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Monday, April 29, 2019

Spotlight on St. Petersburg, The Sunshine City and Experience a Hidden Florida Gem

In 2021, Florida's Saint Pete Beach takes not only the title by TripAdvisor of number one beach in the United States, but is also rated fifth in the world. Forget Miami and Orlando and discover a new place when you visit Florida!  For travelers who’d like to avoid some of the most crowded Florida locales, there are plenty of other locations to visit in Sunshine State! 


Discover St. Petersburg, or St. Pete as it is known to locals, is a city undergoing a transformation.


Located on the west side of Tampa, this Florida city is a popular destination for locals and tourists, thanks to the popular beaches in the surrounding area and the vibrant downtown vibe.

Spotlight on St. Petersburg, The Sunshine City and Experience a Hidden Florida Gem


St. Petersburg is named after the former capital of Russia which LTD has written about, and is also known as the “sunshine city." thanks in part to a Guinness World Record it holds for logging the longest stretch of sunshine in the country. Starting in 1967, St. Petersburg had 768 consecutive days of sun in the sky.


Sunday, April 21, 2019

Your Guide to Visit One of Our Favorite Cities! New Orleans Louisiana! The Big Easy!

New Orleans, Louisiana is one of the Best Cities in the United States to Visits for Unique Food, Fun, Festivals and Culture!


Here is Your Guide to Planning A Visit to New Orleans, Louisiana!


We should start with our visit to Jackson Square during Mardi Gras in this video:





Festivals Galore and Here are our Favorites:

  1. NOLA Jazz and Heritage Festival is the most renowned music festival in NOLA and much more than Jazz alone!
  2. Mardi Gras which is a season of parades and other celebrations ending on Fat Tuesday, which is a different date every year, so check the schedule!
  3. French Quarter Festival for music and culture which is smaller and more compact than Jazz Fest and showcases Louisiana Music!
If you are planning a visit to The Big Easy, check a calendar for festivals that may be going on in NOLA!

When attending a festival a great Fedora will make you look like a local!  Click the photo below to learn more about our favorite by Bailey of Hollywood available at Amazon:

Sunday, April 14, 2019

Is Your Favorite US Airline Among the Highest Quality In America? Here are the 2019 Rankings!

For The Second Year-in-a-Row, Delta Maintains the Highest Quality Rating by the ARC 2019 scores and American continues to be Among the Lowest.


Is Your Favorite Airline Among the Highest Quality In America?  Here are the 2019 Rankings!

The Airline Quality Rating (AQR) is the most comprehensive study of performance and quality of the largest airlines in the United States. 


To calculate the rankings for this year's Airline Quality Rating report, researchers at Embry-Riddle looked at four key factors to rank air carriers: On-Time percentage; Denied Boardings; Mishandled Baggage; and Customer Complaints. Each of the categories is also weighted; On-Time performance takes the highest precedence when calculating an airline's score while the volume of customer complaints is the least important factor.  The AQR industry score for 2018 performance shows an industry that improved in overall performance quality over the previous year. Six airlines (Delta, Hawaiian, JetBlue, Southwest, Spirit, and United) showed improvement in AQR scores in 2018. Spirit Airlines had the largest improvement in their AQR score in 2018.

Three airlines (Alaska, American, and Frontier) all had a decline in their 2018 AQR score from the previous year. Frontier Airlines had the largest decline in their AQR score for 2018.  Taking all 9 rated airlines together, the AQR score for the industry improved in 2018, and the 2018 score is the best AQR score in the 29-year history of the rating. The industry AQR score has improved each year for the past four years (2015, 2016, 2017, 2018). Improved performance was seen in three of the four areas tracked.

Here are some of the facts:


The industry mishandled baggage rate was better, decreasing from 2.46 per 1,000 passengers in 2017 to 2.43 per 1,000 passengers in 2018.

Involuntary denied boardings by the industry improved to 0.14 per 10,000 passengers in 2018 from 0.34 per 10,000 passengers in 2017.

The consumer complaint rate across the industry declined to 1.04 per 100,000 passengers in 2017 from 1.35 per 100,000 passengers in 2016.  Of the 8,865 complaints registered with the DOT regarding all U.S. domestic carriers, 72% were for flight problems, baggage problems, reservation, ticketing and boarding issues, or customer service problems. The 23% decrease in the rate of consumer complaints in 2018 suggests that improved performance in areas important to consumers has been noticed by the flying public.

As an industry, the AQR criteria show that on-time arrival percentage was down (80.2% in 2017 compared to 79.6% in 2018).

Where does your favorite airline rank?


Is Your Favorite Airline Among the Highest Quality In America?  Here are the 2019 Rankings!

Bottom Line:  


This year Delta Air Lines had the best score among all of its peers. The carrier edged out low-cost carrier JetBlue by a narrow margin to take the number one slot after two years in second place behind Alaska Airlines, which dropped to fourth place this year probably reflecting the acquisition of Virgin America. In 2009, Delta was ranked as low as 15th place out of 18 carriers in the study, but over ten years, it has slowly climbed the charts to its current leading position. The carrier also beat its legacy competitors of American and United, which were ranked as 8th and 6th respectively out of 9 carriers surveyed. Only low cost carrier Frontier Airlines was ranked behind American this year which is sad news for the struggling American Airlines.

Compare this Ranking to previous years by clicking here!

