Chameleon Coffee, a Texas-based coffee company, has opened applications for their “Brew Crew.” Basically, if hired, you’ll be paid $75,000—and receive health insurance and travel costs—to drive cross-country while sharing your coffee expertise and adventures on social media.

The “Traveling Road Brew Tour Brand Ambassador and Content Specialist” job posting states that the company is “on a mission to spread caffeine happiness across the country with our Road Brew Tour—and we need YOU to be the face of it!” They’re currently seeking two social media-savvy individuals to join the team.

“Join us for the adventure of a lifetime as a Brew Crew Member, where you’ll zigzag across the country in our tricked-out Sprinter van with your road partner, a fellow coffee-slinging buddy,” the posting continues. “Together, you’ll make stops at exciting, pre-identified locations, chatting with coffee fans, handing out free brews, and sharing your journey on Instagram and TikTok.”

The best part? You can apply with a friend and request to be paired together.

Some additional perks include free coffee on tap, health insurance, paid time off, a $75k annual salary, and quarterly bonuses.

If you’d like to apply, you must submit a minute-long video explaining why you’d be a good fit. Post it on Instagram tag @chameleoncoffee, and use #chameleonbrewcrew. Then, fill out your application, following the instructions as requested. You can also note that you want to be paired with a specific person (who must fill out their own application, too).

The deadline to submit your application is February 12, 2025.

There are a ton of interesting jobs on the market that will pay you to travel. If your 2025 goal is to explore more cities, opportunities like this one are ideal.

And even if you don’t necessarily get your travel costs covered, choosing a remote job can still allow you to book adventures while working from any location. Maybe this is the year you finally pack your bags and hit the road!

The post This Company Wants to Pay You to Travel and Drink Coffee appeared first on VICE.

But not all of those bags will reunite with their owners. Current data from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics shows a mishandled-bag rate of a bit under 0.6%. While that statistic includes bags that eventually make their way back to their owners [in one state or another] per NPR the airlines collectively lose about two million pieces of luggage every year.

Unclaimed bags don’t just vanish from the face of the earth, however. And where they do go might surprise you.

Yes, when passengers and personal items part forever, much of it gets trucked down to a huge warehouse [!] in [drumroll please] Scottsboro, Alabama [!!] and sold on [!!!] to new owners. That’s right, folks—your poor, precious, mishandled belongings, that the airline has waived any and all responsibility for—are being auctioned off to the highest bidder like a prize hog by Unclaimed Baggage, a company devoted to consolidating and liquidating these wayward items.

It’s a symbiotic relationship, though. The airlines aren’t in the business of disposing of large amounts of personal goods, and so it pays to have somebody take it away for free. And the store, well, it gets free stuff to sell, stocking about 7,000 items on sale in its retail store each day. [While most of its stock comes from commercial airlines, it also sources goods from buses, trains, trucks, and “other travel, hospitality, and transportation sources.”]

As for you? Sweet, sweet justice can be tasted in the form of some killer deals on other people’s lost merchandise. The airlines definitely taketh away, there’s no mistaking that—but the airlines do also giveth.

island of misfit toys. And clothes, and airpods…

Only about a third of the goods it receives go on sale, according to Unclaimed Baggage. One third more is donated to charities, and presumably the remaining third is disposed of— recycled, when possible—because it’s in no shape to be resold.

Every time I see someone on an airplane tuck an iPad into a seat back pocket or a passenger whip out a pair of AirPods, I wonder which ones will not be leaving the aircraft with their owners. It’s like Russian roulette. So it’s no surprise that there are six pages of Apple products listed on Unclaimed Baggage right now.

Electronics are all tested and cleared of personal data before they’re listed. Want an iPhone? An iPad Pro? AirPods? There are tons of them constantly being replenished. There are even more than a few smartwatches [although I’m wondering exactly how you lose something that’s strapped to your wrist].

