Quarantine getting to you? Craving an international escape? An extended stay in Thailand is now possible for some travelers – though there are, of course, a few caveats.

Having reported only around 3500 infections and 59 deaths from coronavirus, Thailand has escaped relatively unscathed from the pandemic. And the country’s military-led government is keen to keep things this way. Thailand’s doors have been firmly closed to the vast majority of international visitors since March, but with more than 20% of its GDP stemming from tourism, this has had a massive negative impact on its economy. In an effort to kick-start this sector, in mid-September, the Thai government announced that it would again be allowing foreign tourists to enter the country.

The new Special Tourist Visa (STV), which kicked off in October, is designed to allow certain travelers to enter the country. Those who receive the visa must enter on charter flights – meaning that tourists can only come in from certain destinations. According to an information page on the visa, travelers from low-risk countries will be admitted. The Thai embassy in Finland and Singapore both have instructions on their websites for how to apply for the visa, and some flights from China have already arrived.

On the surface, it’s a pretty straightforward deal: potential tourists apply for the visa in advance, and if approved, must quarantine for 14 days upon arrival, after which they’re free to explore the country. But it's not quite that simple. The Bangkok Post has created a rather intimidating flowchart that attempts to explain the steps involved. These include having to hire the services of a third party to apply for the visa, paying in advance for a private or chartered direct flight to Bangkok, quarantine accommodation at a state-approved facility and all subsequent accommodation, providing proof of health insurance that covers up to US$100,000, as well as a gamut of documents that includes a criminal background check.

If you’re willing or able to jump through all these hoops, the STV grants a stay of 90 days and can be extended twice, totaling 270 days – nearly nine months – in the country. After quarantine in Bangkok, tourists are free to explore other parts of Thailand as they wish, but the government has indicated that their movements may be monitored by an app or wristband.

If things go well, the government says it will increase the number of tourists in the future. For details, Thailand’s Tourism and Sports Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn suggests contacting your local branch of the Tourism Authority of Thailand.

This article was originally published on September 22, 2020 and updated on October 22, 2020.

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Words matter. That’s the takeaway from Washington, DC 's new interactive museum. Planet Word was originally slated to open in the spring and was delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic. But today the museum finally opened its doors to the public.

The 51,000 sq foot space housed in the Franklin School is designed to educate us about language arts through engaging exhibits about the spoken, sung and written word. The location is auspicious for two reasons: not only is the Franklin School the flagship of the first public schools opening in Washington DC, offering free universal education to boys and girls, but its rooftop also happens to be the spot where Alexander Graham Bell made his first wireless transmission from his photophone, an invention that used a beam of light to transmit sound.

Though the opening was delayed, Planet Word continued to develop its exhibitions and is now operating in accordance with public health guidelines. "I am so thrilled to open Planet Word's doors to the public and cannot imagine a more fitting time for a museum of language to open in our nation's capital," said Planet Word founder and CEO Ann Friedman. "Democracy depends on literate citizens. I hope that Planet Word can provide a forum for civil discourse and a place where our community, in all its vibrant diversity, can gather to share the words that bridge differences and forge solutions."

Dubbed the world’s first voice-activated museum, Planet Word engages visitors through 11 immersive galleries. In one, guests can “paint” a scene with words using small brushes, which will change the virtual landscape and scene. In another, a 22ft-high Word Wall comprising more than 1000 three-dimensional words will light up and respond to voice, telling stories about how these words made their way into the English lexicon. And a huge chandelier/globe with 5000 LED lights will challenge visitors with word games incorporating language from dozens of locale and cultures – including two kinds of sign language. Would-be performers can take a shot at karaoke, while those who want to hone their public speaking skills can recite iconic speeches such as JFK's challenge to  Americans to “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country” and Martin Luther King, Jr.'s inspirational “I Have a Dream” call for a post-racism America.

In addition to the exhibit galleries, Planet Word features a wordplay puzzle room, a gift shop, an auditorium and classrooms, and will host ongoing live programming like “Wordshops,” performances and events, author readings and community conversations. Check out their website or this video for a sneak peek.

This article was originally published on February 4, 2020 and updated on October 22, 2020.

