Random 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

EU Extends Ban on American Travelers — Again — With US COVID-19 Cases Far Outpacing European Countries

Curtis Tate, Deirdre Shesgreen
USA TODAY

For the second time this month, the European Union extended its travel ban on Americans on August 6 as COVID-19 infections continued to rise across the United States.

Best Road Trips in the U.S.A.

Courtesy Elissa Leibowitz Poma

The United States has a grand variety of road trip-suitable routes, from straight shots across deserts to stomach-churning switchbacks through the mountains. Whatever type of adventure you seek, however much time you have, and whatever you want to see, there’s a road out there for everyone.

Travel Guys Take on Kirkland, WA

Ian Holm — RIP

Sir Ian Holm Cuthbert CBE (12 September 1931 – 19 June 2020), known as Ian Holm, was an English actor. He received the 1967 Tony Award for Best Featured Actor for his performance as Lenny in The Homecoming and the 1998 Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor for his performance in the title role of King Lear. He has played more than 100 roles in films and on television. My favorite film performance is his first leading role (I believe at 44) in Atom Egoyan’s masterpiece, “The Sweet Hereafter.”

‘I’ve always been a minimalist. It was Bogart who once said, “If you think the right thoughts, the camera will pick it up.” The most important thing in the face is the eyes, and if you can make the eyes talk, you’re halfway there.’ – Ian Holm

Jazz Singer/Pianist Carol Welsman Discusses Her New Album, “Dance With Me,” with Jim Gordon.

“Our City Tonight” arrived in LA to chat with 6-time Juno Award Nominee, Carol Welsman. The gifted jazz singer/pianist talks about her new album, “Dance With Me”, which marks her foray into Latin Jazz.

Berlin Tegel Airport to Remain Open Into November

By Kurt Stolz

The ongoing saga of Berlin’s new and old airports continues: Berlin Tegel Airport will remain open, at least for the time being.

In late May, city officials announced that Tegel – the city’s main international airport whose history goes back to the 1948 Berlin Airlift – would close temporarily on June 15, 2020.

American Airlines Unveils Major Upgrade to App with ‘Chat With Us’ Feature

American Airlines announced the release of version 2020.07 of its smartphone app, adding several new features including a new “Chat with Us” feature connects users with a virtual assistant and, if necessary, a customer service representative via chat.

The airline began to use a new format for numbering versions of the app earlier this year. The new format begins with the four-digit year followed by a period separator, which is then followed by the two-digit number of the version.

The Chat with Us system places the user in a chat session with a virtual assistant. The bot will transfer the user to a customer service representative based on the nature of the chat.

Earlier this year, American upgraded the app with a new “Waitlist” feature that combines upgrade and standby lists for a particular flight.

Waitlist will display traveler status by cabin. Once an upgrade request clears, the app will display the individual traveler’s name and new seat number on the list.

American’s app is available on both Apple iOS and Android platforms.

What Country Taught Me About Race

By Jessica Nabongo — Afar

I’m often asked what I consider the safest countries for black people or the most welcoming for black travelers. But I can’t answer those questions. I’ve been traveling internationally since I was four years old. For my Ugandan immigrant parents, vacationing was important — a way to learn more about the world through experience — and they made it part of our lives every year. Whether domestic or international, we went somewhere every summer: Canada, Minnesota, Jamaica, Disney World, the Bahamas. By the time I graduated from high school, I had been to seven U.N. member countries, and in 2008, I moved to Japan to teach English. From there, I continued living abroad, and continued traveling. And in February 2017, with 60 countries under my belt, I started a two-and-a-half-year journey to visit every country in the world

Homeless in Border Town Getting By, Livin’

By Donovan Quintero, Navajo Times

She didn’t hesitate to give what she could give. Shylah Pettigrew knows all too well what it feels like to be hungry and thirsty. Her years of living on the streets, as well as the teachings of her mother, taught her to be compassionate, she said. “You can’t pass somebody by without offering,” she said. The Lupton, Arizona, native saw her cousin and several other people sitting outside where she was attending a birthday party. The people, whom the city of Gallup categorizes as transients, or homeless, sat on the concrete bench enjoying the warm Saturday afternoon sunlight in downtown Gallup.

How A Recent Trip To Montgomery Made Me Rethink The Deep South

Courtesy Essence

“History, despite its wrenching pain cannot be unlived, but if faced with courage need not be lived again.”

I spotted the reflection-inducing words by the late Maya Angelou just moments before entering the lobby of Montgomery’s Springhill Suites Hotel. They adorned a nondescript wall at the corner of Coosa and Bibb, which was steps outside of my temporary retreat. Now I’ve always been more Manhattan than Montgomery, slightly more Malcolm than Martin, with more northeastern edge than southern charm. But there I was, just days before the Christmas holiday, excited, and yet nervous, to be in what I considered the epicenter of Black history.

7 Best & 5 Worst Frozen Foods

Courtesy Cheyenne Lentz, Insider

Frozen food can be great to stock up on because it can be stored for quite some time without going bad.

Since not everything maintains its quality when frozen, Insider spoke to chefs to help figure out which items are worth grabbing and which you should leave on the shelves.

10 Cheap Foods That Last a Long Time

These foods with long shelf lives can improve your diet while saving you money

Courtesy Erin Huffstetler

If you’re filling your pantry, especially if you are on a tight budget, focus on cheap and nutritious foods that have a long shelf life, like rice, apples and peanut butter. You’ll spend less at checkout, and you’ll waste considerably less food at the end of the week. All price estimates mentioned were good as of March 2020.

Free Video Tours of Frank Lloyd Wright Buildings Across America

The 20th-century architect defined a uniquely American style that used nature-inspired motifs and horizontal lines

Architecture fans can tune in to the #WrightVirtualVisits hashtag to watch experts lead short video tours of Frank Lloyd Wright’s famous and lesser-known buildings every Thursday afternoon.

The Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy, the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation and Unity Temple Restoration Foundation teamed up to launch the initiative, dubbed Wright Virtual Visits, at the beginning of April.

Master English Pronunciation at Home

Courtesy Olivia Valdes, ThoughtCo

We all know the embarrassing feeling of discovering we’ve been mispronouncing a word for years. On the other hand, some words are so commonly mispronounced that the “correct” pronunciation sounds downright strange. Don’t feel bad if you’ve been mispronouncing some of these tricky words. A living language like English evolves and thrives precisely because it’s spoken every day.

How to Join a Zoom Class

The Zoom platform is easy and convenient. Missing your favorite teacher or class? This will allow you to still take that class with that teacher at their regular time slots in the safe environment of your own home.

You will sign into the class you want to take through our website and receive the Zoom link that will give you access to the class live. The classes will be in their original format and will have time at the end for you to chat with your teacher! They will be streamed from the teacher’s home as well as from the studio. You can continue to use your class packages and will still be able to purchase through your account at The Yogi Tree by logging on to our website.

Out of the Cradle Endlessly Rocking

Walt Whitman — 1819-1892

Out of the cradle endlessly rocking,
Out of the mocking-bird’s throat, the musical shuttle,
Out of the Ninth-month midnight,
Over the sterile sands and the fields beyond, where the child leaving his bed wander’d alone, bareheaded, barefoot,
Down from the shower’d halo,
Up from the mystic play of shadows twining and twisting as if they were alive,
Out from the patches of briers and blackberries,
From the memories of the bird that chanted to me…

MORE

Send Deb your favorite travel poems

What the Airplane Cabin of the Future Might Look Like

Courtesy Amy Woodyatt, CNN

Air travel is still far from pre-pandemic levels, but it began bouncing back in May. Still, travelers are rightly nervous about climbing aboard a packed plane, but thankfully, designers are already thinking ahead at what the cabins of the future might look like.

In a newly released concept, UK-based design studio PriestmanGoode has developed a post-pandemic cabin to focus on hygiene and personal space and keep passengers safe and relaxed.

MORE

U.S. Adventure Traveler Sentiment — June-July 2020 Report

In June-July 2020, the ATTA surveyed U.S. customers of ATTA adventure tour operator members to understand their sentiment on a host of topics and gauge their travel and spending preferences in the next 12 months.

493 U.S. adventure travelers from 42 states shared thoughts on the following.

MORE

9 Countries Welcoming Remote Workers

People around the world are dreaming about escaping their tiny urban apartments or suburban homes, and countries are making it a reality. Some destinations, like Barbados and Bermuda, have recently launched remote visa programs for incoming visitors, while other countries, like Portugal and Germany, have had similar arrangements in place for years.

