Travel Briefs

The Ultra Fast-Dry Towel is lightweight and absorbent, dries up to three times faster than a cotton towel and is treated with an antimicrobial solution that reduces foul smells. 

Available in 16 colors, it comes in four sizes: large (58 by 34 inches and weighing 9 ounces, $34.95), medium (34"x28", $24.95), small (28"x16", $19.95) and extra-small (13"x10", $12.95). Shipping/handling cost is extra (example — $8.13 on an extra-small towel shipped to Miami).

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Northwest of Shanghai, China, the city of Suzhou — known as the “Venice of the East” due to its many canals — has created an English website. 

TraveltoSuzhou.com describes the history of the 2,500-year-old city and lists sites of interest, trip-planning tips, things to do, festival dates, shopping attractions and tour packages.

Located in Longgang National Geological Park in southwestern China’s Chongqing Municipality, the Yuanduan skywalk opened on April 26. The horseshoe-shaped, glass-floored bridge extends out 87½ feet from a cliff edge 2,350 feet above the valley floor. 

Yuanduan is slightly longer than the Grand Canyon Skywalk in Arizona but only a little more than half as high. Officials say the bridge can withstand an 8.0-magnitude earthquake or a level-14 typhoon and can hold 200 people safely,...

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The Aspara Authority in Cambodia has created a “Visitor Code of Conduct” for visitors to the Angkor Wat temple complex, following a series of incidents involving tourists.

The code, which is posted in multiple languages at the entrance to the complex, prohibits visitors from touching monuments, entering restricted areas, wearing revealing clothing, and smoking. Breaking the code will be punishable as a crime.

On May 6, Jordan announced that it has waived visa fees for most visitors arriving at the airport. 

To qualify for the fee waiver, a visitor must either be entering Jordan through a Jordanian tour operator and spending two consecutive nights in Jordan or, if arriving without booking a trip with a tour operator, must be spending at least three consecutive nights in Jordan.

At land border crossings, Jordan has reduced the fee from JOD40 (near $56) to JOD10 for any visitor who...

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Eiffel Tower workers staged a one-day strike on May 22, closing the iconic landmark, to protest the problem of rampant pickpocketing around the site. Employees asked for a “formal guarantee” to stop pickpockets, who, in addition to targeting tourists, harass staff. 

Parisian authorities have said that there will be 26,000 police officers and government agents throughout the city in 2015 to try to reduce pickpocketing.

More than seven million people a year pay to visit the...

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Dublin, Ireland, has launched a Dublin Pass card that gives the holder free entry to 33 city attractions, many that allow pass holders to skip lines, plus one-way airport-city center Aircoach transfer. Among locations free for pass holders are the James Joyce Centre, Christ Church Cathedral and the Guinness Storehouse.

A pass runs €39 (near $42), adult, or €21, child (5-15), for one day up to €105/€54 for a 6-day pass, with 2- and 3-day versions too.

Passes can be bought online...

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In Nassau, capital of the Bahamas, the Pompey Museum of Slavery & Emancipation (phone +1 242 356 0495, www.ammcbahamas.com) reopened in November 2014. 

Located at Bay and George streets, it had been closed since 2011 when a fire engulfed the museum’s 18th-century building. Ninety percent of the artifacts were saved from the fire, many of which are in the newly restored museum. 

The permanent collection focuses on the history of slavery and emancipation in the Bahamas. The...

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