1 . In October 2023, 3-year-old Journey Castillo completed a quest to visit all 63 of America’s national parks. Her parents, Eric and Valerie Castillo, said she is likely the youngest person to reach that milestone.

The family, from San Antonio, Texas, ended their travels with a trip to Katmai National Park and Preserve in Alaska. “Mission complete,” they wrote on Instagram. “After three years of adventure, countless logistics work and not giving up, we could not be more proud to share the conclusion of our quest.” Journey hasn’t been officially verified as the youngest traveler to visit all 63 parks. But more important than the title, her parents say, is the experience.

“Our thing was: ‘Let’s… inspire in Journey a passion for nature, inspire in her that she can handle the strenuous parts of the traveling: the environments, the weather changes, different cultures.” Valerie Castillo told The Guardian’s Ramon Antonio Vargas.

Before she could walk, Journey Castillo’s parents set out to visit every national park in the U.S. They hiked up Pikes Peak and explored Rocky Mountain National Park, all with an infant in tow. As far as they could tell, Journey seemed to enjoy herself.

“We could see her little eyes open and take it all in,” Valerie Castillo told the San Antonio Express-News last year. “She was so aware, even being a few days old. She’s adapted so well.”

They then ventured to Grand Canyon National Park — and decided to keep going. They set a goal of visiting 21 parks by Journey’s first birthday, then 42 parks by her second birthday. Eventually, they decided to go for all 63 parks. The family has been documenting every step of the way on Instagram and their website, Journey Go Explore.

Reaching the last few parks on their list — all in Alaska — required lots of logistical management, including renting flights, ferry rides, and even special permission from the National Park Service to visit a seasonally closed park. Though their visit was challenging at times, the Castillos say it helped their daughter develop confidence. Journey walks fearlessly through airports and happily greets park rangers. “When she’s out at these parks, she comes to life, and her personality brightens up,” Eric Castillo said.

2 . Bella, a 14-year-old cat from Huntingdon, UK, has claimed the Guinness Record for the world’s loudest purr (猫叫声) by a domestic cat, with a noisy purr______at 54.59 decibels (分贝).

The Spink family has had Bella for almost 15 years, and they’ve always______that she might have the world’s loudest purr. Friends and family would always ______her loud purring, and Nicole Spink’s late husband would ______that she was louder than the TV.

One day, they decided to put Bella’s purring to the test―they ______a smartphone app to measure the cat’s purr and were blown away by the______. She was louder than the Guinness World record for the loudest purr by a domestic cat, so they applied for an official record______.

Measuring sound with a smartphone app and having it measured by a sound engineer can bring about totally______ results, but in this case, the Spinks were lucky to have their measurements______. After feasting on a bowl of her favorite food, Bella got to enjoy some much-needed petting by her owner and she produced some ______loud purring.

The standardized class-1 sound meter recorded Bella’s ______pur at 54.59 decibels. That was more than enough to beat the 50-decibel requirement to______the Guinness Record.

It’s important to note that while Bella has ______the record for the loudest purr by a living domestic cat, she doesn’t have the loudest purr in history. That ______belongs to the late Smokey and Merlin, two cats who purred at the ______noise level of 67.8 dB, a full 13.21 louder than Bella.

5 . Lonely Planet’s best in travel destinations for 2024 revealed

To mark its 50th anniversary, Lonely Planet’s Best in Travel 2024 has expanded from the top 10 best cities, countries, and regions to include two new categories of best value and best sustainable destinations, recognising a total of 50 locations across the globe offering amazing experiences to enjoy in 2024.

Spain tops the sustainable travel list, having taken enormous strides to boost off-season travel, expand renewable energy, spread visitors across the year, and bring tourism to previously overlooked destinations.

Wales too has been recognised as one of those leading the way in sustainability, thanks to its rebuilt railways expanding the possibilities of exploring the nation’s wild, wonderful west.

And bouncing back strongly from the 2020 bushfires is Kangaroo Island, which remains one of South Australia’s great ecotourism destinations.

