China's Travel Revolution: Jets, Exoskeletons, and Adventurous Journeys!

China has rapidly become a rival of the United States on just about every level, from military strength to technology to athletic competition. The world of travel isn’t outside China’s realm of advancement, either, as a recent issue of CNN Travel pointed out on several fronts.

            The first Chinese-designed and -built mainline passenger plane, the C919 jetliner, is now in service, courtesy of the state-owned Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China, based in Shanghai. The twin-engine jet is China’s answer to the Boeing 737 and Airbus A320, two of the world’s best-selling aircraft types. CNN travel writer Steven Jiang, a seasoned traveler with over a million air miles under his belt, recently flew aboard an Air China C919 from Beijing to Shanghai. The plane had 8 first-class seats and 158 in economy class, although some configurations go up to 192. Jiang pre-paid for an emergency exit row seat and was pleased with the legroom he encountered. Otherwise, the seats were not very special, he noted, and amenities are few; there are no seatback screens, for example. He also liked his in-flight meal and noted the bathrooms were a little more spacious than those he’s used on other airliners. Jiang enjoyed his flight to Shanghai and gave the C919 a solid grade of B in terms of safety and comfort.

            In about ten years, the C919 and its sister planes, along with lots of others, will be landing and taking off from the world’s largest airport on a man-made island, off the northeast coast of China. The Dalian Jinzhou Bay International Airport is scheduled to open in 2035 and will cover nearly 8 square miles with four runways and a passenger terminal of nearly a million square feet. The airport will be able to accommodate 80 million passengers a year across 540,000 flights. By comparison, the busiest U.S. airport, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International, serves just over 50 million passengers per year.

            Dalian Jinzhou Bay International will pass Honk Kong International and Kansai Airport of Japan as the world’s largest airport on an artificial island. It will be just offshore of the city of Dalian, which has 7.5 million people and has long been a transport hub due to its proximity to Japan and Korea. Its current airport, Dalian Zhoushuizi, opened a century ago and has reached its capacity.

            Every tourist visiting China wants to see the country’s amazing sites, and some of them want to explore the exotic places more closely than from a tour bus. One of those destinations is Mount Tai, in the eastern province of Shandong. It’s 5,000 feet high and takes more than 7,000 steps to climb it, a punishing trek that has been known to turn legs to jelly. But a Chinese robotics company has come up with a way to make it easier: an exoskeleton that assists climbers. On January 29, the first day of the Chinese New Year, ten AI-powered exoskeletons debuted at Mount Tai, attracting over 200 users for a fee of about $10 to try out during a week-long trial. The device is designed to wrap around a user’s waist and thighs. It weighs about 5 pounds and is battery powered. Using AI algorithms, it can sense the user’s movements and provide “synchronized assistance” the ease the burden of the legs.

            How did it work? A 68-year-old who used it to climb the mountain was enthusiastic. “It felt like someone was pulling me uphill!” But a 29-year-old was a little more restrained. “Once I took it off, I felt a bit clumsy walking on my own.” Other climbers reported that the device was inconvenient when they needed to use the bathroom or tie their shoelaces. The company said that the beta testing period is giving them plenty of data from which to design improvements, and the device is expected to hit the market next month.

            Finally, there is a new travel trend developing among Chinese youth, who are looking for alternatives to air travel due to economic uncertainty. Thus, we now have the “iron butt” travelers, who go long distances on buses and trains. One of them, age 27, told CNN, “Iron butt travel lets me visit more places for less money.” Lin En, age 23, described a grueling 46-hour bus ride from Xinjiang, in China’s northwest, to Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan. The bus would stop for food every few hours, but otherwise he had to endure the long haul in a near-vertical seat, which gave him severe back pain. But he says the experience was much more “down to earth” than flying, and not just in a literal sense. “I came across so many interesting stories along the way—about culture, family or making a living—it’s all super engaging,” Lin said. He’s been on ten iron butt trips in the last year, logging more than 300 miles on buses and trains.

            Well, we’re not necessarily fans of that kind of travel, nor are our clients, but we can certainly recommend some great train trips, not to mention a visit to China itself, high on a lot of our clients’ bucket lists. Give us a call!

