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Patsy O'Kane, Owner, Beech HIll Country House, Derry, Northern Ireland, UK.
www.beech-hill.com

Radio Show Host and Travel Expert Stephanie Abrams begins today's show by welcoming Patsy O'Kane, Owner of Beech Hill Country House in Derry, Northern Ireland, UK. Patsy owns and operates the facility which Stephanie highly enjoys visiting, calling it a home thanks to the wonderful warmth and hospitality of the O'Kane clan. Other guests have included actor Will Ferrell, Ted Kennedy, and former President Bill Clinton. Stephanie lovingly refers to Patsy as "the driving force" behind Beech Hill's activity.

Stephanie shares with Patsy that while driving through Vermont on the way back from Bennington, she saw a sign for the Black World War II Museum, and thought of Patsy's recent project - the creation of a memorial room to the U.S. Marines and Navy who served during WWII in Ireland. Many men were quartered at Beech Hill Country House and their presence was extremely significant to the people during the time, with lasting effects felt in the area. Patsy has collected materials and memorabilia from the time in a room at Beech Hill, and is expanding into a bigger display. She's also recently acquired previously top secret files that are now declassified and digitized from the U.S. military, thanks to researchers from the National Archives. Patsy calls the project a "museum of living history", since there are still people alive who remember the U.S. Marines in Derry and love telling the stories. She hired a company called Tandem to create exhibit boards, and the displays will also feature recorded materials and digitized archives for people doing research.

Visitors will also be able to watch recordings of boxing matches and an Al Jolson evening that took place in the recreation hall in 1942. Patsy mentions that Eleanor Roosevelt visited around 1943, saying that Beech Hill has "always been a very important place for very high flying guests, it was then and still is, and we welcome everybody." Mary Pat Kelly is assisting in the project. She is the author of the novel "Galway Bay" and produced a documentary about the black service personnel and crew who served on the USS Mason in World War II. These men were stationed on the grounds of the Beech Hill Country House. The film with Samuel L. Jackson, "Proudly We Served" was partially filmed on the grounds as well.

Patsy plans on converting one room for technology purposes, and is bringing in experts to arrange for this exhibition, which will include valuable scrapbooks under glass cover and multimedia from video clips. Visitors will also be able to do specific searches in a database as part of research work or for their own personal interest in the history of the period. The Marines' barracks are still on the grounds and as part of this project, will undergo refurbishment again. There are about three hundred huts on the grounds, plus what were called "Yankee Roads" winding between them for transporting supplies. Patsy is developing a Marine Trail to cover this area.

The exhibition will also include a viewing area on the ground floor to the right of reception, featuring some technology and good for those doing light research. This room will be called the General Byrd Room in honor of a U.S. Marine General who passed away recently and who Patsy says helped her get where she is today. In thanks, she wants to name this general technology room, where movies, footage and video clips will be shown, after him. Another smaller room with more computers will be provided for those doing more thorough research, and Patsy guarantees peace and quiet for students or those who are completing work.

In reference to Patsy's technological displays of multimedia clips, Travel Expert Stephanie Abrams mentions Ashford Castle in County Mayo as running on continuous loop on closed circuit TV the film, "The Quiet Man". Stephanie suggests setting up something like this on the TV channels in the guest rooms for guests to be able to catch viewings of the documentaries easily if so inclined.

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For more information visit www.beech-hill.com

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Bruce Bird, Founder and Curator, Museum of Black World War II History, Stamford, Connecticut, USA.
www.blackww2museum.org

Travel Expert Stephanie Abrams recounts driving through Vermont en route to Bennington when she saw a sign for a Black World War II Museum. On the return trip, she stopped in. She says it was clear from the minute she went inside that the place featured some very worthwhile memorabilia. She chatted with Bruce Bird, Founder and Curator of the Museum of Black World War II History and now welcomes him to the show. Bruce informs that the museum is currently moving to Stamford, Connecticut as part of an expansion. Stephanie thinks this will greatly improve their traffic. They will open in Stamford next spring but the location has yet to be determined.

