Travelore News: The United States Becomes The 194th Member State Of UNESCO

Paris, 11 July 2023 - The United States officially accepted the Constitution of the United Nations Education, Culture and Science (UNESCO) on 10th July. From now on, it becomes, once more, a full member of UNESCO, which has 194 Member States.

"The return of the United States to UNESCO is complete: it has officially become a Member State of our Organization once again," Director-General Audrey Azoulay announced today. "This is excellent news for UNESCO. The momentum we have regained in recent years will now continue to grow. Our initiatives will be stronger throughout the world", she added.

On Sunday, the Secretary of State of the United States of America called the Director-General of UNESCO to inform her that he had just signed the United States’ Document of Acceptance to the UNESCO Constitution. The document still needed to be formally deposited with the government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the depositary of UNESCO's Constitution. This has now been done.

With the filing of this document, the United States became the 194th Member State of UNESCO. "This is a historic moment. Our Organization is once again moving towards universality. I also want to share this victory for UNESCO with the entire United Nations family, because it is excellent news for multilateralism as a whole. If we want to meet the challenges of our century, there can only be a collective response", underscored Audrey Azoulay.

More resources for UNESCO’s Initiatives

At the beginning of June, the United States announced its intention to rejoin UNESCO to Audrey Azoulay, praising the way in which the Organization had succeeded in modernizing itself in recent years. Among the reasons for their return, they highlighted the launch of new initiatives to tackle contemporary challenges (including a global ethical framework for artificial intelligence and ocean protection programmes), the implementation of management reforms that have made the Organization more efficient, and the mediation efforts that have eased internal political tensions, particularly over the Middle East.

"This is not only an excellent track record, but also a roadmap for the future," opined Audrey Azoulay. "The return of the United States, and the additional resources that go with that, will help us to provide even better support for everyone around the world: pupils and students, researchers, academics, artists, educators, journalists - all those on whom our daily work is focused. UNESCO will also have more resources for its two strategic priorities, Africa and gender equality.”

National Geographic Will End Newsstand Sales Of Magazine Next Year, Focus On Subscriptions, Digital

The familiar yellow-bordered cover of the monthly National Geographic will no longer be for sale on newsstands starting next year, part of cutbacks affecting the venerable magazine.

The company’s focus is turning to its digital product and it will offer special editions on newsstands, a spokesman said on Thursday. Subscribers will still get a printed copy each month.

Newsstand sales account for a small percentage of the magazine’s monthly circulation of just below 1.8 million copies, the magazine said.

Even a magazine that started publishing in 1888 isn’t immune to financial headwinds affecting the media. Known best for its colorful photography from around the world, the magazine was started more than a century ago by the National Geographic Society, which supports science and exploration.

Control of National Geographic has changed twice in the past decade, first in a sale to 20th Century Fox before being acquired by the Walt Disney Corp. in 2019. It has been hit by a series of layoffs.

Craig Welch posted on Twitter on Wednesday that his new issue of the magazine just arrived, featuring his 16th and last feature as a senior writer for the magazine.

“NatGeo is laying off all of its staff writers,” he wrote.

The magazine said while it’s accurate it no longer has anyone with the title of “writer” anymore, it has people who both write and edit. Instead, it will turn to non-staffers to author stories. The changes occurred as the result of a reorganization in April.

The company would not discuss how many people lost their jobs.

“National Geographic will continue to publish a monthly magazine that is dedicated to exceptional multi-platform storytelling with cultural impact,” spokesman Chris Albert said. “Staffing changes will not change our ability to do this work, but rather give us more flexibility to tell different stories and meet our audiences where they are across our many platforms.”

“Any insinuation that the recent changes will negatively impact the magazine, or the quality of our storytelling, is simply incorrect,” he said.

Source: AP

Travelore Tips: Passport Renewals Can Take Up To 17 Weeks — Here’s How To Beat The Backlog

It wasn’t always Nancy McLaughlin’s first question. But these days the Colorado-based travel advisor cuts to the chase when clients want an overseas trip. Now she leads with, “Have you checked your passport?”

Passport processing times have increased by several weeks just since February. It now takes 10 to 13 weeks for routine processing and seven to nine weeks for expedited processing, according to the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of Consular Affairs.

This doesn’t include the “mailing time” on each end, a euphemism meaning that your application might be in transit or sitting in a pile on someone’s desk. “It may take up to two weeks for applications to arrive by mail at a passport agency or center, and up to two weeks for customers to receive a completed passport in the mail after we print it,” a State Department official says.