 

Unlock the Secrets of a Romantic Getaway - Tips for Couple Travelers!

Valentine’s Day is this week, so a lot of people are planning a romantic getaway for a night or two, or maybe longer. Traveling together as a couple is exciting, and it’s good for the relationship, too, according to research cited recently in USA Today.

            Couples who travel together “can experience greater romantic and physical intimacy and higher satisfaction with their relationships,” say the scientists. But any seasoned traveler knows that romantic getaways can go wrong, just like any other trip, often through no fault of the couple. Flight delays, overbooked hotels, bad weather…the list of potential problems is a long one. But relationship experts say that the benefits almost always outweigh the risks. Here’s why they say traveling together can be good for couples.

·         Break out of the mundane. Do something different while traveling. Step outside the familiar routines of daily life and immerse yourselves in new experiences. A shared adventure fosters teamwork as you plan the trip, encounter obstacles and work around them. Stepping away from your daily schedules and distractions allows you to focus on each other, leading to meaningful conversations, laughing at silly moments, and being together in ways that are often hard to do at home.

·         Plan an itinerary together. Even if one member tends to be more of a planner than the other, it helps to work together in planning the itinerary. Agreeing on a solid itinerary before departing can decrease the chances of conflict on how to spend vacation time. Make sure each person has the opportunity to enjoy the trip. Having said that…

·         Don’t be afraid to stray from the itinerary. Flexibility is key to a couple’s vacation and a healthy relationship overall. How you deal with flight delays, vehicle breakdowns and the numerous other pitfalls that you might encounter will determine whether you can have a fun and memorable trip in spite of the hiccups. Working the problem on your trip can also help with conflict resolution skills at home.

·         Talk to each other (a lot). Communication is mandatory for a successful couple’s trip, especially if this is your first time traveling together. You’ll both need to adapt to each other’s habits, preferences and inevitable personality quirks. The cooperation and mutual support you need on a trip help build trust.

·         Get a new perspective. You’ll be seeing your partner in a new light, away from his or her familiar routine and lifestyle, giving you a fresh perspective. How do they adapt to stress, handle surprises? Are they willing to dive into new experiences? That could be something as simple as sampling a new dish at a restaurant or engaging in an outside-your-box activity. Travel can help reignite feelings of novelty and spontaneity in the relationship, allowing couples to rediscover each other in a fresh context.

·         Take some alone time. There will be times during the trip when you might want to be by yourself, and that’s okay, even necessary. Take a walk or a swim, read by the pool or on the beach, shop, hit the gym. Spending every waking moment with your companion isn’t a requirement. You’ll feel the need to recharge your own battery.

·         Don’t set lofty expectations. Eventually, your vacations will grow into trips that are bigger and better than the first ones you took. My husband and I took our first trip together to a resort in Jamaica, and since then we’ve traveled all over the world, climbing mountains and exploring Tibetan temples. But occasionally we still like a simple long-weekend getaway, or even a road trip for a night or two. These types of trips allow couples to reconnect. It’s not about where you go or how far away it is; it’s about being intentional with your time and creating memories together.

It might be a little late to plan your getaway for this upcoming Valentine’s Day, but there are plenty of days left in the year, and there’ll be another Valentine’s Day next year. Give us a call and get ready to get away with your special someone! 

 

Journey to Morocco: Explore the Timeless Charm of Casablanca!

In what promises to be a busy year of travel, one of the places I’m thinking of visiting is the North African country of Morocco. Just a short flight—or even a boat ride—from Spain, this historic nation has some of the most intriguing destinations for American and European travelers, especially movie buffs, because one of Morocco’s most famous cities was the scene of one of the greatest movies of all time.

            Eighty-one years ago this week, the Academy Award nominations for films released in 1943 were announced. The top two films, in terms of nominations, were The Song of Bernadette (12) and For Whom the Bell Tolls (9). But the movie that came next, with 8 nominations, is the one everybody remembers: Casablanca. It would go on to win Best Picture, along with Best Director and Best Screenplay. The star of the film, Humphrey Bogart, was nominated but lost out to Paul Lukas of Watch on the Rhine. Nobody remembers Lukas today, but everybody remembers Bogie.

