JacquieTours

04/07/2024

04/07/2024

4th of July parade
Washington DC

I need a nap ..........

04/07/2024

Co-author of the Declaration of Independence.... Thomas Jefferson (I call him TJ)

Happy 4th

Also the same day (July 4th) Thomas Jefferson died in 1826.... Ironic, if you ask me. John Adam died same day too.

23/06/2024

Watched the military training last week at the Talladega Speedway Car Racing Track (Lincoln, AL) In all this heat and all that gear .....

Thank the military for all they do to be able to protect us.

23/06/2024

When at the Washington Monument and ya just want to do whatcha do ...

Don't blink during the video or you might miss me!

20/06/2024

Opal Lee's new home was fittingly built on the same lot that racists ran her family out of when she was only 12 years old.

20/06/2024

Happy Juneteenth! On June 19, 1865, Union soldiers led by General Gordon Granger, landed at Galveston, Texas, with news that the Civil War had ended and that enslaved people in Texas were free. Although President Abraham Lincoln's 1863 Emancipation Proclamation only freed enslaved people in states that had joined the Confederacy and slavery in the United States was not fully abolished until the 13th Amendment was ratified on December 6, 1865, General Granger's announcement was still a powerful message felt throughout Texas and the other southern states. Juneteenth – a name combining June and nineteenth - was celebrated by freedmen in Texas as an annual event beginning in 1866.

In the following decades, Juneteenth commemorations spread across the country as African Americans migrated from Texas to other states. Juneteenth parades were often led by men who had served in the United States Colored Troops during the Civil War. Those proud veterans represented a group that fought in every major campaign and battle during the last two years of the war, earning 25 Medals of Honor. Lincoln recognized their contributions, saying “Without the military help of the black freedmen, the war against the South could not have been won.” We honor them on Juneteenth and every day at the African American Civil War Memorial.

Photo by National Park Service.

20/06/2024

Missed this unveiling by 1 week ... guess I need to go back to Montgomery.

Montgomery, Alabama, has unveiled its first life-size statue of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. at its Legacy Plaza.

20/06/2024

Watch and LEARN

19/06/2024

Bluey goes for a flight today....

18/06/2024

Heading home. With only 2 seats to spare. Everyone seems to be going somewhere!

Wheels up

18/06/2024

Want to visit the Vatican City? Well, you won't fly there ..... as a matter of fact, no one will. That is because the Vatican City doesn't have an airport. However, Leonardo da Vinci–Fiumicino Airport of Rome is just 30 km away. Set in the mid of Rome, the Vatican City is the world’s smallest country, with an area of just 0.44 square kilometers does not have an airport built in the country. There are only 800 people living in this tiny country. It doesn't even have a water body to act as alternative means of transport. It is one of those rare countries where people use to perform operations mostly by foot or road. It is also one of the preferred tourist spots.

Airports are also essential to connect two countries with each other. Air travel is one of the preferred modes of transportation for people all over the world. The reason why airports and air travel is in such demand...... is the short duration of time required to travel from one place to another. The distance that would otherwise take 10-12 hours, with air travel can be compressed to travel of just 3-4 hours. It might be difficult and astonishing to find a country in present day that doesn't have a airport......but there are still some countries in the world that actually don't have any means of air travel and connect two or more countries either by waterways, railways, and roadways only!

Here are 4 other countries without airports: Andorra, Liechtenstein, San Marino and Monaco!

18/06/2024

Travel Tip Tuesday

Here's How Long Your Layover Should Be, According to a Travel Expert, Stacey Leasca and JacquieTours!

I (Jacquie) recently had a 4 hour layover during travel and I wasn't happy about it. I generally do not like a layover over 2 hours, but I chose to roll with the punches. At the end of the day, I was grateful to have the opportunity during my travel journey to slow down. I didn't have to rush off the plane .......I let others go before me when departing the flight, stopped and chatted with the pilot for about 3-4 minutes, strolled thru the airport, decided to sit and have a "real" meal and embrace and enjoy my travel experience. It really made a difference!

If traveling with a lot of luggage, kids, or need to change terminals? You may want to book that longer layover. When booking flights, it is, in fact, critical to think carefully about how much time you need for a layover. Because the one thing that can ruin your vacation is missing the flight to get there.

DID YOU KNOW - Every airport has a Minimum Connection Time (MCT), and an airline WON'T book you on a layover below that amount.

However, MCTs can vary within an airport. As an example, “the MCT at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (AMS) is 40 minutes for domestic flights and 50 minutes for international flights.” Those times may not be enough, especially if you’re traveling with a lot of baggage, have children, need to change terminals, or just don’t feel like having to sprint to your next flight.

Are your plans flexible? - If you’re traveling to attend a wedding, work event, graduation, etc.... you may not want to book a connecting flight with a short layover, it could result in you missing the very event you’re traveling for!!! But, if the stakes are low, risk the shorter time frame.

