Jaunted - The Pop Culture Travel Guide

Turns Out, Security Guards at JFK Would Rather Be Napping

Omri — 2013-06-19T16:05:49-05:00

38 year old Stephen Jackson was fired from his job as a supervisor at JFK overseeing private airport security guards. He subsequently released to the media a bunch of really incriminating photos and videos showing other guards working for his former employer, FJC Security Services, asleep on the job.

He says he was fired for being too good at his job: over the course of six months he showed his superiors evidence of sleeping guards, and they mostly ignored him, and he kept pestering them, and ultimately they fired him. Under Jackson's theory, he's a whistle blower. The good folks at FJC Security Services claim Jackson was fired for totally different reasons, and he showed the media pictures of their employers sleeping in retaliation. Under their theory, he's a disgruntled employee.

Everyone seems to agree that the pictures are totally legitimate examples of airport security guards asleep on the job. Which seems like kind of a big deal to us, since they're guards in charge of airport security.

Donate $5, Possibly Win a $40,000 South African Safari

cmb — 2013-06-19T13:27:48-05:00

The Phelophepa Train of Hope is looking for your help in reaching their goal of dispensing 50,000 pairs of eyeglasses in Africa this year and in return you'll be entered to win a mega $40,000 vacation.

The unique Phelophepa Trains utilize the railways of South Africa to deliver health care to under-served areas and, in doing so, they've helped more than 14 million people since 1994.

Capri: The Adventures of Travel Cat: Relaxing on a Patio on Capri

JetSetCD — 2013-06-19T12:24:17-05:00

Kitty cats. They rule the internet and, whether we realize it or not, pretty much the world too. Ever noticed how cats sometimes stake out the coolest spots in a city? This new feature—Travel Cat—focuses on exactly that. Submit a photo to be featured by tweeting or Instagramming it to us (details below).

Travel Cat spotted in: The island of Capri, Italy.

This week's Travel Cat comes from Kenn Wilson, aka @kchrist on Twitter, who spotted this fluffy cat doing a little cleaning while relaxing on a patio somewhere on the island of a Capri.

Road Tripping South Africa via the Garden Route: Attacking Swartberg Pass

StevenD — 2013-06-19T11:44:17-05:00

If you're going to road trip in South Africa, let it be on the Garden Route. This popular stretch of road connects Heidelberg and Storms River Village along the N2, traversing mountain passes interspersed with views out to the Indian Ocean. We recently drove it in a 2014 Subaru Forester XT, opting for the most picturesque (and least paved) stretches from Plettenberg Bay to Cape Town. Come along for the ride all this week!

Day 1 - Day 2 - Day 3 - Day 4 - Day 5

Snaking through the Black Mountains ("Swartberg" is the Afrikaans translation of "Black Mountain"), the winding Swartberg Pass connects the towns of Prince Albert and Oudtshoorn. It is relatively unchanged since its completion some 125 years ago, which means that drivers are in for unpaved, dusty roads and hairpin turns at a range of altitudes. Also, because the road is thin with few run-off areas, there's little room for error. Luckily for us, the Subaru Forester was designed precisely for conditions such as these.

This is not a road for your BMW Z4; take care in selecting your rental car if Swartberg Pass is on your itinerary.

Six of the Prettiest Purple Airplanes to Ply the Skies

jetflyboy — 2013-06-19T10:34:17-05:00

It's not everyday passengers get the chance to fly on a purple plane, especially in America where we are constantly subject to boring primary colors (with the exception of Southwest) and the regular arrival of "Eurowhite" international aircraft. If you've been lucky enough to pass through some exotic ports of call, it's not uncommon to come across more vibrantly hued planes.

Today we're going to "keep it royal" by taking a peek at some of these aubergine aircraft:

Thai Airways: Here's one you don't have to travel too far to see since you might catch a glimpse of it at LAX. It even has a little shimmer to it!

[Photo: Aero Icarus/Flickr]

London's New $2.5 Billion Airport Terminal Will Be Royally Eco-Friendly

jetflyboy — 2013-06-19T09:23:43-05:00

This summer hasn't even officially begun and we're already looking forward to a European trip in 2014, thanks to the opening of the newest and flashiest new airport: Heathrow's Terminal 2. Besides the fresh new airport smell, the building will walk through the halls of The Queen's Terminal, the official name of the modern building.

The countdown is officially on for The Queen's Terminal as we are just under 12 months until the ribbon cutting, with the first passengers arriving on a United flight June 4, 2014. The terminal will hearken back to the airport's history; Queen Elizabeth opened the original building in 1955, just 3 years after she took the throne. Since then, that structure was demolished to make way for a sustainable airport that will grow with the amount of tourists planning to head to the UK and transit through the mega-hub.

Why You'll Need More Than Miles for Elite Status on United

JetSetCD — 2013-06-19T09:07:52-05:00

Wow. Travelers on United Airlines flights have had it rough this week. First, there was the incident of the unruly passenger shouting "you've all been poisoned" to a plane full of fellow passengers, and then one of their Dreamliners flying between Denver and Tokyo made an emergency landing, and finally United went and raised their award ticket change fees, effective immediately.

What we're most concerned about, however, is the announcement made yesterday that United will begin requiring a minimum spend on flight tickets in order for travelers to qualify for elite status, a move they're totally copying from new SkyMiles rules laid down recently by Delta.

At time, it was widely believed Delta would remain both the first and only US airline to have such a stringent qualification, at least for a little while. But of course when an American airline smells ~~blood in the water~~ money to be made, all bets are off.