Jaunted

Religion Travel / Alaska Airlines / Lion Air / CGK / Airline News / Airlines / → All Tags

Alaska Airlines Stops Handing Out Prayer Cards, but They're Not the Only Airline with Them

By now you've probably already heard the news that Alaska Airlines is doing away with dispensing mealtime prayer cards onboard. For many travelers, the fact that an airline would do this in the first place is surprising. Like flyer need to be reminded that their lives are in the hands of a few people sitting up front, and the buttons and switches they're operating to keep the plane aloft and on course.

Well, while Alaska Airlines sends all those prayer cards to the recycling bin, at least one other airline is continuing the practice. Twitter user @Jonathan_Liem tipped us off that Lion Air, an Indonesian carrier that flies around SE Asia, includes "invocation pamphlets," printed with prayers for several religions, in your seatback pocket. "Please do not remove from aircraft." Ay yai yai.

more ›

Religion Travel / JFK / Airports / Catholic Travel / Jewish Travel / → All Tags

Peeking into JFK Airport's Religious Prayer Rooms

The Catholic room

Got some extra time at New York-JFK Airport? Instead of grabbing another Auntie Anne's pretzel or buying an "I <3 NY" magnet for your second cousin, perhaps wander on over to the prayer rooms instead. Yes, prayer rooms.

The departures level at Terminal 4, before security, has four prayer rooms for different religions: Muslim, Protestant, Catholic and Jewish. When we passed by recently, we noticed that the Catholic one was in the middle of actual mass, and indeed they offer it daily excepting Wednesdays (M: 5pm, Tu: 12:15pm, Th: 5pm, F: 12:15pm, Sa: 5pm, Su: 1pm).

more ›

Israel Travel / Jerusalem Travel / Tourism / Religion Travel / Travel Snapshot / → All Tags

Travel Snapshot: The View from Atop Jerusalem's Austrian Hospice

The city of Jerusalem (Hebrew: Yerushalayim) has seen as much history as any other place on Earth. The Old City, the 1sq km walled area tucked inside Israel's larger capital, has been continuously inhabited for 5,000 years. It fell on particularly hard times when it was divided between Jordan and Israel from 1948 to 1967—all but one of the city's 35 ancient synagogues were destroyed by the Jordanians, for instance—but since its reunification under Israel much of the destruction has been repaired.

The result is that the Old City is now often the highlight for tourists indulging in some Israel travel. It takes more than one day to see all the sights, with just the Ramparts Walk that we recommended to you last summer taking half a day. The question naturally arises, how can you see as much as possible in the least amount of time?

more ›

Airports / Airport News / BKK / Bangkok Travel / Bangkok Field Trip / Thailand Travel / Religion Travel / → All Tags

Finding Buddha at Bangkok International Airport

Bangkok Suvarnabhumi International Airport is massive, and this is something that must be experienced the understand. From the moment you step into the check-in area of BKK, it's all space and all filled with fellow travelers. Perhaps your eyes are drawn to the lines of counters for exotic airlines, or perhaps you're distracted by the numbers of western tourists dressed like they just crawled out of a rice paddy, but regardless there's one huge focal point smackdab in the center of the terminal: a Reliquary Urn of the Lord Buddha.

Kind of like the rest of the airport, it's giant and shiny. The multi-tiered golden reliquary is also surrounded by a garden of Thai flora, and it's pretty much the most ideal photo backdrop in the airport as evidenced by the flow of people posing in front of it.

more ›

Bangkok Field Trip / Thailand Travel / Bangkok Travel / Photo Gallery / Palaces / Religion Travel / Architecture Travel / → All Tags

The Musts of Bangkok: Touring the Blinged-out Grand Palace

These days, when you think of Bangkok, does the "Hangover 2" phrase "Holla, city of squalor" pop into mind? It did ours, until we freaking went there and got tangled in its web of awesomeness. Bangkok is truly a world metropolis to be experienced over more than a few days, but we'll be detailing several places and things that simply can't be left undone. Join us, but watch where you step.

You MUST see the Grand Palace for yourself.

If there's something you need to understand about Thailand, it's that the king and veneration of the royal family is everywhere, and it gets glitzy. The Grand Palace in the center of Bangkok should be first on your itinerary to come to terms with this, as it's really less of a Palace and more of a village built of gold and richly hued mosaics.