            I’m not a film buff like my husband, but Morocco is also an intriguing destination because of its history and culture. When the French colonized Morocco early in the 20^th century, they envisioned Casablanca as the country’s New York, its international port and economic hub, and the capital of Rabat as its Washington. Since gaining independence in 1956, Morocco has slowly been climbing its way up the scale of preferred international destinations, thanks in part to its close proximity to western Europe, and of course its association with the movie.

            The biggest attraction in most Moroccan cities is the medina, the walled historical center of the city. With labyrinthine streets, quirky restaurants and unique shopping opportunities, the medina of a Moroccan city is often the most interesting place to visit. Many cities are now refurbishing old buildings in their medina and converting them into boutique hotels. Graham Cornwell of the Washington Post recently wrote about his trip to Rabat, in which he described a morning stroll along Rue Bouqroune: “…vendors line both sides of the street, where you’ll encounter half a dozen varieties of mint piled high on little tables, silver sardines on big trays of ice, and beautiful ‘heidi’ eggs still with traces of feathers stuck to them.”

            Rabat also boasts ancient ruins dating back thousands of years, as do many other Moroccan cities. These historical locations, many of them preserved as UNESCO World Heritage sites, tie in well with the country’s many and widely renowned museums and art galleries.

In Casablanca, the medina is smaller than those in other major cities (about 125 acres) and its charm carries the visitor away when you pass through its gates. It’s essentially a large bazaar, where you can get everything from native-made leather goods and rugs to spices, linen, antiques and so much more. In Arabic, the place is known as a souk, which makes it even more exotic.

Where can visitors to Casablanca find Rick’s Café Americain, where much of the action in the film takes place? The movie was filmed entirely in Hollywood, but about 20 years ago, some restaurant entrepreneurs opened Rick’s Café Casablanca near the harbor and right on the edge of the medina. The café’s interior is a faithful replica of the movie set, there’s music and high-end dining, but no back-room casino. Reservations are required, and there is a dress code.

Ready to go to Morocco? Give us a call, and when you get to Rick’s, toast your companion with the classic line, “Here’s looking at you, kid.”

 

Journey through History:
Presidential Travels from Rails to Air!

This week, we inaugurate a new President of the United States. It’s always an historic occasion, and not too long after being sworn in, the new president will take his first official trip, on the aircraft known as Air Force One.

            There was a time when presidential travel wasn’t in the air, but on the ground. On rails, to be precise. The history of presidential trains goes back almost as far as the days of our first president, George Washington.

            The Father of Our Country never rode on a train; Washington died in 1799, about a quarter-century before the first tracks were laid in the U.S. The first presidential candidate to use a train for campaigning was William Henry Harrison during his unsuccessful 1836 bid for the office. Harrison ran again in 1840 and won; he became the first president-elect to ride a train to his inauguration in March 1841.

            It would be another twenty years before a sitting president would really start utilizing the railroad to its fullest. Abraham Lincoln traveled throughout the country by train, reaching out directly to Americans and his soldiers in the Union Army, consolidating support for his policies during the Civil War. For the first time, a special coach was built for presidential rail travel. Passenger coaches, especially private ones, frequently bore unique names in those days. Lincoln’s was dubbed United States, and Lincoln supposedly disliked the very idea. He was personally averse to luxury and wary of the message such a coach would send to his constituents, especially during wartime. He never rode in it while alive; after his assassination in April 1865, the car was part of the “Lincoln Special” funeral train that brought his body back to Illinois for burial.

            Lincoln’s use of train travel set a precedent that his successors, and their rival candidates, were quick to follow. One president, James Garfield, was shot while waiting to board his train in Washington, D.C., in 1881. Garfield died of his wounds several months later. More than half a century later, Franklin Roosevelt set the standard for presidential rail travel.

            FDR used train travel extensively during his successful 1932 campaign, and several years after taking office he started using U.S. Car No. 1, built by the Pullman Company in 1928 and originally named the Ferdinand Magellan, one of six custom cars named after famous explorers. The car was acquired by the government in 1941 and refitted for Roosevelt’s use during his travels. World War II was on, so the car featured 5/8-inch steel plating on its roof, sides and floor, and 3-inch-thick bulletproof glass windows. Two escape hatches were also installed. It was the heaviest railcar ever built in America, weighing over 140 tons.

