Travel news in the event of a pandemic: France on the list of "very high" travel risks
Editor's Note – CNN is launching Unlocking the World, a weekly newsletter to guide you through the latest travel developments and more. Register here.
(CNN) – Are you all excited for a third year of the pandemic? We neither. But as restrictions tighten around the world, CNN Travel has found solace in the world's biggest cocktail bars and Europe's finest cheeses.
Here are the latest travel developments you need to know about the past seven days.
Omicron Still Complicates Travel As The Holidays Approach
Since the world heard about Omicron in late November, travel restrictions have changed by the minute. With the arrival of new medical information, travelers are faced with a complicated landscape for vacations. We have expert advice from US doctors on whether the new variant should feature in vacation travel plans and holiday gatherings.
If you've got international travel coming up and want to know what it's all about, CNN Travel has 35 regularly updated destination guides on our Unlocking the World page, covering Covid rules everywhere, from Antarctica to Uruguay. Just click on the banner at the top of any of our Unlocking the World articles to dive into it.
France fell this week in the CDC's highest risk category for travel.
Joël Saget / AFP via Getty Images
Each week, many of these destinations move up and down the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's travel risk list. France, the world's leading tourist destination before the pandemic, fell into the highest risk category on Monday. It is one of seven destinations that have joined the "very high" risk this week.
Passenger jumped from jet while another crew assaulted
It was another week of disruptive incidents for US airlines and airports. On December 4, a 30-year-old man jumped from a plane while taxiing at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport.
Then, on December 8, a man who told police he wanted to steal a jet so he could travel to Area 51 to observe aliens was arrested after using a limousine to walk through the fences at the international airport. McCarran of Las Vegas, parked on an airplane ramp. and issued a bomb threat. The following night, a Delta flight from Washington, DC to Los Angeles made an emergency landing in Oklahoma City after a passenger allegedly assaulted two people.
No wonder people are looking for alternative, perhaps less stressful means of transportation.
A 67-year-old Slovenian swims in the world's most dangerous rivers, braving pirates and piranhas on his way. It is definitely a way to avoid the queues at check-in.
Remember when travel was glamorous?
There are a lot of cool new high speed trains
As the world grapples with climate change, short-haul flights seem less and less attractive to many travelers. For intercity or international journeys of up to 700 kilometers (345 miles), the high-speed train seeks to be the most efficient alternative, and nowadays trains can reach speeds of up to 290 km / h. (180 mph) or more.
China is the world leader in the field, but Spain, Germany, Italy, Belgium and England are expanding the European network and other countries are expected to follow suit by the 2030s.
CNN's Ben Jones has put together this roundup of where you can travel on the world's fastest trains in 2022.
London has the best bars in the world
For the second year in a row, London's Connaught Bar, located at the 124-year-old Connaught Hotel in Mayfair, was named the world's best bar. This is thanks to its elegant Cubist-inspired setting, five-star hospitality and a cocktail offering that includes a Martini cart where personalized drinks are prepared at the table.
If contemporary industrial chic is more your thing, Tayēr + Elementary, across town on Old Street from East London, specializes in bottled cocktails and is # 2 on the annual Top 50 list. bars around the world.
And Europe has incredible cheeses
We will never know the identity of the ancient glutton of yesteryear who realized that when bacteria curdle the milk, the results are delicious after a while. We – or at least the lactose tolerant among us – owe him a huge favor. In honor of this pioneer in love with dairy products, CNN Travel this week put together a list of the most delicious cheeses in Europe.
Total eclipse over Antarctica
The solar eclipse has brought a few minutes of total darkness to the continent which generally experiences daylight during its summer season.
A complete solar eclipse has brought a few minutes of total darkness to Antarctica, which typically experiences 24/7 daylight during its summer.
The camels were disqualified from a beauty contest due to the use of Botox.
A climber found jewelry worth $ 168,700 on Mont Blanc.
What's new, IKEA …
Dead chickens have kept planes safe for years.
A photo from the other side of the world has sparked a pandemic continent-wide love affair.
CNN's Melissa Alonso, Caroll Alvarado, Julia Buckley, Alaa Elassar, Jack Guy, Ben Jones, Sharif Paget, Teodora Preda, Francesca Street, Mohammed Tawfeeq and Maegan Vazquez contributed to this report.
When will Covid-19 end? In South Africa, the travel industry cannot wait
Egypt: fire ravages iconic Nassibian Studio Theater
Who can and cannot cross the border, according to CBP
Public places to strengthen pandemic prevention measures