You don't have to worry about waking up the current King and Queen when visiting hours begin early in the day; the Grand Palace is only used for events and backgrounds of tourist photographs these days. Still, the history is palpable, or nearly so as there's one building completely dedicated to illustrating the story of the Ramayana.

more ›

In-Flight Entertainment / Religion Travel / Virgin Atlantic / → All Tags

Finding Mecca is Easy as Turning On a Virgin Atlantic TV

It's quite difficult to shock us these days, especially when it comes to new airplane amenities and features. But then when we recently hopped the pond on Virgin Atlantic and spent some sleepless hours really delving into their seatback in-flight entertainment, we discovered something of an Easter egg tucked away: an option that displays the direction of Mecca relevant to the plane's position.

On the early morning flights from New York to London, there will be a moment when practicing Muslims must complete salah, or the traditional prayers facing the Qibla. Prior to this comes a ritual ablution—we're guessing performed in the airplane's itty bitty restroom sinks—and then the praying may begin.

It's not an ideal way to practice your religion, but as we all know from air travel experience, ya gotta do what ya gotta do.

[Photo: Jaunted]

Israel Travel / Jerusalem Travel / Religion Travel / Travel Snapshot / → All Tags

Jerusalem's 'Ramparts Walk': The Insidery Diversion You'll Want to Take

We're indulging in some Israel travel this week, as Jaunted writers are wont to do from time to time. The picture you're looking at is of the ramparts that line the Old City of Jerusalem, a two and a half mile walk that dates back to ancient times and has been immortalized in art. The so-called "rampart walk" is one of those insidery tourist attractions that, once you know about them, are actually worth signing up for.

Visitors can enter and tour the ramparts, which ring the Old City, for about $5. You have to climb up some fairly steep stairs to get to them, but once you're at the top - as you can imagine - the views are spectacular. If you turn and look inside the city, you get to see iconic structures that have been written about for thousands of years. If you turn the other way you're presented with modern Jerusalem.

more ›

Tourists / Religion Travel / Vatican / Religious Travel / Fashion Travel / Shopping Travel / Travel News / → All Tags

It's Easier Than Ever to Get Banned from the Vatican

In addition to the recent news that tourists and their sweatiness and general humanity are ruining Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel, comes the report from Italian news agency ANSA tourists have also flouted the dress code rules of Vatican City so much that the seat of the Catholic Church has had to crack down on it over this summer.

The enforcement began around July, when Swiss Guards commenced stopping individual tourists as they attempted to enter St. Peter's Square (Piazza San Pietro). Says ANSA of what then transpired:

more ›

South Korea Travel / Korean Air / Korea Travel / Religion Travel / → All Tags

Be a Buddhist Monk for a Day on a New Korean Air Templestay

Amidst the high rises and shiny modern department department stores in the middle of modern-day Seoul, South Korea, sit a few quiet vestiges of the past. These are the traditional temples, dotted around the city and the rest of the country, whose short-term "Templestay" programs allow South Koreans to both explore their cultural heritage and escape from their hectic routines.

Our Korean friends have done them and we were totally jealous, but now—thanks to Korean Air working out a deal—foreigners will be welcome to enjoy these brief Buddhist lifestyle-focused breaks as well. Korean Air is offering 24-hour templestays, which envelop you in the life of a Buddhist monk, complete with a ritual ‘Dado’ tea ceremony, ‘Chameson’ meditation, 'Yebul' ceremonial chant, "Baru Gongyang’ silent communal meal and a tour of the Temple.

Find out more on how to sleep with the monks here, and we'll see you at the temple!

Related Stories:
· Templestays [Hanjin Travel]
· Korean Air Launches Templestays Programme for Foreigners [AsiaTravelTips]
· South Korea Travel [Jaunted]

[Photo: Jaunted]

Travel Tweet of the Week / Twitter / Twitter Travel / Lufthansa / Religion Travel / → All Tags

Tweet of the Week: God Only Flies First Class

We love Tuesdays. Why, you ask? Because the day brings many travel tips and quips as "Travel Tuesday" on Twitter, and we're going to share our favorite with you. Got an avid travel twitterer we should follow? Let us know.

Even though you'd think that God would travel amongst his people in economy class, in your heart of hearts you know that he totally doesn't. Organized religion rides in style, as writer Amy S. Choi (@AwesomeChoi) discovered on her Lufthansa flights from NYC to Frankfurt today:

2 nuns sitting in first class on Lufthansa flight from NY to Frankfurt. i need to get in on that business.

She's not the only one to have spotted the literally holier than thou in the higher airline classes; we've seen many a minister rolling their Travelpros down the First Class breezeway line, and each time we're reminded that travel is a business expense, and the Church is—after all—a business. Too bad Amy didn't note exactly what church they're from, because then perhaps Lufthansa could put a few adds in the back of their hymnal.

Related Stories:
· @AwesomeChoi [Twitter]
· Twitter Travel [Jaunted]