HUNGARY

Hungary faced the same dilemma that every city and county that has Uber faced: should ride-sharing drivers face the same requirements as a taxi driver? They are, after all, basically exactly the same as a taxi. But in many places, they are most certainly treated differently and not required to adhere to the same regulations. So because of this, Hungary banned the app throughout the country.

DENMARK

Denmark is a beautiful country that can make for a great vacation. Especially a city like Copenhagen. But in 2016 they passed a law that said all taxis were required to have seat occupancy sensors and fare meters. Uber did not like this and just completely withdrew from the country. But luckily at least Copenhagen is a great bicycle-friendly city.

CHINA

This shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise. China regularly goes out of their way to keep their people being exposed to certain luxuries, including things as simple as access to certain websites. But oddly enough, the decision to not exist in China was made by Uber and it was an economic one. They existed there for a few years, but reportedly were losing roughly $1 billion a year in doing so! So they quickly removed themselves from China entirely.

NORTHERN TERRITORY, AUSTRALIA

Uber is still available in most of Australia, especially the major cities. But if you ever end up in the northern territory, like in cities such as Alice Springs or Darwin, for example, you better have your own transportation figured out, because Uber doesn’t exist there. They withdrew from the area after a new law was passed requiring car owners to pay a license fee. Uber saw the fees as too expensive and inefficient.

FRANCE, ITALY, FINLAND, GERMANY, AND THE NETHERLANDS

We’re lumping all these countries together because the app is only partially banned in certain parts of these countries. In Germany, for example, it basically only exists in major cities like Berlin and Munich. While in the other countries, it exists but only professionals are able to use the app as a driver. The average Joe Schmo can’t take it up as a side hustle.

LONDON… MAYBE

Technically Uber is still operating in London for the moment. London did rule in 2017 to ban the app from the city, but as Uber is currently appealing the decision it’s still available. London’s main problem with the app was legal accountability. They were unhappy with the minimal background checks drivers had to go through and Uber’s limited system for reporting criminal offenses. So it could be gone very soon… but it’s still there for now.

Pandora – Disney’s Animal Kingdom

Disney is set to unveil their latest creation, Pandora; the World of Avatar is an expansion to their Animal Kingdom in Florida. This groundbreaking theme park puts visitors into the world of Avatar and sets them on the planet of Pandora. James Cameron, the director who brought us Avatar has been deeply involved in the planning and execution of the new park. Expect lush forests of bioluminescent creatures and out of this world technology.

Disney’s Star Wars Land

Disney is doing it again but this time in both Florida and California, wherein 2019 it will debut the Star Wars land. Disney purchased the Star Wars rights in 2009 for a record 4 billion dollars and has been steadily exploiting the franchise. From the concept drawings, you can tell it’s going to be massive in scale and should fully immerse fans in the Star Wars universe. I know people will start lining up for these parks early so be prepared to wait a little bit.

Paramount Park, London

The long-anticipated London theme park has gone through some setbacks but it seems on track for a 2022 opening. Expect rides from Paramount icons like Star Trek, Indiana Jones, and Iron Man. This 3 billion dollar theme park better live up its enormous hype or there will be some salty Brits.

Universal Studios Beijing

Disney recently opened up in Shanghai so of course, their bitter rival Universal Studios had to open a park in the region. So enter Universal Studios Beijing, the mega-park set to open in 2020. There are plenty of fun parks in China but none are expected to be as grand as Universal Studios Beijing. They are attempting to build a park with heart and soul, so expect something huge and grandiose.

Warner Bros. World, Abu Dhabi

Expected to rely heavily on the brands biggest stars, Looney Tunes, and DC Comics. The completely indoor theme park will open in 2018 and is expected to dominate the landscape of Abu Dhabi. The UAE (United Arab Emirates) is a little overloaded with theme parks as of recent but this one is expected to be massive.

Wanda Theme Parks

China’s richest man owns Wanda Theme Parks and his goal is to make his theme park company bigger than all others. There are ten mega-theme parks expected to open in the next 5 years in China and that sounds crazy. These theme parks will put all other Chinese parks to shame as they are investing in Hollywood franchises and other huge budget trademarks.

Expect huge things from these mega parks in the next few years as the technology and budgets just keep growing and getting bigger.

Being a flight attendant cannot be an easy job, that’s probably why you see a high turnover rate in that profession. It’s also an occupation that has a high burnout rate, meaning people tend to flame out sooner than later. I completely understand as I was a frequent traveler – I’ve seen my fair share of horror stories.

Give your flight attendant a break by not being a huge piece of shit and don’t ever say these things to them.

Stewardess

“Excuse me, Stewardess”. CRINGE. They hate being called a stewardess, it’s not the 1950s, you are no Jon Hamm nor are you a Mad Men, so just don’t. There is no need to be rude when dealing with people in the service industry, they have to be pleased with you, don’t make them hate you. Refer to them as “Sir” or “Ma’m” or “excuse me” is even better.

What do you have to drink?

Oh boy, here we go, first-time traveler mistake here. It is not the flight attendant’s job to inform you about what beverage the plane serves, there is a menu in your seat back clearly stating all the food and drinks served. Save yourself the embarrassment and the flight attendants time and look in advance. Or, you could just say water; I bet you they have that.

What’ up with the internet?

They have zero control on the in-flight internet speed or disturbances in the service. There is no mystery flight attendant internet control lever that allows them to mess with passengers, although sometimes I bet they wish there was. They have enough on their busy hands; they don’t have time to deal with your stupid questions.

What about me?

The world doesn’t revolve around you, and this is no different. The flight attendant has no control on whether you make your connecting flight or not, so just don’t even ask them.   Selfishness isn’t going to get you to the plane faster, but what they can help you with is allowing you to exit the plane first. Then it’s up to you if you can home Alone our way through the airport and catch your flight.

I’ll turn off my phone when I’m done

No, you will turn it off when the pilot or flight attendant tells you to turn it off. This is a serious crime and if you piss the flight attendant off, they can and will alert the airport authority and have you removed from the plane.

The last flight attendant let me

Nobody cares what you’re entitled self thinks you can get away with. Just because some other flight attendant didn’t have the energy to stop you from doing whatever it is you were doing, it doesn’t give you any special right. Plus, they don’t want to hear your sob story about why you are special, I’m sure you are.

Are we there yet?

Ok, you are not a child and if you are trying to be funny… you are not. Hearing this even makes me mad. Air travel can be very tedious and having a bad attitude won’t help any situation.

Help me with my heavy bag

The flight attendant isn’t a baggage handler and shouldn’t be expected to lift your overstuffed bag into the overhead compartment. If you aren’t physically able to lift your luggage then ask another passenger and not the flight attendant to help you, I’m sure you can find a strong person to help.

Bomb

NEVER SAY THIS! Seriously, no joke here, you will get arrested and make an ass out of yourself. Also don’t tell the flight attendant that you are not a terrorist, cause literally, you are being the definition of one. In this post 9/11 world, this is never acceptable.

How many alcoholic drinks can I order?

Ok, you lush, why put a limit on it when if you are cool and not acting out of control, a flight attendant won’t stop serving you. Just order a drink or two at a time and leave it at that. If that isn’t enough, then you do know that you can bring your own airplane bottles of alcohol on the plane. They sell them in most liquor stores and in some airports.