Celebrating Our Veterans

Celebrating Our Veterans, Inc. would like to invite you to join them on their second annual Freedom Cruise on board the brand new Norwegian Breakaway.  The 7-night cruise will sail roundtrip, November 17-14,2013, from New York City aboard the incredible Norwegian Breakaway, making stops in Port Canaveral, Florida; Great Stirrup Cay, Bahamas and Nassau, Bahamas. To see trip inclusions, please click here.

About Celebrating Our Veterans, Inc.

Celebrating Our Veterans was founded in May 2011 by Derick I. Glenn after realizing there was a major need for more community involvement with our Veterans and their families. They are committed to helping our men and women returning home from war, assisting them in finding employment and readjusting to society.

About Norwegian Breakaway

The Norwegian Breakaway is Norwegian Cruise Lines’ newest fleet member. While encompassing many NCL favorites such as Shanghai Noodle Bar, O’Sheehan’s Neighborhood Bar & Grill and the hot spot, Bliss Ultra Lounge as well as tons of fun for the whole family, the Breakaway also offers a lot of new and exciting features and of course, the look, feel, and life of her home port: New York.

New innovative features include:

• The Waterfront - an onboard oceanfront boardwalk lined with shops, restaurants and bars
• 678 Ocean Place - 3 action-packed decks featuring daytime and nighttime amusement
•  Ocean Blu – NCL’s first ever all-seafood restaurant featuring a raw bar and a sushi bar
• Aqua Park & Kid’s Aqua Park - fun water parks including multi-story water slides, swimming pools, hot tubs, kid sized water features and their favorite Nickelodeon characters
• Tons of onboard entertainment - Fireworks, a jazz club, Broadway shows, kid’s clubs, comedy club and more!

To see all that the Breakaway has to offer, be sure to check out “Norwegian Breakaway Sets Sail May 2013…” and “Breakaway on the Breakaway”.

For more information or to book your Celebrating Our Veterans Freedom Cruise, contact your local Boscov’s Travel Specialist by calling 800-755-8020 or emailing travelrequest@boscovs.com.

Mystery Photo #147

Here’s how it works: we post an image and provide a clue. Leave a comment with your guess. Good luck! 

Hint: Can you name this Disney attraction?

Mystery Photo #146

Here’s how it works: we post an image and provide a clue. Leave a comment with your guess. Good luck! 

Hint: Can you name this Disney attraction?

Mystery Photo #145

Here’s how it works: we post an image and provide a clue. Leave a comment with your guess. Good luck! 

Hint: Can you name this Disney attraction?

Vietnam on the Rise

Special thanks to Journey’s Magazine for this great article on Vietnam.

Ho Chi Minh City

I am paralyzed with fear, standing on a sidewalk in Ho Chi Minh City, which the locals call Saigon. There is an endless stampede of motorbikes, but no traffic lights, stop signs or pedestrian crossways. Each time I step out to cross the street, another motorbike almost clips me.

A man pedaling a small three-wheeled tourist cyclo (a cycle rickshaw) pulls up in front of me. “Where you want to go? I take you. I am guide.”

“I have a guide coming to my hotel in ten minutes. I just want to cross the street,” I say.

“I take you on ten-minute tour,” the guide offers.

“I just want to cross the street,” I repeat.

“Okay,” he says. “Hold onto my bike.”

I grasp his bike and he kindly leads me safely across. He turns to me. “You either must cross very slow, or you put your hand here (he places his hand on his heart) and cross fast.”

Vietnam has five-star hotels, delicious food and some of the most exotic cultural attractions in the world, but Ho Chi Minh City has scary street-crossing problems. I look up at all the high rises of Ho Chi Minh City. In the last ten years, a new city has risen from old Saigon with nightclubs, bars, upscale air-conditioned shopping malls and luxury hotels, but there are still remnants of the old way of life.

A woman in a conical hat walks by, a pole balanced on her shoulders from which are tied two heavy baskets. A man stands behind a cart whose sign reads: “Bunhbao banh uo + hamberger.”

I head back to my hotel which is located in the French colonial heart of the city. I wait in the lobby for my guise, who will take me to the Reunification Palace, Ho Chi Minh Museum, Notre Dame Cathedral and to the 150-year-old Ben Thanh Market.

At the market, shoppers squeeze past each other in the narrow aisles. A woman arranges grapefruit pieces into lower flower petals. A vendor scoops handfuls of sticky rice into palm leaves. A man pulls fresh noodles and hangs them on a string.

That night, I stand on my balcony and gaze down at the shimmering Opera House.

Hoi An

Hoi An, a UNESCO World Heritage site, dates back to the 15th century and is famous for its beautifully preserved houses, temples, and Japanese Covered Bridge. Hoi An is also known for its tailors who will create anything in 24 hours. The tailor takes my measurements and that evening arrives in my villa for a fitting.