Here are 9 countries with programs designed to welcome remote workers:

MORE

Loyal Good Boi Waits At Wuhan Hospital For Three Months, Unaware That His Owner Died Of COVID-19

Remember the classic tale of Hachiko, a loyal Japanese Akita dog who waited patiently at a train station for his owner to return home from work for nine years, not knowing that his owner died at the office?

MORE

Decade-Long Search for Rocky Mountains Treasure Yields Trove Worth $2 Million

By Alex Fox; smithsonianmag.com

Nine clues embedded in a 24-line poem led to art dealer Forrest Fenn’s hidden chest of gold, gems and rare artifacts

“The treasure has been found,” declares a sparse blog post dated to June 6. The words signal the end of a ten-year search for a chest of gold, jewels and rare artifacts hidden in the Rocky Mountains by art dealer Forrest Fenn, reports Danielle Prokop for the Santa Fe New Mexican.

As many as 350,000 people unsuccessfully sought the treasure, which is worth an estimated $2 million. Five died while searching with only a poem said to contain nine clues to guide them.

MORE

Jamaica Is Now Open – Here’s What You Need to Know

Travel Pulse

Jamaica is reopening its borders to international visitors for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic on Monday, June 15. Like many places that have recently welcomed back tourists, the Caribbean country will require all arriving visitors to undergo a temperature check and follow local safety protocols, which include face-coverings and social distancing. Travelers will also need to complete a travel authorization application so that officials can conduct a COVID-19 health risk assessment prior to arrival.

Revealed: The World’s Best Passports

Passports were ranked on visa-free travel, international taxation laws, global perception, dual citizenship and personal freedom.

Americans may be surprised to learn that they don’t own the best passport in the world.

According to research conducted by world-leading offshore consulting firm Nomad Capitalist, Swedish, Luxembourgish and Irish passports are the best ones to own.

Nomad Capitalist has ranked the best passports in the world by scoring 199 different passports in five categories. Each passport was scored on visa-free travel, international taxation laws, global perception, dual citizenship and personal freedom.

MORE

Recipes With Only 3 Ingredients

Courtesy Christine Clark

Cooking at home is usually healthier and more affordable than going out, but with more and more restaurants temporarily closing due to the pandemic, quick and easy recipes have become essential. If you’re busy with work, family, or lockdown life in general, it can be hard to find the time and energy to fuss with complicated recipes. If hunting down a long list of ingredients makes you want to quit before you’ve started, take heart. We’ve rounded up our favorite 3-ingredient recipes — 25 of them, ranging from breakfast to dessert. As long as you have kitchen staples like salt, pepper, and olive oil, these tasty recipes will be a breeze.

Here’s 25 Recipes with just 3 Ingredients

What the Mississippi Delta Teaches Me About Home — And Hope

Courtesy National Geographic

Finding struggle and resilience on a road trip through the birthplace of the blues. I’ve thought a lot about home during the quarantine. The place and the idea. The way it calls to us, and the way the pulse of daily life can sometimes drown it out. My home is near the courthouse square in Oxford, Mississippi, a vibrant modern college community. That’s where we wake up and make scrambled eggs for our toddler. But I’m from a nearby place called Clarksdale, birthplace of the Delta blues, the town that gave the world the likes of Muddy Waters, Sam Cooke, and Nate Dogg—a place where on a clear night I can hear plantation blues, the protest soul of Stax Records, and the heavy sound of G-Funk LA all mix in the open air.

MORE

The 5 Best National Park Live Webcams

Missing the great outdoors? While planning our next national park vacation than we are being outside, we’re making the most of quarantine with these live webcams of national parks.

VIEW WEBCAMS

Smithsonian’s Earth Optimism initiative

The Environment Is Healing Right Now. Can We Sustain That as Travel Ramps Up?

One silver lining has emerged from the Coronavirus pandemic: the environment is healing. When travel gradually picks back up, what will that mean for the environment—and how can we sustain those benefits?

MORE

17 Easy International Recipes That Bring Travel Home

From comforting Vietnamese pho to spicy-sweet Dutch cookies, these simple recipes recapture the spirit of travel.

MORE

Digging Into the Past to Find Optimism for the Future

By Cat Kutz

Dr. Nick Pyenson is the curator of fossil marine mammals at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of Natural History in Washington, DC. His expeditions have taken him to every continent studying the evolution and ecology of marine mammals. Along with his collaborators, he has named over a dozen new fossil species, discovered the richest fossil whale graveyard on the planet, and described an entirely new sensory organ in living whales. Ahead of the Earth Optimism Digital Summit, during which Pyenson will hold a Deep Dive on science diplomacy, Earth Optimism communications lead Cat Kutz asks him how he finds optimism while digging into the Earth’s past.

MORE

Ten Trends That Will Shape Science in the 2020s

Medicine gets trippy, solar takes over, and humanity — finally, maybe — goes back to the moon

Courtesy  Katherine J. Wu , Rachael Lallensack

When the 2010s began, private spaceflight had barely gotten off the ground, Google was rolling out early personalized search results and CRISPR-Cas9 gene-editing technology was still in its infancy. By decade’s end, artificial intelligence had trounced people at a bevy of board games, SpaceX had become a household name and genetically modified human embryos became a controversial reality.

Clearly, a lot can happen in a decade — but innovation has to start somewhere. Based on what’s breaking through now, here are some trends that have the potential to shape the 2020s.

MORE

English Pronunciation Isn’t Easy But This Quick Primer Can Help You Get it Right

Courtesy Olivia Valdes, ThoughtCo

We all know the embarrassing feeling of discovering we’ve been mispronouncing a word for years. On the other hand, some words are so commonly mispronounced that the “correct” pronunciation sounds downright strange. Don’t feel bad if you’ve been mispronouncing some of these tricky words. A living language like English evolves and thrives precisely because it’s spoken every day.

MORE

Readers’ Ideas for Finding Community and Cheer at Home

Courtesy The New York Times

As much of the world adjusts to a new normal of restricted living, our readers share tips for finding everyday joys.

Many of us are now entering the second, third or fourth week of restrictions on our movements, and it is becoming ever clearer that overcoming this crisis will be a marathon, not a sprint. As we all collectively adjust to our unique situations, we asked New York Times readers to share their ideas for pursuing the traveler’s spirit of discovery, curiosity and delight within their new limitations at home. Following are their responses, which have been edited for clarity and length.

MORE

Predicting the Future of Travel in 2040

Allianz Partners’ Futurology Report Predicts Airline Passenger Numbers will Double, ‘Faces’ via Facial Pattern Recognition Systems Will Replace Passports and Boarding Passes

Courtesy Allianz Global Assistance

By the year 2040, international travel will be a faster, easier and more ecologically sustainable activity than ever before, according to a report commissioned by Allianz Partners to help prepare for the travel-related needs of their customers in the future. Allianz Partners is a world leader in B2B2C assistance and insurance solutions, delivering global protection and care, and offers dedicated travel insurance services through the Allianz Travel brand.

MORE

The post Adventure Travel; Airplane Cabins; EU No-Go for USA appeared first on Traveling Archive.

9 Countries Welcoming Remote Workers

People around the world are dreaming about escaping their tiny urban apartments or suburban homes, and countries are making it a reality. Some destinations, like Barbados and Bermuda, have recently launched remote visa programs for incoming visitors, while other countries, like Portugal and Germany, have had similar arrangements in place for years.

Here are 9 countries with programs designed to welcome remote workers:

Travel Guys Take on Kirkland, WA

Ian Holm — RIP

Sir Ian Holm Cuthbert CBE (12 September 1931 – 19 June 2020), known as Ian Holm, was an English actor. He received the 1967 Tony Award for Best Featured Actor for his performance as Lenny in The Homecoming and the 1998 Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor for his performance in the title role of King Lear. He has played more than 100 roles in films and on television. My favorite film performance is his first leading role (I believe at 44) in Atom Egoyan’s masterpiece, “The Sweet Hereafter.”

‘I’ve always been a minimalist. It was Bogart who once said, “If you think the right thoughts, the camera will pick it up.” The most important thing in the face is the eyes, and if you can make the eyes talk, you’re halfway there.’ – Ian Holm

Jazz Singer/Pianist Carol Welsman Discusses Her New Album, “Dance With Me,” with Jim Gordon.

“Our City Tonight” arrived in LA to chat with 6-time Juno Award Nominee, Carol Welsman. The gifted jazz singer/pianist talks about her new album, “Dance With Me”, which marks her foray into Latin Jazz.

