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If you’re an avid traveller, you probably have a go-to travel clothing ensemble. For some, it’s sweatpants, while others choose fashionable pieces as they always have to look on point. Lately, companies have been introducing more and more pieces of clothing designed precisely for travel. Skycop looked into some of the newest, most interesting, simply must-have travel clothes for those who find themselves hopping on and off planes on a regular basis.

Pants

Honestly, any pair of comfortable pants will do the trick and is great for travel. Many companies are on a mission to make the best product out there and become the number one choice for travellers all around the world.

Baubax, a US-based company founded in 2015, recently presented a crowdfunding campaign for the best travel pants. It became the number one most funded pants campaign in crowdfunding history, gathering over 3 million dollars from its backers. The product is said to have 15 features - from being lightweight and stain and water resistant, to having zipper pockets and odor control.

T-shirts

While there probably are some products designed specifically for travellers, most people agree that the best option for travel t-shirts is the ones made from merino wool.

Merino wool is an excellent insulator, keeping you warm in winter and cool in summer, it's absorbent, dries rather quickly. And, unlike other types of wool, it's not itchy.

Some travellers choose design over material. A few years ago, a t-shirt design by Iconspeak went viral. The shirt allowed people to communicate without words as the design incorporated various icons of common places or items, such as an icon for bus, Wi-Fi, toilet etc. The company has a line for world icons that are universal in all countries, and a cities’ collection adapted to individual cities, like Paris, Rome and Tokyo, that additionally have icons of the main tourist attractions.

Jackets

The before-mentioned Baubax also offers jackets with an impressive number of pockets, a built-in travel pillow and a sleeping mask. ScotteVest - whose slogan is “It’s not rocket science, It’s pocket science” - is also on the wave - the company focuses on the ability for travellers to carry as much of their stuff on themselves to eliminate the need for a separate bag.

Shoes

Footwear is incredibly important while traveling. While for some holidays mean lying on the beach or next to a pool, many spend days on their feet, walking around beautiful new places.

Choosing the right shoes highly depends on what your holiday will consist of. Will you be walking around Paris? Comfortable and light sneakers should do the trick. Heading out for a hike in Austrian mountains? Well, your best choice is to get some waterproof hiking shoes. Are you planning on spending your days at hot and sunny Portugal, but don’t plan on walking too much? Sandals it is.

Socks

While this might sound funny, avid travellers should not forget about socks. People who are planning on walking long distances and wearing shoes for long hours should think about what socks are the best for their situation. Maybe you should invest in a pair of compression socks that promote circulation and prevent swelling during long walks.

Shocking, authentic, breathtaking - that’s how HBO’s new TV mini-series Chernobyl is described around the world. The bigger part of it was filmed in Lithuania in 2018. The first episode attracted almost 2 million viewers and presented the country as immersed in surreal and mystical Soviet atmosphere. Those who want to experience the near past no longer have to go to Ukraine to see Chernobyl - for Lithuanians, it’s as simple as going outside. That’s why claim compensation company  Skycop is inviting you to a tour of locations that entranced viewers worldwide and helped Chernobyl’s ratings unseat such heavy-hitters like A Game of Thrones and Breaking Bad.

Chernobyl in Lithuania: tens of locations, hundreds of filming hours

The explosion on the night of 26th of April 1986 seared the event into human memory with the radioactive flames of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant’s 4th reactor. Critics agree: the mini-series that came out three decades after the events that inspired it should also be enshrined in history.

HBO and its partners shot the horrifyingly detailed show in Lithuania in the summer of 2018. The success of Chernobyl is no surprise to the many members of the Lithuanian cinematographer community that worked on the project.

“I don’t want to brag, but I was not surprised by positive reactions. After reading the script, it became clear that Chernobyl is well written, revealing the global tragedy through the eyes that witnessed it,” said Jonas Špokas, CEO of Baltic Locations, the company that managed Chernobyl’s filming locations. “That’s why I knew that the viewer will empathize with them and feel it all. The series were hugely ambitious, and the director, the script writer and the designer all put in effort to take Lithuanian suggestions into account, since they wanted it to be as authentic as it can be.”

