These New Airline Routes Will Get You to Tokyo for the 2020 Summer Olympics & More

by Erica LoopMay 28, 2019

Even though your summer vaycay is still yet to happen, there’s no reason to stop your travel planning now. And if your vacation plans also include fab fall or winter family getaways, check out the new airline routes you’ll want to fly!

Whether you want to fly internationally or have domestic daydreams, it looks like some of the major airlines have fall flights to some pretty desirable destinations. While some of the new routes aren’t slated to start until 2020, it’s never too early to start fantasizing about the future.

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Tokyo-bound travelers will have plenty of new options, including 12 new flights to Tokyo’s Haneda International Airport from the United States. Each new route is expected to start before the 2020 Summer Olympics.

According to Travel and Leisure, the Department of Transportation recently approved the new routes, including daily flights on American Airlines from Dallas Fort Worth and Los Angeles International Airport (in 2020). Delta will add flights to Haneda from Seattle, Detroit, Atlanta, Portland and Honolulu. United will also add routes, with a tentative approval for nonstop flights from Newark, Chicago, Los Angeles and Washington Dulles.

If Taipei, Taiwan is on your to-visit list, EVA Air’s Hello Kitty Hand-in-hand Jet will start flying from San Francisco on Oct. 27 twice a week. The airline will ramp up the schedule to three days a week beginning Dec. 1.

Domestic travelers flying out of Boston’s Logan International Airport can take advantage of an increased route schedule from the northeastern city to warm, sunny Miami, Orlando, Fort Meyers, Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach starting Dec. 21.

—Erica Loop

Featured photo: EVA Airways via Instagram

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Martha Stewart Wants to Make Your Cruise Better & Here’s How

by Erica LoopMay 14, 2019

Martha Stewart can pretty much make anything better—whether it’s turning a plain piece of paper into fab party decor or whipping up holiday dessert perfection. Now Stewart is tackling the ocean adventure, and if you’re considering a cruise, here’s what you need to know.

The crafting and culinary genius has launched a partnership with MSC Cruises, a luxe cruise line voted one of the best by Travel + Leisure. If you’ve been considering a cruise in the near future, you’ll want to keep reading.

Stewart’s MSC partnership includes a variety of curated activities and excursions, including cooking classes (obviously), hikes, lessons from local fishermen, craft market day trips, horseback riding (in the ocean!) and so much more. For a full list of Martha Stewart & MSC Cruises Excursions, visit MSC’s website here.

Along with her curated excursions, Stewart is also partnering with the cruise line for special “celebration surprises.” Starting in June 2019 you can surprise your fave family member, friend or other loved one onboard one of MSC’s cruises with a personalized letter from Stewart, a special dessert and a recipe card. The $10 to $30 cruise add-on is available for birthdays, honeymoons and anniversaries. For $89 you can also get wine specially selected by Stewart, a free photo taken by MSC’s photographer, a photo frame and a canvas beach tote.

Foodies can also take advantage of Stewart’s celebration dinners with MSC. These three-course holiday meals are available for Easter, Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas and New Year’s. Happy cruising!

—Erica Loop

Featured photo: Martha Stewart via Instagram

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Living Near a National Park Has These Benefits for Your Family

by Erica LoopApril 11, 2019

New research may have found that people who live near national parks are healthier. So if you’re looking to relocate, a near-nature area is the way to go!

Researchers from the Oregon State University looked at the benefits of living near protected nature spaces. But this research didn’t just review any parks or nature reserves. Instead, the study focused on protected multi-use green spaces—meaning that anyone who lives nearby has access to the area’s natural resources.

photo: Lukas Kloeppel via Pexels

So what did the researchers find? It looks like the multi-use spaces are key to getting the benefits of natural resource areas. Environmental anthropologist at Oregon State University and study co-author, Drew Gerkey, told Travel and Leisure, “The multiple-use areas are where you see a lot of the positive impacts for people’s health and wealth.” Gerkey went on to add, “The boundaries are relaxed in a way that allows local people to access resources but doesn’t impinge on the larger goal of conservation.”