Stephanie says that the niche of World War II history about the black American troops who served gloriously is a fascinating one, and asks Bruce what sparked his interest. He's been interested in military history since he was a teenager, and has collected military memorabilia and built models since this time. He even has a collection of over one hundred artillery shells. In answer to how he became specifically focused on the African American troops, he replies that he didn't know until after 2000 that there were 1.1 million black troops within the 16 million American troops in the Second World War. He felt that if he didn't know, maybe many others didn't either and he wanted to share the knowledge.

Stephanie says that she finds the part of the story that is never told as problematic. "There's a whole part of World War II that we didn't know about," he agrees. Stephanie mentions San Francisco's Japan Town, which provides many emotional stories and information about what Japanese Americans went through in internment camps during the war in America. She also mentions the importance of having school groups of all ages attend the museum to learn about the contribution made by African Americans to the war effort. Bruce mentions that it's important to learn the difference between how society handles problems now and how it was done then, and reminds listeners that African Americans faced more dangerous difficulties in a society that handled violence differently.

Stephanie says one does not need to be African American or have related ancestry to understand and appreciate the importance of the African American experience and contribution to the war. "You've got to keep us posted and let us know when you've found the proper digs for your trenches!" Stephanie quips.

Travel Expert Stephanie Abrams encourages curious listeners to pose questions about the history of African Americans in World War II on the Ask Stephanie forum, and she will pass them on to Bruce for answers.

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For more information visit www.blackww2museum.org

Fun Facts:

There were 169,000 African American sailors in the Second World War. However, due to prevalent racism of the times, many ship crews were described as "cooks" so the credit due was not given.

Guests Include:

Patsy O'Kane, Owner, Beech HIll Country House, Derry, Northern Ireland, UK.
www.beech-hill.com

Bruce Bird, Founder and Curator, Museum of Black World War II History, Stamford, Connecticut, USA.
www.blackww2museum.org

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Tony Fogg, Artistic Administrator, Boston Symphony Orchestra,  Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
www.bso.org

Travel Expert Stephanie Abrams says that when she is at her home in Massachusetts and able to do so, she travels to Boston once monthly for a luncheon meeting with a travel organization. She prefers to go a day early or stay later because she calls Boston "an ever changing tableau of wonderful things to see and do." Among the attractions is Boston Symphony Hall, home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. She says even business travelers should uplift their experience with a visit here, especially in the current holiday season. In July or August, head westward to Berkshire County, Massachusetts to visit Tanglewood, the summer home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. "It's on a par by itself," she promises. She welcomes to the show Tony Fogg, Artistic Administrator for the Boston Symphony Orchestra, to tell more about this year's holiday activities.

Tony spends nine months of the year in Boston and the remaining three in Berkshire County, Stephanie's home broadcast area. He calls it the best of both worlds, and comments on how beautiful the Berkshire region is. This is high season in terms of the Boston Symphony's presentations. The season began a few weeks ago and has many more concerts from now until the second week of December when the "great tradition" of holiday pops begins.

Tony says they feature specially crafted programs, including shorter shows that are more interesting for children. Starting December 7th, the Orchestra plays two or three concerts daily. A few additional musicians are brought in for some occasions, and the Tanglewood Festival Chorus appears at every concert. Thousands of people come through Symphony Hall daily during this exciting season, leaving it full of the festive holiday spirit. The concerts are enjoyed by adults and children alike and the entire atmosphere is charged with a happy, celebratory energy.

Travel Expert Stephanie Abrams says that people who haven't attended a Boston Pops concert may not understand the experience and what sets it apart from other musical presentations. In addition to the wonderful energy of a performance, Tony cites the creative setup of the floor in Boston Symphony Hall and the lighthearted and lively atmosphere. The Hall is decorated and beautifully lit, and the combination of atmosphere with everyone's fine holiday attire and energy makes for a lovely experience. Tony informs that in this holiday season, at 11 A.M. on weekends there are shorter programs of slightly over an hour for younger children to enjoy as well. Stephanie comments that parents can be confident that these toddler-targeted concerts won't leave young children bored and squirming.

