By Eric Griffey Dallas
Jan. 09, 2021
DALLAS — There is nothing lewd about the Tickle Bar. The website and Facebook page of the new Mockingbird-area business make it clear that illicit activities are strictly forbidden here. Yes, the half-naked woman splayed on a bed whose image is prominently featured on the place’s website appears to be in mid-moan, but that’s strategic, according to owner Kimberly Haley-Coleman.
Coronavirus vaccines are starting to roll out in the US and abroad, and many people may be dreaming of travel, but they may eventually need a vaccine passport application. Globe Aware is keeping an eye on this passport app being a requirement for future volunteer vacations.
By Rishi Iyengar
CNN Business
Monday, December 28, 2020
Now that coronavirus vaccines are being administered across the U.S. and around the world, several companies are developing a so-called ‘vaccine passport.’
Now that coronavirus vaccines are starting to roll out in the US and abroad, many people may be dreaming of the day when they can travel, shop and go to the movies again. But in order to do those activities, you may eventually need something in addition to the vaccine: a vaccine passport application.
The TSA released a list of winter travel tips, helping Americans navigate traveling during this holiday season. Globe Aware wants to make sure our volunteers are up to date and safe when it comes to any winter travel.
Leave your wrapping paper behind.
BY ALISON FOX
DECEMBER 08, 2020
Travel+Leisure
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) released a list of winter travel tips on Monday, helping Americans navigate flying during the COVID-19 pandemic, just in time for a potential holiday rush.
With advice from mask-wearing and reducing contact, to more familiar tips surrounding how to wrap gifts for loved ones, the agency focused on how to expedite the security process. The tips come as the agency screened a record more than 3 million passengers at airports around Thanksgiving, despite experts saying people shouldn’t travel.
According to research, the pandemic has driven a large shift in traveler preferences, and understanding these changes is critical to tourism recovery efforts. Globe Aware is ready to meet the pent-up demand of volunteers, especially since one in two travelers are optimistic about taking a trip next year.
FEATURES & ADVICE
JANEEN CHRISTOFF
DECEMBER 11, 2020
Americans have hope for travel in 2021.
One in two travelers is optimistic about taking a trip in the next 12 months, according to research from Expedia.
More than half (53 percent) of Americans who usually take a vacation have not done so since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, nearly 31 percent are dreaming of travel and actively planning for 2021.
Two experts recently analyzed the effects of the pandemic on travel behavior and found out that people are likely to skip major cities and vacation for longer going forward. Post-quarantine and -lockdown, travelers seem more concerned about sustainability and the need to support local businesses, something Globe Aware programs specialize in!
December 7, 2020
yahoo! finance
KYOTO, Japan, Dec. 7, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — Kimono Tea Ceremony Maikoya and Samurai & Ninja Museum, two key experience providers from Japan, recently studied and analyzed the effects of the pandemic on travel behavior in depth and found out that people are likely to skip major cities and vacation for longer going forward. Post-quarantine and -lockdown, travelers generally seem more concerned about sustainability and the need to support local businesses. However, the only lasting changes may come with extra safety precautions and sustainable travel choices, with other aspects reverting more or less back to normal.
As small business owners have been hit hard by the pandemic-related economic brunt, consider their products and services as holiday gift options. Globe Aware encourages the support of small businesses.
By Michele Herrmann
Contributor
Travel
As small business owners have been hit hard by the pandemic-related economic brunt, consider their products and services as holiday gift options. In buying what they make to give to others, it’s a way of giving back by financially supporting them in return. Here are our gift suggestions for travel-related or inspired products by women business owners and entrepreneurs.
BY TJ MACIAS
DECEMBER 02, 2020
The Tickle Bar in Dallas, TX is open for business.
A new Dallas spa has a unique draw that appears to walk a fine line.
It’s called “The Tickle Bar” and the owner, Kimberly Haley-Coleman, says it’s about relaxation, not fetishes.
The concept came to her when thinking up a new idea to generate income and continue to employ people in Globe Aware, her nonprofit organization that “offers global volunteer vacations that combine personal travel with work assisting foreign communities,” the Dallas Observer said.
And yes, the concept is exactly what the name suggests.
“I thought, ‘I wish I could get somebody to tickle my back. Why don’t people do that?’ So I decided I’m going to freakin’ do it,” she says. “Who knows if it’s going to work, but I’m going to do it.”
According to the Advocate Magazine, “guests can choose from two basic services: hair play or back tickle. The 25- or 50-minute sessions incorporate a variety of shiver-inducing strokes to release tension from the body using fingers, feather dusters, makeup brushes and more. If you’re especially ticklish, try the basic scratch for relaxation with a firmer touch.”
The Tickle Bar website, which includes the phrase “Get Tickled Pink,” also features the sound of a woman’s soft giggle.
Haley-Coleman told the Observer that she is steering into the skid when it comes to the “prurient interest” associated with tickling.
“Even though it isn’t, if it gives me a double-take, I’m going to take that,” she said to the Observer. “Because when they look twice they’re going to see that it’s people like me, an over-50 woman, who is the client, not the 20-year-old fraternity guy looking for a happy ending.”
BRITTANY NUNN
DALLAS OBSERVER
DECEMBER 2, 2020
Remember the back tickles you loved as a kid, the black magic your mom used to put you straight to sleep? How about the times you almost dozed off while someone played with your hair? Are you relaxed just thinking about it?
Two of the biggest travel holidays, Thanksgiving and Christmas, are just around the corner, and travelers are debating whether they should meet up with friends and family. An infectious disease specialist encourages everyone to assess what they consider is an acceptable amount of risk in their lives, and follow precautions accordingly.
