WORLD FOOTPRINTS

Today we’ll go on some remarkable adventures and we’ll review the history of friendship between the United States and Japan. Mary Anne Potts has worked in the adventure travel editorial space for more than eleven years. She started on the editorial staff of National Geographic Adventure magazine in 2001 and has moved up the ranks from there.  She has run the magazine’s website and also launched its social media presence. Mary Anne continues to run Adventure as a standalone digital brand for National Geographic and includes her National Geographic Adventure blog which Outdoor Magazine recognized as No. 3 within its Top 10 List of Adventure blogs. Richard Wiese has been called the modern day Indiana Jones.  He is a world-class explorer and host of ABC’s new program, Born to Explore.  As an explorer and field scientist Richard has traveled to all seven continents.  From tagging jaguars in the Yucatan jungles to discovering new life forms on Mt. Kilimanjaro, Richard became the youngest President of The Explorers Club. As a journalist, he has received numerous honors, including an Emmy, a Genesis Award, an Associated Press Folio Award and a Golden Halo Award.  Each year, the National Cherry Blossom Festival celebrates spring in Washington, DC, with the gift of the cherry blossom trees, and the enduring friendship between the people of the United States and Japan.  Washington, DC is celebrating over 100 years of the gift of cherry trees from Tokyo, Japan.

Today World Footprints  will explore a sample of the multiple treasures that can be found in New Orleans.  We will share a wonderful conversation with Chef Leah Chase of Dokie Chase restaurant fame.  Chef Leah is an iconic figure in New Orleans.  She was the inspiration behind Tiana, the principle character in the Disney Animated Picture Princess and the Frog.  Then World Footprints will take listeners through two little known musuems, the Free People of Color museum and the African-American museum.  Other stops on this audio trip include a tour through Treme and a visit to the famed Carosel bar in the Hotel Monteleone. New Orleans is a treasure trove of wonderful museums, rich history and cultural gumbo and today’s show will explore just a few of the treasure today.

World Footprints will take you on a journey through America's heritage through the words of legendary actor Hal Holbrook.  We will travel on the back of a Harley Davidson motorcycle with our friend Stan Ellsworth--the gregarious American history TV show host of "American Ride", and we will go inside the iconic Oak Alley plantation deep in the American south.  If you'd like to experience a living history lesson or two then tune in because today's World Footprints is just for you. Follow World Footprints on Facebook and Twitter @WorldFootprints for the latest travel information including travel-relevant legislation, travel warnings and best practices.

World Footprints will give you a taste of paradise as we journey to St. Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG)—a multi-island country of 32 enchanting islands and cays.  Of those islands only nine are inhabited and each offers unique accommodations.  We’ll introduce you to three of our favorite properties today. Our first stop is Buccament Bay Resorton the island of St. Vincent.  Buccament Bay is a brand new 5 star all-inclusive resort surrounded by lush green mountains, rainforests and a white sand beach.  Resort Manager Christine Nelles will offer a virtual tour of the array of experiences that families, couples and business travelers can enjoy.  From the Liverpool Football Club Soccer School and Pat Cash Tennis Academy to the Harlequin Performing Arts Academy, and world-class cuisine the resort offers something for everyone.  Our next stop is the island of Bequia, the largest of the Grenadine Islands.  Here we’ll introduce Bengt Mortsted, owner of the newly built Bequia Beach Hotel.  This boutique hotel is inspired by stylish Mustique villas and situated on the beautiful Friendship Beach.  Lush tropical gardens embrace the grounds and provide a luxurious and relaxing experience. The private island of Palm Island, in the Southern Grenadines, and the Palm Island Resort is our final stop on this tour.  The resort is an eco-friendly, all-inclusive, 135-acre resort that is intimate with only 41 guestrooms and two villas.  General Manager Chris Ghita will entice us with a tour of the amenities, activities, dining options and accommodations.

World Footprints revisits South Africa to explore the country that Nelson Mandela built. Our journey will take us through the world of fine art and will focus on the transformative power of art with Martin Britz, President and Founder of Soweto Fine Art, will join us from Johannesburg to talk about his personal journey from an Afrikaner military officer to a champion for black South African artists. Martin will share some unique insights into the people, culture, and South African society today; and he’ll talk about his quest to promote and empower the diverse people on the African continent and expose its art treasures to the world. Then we’ll travel back to Maryland for a visit to Galerie Myrtis to chat with several prominent art collectors who gathered to discuss the topics of cultural preservation through art collecting, connoisseurship and philanthropy. Based in Baltimore, Galerie Myrtis features works by African, African-American and emerging artists with a mission to utilize the visual arts to raise awareness for artists who deserve recognition for their contributions in artistically portraying our historic and cultural landscape; and recognize art movements that paved the way for freedom of artistic expression.

