Curated by Ed Boitano
Covid-19 Direct Relief
Covid-19 Direct Relief addresses the courage of health workers on the front lines, honoring them with meaningful support, and the people most at risk in this pandemic are cared for — regardless of politics, religion, or ability to pay.
DONATE to DIRECT RELIEFTogether in Spirit – The Best Friends Animal Society
At the core of Best Friends Animal Society’s work is the dream that one day animals will no longer be killed in America’s shelters.
MORETimeline of the U.S. Reopening: A State-by-State Guide
Courtesy Jamie Ditaranto, tripsavvy.com
Since the declaration of the COVID-19 pandemic in mid-March, the U.S. response to control and contain the spread has mostly been at the state level with state governments (and more locally, those of cities and counties) enforcing closures, social distancing, face masks, and other safety precautions. Some states began reopening their economies as early as April and more followed suit at their own pace in the following months. As cases rose again, many states have had to reverse, pause, or revise their reopening plans along the way.
MORECelebrate the Holidays Together, Virtually
This year, gathering in person might not be possible for a variety of reasons. Read on for how to keep the holiday spirit going even if you’re apart.
Everyone has their own vision of what makes a perfect holiday, but there’s one thread that unites us all: coming together to celebrate with loved ones.
MOREJetBlue Passengers Will Be Able to Take an At-Home COVID-19 Test
No nasal swab required
Written by Stefanie Waldek, Courtesy of JetBlue
With COVID-19 testing restrictions impeding both domestic and international travel, JetBlue is providing its passengers an option that might help them travel more freely. The airline has announced a partnership with Vault Health to provide its passengers with easy access to an at-home COVID-19 test that could be used to enter specific destinations with coronavirus testing policies in place.
MORE9 Tips for Traveling With Kids During the Pandemic
First tip: take a deep breath
Courtesy of Wendy Altschuler,tripsavvy.com
Traveling with kids is often challenging even when there’s isn’t a pandemic to contend with. Kids require extra gear, entertainment, snacks, downtime, and a careful eye to make sure they’re safe while out and about. Now, more than ever, it’s imperative to practice social distancing, good hygiene, and to wear a mask when venturing through airports, getting food on the road, using public restrooms, or where there are groups of people present. Whether you’d like to plan for a road trip, a flight on a commercial airline, or a staycation in your own city, here are tips for traveling with kids during a pandemic.
MORENational Anthems With Surprising Origins
More than any other song, a national anthem needs to hit all the right notes. While the melodies may range from triumphant marches to traditional hymns, the lyrics should be uplifting, with words that convey patriotism and pride. Most citizens can sing along to their country’s national anthem at parades and sporting events, but the story behind each song is often lesser-known. From nationwide contests to government petitions, the origins of these five national anthems probably aren’t what you’d expect.
“Negaraku” (Malaysia)
4 Ways to Protect Yourself from Disinformation
Courtesy Elizabeth Stoycheff
Even the most well-intentioned news consumers can find today’s avalanche of political information difficult to navigate. With so much news available, many people consume media in an automatic, unconscious state – similar to knowing you drove home but not being able to recall the trip.
And that makes you more susceptible to accepting false claims.
MORECoronavirus and COVID-19
How can we be more direct in battling this national crisis? America is facing an unprecedented medical crisis. Throughout this challenging time, your health and safety remain our top priority. Protect yourself and your loved ones with the help of this important information on COVID-19. Together, we can keep our communities healthy and strong.
MORECorona Virus Travel Updates – Live Blog
Courtesy Big 7 Travel Team
As the coronavirus situation is ongoing, we will be updating this live blog with current travel advice, quarantines, flight cancellations and travel industry news. Check back daily for new updates and send any coronavirus travel news tips to
sa***@bi***********.com
A Supercomputer Analyzed Covid-19
Interestingly, Jacobson’s team also suggests vitamin D as a potentially useful Covid-19 drug. The vitamin is involved in the RAS system and could prove helpful by reducing levels of another compound, known as REN. Again, this could stop potentially deadly bradykinin storms from forming. The researchers note that vitamin D has already been shown to help those with Covid-19. The vitamin is readily available over the counter, and around 20% of the population is deficient. If indeed the vitamin proves effective at reducing the severity of bradykinin storms, it could be an easy, relatively safe way to reduce the severity of the virus.
MOREWorking Remotely? This Webinar is for You
Whether you work remotely 100% of the time or find yourself navigating this situation for the very first time, working at a physical distance can pose a unique set of challenges. Slack is here to help. This 30-minute webinar will provide tips and tactics within Slack that you can put into action right away.