It was for the sake of this authenticity that Jonas and his crew carried out a meticulous search of filming locations. The work began back in autumn 2016, as Pripyat, Chernobyl and Moscow had to be recreated almost entirely in Lithuania. That’s how the Soviet era was restaged at places as far apart as Pravieniškės and Visaginas - in total, over 40 different location can be seen in the series. There were around 1000 hours of filmed footage.

Moscow in Kaunas: the director thought he was dreaming

You can start touring the Chernobyl Lithuania in Kaunas. The city that’s known for its interwar architecture was perfect for creating the Soviet Moscow you can see in the series.

However, one of the most memorable moments came from the magical scene in episode 1, where the locals in Pripyat are standing on a bridge, completely unaware of what truly happened at the nuclear power plant. The radioactive fallout that swirled on the screen like pollen created a palpable feeling of both mystery and calm.  

“The scene was shot at M. Gimbutienė Street in Petrašiūnai. There’s an abandoned water-supply bridge there. Director Johan Renck said that he ‘could not have even dreamed’ of it,” said Jonas. “He was looking for a spot that seemed to emerge out of nothing. This bridge is just like that: purposeless, it seems have neither a beginning nor an end. Built over a railroad track and meant for the water pipes running from the Petrašiūnai cemetery, it’s abandoned and decaying.”

There’s more than one such mystical location in Kaunas. “The apartment of protagonist Valery Legasov, we found it by accident, and it was filmed in an impressive art-deco building at Vytauto Ave. 58,” said Aureliuos Silkinis, who assisted the shooting with his company Kaunas Film Office. “The creepy 6th clinic in Moscow, the one which firefighters from Pripyat were brought to, was recreated in the former 8th building of Kaunas Technical University at Kęstučio St. 27. It’s now privatized. The KGB prison and the work room at the nuclear research institute were filmed at the radio factory located at Savanorių Ave. 66.”

Chernobyl was also filmed at the former helicopter maintenance hangar at Europos Ave. 27. The 4th episode scene of firefighters dousing houses with chemicals was staged on Chemikų street in Kedainiai.

Pripyat, reborn in Fabijoniškės, puts Lithuania on the map

Next stop on the Chernobyl tour of Lithuania - Vilnius. However, you must visit Pravieniškės on your way there. “We filmed there as well. It’s a unique town, devoid of any tourist traps; you’d never think to visit it. However, it’s a must-see for those pining for the Soviet atmosphere,” said Jonas.  

Once you reach Vilnius, you should forget everything you’ve heard about its historic landmarks. It’s the northern Fabioniškės district that’s currently the most famous spot in Lithuania. Called “Fabai” by the locals, this part of Vilnius appeared in Chernobyl and became famous from New York to Chelyabinsk, albeit under a different name, that of Pripyat.

“It’s a very symbolic and cinematographic district,” said J. Špokas. “It reflects the idea of Pripyat, of idealized Soviet city of the future, quite wonderfully. Fabioniškės is a symmetrical district, which is great for the current trend of translating the architecture of that era for the big screen: the forms are aggressive, there’s a lot of concrete and grayness.”

When talking about Vilnius, J. Špokas claims that any district further away from downtown can have the same charm as Fabijoniškės. “However, I’d like to single out the impressive [former] cultural center of Ministry of the Interior, located at Žirmūnai St. 1. I adore the building, even if we only used it to film the Pripyat hotel restaurant, and the scene where the three volunteer divers are selected,” said J. Špokas.

Visaginas: the place to model a nuclear explosion

The Chernobyl tour of Lithuania continues to Didžiosios Kabiškės village in the Nemenčinė municipality. According to J. Špokas, the locals here and at the Laišaičiai village in Vievis municipality could not cut hay for the entire summer, as they had to maintain the image of abandoned settlements around Chernobyl.

However, something special truly awaits once you head to Ignalina. The trip may only last for one and a half hour, but you are travelling into history.  

