The velomobile -- a recumbent tricycle with aerodynamic bodywork -- offers a more interesting alternative to the bicycle for longer trips. The bodywork protects the driver (and luggage) from the weather, while the comfortable recumbent seat eases the strain on the body, making it possible to take longer trips without discomfort. Furthermore, a velomobile (even without electric assistance) is much faster than an electric bicycle.

There’s no comfort in the statistics for missions to Mars. To date over 60% of the missions have failed. The scientists and engineers of these undertakings use phrases like “Six Minutes of Terror,” and “The Great Galactic Ghoul” to illustrate their experiences, evidence of the anxiety that’s evoked by sending a robotic spacecraft to Mars — even among those who have devoted their careers to the task. But mention sending a human mission to land on the Red Planet, with payloads several factors larger than an unmanned spacecraft and the trepidation among that same group grows even larger. Why? Nobody knows how to do it.

Even if I give her the absolute benefit of the doubt—that though I did not take any more pictures she genuinely feared I would be a safety threat to the flight—that does not give her license to state mistruth that impugns my character. And if she was indeed scared of me, how pitiful is that? Indeed, the terrorists have won when 11.5 years after the attacks U.S. citizens are scared of a camera onboard an airplane. This was not an issue of privacy—the real impetus behind United's onboard photography guidelines above. You can see that the picture of my seat did not compromise anyone's privacy. Instead, I believe the FA simply could not fathom why I would want to take pictures of my seat and therefore deemed me a security threat and lied in order to get me off the airplane.

Living in one of the most volcanically active countries in the world can have its perks, not least the abundance of natural hot springs. According to the Nippon Onsen Research Association, there are a total of 3,185 onsen spread around Japan, in locations ranging from Hokkaido to the southernmost islands of Okinawa. Traditionally, the citizens of Edo had to trek to spa towns like Hakone and Atami if they wanted to get their fix, but today's Tokyoites have it easier: they just drill a few kilometres underground to tap their own source of geothermal goodness. You can now find a diverse range of onsen in Tokyo, from old-school public baths that are practically indistinguishable from your average sento, to massive, theme park-style complexes such as Oedo Onsen Monogatari. As winter holds the capital in its rimy grasp, there's never been a better time to check out some of Tokyo's best hot-spring baths – and we've got something for every taste and budget right here...

Our train trip via Russia to North Korea - using an officially closed for foreigners route inside the "Hermit Kingdom"

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Allt du behöver för att resa med barn!

Smarta, praktiska och innovativa produkter för resan, övernattningen eller för en skön dag på stan eller i naturen.

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Random patdowns began at 30 international airports across Japan this week.

According to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, the random body searches are being conducted to check for chemical and plastic explosive materials that are not picked up by metal detectors, TBS reported.

Oh good, Japan joins in the fun of groping passengers in the name of security. I feel safer already.

A TSA agent convicted of stealing more than $800,000 worth of goods from travelers said this type of theft is “commonplace” among airport security. Almost 400 TSA officers have been fired for stealing from passengers since 2003.

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“TSA is probably the worst personnel manager that we have in the entire federal government,” said Rep. John Mica, chairman of the House Transportation Committee. “It is an outrage to the public and, actually, to our aviation security system.”