![\"Dubai](\"https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Dubai-Ship.jpg\")
Lights out after dark, curtains and shutters closed, exterior decks restricted and armed security guards patrolling the ship \u2014 how brand new $960-million Spectrum of the Seas mega cruise ship is protecting itself against pirates on the way from Europe to the Middle East.<\/p>\n
A brand new US $960-million cruise ship on its way to Dubai has ordered passengers to avoid exterior decks, turn off lights at night and has boarded an elite UK security team as she approaches the pirate-infested waters of the Gulf of Aden.<\/p>\n
Spectrum of the Seas, launched last week, is on a repositioning delivery cruise from Germany, where she was built, to China, where she will be deployed year-round.<\/p>\n
The first leg of the voyage is a two week cruise from Europe to Dubai, but it requires transiting the most dangerous waters in the world for piracy, the Gulf of Aden.<\/p>\n
\u201cToday we held a Safe Haven drill, the code word for a pirate attack, during which all passengers have to assemble within the ship, away from windows and external doors,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n
Spectrum of the Seas also took on-board additional security, in the form of three armed security officers who have just safely ensured Explorer of the Seas got through the Gulf of Aden safely.<\/p>\n
Both ships are owned by Royal Caribbean International, the second-biggest cruise line in the world.<\/p>\n
Explorer of the Seas departed Dubai in April bound for Europe. Now, it\u2019s Spectrum of the Seas\u2019 turn to run through the pirate-prone waters.<\/p>\n
One other security officer was already on board \u2014 we\u2019ve been told all are top security officials from Britain,\u201d said the passenger.<\/p>\n
Spectrum of the Seas is the newest cruise ship in the Royal Caribbean fleet, having been launched just a few weeks ago. She will be one of the largest and most advanced ever to cruise from Dubai.<\/p>\n
At 169,379-gross tons and carrying 4,905 passengers at maximum occupancy, with a bionic bar staffed by robots, a virtual reality bungee experience, sky dive simulator and North Star viewing pod, she would be a tempting target for any pirates off the coast of Somalia.<\/p>\n
Fortunately, however, the threat of an attack on a cruise ship in the Gulf of Aden is now much reduced thanks to an international naval coalition.<\/a><\/p>\n Courtesy Devjyot Ghoshal<\/a><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n Mountaineers from the Indian army on a expedition in Nepal have found mysterious large footprints in the snow that they think belong to the Yeti, or the abominable snowman, the military said on Tuesday. Largely regarded by the scientific community as a myth, the Yeti is part of Nepali folklore and is said to live high in the snow-capped Himalayas.<\/p>\n Largely regarded by the scientific community as a myth, the Yeti is part of Nepali folklore and is said to live high in the snow-capped Himalayas. In a tweet accompanied by pictures, the Indian army said it had sighted footprints measuring 32 by 15 inches (81 by 38 cm) close to a camp near Mount Makalu in April.<\/p>\n \u201cFor the first time, an #IndianArmy Mountaineering Expedition Team has sited Mysterious Footprints of mythical beast \u2018Yeti\u2019\u201d it said in a tweet, not explaining how a mythical beast could leave footprints. Located on the border between Nepal and China, Makalu is among the highest mountains in the world and stands near the Makalu-Barun valley, a remote wilderness that has also been surveyed by researchers hunting for the Yeti. Daniel C. Taylor, who has extensively explored the Makalu-Barun area and written a book on the mystery of the Yeti, said the footprints were likely those of bears. \u201cIf that is the footprint of an animal or a single animal, it\u2019s the size of a dinosaur,\u201d he told Reuters, adding that repeated measurements of the footprints were required to ascertain their origin. \u201cOne needs to really confirm those measurements of the footprint size because we know for sure that there are no dinosaurs living in the Barun valley.\u201d Tales of a wild hairy beast roaming the Himalayas have captured the imagination of climbers in Nepal since the 1920s, prompting many, including Sir Edmund Hillary, to go looking for the creature. In 2008, Japanese climbers returning from a mountain in western Nepal told Reuters they had seen footprints, which they thought belonged to the Yeti.<\/p>\n And although they carried long-lens cameras, video cameras and telescopes, they hadn\u2019t seen or taken any photographs of the creature. But scientists have found little evidence of the Yeti\u2019s existence so far. In 2017, a group of international researchers studied multiple purported Yeti samples collected from across the Himalayan region and concluded they belonged to bears. In 2008, two men in the United States said they had found the remains of a half-man, half-ape, which was eventually revealed to be a rubber gorilla suit.