My guide arrives by motorbike with an extra helmet. I jump on behind him and we zoom past cyclos, bicycles and tour vans. This is the way to see Vietnam! We ride along narrow dirt trails past water buffalo, rice paddies, to an organic garden and, finally, to Hoi An.

Later, I indulge in a four-handed treatment at the resort’s spa which seems to float above a lagoon filled with pink and white lotus flowers. I drift back to my room and the tailor arrives with my dress. It fits perfectly.

Ha Long Bay

No visit to Vietnam would be complete without an overnight boat trip to Ha Long Bay, possibly the most romantic place in the world, and a UNESCO World Heritage site where 2,000 limestone islets magically jut out of the emerald sea. I watch from the sun deck of the luxurious steamer, a 37-cabin replica paddle steamer which evokes colonial Indochina. At sunset, I am still there, sipping a cocktail and trying to memorize the beauty around me on my last perfect evening in Vietnam.

For more information or to book your memorable visit to Vietnam, contact your local Boscov’s Travel Specialist by calling 800-755-8020 or emailing travelrequest@boscovs.com.

Mystery Photo #144

Here’s how it works: we post an image and provide a clue. Leave a comment with your guess. Good luck! 

Hint: This city-state is located off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula.

Mystery Photo #143

Here’s how it works: we post an image and provide a clue. Leave a comment with your guess. Good luck! 

Hint: This city is the capital of the Czech Republic. 

Mystery Photo #142

Here’s how it works: we post an image and provide a clue. Leave a comment with your guess. Good luck! 

Hint: This city is the capital of Hungary. 

Journey West with Boscov’s Travel

With so many options for travel around the globe, we often forget some of the most amazing sites are right next door, so to speak. The Western US offers many unique attractions, from national monuments and parks to best kept secrets known mostly to seasoned travelers and locals.

We’ve packaged the very best of these experiences into eleven unique, exclusive and unforgettable adventures. See the West the way it was meant to be seen, without having to drive or stress. We pride ourselves on taking the road less traveled and telling the stories that have formed the great history of the West.

These tours continue to be some of our most popular vacations and with this year’s new and updated itineraries, there is sure to be a Western tour that will help shorten your bucket list.

You can check out all of the great options and their inclusions here: Boscov’s Travel Western Tours

Tours:

• 10-Day Alaska by Land- June 1-10, 2013
  • Enjoy escorted tours around the beautiful state of Alaska including a train ride, a private sightseeing cruise and tours of Denali National Park.
• 10-Day Northern California & Yosemite - June 16-25, 2013
  • There will be no whining on this tour, but plenty of wine! Visit several California wineries as well as tour the picturesque San Francisco Bay and surrounding areas. Also, enjoy the beauty of nature in Yosemite National Park.
• 9-Day Wonderful Wild West - July 13-21, 2013
  • Tour Denver, CO; journey along the Oregon Trail; visit Mt.Rushmore; explore Yellowstone National Park and much more in the Wonderful Wild West!
• 10-Day Oregon/Washington Cities, Seashores and Mountains - July 28- August 6, 2013
  • Did you know you can visit a rain forest in the US? You can in Washington! You can also visit the Lewis and Clark National Historic Park and Mt. Saint Helen’s National Volcanic Monument and much more on this exciting adventure!
• 9-Day Northern Rockies National Parks - August 10-18, 2013
  • Explore Yellowstone National Park and take unique tours of the Northern Rockies such as an open air train tour and a tour on an antique fire engine!
• 9-Day Western National Parks - August 31 – September 8, 2013
  • Take exciting tours of Salt Lake City, UT, Yellowstone National Park, Jackson Hole, WY, Bryce Canyon National Park, Grand Canyon National Park and Zion National Park. Have your cameras at the ready!
• 9-Day Southern National Parks, including Lake Mead and Las Vegas - September 15-23, 2013
  • Besides living it up on the Las Vegas Strip, enjoy the beauty of the Colorado River, Arches National Park, Capital Reef National Park, Bryce Canyon National Park, Grand Canyon National Park and Zion National Park. This could be your lucky trip!
• 9-Day Colorado and New Mexico Balloon Fiesta - September 29 – October 7, 2013
  • Tour the Garden of the Gods and Rocky Mountain National Park, take memorable train rides through beautiful landscapes and top it all off with a visit to the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta!
• 7-Day Ozark Autumn with Branson - October 13-19, 2013
  • This trip is packed with entertainment! Enjoy dinner and a show at Dixie Stampede, an acrobatic display during the Acrobats of China Show, and the musical stylings of the Oakridge Boys and the 12 Irish Tenors. And don’t forget touring the lovely landscapes and museums of the area.
• 7-Day Colorado Christmas - December 3-9, 2013
  • Enjoy the holiday season in gorgeous Colorado! Take part in a Christmas parade, enjoy the Christmas lights and even do some holiday shopping at the Georgetown Christmas Market.
• 7-Day Southern California with Rose Parade – December 30, 2013 – January 4, 2014
  • Get a behind the scenes look at the Rose Parade before enjoying the finished product. Also, tour all that Southern California has to offer including Hollywood Walk of Fame, the Reagan Presidential Library and Warner Brothers Studios!