From Getting a Flu Shot to Quarantining Before Gathering, Catherine Le, MD, Says the 2020 Holidays Are All About Reducing Risk
Newswise — LOS ANGELES (Nov. 19, 2020) — With the two biggest travel holidays – Thanksgiving and Christmas – around the corner, many are debating whether they should gather with family and friends as usual.
“There is no easy solution,” says Cedars-Sinai infectious disease specialist Catherine Le, MD. “When my patients ask me if it’s safe to travel or spend time together with loved ones, I talk to them about risk mitigation and encourage them to find what they consider is an acceptable amount of risk in their lives.”
This year is coming quickly coming to an end, and there are some hopeful signs for travel and Globe Aware volunteers. This includes more widely available testing, safe destination openings without needing travelers to quarantine for long, and new vaccines on the horizon.
November 11, 2020
BY JESSICA PUCKETT
As 2020 winds to a close, there are hopeful signs for travel amid the pandemic: Tests for COVID-19 are more widely available, destinations are finding ways to safely reopen without needing travelers to quarantine for two weeks, and a vaccine might finally be on the horizon.
Next year, many travelers are hoping to get back out there—and they’re already researching where to book. According to Expedia’s 2021 Travel Trends report, most travelers are looking for destinations that offer seclusion, sun and sand, and are easily accessible by plenty of flights.
Here are the 11 destinations Expedia says travelers are most interested in visiting next year.
U.S. travelers are more interested than ever in planning a trip to the Maldives, a serene chain of atolls in the Indian Ocean. The island nation is likely trending because it is currently open to travelers from any country (visitors must produce a negative PCR test taken 72 hours before departure). Flight operations to the Maldives have also restarted from the U.S., with top international carriers like Emirates, Singapore, Qatar ferrying U.S. fliers to the secluded oceanfront paradise.
Another far-flung destination travelers are dreaming of visiting next year? The islands of French Polynesia. The sun-drenched atolls are currently open to international tourists who can present a negative PCR test taken within three days of arrival.
Both Air Tahiti Nui and United Airlines have resumed flights to Tahiti out of Los Angeles. Fiji Airways has also launched a new private jet charter program out of LAX in partnership with private resort island Laucala (the jet plus an all-inclusive week for 20 guests on the island will set you back $450,000). Those hoping to fly commercial to Fiji, on the other hand, will have to wait for next year as the islands have halted standard airline arrivals until at least spring of 2021.
One leisure market with enduring popularity among vacationers is Mexico. That trend doesn’t seem to be changing in 2021, with Los Cabos—and several other Mexican resort towns—picking up a top spot on Expedia’s report. The town, perched on the Baja California Peninsula, is full of top-notch hotels, and nearby San José del Cabo has plenty of vibrant restaurants and shops to explore. If you’re planning a Cabo trip next year, you’ll have plenty of transport options: Many U.S. airlines have been pivoting their route offerings to these types of sunny places and adding Cabo as a destination.
Domestic beach destinations also scored high with travelers researching 2021 trips. And next year, travelers have Miami’s famous white sand beaches in their sights—add in the city’s lively craft cocktail scene and world-class seafood and Cuban restaurants, and it’s not hard to see why this destination ranks in the eighth spot. South Florida has always been a strong market for airlines like JetBlue and Southwest—the latter is doubling down by launching flights to Miami International Airport for the first time on November 15.
With the lifting of its two-week quarantine for visitors who test negative for COVID-19, Hawaii is once again topping lists of travelers’ dream destinations. Air carriers like Hawaiian Airlines and United are offering passengers an array of airport testing options, simplifying matters. Many air routes to the Aloha State are either running or set to restart, including the newly launched Newark to Maui route from United and Hawaiian Airlines’ Boston to Honolulu route—which is the longest domestic flight in the U.S. For 2021, travelers looking at Maui, with its multitude of sprawling beach resorts, and Oahu, home to bustling Honolulu, most closely.
The Dominican Republic opened its borders to international travelers in July, and as of October, the island’s 101 resorts also began welcoming back tourists. One of the most popular destinations in the Dominican Republic, Punta Cana, is ranking high with potential travelers ready to park on the beach with a cold drink. Our recommendation? Check out Tortuga Bay Puntacana Resort & Beach Club, one of Traveler readers’ favorite properties on the island.
Each year, Orlando secures its spot as a top destination with families as they head to Disney World, and in 2021 it seems that the theme park’s draw is just as strong. Officially reopened as of July 11 after a four-month closure, Disney World is currently operating at a limited capacity and requiring online reservations for all guests, while seasonal festivities like Christmas celebrations also toned down this year to allow for social distancing.
As resorts and casinos slowly reopen in Sin City, travelers are eyeing a return to Vegas next year, too. Tourists might find that the glamorous strip looks a bit different amid the pandemic, but the city’s extravagant restaurant scene is adapting well. JetBlue, Delta, and Southwest have all brought back nonstop flights from numerous markets around the country, yet another signal that Las Vegas is an in-demand destination with U.S. travelers.
One thing about 2021 is sure: Travelers want to be in Mexico. This trio of ultra-popular neighboring resort towns takes the No. 2 spot in Expedia’s trends report. Sun-seekers seem determined to experience the state of Quintana Roo’s vast array of upscale, beachfront hotels, so much so that another city in this region took the top spot on the list.
Travelers yearning for relaxation, sun, and sand culminates with Cancun being next year’s top trending destination. A perennial favorite among vacationers from all over the country, the majority of U.S. airlines—including United, Southwest, American, and JetBlue—are all adding flights to the city. After reopening for tourists over the summer, Cancun is once again attracting waves of beach-bound travelers: In October 2020, the city’s airport surpassed 1 million monthly passengers for the first time since the pandemic began.