Jamaica Is Now Open – Here’s What You Need to Know

Travel Pulse

Jamaica is reopening its borders to international visitors for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic on Monday, June 15. Like many places that have recently welcomed back tourists, the Caribbean country will require all arriving visitors to undergo a temperature check and follow local safety protocols, which include face-coverings and social distancing. Travelers will also need to complete a travel authorization application so that officials can conduct a COVID-19 health risk assessment prior to arrival.

American Airlines Unveils Major Upgrade to App with ‘Chat With Us’ Feature

American Airlines announced the release of version 2020.07 of its smartphone app, adding several new features including a new “Chat with Us” feature connects users with a virtual assistant and, if necessary, a customer service representative via chat.

The airline began to use a new format for numbering versions of the app earlier this year. The new format begins with the four-digit year followed by a period separator, which is then followed by the two-digit number of the version.

The Chat with Us system places the user in a chat session with a virtual assistant. The bot will transfer the user to a customer service representative based on the nature of the chat.

Earlier this year, American upgraded the app with a new “Waitlist” feature that combines upgrade and standby lists for a particular flight.

Waitlist will display traveler status by cabin. Once an upgrade request clears, the app will display the individual traveler’s name and new seat number on the list.

American’s app is available on both Apple iOS and Android platforms.

What Country Taught Me About Race

By Jessica Nabongo — Afar

I’m often asked what I consider the safest countries for black people or the most welcoming for black travelers. But I can’t answer those questions. I’ve been traveling internationally since I was four years old. For my Ugandan immigrant parents, vacationing was important — a way to learn more about the world through experience — and they made it part of our lives every year. Whether domestic or international, we went somewhere every summer: Canada, Minnesota, Jamaica, Disney World, the Bahamas. By the time I graduated from high school, I had been to seven U.N. member countries, and in 2008, I moved to Japan to teach English. From there, I continued living abroad, and continued traveling. And in February 2017, with 60 countries under my belt, I started a two-and-a-half-year journey to visit every country in the world

What the Mississippi Delta Teaches Me About Home — And Hope

Courtesy National Geographic

Finding struggle and resilience on a road trip through the birthplace of the blues. I’ve thought a lot about home during the quarantine. The place and the idea. The way it calls to us, and the way the pulse of daily life can sometimes drown it out. My home is near the courthouse square in Oxford, Mississippi, a vibrant modern college community. That’s where we wake up and make scrambled eggs for our toddler. But I’m from a nearby place called Clarksdale, birthplace of the Delta blues, the town that gave the world the likes of Muddy Waters, Sam Cooke, and Nate Dogg—a place where on a clear night I can hear plantation blues, the protest soul of Stax Records, and the heavy sound of G-Funk LA all mix in the open air.

How A Recent Trip To Montgomery Made Me Rethink The Deep South

Courtesy Essence

“History, despite its wrenching pain cannot be unlived, but if faced with courage need not be lived again.”

I spotted the reflection-inducing words by the late Maya Angelou just moments before entering the lobby of Montgomery’s Springhill Suites Hotel. They adorned a nondescript wall at the corner of Coosa and Bibb, which was steps outside of my temporary retreat. Now I’ve always been more Manhattan than Montgomery, slightly more Malcolm than Martin, with more northeastern edge than southern charm. But there I was, just days before the Christmas holiday, excited, and yet nervous, to be in what I considered the epicenter of Black history.

Irish Send Money to Navajo Nation Hit By COVID-19, Returning Historic Favor

Courtesy Mélissa Godin

A Native American community severely impacted by the COVID-19 outbreak has received an outpour of donations from Irish people, who are returning a historic favor from 173 years ago.

In 1847, the Native American Choctaw nation sent $170 ($5,000 today) of relief aid to the Irish people impacted by the great potato famine. Now, the Irish are reciprocating the act of goodwill by donating funds to the Navajo nation, which has been severely impacted by COVID-19, with at least 2,373 cases and 73 deaths as of May 3.

7 Best & 5 Worst Frozen Foods

Courtesy Cheyenne Lentz, Insider

Frozen food can be great to stock up on because it can be stored for quite some time without going bad.

Since not everything maintains its quality when frozen, Insider spoke to chefs to help figure out which items are worth grabbing and which you should leave on the shelves.

10 Cheap Foods That Last a Long Time

These foods with long shelf lives can improve your diet while saving you money

Courtesy Erin Huffstetler

If you’re filling your pantry, especially if you are on a tight budget, focus on cheap and nutritious foods that have a long shelf life, like rice, apples and peanut butter. You’ll spend less at checkout, and you’ll waste considerably less food at the end of the week. All price estimates mentioned were good as of March 2020.

Unwind With These Free, Museum-Led Meditation and Mindfulness Sessions

After weeks — or months — of sheltering in place, many stuck inside are feeling decidedly devoid of inner peace. Luckily, thanks to an array of online offerings announced by shuttered cultural institutions, options for unwinding abound. Among the most relaxing experiences available: meditation and mindfulness sessions led by the Rubin Museum of Art in New York City and the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of Asian Art in Washington, D.C.

Take the Time to Read Profiles in Courage

Written by then-Senator John F. Kennedy

Profiles in Courage is a 1956 volume of short biographies describing acts of bravery and integrity by eight United States Senators under enormous pressure from their parties and their constituents. Written by then-Senator John F. Kennedy, who won the Pulitzer Prize for the work. The staff at Traveling Boy suggests that Utah Republican Senator Mitt Romney might fit the bill as a Profile in Courage due to his recent vote to convict fellow Republican Donald Trump in the Senate Impeachment trial. He was unable to stand in line with other Republic Senators as a result of his deeply-felt oath of office, the US Constitution and personal relationship with God.

The subjects of Profiles in Courage are John Quincy Adams, Daniel Webster, Thomas Hart Benton, Sam Houston, Edmund G. Ross, Lucius Lamar, George Norris, and Robert A. Taft.

Ten Trends That Will Shape Science in the 2020s

Medicine gets trippy, solar takes over, and humanity — finally, maybe — goes back to the moon

Courtesy  Katherine J. Wu , Rachael Lallensack

When the 2010s began, private spaceflight had barely gotten off the ground, Google was rolling out early personalized search results and CRISPR-Cas9 gene-editing technology was still in its infancy. By decade’s end, artificial intelligence had trounced people at a bevy of board games, SpaceX had become a household name and genetically modified human embryos became a controversial reality.

Clearly, a lot can happen in a decade — but innovation has to start somewhere. Based on what’s breaking through now, here are some trends that have the potential to shape the 2020s.

Out of the Cradle Endlessly Rocking

Walt Whitman — 1819-1892

Out of the cradle endlessly rocking,
Out of the mocking-bird’s throat, the musical shuttle,
Out of the Ninth-month midnight,
Over the sterile sands and the fields beyond, where the child leaving his bed wander’d alone, bareheaded, barefoot,
Down from the shower’d halo,
Up from the mystic play of shadows twining and twisting as if they were alive,
Out from the patches of briers and blackberries,
From the memories of the bird that chanted to me,
From your memories sad brother, from the fitful risings and fallings I heard,
From under that yellow half-moon late-risen and swollen as if with tears,
From those beginning notes of yearning and love there in the mist,
From the thousand responses of my heart never to cease…

MORE

Send Deb your favorite travel poems

Best Road Trips in the U.S.A.

Courtesy Elissa Leibowitz Poma

The United States has a grand variety of road trip-suitable routes, from straight shots across deserts to stomach-churning switchbacks through the mountains. Whatever type of adventure you seek, however much time you have, and whatever you want to see, there’s a road out there for everyone.

MORE

Random 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 Alabama.

You want a friend in Washington? Get a dog. – Harry S. Truman

MORE Dog Quotations

Loyal Good Boi Waits At Wuhan Hospital For Three Months, Unaware That His Owner Died Of COVID-19

Remember the classic tale of Hachiko, a loyal Japanese Akita dog who waited patiently at a train station for his owner to return home from work for nine years, not knowing that his owner died at the office?

MORE

Decade-Long Search for Rocky Mountains Treasure Yields Trove Worth $2 Million

By Alex Fox; smithsonianmag.com

Nine clues embedded in a 24-line poem led to art dealer Forrest Fenn’s hidden chest of gold, gems and rare artifacts

“The treasure has been found,” declares a sparse blog post dated to June 6. The words signal the end of a ten-year search for a chest of gold, jewels and rare artifacts hidden in the Rocky Mountains by art dealer Forrest Fenn, reports Danielle Prokop for the Santa Fe New Mexican.

