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Showing posts with label Meaningful Travel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Meaningful Travel. Show all posts
“Victory at all costs, victory in spite of all terror, victory however long and hard the hard may be; for without victory there is no survival.”
-- Winston Churchill
We were honored and grateful to take a tour of the 9/11 Memorial and Museum with the Detective Lieutenant Commander of the Port Authority Police/FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force of New York and New Jersey, John Ryan. He was the Commander for Recovery Operation Task Force in the New York, NY at the World Trade Center following 9/11. This was one of the most moving tours we have ever received due to the touching stories and personal accounts provided by the commander. This was our second visit to the site and nothing compares to experiencing it with his insight.
Let us take you through some of the exhibits we saw and give you some personal stories. As we have said many times, we are fortunate in our quest to make meaningful travel happen, to have met some incredible individuals and John Ryan is one of them. In this article we will discuss the following and these themes will recur throughout:
Why do we need a memorial dedicated to 9/11?
The story behind the design and building of the 9/11 Memorial which is what you will see outside
Then we will take you inside the 9/11 Museum and describe 11 artifacts that will reflect the physical destruction, human turmoil and ultimate victory.
What comes to mind when YOU think of 9/11?
Is it the doomed image of an airplane crashing into a skyscraper? The remnants of two of the tallest buildings on earth mushrooming through lower Manhattan? Or the suggestions of conspiracy theories? Do you remember how the nation came together following that day? That the thousands of victims were from 91 countries? Whatever you may think, it is undeniable that 9/11 touched every one of our lives in its own way and it is hard to imagine, at times, how personal it was and continues to be for so many. Spending time at the 9/11 Memorial and Museum will give you the history and memories of that fateful day. Generally it is recommended that you spend 2 hours touring the museum but we recommend devoting half a day.
Starting tomorrow, July 1, 2020 the European Union (EU) is going to permit travelers from 15 countries to enter the EU but exclude travelers from the United States, India, Brazil and Russia. China will be permitted subject to some reciprocal conditions.
This decision is agreed upon by 27 member nations of the European Union plus four other nations in Europe’s visa-free Schengen travel. UK which made an official exit from the EU on January 31, 2020 is also partaking in this decision to restrict entry to travers from the US.
Starting tomorrow, July 1, 2020 the European Union (EU) is going to permit travelers from 15 countries to enter the EU but exclude travelers from the United States, India, Brazil and Russia. China will be permitted subject to some reciprocal conditions.
This decision is agreed upon by 27 member nations of the European Union plus four other nations in Europe’s visa-free Schengen travel. UK which made an official exit from the EU on January 31, 2020 is also partaking in this decision to restrict entry to travers from the US.
The opportunity to meet amazing and inspirational individuals like our friend Colonel Patty Collins. Her story is one of accomplishment, perseverance and trailblazing.
Compliments of Rutgers Magazine
LTD has a Mission to “Make Meaningful and Healthy Travel Happen”, but what is meaningful travel? In this case, “Meaningful” is meeting amazing individuals like Patty Collins, who despite having had a portion of her leg amputated, persevered to become a champion in the grueling Ironman competition and a participant in the Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro.
What makes her so inspirational besides her magnetic personality???? Six weeks after U.S. Army Colonel Patricia Collins returned home from a deployment in Iraq, she was struck by a car while riding her bicycle to work at Fort Bragg, in North Carolina. Ten grueling months later, at the age of 38, she made the decision to have her damaged left leg amputated below the knee. At the time, Collins LC’91 was mainly concerned with learning to walk with a prosthetic leg. Breaking a world record in the triathlon was not exactly a top priority.
The new AfterShokz Xtrainerz headphones are designed for swimmers and triathletes who spend time in the water in mind, but these earphones can be used for so much more.
We will admit that we are huge fans of the brand AfterShokz. It’s the one brand that has met all of our expectations for quality of sound, battery life, safety and fit. Traditionally we have used Treks Titanium by Aftershokz for all of our running, cycling and traveling. And We are DELIGHTED to review these Xtainerz.
Although true wireless earbuds have been hogging the limelight over the last few years, there’s another type of specialized wireless earphones that are relatively unknown: bone conduction headphones. While they may give you the impression that they are strange, bone conduction headphones have deep-seated roots in the hearing aid industry. Maybe you have seen things like the AfteShokz Trekz Titanium on big box store shelves, there are some who consider it to be a gimmick while others find them to be invaluable.
What a great Holiday Gift! Bank of America is giving a big present to its cardholders with a special holiday edition of its popular “Museums on Us” program. From December 26 - 31, Bank of America is offering cardholders free general admission to more than 220 museums around the country. Check our full post below to see the details and find if any museums are near your holiday destination...
Museums on Us by Bank of America is back for 2019 and includes MANY museums nationwide!
Phones are Important for Travel and Everyone carries them in museums, but How Can They be Clean??! PhoneSoap is the answer!
