Are Travel Loyalty Programs at Risk?
On Tuesday, the largest credit card companies in the United States reached an agreement with merchants to reduce the so-called swipe fees retailers pay for accepting credit card payments, potentially saving the retailers $30 billion. These fees also help fund the credit card rewards programs that many travelers redeem for things like free flights and […]
Difference between jurisdiction and venue
Dear PAO,Is venue different from jurisdiction? I often hear lawyers talk about the venue and where to file the case, but I also sometimes hear them say that the court has no jurisdiction over it. Are these words interchangeable?Mily Dear Mily,Please be informed of the Supreme Court’s ruling in People of the Philippines v. Angelo […]
Artisanal Cement Tiles Inspired by Modernist Homes
If Indiana Jones took a turn toward the elegant and developed an obsession with textiles, he might be a bit like Louis Barthélemy, the French illustrator and designer who travels to Africa and the Middle East to work with weavers and craftspeople who are skilled in traditional techniques. Ishkar, a London-based company that collaborates with […]
Use of maiden name for banks
Dear PAO, I went to a local bank to open a savings account. I declared in the form I filled out that I am married but still use my maiden name. The bank insisted I write my husband’s surname on my application form before transacting with them. Can the bank impose the use of my […]
5 Bold New Restaurants to Try in Brussels
Brussels, long the realm of stuffy French restaurants packed with gray-flannel-suited diplomats, has suddenly gone bold and bright. Thanks to a crop of young chefs with iconoclastic ideas about flavor and sustainability, the city, in thrall to the rich sauces of Gaul for nearly two centuries, has emerged as one of the most exciting, and […]
Vacation Rentals: How to Make Your Stay Sustainable
Travelers choosing to stay in a vacation home instead of a hotel may have to spend more time searching for sustainable lodgings, but ultimately they will have more control over their environmental impact. The following are steps short-term renters can take to shrink their carbon footprint. Search for sustainable rentals The nonprofit Sustonica validates short-term […]
Boeing Jokes Are a Favorite on TikTok. Guess Who’s Not Laughing.
“I love how, collectively, the internet — especially TikTok — will just make insane situations funny somehow,” Ms. Iascofano said. “Like, it kind of does comfort me that we’re all almost dealing with, like, this traumatic news.” Zarinah Williams, the writer of a weekly newsletter about pop culture, politics, beauty and travel, has also shared […]
United Airlines Planes Have Seen 8 Incidents in 2 Weeks. What’s Going On?
An engine fire sparked by plastic packaging wrap, a tire lost shortly after takeoff and a plane veering off the runway: These are among the eight incidents that have occurred over the past two weeks on flights operated by United Airlines. While no injuries — or worse — have been reported, the mishaps have generated […]
Jail Cells? Morgues? Your Cruise Ship Has Some Surprises for You.
Cruise ships have hidden features that many passengers, particularly first-timers, don’t know about. Some ships are as big as small cities, and while it’s relatively easy to familiarize yourself with a seemingly endless number of amenities — water parks, tattoo parlors, multiple restaurants — there is also an entire ecosystem, often below passenger decks, that […]
I Was Lonely In a New City. This Tech Trick Helped Me Belong
A uniquely 20-something cocktail of ambition, stupidity and wanderlust led me to take a job in Berlin fresh out of college. My due diligence consisted of watching several of Rainer Werner Fassbinder’s movies and calling it a day. I had visited the city before, crashing with lovers and loose acquaintances, but my sense of how […]