If you’re looking for more pros of moving to a nature-rich area, new research points to the risks of living near major roads/highways. Along with the obvious traffic safety issues, research from the National Institutes of Health and the University of California, Merced found that children living close to major roadways (and the air pollution caused by cars and other vehicles) may suffer developmentally.

When researchers reviewed data on pregnancy, prenatal pollutant exposure and later child development, they found that young kiddos living close to major roads were twice as likely to score lower in communication skill tests. That is, in comparison to those who lived farther away from major traffic areas.

Health, wealth and a safer fam? It looks like it’s nature reserves and national parks for the win!

—Erica Loop

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You Can’t Use Disney Fastpass at Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. Here’s How to Survive

by Shahrzad WarkentinMarch 22, 2019

When Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge opens at both Disneyland and Walt Disney World later this year, both parks are sure to see a record number of visitors. Despite the fact that the crowds will be big, there will be no Fastpasses for Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge—at least not right away.

As Travel + Leisure reports, when Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge opens, first in Disneyland and later in Disney World, neither park will be providing the option of using a Fastpass or MAXPASS on the Millennium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run attraction, which will be the first of land’s two rides to open. Though both parks will integrate the Fastpass system eventually, that leaves a lot of waiting time for fans eager to be the first to pilot the Millennium Falcon.

photo: Disney Parks

Luckily the Disney Parks app will have plenty of new Star Wars content to keep you entertained while you wait. According to WDW News, the Play Disney Parks app will transform for the new land, taking on an interface that fits seamlessly into the fully-immersive experience Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge promises to be.

Visitors can use the app to hack into the land’s many devices, control panels and droids, listen to communications sent by the planet’s residents, translate galactic languages, both written and spoken, and scan objects all around the spaceport to find precious cargo and digital goods.

—Shahrzad Warkentin

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Here’s How Your Teens Spend Their Time & It’s a Lot Different Than We Did at Their Age

by Shahrzad WarkentinMarch 20, 2019

If you think life for teens has changed since you were one, you’re not wrong. New research shows how teens spend their time and things are definitely different.

A new Pew Research Center survey has found that the way teens spend their time has shifted in the past decade. The biggest changes were found in the amount of time teens spent doing homework and sleeping. On average, teens spent an hour a day doing homework, up from 44 minutes 10 years ago and just half an hour in the 1990s. Teens today also spent more time sleeping with an average of over nine and a half hours of sleep a night, a 22-minute increase over teens a decade ago.

photo: Alexis Brown via Unsplash

Teens report having an average of five hours and 44 minutes of leisure time daily, a major chunk of that is spent on screens. No surprise. Teens clock an average of three hours and four minutes of screen time daily. This has held steady for the last decade, but what has changed is how teens spend the remainder of that free time.

If you had an after school job, chances are your own teen won’t. Teens are spending less time on paid jobs during the school year at just 26 minutes a day, on average, versus 57 minutes in the mid-1990s, which reflects the fact that fewer teens are working in general. Teens are also spending less time on social activities like going to parties, sporting events or concerts dropping 16 minutes per day on average in the last ten years.

One thing that has remained the same is that there is a difference in the way girls and boys spend their time. Girls devote more of their day to homework and grooming activities, like haircuts, bathing and getting dressed. Boys spend more time on leisure activities, including screen time, and sports on average. Girls and boys also report feeling differently about their days. While girls are more likely to say they feel nervous or stressed about their day, they are also more likely to say that they feel excited about it.

—Shahrzad Warkentin

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Navy Pier: Getting Better with Time

by rtlisasnartJune 14, 2018

Vintage handbags, cheddar, fine wine and Navy Pier . . . all things that get better with time. Navy Pier celebrated the big 1-0-0 in 2016 and with that brought exciting changes that just keep being built upon. Read on to learn more about the iconic Ferris Wheel and activities that make this the top leisure destination in the Midwest.

photo: Navy Pier

Go for a spin. At 196 feet tall and 50 feet larger than the former Ferris Wheel, the Centennial Wheel is the best way to get an overview of the excitement at Navy Pier and take in the Chicago skyline. Believe it or not, the original Ferris Wheel at the 1893 World’s Columbian Exhibition in Chicago was actually larger than the Centennial Wheel, but now you’re riding in style thanks to the cushioned seats, video screens and doors that automatically open and close on each of the 42 gondolas. If you have a family of daredevils, splurge for a private ride for up to four on the glass bottom gondola.