<\/a><\/p>\n Courtesy Stacy Fisher<\/a><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n Being able to travel the world for free might sound like an unreachable dream, but you can make it a reality if you know where to look. These are practical ways on how to travel the world for free, or at least next to nothing. They include getting a job overseas, volunteering, and spending some time with the locals. Some require some education or experience but most opportunities are open to anyone who’s looking for an adventure.<\/p>\n Some of these adventures will pay for travel, some for accommodations, and some that will pay for all your expenses. You may even find something that will pay\u00a0you to make your way around the globe.<\/p>\n These opportunities\u00a0exist all over the globe. Pick a country or several countries and you can usually find a way to get there for free. Flexibility does pay off though, you will get the best deals sometimes\u00a0in interesting places that aren’t on everyone’s travel list yet.\u00a0\u200b<\/p>\n Once you’re ready to go, you can learn a new language to help you out on your travels with these free language learning websites<\/a> and apps<\/a>. You can even start getting to know the locals with a free language exchange program<\/a>.<\/p>\n 1. House-Sit or Pet-Sit to Stay for Free<\/strong><\/p>\n You can get free accommodations\u00a0for just about anywhere around the globe by house-sitting.<\/p>\n While the homeowner is away, you’ll stay for an agreed amount of time during which you’ll keep an eye on the house and take care of some light general maintenance around the house.<\/p>\n A lot of times the homeowner will also have a pet or two that they’ll want for you to feed, walk, and just keep company while their owner is away.<\/p>\n Sometimes house-sitters will get paid on top of the free accommodations. This can help pay for your living expenses and possibly travel.<\/p>\n Here are some great house-sitting and pet-sitting websites to help you find a place to stay:<\/p>\n 2. Sail Away While Working on a Cruise Ship<\/strong><\/p>\n Get a job on a cruise ship and you’ll get free accommodations, food, and travel all over the world. If you’re hired as a full-time employee,\u00a0 you’ll get paid on top of it.<\/p>\n Cruise ships have lots of positions they hire for and you could find yourself working as an entertainer, fitness instructor, bartender, babysitter, waiter, cleaning crew, and more.<\/p>\n Here are some cruise lines that let you apply online:<\/p>\n 3. Teach English<\/strong><\/p>\n Go overseas to teach English as a second language and you can get free housing, a travel stipend, and even a salary on top of it.<\/p>\n You often don’t need a teaching degree, or even a college degree to teach overseas. Sometimes a certification is helpful but it depends on each country’s requirements.<\/p>\n Some of the most lucrative countries to teach in include South Korea, China, Japan, Taiwan, Gulf Arab States, and Vietnam. There are thousands of opportunities in almost every country.<\/p>\n Here’s where you can apply for a teaching job:<\/p>\n 4. Volunteer on a Farm<\/strong><\/p>\n Live and work on farms around the world through WWOOF<\/a>, which links farmers and growers with volunteers who are eager to work on their farm for free room and board.<\/p>\n You can travel just about anywhere doing this job including\u00a0South America, Europe, and Asia.<\/p>\n 5. Work as an Au Pair<\/strong><\/p>\n If you love kids, you can get a job overseas as an Au Pair, or international nanny. This will get you free room and board, a paycheck, and on some occasions, extra money for travel.<\/p>\n You’ll be placed with a host family, so you’ll get to fit in with the locals right away. Some of the most popular countries to work as an Au Pair include Switzerland, Sweden, France, Australia, New Zealand, Italy, China, and Spain.<\/p>\n The most active website where you can view jobs and apply as an Au Pair is at GoOverseas<\/a>.<\/p>\n 6. Find a Couch to Sleep On<\/strong><\/p>\n Meet new people and stay at a local’s home through the website Couchsurfing<\/a>. All around the world fellow travelers open up their homes and offer for you to sleep on their couch for free.<\/p>\n There are also Couchsurfing events around the world if you’d rather meet your host in person.<\/p>\n 7. Use Miles and Points<\/strong><\/p>\n Rack up those miles and points with frequent flyer miles and credit cards and you can get highly discounted and even free air travel.