This is a customer favorite! AS SEEN ON SHARK TANK AND DISCOVERY CHANNEL. PhoneSoap's revolutionary bacteria-zapping technology was featured on ABC's Shark Tank and tested and proven on the Discovery Channel. Think of the germs we are exposed to during travel at the kiosks! So many museums have interactive kiosks. Stay healthy and charge a phone all at the same time. Click on the photo below to learn more at Amazon and support our blog!
We all remember where we were on September 11, 2001, the Pearl Harbor of the Modern Generation.
Driving and walking around the 9/11 memorial with former NYPD Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik, we knew we would hear a genuine perspective by someone who would not retreat into clichés. Nearly 20 years later, Kerik's emotions are very much on the surface, as they remain for many Americans.
On the clear, sunny morning of September 11, 2001, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercial airplanes, and in a coordinated attack that transformed the planes into weapons, intentionally flew two of the planes into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center and another into the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia. Learning of the other hijackings through telephone calls, passengers and crew on the fourth plane, now headed toward the nation’s capital, tried to breach the cockpit to thwart another horrific attack. In response, the hijacker pilot crashed the plane into a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
Nearly 3,000 innocent people were killed that day, the single largest loss of life resulting from a foreign attack on American soil and the greatest, single loss of rescue personnel in American history. Over 400 first responders perished while performing their sworn duty: firefighters, members of the NYPD and PAPD, and other rescue workers.
Bernard Kerik, now retired from the New York City Police Department, is one of the most decorated police commissioners in NYPD history and was the commissioner during the September 11, 2001 attack.
In this video, Commissioner Kerik remembers that day.
From slave cabin to the "Wizard of Tuskegee," learn about the incredible life of Booker T. Washington at the place of his birth in Hardy, Virginia.
Booker T. Washington famously said: "If you want to lift yourself up, lift up someone else."
LTD recently posted information about our visit to Poplar Forest, the private retreat of Thomas Jefferson. Poplar Forest was a large tobacco farm near Lynchburg, Virginia. However, less than 40 miles away and 37 years after Jefferson died, a small slave boy will be freed from another tobacco farm. That small boy, Booker T. Washington, would go on to become perhaps the most influential black man in America during the late 1800s. He is often remembered today as being subservient, a sellout even, but most agree that he pursued racial equality with discretion. However, there is more to his legacy, such as his role as a Presidential advisor, or as the first leader of one of the country's best historically black colleges. To understand the significance of his achievements, it is important that you see the challenges he overcame and that begins at the place of his birth on a small tobacco plantation in modern-day Hardy, Virginia.
Enjoy our live visit to the Booker T. Washington National Monument and to support our blog PLEASE subscribe to our YouTube Channel by clicking HERE! Thank you so much!!
Peterhof Palace is a must-see St Petersburg attraction. This majestic series of palaces and gardens just outside of the city are covered in gold and often referred to as the “Russian Versailles.”
We thought we've seen our share of palaces around the world but nothing compares to Peterhof!
Versailles was the inspiration for Peter the Great's desire to build an imperial palace in the suburbs of his new city and, after an aborted attempt at Strelna, Peterhof - which means "Peter's Court" in German - became the site for the Tsar's Monplaisir Palace, and then of the original Grand Palace. The estate was equally popular with Peter's daughter, Empress Elizabeth, who ordered the expansion of the Grand Palace and greatly extended the park and the famous system of fountains, including the truly spectacular Grand Cascade. Numerous fountains, simple and complex, small and grand, funny and magnificent, are the main attraction of Peterhof. Once a formal garden built for Peter the Great, this popular park still has more than 80 of the original marble statues and sculptures, many
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.
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!
If you want to do something good for yourself and the people you love, a museum is a great experience! Here are 8 reasons why:
Museums are a great source of pleasure
Museums make you smarter
Museums provide an effective way of learning
Museums inspire
Museums help bring change and development to communities
Museums are a great way to spend time with friends and family
Museums need your support in order to keep educating and inspiring people
There is a museum close to you
Recently LTD decided to take a day in Charlotte, North Carolina to enjoy something local: St. Patrick's day celebrations. a visit to the Mint Museum and visits with some of our most cherished friends. The thing that we discovered at the end of our day? Sometimes you don't need to go far away to experience meaningful travel!
Last week Norwegian Cruise Line, announced the Norwegian Cruise Line Giving Joy campaign, developed to recognize and reward educators in the USA and Canada.
Ahead of Teacher Appreciation Week (May 6-10, 2019) and the debut of the Norwegian Joy, NCL has started an AWESOME campaign that acknowledges and celebrates the intersection of travel and education by honoring deserving teachers that are doing the most to bring joy to their students.
The 75th Anniversary of D-Day Electronic Field Trip is presented by The Cain Foundation in Honor of the Men of the 30th Infantry Division and all WWII Veterans!
On May 2, 2019, The National WWII Museum will stream a live interactive journey into D-Day, the largest amphibious invasion in history and a turning point in World War II. Guided by student reporters from the United States, England, Canada, and France, classrooms around the world will embark on a virtual transatlantic adventure to discover the lessons and legacies of Operation Overlord, the code name for the massive Allied invasion of Normandy, France, on June 6, 1944.