Still, renewals are moving a lot faster now than during the pandemic, when travelers waited up to 18 weeks to replace their passports. But the process takes much longer than it did prior to the pandemic, when six to eight weeks for routine service was the norm and, if you ponied up for the expedited service, you might get your little blue book in as few as two weeks.

The internet is chockablock with horror stories of tearful, nail-biting travelers nearly missing their trips and misguided procrastinators going to great lengths and significant expense to push their applications across the finish line before their departure date.

“It definitely seems like things are getting worse,” McLaughlin says, noting that many of her clients who didn’t travel during the early years of the pandemic are eagerly making up for it now. “Revenge travel started last year and now everybody’s like, ‘Okay, this is it. I’m doing that trip now.’”

Unfortunately, the system strains when everyone has the same idea at the same time. “We are receiving approximately 400,000 applications each week, following higher-than-normal volumes in January through May 2023 that exceeded 500,000 applications a week,” the State Department official says. Last year, the U.S. issued a record-breaking 22 million passports, and the country is on track to top that number in 2023.

Since December 2021, when President Joe Biden signed an executive order called Transforming Federal Customer Experience and Service Delivery to Rebuild Trust in Government, the government has been working on an online passport portal that’s expected to open to the public by the end of 2023. “Once fully launched, we expect five million customers to be eligible to use this platform each year to renew their passports,” the State Department official says. “We estimate this would represent two-thirds of all renewals and roughly 25% of all applications received.”

In the meantime, the best advice is to avoid landing in dire straits in the first place. The following tips can help travelers get their passport processed as quickly as possible and, should things go sideways, protect their investment.

Check Passport Requirements for Your Destination

For travel outside of the U.S., it’s not enough that your passport is unexpired. Many countries require inbound tourists to have extra padding. “Your passport can’t expire two days after you get back from your trip,” McLaughlin says. “A lot of countries require a passport to be valid six months after your trip ends.” Some popular destinations in this category include India, Kenya, Morocco, Peru, Singapore, Thailand, Turks and Caicos and Zimbabwe.

Heading to Europe? All 27 member countries of the European Union require passports to be valid at least three months beyond date of departure from the Schengen area. That means if you’re planning a weekend trip to Paris in September, your passport must be good at least through December. (And if you’re planning to stay the maximum three months in the Schengen area, you’d need an additional three months of validity on your passport.)

If you’re unsure what the rules are for your desired destination, check the country information pages on the U.S. State Department website.

If your passport is approaching its expiration date, you have options. Consider traveling to one of a handful of countries that only require passports to be valid through the end of your stay. Among this group are Argentina, Australia, Dominican Republic, Japan and the United Kingdom. For travel to Hong Kong, the requirement is one month of validity beyond the trip.

“If it’s just really, really tight,” says McLaughlin, “maybe I would suggest that this year you go to Puerto Rico or the U.S. Virgin Islands or somewhere else that doesn’t require a passport. Save the big dream trip for next summer.”

Get Your Ducks in a Row

Applications frequently get delayed due to missing or improper documentation. If there is a problem, you’ll get a letter or email and the process will grind to a halt until the State Department receives your reply.

The most common reason for a processing delay is that the traveler submitted an unacceptable headshot, so it pays to review the photo requirements before sending in an application.

Don’t Forget That Kids’ Passports Expire Sooner

Planning an international trip with kids in tow can be complicated. U.S. passports for adults expire in 10 years. But passports for children under 16 have only a five-year shelf life — and they can’t be renewed by mail.

McLaughlin tells the cautionary tale of a couple who expedited their own passport renewals before a family trip overseas. “It took them a month,” she says. “Then they realized they had to get their daughter a whole new passport and they had to apply in person at the post office. But they couldn’t get an appointment at the post office for a few weeks.”

In general, both parents or legal guardians must appear in person with the child applying for a passport. If one adult has sole legal custody, additional paperwork — a divorce or adoption decree, a court order, or perhaps a death certificate from the other parent — is required.

Pony Up for Expedited Service
The most straightforward way to push your application along is to pay for it. Obtaining a new or renewed passport costs $130. For an additional $60, expedited processing can shave a month off the wait time.

If you’re really behind the eight ball and willing to pay considerably more, courier services like RushMyPassport can guide your application through all the necessary hoops. Fees are on a sliding scale, ranging from $99 for a turnaround in 11 to 14 days all the way up to $449 for a one-day miracle. That’s on top of the aforementioned government fees.

Buy the Right Insurance

Many travelers worry that if they don’t get their passport in time, they’ll lose money they’ve already spent on their trip. For clients playing the waiting game, McLaughlin often recommends springing for “cancel for any reason” travel insurance, which can add several hundred dollars to your outlay. “It can be pricey,” she says, “but if you don't have a valid passport in hand, that’s a good thing to get.”

