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Looking for tranquility, peace, pristine beaches, water sports and fantastic cuisine? Maldives ticks all those boxes — and many more.

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(CNN) — The aviation industry has been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic, with travelers across the world dealing with canceled flights and travel bans as they scramble to get home.But one unlikely aviation side effect is the creation of a new world aviation record. On March 14, French airline Air Tahiti Nui flew the longest ever scheduled passenger flight by distance — transiting 9,765 miles across the world from Papeete, in Tahiti, French Polynesia, to Paris’ Charles de Gaulle airport. This one off milestone was a direct consequence of the coronavirus-induced US travel restrictions. This route usually involves a scheduled stopover at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). But when an airplane stops over in the US, all passengers must alight the aircraft and proceed through US Customs and Border Protection before they’re allowed to advance on with the next leg of their journey.Current restrictions rendered this part of the journey untenable, so instead, flight TN064 just carried straight on, departing at 3 a.m. local time from Papeete airport and arriving in Paris at 6:30 a.m. local time on March 15.Exceptional situationThe Air Tahiti Nui flight was operated by a Boeing 787-9, like this one, which was photographed at the International Paris Air Show on June 17, 2019 at Le Bourget Airport, near Paris. ERIC PIERMONT/AFP via Getty Images”This flight was operated on an exceptional basis and within the constraints imposed by the American authorities in the face of the Covid-19 epidemic,” an Air Tahiti Nui spokesperson told CNN Travel in a statement.The flight, which was airborne for just under 16 hours, became the world’s longest commercial flight in terms of distance traveled. The flight overtook the previous record held by Singapore Airlines, which offers a scheduled passenger service between Singapore and Newark covering a distance of 9,534 miles.Australian carrier Qantas set a different record for the longest flight late in 2019. It’s experimental Project Sunrise test flight clocked up about 11,060 miles and 19 hours and 19 minutes nonstop between London and Sydney. But since there were no fare-paying passengers aboard, it doesn’t count as a properly scheduled service. TN064 is also the world’s longest scheduled domestic flight, because it traveled between French Polynesia and mainland France. Air Tahiti Nui tells CNN Travel the aircraft flew with a “reinforced crew” of four pilots, and was operated by a “next generation aircraft” a Boeing 787-9, twin-engine Dreamliner.The aircraft was reportedly nowhere near full, which meant it was able to proceed the full stretch without refueling. One-off record holderAir Tahiti Nui’s CEO Michel Monvoisin and the captain of TN064, Vetea Sanford.Courtesy Air Tahiti NuiAir Tahiti Nui says it was an “exceptional flight, operated in a special context”, and adds it demonstrates the airline’s commitment to keeping up transit links between France and the overseas territory.”But is not destined to be perpetuated,” adds the spokesperson.That’s right, it’s a one off. Since the weekend, the airline’s been substituting its usual stopover in Los Angeles with touchdowns in Vancouver, Canada or Pointe a Pitre, in Grande-Terre, Guadeloupe — although the Canadian option’s now been ruled out as the north American country introduced a travel ban on March 16.

