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In this week’s roundup of travel news, we bring you the world’s best restaurants for 2024, Disneyland’s epic expansion plans and the little museum in rural England that’s become a YouTube hit.
Military sites and museums
A tiny museum in rural England has one of the finest collections of tanks in the world. And thanks to American fans of military history, its videos have gotten more YouTube views than MoMA in New York or the Louvre in Paris. Here’s how they did it.
The first house liberated in the D-Day landings in Normandy (80 years ago this week) was a two-story villa now known as Canada House, in honor of the Canadian troops who battled for France’s freedom. Now the family that owns it has turned it into a memorial for those who served.
On the other side of the world, in a small town in the Philippines, a tiny museum tells the story of the largest surrender of US military forces in history and the horrors of the Bataan Death March that followed. Thousands would die, and thousands displayed remarkable and inspiring resilience.
US airlines are predicted to carry more than 270 million passengers from June 1 to August 31, according to an industry group, and not all of the flights are likely to go smoothly, if recent incidents are any indication.
After her checked luggage went missing at a Florida airport in March, a woman tracked her bags to an airport store worker’s home. He’s now been charged with felony theft.
In another case, American Airlines didn’t cover themselves in glory when a court filing claimed last month that a child was at fault for being secretly recorded in a plane restroom. The airline has since changed its response, but that’s not its only legal woe of the month. A group of Black passengers is suing American Airlines, alleging they were thrown off a plane in January because of a false body odor complaint.
However, the Texas-based airline still managed to squeak in at No. 25 on a new 2024 ranking of the world’s best premium airlines, conducted by AirlineRatings.com. Check out the global leaders, with Gulf and Asia-Pacific carriers taking over the top five.
Disney’s expanding world
A TikTok star has been spreading happiness by surprising day workers and street vendors in Southern California with grand gestures such as $1,000 tips and trips to Disneyland. The wholesome videos have been delighting audiences worldwide and viewer donations have been helping the good times keep rolling.
And proving that attention spans aren’t entirely dead in the social media era, a four-hour-long YouTube investigation into Disney World’s failed “Star Wars” hotel has gone viral. Let’s hope things go more smoothly with Disneyland’s monumental expansion plans – possibly the biggest since its opening – that cleared a major hurdle.
Finally, over in Japan, Tokyo DisneySea – the brand’s only ocean-themed park – has just unveiled Fantasy Springs, its eighth themed land. Do you love “Peter Pan,” “Frozen” or “Tangled”? Then this one’s for you.
Francesc Guillamet Ferran
1. Disfrutar (Barcelona, Spain): And the world’s best restaurant for 2024 is… Disfrutar! This famed Barcelona eatery was one of six restaurants in Spain to make this year’s World’s 50 Best Restaurants list. Click on to see the rest of the top 10.
Asador Etxebarri
2. Asador Etxebarri (Atxondo, Spain): It was a good night for Spain, home to the world’s second-best restaurant as well. Located in the country’s Basque region, this inviting, rustic restaurant in a mountainous destination features flame-grilled meats and seafood.
Philippe Vaures Santamaria
10. Table by Bruno Verjus (Paris): The top restaurant in Paris to make the list, Table features an open kitchen and is located in the city’s 12th arrondissement neighborhood.
Diverxo
4. Diverxo (Madrid, Spain): Run by chef Dabiz Muñoz, Diverxo offers creative and unpredictable dishes with Asian influences in the Spanish capital.
Maido
Maido (Lima, Peru): Giving Lima yet more culinary acclaim, Maido combines Japanese techniques and Peruvian ingredients into rarefied cuisine that follows a seasonal menu.
Evan Sung
6. Atomix (New York City): Giving the US its highest ranking once again, Atomix provides a powerhouse experience from a 14-seat basement counter spot on the edge of Koreatown in Manhattan.
Quintonil
7. Quintonil (Mexico City): This restaurant focuses on fresh, local ingredients and traditional Mexican flavors and techniques with a modern twist. Dishes might include spider crab in green mole, cactus sorbet or even insect tacos.
Søren Gammelmark
8. Alchemist (Copenhagen, Denmark): Set in a remote part of the city known for its industrial buildings, you’ll find several different types of caviar, amazing seafood and pigeon aged in beeswax among the delicacies.
Gaggan Anand
9. Gaggan Anand (Bangkok, Thailand): Bangkok-based Gaggan Anand, run by the legendary Kolkata-born chef of the same name, was voted ninth best restaurant in in the world this year.
Pablo Domina
10. Don Julio (Buenos Aires, Argentina): Rounding out the top 10, Don Julio is famed for its organic produce, which it grows in its own fields. As for its fantastic steaks, the restaurant only uses grass-fed Aberdeen Angus and Hereford cattle.
Spain’s reputation as a global hot spot for fine dining was cemented Wednesday when six of its eateries made a 2024 list of the World’s 50 Best Restaurants, with three of them in the top five.
Dubai has more “best” restaurants than any other destination in the Middle East, according to the 50 Best group. Here are some to check out, including an “underwater” seafood restaurant and a much-loved spot run by three Syrian brothers.
The restaurant crowned best in Asia is a Tokyo eatery serving French cuisine designed by a British chef. Multicultural, certainly, but what’s it like to eat there? CNN Travel went along to find out.
If, however, your favorite global cuisine is the meal you prepare yourself, our partners at CNN Underscored, a product reviews and recommendations guide owned by CNN, have this guide to the best camp kitchen gear to bring on your next trip.
June 8 is Global Wellness Day.
So let’s celebrate with steam and naked bodies at one of Turkey’s oldest bath houses.
She’d known her future husband for only five days when he proposed.
Here’s what happened when she said yes.
A library book borrowed in 1939 was returned after 84 years.
It may have been delayed by the Soviet Union attacking Finland.
Strange fog in the airplane?
Here’s why you shouldn’t worry.