Grab a bite. Having your kids by your side won’t leave you yearning for a better dining experience at Navy Pier because the kid friendly communal area includes views of the water, WiFi access, and lots of food options. Bubba Gump, DMK Burger and Fish Bar, Harry Caray’s are just a few places serving up sit-down lunch and dinner options. Satisfy your sweet tooth after dinner by stopping into the Original Rainbow Cone at the Pier’s South Dock when its warm and Brown Sugar Bakery all year ’round.

Enjoy being green. As you wander down the Pier, you can rest assured knowing that the updates brought to the Navy Pier have occurred with the environment in mind. From the behind the scenes infrastructure to the recently planted trees and benches made from reclaimed wood, the greener Navy Pier allows you to enjoy natural elements in an urban environment.

photo: Navy Pier

Don’t forget the old favorites. The Chicago Children’s Museum, Crystal Gardens, Amazing Chicago’s Funhouse Maze, IMAX theatre and boat rides are some of the classic Navy Pier destinations that are not to be missed. No need to worry because these attractions are still around the updated Navy Pier, as is the fireworks display that occurs ever Wednesday and Saturday evening Memorial Day to Labor Day weekends.

Navy Pier
600 E. Grand Ave.
Navy Pier
Online at: navypier.com

—Lisa Snart

What 3 Words Are Disney Parks Employees NEVER Allowed to Say?

by Shahrzad WarkentinJanuary 17, 2018

photo: Pixabay

From the moment you walk into the park, a Disney experience is meant to be magical at every turn and the employees are there to ensure that your visit is nothing but memorable. It’s no secret that Disney Parks have a lot of rules for the people who work there, but this one might surprise you.

Despite the crowds and long lines, a trip to a Disney theme park is pretty close to perfection. A lot of hard work goes into making that fun and fantasy come to life, which includes how the park employees assist visitors. According to Travel and Leisure, there are three little words that Disney employees are never allowed to say. When a park guest asks any question, cast members can’t respond with, “I don’t know.”

Even if they really don’t know the answer, cast members are required to do whatever it takes to find the answer for a guest. This isn’t the only way that Disney employees go the extra mile for visitors. It was recently revealed that cast members also have the power to gift guests a magical moment, like free ice cream or front of the line passes, whenever they see fit.

What’s your favorite thing about visiting a Disney Park? Tell us in the comments below.

— Shahrzad Warkentin

Cool Comforts: The Best Outdoor Pools to Beat the Heat

by rtguiomarJune 20, 2017

Mercury is on the rise, and it’s showing no signs of slowing down. Luckily, the DMV has lots of affordable, public pools to dip into when the heat wave leads to hot and bothered bambinos (and grown-ups). Grab your swimsuits and floaties and check out one of these five watering holes.

Photo: Willow Grove Day Camp via Flickr

Martin Luther King, Jr. Outdoor Pool
Located in Silver Spring, Maryland, the MLK Jr. Pool is great if you have kids of different ages. The Main Pool offers a diving area with two boards perfect for advanced swimmers. An entertaining Leisure Pool has a shallow water lagoon, slides, water play features, and even a circular “Lazy River” for riding inner tubes! If you’ve got real little ones, you can spend some time in the Tot Pool that comes covered in shade. This place has it all!

1201 Jackson Rd. (Silver Spring, Md)

Bethesda Outdoor Pool
Located at the entrance of Bethesda, the Bethesda Outdoor Pool or BOP is jam packed all summer with the “on the cusp suburban” fams! The Z-shaped main pool has six-lanes and even has a “drop” slide. They have two options for 0the younger crowd….a Tot Pool and a shallow water Teach Pool. Bonus for when you forget lunch or need an ice cream–there’s a snack bar as well as a lawn area with shade structures.