            The interior of Roosevelt’s car had a presidential suite, two guest rooms, a dining room that also served as a conference room, and an observation lounge. There were telephones in most rooms, unheard of at the time. Communications were facilitated by a converted hospital car that had high-tech radio gear installed, so the president could stay connected at all times. A second converted hospital car was used by the presidential Secret Service detail. The code name for these two cars was “Crate.” An oversize baggage car would often carry two sedans and two convertibles for motorcades. The presidential train used the call-sign “POTUS,” with the Secret Service calling it “City Hall.” The train had the right-of-way wherever it traveled, at any time, just like presidential motorcades and Air Force One do today.

            During his presidency, FDR traveled nearly a quarter-million miles on the rails. His successor, Harry Truman, took to U.S. Car No. 1 for his 1948 campaign, a 31,000-mile “whistlestop” tour in which the train would stop at virtually every town along the route and Truman would speak to the assembled crowd from the rear platform. Truman often complained of the train’s slow speed and demanded that the engineer open it up to 80mph, double what FDR preferred. The train’s relatively slow speed was one reason why Truman became increasingly reliant on air travel on a converted cargo plane, a C-118 Liftmaster dubbed Independence.

            Dwight Eisenhower used the special railcar during his 1953-61 presidency, but its days were numbered. During his administration, the White House put the first “Air Force One” callsign on a presidential plane, a Lockheed Constellation. The last use of the car was by Ike’s first lady, Mamie, who took it to christen the world’s first nuclear submarine, USS Nautilus. The historic car was retired to the Gold Coast Railroad Museum in Florida, where it remains on display today.

            Presidents and candidates have occasionally ridden the rails since the train’s golden era, recognizing the train’s iconic place in American lore and its unique ability to transport the president around the country in secure comfort and stay relatively close to the people. No president will ever use it like FDR did, but the train will always have a special place in the history of our chief executives.

            Ready to ride the rails? We can recommend some great trips in the U.S., Canada and overseas. Give us a call, and all aboard!
 

Journey through History:

Presidential Travels from Rails to Air!

My husband subscribes to a Substack written by Sean Dietrich, who lives in Alabama. The title is “Sean of the South,” and in his columns, Dietrich writes movingly about his observations of life. Dave passed this one on to me because it takes place on a plane, and I had to share it with you. Get some Kleenex ready.

I’m on a plane awaiting takeoff. My carry-on bag is above me in the compartment. A compartment which, according to FAA regulations, is slightly too small for everyone’s carry-on bags.

There is an old man behind me trying to force his oversized roller-suitcase into storage by throwing his bodyweight against his luggage like a first-string tackle. But his efforts aren’t working because his carry-on is about the size of a Honda Civic.

But God love him, he’s trying.

A few of us passengers help him out, although we are not strong enough to bend the immutable laws of physics. 

In the process of helping, the old guy and I make friends. I’m guessing he’s mid-eighties. 

“Hi, I’m Art,” he says cheerfully, and I smell nothing but Old Spice. He answers everything with a strong Midwestern “Youbectcha.” 

“I’m from Wisconsin,” he adds.

“I’m from Alabama,” I say. 

He nods. He thumps his chest and starts the conversational ball rolling. “I was married fifty-nine years.”

“Really.”

“Ohyoubetcha.” 

“That’s amazing.” 

“Well, I learned a long time ago that marriage is just an agreement between two adults. You don’t try to run her life, and you don’t try to run yours, either.”

We fall silent while the plane achieves liftoff. But not for long. He tells me about his wife.

“She was Korean. Met her when I was in the Air Force. The last thing I thought I’d do is get married, but, hey, I fell in love. She was the prettiest woman you ever saw.”

He goes on to tell me the whole love story. He tells me how he met her when he was a GI, and how he fell for her gentle spirit, her sable hair. He speaks of how she grew up in horrific poverty, of how she was an incurable optimist in the face of loss.