As many as 350,000 people unsuccessfully sought the treasure, which is worth an estimated $2 million. Five died while searching with only a poem said to contain nine clues to guide them.

MORE

United to Resume Flights to Over 150 Destinations in July

By Kurt Stolz

United Airlines announced it will increase the number of flights it operates and destinations served next month, compared to the current month, as flyers begin to slowly return to the friendly skies as the coronavirus pandemic somewhat wanes.

Come July, the airline’s international capacity will be 25% of what it was in the same period last year.  It will increase the number of flights to Europe from its hubs in San Francisco and Washington D.C., restart service to Tokyo’s Haneda Airport, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Seoul, and expand service to Latin America and the Caribbean.

MORE

Berlin Tegel Airport to Remain Open Into November

By Kurt Stolz

The ongoing saga of Berlin’s new and old airports continues: Berlin Tegel Airport will remain open, at least for the time being.

In late May, city officials announced that Tegel – the city’s main international airport whose history goes back to the 1948 Berlin Airlift – would close temporarily on June 15, 2020.

MORE

Revealed: The World’s Best Passports

Passports were ranked on visa-free travel, international taxation laws, global perception, dual citizenship and personal freedom.

Americans may be surprised to learn that they don’t own the best passport in the world.

According to research conducted by world-leading offshore consulting firm Nomad Capitalist, Swedish, Luxembourgish and Irish passports are the best ones to own.

Nomad Capitalist has ranked the best passports in the world by scoring 199 different passports in five categories. Each passport was scored on visa-free travel, international taxation laws, global perception, dual citizenship and personal freedom.

MORE

Recipes With Only 3 Ingredients

Courtesy Christine Clark

Cooking at home is usually healthier and more affordable than going out, but with more and more restaurants temporarily closing due to the pandemic, quick and easy recipes have become essential. If you’re busy with work, family, or lockdown life in general, it can be hard to find the time and energy to fuss with complicated recipes. If hunting down a long list of ingredients makes you want to quit before you’ve started, take heart. We’ve rounded up our favorite 3-ingredient recipes — 25 of them, ranging from breakfast to dessert. As long as you have kitchen staples like salt, pepper, and olive oil, these tasty recipes will be a breeze.

Here’s 25 Recipes with just 3 Ingredients

Homeless in Border Town Getting By, Livin’

By Donovan Quintero, Navajo Times

She didn’t hesitate to give what she could give. Shylah Pettigrew knows all too well what it feels like to be hungry and thirsty. Her years of living on the streets, as well as the teachings of her mother, taught her to be compassionate, she said. “You can’t pass somebody by without offering,” she said. The Lupton, Arizona, native saw her cousin and several other people sitting outside where she was attending a birthday party. The people, whom the city of Gallup categorizes as transients, or homeless, sat on the concrete bench enjoying the warm Saturday afternoon sunlight in downtown Gallup.

MORE

The 5 Best National Park Live Webcams

Missing the great outdoors? While planning our next national park vacation than we are being outside, we’re making the most of quarantine with these live webcams of national parks.

VIEW WEBCAMS

Smithsonian’s Earth Optimism initiative

The Environment Is Healing Right Now. Can We Sustain That as Travel Ramps Up?

One silver lining has emerged from the Coronavirus pandemic: the environment is healing. When travel gradually picks back up, what will that mean for the environment—and how can we sustain those benefits?

MORE

17 Easy International Recipes That Bring Travel Home

From comforting Vietnamese pho to spicy-sweet Dutch cookies, these simple recipes recapture the spirit of travel.

MORE

Master English Pronunciation at Home

Courtesy Olivia Valdes, ThoughtCo

We all know the embarrassing feeling of discovering we’ve been mispronouncing a word for years. On the other hand, some words are so commonly mispronounced that the “correct” pronunciation sounds downright strange. Don’t feel bad if you’ve been mispronouncing some of these tricky words. A living language like English evolves and thrives precisely because it’s spoken every day.

MORE

Digging Into the Past to Find Optimism for the Future

By Cat Kutz

Dr. Nick Pyenson is the curator of fossil marine mammals at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of Natural History in Washington, DC. His expeditions have taken him to every continent studying the evolution and ecology of marine mammals. Along with his collaborators, he has named over a dozen new fossil species, discovered the richest fossil whale graveyard on the planet, and described an entirely new sensory organ in living whales. Ahead of the Earth Optimism Digital Summit, during which Pyenson will hold a Deep Dive on science diplomacy, Earth Optimism communications lead Cat Kutz asks him how he finds optimism while digging into the Earth’s past.

MORE

Free Video Tours of Frank Lloyd Wright Buildings Across America

The 20th-century architect defined a uniquely American style that used nature-inspired motifs and horizontal lines

Architecture fans can tune in to the #WrightVirtualVisits hashtag to watch experts lead short video tours of Frank Lloyd Wright’s famous and lesser-known buildings every Thursday afternoon.

The Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy, the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation and Unity Temple Restoration Foundation teamed up to launch the initiative, dubbed Wright Virtual Visits, at the beginning of April.

Read Susan Breslow’s article on Taliesin West

How to Join a Zoom Class

The Zoom platform is easy and convenient. Missing your favorite teacher or class? This will allow you to still take that class with that teacher at their regular time slots in the safe environment of your own home.

You will sign into the class you want to take through our website and receive the Zoom link that will give you access to the class live. The classes will be in their original format and will have time at the end for you to chat with your teacher! They will be streamed from the teacher’s home as well as from the studio. You can continue to use your class packages and will still be able to purchase through your account at The Yogi Tree by logging on to our website.

For more info check out this 1-minute Zoom tutorial

English Pronunciation Isn’t Easy But This Quick Primer Can Help You Get it Right

Courtesy Olivia Valdes, ThoughtCo

We all know the embarrassing feeling of discovering we’ve been mispronouncing a word for years. On the other hand, some words are so commonly mispronounced that the “correct” pronunciation sounds downright strange. Don’t feel bad if you’ve been mispronouncing some of these tricky words. A living language like English evolves and thrives precisely because it’s spoken every day.

MORE

Readers’ Ideas for Finding Community and Cheer at Home

Courtesy The New York Times

As much of the world adjusts to a new normal of restricted living, our readers share tips for finding everyday joys.

Many of us are now entering the second, third or fourth week of restrictions on our movements, and it is becoming ever clearer that overcoming this crisis will be a marathon, not a sprint. As we all collectively adjust to our unique situations, we asked New York Times readers to share their ideas for pursuing the traveler’s spirit of discovery, curiosity and delight within their new limitations at home. Following are their responses, which have been edited for clarity and length.

MORE

Predicting the Future of Travel in 2040

Allianz Partners’ Futurology Report Predicts Airline Passenger Numbers will Double, ‘Faces’ via Facial Pattern Recognition Systems Will Replace Passports and Boarding Passes

Courtesy Allianz Global Assistance

By the year 2040, international travel will be a faster, easier and more ecologically sustainable activity than ever before, according to a report commissioned by Allianz Partners to help prepare for the travel-related needs of their customers in the future. Allianz Partners is a world leader in B2B2C assistance and insurance solutions, delivering global protection and care, and offers dedicated travel insurance services through the Allianz Travel brand.

MORE

The post Best Road Trips; Working Remotely in Foreign Lands appeared first on Traveling Archive.

Jazz Singer/Pianist Carol Welsman Discusses Her New Album, “Dance With Me,” with Jim Gordon.

“Our City Tonight” arrived in LA to chat with 6-time Juno Award Nominee, Carol Welsman. The gifted jazz singer/pianist talks about her new album, “Dance With Me”, which marks her foray into Latin Jazz.

Jamaica Is Now Open – Here’s What You Need to Know

Travel Pulse

Jamaica is reopening its borders to international visitors for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic on Monday, June 15. Like many places that have recently welcomed back tourists, the Caribbean country will require all arriving visitors to undergo a temperature check and follow local safety protocols, which include face-coverings and social distancing. Travelers will also need to complete a travel authorization application so that officials can conduct a COVID-19 health risk assessment prior to arrival.

American Airlines Unveils Major Upgrade to App with ‘Chat With Us’ Feature

American Airlines announced the release of version 2020.07 of its smartphone app, adding several new features including a new “Chat with Us” feature connects users with a virtual assistant and, if necessary, a customer service representative via chat.

The airline began to use a new format for numbering versions of the app earlier this year. The new format begins with the four-digit year followed by a period separator, which is then followed by the two-digit number of the version.