Clothes, both men’s and women’s, are cleaned before they’re sold, which is more than I can say for most of the thrift stores and vintage shops I’ve frequented. Chanel, Wrangler, Ralph Lauren, Burberry, Levi’s—unlike Amazon’s search results, you can actually pronounce and recognize most of these brands.

countering the counterfeiters

However, paying good money for what turns out to be a worthless counterfeit is a valid concern, so the store vets the jewelry and luxury items that come into its possession. “We have a team of experts with years of experience authenticating jewelry and luxury brands… In certain cases, we also leverage third-party experts to appraise jewelry or confirm authentication, so you can rest assured your purchase is reliable,” they say. If one does slip through, you can return it for a refund, and they’ll destroy it [seems excessive, but okay].

luggage space oddity

Unclaimed Baggage’s stock ain’t all roses and lightly used Converses, though. Some of it’s 1/3 horsepower garbage disposals, beer tap handles, and bobbleheads. Absolute randos like this give frequent window shoppers an incentive to come back regularly and see what’ll turn up beyond the usual, steady drip of brand-name electronics and clothes.

Take this Orvis fly fishing rod. I know nothing about fly fishing, but I’m well acquainted with Orvis. Their fly fishing rods are considered top notch, as Orvis occupies a prime space in the fly fishing world. Half off for one of their pricey rods, in rated excellent condition, is a plump find waiting to be picked by the right person.

Boxing, I do know. Somebody lost out on a decent pair of Ringside boxing gloves. Here’s your chance to pick up a great cardio hobby. Just don’t forget the hand wraps, if you don’t want to break the tiny bones in your hands.

How about these Smith I/O MAG ChromaPop ski goggles? These are the exact goggles I use for mountain climbing at higher altitudes, and they’re top-shelf quality. Rated excellent condition by Unclaimed Baggage, they’re 45% off. If I didn’t already have a pair, I’d buy ’em myself. Scouring the website for these sorts of things feels a bit like pulling the handle on a slot machine.

check your expectations, not your bags

Years ago, before Unclaimed Baggage opened an e-commerce site in 2020, I watched a TV show that featured the brick-and-mortar store down in Alabama, and people were parading deals that would make a veteran thrifter green with envy. These days, with the proliferation of the internet, it’s apparent that the folks who run Unclaimed Baggage look up the values and going rates of the items they sell. The deals I saw were more or less in line with what you’d find people charging for the items on eBay.

It doesn’t mean these aren’t mostly good deals on vetted merchandise from a reputable retailer—they are. It just means to check your expectations. You aren’t going to find a rare baseball card worth a million bucks. If you’re feeling somewhat lucky, though, you could always snag one of their enigmatic Mystery Boxes.

As for you, the next time you take a bag on a flight, make sure you slip an AirTag or a Tile into each one of your bags, even your carry-ons. Otherwise, who knows. You may end up one day seeing your own lost goodies on the pages of Unclaimed Baggage.

The post You’ll Never Guess What Really Happens to Your Lost Luggage appeared first on VICE.

“Most people aim to fly home a few days before Christmas. But if you want a smoother experience, consider booking your flight for Christmas Eve instead,” a former American Airlines flight attendant said in a recent press release from Air and Cruise Parking.

“Christmas Eve is surprisingly calm. By then, the majority of travelers have already reached their destinations. So the airports are quieter, and flights are often less crowded,” the flight attendant continued. “Plus, there’s a festive atmosphere onboard. Cabin crews tend to go the extra mile to make it special, whether that’s wearing Santa hats or offering festive treats.”

What’s the Best Day to Fly During the Holidays?

So, if you’re family doesn’t celebrate Christmas Eve—or if you’re up for an early-morning flight that day—consider booking your trip for December 24. You’ll likely experience way less congestion than other days this season.

“You skip the earlier rush and still arrive in time to enjoy Christmas,” the flight attendant continued. “It’s like sneaking in through the back door while everyone else is queued up at the front.”