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For more information visit www.bso.org

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Alexander Anolik, Travel Industry Attorney.
www.travellaw.com

Travel Expert Stephanie Abrams welcomes Travel Industry Attorney Alexander Anolik to the show to share his thoughts on a recent occurrence. Stephanie says she's been troubled by a story similar to the film, "The Terminal", which tells a story of a man stranded for eighteen years in Paris' Charles de Gaulle airport after the collapse of his home country, leaving him caught in a loophole and unable to get out. A somewhat similar situation befell a woman recently, who arrived at San Francisco airport with a nonrefundable one way ticket to Idaho. She had two bags, costing $25 and $35 to check. She only had $30. She missed her flight and lived in the airport for eight days and nights, having previously fallen on hard times after running her own business for years and was on her way to start a new life.

Alex adds that her parents died and she'd lost her business, and when she'd last flown five years prior, airlines didn't have "all of these charge de jours and gotchas" that are currently in place. She missed her flight, then would have needed another $150 for the next flight, and the next day it was up to $1,000 more. She pleaded with counter staff to let her fly despite her lack of immediate funds, promising to send a check from her destination when she was able. They were receptive, but higher supervisors refused her requests and kept her grounded. She had no place to go home to since she was leaving her former home in California for a new job and new life in Idaho.
"It's really terrible when compassion and logical thinking are locked in a closet somewhere, it's like people check their hearts and brains at the door," Stephanie comments, adding that in a hospitality driven industry, this incident is particularly unbelievable.  Alexander says that it only costs airlines $20 - $25 to fly a customer on that route and they'd already gotten the woman's fare. In January there are changes made in airline regulatory laws, and airlines will be legally required to reveal all of the additional charges clearly and openly so that customers will be aware of the exact situation.

If you find yourself in a similar situation, Alexander recommends contacting the Department of Transportation, or going online to look for travel law attorneys or someone who knows the industry, if you're unable to get a resolution with personnel in the airport, as was the case in this story. Alexander mentions the airline carrier's contract of carriage, and says that if customers are stranded, it is vital that they make themselves aware of what the airline is legally bound to do or provide for them as mandated by this document. Stephanie says there are opportunities for people to override policies or look the other way and that's all it would have taken for this situation to be resolved.

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For more information visit www.travellaw.com

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David Houston, Director of Curatorial, Crystal Bridges Museum, Bentonville, Arkansas, USA.
www.crystalbridges.org

Similar to such institutions as the Francine and Sterling Clark Art Institute in Williamstown, Massachusetts which began with the Clarks' private collection, the
Ringling Art Museum in Sarasota, Florida and the Milwaukee Art Museum, "Yet another spectacular concept has come into reality," Travel Expert Stephanie Abrams announces. She welcomes David Houston, Director of Curatorial at Crystal Bridges in Bentonville, Arkansas, USA. They just finished a week of special events for their patrons and doors are now open to the public. The major donor is Alice Walton, who began collecting art personally many years ago, then decided to establish the foundation of an art museum.

The facility is just under 250,000 square feet and made up of six pavilions joined together. It sits on 125,000 acres of forest on a natural spring, Crystal Spring. The buildings, themselves dynamically designed, are surrounded by water, so "it's quite an extraordinary sight," according to David. Included are just under 1,000 pieces, most of which will be on display and rotating throughout the year, unlike many museums which keep much of their collections in storage due to limited available gallery space. Finishing touches are still being put on the building as it opens. The collection is uniquely articulated with both the surrounding natural settings and the architecture of the building, making for an intriguing overall experience.

In terms of the art itself, the collection was assembled with the idea of being a survey of American art from the Colonial period to the present, and David identifies areas of particular strength as being the late nineteenth century and the early quarter of the twentieth century. Walking through the collection, visitors progress chronologically and see key moments not only in American art but in American history. Stephanie asks if there are particular artists given focus, and David mentions Thomas Eakins and John Singer Sargent, and Marston Hartley and Stuart Davis as being focal points in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, respectively. These artists are very key in the development of American art over approximately a seventy year period and their evolution can be seen in the pieces displayed there.

