Travel news: Flying yachts and whale-shaped planes

By Grace D. Goins Last updated Jan 29, 2022

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(CNN) — A “flying car” is cleared for takeoff and plans have been revealed for a flying yacht.

Airbus is chartering its much-loved Beluga XL plane and a robot vacuum cleaner has escaped from a British hotel.

Here’s the latest from CNN Travel.

Cases are increasing but the brakes are loosening

life in asia

In Thailand, CNN’s Richard Quest revisits the Bangkok classic that millions know and love.

Hong Kong’s Covid quarantine measures have been notoriously strict throughout the pandemic. This first-person account concerns a 21-day stay in a government camp.

Hong Kong’s zero tolerance rules over Covid also affect animals. Pet owners in the city resort to private jets when they need to move their pets.

Flying yachts, cars and whales

The MY Galactica yacht passed under bridges with just centimeters of clearance on her maiden voyage through the rivers and canals of the southern Netherlands.

A flying car has been allowed to take off in Slovakia, but you need a pilot’s license to drive it. And a new Italian superyacht concept has the ability to sail high in the air and ride the waves.

The superyacht’s helium-filled airships could have come in handy earlier this month when a massive 262ft (80m) boat got stuck under a Dutch bridge with just inches of clearance.

Meanwhile, beasts normally bound to the sea are likely to become a more common sight in the skies, as Airbus prepares to charter its much-loved Beluga XL “whale plane”.

Mayhem, mishap and moolah

A German passenger who was traveling to Thailand with more than €33,000 in cash lost his money en route but was found with his stash by police on his return through Dubai International Airport, reports The UAE National .

sky and sea

“Flights to nowhere” was a mini aviation trend in 2020 and 2021, as airlines tackled pandemic restrictions on the ground by offering round-trip sightseeing adventures in the skies. We look at the continuation of this original trend.

Martyn Griffiths of industry body Cruise Lines International Association told CNN Travel in June 2021 that cruise ships are “one of the safest vacation environments available today.”

But as the highly transmissible Omicron spreads around the world and more and more reports of canceled or canceled cruises amid travels, the near-term future of smooth sailing looks uncertain.

“Travel has always been the number one priority”

Elizabeth and Kris Sokolowski and their son Braden.

courtesy of Kris Sokolowski

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Top image: Airbus Beluga XL takes off from Toulouse Blagnac Airport on April 30, 2020. (Photo by REMY GABALDA/AFP via Getty Images)