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(CNN) — The global economic landscape could be very different this time next year, but 2020’s most expensive cities have been revealed — and the number one spot belongs not to one single city, but to three destinations.The Japanese city of Osaka replaces Paris on the winners’ podium, making it an all-Asian trio this year. New York climbed up to fourth position while Los Angeles rose to eighth. This was driven, the EIU says, by “strong local currency and firm domestic demand” pushing up prices for clothing and domestic help. The bi-annual survey, which evaluates the cost of over 160 goods and services in 133 cities around the world, has been carried out for more than 30 years. Rises and fallsHong Kong shares the title of world’s most expensive
city with Paris and Osaka.Isaac Lawrence/AFP/Getty ImagesThe French capital dropped down to fifth place, equal with another European city, Switzerland’s Zurich.The survey notes a clear trend across the 37 European cities surveyed: all but four — Moscow, St. Petersburg, Kiev and Istanbul — fell in the rankings for 2020. “Modest domestic demand and weak global energy prices have kept inflationary pressures subdued across Europe in the past year, the EIU said. The Israeli city of Tel Aviv is the only Middle Eastern city in the top 10, and jumped three places this year to the number seven slot, which the EIU attributes to rising transport costs. A strengthening of the yen this year led Japan’s capital, as with Osaka, to soar up the rankings, this time to joint eighth position, alongside L.A. The Swiss city of Geneva, a stalwart in the survey’s top 10, slid down from fifth place to 10th, while Copenhagen — joint seventh last year — dropped out of the top ten entirely. The rest of the listA strong US dollar meant 15 out of the 16 US cities surveyed climbed up the rankings this year. Currency depreciation, meanwhile, was behind the South Korean capital, Seoul, dropping out of the top ten, said the EIU. Globally, the cost of living dropped 4% this year. Said the report, “This mainly reflects the impact on global currencies of easing monetary policy, uncertainty around the US-China trade war (which has put pressure on some emerging-market currencies) and the strength of the US economy.”Damascus, Syria, was at the bottom of the worldwide rankings, followed by Tashkent in Uzbekistan.World’s most expensive cities to live in 2020:1. (tie) Singapore1. (tie) Osaka, Japan1. (tie) Hong Kong4. New York City, New York5. (tie) Paris5. (tie) Zurich, Switzerland7. Tel Aviv, Israel8. (tie) Los Angeles, California8. (tie) Tokyo10. Geneva, SwitzerlandCorrection: An earlier version of this story mistakenly listed Paris as one of the top three most expensive cities.

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(CNN) — New Zealand’s most famous tree has been the victim of bad visitor behavior.A willow tree at the southern tip of Lake Wanaka, which appears semi-submerged in the water and is a massively popular Instagram spot, was attacked by someone with a saw sometime around March 17, according to Stuff.co.nz.One local told Stuff, “The famous lower branch that hangs horizontally out over the water that is really picturesque has gone.”Locals reported seeing some branches that had been sawed off washed up on shore.Located on New Zealand’s South Island about 300 km (186 miles) from Dunedin, the tree is known as #ThatWanakaTree — Google Maps even lists the spot’s name with the hashtag in it. Many consider the tree, which appears to be rising alone out the water, a symbol of hope. Despite its out-of-the-way location — there are no posted signs or wayfinders — travelers will drive there just to get a snapshot, and a small local economy has sprung up around it.The surroundings are just as beautiful as the lone willow. The lake is at the foot of Mount Aspiring National Park, which is part of the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Te Wahipounamu. The park is as notable for its fauna as for its flora — this is the only known home of the kea, the world’s only alpine parrot species.New Zealand has a keen interest in preserving its many beautiful natural places. The government asks visitors to sign the “tiaki promise” — a pledge to be good stewards of the environment — upon arriving in the country. “Tiaki” means “to guard” in the Māori language.”We have a deep and symbiotic relationship with our environment here in New Zealand,” Stephen England-Hall, CEO of Tourism New Zealand, told CNN Travel when the promise made its debut.”You are welcome to come and to experience our landscape, but we want you to please be mindful of the fact that it’s a really important place.”Sadly, That Wanaka Tree is not the only natural site to deal with vandalism. In fact, it’s not even the only tree.California’s popular Joshua Tree National Park has also dealt with the repercussions of social media fame and overtourism.