Depending on the specific plan, a “cancel for any reason” policy typically covers up to 75% of pre-paid, non-refundable expenses and deposits should you have to cancel your trip.

Pay For Flights With Miles
One of McLaughlin’s favorite ways to hedge against forfeiting a large lump of money is to pay for airline tickets using frequent flier miles. If you don’t have enough to purchase your flights, consider paying cash to top up an award. “Sometimes buying miles can be expensive,” she says. “But a lot of times an airline will run a sale or offer a bonus, so look out for those opportunities.”
Compared to the alternative, it can be a low-risk gambit. “If my passport doesn’t come through, I can just cancel my flight and those miles go right back into my account,” McLaughlin says.

Keep Checking Your Application Status
Two weeks after submitting your paperwork, you can start monitoring your application status. You can also sign up to receive automatic status updates via email.

If your trip begins within 14 calendar days and you still haven’t received your passport, it’s time to set up an in-person appointment at a passport agency or center. Be forewarned that it may be difficult to land a reserved time at a location near your home. Prepare to spend the best part of a day waiting to present your paperwork and then waiting additional hours for your pickup time. But hopefully, you’ll walk out of the agency with your passport in hand.

So nerve-wracking is the waiting game that there are reports of people buying international plane tickets for flights they never intend to take, just to get an earlier appointment. It’s a tactic the government frowns upon. “This practice takes in-person appointments and other resources away from applicants who truly need them,” the State Department official says.

Pull Some Strings

Lastly, travelers can always turn to their local politicians for help. “I’ve heard about people turning to members of Congress to get a passport expedited,” says McLaughlin. “Elected officials do have a little power, but this strategy is not guaranteed.”

Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/suzannerowankelleher

Amsterdam Court Gives Green Light To Plan To Reduce Flights At Busy Schiphol Airport

Schiphol Airport (AP) — Appeals court judges in Amsterdam ruled Friday that the Dutch government can order Schiphol Airport, one of Europe’s busiest aviation hubs, to reduce the number of flights from 500,000 per year to 460,000.

The Amsterdam Court of Appeal overturned a lower court that concluded in April the government of the Netherlands did not follow the correct procedure when it told Schiphol last year to cut flights.

The airport, civil aviation organizations and airlines that included Dutch flag carrier KLM challenged the government’s order. Friday’s decision can be appealed to the Dutch Supreme Court.

The Amsterdam appeals court said in a statement Friday that it “attaches considerable weight to the interests of local residents” in the densely populated region where people have complained for years about noise pollution from the airport.

In a written response, Schiphol said it accepted the ruling and hopes for a new aviation traffic order from Dutch authorities “as soon as possible with clear and enforceable environmental limits that provide clarity and perspective for all parties involved.”

The airport said that “the most important thing for us is that Schiphol becomes quieter, cleaner and better.”

KLM said it was “disappointed about the ruling” and studying it.

The carrier said it would “continue to engage with other stakeholders in seeking the best way to reduce the number of people affected by aircraft noise.”

Schiphol already is attempting to address the issue. Earlier this year, the airport announced plans to phase out all flights between midnight and 5 a.m., to ban private jets and the noisiest planes, and to abandon a project for an additional runway.

Major European City Bans Rolling Suitcases

Under a new law suitcases must be carried and not dragged through the streets of the old town in Dubrovnik in Croatia, with anyone caught rolling their luggage facing a fine of £230 ($252).

The Croatian city sees a huge influx of visitors each year, which is great for the hospitality industry there, but not so fantastic for those wound up by the sound of miniature wheels rumbling across cobbles.

The anti-bag legislation is due to get even more severe in November, when all suitcases and bags will have to be left at the walls of the old town before visitors can enter.

Those laden with things who wish to enter the section of Dubrovnik will have to pay a courier to have their bags delivered to their accommodation by electric vehicle.

The laws have been passed by Dubrovnik mayor Mato Franković, who is attempting to lessen the impact of over tourism on the town.

Each year 1.5million people visit the city, which is almost 40 times the 41,000 people who live there full time.

Another additional noise-reducing measure just introduced will see cafes and bars with terraces where the noise level exceeds 55 decibels face fines and be forced to close for seven-day.

A video urging tourists to “respect the city,” will be shown on cruise ships docking at Dubrovnik and on Croatian Airline flights arriving in the country, Lonely Planet reports.

Walking around shirtless, riding bikes or e-scooters in the city centre, and climbing on statues are all behaviours that will be discouraged in the public announcement.

