Visit USA UK

03/10/2024

Read all about Florida for first-timers! https://buff.ly/4erAJJ8

26/09/2024

Read all about autumn road-tripping through Illinois https://buff.ly/4dpZYtP

19/09/2024

Read all about the best US cities for winter sun https://buff.ly/3BdY0Qc

13/09/2024

Visit USA UK members were out in force last night on the beautiful, newly landscaped Strand in London to see Visit Greater Palm Springs ‘Pavilions of Wonder’ installation as part of the London Design Festival. Designer Nina Tolstrup displays her vision of the world of Barbie from now until 22 Sep. 2024 and anyone from the public can view it.
UK students from Heworth Grange High School in Gateshead happened to be passing on their tour of London and made a perfect pink picture at the Pavilions in their sweatshirts!

12/09/2024

Read all about the the hidden gem of Pensacola https://buff.ly/3AVM4SN

07/09/2024

Amazing story:

The US standard railroad gauge (distance between the rails) is 4 feet, 8.5 inches. That's an exceedingly odd number. Why was that gauge used? Well, because that's the way they built them in England, and English engineers designed the first US railroads. Why did the English build them like that? Because the first rail lines were built by the same people who built the wagon tramways, and that's the gauge they used. So, why did 'they' use that gauge then? Because the people who built the tramways used the same jigs and tools that they had used for building wagons, which used that same wheel spacing. Why did the wagons have that particular odd wheel spacing? Well, if they tried to use any other spacing, the wagon wheels would break more often on some of the old, long distance roads in England . You see, that's the spacing of the wheel ruts. So who built those old rutted roads? Imperial Rome built the first long distance roads in Europe (including England ) for their legions. Those roads have been used ever since. And what about the ruts in the roads? Roman war chariots formed the initial ruts, which everyone else had to match or run the risk of destroying their wagon wheels. Since the chariots were made for Imperial Rome , they were all alike in the matter of wheel spacing. Therefore the United States standard railroad gauge of 4 feet, 8.5 inches is derived from the original specifications for an Imperial Roman war chariot. Bureaucracies live forever. So the next time you are handed a specification/procedure/process and wonder 'What horse's a*s came up with this?', you may be exactly right. Imperial Roman army chariots were made just wide enough to accommodate the rear ends of two war horses. (Two horses' as*es.)  Now, the twist to the story: When you see a Space Shuttle sitting on its launch pad, there are two big booster rockets attached to the sides of the main fuel tank. These are solid rocket boosters, or SRBs. The SRBs are made by Thiokol at their factory in Utah . The engineers who designed the SRBs would have preferred to make them a bit fatter, but the SRBs had to be shipped by train from the factory to the launch site. The railroad line from the factory happens to run through a tunnel in the mountains, and the SRBs had to fit through that tunnel. The tunnel is slightly wider than the railroad track, and the railroad track, as you now know, is about as wide as two horses' behinds. So, a major Space Shuttle design feature, of what is arguably the world's most advanced transportation system, was determined over two thousand years ago by the width of a horse's a*s. And you thought being a horse's a*s wasn't important? Ancient horse's as*es control almost everything.

06/09/2024

Read all about the ultimate getaway with Hyatt Hotels and Resorts https://buff.ly/4ec5voY

29/08/2024

Read all about why flying into Bradley Airport is a smart choice https://buff.ly/3yIFSNu

22/08/2024

Read all about what to do with 48 hours in Birmingham, Alabama https://buff.ly/46WMEM7

19/08/2024

GIVEAWAY!

To celebrate the release of Simon Parker’s book ‘Ride Across America’, we’re giving away copies to three lucky winners!

Ride Across America is a riveting, funny, and highly topical account of one man’s 4,327-mile bike ride through the heartlands of America, on the cusp of the 2024 US Presidential Election.

Simply tag the person you’d like to ride across America with below for your chance to win, and share for an extra entry.

*Giveaway ends 23.59 02/09/24 and is not affiliated with Instagram. Winner will be selected at random and announced by 06/09/24. Open to UK residents only.