All of the Boscov’s Journey West packages include the following:

• Airport transfers in your destination cities (except for pre- and post-tour arrivals)
• Deluxe motorcoach transportation throughout the tour
• First class accommodations
• Several meals
• Services of a professional Journey West Tour Director
• Admissions and guided tours of all included activities
• Porterage of on piece of luggage throughout the tour
• Souvenir memory group photo
• Special photo album
• All taxes and gratuities for the Tour Director and Driver

For more information or to book your Journey West adventure, contact your local Boscov’s Travel Specialist by calling 800-755-8020 or emailing travelrequest@boscovs.com.

The G Project

What will you do today, for tomorrow? This is the question being asked in a global initiative seeking ideas to generate positive change in the world.

The G Project, powered by G Adventures and its non-profit foundation Planeterra, encourages people to submit ideas that will help solve social and environmental issues at a local level.

Submissions will be collated and showcased on the G Project website and the four people with the ideas with the greatest potential will be invited to pitch to a panel of high-profile judges in Costa Rica. The person with the idea the judges believe will have the most positive impact will receive a US$25,000 development grant and the backing of Planeterra to bring their project to life.

Participants can register their ideas up until June 3, 2013 in one of four categories: Community, Freedom, Beauty or Knowledge. Entrants must complete a questionnaire identifying the critical need, the impact their idea will have and the feasibility of execution. Opinions on the ideas submitted will be publicly canvassed online and a list of 16 will be announced on June 4, 2013.

A panel of thought leaders, innovators and social entrepreneurs, including Lonely Planet’s Tony Wheeler and Dr. Jane Goodall, will then select a shortlist of four finalists based on a set of criteria that favour small-scale, sustainable ideas that focus on local communities and have a strong social element.

The four finalists will be announced on June 24, 2013 and they will then be flown out to the inaugural Summit in the Jungle in Costa Rica in September. Here they will hone their ideas before pitching them to G Adventures’ founder Bruce Poon Tip and a selection of judges.

“The G Project is more than traveller philanthropy or charitable giving. It’s a unique initiative designed to bring people from different backgrounds together to lead, build and foster positive change all over the world,” says Poon Tip.

“The G Project was devised as a means to help and enable aspiring change-makers to take their idea from conception to action and impact.”

Meet the Panel

• Braulio Dias – Assistant Secretary General of the UN & United Nations Executive Secretary on Biological Diversity
• Jane Goodall – Founder, Jane Goodall Institute; Humanitarian; Primatologist; Conservationist; Author
• Jonathan Tourtellot – Founding Director of National Geographic Centre for Sustainable Destinations; Writer Editor
• Cameron Sinclair – Co-founder, Architecture for Humanity
• Tony Wheeler – Co-founder of Lonely Planet; Traveller; Entrepreneur
• Les Stroud – Star of the TV series Survivorman; Filmmaker; Outdoor Adventurer
• Wade Davis – Explorer-in-Residence, National Geographic; Anthropologist
• Jennifer Adams – Founder & Executive Director of Places We Go; Filmmaker
• Jordan Romero – Youth Health Advocate; Mountaineer; Fundraiser

The winner will be announced on September 24, 2013 at the Future of Tourism event in Toronto, Canada.

For more information please visit: www.thisisyourplanet.com.

About G Adventures
G Adventures is an adventure travel pioneer offering the widest selection of affordable small-group tours, safaris and expeditions to more than 100 countries on all continents. It was the first adventure travel company to offer 100% guaranteed departures in 2013. Powered by an international team of passionate travellers, the award-winning trips embrace authentic accommodation, exotic cuisine and local transport to put travelers on a first-name basis with the planet’s people, cultures, landscapes and wildlife. The intimate, authentic and sustainable approach to small-group travel introduces travellers to the highlights of a destination while offering the freedom to explore it on their own. Whatever age, interest, ability or budget, G Adventures has a genuine life-changing experience. For more information please visit www.gadventures.com.

About the Planeterra Foundation
Established in 2003 by adventure travel tour operator G Adventures, Planeterra is a non‐profit organization that supports social and environmental solutions in destinations around the world via its global network of travellers. The foundation focuses on local education, health, small-business development, emergency relief and conservation work. For more information please visit www.planeterra.org.