East Coast Nature World
A wombat at East Coast Nature World in Bicheno, Tasmania, Australia.
CNN —
This week's travel news: Dubai's viral candy bar, the Prime Minister hitches a ride on a commercial airliner, what really happens if a plane strikes a bird, the potential end of off-season tourism, and more.
Wombats are one of Australia's cutest native animals. They poop cubes. And they need a new friend to take them for walks. Or waddling walks, you see. East Coast Nature World in Tasmania, Australia, is looking for “Wombat Walkers” to keep these bushy marsupials in tip-top shape. Job duties include giving the wombats words of encouragement and bringing them snacks for when they get hungry.
Don't like animals? Tasmania is also looking for volunteer paranormal investigators to spend a day (or night) exploring a spooky abandoned psychiatric hospital.
Petros Giannakoulis/AP
The Acropolis in Athens was closed to the public for five hours due to a heatwave that saw temperatures in the Greek capital reach 39 degrees Celsius (102 degrees Fahrenheit).
In the past, budget travel seekers could count on traveling in the off-season or low season: Italy was more affordable in the fall, for example, and Hong Kong was cheaper during the sweltering summer.
But climate change is affecting when we travel, upending many of the old rules about the ideal time to visit the world's most popular destinations.
Take Greece for example. Traditionally, tourists flock there in the summer to enjoy its beautiful beaches. However, this year's extreme heat has forced some of the country's most popular tourist attractions to close for the duration of the extreme weather, and tourists have also died or gone missing while exploring nature during the heatwaves.
Currently, travelers are considering Norway or Sweden in the summer, and flights to Greece in the cooler autumn and spring.
Another factor helping to eliminate the off-season are digital nomads, remote workers, and others who have the flexibility to travel during off-peak times.
All of this raises one big question: Is there even such a thing as an offseason anymore?
03:10 – Source: CNN
Dubai's hottest chocolate bar
$20 for a chocolate bar? That might sound extreme, but not in luxury-loving Dubai. Fix Dessert Chocolatier makes giant chocolate bars filled with pistachios, custard, cookies, breakfast cereals, and lots of other Middle Eastern goodness.
Word of mouth has spread on TikTok and sales of the company's products have skyrocketed. CNN was given a peek into Fix's kitchen, courtesy of company founder Sarah Hamouda, who first started the business making snacks to satisfy pregnancy cravings.
There's just one small problem, though: Fix (which stands for “Freaking Incredible eXperience”) doesn't have an online retail store, so you'll have to travel to Dubai to try the treat in person.
Andrew Coutin/AFP/Getty Images
New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon disembarks from a Royal New Zealand Air Force aircraft.
Some people deal with flight delays by grumbling and asking for an extra bag of peanuts. But New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon is no ordinary traveler. When his government jet suffered technical issues en route to the Japan Trade Summit, he was put on a rerouted Air New Zealand flight. The prime minister happens to have been CEO of Air New Zealand for seven years before switching jobs.
Lacson isn't the only passenger to suffer unfortunate flight trouble this week: A group of travelers on a Qatar Airways flight from Athens to Doha were stuck on the plane after it was unable to land and was forced to sit for hours on board a plane with no air conditioning, despite temperatures reaching over 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32 degrees Celsius).
Meanwhile, a Virgin Australia plane heard a loud bang, followed by one of its engines bursting into flames. After all passengers landed safely, the airline said a bird strike was to blame. But what exactly is a bird strike, and how does it affect a plane?
If all this talk is leaving you feeling a bit unsettled on your next flight, we might have something to help you: Our friends at CNN Underscored, a CNN-owned product review and recommendation guide, recommend these comfortable earplugs that block out noise and help you adjust to the change in air pressure in the sky.
Simon Jacobs/Pin Pep
Artist Michelle Wibowo has created a series of celebrity portraits made from sushi ingredients.
Meet Edamame Sheeran and Benedict Cucumberbatch.
This artist sculpts busts of celebrities out of sushi.
Aspiring K-pop idols are now given their own South Korean visas.
No audition is required.
This beach was destroyed by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius.
And now, after nearly 2000 years, it has reopened.
In Matera, Italy, several buildings were damaged by tourists.
Parkour? Actually I can't parkour.
