Here at Lonely Planet, we love a good prank. So today, our Destination Editors have curated the best April Fool’s Day travel stories from around the web. In this edition: the Prime Meridian moves to Paris, part of the Great Wall is to become a waterslide, and a Maglev train is to be built through central London.
THE WORLD
Tom Cruise on Mt Athos. Image by Greek Reporter
Tom Cruise visits Mt Athos
Hollywood star Tom Cruise is on a private visit to Mt Athos in Greece. The famous actor is reportedly joining in monastic life and there are speculations he is looking for new spiritual guidance and a break from scientology. Mt Athos is home to 20 Eastern Orthodox monasteries and women are not allowed access to the peninsula. Read more: greekreporter.com
Prime Meridian moving to Paris, making GMT obsolete
Clocks around the world will soon change as the Prime Meridian is set to move to Paris. Worldwide time will move ahead 9 minutes and 21 seconds to adjust for the new Paris Mean Time (PMT). The change will take place at midnight on 30 June. Read more: timeanddate.com
Australia to get Vegemite energy drink
Australia’s favourite spread has announced it will add an energy drink to its product line. The new Vegemite iDrink 2.1 was launched in an announcement on Facebook, bidding fans to swap Vegemite toast for the new beverage. Read more: foodmag.com.au
Waterslides will cascade down the Great Wall. Image by A Luxury Travel Blog
Part of Great Wall to become waterslide
A portion of the Great Wall of China is to be turned into a waterslide. The Chinese government on Tuesday announced a 160-million-yuan plan to transform the length of wall that spans from Yuren Shi (愚人节) to Xishuo (戏说) into three waterslides, each cascading down from one of the wall’s fortified watchtowers. Read more: aluxurytravelblog.com
Scotland to drive on right, get new coins after independence
Scotland is to switch to driving on the right side of the road if it becomes independent. The switch would require changing 58,000 road signs and installing a complex network of spiralling interchanges to allow for the transition at the border. The country also announced that Alan Salmond would replace the Queen on its one pound coins. Read more: theguardian.com
Scoot Airlines to introduce inflight hot yoga
Singapore-based Scoot Airlines announced plans on Tuesday to introduce hot yoga classes aboard its flights. The low cost carrier will install a ‘yoga zone’ similar to its child-free cabin aboard its daily Hong Kong-Singapore flight. The zone will feature extended seats to allow passengers a free range of motion during their workouts. Read more: travelweekly.com.au
Maglev train comes to London. Photo by Tim Adams / CC BY 2.0
Maglev train to run through London
A new …read more