Travel news: Bono bites it in Central Park, the world’s tallest coaster and more

US Thrill Rides’ Skyscraper

Sunday bloody Sunday
Say it isn’t so! Just days after a near disaster in which the door of the jet he was traveling in fell off mid-flight causing his luggage to disappear over Germany , U2 frontman Bono took a nasty spill while biking through Central Park on Sunday, says USA Today. A full recovery is expected, but treatment includes hours of facial and reconstructive surgery. We’re so upset we don’t even have anything snarky to say.

Cross dressed for success
A woman of Chinese-Australian heritage trekked across Afghanistan—as a man. According to Yahoo! Travel, 28-year old Candace Lau spent a year traveling internationally on the cheap. Because solo travel in Afghanistan is forbidden for women, Lau took advantage of her androgynous appearance and dress and traveled the country as a man. Sure the Afghanis were fooled, but how well would she do on RuPaul’s Drag Race?

Seven year itch
Thanks in part to a rebounding economy and falling prices at the pump, travel by car over the upcoming holiday weekend is expected to be at its highest since 2007, says Bloomberg.com. According to data gathered by AAA, the number of people traveling more than 50 miles will climb to 46.3 million thanks to a national gas average of just $2.85. Ten years ago the average price of gas was $1.78. Remember those days?

Speaking of Thanksgiving…
Traveling by car on Thanksgiving can be a joy or a nightmare depending on the time and day you travel and where you live, says lifehacker.com. For most U.S. motorists 3-5pm on Wednesday is the harshest travel time, with improvement expected after 7pm while in some cities like Boston the worst travel day is Tuesday. What we really want to know is what the traffic is like the moment our relatives start driving us insane.

Tower of terror
Get ready tohave the living daylights scared out of you. According to CNN, an Orlando theme park is building the world’s tallest roller coaster appropriately titled “The Skycraper.” Slated to open in 2017, the thrill ride is expected to include a track that spirals up and down the side of a 535-foot tall observation tower. I know you can’t see our faces right now, but they look a little something like this.

Tagged: Florida, New York