15/08/2024

Read all about what's new on the island, a year on from the Maui fires https://buff.ly/3yDDIOU

08/08/2024

Read all about campaign advertising in the travel industry https://buff.ly/3Yz5pmB

08/08/2024

An amazing story of times gone by in the States

Prior to 1920, it was possible to send
children through the US Postal service.
However, there were certain conditions
that needed to be met. Firstly, the
children had to weigh less than 50
pounds, and stamps were attached to
their clothing as a form of payment.
Surprisingly, it was often more cost-effective
for individuals to send their children via
mail rather than opting for train
transportation. Interestingly, during
the journey, the children would travel on
a train, specifically in the mail car, where
they were supervised and provided with
nourishment by mail clerks. One remarkable
example of this unconventional practice
involved a distance of over 700 miles,
from Florida to Virginia, covered with a mere 15 cents worth of stamps.

02/08/2024

Read all about sports in LA https://buff.ly/3YlOEv7 🏄‍♂️

25/07/2024

Read all about Hawaii's best beaches https://buff.ly/3LAyztZ 🌴

23/07/2024

The sun came out for Visit Utah last evening as they celebrated 100 years of film making with their dramatic terrains and crisp, clear light. The view of London from The Lookout 50 floors above was pretty stunning as well although some of the guests were a bit stiff and rigid.

19/07/2024

How's your knowledge on the national parks of the USA? Wanderlust Travel Magazine have just posted this quiz in their latest newsletter. Let us know how you score!

How well do you know the USA’s national parks? The USA’s 63 national parks attract millions of travellers every year for their varied landscapes, natural wonders and historic sites, but can you tell your Yellowstone from your Yosemite? Start Quiz (Shutterstock) 1 Which state has the most nationa...

18/07/2024

Read all about what's happening in DC https://buff.ly/3VSmAMX

11/07/2024

Read all about wildlife photography in Alaska https://buff.ly/4cp8J7S

11/07/2024

Some interesting reading for today:

The US standard railroad gauge (distance between the rails) is 4 feet, 8.5 inches. That's an exceedingly odd number. Why was that gauge used?
Well, because that's the way they built them in England, and English engineers designed the first US railroads. Why did the English build them like that?
Because the first rail lines were built by the same people who built the wagon tramways, and that's the gauge they used. So, why did 'they' use that gauge then?
Because the people who built the tramways used the same jigs and tools that they had used for building wagons, which used that same wheel spacing. Why did the wagons have that particular odd wheel spacing?
Well, if they tried to use any other spacing, the wagon wheels would break more often on some of the old, long distance roads in England . You see, that's the spacing of the wheel ruts. So who built those old rutted roads?
Imperial Rome built the first long distance roads in Europe (including England ) for their legions. Those roads have been used ever since.
And what about the ruts in the roads?
Roman war chariots formed the initial ruts, which everyone else had to match or run the risk of destroying their wagon wheels. Since the chariots were made for Imperial Rome , they were all alike in the matter of wheel spacing. Therefore the United States standard railroad gauge of 4 feet, 8.5 inches is derived from the original specifications for an Imperial Roman war chariot. Bureaucracies live forever.
So the next time you are handed a specification/procedure/process and wonder 'What horse's ass came up with this?', you may be exactly right. Imperial Roman army chariots were made just wide enough to accommodate the rear ends of two war horses. (Two horses' asses.)

Now, the twist to the story:
When you see a Space Shuttle sitting on its launch pad, there are two big booster rockets attached to the sides of the main fuel tank. These are solid rocket boosters, or SRBs. The SRBs are made by Thiokol at their factory in Utah . The engineers who designed the SRBs would have preferred to make them a bit fatter, but the SRBs had to be shipped by train from the factory to the launch site. The railroad line from the factory happens to run through a tunnel in the mountains, and the SRBs had to fit through that tunnel. The tunnel is slightly wider than the railroad track, and the railroad track, as you now know, is about as wide as two horses' behinds.

So, a major Space Shuttle design feature, of what is arguably the world's most advanced transportation system, was determined over two thousand years ago by the width of a horse's ass.
And you thought being a horse's ass wasn't important? Ancient horse's asses control almost everything.

08/07/2024

Congratulations to Essentially America and its editor Mary Moore Mason on reaching the 30 year milestone for the travel magazine

05/07/2024

Read all about what's happening in Lake Tahoe https://buff.ly/3XNfwUp

04/07/2024

Happy Fourth of July! 🌭

01/07/2024

Read all about epic road trips with Charter Travel, from Los Angles to Las Vegas https://buff.ly/45IM0Ry