MOREHow to Redesign Government Work for the Future
In this article, Deloitte explores the opportunity for government orgs to intentionally redesign work to both accommodate the role of technology and machines, and to design for new needs and activities, including those resulting from broader economic, workforce, and societal shifts.
MOREHow to Stay Safe While Traveling
With travel set to resume as coronavirus restrictions ease, travelers should inform themselves about the cleaning procedures at hotels and Airbnb properties before choosing the best option for them. Ask about cleaning protocols, be on the lookout for red flags such as accumulations of dirt and grime, and inspect surfaces in the bathroom and kitchen, recommends Brian Sansoni of the American Cleaning Institute.
MOREJetBlue CEO Anticipates Improvements to Make Travel Safer
In an interview with CNBC, JetBlue CEO Robin Hayes said widespread testing will be essential to make passengers feel secure and allow air travel to recover from the coronavirus crisis. “We’ve got to make sure that they’re safe from a health standpoint,” he said, predicting that the epidemic will result in permanent changes in cleaning and screening procedures that will make aircraft and airports safer.
MORE5 Ways to Support Small Businesses from Home During the Pandemic
Courtesy Caroline Morse Teel, SmarterTravel
Small businesses are really hurting during this time of isolation. Here are five simple and safe ways you can help support them so that they’ll still be there for you when the pandemic is over. (And remember — the best way you can help small business is by staying home, so that we can end this isolation period faster.)
MOREExploring Japan’s Wellbeing Traditions to Inspire Post-Lockdown Restorative Travel
Recreate Japan’s onsens, find mindfulness through zen meditation and shakyo, and practice the technique of kintsugi from home
For would-be travelers dreaming of an escape to Japan post-lockdown, there are a variety of fun, interactive ways to recreate some of the country’s ancient wellbeing and mindfulness practices from afar. The below methods and products highlight how some of Japan’s oldest traditions, from onsens to the art of kintsugi, will help to inspire travelers to start planning their next restorative journey to Japan.
One of Japan’s most iconic wellness attractions, the onsen (or hot spring), is naturally enriched with vitamins and minerals from subterranean volcanic activity beneath the archipelago. There are a variety of products travelers can buy to enhance their own Japanese-style bath at home; the Japanese brand Kracie has created a variety of bath salts, allowing people to bring the magic of the onsen into their homes.
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The 9 Most Anticipated New Cruise Ships of 2021
Courtesy Gene Sloan
Cruise lines may have canceled most of their sailings this year due to the coronavirus pandemic. But, so far, they haven’t canceled orders for new ships.
More than 20 new oceangoing vessels still are scheduled to debut in 2021, including at least a dozen from lines that market to North Americans.
In some cases, the ships will be arriving months behind schedule due to pandemic-related construction delays at the shipyards that are building them. Thanks to such delays, the arrival of a few ships that had been scheduled for delivery in 2021 will be pushed to 2022.
But it’ll be a big year for new cruise ships nevertheless.
Among the most notable newcomers will be Mardi Gras, the biggest ship ever for Carnival Cruise Line. Originally due to debut this year, it’s now scheduled to begin sailing in April.
There also will be major new ships coming from Royal Caribbean, Holland America, MSC Cruises and start-up line Virgin Voyages.
The precise dates when some of these ships will begin sailing still is up in the air. It’ll depend, in part, on when the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention clears cruise ships to begin sailing again in U.S. waters. But, in all cases, these vessels already are available for booking.
Here is a list of the 9 most notable new cruise ships arriving in 2021.
MORERandom Acts of Canine Kindness
Cedric the Dog takes a well-deserved break after an ill-fated attempt to shut down a white supremacist rally in Idaho, .
You want a friend in Washington? Get a dog. – Harry S. Truman
MORE Dog Quotations
The Arbour
– Anne Bronte
I’LL rest me in this sheltered bower,
And look upon the clear blue sky
That smiles upon me through the trees,
Which stand so thick clustering by;
And view their green and glossy leaves,
All glistening in the sunshine fair;
And list the rustling of their boughs,
So softly whispering through the air.
And while my ear drinks in the sound,
My winged soul shall fly away;
Reviewing lone departed years
As one mild, beaming, autumn day;
And soaring on to future scenes,
Like hills and woods, and valleys green,
All basking in the summer’s sun,
But distant still, and dimly seen.
Oh, list! ’tis summer’s very breath
That gently shakes the rustling trees–
But look! the snow is on the ground–
How can I think of scenes like these?
‘Tis but the FROST that clears the air,
And gives the sky that lovely blue;
They’re smiling in a WINTER’S sun,
Those evergreens of sombre hue.
And winter’s chill is on my heart–
How can I dream of future bliss?
How can my spirit soar away,
Confined by such a chain as this?