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(CNN) — Once upon a time, reaching the highest peak on Earth was considered a feat achievable only by a select few. Fast forward to today. So what’s an intrepid amateur explorer with a thirst for all things rare and superlative to do? Travel in the opposite direction, of course, to Challenger Deep. Sitting at a depth of 10,928 meters (35,853 feet), it’s widely believed to be the deepest point in the world’s oceans. In a world-first, travel company EYOS Expeditions has teamed with private undersea diving company Caladan Oceanic to offer general members of the public an opportunity to join an upcoming expedition and dive to the bottom of the Marianas Trench in the western Pacific Ocean.How rare is this experience? According to EYOS, only seven people on earth have visited Challenger Deep. (Hollywood director James Cameron just happens to be one of them.) Here’s the catch: The company is only inviting three people to join the trip. Staff tell CNN Travel it’s being offered on a first-come, first-serve basis, and they aren’t releasing any details on the cost. But it’s safe to assume it will be a minimum of $100,000, given dives to the Titanic were expected to cost travelers between $100,000-$200,000 per person. Rob McCallum, founding partner of EYOS Expeditions. Reeve Jolliffe/EYOS ExpeditionsFour hours on the sea floor The three travelers, called “Mission Specialists,” will spend approximately eight days with the Ring of Fire Expedition, which is operated by EYOS and Caladan Oceanic. Each submarine dive will take up to 14 hours. The descent, which is over seven miles, takes over four hours. The divers will spend up to four hours on the seafloor, where they will get to explore and potentially film their surroundings. “This is the most exclusive destination on Earth,” says Rob McCallum, founding partner of EYOS Expeditions, in a statement. “Currently, only three manned expeditions have ever been made to the bottom of Challenger Deep and more people have been to the moon than to the bottom of the ocean.” The Mission Specialists will board the hadal exploration vessel, DSSV Pressure Drop, in June 2020 — EYOS says the exact date is to be confirmed — in Agat, Guam. It then takes a day at sea to reach the Marianas Trench. The expedition will use Caladan Oceanic’s submersible, Limiting Factor, which has been pressure tested in a chamber to 14,000 meters and has already dived five times to the bottom of the Mariana Trench. EYOS says it’s the only vehicle ever constructed that is capable of multiple dives to full ocean depth. “The occupants of the submersible are completely protected by the 90mm thick titanium sphere and experience no pressure changes or physiological stresses at all,” says the statement announcing the trip.Comfy seats, hi-def camerasAs a result, no formal pre-departure training is required, though Mission Specialists will receive a comprehensive shipboard and sub orientation as part of pre-dive preparations.”The inside of the sub is quiet, peaceful and very relaxing. The sub has two comfortable seats, three view ports, and high-definition ‘surround’ cameras,” says McCallum. “Whilst onboard, Mission Specialists will be fully integrated members of the team and free to work alongside our sonar operator/ocean mappers, submersible technicians, film production team, expedition management and ship’s officers to gain an insight into the complexities and challenges of hadal exploration,” he says. Don’t worry. Even intrepid explorers need some down-time, too. McCallum says when not diving, expedition members can relax by taking in a movie, going to the gym, reading, or heading up to the “Sky Bar” for a sundowner.The dive is part of a much longer six-month Ring of Fire expedition EYOS and Caladan Oceanic are operating, a followup to the Five Deeps Expedition made last year, which visited cavernous chasms in the Pacific, Indian, Southern, Arctic and Atlantic oceans over a period of 10 months. “Its collective mission is to verify and test the deepest points possible, collect and analyze scientific samples, and extend humankind’s knowledge of the most extreme environment on Earth, says Ben Lyons, EYOS Expeditions’ CEO.

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(CNN) — The Taj Mahal in India has joined the list of attractions around the world that are closing their doors amid the coronavirus pandemic.Prahlad Singh Patel, the country’s Minister of Tourism, made the announcement official on his Twitter account on March 17.”All the ticketed monuments and all other museums have been directed to be closed until March 31, 2020,” he wrote. While the announcement was sudden, the news shouldn’t come as a complete surprise.India has suspended issuing any new tourist visas and has imposed a two-week quarantine on all travelers, including returning Indian nationals, who are arriving from or have visited China, France, Germany, Iran, Italy, South Korea and Spain.The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in India stands at 114, including two deaths. “The scale and extent of our interventions have increased in alignment the evolving situation of COVID-19 [coronavirus] across the world, and India in particular,” Harsh Vardhan, India’s Minister of Health, told reporters earlier this month. The Taj Mahal is India’s most-visited attraction. Victor ChengThe Taj Mahal, which is the country’s most-visited attraction, was mentioned as being a particular concern by Vardhan, who said there was a “containment plan” in the works for Agra, the city that is home to the structure.Commissioned by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in the 17th century, the Taj Mahal is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Its name means “crown of palaces” in both Urdu and Persian.The enormously popular marble monument often sees 50,000 visitors passing through a day. Almost 6.5 million people visited the Taj Mahal in 2018, according to statistics from the Indian Ministry of Tourism.It is also popular with celebrities and foreign dignitaries.President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump visited the Taj Mahal in February, while the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (aka Prince William and Kate Middleton) posed for photos there during a royal visit in 2016.

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