(New York, NY – September 18, 2018) Family Travel Forum (FTF) and its travel industry partners congratulate the winners of the 2018 FTF Teen Travel Writing Scholarship. Completing its 12th year, this annual merit scholarship has been hosted by the award-winning vacation guide publisher to promote teen literacy and reward teens’ best travel blogs with cash prizes for college or future travels.
Between May 1 and July 9, 2018, over 2,000 students in US, Canada, American-International schools or home-schools applied to blog about a travel experience, whether near or far, that had a meaningful impact.
The generous sponsorship of Allianz Global Assistance USA, ScholarTrips, Travel Media Showcase, TMS Family Travel, Society of American Travel Writers (SATW), CityPASS and Lonely Planet made the 12th annual scholarship possible.
“We are honored to be one of the sponsors of the 12th annual FTF Teen Travel Writing Scholarship,” said Daniel Durazo, director of marketing and communications for Allianz Global Assistance USA. “Providing students with an opportunity to learn through travel creates greater opportunities for them to succeed in life and have a better understanding of global cultures and ideas. Allianz Global Assistance is dedicated to protecting and helping travelers wherever they may go.”
“We’re also happy to be able to help students explore their world and we’re thrilled to support both the FTF Teen Travel Writing Scholarship and our very own ScholarTrips program,” Durazo adds.
FTF Senior Editor Fran Falkin said “Year after year we are impressed by the student’s eloquence, their vivid descriptions of nature, appreciation of cultural diversity and thoughtful observations about human interactions. We are also extremely appreciative of our sponsors for their sustaining support. It is very gratifying to acknowledge this impressive work and know we’ve encouraged more than 55,000 teens over the years to share their travels.”
Preliminary rounds of judging were done by FTF interns and staff. Winners were selected from the top 1% by a team of professional educators from the Journalism Education Association (JEA), writers from SATW, and representatives from the Society of Professional Journalists, and Tourism Cares, the charitable arm of the travel and tourism industry. Finalist essays were judged on creativity and eloquence; a sense of place; emotional impact; vocabulary and style; and grammar, punctuation and spelling.
We congratulate the winners of the 2018 Family Travel Forum Teen Travel Writing Scholarship and thank all bloggers for submitting such great work.
2018 FTF TEEN TRAVEL WRITING SCHOLARSHIP WINNERS:
Winners receive a cash stipend plus a GoPro Travel Bag:
1st Place – $1,000
“Breathtaking Burials: Bogus or Believable?,” by Irene Yi, Central High School, Grand Rapids, MI
2nd Place – $500
“A Leopard’s Way,” by Kathryn Ribbens,” Cole Valley Christian Schools, Meridian, ID
3rd Place – $250
“Reflections on Omaha Beach,” by Ian Hubbard, Hampton Bays High School, Hampton Bays, NY
2018 FTF TEEN TRAVEL WRITING SCHOLARSHIP HONORABLE MENTIONS:
Honorees receive a Certificate of Commendation and a subscription to Lonely Planet Magazine:
“Go Play In The Snow!,” by Zoie Buske, Harmony School of Advancement, Houston, TX
“International Mafia,” by Ali Cohen, Chandler Preparatory Academy, Chandler, AZ
“California Dreams,” by Daman Cusick, Bowling Green High School, Bowling Green, KY
“Savor(y) Switzerland,” by Elizabeth Goldin, Highland Park High School, Highland Park, IL
“Da Vinci Day,” by Lesharyn Jackson, West Career & Technical Academy, Las Vegas, NV
“My Guatemala,” by Ruby Johnston, Santa Cruz High School, Santa Cruz, CA
“A Picture Into the Past,” by Jola Laguda, Quincy High School, Quincy, MA
“An Unexpected Village Dance Party,” by Joshua Leong, McLean High School, McLean, VA
“Peace Train,” by Brooke Mickle, Westlake High School, Austin, TX
“Home Is Where You Park It,” by Olivia Morrison, Morrison Home School, Bedford, NH
“The Philippines: Living in a Childhood That Was Never Mine,” by Alana Ordonez, Harker Heights High School, Harker Heights, TX
“A Winding Road,” by Giselle Pfaeffle, Patrick Henry High School, Roanoke, VA
“Mississippian Ripples,” by Brenna Salverson, Dunlap High School, Dunlap, IL
“Creature of the Coast,” by Mia Shipp, Vandebilt Catholic High School, Houma, LA