Little Falls Pkwy. and Hillandale Rd. (Bethesda, Md)

Upshur Pool
The Upshur Pool is located in D.C.’s, Mt. Pleasant/Petworth/16th St. zone. This public pool is one of the most charming and quaint pools in the DMV. Despite being in the middle of the city, the pool is located in a quiet neighborhood, with tall trees surrounding it. There’s a tot pool for the little kiddies and they even celebrate doggie swim day for your four legged family members.

4300 Arkansas Ave., NW (Mt. Pleasant)

Rosedale Pool
The Rosedale Pool located in NE D.C. is often referred to as “the one with the slide” because well, it has a slide! It’s one of the newest D.C. pools and quite a hit with young and old alike. Rosedale is relaxing and perfect to bring little kids as well as to lay out and get some Vitamin D.

1701 Gales St., NE (Rosedale)

Ocean Dunes Waterpark
Located within Upton Hill Regional Park in Arlington, Ocean Dunes is super fun for adults and kids. Like the above mentioned locations, Ocean Dunes has a main pool for swimming but that’s the last thing your kids will want to do when they enter this blissful space. The park includes water slides, waterfalls and squirters! There’s a 230 foot open slide and an exhilarating 170 foot closed slide which you descend in pitch black darkness! Ocean Dunes also offers a play feature with tube slides, open slides, fountains, and even a 500-gallon dumping bucket!

6060 Wilson Blvd. (Arlington, Va)
Online: novaparks.com/waterparks/ocean-dunes-waterpark

Do you have a favorite outdoor pool? Tell us about it in the comments below.

–Guiomar Ochoa

How to Get Excited About Exercise (So You’ll Actually Do It)

by Shahrzad WarkentinJune 9, 2017

photo: Pixabay

Whether you hate the monotony of running on a treadmill, or you would rather spend your precious free time doing absolutely nothing, it can be hard to motivate yourself to exercise. New research suggests, however, that you can learn to love it. It’s all about how you approach working out.

A new study published in BMC Public Health has found that people can learn to enjoy exercise and even look forward to it simply by adjusting their perspective on it. In the study of 40 women, the participants were asked about their goals and values, as well as, their feelings and experiences with being physically active. Researchers found that whether the women exercised regularly or not they all had similar things that made them happy: connecting with others, being of service to others, participating in leisure activities and hobbies and feeling relaxed and free from daily pressures.

They also found that the women who were less physically active associated exercise with negative feelings, like dread, pressure and selfishness, as it was viewed as taking away from family time. The study’s lead author Michelle Segar, director of the University of Michigan’s Sport, Health, and Activity Research and Policy Center, told Time, “These women feel alienated by exercise, or feel that they’ve failed when they tried it in the past. They have a very narrow definition of what exercise should look like.”

In order to erase the idea that exercise is an alternative to enjoying free time or socializing with friends, it needs to be reimagined as a method to those same things, “Women need to give themselves permission to use physical activity as a way to relax—to get together with friends or loved ones and take a leisurely stroll, simply because being active and outdoors boosts their mood and makes them feel good.”

Exercise doesn’t need to be a solitary, tedious activity. Any physical activity is better than none. Segar says, “Play tag with your kids, take a dance class or even just climb the stairs a few extra times while you’re doing chores around the house.”

What creative ways do you use to make exercise fun? Share in the comments below.

Cheers! Couples Who Drink Together Stay Together, Study Finds

by Red TricycleMay 21, 2016

Photo: Nate Beach-Westmoreland via Flickr

So is alcohol the secret to a long-lasting relationship? According to The Journals of Gerontology Series B: Psychological Series, yes! 2,767 couples who had been married for an average of 33 years were interviewed. It found that couples over 50 had a significantly better relationship if they both drank alcohol, or both abstained, with women noticing the biggest effect on their relationships.

One of the study’s authors, Dr Kira Birditt, told Reuters: “We’re not sure why this is happening, but it could be that couples that do more leisure time activities together have better marital quality.”

Does this change your weekend plans (wink, wink)? Let us know in the comments below!

H/T: Glamour

ML Interest Tag: leisure

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