The Walton Family Foundation has provided an 800 million dollar endowment for acquisitions and facilities, and the Walmart Foundation has put into place a 20 million dollar endowment ensuring free admission in perpetuity. Many other individuals and companies have contributed, including creating an education program. David calls this level of stability and support unique, as it ensures that every schoolchild within driving distance can come to the museum for free with free transportation and a free lunch. This removes many barriers that sometimes come up with similar ventures. Stephanie points out that museums sometimes offer one day or evening free or student discounts, but this is indeed a unique concept, ensuring that any one wishing to visit the museum is invited as a guest of the foundation.

Crystal Bridges already counts almost five thousand members across the country, and a staff of eight hundred volunteers. The local community as well as a larger one nationwide have been extremely supportive of the project. Travel Expert Stephanie Abrams adds that traditionally there hasn't been much to do in Bentonville, but the new addition of this serious cultural venue will make a big difference for the area.

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For more information visit www.crystalbridges.org

Fun Facts:

Symphony Hall opened in 1900, and its architecture was modeled on the second Gewandhaus concert hall in Leipzig, Germany.

Travel Tips:

The Boston Symphony Orchestra performs special holiday shows daily at four and eight P.M., and at 11 A.M. on weekends presents a shorter show that can be comfortably enjoyed by children as well.

Guests Include:

Tony Fogg, Artistic Administrator, Boston Symphony Orchestra,  Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
www.bso.org

Alexander Anolik, Travel Industry Attorney.
www.travellaw.com

David Houston, Director of Curatorial, Crystal Bridges Museum, Bentonville, Arkansas, USA.
www.crystalbridges.org

Topics Include:

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News and Updates from Travel Expert Stephanie Abrams

Radio Show Host and Travel Expert Stephanie Abrams opens this hour with the announcement that for the tenth year in a row, her team has been honored by the League of American Communications Professionals. Sabrams,com received a bronze Spotlight Achievement Award for Best Website. The website received glowing reviews from judges, and was cited as being "among the best communications material of 2011". Stephanie thanks all those involved and the web visitors for their participation, and more can be found about the achievement and award on her blog.

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Simon Talling-Smith, Executive Vice President for the Americas, British Airways, New York City, New York, USA.
www.ba.com

Stephanie welcomes Simon Talling-Smith, Executive Vice President for the Americas for British Airways to the show. Stephanie asks Simon if he knows Sir Humphry Wakefield, Lord of the Manor of Chillingham Castle in Chillingham, Northumberland, Great Britain, who was a guest on last week's show. Simon isn't familiar with Chillingham Castle, but he mentions that many people believe that "a visit to Britain is a visit to London" and he knows that Stephanie has always promoted the idea that the United Kingdom has many more beautiful destinations and cities to visit outside of London.

Stephanie asks which other cities besides London can be flown into on British Airways directly from the U.S. Simon names Manchester as another main travel hub, and Stephanie mentions its new convention center, which she considers convenient since its location in a city less hectic than London makes for an easier convention experience. Simon agrees, and adds that there are similar convention centers in Birmingham and Glasgow. British Airways also flies through London to Manchester, Newcastle, Edinburgh, Glasgow, and Inverness (home of the Loch Ness monster). Simon adds that a visit to Loch Ness is a lovely way to enjoy the Scottish scenery. Stephanie mentions traveling further north along the coastline to areas populated with palm trees to Inverewe Gardens, a beautiful site. Simon also recommends a visit to Cornwall for more palm tree displays, which leads Stephanie to comment that she had the best rum raisin ice cream there. "You never know what's going to motivate somebody to travel," she laughs.

Simon points out that one way to motivate is to offer people great prices. British Airways is currently launching a sale and Stephanie's listeners are among the first to hear about it. On sale through November 15th, they offer round trip fares from New York City to London for $448. Other fares are from more then twenty U.S. cities to destinations not only in the UK, but across Europe. Stephanie says that these fares are a marvelous opportunity that people should take advantage of. Other outbound flights are available from Seattle, Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, Las Vegas, Boston, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., Atlanta, Houston, and Chicago. The sale is in conjunction with their partner American Airlines and all flights to London are nonstop.