The Chat with Us system places the user in a chat session with a virtual assistant. The bot will transfer the user to a customer service representative based on the nature of the chat.

Earlier this year, American upgraded the app with a new “Waitlist” feature that combines upgrade and standby lists for a particular flight.

Waitlist will display traveler status by cabin. Once an upgrade request clears, the app will display the individual traveler’s name and new seat number on the list.

American’s app is available on both Apple iOS and Android platforms.

What Country Taught Me About Race

By Jessica Nabongo — Afar

I’m often asked what I consider the safest countries for black people or the most welcoming for black travelers. But I can’t answer those questions. I’ve been traveling internationally since I was four years old. For my Ugandan immigrant parents, vacationing was important — a way to learn more about the world through experience — and they made it part of our lives every year. Whether domestic or international, we went somewhere every summer: Canada, Minnesota, Jamaica, Disney World, the Bahamas. By the time I graduated from high school, I had been to seven U.N. member countries, and in 2008, I moved to Japan to teach English. From there, I continued living abroad, and continued traveling. And in February 2017, with 60 countries under my belt, I started a two-and-a-half-year journey to visit every country in the world

What the Mississippi Delta Teaches Me About Home — And Hope

Courtesy National Geographic

Finding struggle and resilience on a road trip through the birthplace of the blues. I’ve thought a lot about home during the quarantine. The place and the idea. The way it calls to us, and the way the pulse of daily life can sometimes drown it out. My home is near the courthouse square in Oxford, Mississippi, a vibrant modern college community. That’s where we wake up and make scrambled eggs for our toddler. But I’m from a nearby place called Clarksdale, birthplace of the Delta blues, the town that gave the world the likes of Muddy Waters, Sam Cooke, and Nate Dogg—a place where on a clear night I can hear plantation blues, the protest soul of Stax Records, and the heavy sound of G-Funk LA all mix in the open air.

How A Recent Trip To Montgomery Made Me Rethink The Deep South

Courtesy Essence

“History, despite its wrenching pain cannot be unlived, but if faced with courage need not be lived again.”

I spotted the reflection-inducing words by the late Maya Angelou just moments before entering the lobby of Montgomery’s Springhill Suites Hotel. They adorned a nondescript wall at the corner of Coosa and Bibb, which was steps outside of my temporary retreat. Now I’ve always been more Manhattan than Montgomery, slightly more Malcolm than Martin, with more northeastern edge than southern charm. But there I was, just days before the Christmas holiday, excited, and yet nervous, to be in what I considered the epicenter of Black history.

Irish Send Money to Navajo Nation Hit By COVID-19, Returning Historic Favor

Courtesy Mélissa Godin

A Native American community severely impacted by the COVID-19 outbreak has received an outpour of donations from Irish people, who are returning a historic favor from 173 years ago.

In 1847, the Native American Choctaw nation sent $170 ($5,000 today) of relief aid to the Irish people impacted by the great potato famine. Now, the Irish are reciprocating the act of goodwill by donating funds to the Navajo nation, which has been severely impacted by COVID-19, with at least 2,373 cases and 73 deaths as of May 3.

7 Best & 5 Worst Frozen Foods

Courtesy Cheyenne Lentz, Insider

Frozen food can be great to stock up on because it can be stored for quite some time without going bad.

Since not everything maintains its quality when frozen, Insider spoke to chefs to help figure out which items are worth grabbing and which you should leave on the shelves.

10 Cheap Foods That Last a Long Time

These foods with long shelf lives can improve your diet while saving you money

Courtesy Erin Huffstetler

If you’re filling your pantry, especially if you are on a tight budget, focus on cheap and nutritious foods that have a long shelf life, like rice, apples and peanut butter. You’ll spend less at checkout, and you’ll waste considerably less food at the end of the week. All price estimates mentioned were good as of March 2020.

Unwind With These Free, Museum-Led Meditation and Mindfulness Sessions

After weeks — or months — of sheltering in place, many stuck inside are feeling decidedly devoid of inner peace. Luckily, thanks to an array of online offerings announced by shuttered cultural institutions, options for unwinding abound. Among the most relaxing experiences available: meditation and mindfulness sessions led by the Rubin Museum of Art in New York City and the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of Asian Art in Washington, D.C.

English Pronunciation Isn’t Easy But This Quick Primer Can Help You Get it Right

Courtesy Olivia Valdes, ThoughtCo

We all know the embarrassing feeling of discovering we’ve been mispronouncing a word for years. On the other hand, some words are so commonly mispronounced that the “correct” pronunciation sounds downright strange. Don’t feel bad if you’ve been mispronouncing some of these tricky words. A living language like English evolves and thrives precisely because it’s spoken every day.

Take the Time to Read Profiles in Courage

Written by then-Senator John F. Kennedy

Profiles in Courage is a 1956 volume of short biographies describing acts of bravery and integrity by eight United States Senators under enormous pressure from their parties and their constituents. Written by then-Senator John F. Kennedy, who won the Pulitzer Prize for the work. The staff at Traveling Boy suggests that Utah Republican Senator Mitt Romney might fit the bill as a Profile in Courage due to his recent vote to convict fellow Republican Donald Trump in the Senate Impeachment trial. He was unable to stand in line with other Republic Senators as a result of his deeply-felt oath of office, the US Constitution and personal relationship with God.

The subjects of Profiles in Courage are John Quincy Adams, Daniel Webster, Thomas Hart Benton, Sam Houston, Edmund G. Ross, Lucius Lamar, George Norris, and Robert A. Taft.

Ten Trends That Will Shape Science in the 2020s

Medicine gets trippy, solar takes over, and humanity — finally, maybe — goes back to the moon

Courtesy  Katherine J. Wu , Rachael Lallensack

When the 2010s began, private spaceflight had barely gotten off the ground, Google was rolling out early personalized search results and CRISPR-Cas9 gene-editing technology was still in its infancy. By decade’s end, artificial intelligence had trounced people at a bevy of board games, SpaceX had become a household name and genetically modified human embryos became a controversial reality.

Clearly, a lot can happen in a decade — but innovation has to start somewhere. Based on what’s breaking through now, here are some trends that have the potential to shape the 2020s.

Out of the Cradle Endlessly Rocking

Walt Whitman — 1819-1892

Out of the cradle endlessly rocking,
Out of the mocking-bird’s throat, the musical shuttle,
Out of the Ninth-month midnight,
Over the sterile sands and the fields beyond, where the child leaving his bed wander’d alone, bareheaded, barefoot,
Down from the shower’d halo,
Up from the mystic play of shadows twining and twisting as if they were alive,
Out from the patches of briers and blackberries,
From the memories of the bird that chanted to me,
From your memories sad brother, from the fitful risings and fallings I heard,
From under that yellow half-moon late-risen and swollen as if with tears,
From those beginning notes of yearning and love there in the mist,
From the thousand responses of my heart never to cease…

MORE

Send Deb your favorite travel poems

Loyal Good Boi Waits At Wuhan Hospital For Three Months, Unaware That His Owner Died Of COVID-19

Remember the classic tale of Hachiko, a loyal Japanese Akita dog who waited patiently at a train station for his owner to return home from work for nine years, not knowing that his owner died at the office?

MORE

Decade-Long Search for Rocky Mountains Treasure Yields Trove Worth $2 Million

By Alex Fox; smithsonianmag.com

Nine clues embedded in a 24-line poem led to art dealer Forrest Fenn’s hidden chest of gold, gems and rare artifacts

“The treasure has been found,” declares a sparse blog post dated to June 6. The words signal the end of a ten-year search for a chest of gold, jewels and rare artifacts hidden in the Rocky Mountains by art dealer Forrest Fenn, reports Danielle Prokop for the Santa Fe New Mexican.

As many as 350,000 people unsuccessfully sought the treasure, which is worth an estimated $2 million. Five died while searching with only a poem said to contain nine clues to guide them.

MORE

United to Resume Flights to Over 150 Destinations in July

By Kurt Stolz

United Airlines announced it will increase the number of flights it operates and destinations served next month, compared to the current month, as flyers begin to slowly return to the friendly skies as the coronavirus pandemic somewhat wanes.

Come July, the airline’s international capacity will be 25% of what it was in the same period last year.  It will increase the number of flights to Europe from its hubs in San Francisco and Washington D.C., restart service to Tokyo’s Haneda Airport, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Seoul, and expand service to Latin America and the Caribbean.

MORE

Berlin Tegel Airport to Remain Open Into November

By Kurt Stolz

The ongoing saga of Berlin’s new and old airports continues: Berlin Tegel Airport will remain open, at least for the time being.

