What We’re Reading: World’s Most Beautiful Universities

In this week’s roundup of travel news, we discover the best-looking universities on the planet, travel to a town called Romney, and uncover a new way to board planes.

The World’s Most Beautiful Universities

Just in time for fall, Travel + Leisure has published a list of the prettiest universities in the world. And you may be surprised to see which bastions of learning they picked. Hint: It’s not all ivy-draped New England institutions. In fact, only a couple of U.S. universities are on the list. (Princeton, which has won a good number of “most beautiful campus” awards, is noticeably absent.) See if your favorite school made the cut.

Getting Political in Romney, W.Va

Zofia Smardz of The Washington Post travels to Romney, West Virginia to see if the little town that shares its name with a Republican presidential candidate is steeped in red-state debate. Turns out, it’s not exactly a political hot zone. Says one resident, “There’s no controversy here. We all get along, Republicans and Democrats.”

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But the town’s still worth the trip. It offers a fascinating Civil War history, as well as tons of historical buildings and an ancient Native American burial site. Turns out it’s a great spot for a weekend getaway. Read more.

Subway-Style Boarding: Coming to an Airport Near You?

NBC News reports that self-boarding turnstyle gates, similar to those used in many city transit systems, were installed at McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas. The gates are in use in some airports overseas, but until now, they weren’t available in the U.S.

The subway-style gates may be more efficient than one or two agents collecting tickets by hand. A spokesperson from JetBlue told NBC News, “There’s not the bunching that was previously experienced with the agents taking the tickets.”

Feedback from passengers has been positive, although there’s no word on whether more American airports will follow the trend. We’ll keep you posted.