<\/p>\n Sign up for the frequent flyer program with the airline you travel with most and try to stick with that airline to let your miles stack up. You can then redeem these miles for your free flights.<\/p>\n There are some credit cards that will give you points for using their card that you can redeem for travel and dining. Choose a credit card with great travel perks<\/a> that have a huge sign-up bonus. Use it regularly to keep reeling in those points.<\/p>\n It also pays to stay loyal to one chain of hotels. Make sure you sign up for their rewards programs to earn free nights.<\/p>\n Here are some great tips on how to get free travel with your credit card<\/a>.<\/p>\n 8. Become a Flight Attendant<\/strong><\/p>\n Flight Attendants get to travel the world while getting paid for it. Besides the salary they get, they also get money to cover meals and expenses. Also as a bonus, they get great discounts on leisure travel.<\/p>\n No higher education is required, but you at least need to have a GED.<\/p>\n 9. House Swap<\/strong><\/p>\n You can get your accommodations for free if you agree to a house swap. With a house swap, you agree with someone who lives overseas that they can stay in your home if they can stay in yours.<\/p>\n If it’s both parties primary home the swap will probably be done at the same time. If it’s a secondary home or vacation rental there may be more flexibility.<\/p>\n HomeExchange<\/a> is the most popular website for house swapping. It costs to use their service but you can browse for free.<\/a><\/p>\n Courtesy 10 Yetis Digital<\/strong><\/span><\/em><\/p>\n New research has found that Alabama is the state Americans would like to fly to the least, with 35% of Americans saying they wouldn\u2019t fly there, with Nevada and New York making up the rest of the top three. California, Hawaii and Vermont were voted most desirable.<\/em><\/p>\n The top reasons for not wanting to fly to Alabama were found to be the high rate of crime, lack of things to do and unfriendly locals. What\u2019s more, 61% of Americans were found to prefer going on vacation in the USA than abroad. The study was undertaken by the team at flight-comparison site www.us.jetcost.com<\/a>, who polled in more than 4,000 Americans over the age of 18, split evenly across the country, on their opinions on domestic travel.<\/p>\n Of those polled, 79% revealed that they had been on a vacation elsewhere in the USA in the past two years, compared to just 18% who had been on vacation outside of the US.<\/p>\n As part of the study, respondents were given a list of American states and asked to say which \u2013 if any \u2013 they would not like to fly to, and then asked to give their reasons why. It was found that the state Americans wanted to fly to the least was Alabama, receiving just over a third of the votes (35%). The most common reasons given for this were \u2018high rates of crime\u2019 (30%), \u2018lack of things to do\u2019 (21%) and \u2018unfriendly locals\u2019 (16%).<\/p>\n The second least desirable state for Americans to fly to was found to be Nevada, with 31% of the votes. The top reasons given for this were \u2018too many tourists\u2019 (27%), \u2018high rates of crime\u2019 (23%) and \u2018lack of culture\u2019 (19%).<\/p>\n The state of New York completed the top three least desirable states for Americans to travel to, with just over a quarter (26%) saying they would not like to travel there. The reasons given for this were \u2018everything is too expensive\u2019 (20%), \u2018too many tourists\u2019 (19%) and \u2018unfriendly locals\u2019 (17%).<\/p>\n However, the study also found that three in five Americans (61%) actually prefer to vacation in the USA rather than going abroad. When asked why, the most common responses were \u2018it\u2019s cheaper than going abroad\u2019 (37%) and \u2018there\u2019s enough to do in America\u2019 (35%).<\/p>\n Commenting on the findings of the study, a spokesperson for www.us.jetcost.com<\/a> said:<\/p>\n \u201cAround half of all Americans do not have a passport, which explains the difference in those that have travelled abroad compared to domestically. It was interesting to see that Americans actually prefer going on vacation in their own country, and to see where they would prefer not to travel to, with unfriendly locals a common reason to not travel somewhere.\u201d<\/p>\nBeast From the East: Indian Soldiers Reckon They’ve Found Yeti Footprints<\/h2>\n
![\"footprints](\"https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Yeti-Footprints.jpg\")
How to Travel the World for Free<\/h2>\n
How to Become a World Traveler for Next to Nothing<\/h3>\n
![\"Mexican](\"https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Mexican-Farm.jpg\")
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Alabama Voted As The State Americans Would Least Like To Fly To<\/h2>\n