Will you need to go through additional security? - If you have an international layover, you’ll need extra time to navigate immigration, customs, or any other security clearances. Additionally, you’ll need to go through customs and immigration at your first point of entry to the U.S. after traveling internationally, and this means you’ll need to pick up your checked luggage and recheck it, adding time to your layover. Immigration, security, and luggage lines can be unpredictable, so you should build time into your layover for this, especially if your plans aren’t flexible.”

Does your first flight have a history of being on time? - Look at the history of your flight and how often it lands on time. This can help you decide if a short layover is worth it or not. Weather and time of year (Christmas) can greatly affect whether your flight will leave or arrive on time. For instance, if you’re traveling through Denver or Chicago in winter when severe storms can determine take-offs and landings, you should add more time to your layover.

To sum it up, a longer layover may not be a bad idea if your travel plans are a little flexible or if you’ll need to go through extra security and if you think you’ll get easily rebooked. And think hard about how badly you want this trip. Maybe waiting an extra hour and getting a coffee, tea or bite during your layover airport isn’t so bad after all. Allow that time to breathe!

17/06/2024

If you ever want to take an adventurous ride across the United States, Route 20 will not disappoint with so much to offer a leisure road trip.

U.S. Route 20 is the longest road in America. It's a coast-to-coast route that begins in Newport, Oregon and ends in Boston, Massachusetts (3,365 miles) of vice versa you could say.

This gorgeous route across the US passes through 12 states.... From the rural pastures of Pennsylvania and Ohio to the Rocky Mountains, U.S. 20 offers a fascinating glimpse of the country’s ever-changing landscapes. Many natural wonders lay scattered along the route, including the Mississippi and Missouri rivers, Yellowstone National Park, and Yaquina Bay State Recreational Site. The route runs mostly parallel to Interstate 90 and there are plenty of curious roadside attractions along the way — namely Carhenge, a replica of Stonehenge made out of half-buried Cadillacs, and the RV Hall of Fame and Museum.

16/06/2024

One of the best birthday gifts I received today. A colleague took this photo of me last week speaking to a group of 7th graders on the Civil Rights Trail while another group was walking across the Edmund Pettus Bridge, which we did moments later. Love, Love, Love

15/06/2024

Wheels Up

13/06/2024

Crossing the Edmund Pettus Bride!

Legend has it that Edmund Pettus was a lawyer, US Senator, a Kĺu Klux Kĺan leader, a slave owner and a Confederate General....

Yeah, rename the Bridge!

13/06/2024

The road from Selma to Montgomery.

13/06/2024

So, this is what happens to you when you are a 18 wheeler truck and my motorcoach driver and I witness you run a car off the road as what looked like "road rage" in front of us!!!

We're going to call you in buddy.

We have a motorcoach full of students, matter of fact, we have 2 motorcoaches full of students.

Law enforcement showed up so quick, I was shocked...5 vehicles in total.

Keep our roads safe!

12/06/2024

Crossing over the Tennessee River !!!

Beautiful way to end the day......

11/06/2024

Sweet home, Alabama
Where the skies are so blue .... Sweet home, Alabama....

11/06/2024

Good morning FB family ..
We are up and out, rolling on to make things happen in this world today...

Students, chaperones, colleagues and I heading on to the Civil Rights Trail ...see ya on the road

11/06/2024

Students from the British International School showing such interest in MLK's birthplace.

Them: You mean he wasn't born in a hospital??

10/06/2024

Leg #2 of this journey.

Had a nice breakfast during my layover. Eating alone can be fabulous while people watching.

Have nice seatmates on this oversold flight. Love meeting new "friendly" human beings while traveling.....

10/06/2024

Up in deez skies early in the morning, looking a hot mess .....

You know me, early bird. However, I almost missed my flight ( speeding, curb checked, parked car and made it, yeah and I never went to bed...ugh

62 British students ( @ American equivalent of 7th graders ) going to meet me in ATL to learn the Civil Rights Trail

Excited to be part of the expansion of knowledge.

06/06/2024

Always be sure it is your hotel calling you.

A worrying trend is starting to RE-appear where hackers are logging into travel booking portals to request money. They infiltrate hotels systems as themselves, Many travelers have been fooled into thinking it’s legitimate and when checking in the hotel, the receptionist has no record of any payment at all. Unfortunately, many have to rebook a hotel room and pay again. When you reserve a hotel room with 3rd parties such as Booking(.com) or Expedia, make a note of the hotel’s email address and phone number. Shoot them a message before parting with any money and ask for a secure link if you intend to pay them online.

Or, better yet, pick up the phone and call the official number for the hotel and ask to make a payment over the phone.

03/06/2024

If you know "me" ... like really know me .... you know Harriet Tubman is one of my biggest heroes! So when I walked past the US Post Office and saw this wonderful display .... well, here we go!

Kudos to the US Post Office.