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Many people around the world have adapted to a new way of life, working or learning remotely out of necessity or personal choice. With 2020 being a year that has brought massive change to the tourism industry, many businesses have made special efforts to evolve rapidly. One such example is the luxury hotel sector, which has introduced extravagant offerings to try coax travelers into staying - at a price of course. With many parents working from home as well as providing child-care or supervising digital learning, hotels are responding with packages designed for families. Here’s a list of luxury hotels that include family-friendly resources for remote learning.

Auberge Resorts Collection

This luxury hotel brand recently announced its Remote with Auberge program, a scheme that allows guests to work, learn and play remotely this fall and winter. The brand has collaborated with private tutoring and test preparation company Advantage Testing to offer in-person and virtual tutoring services, with students being able to partake in small group learning and one-on-one tutoring from their suites or residences. Guests also have the option to extend tutoring after they depart through continued virtual sessions. Families can also enjoy cultural activities unique to each destination, from learning to play the ukulele, hula dancing, Spanish lessons and Mexican art history classes.

Eden Roc Cap Cana

Offering an extended family staycation package from 20 to 30 days, this Dominican Republic getaway has on-demand offices available for in-villa set up for working and learning remotely. It includes unlimited Spanish lessons and piano lessons and allows children to participate in remote school programs in their suite. There are also chaperoned outdoor activities like bachata, merengue dance lessons and ballet.

Montage Hotels & Resorts

Launching its Montage Academy program available at four different locations, this hotel brand offers access to virtual tutors, monitored study halls and hands-on elective activities for guests aged six to 17. Visitors can take part in yoga, hiking, art, cooking and woodshop, as well as conservation education. There are also practical quizzes in several subjects, while daily healthy snacks and lunches are provided.

Turtle Inn, Belize

Part of the Family Coppola Hideaways collection owned by esteemed film-maker Francis Ford Coppola, Turtle Inn offers an education programme that includes birding, fishing, scuba diving, Spanish speaking, tortilla making and horseback riding. Young guests can even learn about Mayan archaeology and take part in local community service work.

Monarch Beach Resort at Dana Point

The resort’s new Edu-Cations package provides the opportunity for families to take part in online schooling while on vacation. It includes a luxury overnight accommodation in one room with an additional day-use guestroom to serve as a study space, one-hour of on-demand online homework help with tutors at The Princeton Review, as well as insider tours of the Ocean Institute. There’s also the chance to participate in a global student research project on plastics and the sea.

Four Seasons Punta Mita

The “Schoolcations” project at this resort supports learning remotely with a new world-schooling program that features a tech hotline, study buddy program, art, culture and history classes, as well as after-school sports to encourage educational learning through travel. There are also study cabanas available to rent as private workstations with ocean views, outfitted with Wi-Fi, TVs and healthy snacks.

Waldorf Astoria Los Cabos Pedregal

A new partnership with TakeLessons sees students being able to take private tutoring sessions, virtual field trips and pre-recorded coaching classes. USA-based instructors from over 1,100 universities across the country work with guests, while there is also access to a personal concierge to discuss each student’s personal needs.

The Ritz -Carlton Amelia Island

Here guests can explore the Atlantic Ocean Barrier Island Resort for remote learning Experiences and access 24-hour private study rooms. Partnered with the Reef institute to over five-day packages, this field trip sees children exploring native dune ecosystems, kayaking, and analyzing coastal biospheres.

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New igloo-inspired bubble accommodation in Swedish Lapland allows guests to connect with the wilderness around them. The cozy cabins are the first of their type in the world and can be found at the Ice & Light Village near the Arctic Circle on the banks of the Kalix River.

Situated an hour's drive from Luleå airport, the cabins include outside areas and are contained inside huge, heated bubbles.

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The Ice & Light village is the brainchild of Maarit Lindvall, who began developing the project three years ago alongside her niece, Emma Strömberg, an architect from Gothenburg. She wanted to create a stay that was environmentally friendly, so each cabin is entirely self-contained, just requiring electricity for heat and light, thus reducing its impact on the local ecosystem.

“We really wanted to create the best private, cozy and relaxing space for anybody wanting to connect with Arctic nature, but not lose any of the home comforts and atmosphere you get from a Scandinavian Arctic lodge," says Emma. "Once we had the self-contained cabin designed, we wanted to wrap the whole unit in a huge clear slightly heated bubble adding to the comfort of our guests and allowing them to sit comfortably outside their cabin in the Arctic nature searching for wildlife, and of course the Northern Lights.”