In late May, city officials announced that Tegel – the city’s main international airport whose history goes back to the 1948 Berlin Airlift – would close temporarily on June 15, 2020.

MORE

Revealed: The World’s Best Passports

Passports were ranked on visa-free travel, international taxation laws, global perception, dual citizenship and personal freedom.

Americans may be surprised to learn that they don’t own the best passport in the world.

According to research conducted by world-leading offshore consulting firm Nomad Capitalist, Swedish, Luxembourgish and Irish passports are the best ones to own.

Nomad Capitalist has ranked the best passports in the world by scoring 199 different passports in five categories. Each passport was scored on visa-free travel, international taxation laws, global perception, dual citizenship and personal freedom.

MORE

Recipes With Only 3 Ingredients

Courtesy Christine Clark

Cooking at home is usually healthier and more affordable than going out, but with more and more restaurants temporarily closing due to the pandemic, quick and easy recipes have become essential. If you’re busy with work, family, or lockdown life in general, it can be hard to find the time and energy to fuss with complicated recipes. If hunting down a long list of ingredients makes you want to quit before you’ve started, take heart. We’ve rounded up our favorite 3-ingredient recipes — 25 of them, ranging from breakfast to dessert. As long as you have kitchen staples like salt, pepper, and olive oil, these tasty recipes will be a breeze.

Here’s 25 Recipes with just 3 Ingredients

Homeless in Border Town Getting By, Livin’

By Donovan Quintero, Navajo Times

She didn’t hesitate to give what she could give. Shylah Pettigrew knows all too well what it feels like to be hungry and thirsty. Her years of living on the streets, as well as the teachings of her mother, taught her to be compassionate, she said. “You can’t pass somebody by without offering,” she said. The Lupton, Arizona, native saw her cousin and several other people sitting outside where she was attending a birthday party. The people, whom the city of Gallup categorizes as transients, or homeless, sat on the concrete bench enjoying the warm Saturday afternoon sunlight in downtown Gallup.

MORE

The 5 Best National Park Live Webcams

Missing the great outdoors? While planning our next national park vacation than we are being outside, we’re making the most of quarantine with these live webcams of national parks.

VIEW WEBCAMS

Smithsonian’s Earth Optimism initiative

The Environment Is Healing Right Now. Can We Sustain That as Travel Ramps Up?

One silver lining has emerged from the Coronavirus pandemic: the environment is healing. When travel gradually picks back up, what will that mean for the environment—and how can we sustain those benefits?

MORE

17 Easy International Recipes That Bring Travel Home

From comforting Vietnamese pho to spicy-sweet Dutch cookies, these simple recipes recapture the spirit of travel.

MORE

Random 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 Alabama.

You want a friend in Washington? Get a dog. – Harry S. Truman

MORE Dog Quotations

Master English Pronunciation at Home

Courtesy Olivia Valdes, ThoughtCo

We all know the embarrassing feeling of discovering we’ve been mispronouncing a word for years. On the other hand, some words are so commonly mispronounced that the “correct” pronunciation sounds downright strange. Don’t feel bad if you’ve been mispronouncing some of these tricky words. A living language like English evolves and thrives precisely because it’s spoken every day.

MORE

Digging Into the Past to Find Optimism for the Future

By Cat Kutz

Dr. Nick Pyenson is the curator of fossil marine mammals at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of Natural History in Washington, DC. His expeditions have taken him to every continent studying the evolution and ecology of marine mammals. Along with his collaborators, he has named over a dozen new fossil species, discovered the richest fossil whale graveyard on the planet, and described an entirely new sensory organ in living whales. Ahead of the Earth Optimism Digital Summit, during which Pyenson will hold a Deep Dive on science diplomacy, Earth Optimism communications lead Cat Kutz asks him how he finds optimism while digging into the Earth’s past.

MORE

Free Video Tours of Frank Lloyd Wright Buildings Across America

The 20th-century architect defined a uniquely American style that used nature-inspired motifs and horizontal lines

Architecture fans can tune in to the #WrightVirtualVisits hashtag to watch experts lead short video tours of Frank Lloyd Wright’s famous and lesser-known buildings every Thursday afternoon.

The Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy, the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation and Unity Temple Restoration Foundation teamed up to launch the initiative, dubbed Wright Virtual Visits, at the beginning of April.

Read Susan Breslow’s article on Taliesin West

How to Join a Zoom Class

The Zoom platform is easy and convenient. Missing your favorite teacher or class? This will allow you to still take that class with that teacher at their regular time slots in the safe environment of your own home.

You will sign into the class you want to take through our website and receive the Zoom link that will give you access to the class live. The classes will be in their original format and will have time at the end for you to chat with your teacher! They will be streamed from the teacher’s home as well as from the studio. You can continue to use your class packages and will still be able to purchase through your account at The Yogi Tree by logging on to our website.

For more info check out this 1-minute Zoom tutorial

Readers’ Ideas for Finding Community and Cheer at Home

Courtesy The New York Times

As much of the world adjusts to a new normal of restricted living, our readers share tips for finding everyday joys.

Many of us are now entering the second, third or fourth week of restrictions on our movements, and it is becoming ever clearer that overcoming this crisis will be a marathon, not a sprint. As we all collectively adjust to our unique situations, we asked New York Times readers to share their ideas for pursuing the traveler’s spirit of discovery, curiosity and delight within their new limitations at home. Following are their responses, which have been edited for clarity and length.

MORE

Predicting the Future of Travel in 2040

Allianz Partners’ Futurology Report Predicts Airline Passenger Numbers will Double, ‘Faces’ via Facial Pattern Recognition Systems Will Replace Passports and Boarding Passes

Courtesy Allianz Global Assistance

By the year 2040, international travel will be a faster, easier and more ecologically sustainable activity than ever before, according to a report commissioned by Allianz Partners to help prepare for the travel-related needs of their customers in the future. Allianz Partners is a world leader in B2B2C assistance and insurance solutions, delivering global protection and care, and offers dedicated travel insurance services through the Allianz Travel brand.

MORE

The post Carol Welsman Soars on Our City Tonight appeared first on Traveling Archive.

The World’s First Floating Space Hotel is Launching in 2021

Are you always looking for something a little different when it comes to travelling? Well, booking a “room” in a hotel that floats in space would probably be right up your street.

Robert Bigelow, a billionaire hotel mogul, has announced plans to launch just that.

The 72-year-old says a ‘B330’ line of space stations, advertised as ‘fully autonomous standalone space.

He’s hoping to sell time slots to governments that need time in space for scientific reasons but also to sell “holidays” to people. The units will reportedly hold around six people each.

The 72-year-old says a ‘B330’ line of space stations, advertised as ‘fully autonomous standalone space stations’, is already underway.

Consisting of two 17-metre modules that will be linked to create outer-space accommodations – the units, once conjoined, will actually offer twice the cubic capacity of the International Space Station. The modules will be able to function in low-Earth orbit (a zone about 250 miles above Earth) and cislunar space.

Sadly for the majority though, spending a night in space won’t be a reality. Reserved for the mega wealthy, Bigelow says bookings will cost in the “low seven figures” though most likely in the “low eight figure”.

Bigelow made his money by launching the hotel chain Budget Suites of America in 1987 but was always fascinated by space. Growing up in Las Vegas, he was privy to science through witnessing – from a distance – a number of atomic tests conducted in Nevada.

He has previously said that at the age of 12 he “decided that his future lay in space travel, despite his limitations [in mathematics, and] he resolved to choose a career that would make him rich enough that, one day, he could hire the scientific expertise required to launch his own space program. Until then, he would tell no one — not even his wife —about his ultimate goal.”

In 1999 he finally founded his private space firm, Bigelow Aerospace but this hotel is part of his new company Bigelow Space Operations. The project is reported to be costing a cool $2.3 billion.

Three Iconic Brands Partner to Create a Whiskey Lover’s Dream Gift

Ashford Castle, Midleton Rare Whiskey and Waterford Crystal Produce the Perfect Blend

Ashford Castle, Ireland’s 800 year-old quintessential castle hotel, has announced a new and exciting partnership with Midleton Very Rare Whiskey and Waterford Crystal to launch a bespoke cask specifically for Ashford Castle, along with crystal whiskey tumblers and carafe bearing the Ashford logo.