Another tip the flight attendant shared was to avoid row 11. Especially if you want to avoid rushing to the exit.

“Being in the middle row, especially in a window seat, which tends to be either A or F, almost guarantees you’ll be one of the last off the plane,” she said.

And don’t be afraid to ask for an upgrade. Because “ultimately, if you don’t ask, you don’t get,” a British Airlines flight attendant said in the release. I mean, hey—the worst they can say is no.

“The people checking you in are the ones who can see the space’s availability and have all the control. Even if there’s not a free upgrade they may be able to get you a discounted rate,” the British Airways attendant continued.

“If you’re scared to ask, it’s always worth checking your flight online before you head to check in,” added an attendant with Virgin Atlantic. “A quick airline search can tell you if business/first class has already sold out, so you know not to ask. That being said, don’t rely on this solely as people always forget to turn up.”

Happy Holiday Traveling!

The post This Is the Best Day to Fly During the Holidays appeared first on VICE.

There were a total of 44 people aboard Sea Story when it sank, 13 crew members and 31 passengers. In total, 13 people aboard were Egyptian. The remaining 31 people were a range of nationalities including German, British and American Polish, Belgian, Swiss, Finnish, Chinese, Slovak, Spanish, and Irish.

The yacht’s five-day diving trip began on Nov. 24, setting off from Port Ghalib Marina until it reached an area near Morsa Alam where the incident took place. After authorities learned that the boat was sinking, search and rescue efforts were immediately put into place.

Some survivors were transported from the scene via plane and others via boat, after which they received medical care. In total, 28 people have been rescued. They are all in good health, according to authorities.

Still, though, 16 people—12 foreigners and four Egyptians—are missing. Authorities spent all day searching for the missing via air and sea. However, efforts were put on hold when night fell on Monday, Reuters reported.

As for what made the boat sink, authorities said a “high sea wave hit the vessel,” causing it to capsize within five to seven minutes.

The boat, authorities assured people, did not have any technical defects and was up to date on its required licenses.

The post 16 People Missing After Egyptian Tour Boat Sinks appeared first on VICE.

It’s a good deal for both Americans and the villagers. The former gets to escape the US after Donald Trump’s presidential victory, while the latter will see an economic boom in their town after years of depopulation.

“Of course, we can’t specifically mention the name of one US president who just got elected, but we all know that he’s the one from whom many Americans want to get away from now and leave the country,” Francesco Columbu, the mayor of Ollolai, told CNN. “We have specifically created this website now to meet US post-elections relocation needs.”

A website advertising Ollolai’s promotion recently launched, and will soon include photos and information about the available properties.

“Are you [worn] out by global politics? Looking to embrace a more balanced lifestyle while securing new opportunities?” the website reads. “It’s time to start building your European escape in the stunning paradise of Sardinia.”

The site advertises Ollolai as “the perfect destination to reconnect, recharge, and embrace a new way of life.” The village promises to to guide those interested through every step of the house-buying process, “from arranging viewings to finding contractors and navigating the necessary bureaucracy.”

“We just really want, and will focus on, Americans above all,” Columbu told CNN. “We can’t of course ban people from other countries to apply, but Americans will have a fast-track procedure. We are betting on them to help us revive the village, they are our winning card.”

Is It Really $1?!

The homes start at €1 and go up to €100,000. That’s equivalent to a range of $1.05 to $105,000.

Columbu told the outlet that homes on the lower end are in need of renovations, while properties that cost more are ready to occupy. He further noted some digital nomads qualify for free temporary homes.

Since launching, Columbu told the outlet that 38,000 requests for information have come in. That number is largely made up of Americans, he said.

It’s not too late to get in on the action. Columbu told the outlet, “The village remains half empty, we still have about 100 unoccupied cheap homes potentially on sale, ready to move in.”

The post Italian Village Offers $1 Homes to Americans Looking to Leave The States After Donald Trump’s Victory appeared first on VICE.

