The story of one child’s longing to be reunited with his favourite toy will give you a feel-good buzz. Image: Shutterstock
Feel-good travel stories: From Buzz Lightyear to flying ships
If you’re feeling a little prickly even with the Human Rights Day long weekend looming, here’s a weekly round-up of five feel-good travel stories that will boost your mood.
The story of one child’s longing to be reunited with his favourite toy will give you a feel-good buzz. Image: Shutterstock
If you’re in the mood for more positive travel news, you’re in luck. Here’s our shortlist of the trending feel-good travel stories for the week.
Lufthansa returns to Slaapstad
There’s been a solid bounty of positive announcements circulating within the aviation industry recently. This week, German airline Lufthansa announced that it will be re-introducing direct flight services to Cape Town from the end of March.
As reported by Tourism Update, Dr André Schulz, Lufthansa’s GM for Southern Africa and East Africa, said the announcement brought a new sense of optimism. He said he believed “we are starting to see the light at the end of what has been an immensely challenging period”.
The good news doesn’t end there, either. From 1 April, plans are under way to set up a total of five weekly flights between Johannesburg and Frankfurt.
Another feel-good travel story: To infinity and beyond
Travelling with little ones can be chaotic, especially when it results in a toy or two getting left behind by mistake. This was the case for Hagen Davis, a two-year-old who lost his beloved Buzz Lightyear toy. By the time the family landed in Little Rock, Dallas, they quickly realised Buzz was still on the plane.
Luckily, a ramp agent noticed the toy on the plane, and, together with a colleague from Southwestern Airlines, they were able to find out who it belonged to. This was easy since Hagen’s name was printed on the bottom of Buzz’s boot.
But before returning the toy to him, they posted phenomenal pictures of Buzz exploring the airport. When Hagen got a package some days later containing his toy, it included printed pictures of Buzz’s adventures and a letter from him explaining his “mission”.
This video of Hagen reuniting with Buzz has received more than 145,000 reactions on Facebook, nearly 100,000 shares and more than 11,000 comments. Now that’s a heart-warming feel-good travel story that’s definitely worth sharing!
The Flying Dutchman?
Here’s a quirky addition to our round-up of feel-good travel stories. The Mirror covered a great story about an image of a giant cruise liner floating in the sky. The eerie picture was captured of the coast of Cornwall, in the UK, by resident Dave Medlock.
Apparently this phenomenon occurs more frequently than we think. Known as a “superior mirage”, it is an effect caused by light rays bending. This in turn results in a displacement in images, making them appear just above where they really are. You really need to see it to believe it!
Early jabs for tourism
In his presentation to Parliament during the Tourism Portfolio Committee meeting, TBCSA CEO Tshifhiwa Tshivhengwa stressed that tourism staff at the forefront of guest interactions should be prioritised for the vaccination roll out sooner rather than later.
Whether you see this as a feel-good travel story, or merely grasping at straws, Tourism Update reports there have been many discussions about how the vaccine plan will be laid out. Ultimately, vaccine procurement lies in the hands of the South African government and no roll-out can take place until vaccines are physically arriving in our country in substantial quantities.
The ultimate feel-good travel story: A prickly family portrait
If you’re wild about South Africa’s game, you’ll love this footage from the Cape Leopard Trust. The team recently captured an incredible image of a family of prickly porcupines taking an evening stroll. It was caught on their hidden wildlife camera in the Cederberg.
Founded in 2004, the Cape Leopard Trust is a non-governmental, not-for-profit organisation engaged in research, conservation and education projects. Follow them on Facebook to keep up to speed on more unique wildlife sightings.
Need more feel-good travel stories? Here’s the recap of last week’s most positive news.
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