Travelrific® Travel Journal
Picture postcards in prose.™ Check out the blogroll on the front page for official merchandise and other resources!Superstar Beach
By Linda Tancs
Just 20 minutes away from the seaport towns of Newburyport and Portsmouth is one of America’s best beaches. Named a Superstar Beach by the Natural Resources Defense Council, New Hampshire’s Hampton Beach is one of four beaches deemed the safest thanks to water cleanliness. But there’s plenty more to keep you coming back, like 80 free evening concerts taking place throughout the summer, fireworks displays every Wednesday (as well as today’s July 4 celebratory shoot), a sand sculpting competition each June and a seafood festival in September. Sounds beachy keen, doesn’t it?
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Roots to Revival
By Linda Tancs
Roughly the size of Indiana, Hungary is a culturally rich country with distinctive traditions in music, dance, costume, crafts and gastronomy. All of those facets will be on display now through 7 July at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. between the Smithsonian museums. Don’t miss the opportunity to purchase some prized handiworks at the Marketplace tent. This year’s festival will also feature endangered languages and cultural heritage as well as African American dress and body art.
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Gettysburg Remembered
By Linda Tancs
In July 1863 the residents of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania witnessed a battle that left them with 22,000 dead and wounded soldiers. To commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg (a turning point in the Civil War), the National Civil War Battle Reenactment will take place from 4 to 7 July. Soldiers and civilians alike will re-enact the battles and encampments, giving visitors a glimpse at the cavalry, artillery and the lives that soldiers led during the war. The re-enactment will feature 15,000 re-enactors, civilian interpreters, 400 horses and 100 cannons. And that’s just one of many events marking this distinctive anniversary. Yesterday the Seminary Ridge Museum opened–150 years to the day that the Battle of Gettysburg began. The museum building itself became the battle’s largest field hospital. Hikes, bus tours and other family events will continue until 7 July.
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Keep Your Shoes On
By Linda Tancs
With summer travel season entering into high gear, the last thing any air traveler wants is a long security line aggravated by the parsing and stripping of articles of clothing and other objects. If you qualify for the Transportation Security Administration’s TSA Pre✓™ program, you can keep your shoes on. TSA Pre✓™ is an initiative focused on pre-screening individuals who volunteer to participate in expedited security. TSA is partnering with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) as well as U.S. air carriers as part of this initiative. Certain frequent travelers from Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, US Airways and certain members of CBP’s Trusted Traveler programs, including U.S. citizens using Global Entry, SENTRI, and NEXUS, are eligible to participate when they are booked on a participating airline at a participating airport. Eligible participants use dedicated TSA Pre✓™ lanes for screening benefits, which may include no longer removing shoes, 3-1-1 compliant plastic bags, laptops, light outerwear, jackets or belts for independent inspection. If TSA determines a passenger is eligible for expedited screening, information is embedded in the barcode of the passenger’s boarding pass.
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Paul Bunyan Days
By Linda Tancs
According to legend, Paul Bunyan was a giant lumberjack with uncommon strength who could clear forests with his bare hands and shake trees with his thunderous voice. Statues of this mythical hero abound throughout the United States, including Akeley, Minnesota. The town became a mecca for lumberjacks when a sawmill was built in 1902, so it should come as no surprise that the Bunyan legend looms large there. For 65 years they’ve been celebrating Paul Bunyan Days at various locations in Akeley. This year’s celebration takes place from 28 to 30 June. Among the activities are a fish fry, woodcarving, lumberjack mall art show, Paul Bunyan look-alike contest, and a grand parade.
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Adventure in New Zealand
By Linda Tancs
New Zealand is an island in the southwest Pacific Ocean, populated with an array of natural wonders like glaciers, fiords, mountains, plains, subtropical forest, volcanic plateau, and sandy beaches. Roughly the size of Britain, Japan or Colorado, nearly a third of the country—divided into a North Island and a South Island—is preserved national park land! Tune in to Travelrific® Radio and let’s explore its gorgeous landscapes.
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Inside Nantucket
By Linda Tancs
Thirty miles south of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, Nantucket is a crescent-shaped island chock-full of architectural and natural delights blissfully off the beaten path. For instance, there’s Sconset Bluff Walk, an unadvertised public way littered with stately homes and ocean views. And Steps Beach at low tide, when you can walk along a sandbar. Did you know that you can summon turtles at the dock at North Head Long Pond with raw drumsticks? Now you can tour like an insider.
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The Legend of Drake’s Drum
By Linda Tancs
Buckland Abbey is a centuries-old manor in Devon, England. Originally occupied by Cistercian monks in the 13th century, the structure became best known perhaps as the dwelling of the Elizabethan-era adventurer Sir Francis Drake. A highlight of the Tavy Valley estate is Drake’s Drum. Reputedly Drake took the snare drum on voyages to sound his men to action. Since that time it has been rumored to beat whenever England is in peril, including during both world wars.
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Almost Seventy Degrees North
By Linda Tancs
The city of Tromsø, Norway lies inside the Arctic Circle at nearly 70 degrees north. Home to the northernmost university, botanical garden and planetarium, its top of the world location gives rise to the phenomenon of the midnight sun in summer. So what better place to hold a midnight sun marathon! On 22 June runners from over 50 countries will compete under the evening’s sunny skies. The marathon is the northernmost AIMS-certified running event in the world.
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A Classic Queen
By Linda Tancs
Movie buffs recall the African Queen, a steam-operated boat featured in the 1951 film of the same name starring Humphrey Bogart and Katharine Hepburn. Lest you think the old gal was consigned to a studio storage facility, you’ll be happy to hear that she’s fully operational and touring the canals off Key Largo, Florida. Built in 1912 in England for service in Africa, the 101-year-old vessel, registered as a National Historic Site, has been restored for cruises and private events.
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