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(CNN) — After almost 700 days, one of the world’s longest border closures has finally ended Down Under, Yellowstone National Park is celebrating its 150th anniversary, and we have an update on India’s high-speed rail ambitions.
Here’s what’s been happening in travel this week.
Reopenings and rule changes
In some happy news, families and loved ones were reunited in Western Australia on March 3, after the state reopened to both domestic and international visitors after a long 697 days of isolation.
An aerial view from the window of a plane shows Diamond Head crater in Oahu. Hawaii is lifting some Covid restrictions later this month.
Daniel Slim/AFP via Getty Images
Israel is now open to unvaccinated tourists and Bahrain has dropped all testing, vaccination and quarantine requirements for entry — although Covid-19 measures are still in place.
And in what amounts to a little bit of a slowdown after the Omicron variantspiked around the globe, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has added only one new destination to it its highest-risk category for travel.
World responds to war in Ukraine
The US, Canada, the EU and the UK, among others, have all banned Russian aircraft from their airspaces and Russia has reciprocated the bans — except for the United States.
Cruise lines, tour operators and other travel operations have joined in the global protest by canceling Russian tours, among other measures. And Russia’s largest airline, Aeroflot, will be finding it harder to sell seats, after being dropped on Thursday from major global distribution systems.
The world’s largest airplane, the Antonov An-225 — a mammoth cargo plane that’s acquired iconic status in the aviation world — has been destroyed in the conflict, according to Ukrainian officials.
An American basketball player stranded in Ukraine traveled 5,000 miles to make it home. Meanwhile actor Sean Penn, in the country for a documentary, says he crossed the border into Poland on foot.
Nature marches on
One of the world’s longest animal migrations is the 1,000-kilometer trek made each year by thousands of zebras across the salt pans of Botswana’s Nxai Pan National Park. Our writer went along to see it.
From Africa over to North America, where Yellowstone National Park — which sits atop a supervolcano, don’t you know — is celebrating its 150th anniversary this year. We look back at the history of one of the United States’ most loved destinations.
Culture in danger
New additions include an English castle damaged by storms, the Maldives’ Koagannu mosques and cemetery which are threatened by rising sea levels, and the historic city center of Benghazi in Libya.
The future of India’s railways
India’s famous railways helped turn the country into the economic superpower it is today, but those trailblazing tracks are now getting outdated.
And if you’d like to know more about India’s rich culture and incredible roadside restaurants, have a listen to Anthony Bourdain’s Parts Unknown podcast: He visited Punjab back in 2014.
Unspoiled Italy
In case you missed it
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Trying new foods is one of the best things about travel.
A pilot turned out to be twice the legal limit on a pre-flight Breathalyzer test.
Get set, travel
Wave that tired old fanny pack goodbye. Today’s best travel wallets are sexy, chic and secure, and our partners at CNN Underscored, a product reviews and recommendations guide owned by CNN, have rounded up 24 of their favorites.
Top image: Returning international passengers are greeted on arrival at the Perth International Airport Terminal on March 3, 2022 in Perth, Australia. (Photo by Paul Kane/Getty Images)
