DEPARTURE LOUNGE // AUTUMN 2017
© TRAN / SHUTTERSTOCK
News on the
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TRAVEL CAN BUY YOU LOTS OF HAPPINESS
It ’ s official : spending money on travel makes us happier than buying cars , jewellery , clothes or any other object of desire . That ’ s according to a two decades-long study on the link between money and happiness conducted by Dr Thomas Gilovich , a psychology professor at Cornell University in New York . His study concluded that we receive only fleeting happiness from the material objects we desire , because as soon as we obtain the desired item it becomes ordinary and less exciting to us , and the happiness boost we got from buying it is short lived . Travel , on the other hand , provides long-term satisfaction because the memories of our experiences continue to bring happiness for years to come . We also feel a greater connection to the people we share travel experiences with , and those connections often lead to ongoing happiness .
How could this not make you happy ? Halong Bay , Vietnam .
AUSTRALIA TO DO AWAY WITH PASSPORTS In the year 2020 you will no longer need a passport to travel to Australia ; all that will be needed are your fingerprints , face and irises . Australian immigration authorities say that full biometric scanning at unmanned electronic entry and exit stations could be used to process up to 90 % of travellers across its airports . The first trial of the technology will begin at Canberra Airport in July , with plans for Sydney and Melbourne in the pipeline for November .
FREE ( FURRY ) ACCOMMODATION AROUND THE WORLD ! Responsible animal lovers can now stay at hundreds of houses , cottages , lodges and apartments across 140 countries for free . The catch ? You have to pet sit the animals in that home . TrustedHouseSitters . com connects homeowners to like-minded animal lovers around the world through the site . There is an annual cost to join , but other than that no money changes hands . It has already become the largest housesitting site in the world , with more than 300 000 members . All pet sitters must be cleared by professional verification company Onfido .
HANDS-FREE CRUISING Cruising is already a hassle-free holiday , but it ’ s going to get even easier than the push of a button later this year when the world ’ s largest cruise company , Carnival Corporation , launches its Ocean Medallion . The coin-sized device is wearable as a necklace or bracelet and can carry out a range of actions wirelessly – like open the door to your cabin ( no more clumsy key cards !), place food and drink orders , find family and friends and navigate the ship . For the Ocean Medallion to work each ship will be outfitted with more than 7 000 sensors . It will be launched on Princess Cruises ’ Regal Princess in November and then rolled out to the rest of the ships in the Princess Cruises fleet .
WHERE IN THE WORLD AM I ? I used to be a small hamlet for pearl divers but today I ’ m recognised as one of the New 7 Wonders Cities of the world and I will host the FIFA World Cup in 2022 ... Think you know the answer ? Turn the page and find out if you ’ re right .
© NULL STERN HOTEL
08 // MAKE MEMORIES FOR LIFE