The city is currently trying to keep its world-heritage status six years after UNESCO warned disrespectful hordes were ruining the city.

In a bid to make Dubrovnik more sustainable, the number of tour buses and cruise ships docking in the port have been limited.

Despite this, the reputation of the city has only grown, capturing large numbers of the post-coronavirus-lockdown crowd looking to visit new place now that travel restrictions have been lifted.

Mayor Franković, who is trying to get the still rising tourist numbers to fall, said: “The most important thing is that Dubrovnik has stopped being a city of excessive tourism, although we still have a lot of work left.”

This UNESCO World Heritage site is one of the city's biggest highlights thanks to its eye-catching architecture, picturesque cobbled streets and beautiful Baroque churches.

If you are one of the 1.5million who make it there annually, a walking tour can be a great way of seeing the highlights.

Surrounding the Old Town are impressive walls which make for a scenic stroll as you can enjoy some great views of Dubrovnik and the ocean. The 1940 meters long-walls boast six fortresses.

Rector's Palace is one not to be missed off the itinerary with its intricate Gothic architecture, heaps of fascinating exhibits and plenty of artwork. If you're short on time it is possible to explore it under an hour or so, so if you are nearby it's still worth popping in.

If you're planning to spend a few days in the city it's worth leaving space on the itinerary for a trip to Banje Beach.

Here you'll find everything from high end bars and beach clubs to families tucking into picnics on towels along the shore.

The beach can get quite busy during peak seasons but it offers some pretty views of Dubrovnik, not to mention there are heaps of boat tours you can take to visit the islands.

Source: https://www.mirror.co.uk/

Philadelphia's Only Surviving Revolutionary-Era Dive Bar Will Soon Open Its Doors Again

Colonial Philadelphia burst with bars. There were 101 taverns in the budding port town, or about 1 bar for every 160 citizens, historians say. But only A Man Full of Trouble survives.

It was the dive bar of the Revolution, a waterfront watering hole with an alluringly mournful name. But A Man Full of Trouble Tavern, Philadelphia’s only surviving pre-Revolutionary drinking spot, has been shuttered to the public for decades.

That hasn’t stopped generations of Philadelphians from wandering past the charming, if battered, brick building sitting in the shadows of the Society Hill Towers, and imagining bygone boozers whispering of sedition over the beers. One of the dreamers is Dan Wheeler, an Old City lawyer and real estate investor, who has decided to reopen the place.

Two years ago, Wheeler saw A Man Full of Trouble on a real estate listing and jumped at the chance to own a piece of history.

“I really couldn’t believe my eyes,” Wheeler said, of his $875,000 purchase of the bar and adjoining Colonial house “I’ve been waiting for this for 30 years.”

His plan is to bring life back to the old bar.

In June, Wheeler teamed up with Succession Fermentory, a Chester County brewery, for a Philly Beer Week pop-up at A Man Full of Trouble. It was the first time suds had been served at the tavern, which opened in 1759, in well more than a century.

“I want people to come back in here and breathe life back into this building that has been sitting fallow,” Wheeler said of the historic bar, once a museum and most recently owned by the University of Pennsylvania.

Wheeler, who is 59 and worked as an economic development official for Gov. Ed Rendell, plans to pair up with a microbrewery or distillery, which can sell its stuff in a barroom where regulars once tipped tankards. In the upstairs rooms, where sotted sailors were said to sleep five a bed, Wheeler plans to reopen a museum. One that could again honor the story of a colorful tavern with a colorful name — its original sign famously depicted the image of a man with a woman on his back —and learn about the ordinary Philadelphians who drank there.

“It’s the uniqueness of it,” he said. “You can’t even imagine all the things that went on here.”

It’s a small miracle A Man Full of Trouble even still exists. Colonial Philly burst with bars. There were 101 taverns in the budding port town, or about 1 bar for every 160 citizens, historians say. But only A Man Full of Trouble survives.

Built at 127 Spruce St., it was back then wedged between a brook and stinking Dock Creek. The name was lifted from a Bible passage: “Man who is born of woman is of few days and full of troubles.” Like other modest tippling houses, it was licensed for only beer and cider. While Jefferson and Franklin and their crowd enjoyed their punch at the cozy confines of City Tavern — demolished in 1854, with its current incarnation built in 1976 — it was working waterfront stiffs who bellied up to the bar at A Man Full of Trouble. Dockhands and shipwrights. Sailors stumbling off ships.

“Not the type of place you’d bring your girlfriend for a cocktail,” said Bob Skiba, a tour guide and historian, with a chuckle. “It was more of a divey spot.”

