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Boston's Freedom Trail is one of the best free attractions in the country, USA Today says

Boston's Freedom Trail is one of the best free attractions in the country, USA Today says

CBS News19 hours ago

Learning more about Boston and Paul Revere on the Freedom Trail
Learning more about Boston and Paul Revere on the Freedom Trail
Learning more about Boston and Paul Revere on the Freedom Trail
The Freedom Trail in Boston has once again been named one of the best free attractions in the country by USA Today.
The historic route featuring landmarks from the American Revolution was ranked at No. 6 on the newspaper's Top 10 list, beating out well-known destinations like Niagara Falls and The National Mall in Washington, D.C. The Loggerhead Marine Center, a sea turtle conservation site in Florida, was first in the ranking, which is determined by USA Today readers and editors.
The Freedom Trail also made the "best free attractions" list in 2023.
"Starting at the Boston Common and ending at the Bunker Hill Monument in Charlestown, the Freedom Trail offers historical insight into the city of Boston," USA Today writes. "It's easy to hop on and off of the Freedom Trail as it weaves throughout the city, highlighting some of Boston's most special places."
Freedom Trail tours
There are daily walking tour tickets available for purchase through the Freedom Trial Foundation. But anyone can follow the 2.5-mile red brick line that guides visitors to the different historic sites at no charge.
The National Park Service offers a free, self-guided "Freedom Trail Audio Tour" that can be downloaded here.
The 16 sites on the Freedom Trail are: the Boston Common, the State House, Park Street Church, Granary Burying Ground, King's Chapel & King's Chapel Burying Ground, Boston Latin School Site/Benjamin Franklin Statue, Old Corner Bookstore, Old South Meeting House, Old State House, the Boston Massacre Site, Faneuil Hall, the Paul Revere House, Old North Church, Copp's Hill Burying Ground, the U.S.S. Constitution and Bunker Hill Monument.

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Hike The Blue Ridge Mountains And Sip On Some Of The Best Wine In The South In This Virginia County
Hike The Blue Ridge Mountains And Sip On Some Of The Best Wine In The South In This Virginia County

Yahoo

time43 minutes ago

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Hike The Blue Ridge Mountains And Sip On Some Of The Best Wine In The South In This Virginia County

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3 All-American Road Trips to Take This Summer — From Chasing the Stars to Living the Cowboycore Dream
3 All-American Road Trips to Take This Summer — From Chasing the Stars to Living the Cowboycore Dream

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3 All-American Road Trips to Take This Summer — From Chasing the Stars to Living the Cowboycore Dream

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Extreme Loyalty: The Airlines Turning Travel Into a Competitive Sport
Extreme Loyalty: The Airlines Turning Travel Into a Competitive Sport

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Extreme Loyalty: The Airlines Turning Travel Into a Competitive Sport

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'They can print as many miles as they want, and even assuming a generous 1-cent-per-mile accounting cost, the prize is equivalent to $50,000, a rounding error in an airline's marketing budget." Sustainability Questions For all of the recent hype, is it a simple case of back to the future? The hyper-competitive period following airline deregulation in the 1980s was full of wacky campaigns. However, unlike the 1980s, the socially conscious modern air traveler has an additional angle to consider. A major issue with this style of airline promotion is the risk that they grate against stated sustainability goals and mission statements. Skift called in generative AI to create the best itinerary to visit each of the cities in Etihad's Extraordinary Challenge. The brief was to use flights connecting through the carrier's Abu Dhabi hub as sparingly as possible. Our prompt allowed other airlines to directly connect each destination as long as Etihad flights were used for at least one flight in or out. According to its calculations, flying to and from each of these cities in the most efficient manner possible would add up to about 85,563 miles (137,700 km) in the air. That would generate around 30.3 tons (27.5 tonnes) of CO₂ per passenger, around twice the average annual individual carbon footprint. Depending on how many people enter the competition, it's a challenge that could leave quite a mark. Etihad won Environmental Airline of the Year in 2023 and the airline plans to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. Etihad declined to comment when approached by Skift for this story. Who Pays the Price? There's also the human factor. While it might not cost airlines much to facilitate the stunts or their prizes, it can be contestants who shoulder the cost instead. 'There's concern among some about the amount of wasted travel hours and additional emissions that [the Etihad] competition entails,' says Keyes. 'After all, there will be many people competing to win the 5 million miles, and all but three of them will see their efforts in vain." The recent SAS and JetBlue promotions differ in that there is no limit to the number of successful participants. However, travel that's consumption-focused and performative (staying somewhere only long enough to say you've been there, 'doing it for the 'gram') is the antithesis of sustainable travel, which prioritizes slow travel, reducing carbon footprint, and forming meaningful connections on the ground. 'Given travelers, especially Millennials and Gen Z, are seeking more meaningful, slower trips versus globe-hopping on long, non-stop journeys, this stunt can feel at odds with the rising call for more sustainable and responsible travel,' Curran adds. For its part, JetBlue told Skift: "As a primarily leisure airline, this promotion is designed to celebrate exploration, encouraging customers to connect with friends and family across our network, or visit destinations they may not have discovered yet. "Importantly, the promotion is built around our regularly scheduled flights, not added capacity or special charters created solely for the program," a spokesperson added. Despite the campaign still being in its first week, JetBlue reports "great enthusiasm," with more than 650 bookings already made through a dedicated promotion landing page. The Russian Factor An additional consideration for the Etihad competition in particular is accessibility. While the airline says the competition is 'offering anyone the chance to participate and win,' the required stop in Sochi, Russia, might deter some. This could be because of visa restrictions, safety concerns given the conflict in Ukraine, or the questionable morality of flying into a country at war to win loyalty points. 'Whether intentional or not, the fact that one of the required stops is in Russia effectively excludes most American and Western European travelers from participating,' says Keyes. In the near term, is there a way forward for attention-grabbing airline PR stunts? Curran suggests initiatives that align more toward sustainable travel while still creating buzz. 'This might include challenges that entice travelers to show off their low-carbon travel, creating immersive experiences in local communities or slow travel itineraries that help travelers experience longer, more meaningful trips,' she notes. 'In a crowded market, we'll continue to see travel brands push boundaries and the key to ensuring these will be successful is to anchor them in purpose and your brand mission, not just promotion.' What am I looking at? The performance of airline sector stocks within the ST200. The index includes companies publicly traded across global markets including network carriers, low-cost carriers, and other related companies. The Skift Travel 200 (ST200) combines the financial performance of nearly 200 travel companies worth more than a trillion dollars into a single number. See more airlines sector financial performance. Read the full methodology behind the Skift Travel 200.

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