Each cabin sleeps two people in twin or double beds and includes an open-plan sleeping and sitting area and bathroom, all created with an unmistakable Scandinavian design. They have been decorated with images from local photographer, Lennart Åström, who captured the region across different seasons from the frozen snowy winter to summer's abundant forests. Guests can also enjoy a fridge stocked with local treats for breakfast.

A stay at the Ice & Light Village in Kalix is available all year round and costs from 1690 SEK (193 USD) per night for a two-person cabin. Rental of ice fishing equipment, snowshoeing, cross-country skis and additional activities as husky tours, snowmobile and icebreaker tours are available at an additional cost. For more information about the Ice & Light experience visit here, and to learn more about the region visit here.

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London ’s Tate Modern will soon dazzle visitors with a year-long exhibition focusing on Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama and her psychedelic Infinity Rooms.

Kasuma is one of the most influential artists in the world, whose paintings, performance, fashion, poetry and conceptual art draw huge crowds wherever they're presented. The Infinity Rooms, in particular, are a worldwide hit for the 91-year-old artist. In the past five years, more than five million people around the globe stepped inside her distinct mirrored rooms to reflect, space out and snap a celestial selfie to share on social media. It's not unheard of for fans to wait in line for hours to experience a brief moment inside them.

Now two of those rooms: Infinity Mirrored Room — Filled With the Brilliance of Life (one of the Kusama's largest-ever installations) and Chandelier of Grief (a room that appears as an endless universe of rotating crystal chandeliers) will arrive at Tate Modern in spring 2021.

The exhibition was scheduled to take place this year for Tate's 20th anniversary, but then along came the pandemic and plans were put on hold. But now it's all systems go for the presentation of the two Infinity Rooms, alongside photography and footage from Kusama's studio and early performance works.

Tate Modern reopened in July after four months of shutdown. It's currently hosting exhibitions on Kara Walker and Andy Warhol to socially-distant visitors, with a survey from South African activist and artist, Zanele Muholi, scheduled for later this year.

Yayoi Kusama: Infinity Rooms will open in spring 2021. Tickets will be priced from £5 and will go on sale soon. For more information, see here.

This article was first published on February 20 and updated on October 22, 2020.

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We're all trying to get outdoors more thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, and a new 420km-long bike route running along the Seine is a welcome addition to the network of French cycle routes. La Seine à Vélo runs from Paris to Le Havre and Deauville in Normandy, and riders get to experience the cultural, historical and industrial heritage of different regions along the route.

The route passes through Seine-Saint-Denis, Hauts-de-Seine, Yvelines, Val-d’Oise, Eure, Seine-Maritime and Calvados. Highlights include Notre-Dame de Paris, Le Havre beach and Les Planches de Deauville, as well as an architectural voyage through the great cathedrals of Paris and Rouen, the Abbaye de Jumièges, the Château de Malmaison, Chateau de La Roche-Guyon and the Château Gaillard aux Andelys.

Developed in partnership with France Vélo Tourisme, a dedicated website has launched to provide those embarking on the route with guides and information on accommodation, food and service providers. It contains practical information related to the route, including a breakdown of the stages, complete with maps and GPX and descriptions of their levels of difficulty and accessibility.

The website describes where gastronomic discoveries can be made through the tasting of local specialties and products and helps to immerse riders in the heart of nature in the Ile-de-France and Normandy countryside. It also outlines the must-see sites along the route, including Street Art Avenue along the Saint-Denis canal, where artists have taken over spaces with their works. Art-lovers can also visit the house and garden of Claude Monet in Giverny, one of the founders of Impressionism.

For further information, visit the website of La Seine à Vélo here.

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Amtrak is holding a "Kids Ride Free" flash sale, which allows one child aged 2-12 to travel free with each paid adult ticket across the US.

In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, travelers may be reassured by Amtrak's safety and cleaning measures. It requires that all customers and employees wear a face mask or covering while onboard and in stations, and has limited bookings on most trains to allow for more physical distancing in seating areas. It has implemented enhanced cleaning and disinfecting protocols at stations and onboard its trains, which are equipped with onboard filtration systems with a fresh air exchange rate every four to five minutes.