“...And she was smart. Spoke four languages. And when she sang in Korean, it melted you. Shoulda tasted the food she’d cook. God, she was a spectacular cook.”

He pauses and looks out his window. About 40,000 feet below us is the earth.

“She was a great woman,” he says.

Was.

His cheerful mood is suddenly dampened. And just like that he’s done talking. He’s tired. He sleeps. He gently snores. 

And I’m wondering what a guy does after losing his wife of 59 years. How does he carry on? How does he sleep in an empty bed? How does he eat supper alone in the deafening quiet? 

The plane lands. We deboard. 

And I am impressed with how strong the old Wisconsinite is. He unloads his carry-on bag from the overhead compartment and hobbles through the passenger boarding bridge like a man twenty years his junior.

I am starting to feel bad for this lonely man until we filter into the crowded terminal where I see two arrestingly beautiful middle-aged women waiting to meet him. The women confiscate his bags and throw their arms around him. 

“Daddy,” they both say. 

As I walk past the old man on my way to my next terminal, he and I lock eyes briefly. “It was nice meeting you,” the man says to me. “You take care now.”

I smile. “Youbetcha.”

 

Is Your ID Ready for Takeoff? Check Your Star Power Before May 2025!

Take a moment and check your driver’s license. If it has the star in the upper right hand corner, you can pass on this newsletter and congratulate yourself for having gotten the Real ID. But if there’s no star, then read on.

                The star is the Real ID symbol, and it’s displayed a little differently in each state. (Wisconsin and Minnesota have the star inside a circle; California’s has its inside a bear, the state’s symbol.) Many of us have had them on our driver’s licenses (or state-issued ID cards) for years. The Real ID Act was made law in 2005, mandating that people without the star would be prohibited from flying domestically or entering certain federal facilities. But Congress gave everyone plenty of time to get it done, with the law setting a 2020 deadline for compliance. That was pushed back to 2025, thanks to backlogs at state motor vehicle departments and, of course, Covid.

                Well, 2025 is here, and if you don’t have a Real ID yet, now is the time to get one.

                The origin of the law goes back to the terrorist attacks of 9/11/01. The commission that investigated the attacks recommended that the federal government “set standards for the issuance of sources of identification, such as driver’s licenses.” The 2005 law established minimum security standards for states to use when issuing a Real ID card to a person. Also, certain federal agencies were prohibited from accepting IDs that were issued by states which did not meet the standards.

                It sounds a lot more complicated than it really is. (Imagine that.) Every driver’s license expires after a certain period of time. In Wisconsin, it’s typically about eight years. We all know the drill: go to the local DMV office, maybe fill out a form and pay a small fee, and our new license is issued, usually sent through the mail. The new license may have a different style than its predecessor. We probably had a new photo taken for it, or change of address. New security features could be added. And, hopefully, we made sure it has that Real ID star in the proper corner (upper right in every state).

                But getting the Real ID hasn’t been a requirement, necessarily, just a pretty good idea. Now, the calendar has turned to 2025, and May 7 is just about four months away. That’s the date the law takes effect nationwide. Any traveler aged 18 or older who doesn’t have another TSA-approved form of identification, such as a passport, must have a Real ID-compliant identification card or driver’s license. If you don’t have one and try to go through security at the airport, you’ll be turned away, no matter where you’d been planning to go, or how much you’ve already paid for your flight and other expenses, such as a cruise.

                Maybe you don’t want to take the time to get your license renewed, and Real ID certified, until your birthday, when the current card expires, and the big day is sometime after May 7. Okay, but if you plan to fly before your birthday, you’ll need one of the TSA-approved substitutes, such as a valid passport, from the U.S. or another country. Other documents on that list include a DHS trusted traveler card, such as Global Entry; a Department of Defense ID for military personnel and their dependents; a border crossing card, or others that are listed on the DHS website, www.dhs.gov.

                If you don’t have your Real ID yet but would like to get one, check with your local DMV office for a list of documents you’ll need. At a minimum, you’ll need to provide documentation with your full legal name and date of birth, your Social Security number, and proof of current address. Wisconsin’s Department of Transportation has a link prominently displayed on its website, www.wisconsindot.gov, that will even allow you to schedule your visit to the nearest field office. Once you’ve done all that, it will take up to 2 weeks for the new card to arrive in your mail.

