This City Was Just Named the No. 1 Labor Day Weekend Destination in the U.S. by Chase Travel

Globe Aware volunteers know that Labor Day Weekend, officially on Sept. 1, is the perfect chance to savor one last summer escape before shifting focus to fall and winter travel plans. This year’s top trending destinations offer sun-soaked beaches, island breezes, and cultural immersion. Check today’s blog to learn more.


This City Was Just Named the No. 1 Labor Day Weekend Destination in the U.S. by Chase Travel—and It’s Famous for Its Beaches and Rainforest

From historic charm to nightlife and nature, these trending escapes offer more than just sun.

By Opheli Garcia Lawler
August 8, 2025
Travel + Leisure

Summer may be winding down, but there’s still one major holiday weekend left to savor: Labor Day Weekend. While the official holiday falls on Sept. 1, the long weekend really begins the Friday before on Aug. 29—or even Thursday, Aug. 28, if you’ve got a little PTO to spare. Now’s the time to start booking those fall getaways and mapping out your winter travel plans—but don’t pack away the swimsuits and flip-flops just yet.

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Travel tips every senior should know for stress-free flights

Globe Aware volunteers know that while some people may face mobility challenges as they age, plenty remain active and adventurous well into their 80s or 90s. Still, senior travelers may have to consider factors that younger travelers might take for granted. Check today’s blog to learn more.


Travel tips every senior should know for stress-free flights

By Zach Wichter
USA TODAY
August 19, 2025

  • Plan ahead by booking direct flights, reserving suitable seats, and researching airport facilities.
  • Pack strategically to avoid overweight baggage fees and ensure easy access to essential medications.
  • Utilize available accessibility services and don’t hesitate to request assistance when needed.

There’s this weird thing that happens as people get older where the world starts to treat them with kid gloves. I may not be in that stage of my life, but I can certainly see it happening to others I love and care about: falling victim to this perception that getting older automatically means you need to slow down. Of course, many people do start to experience reduced mobility as they age, but it doesn’t affect everyone equally or at the same time in life.

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Give Back Economy

Kimberley Haley-Coleman of www.globeaware.org is the founder and has been active in a wide range of volunteer operations with organizations in the U.S. and Toronto, Canada. Based in Dallas, Texas, the organization provides opportunities for individuals and corporations to travel and give back to countries in many unique ways as volunteers.

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From the Heart of the Philippines: Gege Shares Globe Aware Stories

In this special episode, Globe Aware intern Santiago sits down with Gege, our extraordinary long-time coordinator in the Philippines. With warmth, wisdom, and a touch of humor, Gege reflects on years of unforgettable moments—from hosting solo volunteers to managing large corporate and university groups. Hear how she bridges cultures, supports communities, and ensures that every volunteer experience is not only meaningful but full of heart. If you’ve ever joined our Philippines program—or are thinking about it—this conversation with our beloved Gege will inspire and move you. Ready to just join the program yourself? Go https://www.globeaware.org/destinations/asia/philippines or call us at 214-824-4562

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Here are some of the newest UNESCO World Heritage sites

Twenty-six new sites, including Globe Aware locations in Malawi, India, and Cambodia, have been recognized on UNESCO’s World Heritage List for their cultural and natural significance! Find out what they are!


Here are some of the newest UNESCO World Heritage sites

July 18, 2025
By James Doubek
NPR

Twenty-six sites have been added to UNESCO’s World Heritage List, designating their cultural and natural importance.

Locations this year include a sacred mountain in Malawi; petroglyphs in South Korea; remains of a port and forts from 17th century Port Royal, Jamaica; a king’s palaces in Germany; and a river canyon in Brazil noted for its biodiversity.

The World Heritage List, now numbering 1,248 locations, includes “cultural and natural properties of outstanding universal value.” Sites have been added almost every year since 1978. UNESCO is a United Nations agency focused on culture, science and education.

Representatives of 21 countries on the World Heritage Committee met this month in Paris to finalize which locations to add to the list. Countries with World Heritage sites must commit to preserving them; countries with designated sites could also receive funding to help with that conservation.

Here’s a selection of some of the locations added this year:

Bavarian palaces

Neuschwanstein Castle is part of the four palace complexes included in the World Heritage Site list.