Per the CDC, 55 of more than 1,800 passengers reported feeling sick during their trip. Fifteen of the ship’s 907 crew members also experienced the illness. Those who were infected with the virus predominately had diarrhea and vomiting.

Amid the outbreak, the cruise line told the CDC that it had increased cleaning and disinfection procedures and collected stool specimens for testing. VSP is monitoring the situation.

To protect cruisers, the CDC recommends that people reschedule their trip if they’re feeling ill before their departure. The CDC also advises people to wash their hands frequently, get plenty of rest, and drink water during their trip. If a passenger witnesses somebody get ill on the ship, the CDC suggests that they leave the area and report it to cruise staff.

Other Cruise Outbreaks in 2024

Before the Coral Princess outbreak, the CDC reported 10 health incidents aboard cruise ships in 2024. Seven of those outbreaks were due to norovirus. E. coli and Salmonella were each responsible for one outbreak. The illness associated with the final outbreak has yet to be determined.

The Coral Princess outbreak is the second this year for Princess Cruises. Royal Caribbean and Celebrity Cruises each had two outbreaks as well.

The post At Least 70 People Aboard a Month-Long Cruise Have Norovirus appeared first on VICE.

“Everybody saw the smoke, because it kind of filled the back of the cabin. And then somebody screamed ‘Fire,'” passenger Jennifer Rodgers told CBS News. “Everybody kind of stood up, was trying to figure out what was happening.”

Seth Anderson, who was also on the flight, added, “It must have been burning pretty rapidly, because there was a pause, and then there was again ‘Fire! Fire!’ And then all of a sudden everybody just started getting up, and that’s when all the panicking started on the plane.”

Those in the back of the plane were instructed to disembark via an emergency slide, while passengers in the front left through the front door via the jet bridge, CNN reported.

“I kind of got pushed around a little bit,” Jaquetta Anderson told CBS News. “People were yelling leave your stuff, but I actually had two dogs with me, and I wasn’t going to leave them.”

Southwest Speaks Out

CNN reported that one person suffered minor injuries amid the evacuation. The person whose phone caught fire was treated for burns, according to the outlet.

“The smell was really bad from the lithium battery or whatever it was,” Rodgers told CBS News. “A girl was holding a Samsung phone that sort of started smoking. It burned her hands.”

After members were able to extinguish the fire, the plane took off, arriving three hours late to Houston, Texas, CNN reported.

“Nothing is more important to Southwest than the safety of its customers and employees,” the airline told the outlet. “The incident remains under investigation.”

It Could Have Been Much Worse

Anderson told CBS News that he’s grateful for the flight’s early technical troubles, which meant that the aircraft was still parked at the gate—and not up in the air—when the phone caught fire.

“I can’t think enough about that. That little delay that we had at the beginning,” he said. “Really helped us keep on the ground while that was happening, because we would have been up in the air by that time and then that thing would have been on fire. While we were in the air. That would have been that would have been a catastrophe.”

According to the National Business Aviation Association, in 2023, there were 208 issues with lithium-ion battery packs on flights.

The post Southwest Flight Evacuated After Cell Phone, Plane Seat Catch Fire appeared first on VICE.

More than a quarter of a century later, and River Vandenberg, a kindergartner at the same school, discovered Makenzie’s message in a bottle in almost the same place it went into the water.

“I thought it was a map to kill a grave digger or something,” River told the outlet of the message in a bottle, which he discovered after jumping between sandbars.

River’s grandmother stunned by the discovery, though she assumed it was written in recent years.

“We sent it to school,” she said. “His teacher contacted us later that day and said that was from 1998. I was shocked.”

Makenzie’s own daughter, Scarlet Van Eyk, is currently a fourth grader at the same school, the same age her mom was at the time she wrote the letter. Her teacher read the letter aloud to the class, and held off on reading the author’s name until the end.

“My mouth completely dropped,” Scarlet said. “And everyone was like, ‘Who’s that? Who’s that?’ And I was like, ‘My mother.'”