LTD loves meaningful travel! We encourage everyone to travel with their children to accomplish at least five benefits and some of the science behind why you should make traveling with your children a priority. Here are the five things that your child may gain from family travel:
Since 1967, The National Museum of the Pacific War has expanded to occupy a six-acre campus and gained a reputation as one of the premier military museums in the Nation.
Honor the Greatest Generation Like T. Fred Harvey
To hear the history of the museum first hand and learn more about it, enjoy our interviews with WWII US Marine, T. Fred Harvey, wounded in action on day 9 of the Battle of Iwo Jima, and Brandon Vinyard, Director of Marketing and Public Relations for the museum.
Glenn Paige, Michael Lawrence and Chris Haley will be pushing "Fred" 26.2 miles around the museum to hopefully make him the oldest Marine to complete Marine Corps marathon October 25, 2020.
More and more travel deals are appearing for US Military Members! Yes this is Meaningful! Now Disney is offering their best tickets starting at $50-60 per day!
Who is Eligible?
"Eligible Service Members" are active or retired members of the U.S. military, including the National Guard, Reservists, the U.S. Coast Guard, the Commissioned Corps of the Public Health Service (PHS), and the Commissioned Corps of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Valid military identification required for purchase. Spouses of Eligible Service Members also qualify if they are able to present valid and active U.S. Military IDs in the absence of active or retired Military Personnel or Commissioned Corps members.
These are some great prices and include the park hopper option which the lowest price Disney tickets do not include!
The promotional tickets below are available for purchase:
4-Day Military Promotional Ticket with the Park Hopper Option for $241 plus tax
5-Day Military Promotional Ticket with the Park Hopper Option $257 plus tax
4-Day Military Promotional Ticket with the Park Hopper Plus Option $291 plus tax
5-Day Military Promotional Ticket with the Park Hopper Plus Option $307 plus tax
Purchase 5-Day Military Promotional Tickets now through December 15, 2019 and 4-Day Military Promotional Tickets now through December 16, 2019. Receive admission for 5 days or 4 days when you visit during the period from January 1, 2019 through December 19, 2019.
There is nothing like a great viral dog story, especially if it is a story of a service dog!
When we think of travel, there are new rules in place affecting service dogs on planes, but service dogs have to undergo extensive training! Those that graduate training go on to have an important role, but what about those that don't finish training or have completed their careers?
You're just strolling along, minding your own business, rolling your suitcase through the airport, and out of the corner of your eye, there it is. Being walked along by a TSA officer is the cutest dog you have ever seen. We've all experienced the cuteness that is puppies you aren't expecting to see, then only to be let down when we realize we can't go near them because they are a TSA Canine in Training.
The TSA Canine Training Center trains and deploys both TSA-led and state and local law enforcement-led canine teams
Take a once-in-a-lifetime trip with Author Alex Kershaw, author of Avenue of Spies and The Bedford Boys, for a truly immersive experience that takes you back in time to many of the extraordinary places featured in his books, from the bloodiest sands in American history where the Bedford Boys landed, to the grand avenues of the “City of Lights.”
Visiting the American Cemetery in Normandy is a Once-In-A-Lifetime Experience
LTD recently visited Normandy, France which is a truly meaningful experience. This tour will inspire you and be an experience you will never forget!
The origins of Navy SEALs actually began with specially organized maritime commando units during World War II, where legacy capabilities were adopted and remain embodied in today’s SEAL Teams.
LTD likes to “Make Meaningful and Healthy Travel Happen”, but what is meaningful travel? In this case, “Meaningful” is speaking with Harry Lockhead as we will chronicle some of his amazing life before, during and after WWII. In a series of interviews we will speak with him about being part of the “Greatest Generation” and how he and our country came together to save the world from the global aggression of WWII in both Europe and the Pacific. We have a rare chance to discuss that time, the recovery after WWII and our current state of affairs. These individuals are “perishable national treasures” and are becoming rarer everyday.
Harry enlisted on March 1st, 1943 in New York and went to Navy Boot Camp in Great Lakes, Michigan. He boarded the USS Glansar (AK 111) in Pleasanton, California and proceeded to the American Somoan Islands, then the Mariana Islands and then to the Marshall Islands. En route a concussion split the hull of the ship and a patch was placed until they could reach Pearl Harbor they hoped to have it permanently repaired. On arrival, all the docks were full with ships under repair so their ship was run aground to prevent it from sinking.
Their crew was then shipped to Seattle, Washington and assigned to put the USS Lenawee (APA 195) into commission and then sailed to San Diego, California where they picked up a company of Marines. They then sailed to Tarawa in the Gilbert Islands where one of the bloodiest battles of the Pacific occurred. Harry was part of one of the groups that delivered the Marines landing on Tarawa. He wanted to do more after witnessing this carnage first hand and when the Navy asked for volunteers to become reconnaissance swimmers and Harry volunteered immediately. They went to Naval Combat Demolition Base in Maui, Hawaii and would become some of the first Underwater Demolition Teams (UDTs) and what is now the famed “Naked Warriors”.
Please listen to the firsthand accounts from Harry as he shares his amazing life and heroic past to allow us all “meaningful” lives today.