Simon reports that in recent years, British Airways has placed great focus on the science of getting a good night's sleep. Travelers from the U.S. to Europe need to arrive ready after the flight, and be able to "hit the ground running and have your full senses about you" as Stephanie agrees. In business class, customers get a meal at the airport on the ground before flying, so that they don't use up valuable in flight time with a meal. On the plane they are treated to a flat lying bed so a great night's sleep can be enjoyed. Stephanie confirms her own positive experience with this, saying "It's heaven," and directing listeners to a photo gallery on her site to see how the lying beds look. From New York, customers can get five and a half hours sleep, and about eight from the West Coast. The London terminal offers breakfast and showers and a service to press clothes so that customers will be in great shape for the first day in London.

For all customers in any seat on the plane, they can expect valuable service. Simon says that he frequently hears from customers that British Airways "understands the art of flying." Stephanie confirms, adding, "this is the absolute truth". She says the flight crew makes you feel as if you've been welcomed into their country estate and treat you as a valued guest, and that it's not about how much or how little you pay, but about the experience you receive "and you can't put a price tag on that." She says that their flights are so comfortable and such a delight that she honestly is disappointed when they come to an end!

Travel Expert Stephanie Abrams has flown to Nice, Paris, Athens, and Budapest with British Airways, and calls them a brand to fall in love with, especially since in terms of their service, travelers can practically circumnavigate the globe. British Airways has teamed up with other high quality carriers around the world to provide service to as many worldwide destinations as possible. They promise that they have worked very closely with those airlines to make sure that standards are compatible and that customers will be treated the same. He defines the point of a codeshare as endorsing another airline as having their badge of quality. He says most important is that they work very hard through their website and their partners in travel to keep customers in the know about information such as which carrier is actually operating a flight. Stephanie asks how this affects things like baggage limits. Simon explains that they've worked with American Airlines, their main partner for one year, to align their international baggage requirements as similarly as possible. He highlights that they always give one bag for free.

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For more information visit www.ba.com

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James Grace, President and CEO, InsureMyTrip.com.
www.insuremytrip.com
www.insuremygroup.com

Listen to this segment, commercial-free featuring: Jim Grace from InsureMyTrip.com.

Travel Expert Stephanie Abrams welcomes Jim Grace, President and CEO of InsureMyTrip.com to the show. She mentions a recent heavy snowstorm at her home in Berkshire, Massachusetts, and he jokes that airlines don't like that kind of snowfall. Stephanie mentions the law stating that an airline will be fined at the rate of $27,500 per customer aboard who is inconvenienced by being on a grounded plane without working lavatories or food by the government, and this money is paid as a penalty to the government. The traveler does not receive anything from this fine, however. Jim says that similar situations have happened to him as well, and it's why travel insurance is crucial for any traveler. "There's no other form of repayment for that downstream expense that you've had," he explains. Inclement weather can happen all over the globe at any time and as a traveler you have a significant monetary risk and travel insurance is a worthwhile investment for this.

Insurance of the category "cancel for any reason" can be used up to two days prior to departure. InsureMyTrip.com has twenty four partner companies and they consistently talk with them about what customers want to improve their products and what is available. Feedback goes directly to the companies. He says that even over the past fifteen years, the amount of coverage in the travel insurance company has made remarkably immense strides. InsureMyGroup.com is available to cover groups of travelers. As Stephanie remarks, travel insurance can help "ease the economic pain" potentially incurred from unexpected conditions like inclement weather.

Travelers411 Directory Listing:
Be sure to Visit the Travelers411 InsureMyTrip.com Directory Listing for dozens more commercial free interviews and recordings with InsureMyTrip.com's travel insurance experts sharing information and tips about buying and using travel insurance.

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For more information visit www.insuremytrip.com and www.insuremygroup.com

Travel Tips:

British Airways flies to 155 cities in 75 countries.

Stephanie recommends that no matter how many free bags an airline allows, don't strive for this upper limit. Pack as lightly as possible. She says, "There are two kinds of people. Those who pack light and those who wish they had."

Guests Include:

Simon Talling-Smith, Executive Vice President for the Americas, British Airways, New York City, New York, USA.
www.ba.com

James Grace, President and CEO, InsureMyTrip.com.
www.insuremytrip.com
www.insuremygroup.com