Inside the ‘Wild’ Discovery

Roland St. Pierre, the teacher that assigned the project, called the discovery “wild.”

“I’ve got a lot of ties to this building. I taught 33 years here. It’s close to me,” he said. “I had forgotten all about it, so it was a real shock. For it to survive 26 years without breaking down, it’s kind of surprising.”

As for the woman who penned the letter, Makenzie told the outlet that she “absolutely” remembers doing so.

“I think that process really stuck with me. This was also right when our school got a computer lab… one of the first things that I ever printed on paper and got to do something with,” she said. “It was memorable to do something like that, throw something and think maybe someone will find it later.”

The post Daughter Obtains Mom’s Message in a Bottle 26 Years After It Was Sent appeared first on VICE.

Dubbed the “Skip Forward” package, Villa Vie will welcome new residents onboard its Odyssey ship for up to four years. For Americans who promised to leave the country should Trump come out victorious, the cruise line offers that opportunity. Passengers who set sail will visit more than 140 countries across all seven continents.

It won’t be cheap to dodge the real world, though. Single occupancy options start at $255,999, while double occupancy rates begin at $319,998.

A two-year “Midterm Selection” package will allow passengers to sit out of the political landscape until after the 2026 midterms. It’ll be $150,399 for single passengers who opt for that option, and $187,998 for pairs. The line also offers one and three year packages.

The price includes meals, spa facilities, fitness programs, internet access, weekly housekeeping, and more.

The experience, a Villa Vie Residences spokesperson told Business Insider, offers “flexibility to escape traffic jams, politics, and the monotony of city life.”

Are Americans Really Going to Flee the Country?

The cruise is likely an attractive option for many rich Americans. Fortune recently reported that 53 percent of American millionaires told Arton Capital, a global citizenship financial advocacy group, that they planned to leave the U.S. after the 2024 election.

Armand Arton, the company’s CEO and chairman, told the outlet that “the rising political division at home is prompting many affluent Americans to explore a ‘Plan B’ overseas.”

“Many Americans have a justifiable concern for their family’s well-being, but wealthier Americans have the financial means to seek out more options than their average fellow citizen,”  David Lesperance, an international tax and immigration advisor, said. “They do not want to live in the society that they fear their political opponents will create.”

The post You Can ‘Skip Forward’ Past Donald Trump’s Presidency With a 4-Year, $250K Cruise appeared first on VICE.

The Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office posted about the situation on Facebook. The office wrote that Gallagher “made contact with a grounded and stationary, but still running plane, and received critical injuries.”

After the incident, Gallagher, who lived in Wichita, Kansas, was transported to Wesley Medical Center. She was later pronounced dead.

The tragedy took place at Air Capital Drop Zone, a skydiving center. The company reacted to the situation in a statement to ABC News.

According to the outlet, Gallagher was on the plane to take photos of skydivers. She rode the plane down after the skydivers jumped and exited the aircraft when it landed.

“For unknown reasons… she moved in front of the wing, a violation of basic safety procedures,” Air Capital Drop Zone told the outlet in a statement. “With her camera up to shoot photos as she did so, she stepped back slightly, moving toward and into the spinning propeller.”

In the wake of Gallagher’s death, her sister-in-law, Abbey Charboneau, set up a GoFundMe.

In a post on the fundraising page, Charboneau wrote, “On October 26th, Amanda passed away in a very sad accident, doing what she loved, skydiving and taking pictures!”

“As her family processes through this tragic accident, they could use your help covering the funeral expenses,” Charboneau added of the reason for the fundraiser, which has already surpassed its $12,000 goal. “Please consider helping them out and also keeping them all in your prayers.”

Of her late family member, Charboneau noted, “Amanda Gallagher was kind, adventurous, creative and beautiful inside and out. She was a loving daughter, sister, aunt and friend and will be greatly missed.”

The post Woman Dies After Walking Backwards Into Plane Propeller appeared first on VICE.