“At Home, Three Thousand Miles Away,” by Madeline Short, Goffstown High School, Goffstown, NH
“The Moment I Was Aware of A Cruel World,” by Grace Smart, Los Osos High School, Rancho Cucamonga, CA
“The Treasures Concealed by Mesas of Arizona,” by Hope Stevenson, Carl Sandberg High School, Orland Park, IL
“Get Lost: How A GPS Error Led Me to the Beauty of Alexandria, VA,” by Riley Sutherland, Liberty North High School, Liberty, MO
“The Feast,” by Birukti Tsige, Malden High School, Malden, MA
“Santiago’s Tears Of Joy,” by Hunton Warren, St. Mary’s School, Raleigh, NC
About Family Travel Forum
Family Travel Forum has been the trusted vacation planning resource for global travel with kids and grandkids since 1996. FTF’s expert and community content has been seen on Disney’s Family.com and other sites, in “America’s Most Popular Family Vacations,” “The Complete Idiot’s Guide to the Best Family Destinations,” “Amazing Places to Take Your Kids in North America” and by millions of traveling families. In addition to co-hosting the annual TMS Family Travel Summit and conferences, FTF ventures include the “The Family Vacationist” blog and e-alert; and Family Travel Consulting to the trade in partnership with Taking the Kids.
About Allianz Global Assistance
Operating in 34 countries, Allianz Global Assistance is a leading insurance and assistance company that provides insurance to 35 million U.S. customers annually. The company is best known for its Allianz Travel Insurance plans, which protect travelers from unexpected trip cancellations or losses while traveling. Plans are available in annual or per trip coverage. The company’s partners include leading travel agencies, airlines and other travel suppliers. Allianz Global Assistance also supports student travel by providing merit scholarships through their ScholarTrips essay contest. Since 2017, ScholarTrips has given over $175,000 in scholarships to hundreds of students who have realized their dream of international travel.
About TTW Travel Industry Partners
Travel Media Showcase and TMS Family Travel, divisions of J. Vero & Associates, are designed to bring together leading print and broadcast travel media with tourism representatives from around the world to showcase new regions for media to cover, and connect destinations with qualified leads. The Society of American Travel Writers, a tax-exempt, professional association established in 1955, includes journalists, editors, photographers, filmmakers, bloggers, and communications professionals who specialize in the travel industry.
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Contact: Fran Falkin
Email: FTFstaff @familytravelforum.com
Thanks to our 2018 Scholarship Sponsors!
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Grt place to visit.. This place is located after entering the Ranthambore National Park.. However, to visit this place u can evn get your own vehicle…
John, glad you liked the story. This park is in Ohio where the weather can be unpredictable! It’s warmest between late April and November, but even April has the risk of some snow. If you’re camping with kids, the safest bet is June to August, because it’s warmer and there’s little rain. Enjoy your trip.
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It’s truly magical being there. I love the art this country offers. Their wall arts and crafts are just lovely.
Hi Maggie,
You always share to the world with something new and different destinations. Thank you so much for sharing.
The history of Cuhahoga valley national park seems interesting and must be a new experience when we observe scenes of National park from their scenic campgrounds.
which season do you think is the best time to visit this national park?
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Wow, what a nice article. Makes you feel like you should pack up and go immediately. It seems Linblad runs a good operation and trips are kid friendly. Is there a list of particular dates that are family friendly or are there kid activities year round on board the boats. Any other advice on travling with kids to Ecuador and Galapagos would be really welcome.
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Hello Michael, glad to hear your family is interested in a dude ranch holiday.
