The Columbian

Travel

TSA absentee rate still high, but down from Sunday’s peak

January 17, 2019, 11:40am Nation & World

TSA officials say the rate of airport screeners missing work during the partial government shutdown has stabilized — but still at unusually high numbers — just before a three-day holiday weekend that is likely to bring bigger airport crowds. Read story

Maintaining a triangular body formation is key for novice ice climbers.

Banff offers best place to learn to ice climb

January 13, 2019, 1:00pm Life

I’m not even halfway up an ephemeral ice wall in Banff National Park before I find myself, quite literally, on a slippery slope. Read story

Disneyland Resort announces price changes for tickets, parking

January 13, 2019, 1:00pm Life

Only months before the opening of its $1 billion Star Wars expansion, the Disneyland Resort announced price increases of up to 25 percent for daily tickets, annual passes and parking. Read story

Federal shutdown could delay Paine Field passenger flights

January 8, 2019, 9:04pm Northwest

Final federal approval of commercial passenger service at Paine Field, which was expected to begin Feb. 11, could be delayed by the ongoing government shutdown. Read story

Canaveral National Seashore, a wilderness beach along the Atlantic in Central Florida that is staggeringly beautiful but blighted in places by litter.

Paradise can still be found around Florida

January 6, 2019, 6:02am Life

Florida’s natural wonders have been in the news this year for all the wrong reasons: toxic tides, green slimes and rotting marine life. Read story

FILE - In this Sunday, Jan. 31, 2016 filer, people fill St. Mark’s Square in Venice, Italy, to watch the ‘ Flight of the Angel ‘, as a woman dressed in traditional costume descends from the bell tower into the square. The mayor of Venice says Italy’s new budget law includes a measure allowing the lagoon city to charge all visitors for accessing the historic center -- not just those sleeping in hotels or other accommodations. Mayor Luigi Brugnaro announced on Twitter late Sunday, Dec. 30, 2018 that the tax will ‘‘allow us to manage the city better and to keep it clean,’’ and ‘‘above all allow Venetians to live with more decorum.’’ The city council will determine the amount of the tax and collection mode.

Day-trippers to Venice face city-access charge

January 6, 2019, 6:02am Life

A measure in Italy’s 2019 budget law will allow the local government in Venice to charge day-trippers for access to the city’s historic center as a way to help defray the considerable costs of maintaining a popular tourist destination built on water, the mayor said. Read story

Picks for winter family adventure

December 30, 2018, 6:00am Life

When it comes to making travel plans, the options can be overwhelming. Five intrepid family travel experts add to the mix with their top picks for a memorable, winter season adventure. Read story

The Club airport lounges offer a day pass for $40.

Escape crowds at airline lounge

December 30, 2018, 6:00am Life

Stuck at the airport. Wouldn’t it be lovely to have somewhere to escape the crowds, relax comfortably and grab a bite that doesn’t take a chomp out of your wallet? Such a place exists: an airport lounge. Read story

This November 2018 photo shows Director Mario Arturo Hernández Peña showing endangered cacti grown in El Charco’s greenhouse at El Charco del Ingenio in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.

Natural species blooming at Mexican garden

December 30, 2018, 6:00am Life

SAN MIGUEL DE ALLENDE, Mexico — Imagine a botanical garden, and acres of carefully designed, highly manicured, delicately pruned “zoos for plants” may come to mind. But at El Charco del Ingenio, a botanical garden and natural protected area in central Mexico, the sprawling scrubland has been allowed to return… Read story