King Ludwig II of Bavaria had these grand palaces built between 1864 and 1886 in what is now Germany, according to UNESCO. He ascended to the throne at age 18 and has been called the “Mad King,” because of his long rants, hallucinations and paranoia. The four palace complexes listed are called Neuschwanstein, Linderhof, Schachen and Herrenchiemsee. The palaces are now a tourist attraction, “records in stone of the ideal fantasy world which the king built as a refuge from reality,” according to a biography on a website for the palaces.

Imperial tombs in China

An aerial view of Mausoleum No. 4, part of the imperial tombs of the Xixia Dynasty.

Administrative Office of Xixia Tomb Area of Yinchuan City/UNESCO Nomination File

The necropolis is located in north-central China’s Ningxia region. People from the Xixia Dynasty are buried among the “nine imperial mausoleums, 271 subordinate tombs, a northern architectural complex, and 32 flood control structures,” as UNESCO describes. The dynasty lasted from 1038 to 1227, when it was destroyed by Genghis Khan’s Mongol army.

China’s government said the site shows “the crucial role of Xixia as a key distribution center on the Silk Roads during the 11th and 13th centuries.” It added that the location is “the largest, highest-ranked, and most intact archaeological site from the Xixia period that has survived to the present day.”

Remains of 17th century Port Royal, Jamaica

Fort Charles museum in Port Royal, pictured in 2012. The fort was built in the 1600s.

Port Royal, in southeastern Jamaica, was a major English port city in the 17th century. According to UNESCO, it was a center of transatlantic trade, which included enslaved Africans. It was also a hub for pirates. A 1692 earthquake pushed much of the town underwater.

Ecosystems of the Bijagós Islands

Wildlife in Orango National Park on the Bijagós Archipelago.

The Bijagós Archipelago, off the coast of Guinea-Bissau, is known for its biodiversity. It’s home to “endangered Green and Leatherback turtles, manatees, dolphins, and over 870,000 migratory shorebirds,” UNESCO says.

Memorials to the Cambodian genocide

People look at skulls at the Choeung Ek memorial in Phnom Penh, Cambodia in 2018. The location is part of a newly designated World Heritage Site.

The communist Khmer Rouge regime was responsible for the deaths of some 1.7 million Cambodians in the 1970s. Two former prisons and an execution site are included in the World Heritage List designation. An international tribunal ended its work in 2022, holding just three senior Khmer Rouge members accountable for the regime’s crimes.

The full list of new sites for 2025

  • Cambodian Memorial Sites: From centres of repression to places of peace and reflection (Cambodia)
  • Coastal and Marine Ecosystems of the Bijagós Archipelago – Omatí Minhô (Guinea-Bissau)
  • Cultural Heritage Sites of Ancient Khuttal (Tajikistan)
  • Diy-Gid-Biy Cultural Landscape of the Mandara Mountains (Cameroon)
  • Faya Palaeolandscape (United Arab Emirates)
  • Forest Research Institute Malaysia Forest Park Selangor (Malaysia)
  • Funerary Tradition in the Prehistory of Sardinia – The domus de janas (Italy)
  • Gola-Tiwai Complex (Sierra Leone)
  • Maratha Military Landscapes of India (India)
  • Megaliths of Carnac and of the shores of Morbihan (France)
  • Minoan Palatial Centres (Greece)
  • Mount Kumgang – Diamond Mountain from the Sea (North Korea)
  • Mount Mulanje Cultural Landscape (Malawi)
  • Møns Klint (Denmark)
  • Murujuga Cultural Landscape (Australia)
  • Peruaçu River Canyon (Brazil)
  • Petroglyphs along the Bangucheon Stream (South Korea)
  • Prehistoric Sites of the Khorramabad Valley (Iran)
  • Rock Paintings of Shulgan-Tash Cave (Russia)
  • Sardis and the Lydian Tumuli of Bin Tepe (Turkey)
  • The Archaeological Ensemble of 17th Century Port Royal (Jamaica)
  • The Colonial Transisthmian Route of Panamá (Panama)
  • The Palaces of King Ludwig II of Bavaria: Neuschwanstein, Linderhof, Schachen and Herrenchiemsee (Germany)
  • Wixárika Route through Sacred Sites to Wirikuta (Tatehuarí Huajuyé) (Mexico)
  • Xixia Imperial Tombs (China)
  • Yen Tu-Vinh Nghiem-Con Son, Kiep Bac Complex of Monuments and Landscapes (Vietnam)

The committee also approved extending two existing national parks that were already listed. Vietnam’s Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park was extended to include the adjoining Hin Nam No National Park in Laos. And South Africa’s iSimangaliso Wetland Park, listed in 1999, was extended to include Maputo National Park in Mozambique.

