What We’re Reading: Beyonce’s Illegal Cuban Holiday

This week, we’re reading about a celebrity’s flagrant disregard of a U.S. embargo. Get the scoop on this and more in our weekly roundup of travel news and stories.

Turn Your Professional Conference into a Vacation

…says The New York Times, which reports that professional events like TED or SXSW can make terrific vacations/stag parties. The Times encourages conference attendees to give love a chance while totally forgetting about all the work you’re supposed to be doing: “The stranger you meet at a conference might become your pal for an hour, an afternoon, a few days. He or she might become the Facebook friend you thumbs-up from 1,000 miles away, or the new friend that you’ll visit each year for the rest of your life. Why, that stranger might even become your spouse.” Just don’t tell your boss you’re planning to treat your next corporate conference as a singles mixer.

Air Travel in 1959

Every week, Jaunted runs a story called “Throwback Thursday.” It features a look at the golden age of air travel—a time when no one would ever dream of charging $100 for a carry on bag. In the most recent Throwback Thursday, there’s an image of coach class on the Boeing 707 in 1959. Passengers appear to be seated on massive La-Z-Boy-style recliner seats, which, to put it mildly, have shrunk somewhat in the ensuing years. See the picture here.

Beyonce’s Illegal Cuban Holiday

Skift reports that U.S. politicians have taken issue with Beyonce and Jay-Z’s vacation in Cuba, after photographs of the couple hanging out in Havana were published. (Cuba is subject to an embargo that prohibits most U.S. tourism.) According to Skift, “Two Republican representatives for south Florida, whose constituents include many enduringly embittered Cuban exiles, have raised the issue of the Carters’ visit with the Obama administration, denouncing it as having provided sustenance to the ‘murderous’ Castro regime.” The celebrity couple could face a fine for their visit. Read the report here.