“All the power plant environments you the in the series - except for the ruined bits - were filmed at the Ignalina nuclear power plant (IAE),” said J. Špokas. “The firefighters driving towards the fire, the divers going into the pipes, the miners coming in to dig the shaft - it’s all here, as the atmosphere at IAE is unique, impossible to recreate anywhere else. However, it’s also a site of strategic importance for Lithuania, so filming there was not easy.”

During the day, one can visit the IAE with a guided tour. It’s not easy to get into one, but anyone can try. J. Špokas also suggests seeing nuclear power plant control panel-simulator at the Visaginas training center - it’s identical to the one in Chernobyl and the IAE.  

The set designers, the real one - for the training of power plant employees, made the one in the series. The simulator allowed the staging of various scenarios that may arise during the operation of the IAE, even an explosion. Today, visitors can even push the legendary emergency protection button AZ-5.

“Seeing the IAE is much more interesting than visiting the real Chernobyl. Sure, the real spot is more authentic and emotionally impressive, but it’s only a ruin,” said J. Špokas. “At the IAE, you can really feel how big and complex a nuclear power plant is. Nothing else in Lithuania can match the sheer scale, importance and size you experience when you see the reactors and walk above them.”

Chernobyl: some scenes actually filmed in Ukraine

“Some scenes we could not film in Lithuania were filmed in Ukraine,” said J. Špokas. “The scene where the miners are encouraged to go to Chernobyl were filmed in Kiev, at the Nuclear Power Plants and Engineering Thermal Physics Department. There was also the scene where the Belorussian scientists Ulana notices the increasing radiation background. Also, only in Kiev could we find some of the backgrounds of the size we needed for Moscow.”

“In Kiev, we had the luxury of shooting Mi-8 helicopter scenes. There’s only two of them in Lithuania and they’re always on rescue duty, so they could be called away at any moment,” said J. Špokas. Overall, the filming in Ukraine took 20 12-hour shifts.

“We also went to the Chernobyl zone to see how some of the old villages look like,” said J. Špokas. “However, it’s not a good place to film, it’s very remote and offers nothing you can’t find in Lithuania. It’s all abandoned, while we needed Pripyat to be alive. You can’t really stay in the Chernobyl zone for too long, the filming equipment is really sensitive to radiation.”

While the French air traffic controllers are on strike, Europeans airports still have their own issues to deal with. Expect disruptions at Amsterdam Schiphol, Athens, Santorini, Lisbon Portela, Zurich and Frankfurt am Main.

Why are the European Airports experiencing disruptions?

The French ATC strike started on Wednesday and will continue into tuesday. Meanwhile, Amsterdam Schiphol is having issues with a new system. Athens and Santorini are suffering disruptions due to capacity issue. Lisbon cites military activity as the culprit. Meanwhile, weather is playing merry in Switzerland, as Zurich airport reports issues with wind direction. Frankfurt Airport is slowly opening up after a drone sighting grounded flights.

Am I entitled to delayed flight or cancelled flight compensation?

As always, air passengers suffering from these delayed or cancelled flights should know that they have rights granted to them under Regulation (EC) 261/2004. The airline has to provide you with free meals and drinks. You should also be allowed to make two free calls, use email or send a free fax. If you have to wait for the flight for one or more nights, the carrier has to provide you with free accommodation at a hotel, including transport to/from the airport. In case they’re unable/unwilling to do this, save the receipts: all “rational” expenses (no VIP penthouses, caviar or limos) should be refunded afterwards. Read more about flight compensation.

Unfortunately, all of these airport-side disruptions are considered to be exceptional circumstances as defined by (EC) 261/2004 – which means you can’t claim delayed or cancelled flight compensation! Other rules still apply, so they airlines should still take care of you.

Movie buffs are known for their love of visiting locations where their favorite films were shot. What about those of you who are passionate about music videos, though? Well, you can find those places around, too. Here are some of the most famous music video shooting locations you can (and should) visit.