Built in the 13th century and once home to the famous Guinness family, Ashford Castle became a hotel in 1939, hosting royalty, dignitaries and heads of state. In 2013, it was purchased by Red Carnation and the Tollman family, and after a $75 million restoration project, it was brought back to its former glory. In addition to a complete restoration, the project also added a wine cellar, billiards room and cigar terrace. Long a whiskey aficionado, owner Stanley Tollman has particular interest in this project, and has been involved in it from inception to finish.

The Midleton Distillery is home to the largest inventory of maturing Irish whiskey in the world. Its Master Distiller, Brian Nation, hand-selects the finest whiskeys for the Midleton Very Rare collection. This includes releases such as single pot stills, single cask bottlings, travel retail exclusives, special editions and prestige and ultra-prestige bottlings.

Cask #70345 is an American virgin oak barrel that was filled with a medium style pot still. A virgin oak barrel means it hasn’t held bourbon prior to arriving to Midleton, thus making the contribution from the oak a lot richer and more profound. The style of pot still distillate retains the classic spicy character holding up to the significant wood element to give good balance.

Waterford was first established in 1783 on land adjacent to Merchants’ Quay in the heart of the Irish harbor town of Waterford, just minutes from the present day House of Waterford Crystal. The business thrived for 70 years before falling victim to the economy and world events. The company saw a resurgence after World War II, and has since regained its status as some of the world’s finest crystal today. “We are thrilled to be partnering with two such iconic brands,” said General Manager Niall Rochford, “particularly ones that so closely reflect the standard and attitude toward guest experience that Ashford Castle espouses.”

Drive from Ireland to Scotland by Bridge?

Just a matter of hours after Boris Johnson announced that it was possible to build a bridge crossing the English Channel from England to France a leading architect has suggested that a bridge from Ireland to Scotland is feasible at a fraction of the cost to the England/France connection.

If such a bridge were to come to pass it would be possible to visit Ireland on a self drive tour and then drive over the bridge to Scotland avoiding the need to book a flight or ferry!

A PROPOSED BRIDGE connecting Ireland and Scotland could create a “Celtic powerhouse”.

Leading architect Professor Alan Dunlop from Liverpool University has said that a combined road and rail crossing could be created between Portpatrick, Dumfries and Larne in Northern Ireland.

The expert believes that the new structure would boost the Scottish and Irish economies and help solve any longer-term disputes over the re-emergence of an Irish border post-Brexit. He spoke out after the Foreign Secretary raised the prospect of a bridge over the English Channel last week.

Carnival Fascination Returns to San Juan

Courtesy  Tom Stieghorst

San Juan has regained its homeported Carnival Cruise Line ship, five months after Hurricane Maria knocked the Carnival Fascination out of the market.

The 2,056-passenger Fantasy-class ship was chartered to the Federal Emergency Management Agency for use by relief workers in St. Croix for several months after the storm while Carnival repaired damage to its terminal in San Juan.

The 24-year-old ship then went into a drydock to be upgraded before returning to cruising duty.  Several Funship 2.0 restaurants were installed during the drydock, including Guy’s Burger Joint, the BlueIguana Cantina and Bonsai Sushi Express. Bar concepts new to the ship will be the Alchemy Bar, the RedFrog Rum Bar and the BlueIguana Tequilla Bar. The candy store Cherry on Top was also retrofitted to the ship.

The Fascination will depart San Juan on Sundays for seven-day round trip voyages stopping in St. Lucia, Barbados, St. Kitts, St. Thomas and St. Maarten.

“Out of this World” First-Ever Space Festival Coming to Las Cruces, New Mexico

It’s time to have fun and enjoy the accomplishments and importance of space in Las Cruces and the surrounding community. To celebrate all things space, volunteers have come together to create New Mexico’s first ever Space Festival. It will take place over three days and nights, April 12^th to 14^th, across three locations. The theme is “Making Space for Everyone.”

The festival kicks off on April 12^th — the day of “Celebration.” On this day, events will be geared toward children and families in celebration of the anniversary of human space flight. Yuri’s Night, which has been celebrated worldwide since 2001, marks the date when the then USSR launched Yuri Gagarin into a single orbit around the Earth in 1961.  Events will take place on the New Mexico State University campus, including an evening event organized for youth by NMSU’s Women in STEM (WiSTEM) group, a mobile planetarium in which people can experience and learn about the night sky, and a Tech Center featuring a flight simulation specifically tailored to space travel. There will also be educational NMSU Space Talks and stargazing. Las Cruces Public Schools are also planning events earlier in the week.

On Friday, April 13^th, the day of “Raising Awareness,” some of the greatest minds in the area will gather for a Space Showcase at Mesilla Valley Mall. Representatives from NASA White Sands Test Facility, Spaceport America, Virgin Galactic, New Mexico Space History Museum, UTEP’s aerospace program, the Experimental Aircraft Association, and others will be featured. The Space Showcase will offer the perfect opportunity for budding astronauts, curious minds and science buffs to interact with and ask questions from experts in space travel, aerospace and space exploration. The evenings of the first two days will also include free space-themed movies at the Rio Grande Theater on Main St.

On Saturday, April 14^th, the day of “Entertainment” will take place on the Plaza de Las Cruces and surrounding locations in the downtown area, and will be a full range of interactive events. Virgin Galactic will bring a full size replica of their suborbital SpaceShipTwo to the Albert Johnson Park, adjacent to Las Cruces City Hall. There will be many hands-on activities provided by ¡explora!, Insights El Paso Science Center, Asombro and Cruces Creative, amongst others. Experts from the Space Showcase will be back on-hand to interact with attendees. The NMSU Atomic Aggies Rocket Club will display their competition rocket, New Mexico Space Grant will have their high altitude weather balloon used to observe the recent solar eclipse. There will be at least two Challenger Center Missions, including one open to adult members of the public for the first time, and a unique space pickleball game in the afternoon, plus a ‘space walk’, in which participants are encouraged to dress in their best space or alien costumes.

The Las Cruces Space Festival will provide an incredible opportunity for youth to learn about and get excited about space and for older generations to celebrate the impact that space has had in their daily lives. For all lovers of space and all those with a growing curiosity, the Space Festival will bring education, entertainment and fun together in one package, with some of the key organizations behind regional space activity involved, and it will be a one-of-a-kind event, said Festival organizers, who are also aiming to set up a space tour from Las Cruces to Spaceport America as part of the event. KTAL 101.5 Community Radio in Las Cruces will broadcast special features and interviews throughout the week of the Festival.

“We all benefit from space related activity and innovations, including cell phones, GPS and weather tracking, just to name a few,” said Jonathan Firth of Virgin Galactic, one of the festival’s partners. “There is already much space-related activity in New Mexico, and it’s set to increase dramatically over the coming years — especially with commercial space flights just around the corner. Many activities for the Festival are already confirmed, and we are now working on adding to them and confirming sponsors before April 12^th.”

Event partners include New Mexico State University, City of Las Cruces, Greater Las Cruces Chamber of Commerce, Las Cruces Public Schools, Big Brothers Big Sisters Mountain Region, Virgin Galactic, Jacobs Technology, ¡explora!, EAA, Spaceport America, New Mexico Space Grant, NASA White Sands Test Facility, Mesilla Valley Mall, Visit Las Cruces, KTAL Community Radio, Las Cruces Sun News, Las Cruces Bulletin, Hotel Encanto, Insights El Paso Science Center, Las Cruces Challenger Learning Center, Cruces Creatives, and the Rio Grande Theatre.

For more information, visit Space Festival. To participate in the festival, contact

lc******@gm***.com











.

Cruise Cools to China

Courtesy  Tom Stieghorst

The cruise industry’s gold rush to China, if not over, has entered a new phase: For the first time in at least four years, cruise capacity in China will not grow in 2018.

That means that the focus and management attention that has been lavished on the world’s most populous country may now be turning elsewhere.

To hear evidence of that, listen to the list of places that Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings CEO Frank Del Rio reeled off when asked if he’s ready to put a second ship in China.

“We have many other either unserved or underserved markets that we would also consider in the mix, should ships become available to us,” Del Rio said in response to a question from a Wells Fargo analyst. “We don’t have a presence in the mid-Atlantic states. We’re not in Baltimore. We’re not in Charleston. We don’t have a presence at all in the world’s second largest port, which is Fort Lauderdale. We don’t have a presence in the Gulf States of Texas or Alabama. We don’t have a year-round presence in Tampa or New Orleans or in Los Angeles.”

Del Rio went on to say that the Norwegian Cruise Line brand will have three ships in Alaska this summer, where some competitors have as many as eight.