Since your kids are older and, hopefully, everyone in the family rides, you have lots of options. The Dude Ranchers Association is a really helpful resource in sorting through the many types of ranch vacations. For example, you can go here: https://duderanch.org/by-activity-amenity and search for ‘Advanced Rides’ and “Cattle Drives’ and that would get you some real working ranches that would have more of the lifestyle you seem to be looking for. One of our authors recommends the Hideout in Shell, Wyoming for this type of trip.
Looking for a real ranch experience with horseback riding (lots of it) and time in the open air with my son (15) and daughter (12) and my wife (49). I am 62. We live in NJ, my children have been sheltered but I grew up in a small coal mining town in Pennsylvania. I want my children to see another side of life.
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Great destinations for First Night and New Year’s Eve! Check out our favourite ones in Europe: https://tapsy.blog/?s=new+year%27s+eve
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Of course, you can do travel freely and easily through these two countries yourself, but I enjoyed having the trip curated for me, including well-chosen local guides, comfortable transportation on call and some superb private tours, such as a Khmer cooking class or historic walking tour of Saigon, with flexibility in the itinerary for our group of five to follow their own paths, such as making an emotional detour to the moving Genocide Museum housed in the old S-21 jail in Phnom Penh.
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For Richard re: dual citizenship US-Nicaragua… can I use the same to travel back to Nicaragua with the same Power of Attorney (Specific to Minors) since wife is staying back in Nicaragua to keep eyes on the house.
Hi Richard, In our travel experience, this type of document should work well for your travels, but if your wife is available, it can’t hurt to download the sample forms we have online and also have her fill out and notarize one for your trip with your child. The agency responsible in your case will be the carrier — we assume an airline — and if they can make a note in your travel record that they have approved the Nicaraguan documents you should be fine on both departing and entering.
Safe Travels!
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very informative article Travel forums provide first hand experience and advice to travelers and are a great source of information and travel tips.
As a signal parent, your life, world, actions are based on your childs well fair. Not your happiness or anything that has to do with you.
It should list where they are going, the dates that they are allowed to go and grant your permission for that trip. You want to include your address and phone number and probably the contact info for the adult traveling as well.
The grand archways and the paintings of Lord Krishna and his cows are a visual treat. Wander through areas opened for tourists and you shall witness the impressive aura and architecture of the Royal state of Rajasthan.
Thanks for Sharing
Hello guys my wife and I have dual citizenship US-Nicaragua, I’m planning to travel to the US with our son also dual citizenship for 3 weeks, with a Power of Attorney (Specific to Minors) from Nicaragua, can I use the same to travel back to Nicaragua with the same Power of Attorney (Specific to Minors) since wife is staying back in Nicaragua to keep eyes on the house.
Congratulations to the winners! A question to all the professional travelers here, how are you planning the route ant the places to see while visiting a new country? As for me I just google the most touristic and popular places. It works mostly, but there were a few times when I realized that I have seen only some the places this country or city is famous for, and that’s sad. On my last trip to Armenia, I decided to take a tour and it was quite productive. It’s much more informative when somebody is telling you history and some interesting facts. If someone wants to save their time – make sure to ask them to help if you’ll ever be there.
Curitiba é uma lugar lindo, além de ser considerada uma das melhores cidades para se morar em Brasil.
Realmente a muito o que conhecer por lá, como também diversas outras belezas do nosso brasil.
Principalmente as praias do Brasil que são muito procurada por inúmeros turistas internacionais e nacionais.
As Praias do Litoral Paulista, divididos entre Praias do Litoral Norte e Litoral Sul.
As mais conhecidas são as Praias de Ubatuba com mais de 100 belas praias no litoral norte paulista.
Já no litoral sul, a região mais procurada são as Praias de Guarujá, a região conta com 23 praias de pura beleza e preservação ambiental.
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Mahalo,
Sharon Hackleman
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Was an honour and pleasure to host you both in the Maori Whakata/Welcome to Wanaka. Welcome back anytime to this wonderful part of the world.
Kia Kaha/Stay strong
[http://www.wanahaka.co.nz]