I thought I was a seasoned traveler—then I spent a week in India

Seasoned traveler Avery reflects on her life-changing journey to India, where she discovered that true travel confidence isn’t about having all the answers; it’s about embracing the unknown with curiosity and courage. Globe Aware volunteers can learn from her inspiring experience.


I thought I was a seasoned traveler—then I spent a week in India

Real travel confidence isn’t about having all the answers—it’s about being comfortable with questions.

By Avery White
VegOut
Aug 8, 2025

After backpacking through Southeast Asia, navigating the metros of European capitals, and even surviving a sketchy hostel in Prague where the shower was literally just a drain in the floor, I thought I had this whole travel thing figured out.

I was wrong. So incredibly, humblingly wrong.

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Guatemalan Foods to Try, From Street Hot Dogs to Mayan Stews

From savory traditional breakfasts to rich, hearty stews, Guatemala’s bold cuisine is a highlight of Central America. Globe Aware volunteers, here’s what to eat and where to find it!


Guatemalan Foods to Try, From Street Hot Dogs to Mayan Stews

From traditional breakfasts to hearty stews, the country’s flavorful cuisine is a standout across Central America.

By Maliah West
July 23, 2025
AFAR

Incorporating a mix of Spanish, Afro-Caribbean, and Indigenous influences, typical Guatemalan fare is wide-ranging and represents the many groups that have called the country home throughout its history, from colonizing Spaniards to direct descendants of Afro-Indigenous groups.

However, while it may have many dishes in common with its Central American neighbors—tortillas, tamales, and tostones—Guatemalan cuisine is in a lane of its own. Dishes are typically meat-forward (pork, beef, and chicken) but call for punches of flavor from peppers, chiles, and even chocolate. And you can bet that a basket of warm handmade tortillas will be there to accompany your meal.

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TSA Is Finally Creating Some Dedicated Family Security Lanes at Select U.S. Airports. Is That a Good Thing?

Globe Aware families, a new program called “Families on the Fly” aims to make airport security easier for families and the general flying public. Learn more on today’s travel blog.


TSA Is Finally Creating Some Dedicated Family Security Lanes at Select U.S. Airports. Is That a Good Thing?

A new program called Families on the Fly aims to make airport security easier for families, as well as for the general flying public. But whether it works will depend on how it’s executed.

By Jamie Davis Smith
July 23, 2025
AFAR

A mother holding a child wearing a coat and pink backpack in an airport security lane

Would a dedicated family security lane speed up the process for families or slow them down?

Going through Transportation Security Administration (TSA) screening lines at the airport can be frustrating for both families and those stuck behind them. Parents with young children often have more to deal with than the average traveler. They may need extra time to fold strollers, wrangle toddlers, or wait for additional screening for bottles and baby food.

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Staying healthy on your summer vacation

Globe Aware volunteers, your health never takes a vacation, even when you do. Here’s how planning before embarking on a summer trip can help reduce and prepare you for health emergencies.


Travel Tips: Staying healthy on your summer vacation

July 30, 2025
Capital Blue Cross

Your health never takes a vacation—even when you do. Planning for your health needs before embarking on a summer trip can reduce your risk of health emergencies and prepare you if one arises.

“Travel should be restorative and reduce stress,” said Juline Moussa, a health coach at Capital Blue Cross.“You can get the most out of your trip by prioritizing movement through walking, spending time in nature, and enjoying meaningful time with loved ones.”

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Is travel good for your mental health?

The secret to better mental health might be just one flight away, according to a new poll. Globe Aware volunteers, see what findings were unveiled about how and why Americans are traveling.


Is travel good for your mental health?

By Talker Research
Jul 29, 2025

The secret to better mental health might be just one flight away, according to a new poll.

A survey of 2,000 Americans found that the average American feels 67% better mentally after going on a trip.

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