“So, given our fleet size today and the fact that we will only be taking one ship per year, it could be a couple of years before we consider adding more tonnage to China, if the conditions in the rest of the world remain as robust as they are today,” Del Rio said.

The Chinese boom really got going in 2014 when Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. announced it would devote its brand-new Quantum of the Seas, the first of a new class of ship, to the Chinese market.

In a world full of supposedly bold moves, that one really was. And it prompted other lines for the first time to put brand new ships in China, as everyone feared being left behind in the scramble to impress the Chinese.

Being the preferred brand in a market that was projected to be the biggest in the world in a decade or so was worth the gamble of putting brand new tonnage in an unproven and opaque market.

So when Princess Cruises sent the Majestic Princess to Shanghai last year and Norwegian sent the Norwegian Joy, in addition to the Quantum and ships from Costa Cruises and others, the result was a crowded field.

Throw into the mix the spat between China and South Korea that limited itineraries out of northern China, and China became a much weaker cruise market last year.

While cruise lines insist that they’re in it for the long haul, and even in the short term it has been profitable, the sense that China is going to deliver a big increase in global cruise revenues has been tempered.

Already Norwegian’s focus for 2018 has turned to introducing Norwegian Bliss to the North American market, and in particular the U.S. West Coast. Who knows where else in the U.S. Norwegian ships might be coming next?

Airlines Inching Closer to Dynamic Pricing

Courtesy Robert Silk

Imagine if airlines could tailor fare offers based on who was making the ticket inquiry, rather than strictly on the search criteria. Well, industry technology and revenue-management experts say those days are fast approaching.

In fact, a few airlines have already implemented what is known as dynamic pricing on some ticket searches within their own channels, according to the revenue management software provider PROS, which works with some 80 airlines worldwide, including Southwest, Lufthansa, Emirates and Aeromexico.

“2018 will be a very phenomenal year in terms of traction,” said John McBride, director of product management for PROS. “Based on our backlog of projects, there will be a handful of large carriers that move toward dynamic pricing science.”

Critics of the technology warn of a growing lack of transparency if fares are priced dynamically.

Conceptually, dynamic ticket pricing is simple. An airline identifies the person making a flight inquiry, then mines its data for that person’s flying history. The person could be identified if he or she is logged into an OTA or into an airline website through a frequent flyer account.

Much as Amazon does today to remember shopping histories, those sites could also set cookies at login to identify a person (or at least the device being used) for subsequent searches in which the individual is not logged in, said Phocuswright technology analyst Bob Offutt. And there are also technology companies that provide the capability to identify consumers across multiple devices without the need for login information, McBride said.

The revenue-management platform then uses an individual’s flight-shopping history to generate a person-specific fare offer that differs from the offer some other shoppers might get for the same fare inquiry at the same time.

Experts say such technology is most likely to be used to offer discounts to customers with loyalty status and to generate bundled fare offerings that fit the customer’s profile. But in theory the technology could also be used for different purposes, such as to induce a new customer with an especially affordable ticket or to offer a higher ticket price to someone who is likely to be undeterred by an upcharge.

Dynamic pricing platforms will also generate specialized offerings based on the profile of a fare search, even if they don’t have the specific identity of the shopper, said Peter Belobaba, the airline industry program director at MIT who helped author a recent discussion paper on advances in airline industry revenue management and distribution for the Airline Tariff Publishing Co. (ATPCO), the airline-owned corporation that collects and distributes fare data.

For example, if a person were to query a one-night, midweek trip from New York to Chicago, the platform might make the assumption that the inquirer is traveling for business, then prepare fare offerings that fit the profile of a business traveler.

By employing dynamic price offerings, airlines would hope to increase conversion rates while driving incremental revenue increases, in part by showing more travelers that there is value in paying a bit extra for a more comfortable flight.

“I believe a lot of consumers are so focused on the lowest fare that they end up buying a degraded product, then complaining when they don’t get a seat assignment,” Belobaba said.

But according to the recent ATPCO paper, prepared by PODS Research, moving into a world of dynamic price offerings has proven technologically difficult for the airline sector, in large part due to the legacy distribution system that was put in place after deregulation in 1978.

That distribution system allows for just 26 fare classes, one for each letter of the alphabet. Airlines assign prices and restrictions to each fare class, then file those classes with ATPCO for dissemination to GDSs. At present, carriers are able to update prices in each fare class four times per day on domestic flights and hourly on international flights, said Tom Gregorson, vice president of products and solutions for ATPCO.

But in practice, Belobaba said, most airlines typically keep their set of price points for weeks at a time and mainly manage fare offerings by altering the fare classes that are up for sale at any given time. To move into a world of dynamic price offerings, the airline distribution industry will have to get away from the legacy fare-filing system or institute a hybrid solution, Gregorson said.

Under a hybrid system, airlines would still do fare filings, but then revenue-management programs would be able to offer price changes from those base fares depending on who is doing the fare search.

The key to enabling such technology is the development of a working interface that would enable the shopping engine of a GDS or OTA to communicate with an airline’s own pricing engine, which would be doing the adjustment, Gregorson said. He added that ATPCO’s Dynamic Pricing Working Group, which reconvenes for three days this week, has implemented a pilot project to work on protocols for such an interface.

In a purer version of dynamic pricing, however, airlines wouldn’t file fares at all. Instead, a fare offer would be generated from scratch, in real time, based on who the shopper is, the nature of the inquiry and existing demand and availability for a given flight.

McBride of PROS said that 11 of the company’s airline clients are already using its software to generate real-time dynamic offers within direct sales channels, including their websites. Several of those airlines are making the price offers by adjusting from their published fares, while others are generating offers from scratch. 

Though he wouldn’t identify the airlines for contractual reasons, McBride said they are mainly major carriers and are based around the globe.

Rollout of dynamic pricing by those carriers has been cautious and segmented, with much of it concentrated on group travel and on routes that compete against low-cost carriers, including against Europe’s Ryanair and EasyJet, neither of which files fares with ATPCO.

“Our customers have definitely seen increased conversion rates of up to 50%, and it has enabled airlines to achieve incremental revenue in the 7% to 10% range,” McBride said. “Dynamic pricing clearly speaks to the opportunity for airlines to service a wider range of customers with a broader set of fares.”

Gregorson said it’s unclear when dynamic pricing will become a possibility through GDSs and other indirect sales channels. But he added that ATPCO’s working group meeting this week could provide more clarity on that question.

Easter, 1916

By William Butler Yeats

I  have met them at close of day
Coming with vivid faces
From counter or desk among grey
Eighteenth-century houses.
I have passed with a nod of the head
Or polite meaningless words,
Or have lingered awhile and said
Polite meaningless words
And thought before I had done
Of a mocking tale or a gibe
To please a companion
Around the fire at the club,
Being certain that they and I
But lived where motley is worn:
All changed, changed utterly:
A terrible beauty is born

That woman’s days were spent
In ignorant good-will,
Her nights in argument
Until her voice grew shrill.
What voice more sweet than hers
When, young and beautiful,
She rode to harriers?
This man had kept a school
And rode our wingèd horse;
This other his helper and friend
Was coming into his force;
He might have won fame in the end,
So sensitive his nature seemed,
So daring and sweet his thought.
This other man I had dreamed
A drunken, vainglorious lout.
He had done most bitter wrong
To some who are near my heart,
Yet I number him in the song;
He, too, has resigned his part
In the casual comedy;
He, too, has been changed in his turn,
Transformed utterly:
A terrible beauty is born.

Hearts with one purpose alone
Through summer and winter seem
Enchanted to a stone
To trouble the living stream.
The horse that comes from the road,
The rider, the birds that range
From cloud to tumbling cloud,
Minute by minute they change;
A shadow of cloud on the stream
Changes minute by minute;
A horse-hoof slides on the brim,
And a horse plashes within it;
The long-legged moor-hens dive,
And hens to moor-cocks call;
Minute by minute they live:
The stone’s in the midst of all.

Too long a sacrifice
Can make a stone of the heart.
O when may it suffice?
That is Heaven’s part, our part
To murmur name upon name,
As a mother names her child
When sleep at last has come
On limbs that had run wild.
What is it but nightfall?
No, no, not night but death;
Was it needless death after all?
For England may keep faith
For all that is done and said.
We know their dream; enough
To know they dreamed and are dead;
And what if excess of love
Bewildered them till they died?
I write it out in a verse —
MacDonagh and MacBride
And Connolly and Pearse
Now and in time to be,
Wherever green is worn,
Are changed, changed utterly:
A terrible beauty is born.

Send Deb your favorite travel poems.

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