Our "Hot" Destination Will Leave You Glowing

The Chernobyl nuclear disaster occurred 30 years ago this week.  Days after the accident, the 50,000 residents of the nearby town of Pripyat were evacuated, never to return.  But three decades later it's tourists that populate what's known as the Exclusion Zone, a 30-kilometer radius of contaminated land around the power plant.  Is it safe to visit?  What is there to see?  We'll answer those questions and more this week in the "Hot Destination" segment of Get Packin', Saturday afternoon at 4:00 on Freedom 95 (95.9 FM and 950 AM in Indianapolis or streaming worldwide at www.freedom95.us)

There's plenty to see and do in Indianapolis this Spring and Summer.  We'll get a rundown of all the fun stuff from Lisa Wallace of Visit Indy, including miniature golf at the Indianapolis Museum of Art.  Speaking of museums, the home of the late artist Prince is set to become a museum.  We'll have details on that and who's leading the effort.  The world's oldest message in a bottle has been found. We'll tell you what the message was and who sent it.

Quite possibly his first salad.  Ever.

And one London restaurant is taking the idea of a "natural" dining experience to the extreme.  Maybe we should call it an au naturel experience.  The Bunyadi is said to be the first naked restaurant in the British capital, where diners will have the opportunity to have dinner while wearing nothing at all. ("Do you have reservations?  Yes, but we're eating here, anyway."  Ba da BING!)

TRAVEL FOOD: CLICK HERE TO READ ABOUT THE BEST DESSERT EVER.  (We kept our clothes on!)

All that and more on this week's (clothing optional) Get Packin'. We hope you'll join us.

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Get Packin' for Saturday, April 16

Each week on Get Packin' we feature a "Hot Destination", a location that has seen a marked increase in interest from travelers because of the time of year, a specific event, or because it's been in the news.  We've had obvious locales, like Cuba (in the news) and ironic ones, like Iceland ("HOT" destination, ICEland. Get it?).  Anyway, this week's Hot Destination may be our most surprising of all.  Iran.  Despite the U.S. State Department's warnings about traveling to Iran, apparently Americans aren't listening. According to the director of one North American travel agency, "Iran really does appear poised to become the next Cuba."  And like Cuba, it's the lifting of sanctions that has opened the flood gates of tourists to Iran.  We'll talk more about it Saturday afternoon at 4:00 p.m. on Get Packin' on Freedom 95 (95.9 FM and 950 AM in the Indianapolis area and streaming worldwide at www,freedom95.us).

No, that's NOT Ann
on the cover.

Iran has been on what Ann calls her "Extreme Bucket List" for a while now, hoping to return to a place she once called home.  Ann lived in Tehran, Iran for a year-and-a-half back in the mid 70s as a 19-year-old newlywed, a time she recounts in her memoir, Walking Naked in Tehran.  (Shameless plug alert!)  You can get the book on Amazon or at WalkingNakedInTehran.com.  Now back to our show...

We'll welcome back Scott McCartney (@MiddleSeat) to Get Packin'.  Scott writes the Middle Seat travel column for the Wall Street Journal and he will help us navigate the sometimes confusing world of airplane seat categories.  Just when you thought you had figured out the difference between First Class and Business Class, along comes Premium Economy and Last Class.  Scott will lay it all out for us.

     Click here to see if water really does go down the drain differently
     in the Southern Hemisphere from the Northern Hemisphere.

A French tourist in Rome found out the hard way why you SHOULDN'T try to photograph the Colosseum with a drone.  And two Chinese women were shocked at the kind of hotel room an airline put them up in after their flight was cancelled.  Details on those and other stories this week on Get Packin', Saturday afternoon at 4:00 on Freedom 95.

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