Ruffin Prevost

1 week ago | wral.com | Ruffin Prevost

If your summer vacation plans include exploring sandstone canyons, watching wildlife or gawking at geothermal wonders, this may not be the year to do so at a national park. National Park Service staffing cuts have created uncertainty at many of the most popular destinations, including Zion, Great Smoky Mountains and Yellowstone. That is likely to mean long waits, big crowds and unexpected closures.

2 weeks ago | nytimes.com | Ruffin Prevost

With popular destinations like Yellowstone and Zion hit hard by staffing cuts, nearby state parks offer beauty and majesty with far less uncertainty. If your summer vacation plans include exploring sandstone canyons, watching wildlife or gawking at geothermal wonders, this may not be the year to do so at a national park. National Park Service staffing cuts have created uncertainty at many of the most popular destinations, including Zion, Great Smoky Mountains and Yellowstone.

2 weeks ago | flipboard.com | Ruffin Prevost

NowTourists scramble as 600-year-old Chinese tower partially collapsesHong Kong CNN — Visitors to a centuries-old tourist site in eastern China were sent scrambling after hundreds of roof tiles came loose and cascaded more than two stories to the ground.

3 weeks ago | rethinking65.com | Ruffin Prevost

When you buy something at your local supermarket, you generally pay the price on the tag — easy. But in places including Turkey, Vietnam, Egypt, Morocco, Peru, China and West Africa, prices are not always set in advance. You may find yourself haggling over the cost of souvenirs, produce, taxi rides and more. It’s normal to feel awkward, maybe a bit anxious, over an unfamiliar practice. Are you overpaying? Are you driving too hard of a bargain? Is this even something a conscientious traveler should do?

1 month ago | seattletimes.com | Lauren Matison |Ruffin Prevost

Firings, resignations and delays in seasonal hiring have clouded the coming vacation season at the 433 sites and 85 million acres managed by the National Park Service. Parks are already closing campgrounds, cutting hours and reducing services, and insiders are predicting a challenging summer. Weeks after President Donald Trump took office, the administration abruptly dismissed more than 1,000 permanent, full-time NPS workers, and at least 700 more took buyouts.