Globe Aware news

Ready to see family and friends? Globe Aware volunteers can follow these these tips for a smooth traveling experience during the Thanksgiving holidays.

Thanksgiving travel tips

Nov. 19, 2021
By Katherine Shaver
The Washington Post

Travel and public health experts say these tips can help travel go more smoothly during the busy Thanksgiving holiday:

• Research vaccination requirements and other pandemic-related rules, such as for face masks, at your destination.
• If driving, get your vehicle’s battery, fuel system, tires, brakes and fluid levels checked to prevent breakdowns, especially if you have put off routine maintenance while driving less during the pandemic.
• If flying internationally, check with your airline about coronavirus vaccination or testing requirements for your destination, as they will be enforced before you board.
  Remember that masks are still required on airplanes, trains, buses and other transit systems, as well as in airports, train and subway stations, bus terminals, and other public transportation hubs.
• Meet arriving airline passengers on the airport’s “departure” level, which is typically less congested than the arrivals area, especially in the late afternoons and evenings.

This holiday travel season is shaping up to be the busiest and most chaotic in some time as people return to the roads and skies in nearly full pre-pandemic force. As Globe Aware volunteers prepare for travel during this busy holiday season, follow these guidelines to ensure a safe experience.

Tips for Travelers Facing Chaos and Crowds This Season

Patience and preparation are essential if you’re flying or driving over the holidays

By Bill Fink
AARP
November 15, 2021

This holiday travel season is shaping up to be the busiest and most chaotic in some time as people return to the roads and skies in nearly full pre-pandemic force within a weakened travel infrastructure that has yet to revive enough to efficiently meet the demand.

The Philippines is slowly opening to foreign travel, and is already allowing countries under the Green category or low risk to enter without quarantine. For volunteers interested in this program for 2022, please email us at office@globeaware.com for more details.

Philippines Exempts Fully Vaccinated Foreign Travelers From Quarantine, Eases Restrictions

Philippines is easing its COVID-19 restrictions in the country. Fully vaccinated foreign travelers coming to the country will not be required to undergo facility based quarantine anymore. International travelers coming to the country from places which are classified as green or low risk will just require a negative Covid-19 test report within 72 hours of their departure.

Countries around the world are relaxing their Covid-19 restrictions as we prepare for travel in 2022. which includes two more Globe Aware locations. Volunteers will soon be able to volunteer and vacation in Cuba and Cambodia again!

From Angkor Wat to Havana, the travel destinations reopening soon

Maureen O’Hare
CNN
November 1, 2021

(CNN) — There are only two months left in 2021 and as we enter November, countries around the world are relaxing their Covid-19 restrictions. Here are 10 destinations that have made headlines in pandemic travel news this week.

You’re just starting to travel again and you’re thinking about a volunteer vacation, which can be a great way to experience a destination in a more meaningful way than simply being a tourist. Here are nine questions to ask about volunteering, and which Globe Aware is happy is provide answers to by giving us a call or emailing us at office@globeaware.com!

9 vital questions to ask before embarking on a volunteer vacation

Volunteer vacations are popular with gap-year students, retired seniors, and millions of people in between. Perhaps you’re just starting to travel again, for the first time in a long time, considering the pandemic, and you’re thinking about a volunteer vacation.

These can be a great way to see the world and experience a destination in a more meaningful way than simply being a tourist.

However, with so many organizations and types of volunteer vacations available, it can be difficult to know where to begin.

Here are nine questions that you should always consider when evaluating a potential volunteering opportunity.

In just a few days, the United States will reopen to foreign vaccinated tourists for the first time in nearly two years. Globe Aware is excited to welcome back our coordinators from around the world, who visit our main office in Dallas to discuss new initiatives, programs and encourage team building!

U.S. Travel Restrictions are Lifting Nov. 8 — Here’s What Travelers Can Expect

Experts weigh in on how the upcoming border opening has affected not only hotel and flight bookings, but the travel industry as a whole.

By Alison Fox
November 05, 2021
Travel + Leisure

In just a few days, the United States will reopen its border to vaccinated foreign tourists, welcoming people back to the country for the first time in nearly two years. And experts say international travelers are getting ready.

Hotel bookings, flight searches, and vacation home rentals throughout the U.S. have all seen a bump in traffic in the days since the Nov. 8 reopening date was announced, signaling a beacon of hope to travel pros for the industry’s return to normal or at least a new version of normal.

Globe Aware volunteers who wish to visit Buddhist temples like the majestic Takhsang must obtain a “temple permit.” If you are interested in exploring temples on your future volunteer vacation to Bhutan, feel free to contact our office and we’ll help you plan accordingly!

Visit Taktsang Monastery: Bhutan’s Most Iconic Monastery That’s Impossibly Perched On A Sheer Cliff

This important pilgrimage site is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Bhutan and judging by its architecture, it’s pretty easy to see why.

BY AARON SPRAY
OCT 31, 2021

The Paro Taktsang, or Taktsang Palphug Monastery – also known in English as the “Tiger’s Nest” or “Tiger’s Lair” is one of the most iconic and mind-bending Buddhist monasteries in the world. It is a sacred Vajrayana Himalayan Buddhist site and is located on the cliffside of the upper Paro valley in Bhutan.

Wishes are pouring in for India as the country reached a milestone in administering the Covid-19 vaccination. With it’s planned re-opening this late Fall, we look forward to having Globe Aware volunteers back in the country, serving safely!

Wishes pour in from WHO, Bhutan, Sri Lanka as India achieves 100 crore Covid vaccine dose landmark

GENEVA: Wishes poured in for India from the World Health Organisation and the leadership of Bhutan and Sri Lanka after it scripted history on Thursday with the cumulative Covid-19 vaccine doses administered in the country surpassing the 100-crore milestone.

Taking to Twitter, WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus congratulated Prime Minister Narendra Modi, scientists, health workers and people of India on their “efforts to protect the vulnerable populations from Covid-19 and achieve vaccine equity targets”.

Cambodia has lifted a ban on all flights from Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines after most of the kingdom’s population have been vaccinated. Globe Aware looks forward to the re-opening of the beautiful country to our U.S. volunteers soon.

Travel Update: Cambodia Announces Reopening in Phases to Fully Vaccinated Visitors

Cambodia has lifted a ban on all flights from Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines after most of the kingdom’s population have been vaccinated.

October 27, 2021
Edited by Sumaila Zaman

Phnom Penh: The government of Cambodia on Tuesday released plans to resume the country in a phased manner to the fully vaccinated foreign travellers by the end of this month. According to the Tourism Ministry, the program will allow only the fully vaccinated visitors, tourists to skip the quarantine if they stayed a minimum of five days in the designated areas.

Toting everything from sewing machines to human skulls, these flyers took left TSA agents scratching their heads. What strange items have our Globe Aware volunteers packed in their luggage!?

From bats to skeletons, travelers have actually flown with these 13 strange items fit for Halloween

Ashley Kosciolek
The Points Guy
Oct 26 2021

Last month, I was preparing to pack for a Disney cruise — one of Disney Cruise Line‘s Halloween on the High Seas sailings — and I needed to find out if I would be allowed to fly with a lightsaber to complete my costume.

Cue TSA’s hilarious answer to that question: “Sadly, the technology doesn’t currently exist to create a real lightsaber. However, you can pack a toy lightsaber in your carry-on or checked bag. May the force be with you.”