Travel News: Shark Week Starts Sunday! Are You Ready to Get in the Water?

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This week’s travel news: shark attacks are very rare, but we are fascinated by them. Not to mention bad weather conditions in tourist spots and the ups and downs of aviation.

Jimmy Buffett’s 1979 movie “Fins” was about the predatory “land sharks” that circled Caribbean sea bass, but we’re talking about the real deal during Shark Week, which begins at 8 p.m. Sunday on Discovery Channel. You’ll catch shows with intriguing titles like “Belly and the Beast: Bigger and Bloodier,” “Sydney Harbor Shark Invasion” and “Big Shark Energy.” Ready to bite? (Full disclosure: Warner Bros. Discovery is the parent company of CNN.)

If you haven’t seen them, you can at least watch CNN’s Boris Sanchez learn from an expert how to pet a shark.

Despite our endless fascination with sharks, unprovoked attacks on humans are very rare. But they’re not impossible: At least three people were bitten by sharks in Texas and Florida on July 4. With that in mind, here are some tips for surviving a shark attack.

And while we worry about shark bites, these vital predators of the seas are the ones that are really in danger. With a third of shark species facing extinction, find out how one man is trying to save them.

The real problem in the Caribbean this week hasn’t been sharks, but something far more menacing: Hurricane Beryl. The monstrous storm, the earliest Category 5 hurricane ever recorded in the Atlantic, has so far battered tourist havens like Grenada, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Jamaica, the Cayman Islands and Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula..

It has also forced cruise ships out of its path and is expected to cause dangerous rip currents along beaches along the U.S. Gulf Coast. Get the latest on CNN Weather.

We have other natural problems, too: In Alaska, Denali National Park has no timetable for reopening because of a rare wildfire raging at its entrance. In Wyoming, a landslide closed a major highway near Grand Teton National Park; a bypass for public traffic has finally been opened. In southern Europe, annual heat waves are starting to spoil summer vacations.

A Middle Eastern airline has built a solid reputation for customer service over the past decade – and it has been rewarded once again with the honour of being named the world’s best airline by London-based ratings organisation Skytrax.

Speaking of great: There’s always a chance your luggage could get lost in transit, except at this airport, which has had an impeccable baggage record since it opened in 1994. If you want to do everything you can to protect your precious cargo, consider 17 of the best anti-theft bags from our partners at CNN Underscored, a product review and recommendation guide owned by CNN.

Service was far from spotless for passengers last week on a Delta Air Lines flight that was forced to divert after passengers were served spoiled food.

United States: Richmond and Providence

CNN Travel recently revealed its top 10 cities to visit in 2024. Topping our list is Virginia’s capital, Richmond, which has a vibrant and up-and-coming arts, culture, history and food scene that simply can’t be beat.

If your travels take you further north this year, don’t miss all the offerings in Providence, Rhode Island’s capital, our No. 2 city that literally moved rivers to revitalize itself.

A global meal of meat and greetings.

Discover some of the best barbecue in the world.

She completely lost her sight.

So Sassy Wyatt decided to travel the world.

This is fiery baseball player Shohei Ohtani.

And it’s helping Los Angeles pull off a tourism masterstroke.

Canada also has a birthday party in July.

Find out why his celebrations are more discreet.