As was the way, a bartender served drinks from behind a small caged bar, which could be locked up at closing. Food was cooked above a fireplace in the dirt-floor basement. The tavern’s most well-known owner was a woman named Martha Smallwood, who tried to class the joint up from 1796 until her death in 1826. For a time, it became a hotel. Then, a wholesale chicken market.

In the 1960s, Virginia Knauer—a onetime City Councilwoman and director of the Federal Office of Consumer Affairs in Washington — and her husband saved the crumbling tavern from the wrecking ball. The couple painstakingly restored A Man Full of Trouble and cared for it as a museum from 1965 to 1994. With help from a University of Pennsylvania archaeological dig, they uncovered hundreds of artifacts from the tavern, including bits of fireplace tile and wallpaper.

The Knauers even restored the missing sign. They chose the less bawdy version, which hangs now. Pulled from a parable, it displays a man walking with his wife, a monkey, a cat and a magpie.

By 1994, the museum remained open only one day a month. The Knauers gave the buildings to Penn, which maintained it as housing for traveling faculty and students.

For his part, Wheeler hopes to have A Man Full of Trouble fully open by next spring. He advertised last month’s pop-up on an Instagram account, where he posts historic images of the tavern. A strong crowd showed.

“I turned around and it was 6 o’clock and nobody wanted to leave,” he said.

He is making some repairs, and, a history buff, throwing himself into research. He envisions the bar being open limited hours, with museum and gallery spaces that could host events.

For him, the allure of the tavern is still imagining its history.

“This would be a great place to plot a revolution,” he said.

Source: https://www.inquirer.com/author/newall_mike/

Travelore News: Lufthansa Brings Its A380 Back To New York's JFK

Great news for Lufthansa customers in the New York area! The airlines much loved Airbus A380 returned to John F. Kennedy (JFK) Airport on July 4th, as the United States commemorated its official day of independence With its return to JFK, Lufthansa’s A380 sharply increases capacity this summer season to the important New York market with one of the world’s most technologically-advanced and largest aircraft. Furthermore, with this flight, Lufthansa continues to expand its premium offering at its Munich hub, especially with additional seats in Business and First Class. In addition to New York, Lufthansa introduced its A380 service to Boston Logan on June 1st and will resume flights to Los Angeles’ LAX in the upcoming winter season.

Flight LH410 departed Munich at 12:10pm and arrived in New York at 3pm. The return flight, LH411, left JFK at 5:30pm and arrived in Munich at 7:35am today. All times are local. The New York JFK – Munich route will operate daily.

Due to the sharp rise in demand in travel and the delayed delivery of ordered aircraft, Lufthansa decided in 2022 to reactivate the Airbus A380, which is particularly popular with passengers and crews. By the end of 2023, a total of four A380s will once again be deployed for service to and from Munich.

The A380 aircraft

The Airbus A380 is one of the world’s most fuel-efficient aircraft, burning about 12 percent less fuel than other wide-body jets, and is approximately 30 percent quieter than the current generation of wide-body aircraft. With 509 seats, the airline’s A380 has around 80 percent more capacity than its Airbus A340-600, which currently flies on the Boston - Munich route. In total, Lufthansa’s A380 offers four classes of travel: 8 seats in First Class, 78 seats in Business Class, 52 seats in Premium Eco and 371 seats in Economy Class.

Located on the upper deck, the First Class cabin is one the quietest cabins in commercial aviation and boasts an air humidification system – the first of its kind to be installed on a commercial aircraft – that improves air humidity to help fight off jet lag. Two large, luxurious bathrooms with separate changing and lavatory areas offer enhanced personal space and storage. The cabin’s eight generously proportioned, ergonomic seats measure 6’9” feet in length and 2’7” feet in width and provide the ultimate in comfort and innovation for an exceptional travel experience.

Also located on the upper deck is the Business Class cabin with 78 seats featuring improved functionality, including more storage and a power supply that works with all worldwide connections.

The main deck is home to Lufthansa’s Premium Economy class, where 52 seats are situated in the forward most compartment of the A380’s main deck. In addition to more private space with up to 50 percent more legroom, Premium Economy allows guests to travel with two pieces of luggage weighing 51 lbs. each. On board, every passenger is greeted with a welcome drink and in-flight meals are presented on menu cards and served on fine chinaware. Premium Economy passengers will also find an amenity kit at their seats which includes practical travel accessories, an electrical plug and a bottle of water.

The Economy Class is found on both levels of the aircraft. Each of its 371 seats features an in-seat video screen, an optimized ergonomic design and a slimmer seat back that adds two inches of personal space per passenger.