The sale applies to the Acela, Northeast Regional, Adirondack, Amtrak Cascades, Carolinian, Downeaster, Empire Service, Ethan Allen Express, Hiawatha, Illinois Service, Maple Leaf, Michigan Services, Missouri River Runner, Heartland Flyer, Piedmont, San Joaquins and Vermonter. It is also valid on trains that travel on the national network: Auto Train, California Zephyr, Capitol Limited, Cardinal, City of New Orleans, Coast Starlight, Crescent, Empire Builder, Lake Shore Limited, Palmetto, Silver Star, Silver Meteor, Southwest Chief, Sunset Limited and Texas Eagle. It does not include the Pennsylvanian, Keystone, Capitol Corridor, Pacific Surfliner and 7000-8999 Thruways.

“Whether seeing family, taking a trip cross-country, or going on a weekend excursion, we truly believe the journey is the most important part of the adventure,” says Roger Harris, executive vice president and chief marketing and revenue officer with Amtrak. “With our latest sale, customers can make a trip extra special and a memorable opportunity to travel on Amtrak.”

The sale is valid for travel in coach and Acela business class, and an advanced reservation of at least three days is required. Blackout dates are November 24, 25, 28, 29, and 30 and bookings can be made on the Amtrak website here.

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With the challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic bringing hardship to many people, one airport reached out to an aviation-loving Twitter user who reported "feeling rock bottom."

Dublin Airport in Ireland was one of 102k people from around the world who reached out to speak to Edmund O'Leary, who is living in Surrey in England but is originally from Clare. "Hi Edmund, you are not alone," it tweeted. "So many people are feeling exactly that way at the minute. Never forget that you are loved & there are people who care about you." The Twitter account also posted some photos of Boeing 747 planes and a picture of dawn in Dublin to console Edmund, saying that it was sending him "hugs from back home."

Hi Edmund, you are not alone. So many people are feeling exactly that way at the minute. Never forget that you are loved & there are people who care about you. We see you like 747s; here’s one just for you, along with a picture of dawn in Dublin. Sending you hugs from back home. pic.twitter.com/x2TyI06uD7
— Dublin Airport (@DublinAirport) October 17, 2020

“We were very touched by Edmund’s tweet," Dublin Airport spokesman, Paul O’Kane, tells Lonely Planet. "We noticed from his posts that Edmund is Irish, that he used to fly, and that he loves Boeing 747 aircraft. On that basis, we responded with a personal message for Edmund and a couple of images – a vintage picture of an Aer Lingus Boeing 747 at Dublin Airport, and an image of dawn over Dublin Bay – in the hope that it might in some way give him a tiny lift. We chose the dawn image as the sun always rises, even after the darkest of nights.”

Speaking to the Sunday Times, Edmund revealed that the message had moved him. "I love jumbo jets," he said. "I was really touched by that tweet." He explained that he had been unemployed for 18 months, and is finding the pandemic hard as he is divorced and lives on his own. He also revealed that the response to his tweet and knowing that so many people care has left him "speechless."

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Passengers departing Heathrow now have the option to apply for a rapid COVID-19 test, with the results delivered on-site within one hour.

London 's Heathrow became the first UK airport to offer pre-departure COVID-19 tests this week. Passengers flying to Hong Kong were the first to test the pre-booked service on Tuesday at a cost of £80 each. The Oxford Lamp pilot testing scheme, which uses a nose and throat swab, will be rolled out for passengers flying on airlines that require pre-departure tests including British Airways, Cathay Pacific and Virgin Atlantic.

According to aviation firm Swissport and the Collinson Group, who launched the scheme, passengers must pre-book their tests with Collinson online before arriving at the airport. They'll be given a time-slot relative to their check-in and departure time. Special testing facilities have been set up in Terminal 2 and 5 and are applicable to passengers traveling to a country where a reciprocal agreement is in place.

The results are available within one hour. If the passenger tests negative, they can continue their trip as normal. However, if they receive a positive result, they will be denied boarding. David Evans, the Collinson joint chief executive, said : "With countries around the world adding the UK to their list of ‘high risk’ countries, we need to find a way to work with governments, leading travel brands and other commercial entities to safely open up travel out of the UK."

The group is also waiting to get the green light for a two-step arrivals test so that passengers traveling into England from high-risk countries can bypass the mandatory 14-day quarantine rule if they test negative.

Heathrow's CEO John Holland-Kaye added, "these facilities will make it easier for passengers going to those countries to get a test and have the potential to provide a service for arriving passengers."

This article was first published on July 7 and updated on October 21, 2020.

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