                So, if you don’t have one and you plan to fly anytime on or after May 7, it’s time to git ‘er done, as Larry the Cable Guy says. Need help with your travel documents? We’re here to make sure you have everything you need before you head to the airport. Give us a call!

Sue Tindell

 

Explore Europe and Beyond: Journey Through the World's Famous Tunnels!
 

Many of our clients enjoy traveling to Europe, and it’s one of my favorite destinations, too. But one thing I haven’t done yet is go through the “Chunnel.” Officially known as the Channel Tunnel, it runs under the English Channel for about 31 miles, connecting England and France. Used by passenger and freight trains (cars can go aboard LeShuttle, a railway service), it is the longest underwater tunnel in the world. It opened in 1994, took six years to build and came in way over budget at 4.65 billion pounds.

            A cross-channel tunnel was not a new idea, not even a 20th century idea. Way back in 1802, a French mining engineer proposed a tunnel under the Channel, with illumination from oil lamps, horse-drawn coaches and an artificial island positioned mid-Channel for changing horses. That project didn’t get off the ground—or under it, as in this case—but it did start people on both sides of the Channel thinking about it. And now, there are some people thinking that the idea of an undersea tunnel might just work for something that is somewhat larger in scale: a tunnel under the Atlantic Ocean, linking New York and London.

            With airliners able to make the flight in eight hours, how could a tunnel even be practical? It might, using vacuum tube technology. By creating a vacuum within the tunnel and using pressurized vehicles, trains traveling along the structure could theoretically reach speeds of almost 3,000mph, making the journey last only an hour.

            Digging a tunnel under the Atlantic would be the most enormous engineering project in history. Using the Chunnel construction as a guide, the Atlantic tunnel would take nearly 800 years to build, and cost upwards of $20 trillion. Those numbers suggest it’ll be a while before anybody gets serious about this project, but tests of the vacuum-tube technology, also called a “hyperloop,” are underway in India and China right now.

            There are other tunnels that are actually happening. Norway just broke ground on the Rogfast Project, which promises to become the world’s longest and deepest undersea road tunnel, connecting the Norwegian mainland with some offshore islands. It will be just under 17 miles long and at its deepest point would be almost 1,300 feet under the water’s surface. The cost: $20 billion US. Another one that’s underway is the Fehmarnbeit Tunnel between Denmark and Germany, which will be the world’s longest road and rail tunnel when it opens in 2029.

            Bridge-builders aren’t ignoring the challenge of the tunnels. A new bridge linking Greece and Turkey over the Evros River is slated to open to vehicle traffic in 2027. China has been building a lot of them; since 2005, the Chinese have constructed nine of the top 16 longest bridges in the world. The U.K. recently shelved plans to build an over-water bridge linking Britain and Ireland. It was to be 12 miles long over the Irish Sea, The problem was not the length of the proposed bridge, but what would be underneath it: Beaufort’s Dyke, a 35-mile-long natural trench created during the last glacial period. Its average depth is 500 feet, twice that at its deepest point. It’s what’s down there that really killed the project: for about 30 years after World War II, the British government used the Dyke as a munitions dump. There are more than a million tons of unexploded munitions down there, as well as chemical weapons and even radioactive waste. Combine that with rough seas, strong currents and the unpredictable weather of Scotland and Northern Ireland, and it all caused the Brits to think that the bridge might not be the best idea to pursue right now.

            Just so you know, the longest suspension bridge in the world is not the Golden Gate in California. It’s the 1915 Ꞔanakkale Bridge in Turkey, with a main span of over 6,600 feet. It opened in 2022. The Golden Gate (4,199.5 feet long) is only number 20 on the list, right behind America’s longest, the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge in New York. Closer to home, the Mackinac Bridge that connects Michigan’s Upper Peninsula with the lower part of the state is 28th at 3,799.2 feet.

            Maybe your next trip to Europe will include riding the rails under the Channel. Give us a call, and we’ll get you on board!