinary corner of the world by reading here.
Holiday travel
'Tis the day before Christmas Eve, and holiday flights are bustling through the air like Santa on his sleigh - with almost 3 million passengers per day on US airlines alone. Despite the threat of bad weather impacting travel, there's no sign yet of a repeat of last year's Southwest Airlines meltdown that left enough passengers stranded to fill Lapland 11 times over. This week, the airline was slapped with a record $140 million fine.
Cruise passengers faced unexpected challenges this week, with the MSC Meraviglia diverting to Canada and New England instead of the sunny Bahamas, the Carnival Sunshine passengers encountering an unpleasant surprise in the parking lot after a rainy cruise, and another cruise ship losing power in rough North Sea conditions. Eurostar travelers also experienced disruptions due to a last-minute strike by Eurotunnel staff on Thursday.
Hot hotels
After their canceled flight, a band of 13 strangers turned lemons into lemonade and embarked on a December road trip from Orlando to Knoxville. Now, let's see what they're doing.
Many tourists crowd the sections of the Great Wall of China nearest Beijing, enduring long lines and jostling with others for the perfect Instagram shot. A better alternative is to drive an hour north to Commune by the Great Wall, where a collection of modernist buildings form an award-winning design hotel. Just a 20-minute walk away is a peaceful spot offering unobstructed views of the wall.
For those in India, a luxurious boutique hotel and resort, Villa Palladio, awaits just thirty minutes from the "pink city" of Jaipur. This former royal residence boasts a stunning Wes Anderson-esque style, offering a surprising touch of Italy in the serene corner of Rajasthan.
Man turns family home into winter theme park
If you can manage to pull yourself away from the stunning interiors of these hotels, the surrounding landscapes offer equally breathtaking views that are worthy of extensive exploration on foot. Our partners at CNN Underscored, a product reviews and recommendations guide owned by CNN, have compiled a list of the 29 best hiking boots of 2023, as chosen by experts.
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Croatian man transforms his property into stunning festival using 5 million lights
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- Source:
CNN
In case you missed it
Never having had a Christmas tree as a child, Zlatko Salaj now transforms his Croatian family home into a dazzling display of lights, drawing around 100,000 visitors annually. The spectacle has expanded over the last two decades, and in 2023, he utilized 5 million lights to spread festive joy.
TSA officers discovered 17 bullets in an "otherwise clean" diaper at New York LaGuardia.Â
Weve heard of pooping bullets as you go through security, but this is ridiculous.
A man was charged with stealing $23,000 in cash from his fellow plane passengers.Â
Surely a late contender for worst-behaved travelers of 2023.
Two strangers met when their flight was delayed on Christmas Eve in 1975.
Heres how they became friends for life.
How KFC became a Christmas tradition in Japan.Â
On Christmas Eve, restaurants will be up to 10 times busier than usual.
