World Cup Rocks

Truly the World Series and Super Bowl of Sports.  Check it out at http://www.fifa.com/

Airlines merge (American and US Airways)

Since I frequently head south during the winter to warm up in the Caribbean, these two airlines are frequently used.  I try to stay faithful to rack up frequent flyer miles and have earned several flights, upgrades to first class and otherwise enjoyed some modest perks from frequent flyer programs.

We have accounts in both airlines and can't wait to combine miles for the next trip.

That said, as with any flight planning, you really need to check sources of flights.  AA and US Airways are used after I have searched the major travel search engines (Hipmunk, Kayak etc.) if the flights are time conveniently and priced well.  Some places you can't use your favorite airline (Iceland is a good example).  And while I have used American to fly to Europe, Air Canada's schedule and price could not be beat one time.

The final point here is that these two airlines have different pricing depending on which site you are searching. So check both sites for prices!

find a park

Here is an App worth checking out.  Oh, ranger, Park Finder.

Pretty decent reviews so far.

Travel to the States

Read this Press Release:


Highlights(1) from the 2013 International Visitation to the United States Report
• 2013 international visitation sets a new record to support the National Travel and Tourism Strategy.
• The United States welcomed 70 million international visitors in 2013, three million more than the year before-a five percent increase over 2012.
• In 2013, the top inbound markets continued to be Canada and Mexico.
o Non-resident visits from Canada grew three percent, which set a new record in 2013.
o Mexico, with 14.3 million visits, grew one percent.
• Seven of the top inbound overseas regional markets posted a record level of visits to the United States.
o Asia grew nine percent;
o South America jumped 16 percent;
o Oceana increased eight percent;
o Middle East increased 14 percent;
o Eastern Europe expanded 18 percent;
o Central America increased four percent; and
o Africa was up 18 percent.
• Visitation from Western Europe grew two percent partly due to increasing visits from the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy and Spain.
• Visits from Japan, the People’s Republic of China (excluding Hong Kong), South Korea and India spurred Asia to post a nine percent increase for the year.
• Annual overseas visits (excluding Canada and Mexico) totaled a record 32.0 million during 2013, up eight percent over 2012.
o In 2013, travel from overseas markets accounted for 46 percent of total non-resident visits to the United States.
o Twenty-seven of the top 50 overseas markets set new visitation records in 2013.
To view or download a PDF version of the report, go to: <http://travel.trade.gov/outreachpages/inbound.general_information.inbound_overview.html>

Rachel Carson's Birthday

Notice how Google showcases some interesting fact on the homepage?  Well today is Rachel Carson's 107th Birthday.

See the link.

Travel and Tourism that is Growing our Economy and Creating Jobs

President Obama visited the Baseball Hall of Fame yesterday to promote international tourism to the states.

Some of the points include:

Tourism is America’s most important, and largest, services export: growth in international visitors has created roughly 175,000 American jobs over the past five years, and meeting President Obama’s goal of 100 million visitors in 2021 will support hundreds of thousands of additional jobs.

The number of international visitors to the United States has grown from 55 million in 2009 to 70 million in 2013, and each overseas visitor spends on average $4,500 per visit, at American hotels, shops, restaurants, and other domestic businesses.

Steps taken by the Administration have supported this impressive growth: The State Department issued 9.2 million visas in 2013, up 42% since 2010. Waiting periods for visas in important markets like Brazil and China have dropped from as high as several months to less than five days on average. The Department of Homeland Security has significantly expanded Trusted Traveler and expedited clearance programs that improve the experience of travelers entering the United States.

Through close partnership with airports and industry, we have seen dramatic improvements to the entry process and reduction in wait times for passport control and customs processing at airports. At Dallas Fort Worth and Chicago O’Hare, a combination of measures such as Automated Passport Control kiosks and Global Entry services reduced average entry process wait times by nearly 40% over 12 months, and cut in half the number of visitors waiting longer than 30 minutes.

Airport Map

Here is an Airport Map that shows proximity to other airports.  You can also find airports that are remote.