DEPARTURE LOUNGE // SPRING 2017
NAKED TOURISM, IT’S A
REAL THING…
News
Go
on the
WORLD’S MOST FAMOUS
FELINE TAKES TO THE SKIES
Die-hard Hello Kitty fans can now fly in an
aircraft that is painted with images of the
pop-culture icon and fully themed inside,
including headrests, pillows, airsick bags
and even toilet paper. The fun doesn’t
stop there: cabin crews wear Hello Kitty
uniforms and meals are inspired by the
famous cat.
The novelty flights are a bit far-flung for
South Africans, though. They’re operated
by Taiwanese airline Eva Air on select
routes between Midwest America and
Southeast Asia and China.
UNITED KINGDOM SET
TO LIFT ELECTRONICS BAN
The United Kingdom is following the
United States in lifting the ban on
electronics in hand luggage imposed on
several airlines and destinations in March.
The US lifted its laptop ban on all
airlines over the course of July, including
all flights to the US operated by Turkish
Airlines, Etihad Airways and Emirates.
08 // MAKE MEMORIES FOR LIFE
At the time of writing the UK had lifted
the so-called “laptop ban” on Turkish
Airlines flights into the UK and was
expected to lift the ban on other airlines
operating from Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt,
Tunisia and Saudi Arabia as airports in
these countries complied with enhanced
security measures.
The enhanced security measures
introduced by the US Transportation
Security Administration (TSA) apply to
all large personal electronic devices
for carry-on luggage. The rules call for
all electronic items larger than a cell
phone to be placed in separate bins for
screening in standard lanes, a process
that was previously exclusive to laptop
computers. The procedure is said to
allow security officers to take a clearer
x-ray image of items such as tablets,
handheld game consoles, e-readers
and drones.
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TIP: Unsure of what you can / can’t
take in your hand luggage? Ask your
Sure Travel consultant for advice.
QUIZ: WHERE IN THE WORLD AM I? I am
sometimes called “The Rose City”. I was
lost to the western world for five centuries.
I am both a UNESCO World Heritage Site
and a New7Wonders of the World. Turn the
page to find out if you’re right.
Tourists stripping down and taking
photographs of themselves at
iconic attractions is the new trend
in travel, and not everyone’s a fan.
It’s thought to have started in 2010
when a French exotic dancer filmed
herself stripping on Uluru (or Ayers
Rock) in Australia. Aboriginals who
consider the sandstone monolith
sacred took offence, with Aboriginal
performer Jimmy Little saying the act
was akin to “spitting in your face”.
Nevertheless, the trend caught
on and tourists have been stripping
down to the bare necessities at
national parks, on top of mountains
and at World Heritage sites ever since.
There are now even social media
groups dedicated to the trend,
such as the Facebook page Naked
at Monuments, which describes its
purpose as “we get naked around the
world”. Or you can post your naked
selfie on the My Naked Trip blog.
Streakers should note, however,
that there may be consequences
to their actions. In 2015 three
Frenchmen were charged with
public exposure and pornography,
given suspended sentences, fined,
deported and banned from visiting
Cambodia for four years after baring
all at Angkor Wat. And so common
is the practice at Machu Picchu that
there are now signs warning against
“baring of butts”.
Our take? Remember the cardinal
rule of responsible tourism: respect
the place, the people and their
culture.