Send Deb your favorite travel poems
The UN World Food Program wins the 2020 Nobel Peace Prize
Alex Ward
The 2020 Nobel Peace Prize was awarded Friday to the UN World Food Program (WFP), the world’s largest humanitarian organization focused on providing sustenance to the hungry, for feeding the most vulnerable in times of conflict, and as nations — including the United States — mostly look after themselves.
MORETravel Stars Shine Brightest
Courtesy Business Traveler
The 2020 Best in Business Travel Awards highlight resilience, innovation and staying power
The Best in Business Travel Awards are celebrating 32 years of honoring the star performers in the industry, making it one of the longest-running readers’ choice awards in travel. In years past, these awards have generally been a reflection of steady, incremental improvements that the industry’s leaders have developed – innovative products, added routes, new thinking in service levels and technology, all the steps that travel providers take to make life on the road easier for you, the readers of Business Traveler.
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COVID-19 Has Been Smoldering in Rural America for Months. How Did We Miss It?
A dangerous combination of limited resources, stigma, and politics made the coronavirus difficult to track in rural areas, allowing its spread to go largely unnoticed all summer.
MOREGlobal Rescue’s COVID-19 Intelligence Blog Series Wins 2020 Magellan Award
Travel Weekly, the most influential B&B travel industry news resource, awarded Global Rescue, the world’s leading provider of medical, security, evacuation and travel risk management services, the 2020 Magellan Award for its COVID-19 Intelligence blog series.
“The 2020 Magellan Awards received entries from top travel organizations and professionals worldwide and the quality of the work was outstanding. Being selected a Magellan Award Winner is a tremendous achievement and proves you represent a high standard of excellence within the travel industry,” said Kara Cleary, manager of Travel Weekly Magellan Awards. The annual Travel Weekly Magellan Award is the premier award for the travel industry, honoring the best in travel and saluting the outstanding travel professionals behind it all.
MOREHow to Take Your Own Passport Photo
Courtesy, Caroline Morse Teel, SmarterTravel
After paying $15 to have an awkward photoshoot in the aisle of a CVS, only to have my passport photos rejected twice (once for being too dark and once for being too bright), I decided there had to be a better way to take your own passport photo. Turns out, snapping your own passport photo is easier, cheaper, and much more convenient than going to a “professional” (a.k.a., the cashier at your local drugstore). Here’s a few tips:
MOREInternational Travel May Not Resume Until WHEN?!
Courtesy Blake Snow
Shortly after coronavirus restrictions closed international borders last spring, I asked a dozen travel experts on when those borders might reopen. The immediate answer was discouraging: sometime in 2021 at the earliest. Many of those same experts accurately predicted, however, that domestic borders would reopen this summer and fall, which is exactly what happened.
MOREUS Travelers Not Included In Japan’s First Wave of International Tourism Reopening
Courtesy Donald Wood
Japanese officials announced a new plan to reopen to international travelers from China and 11 other countries next month, but United States citizens will not be permitted to enter.
MOREMeet the 18-Year-Old Championing Indigenous Rights in Alaska
By Maia Wikler, YES! Magazine
Quannah Chasinghorse is continuing the legacy of Gwich’in women working to protect the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
“Did someone lose their dog?” Quannah Chasinghorse jokes, pointing at a large moose in her neighbor’s snow-covered yard. At -40 degrees Fahrenheit, it is a typical winter’s day in Fairbanks, Alaska. Chasinghorse, an 18-year-old Han Gwich’in and Oglala Lakota youth, is curled up on the couch, wearing a shirt emblazoned with the slogan “Protect the Arctic, Defend the Sacred.”
It is a rare moment of rest for Chasinghorse. In the past year, she has traveled coast to coast, advocating to protect her homelands from the desecration of oil drilling, with her mother, Jody Potts, who is Han Gwich’in and a tribal member of the Native Village of Eagle. Her mother also serves as the regional director for Native Movement and is a board member with the Alaska Wilderness League. This mother-daughter duo represents the decadeslong fight to protect their state’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
MORETake These Steps If You’re Renting a Vacation Home During the Pandemic
Courtesy of Consumer Reports
Traveling this fall has risks. Here’s how to vacation responsibly and minimize your exposure to the coronavirus. Summer is almost upon us. But while the heat and humidity will be familiar, “this is going to be a very different type of summer,” says Amira Roess, Ph.D., M.P.H., a professor of global health and epidemiology at George Mason University in Fairfax, Va. The country may be reopening, but the risk of COVID-19 remains. Until a vaccine is developed, this is a reality Americans will “have to contend with every time they step outside,” says Amesh Adalja, M.D., an infectious disease physician and senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security in Baltimore.
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