When you fly one of the most helpful things to make your flight more comfortable are compression socks. We recommend at least 20-30 mm Hg compression.  For the price, these are a great option with many colors and patterns available.  Click the photo to learn more!





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Friday, April 12, 2019

Deal Alert for Meaningful Travel! 4th graders and their families get FREE access to National Parks!

If you have a 4th grader, get ready to explore some National Parks! 


Families, Friends or Teachers of 4th graders can sign them up too!



The US Department of the Interior’s Every Kid in a Park program offers a fantastic deal to 4th graders and their families or fellow travelers. 



By signing up here, you can have access to every National Park this year! Plan a road trip to explore multiple parks this summer, or find a park close to home. Whichever you choose will be an excellent experience for you and your child, and offer significant savings as well. As LTD has presented in our Five Part Series, outdoor exploration is a healthy, fun activity and a great bonding experience, so take advantage of this deal if you can!  Take advantage of this if you are a parent of a fourth-grader or a teacher of fourth graders!

Official rules



  • The pass is for U.S. fourth-grade (or home-school equivalent) students.
  • The pass is for the 2018 to 2019 school year. It expires August 31, 2019.
  • Students can't transfer the pass to anyone else.
  • We can’t accept electronic versions of this paper for access or to exchange for a pass.
  • No refunds are given for previously purchased passes, or if you forget your pass when you visit.
  • If you lose your pass, get a new one by visiting the website and signing up again.
  • Educators can get one paper pass for each of their fourth-grade students.
  • This program only provides passes for fourth graders.


How it works



  • Show your pass to a ranger when you enter. If there is no ranger, leave it on the dashboard of your car.
  • If you visit a site that charges entrance fees per person— The pass admits all children under 16 and up to three adults for free.
  • If your group visits a site that charges vehicle entrance fees - The pass admits all children under 16 and all adults in up to one passenger vehicle. Commercial vehicles can't use a pass to get in.
  • If you arrive at a site on bicycle— The pass admits all children under 16 and up to three adults on bicycles.
  • The pass doesn't cover things like parking fees, camping, boats, and special tours. Also, some sites are managed by private operators. They may not honor the pass. Check with the site ahead of time to find out.
  • The pass doesn’t cover fees for local, city, or state parks and recreation areas unless they say that they accept this pass.
  • Paper passes can be exchanged for plastic passes at certain sites.


You can sign up at everykidinapark.gov!


Get your favorite child a great pair of water shoes to explore this summer!  These are highly rated and you can get a matching pair for yourself to make your vacation even more special to them!  Click the photo to learn more!






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Tuesday, April 9, 2019

Enter to Spend A Night With The Woman with The Most Famous Smile in the World!

Who do you think of when you hear "Woman with the Most Famous Smile in the World?"  You may say Julia Roberts, Anne Hathaway or another celebrity, but in reality it is the Mona Lisa.


“You’ve probably heard of me. People say I’m mysterious, but the truth is I’m very friendly,” Mona Lisa "introduces" herself at anAirbnb for a contest named "Win a night at the Louvre".


Enter to Spend A Night With The Woman with The Most Famous Smile in the World!


A night in the Museum


For one night only, on April 30, Airbnb and the Louvre are giving a lucky winner and their guest a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see what happens inside the world’s most magical museum when the lights go out. As the sun sets on Paris, the winning duo will make their way to the museum where they will be greeted by an art-historian, who will take them on a bespoke tour, like those previously given to the Obamas, Beyoncé and Jay-Z.  The key to this?  NO CROWDS!


Sunday, April 7, 2019

Make the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum a Destination When You Visit Saguaro National Park and Tucson, Arizona

Whether you are fascinated by the desert or not, don't miss visiting the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum when you are near Tucson, Arizona.

Tucson is a unique city and the surrounding desert is famous for its dramatic beauty.  The dry sunny climate is perfect for people who prefer to see the world on two wheels or just want to experience a true Southwest flair!



As part of a week enjoying a Vermont Bicycle Tour of the Saguaro National Park and the Arizona Sonoran Desert, LTD had the pleasure of visiting the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum.  This museum exceeded our expectations. A beautifully laid out complex, which does a wonderful job educating and honoring the Arizona Sonoran desert and surrounding areas. 

Monday, April 1, 2019

Review of Hacienda Del Sol Guest Ranch Resort in Tucson, Arizona: Luxury, History and Beauty

LTD had the opportunity to stay at the Hacienda Del Sol at the end of our Vermont Bicycle Tour through the Sonoran Desert and Saguaro National Park.  There is a reason that Hacienda Del Sol is ranked among the top hotels in Tucson.  


Hacienda Del Sol’s story began 90 years ago in 1929 when John and Helen Murphey created this beautiful desert retreat. 






Hacienda Del Sol is included in the National Registry of Historic Places in Arizona and is a member of Historic Hotels of America.  It is one of the Forbes Travel Guide 2019 Star Award Winners and is a member of Preferred Hotels & Resorts. Before the property was one of Arizona’s top guest ranches, it was a prestigious ranch school for the daughters of some of society’s most elite families. Walking through the inner courtyard today, you can still see some of the names of these families forever memorialized above the doors of the historic guestrooms. Some of these well-known names include Pillsbury, Maxwell, Westinghouse and Vanderbilt, to name a few.


To Check other reviews of the Hacienda Del Sol Hotel, rates and book at TripAdvisor Click Here!!