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In this week’s travel news roundup, we look at how airlines check pilots’ sobriety, what really happens inside Turkish baths and why there’s a global mad dash to secure second passports.
Start over in Germany and Sweden
Dual citizenship, or the ability to become a citizen of more than one country, has been a long-held dream for many travelers and expatriates. Currently, countries around the world are tightening their requirements, and the global demand for second passports is intensifying. For those who have gained the right to live abroad through citizenship or visas, the move can be transformative.
Kate Leight moved to Germany from Atlanta with her son a year and a half ago, going through the “long and difficult process” of obtaining a visa. It was all worth it, she says, as the move turned out to be “much better than anyone could have imagined.”
She currently lives in the southern city of Ulm, close to the natural beauty of the Danube River and the Bavarian Alps, and is enjoying her new outdoor lifestyle. She says it has worked wonders for her mental and physical health.
In 2022, Arabella Carey Adolfsson, a San Diego woman, moved to a Swedish island with her Swedish husband. Winter “can be very harsh,” she told CNN, adding that she misses her family back home. “A huge part of my life has been taken away from me, and I still don’t know what to replace it with.”
The big thing she learned is that a mental reset is important when adjusting to a new country. “It’s important to re-create the program you’ve been running in your head and run a new one,” she says.
Are you thinking about cutting back on your booze for 2026?For one thing, you’ll be less likely to end up in an awkward spot on a plane. There’s one common theme in incidents involving flight passengers, the criminology professor told CNN: “Alcohol, alcohol, alcohol.”
The airline industry agrees that drunk airline passengers are a problem. The big question is how to fix it. Ban bad apples? What are the drink restrictions at the airport? We have considered this complex debate.
It’s not just cheeky customers who can cause trouble in the skies. Pilot pickles are also a cause for concern. Commercial flight attendants rarely attempt to drink and drive, but a series of recent incidents have brought the issue to the forefront. Read about the precautions airlines take to ensure pilots stay calm.
The movement to revel without alcohol is growing among young people and is taking the global party scene in unexpected directions. From South Korea to Paris, revelers are now enjoying low-key raves, dancing at dawn in salubrious venues like bakeries and coffee shops.
The hammam, or Turkish bath, is a Turkish social ritual dating back more than a thousand years, but what actually happens inside the temple of steam and soap?
The warm and calm world where you can have your body thoroughly washed by a chaperone will take you back to your childhood, as if you were back in the womb. Here’s why fans say it feels brand new.
The traditional Finnish sauna (sweating in a wooden box) has also spread beyond Scandinavia and is a growing wellness trend around the world.
Going from a hot sauna to a cold sauna can be the most difficult part of the sauna experience, but if you love immersing yourself in nature year-round, may I recommend this roundup of the best nude beaches in the United States?
However, please do not take off your clothes without knowing etiquette. Here’s your 21st century guide to undressing.
Find out why Americans are drawn to this picturesque part of the English countryside
More Americans are settling in England’s Cotswolds, drawn by its historic homes, remote location, and slower pace of life. It replaces American life with village routines, honey-colored cottages, and quiet comfort.
First tour inside an ancient Roman house.
History buffs can now virtually tour this former aristocratic mansion built more than 2,000 years ago.
The world’s most powerful passport in 2026.
Lucky citizens of this country can visit over 190 destinations without a visa.
NASA mission. Cell stoppage. An edgy city.
What do you remember about that week?
Young people are traveling the world for free.
And they’re risking everything to do it.