Travel around the globe with World Footprints today as we go to Namibia, the Mediterranean and Detroit. First stop…Namibia with Dr. Laurie Marker, Founder of the Cheetah Conservation Fund.  Since 1990, Dr. Marker has pioneered new ideas in cheetah conservation and has formed cooperative alliances on behalf of the cheetah that have never before been possible. She is recognized around the world as one of the leading experts on cheetahs, both in the wild and in captivity.  Then we’ll journey to the Mediterranean with travel author and TV host Rick Steves.  Rick is on a mission: to help make European travel accessible and meaningful for Americans.  Rick just returned from two Mediterranean Cruises and he joins us to talk about his newest guide book, Mediterranean Cruise Ports, and the art of travel. Finally, Detroit is a city that has not been portrayed favorably in the media (except on World Footprints) so we were surprised to meet someone who left his Fortune 500 employer to move to Detroit for the purpose of showing the city in a different light.  Philip Lauri is the Founder and Director of Detroit Lives! and he join us to share why Detroit is a vibrant place to live and discover.

World Footprints will open up our new "Travelers University" to share some important things that you should know about the cruise industry and travel insurance.  Whether you are a first time cruiser or have sailed the seven seas for years, there are things about the cruise industry that you probably don’t know. For as much enjoyment as a cruise provides there is a dark side to cruising that generally goes unreported.  Author and Saturday Evening Post contributor, Elizabeth Becker, joins us to reveal the dangers that passengers often face upon boarding. World Footprints Travelers University will continue with an expert panel that will addresse many questions surrounding the decision to purchase travel insurance.  If you’ve ever questioned the necessity of travel insurance or a medical evacuation plan, many frequently asked questions will be answered today from experts at the TravelInsuranceStore.com and MedjetAssist.  You’ll also hear from a traveler who suffered severe injuries in Africa and how his care and rehabilitiation was managed through his travel insurance policy.

Louisana's Creole culture and a famed New Orleans' neighborhood share the spotlight on today's show.  Our Creole cultural exploration takes us just outside New Orleans to the Old Mississippe River Road where we'll share the story of a Creole family and a plantation named Laura--voted "Best history tour in the USA" by Lonely Planet Travel and a top travel attraction in Louisiana.  Laura Plantation, named after Laura Locoul Gore, is an old sugarcane plantation over 200 years old.  We experienced life on the plantation as a member of the Locoul family through the voice of one of Laura's decendents, Norman Marmillion.  We will also visit Faubourg Treme with filmmaker Dawn Logsdon.  Treme is considered the oldest black neighborhood in America and the birthplace of the civil rights movement in the South.  Treme is a place where African-Americans lived free during slavery and became a place of social and economic diversity.

February marks Black History Month, and in celebration, World Footprints returns to Missouri; a state that has made a unique contribution to America’s history. Ian and Tonya will speak to Father Moses Berry, founder of the Ozarks African American Heritage Museum in Ash Grove. Then, Angela da Silva of Lindenwood University will join them to talk about a few Missourians who rose from slavery to national prominence. Finally, we journey to Independence, Missouri to explore some of the history and places were African American contributions have not been forgotten.

World Footprints is pleased share this GOLD Award winning show which was recognized by the North American Travel Journalist Association.   In celebration of Black History Month and the 150 Anniversary Commemoration of the American Civil War and Gettysburg Address, you will see a very compelling side of Gettysburg as told through our guests.  In 2013 the city of Gettysburg, the nation and the world reflected upon the Battle of Gettysburg, which took place from July 1 to July 3 1863, and President Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address on November 19, 1863.  We showcased what visitors can expect to see and experience following the Commemorations and beyond the battlefield with Stacey Fox, Vice President of Marketing and Sales of the Gettysburg Convention & Visitors Bureau. Then, Scott Hancock, PhD, Associate Professor of History and Africana Studies at Gettysburg College joins us to discuss the role of the Underground Railroad in the war, the African-American struggle for freedom--from President Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address to Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech, and the seminal events that took place in Gettysburg in 1863 that forever changed America. Finally, Debra Sandoe McCauslin of For the Cause/Gettysburg Histories takes us along the Underground Railroad in Adams County, Pennsylvania where we visit Yellow Hill and the Quaker Valley to uncover the African-American families who settled in the area and the role of Quakers in the Abolitionist Movement there.