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\n 1<\/strong><\/td>\n Alabama<\/td>\n 35%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n 2<\/strong><\/td>\n Nevada<\/td>\n 31%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n 3<\/strong><\/td>\n New York<\/td>\n 26%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n 4<\/strong><\/td>\n Missouri<\/td>\n 25%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n 5<\/strong><\/td>\n Delaware<\/td>\n 23%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n 6<\/strong><\/td>\n Connecticut<\/td>\n 22%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n 7<\/strong><\/td>\n New Jersey<\/td>\n 21%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n 8<\/strong><\/td>\n Kansas<\/td>\n 20%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n 9<\/strong><\/td>\n Rhode Island<\/td>\n 19%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n 10<\/strong><\/td>\n Mississippi<\/td>\n 18%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n 11<\/strong><\/td>\n Florida<\/td>\n 18%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n 12<\/strong><\/td>\n Nebraska<\/td>\n 17%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n 13<\/strong><\/td>\n Alaska<\/td>\n 16%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n 14<\/strong><\/td>\n Oklahoma<\/td>\n 16%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n 15<\/strong><\/td>\n Idaho<\/td>\n 15%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n 16<\/strong><\/td>\n Ohio<\/td>\n 14%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n 17<\/strong><\/td>\n New Hampshire<\/td>\n 13%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n 18<\/strong><\/td>\n Arkansas<\/td>\n 13%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n 19<\/strong><\/td>\n Maine<\/td>\n 12%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n 20<\/strong><\/td>\n Minnesota<\/td>\n 12%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n 21<\/strong><\/td>\n New Mexico<\/td>\n 11%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n 22<\/strong><\/td>\n Georgia<\/td>\n 10%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n 23<\/strong><\/td>\n West Virginia<\/td>\n 10%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n 24<\/strong><\/td>\n South Dakota<\/td>\n 10%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n 25<\/strong><\/td>\n Indiana<\/td>\n 9%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n 26<\/strong><\/td>\n Virginia<\/td>\n 9%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n 27<\/strong><\/td>\n Wyoming<\/td>\n 8%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n 28<\/strong><\/td>\n Iowa<\/td>\n 8%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n 29<\/strong><\/td>\n Michigan<\/td>\n 7%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n 30<\/strong><\/td>\n North Carolina<\/td>\n 6%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n 31<\/strong><\/td>\n Illinois<\/td>\n 6%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n 32<\/strong><\/td>\n Tennessee<\/td>\n 6%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n 33<\/strong><\/td>\n Louisiana<\/td>\n 6%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n 34<\/strong><\/td>\n Arizona<\/td>\n 5%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n 35<\/strong><\/td>\n Maryland<\/td>\n 5%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n 36<\/strong><\/td>\n Texas<\/td>\n 4%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n 37<\/strong><\/td>\n Oregon<\/td>\n 4%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n 38<\/strong><\/td>\n Utah<\/td>\n 4%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n 39<\/strong><\/td>\n Washington<\/td>\n 3%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n 40<\/strong><\/td>\n Massachusetts<\/td>\n 3%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n 41<\/strong><\/td>\n Montana<\/td>\n 3%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n 42<\/strong><\/td>\n Pennsylvania<\/td>\n 3%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n 43<\/strong><\/td>\n Wisconsin<\/td>\n 3%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n 44<\/strong><\/td>\n South Carolina<\/td>\n 2%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n 45<\/strong><\/td>\n Colorado<\/td>\n 1%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n 46<\/strong><\/td>\n Kentucky<\/td>\n 1%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n 47<\/strong><\/td>\n North Dakota<\/td>\n 1%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n 48<\/strong><\/td>\n Vermont<\/td>\n 0%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n 49<\/strong><\/td>\n Hawaii<\/td>\n 0%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n 50<\/strong><\/td>\n California<\/td>\n 0%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n