Travel Briefs

Eiffel Tower workers staged a one-day strike on May 22, closing the iconic landmark, to protest the problem of rampant pickpocketing around the site. Employees asked for a “formal guarantee” to stop pickpockets, who, in addition to targeting tourists, harass staff. 

Parisian authorities have said that there will be 26,000 police officers and government agents throughout the city in 2015 to try to reduce pickpocketing.

More than seven million people a year pay to visit the Eiffel Tower.

On May 6, Jordan announced that it has waived visa fees for most visitors arriving at the airport. 

To qualify for the fee waiver, a visitor must either be entering Jordan through a Jordanian tour operator and spending two consecutive nights in Jordan or, if arriving without booking a trip with a tour operator, must be spending at least three consecutive nights in Jordan.

At land border crossings, Jordan has reduced the fee from JOD40 (near $56) to JOD10 for any visitor who will be spending at least three consecutive nights in Jordan.

The Aspara Authority in Cambodia has created a “Visitor Code of Conduct” for visitors to the Angkor Wat temple complex, following a series of incidents involving tourists.

The code, which is posted in multiple languages at the entrance to the complex, prohibits visitors from touching monuments, entering restricted areas, wearing revealing clothing, and smoking. Breaking the code will be punishable as a crime.

On a select few nights each year, visitors to Vancouver, British Columbia, can have a sleepover at the Vancouver Aquarium (845 Avison Way, Vancouver, B.C., V6G 3E2, Canada; phone 604/659-3552 if booking a sleepover or 604/659-3400 for general inquiries). Individuals and couples can join any “Family Themed Sleepovers.”

Visitors to Queensland in northeastern Australia can swim with humpback whales on a trip with Sunreef (110 Brisbane Road, Mooloolaba 4557, Queensland, Australia; phone +61 7 5444 5656, www.sunreef.com.au). 

Departing from and returning to Mooloolaba, the 3-hour excursion costs AUD115 (near $90). Wetsuits and snorkels are provided. Reserve ahead; 20 participants maximum. Whales migrate past the area July through October.

The exhibit “Shoes: Pleasure & Pain,” with nearly 200 pairs of shoes from around the world, mostly of modern design but some dating as far back as ancient Egypt, is running June 13, 2015-Jan. 31, 2016, at London’s Victoria & Albert Museum (Cromwell Rd.; phone +44 20 7942 2000, www.vam.ac.uk), a 5-minute walk from the South Kensington underground station. Open 10 a.m.-5:45 p.m. Sat.-Thurs. and 10-10 Fri. Admission is free. 

A bunker built in East Germany during the Cold War has been preserved in its original state. Housed in a former emergency center built from 1968 to 1972 for the regional Stasi director, the Museum Stasi-Bunker (Lübschützer Teiche, Flurstück 439, D-04827, Machern, Germany; www.runde-ecke-leipzig.de/index.php?id=253&L=1) is located just outside Leipzig.

Listing your car with FlightCar (www.flightcar.com) allows you to park for free at select airports and possibly earn a little money renting your car to other travelers. 

FlightCar lots are currently located at these airports: Boston Logan, Philadelphia, Washington Dulles, Baltimore, Austin, Dallas/Ft Worth, Denver, Seattle-Tacoma, Portland, Oakland, San Francisco, San Jose, Los Angeles and San Diego.

On March 31, Delta Air Lines became the first airline in the world to introduce a pet-tracking GPS device; it’s called the PT300. 

Along with its location, the device, which is placed in the pet’s carrier, collects data on the ambient temperature and on its orientation so Delta employees know if the pet is in danger of overheating or if the crate is askew. Due to cellular restrictions, however, it can transmit data only before and after a flight. 

As of March 1, 2015, admission is free to all 26 DIBAM (Dirección de Bibliotecas, Archivos y Museos) museums in Chile, including the National History Museum, the Fine Arts Museum and, on Easter Island, the Sebastien Englert Archaeological Museum. 

For locations, visit www.dibam.cl and click on “Museos” (in Spanish only).