Slow Travel, a favourite topic with Lonely Planet readers, is celebrated by highlighting the Portuguese Way hiking trail and the continued rise of night trains in Europe.

Meanwhile the popular sun-kissed country of Croatia is now easier to explore with the opening of the Peljesac Bridge shining a spotlight on the previously overlooked Peljesac Peninsula and a new highway means it’s now possible to travel directly between Split and Dubrovnik.

Algeria, the USA’s Midwest, Greek island of Ikaria and Normandy are just a few of those great value and often overlooked destinations, ideal for the cost-conscious traveller.

For those seeking to enjoy the great outdoors, the new Western Balkans’ Cycle Route is set to open in 2024 and Far North Scotland is bidding for UNESCO status for its unsung boggy area and a coastline of heartbreaking beauty.

7 . The two Greek words — “philo”, which means love and “Sophia”, which means wisdom, are the beginnings of the word we use today: Philosophy, the love of wisdom.

Most people have a philosophy on life. Everybody has an idea of what is right and what is wrong, and why things are the way they are, and who they are and who to trust. A lot of people believe somebody else’s philosophy. That person may be a religious or political leader, or anybody you look up to. Some people have their own philosophy on life which might be a mixture of theories. Others are philosophers: people who want to know the truth about life for themselves and spend their time studying, thinking and asking questions.

Today philosophers are still encouraging people to think. Schools in some countries teach philosophy to children. Reading books written by old philosophers can be difficult because the language is from the past. So stories are used to help schoolchildren make their own decisions about what is right and wrong and think about the best way to solve problems.

Why do we need philosophy? There are plenty of people who think that killing animals is cruel, but eating animals is fine. If you are one of these people, you should ask yourself why. Why is killing animals cruel? Why is it okay to eat animals? You might find that the answer to each question is very different and you could have an argument by yourself using your own ideas! Go on and argue — you will understand more about what you believe. You will begin to understand the subject more deeply. And this helps you to feel comfortable with it. And you might change something or you might not. When we ask ourselves questions, we start to understand ourselves and our lives, and it’s up to us to make changes or not. If the ideas in your head agree, this means you have integrity. What you say and what you do are the same. Everyone respects someone who has integrity!

By thinking and questioning, we can understand more and maybe prevent problems caused by misunderstanding. But philosophy can also cause problems and conflict when people don’t agree. When one group of people choose one philosophy to believe and another group of people choose a different philosophy, when they need to think or make a decision together, they start trying to change each other instead of working together on bigger ideas about life.

10 . Stepping outside the railway station early on an morning, visitors are met with the view of the cold air joining the water, forming a thick, soft blanket of fog over the Grand Canal (运河), the “main street” of Venice. The church of San Simeone Piccolo and the neighboring buildings appear to be floating on the water of the lagoon. It’s a sight that has welcomed millions of visitors from all over the world since the great days of the Serenissima, when the city ruled as one of Europe’s economic superpowers.

Yet, the breath-taking beauty that inspired countless painters, writers and artists over the centuries remains at risk of being lost forever. Like the Abu Simbel temples, the city’s survival is threatened (威胁) by rising water levels. The increase in sea level has caused flooding to be a regular thing.

After 1966, the year of the worst flooding in Venice’s history, UNESCO and the Italian Government started a major project to save the city. Huge movable flood gates were used to protect the lowest areas from flooding. Thirty years later there is agreement on the successful results both of the technical achievements and international cooperation.

But Venice still needs attentive care, and its continued survival calls for careful watch. The city remains threatened on several aspects -mass tourism, the potential damage of city development and the steady stream of large ships crushing its weak foundations.

International pressure around the status of Venice led to the Italian Government’s decision in2021 to ban large ships from the city center. This decision came a few days after UNESCO announced its decision to put the city on its World Heritage in Danger list. Until a suitable docking place (码头) is developed, large ships will be allowed to pull up in Marghera, an industrial suburb of Venice. Such decisions show the difficulty of protecting historic cities and cultural heritage urban centers, which in this particular situation called for specially-made measures and techniques different from those made for the safeguarding of the Egyptian temples.