Dalia Ramirez

Views from a tower in Portugal, gondolas in Venice, beaches in the Bahamas — as you scroll through your social media feeds, it seems like everyone you’ve ever met is on a picturesque vacation this summer. Compared to the last two years, 2022 is seeing a steep increase in travel, especially international, and it may feel impossible to keep up.

The number of outbound international US flights increased about 97% year-over-year from April 2021 to April 2022, according to US International Air Travel Statistics. Airbnb data from May 2022 also showed an all-time high in long-term stay bookings, with US travelers gravitating toward Italy, Mexico, Costa Rica and the Bahamas as well as domestic beach destinations.

If you’re not planning to travel this year, hearing about other peoples’ vacations might give you a twinge of FOMO: fear of missing out. But don’t let comparisons pressure you into panic-booking

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earlier in July, Ryan Lochte announced that he would be auctioning off six of his twelve Olympic medals, with the proceeds going to the Jorge Nations Foundation. The Jorge Nation Foundation raises funds to send seriously ill children on their dream vacations.

The medals alone brought in a gross total of over $166,000, of which an unspecified percentage will be donated. Combined with the proceeds from Lochte’s additional items (the ring and watch), the items fetched a grand total of over $195,000.

Lochte’s Breitling watch, which was also estimated at $10,000, ended up fetching $16.143. The 14K White Gold Olympic ring, which Lochte purchased following the 2012 Olympics, was estimated at over $8,000, and sold for $12,914.

The six medals were broken up into three auction items. The available packages were Locthe’s 2004 Athens Olympic silver medal, his two bronze medals from the 2008 Beijing Olympics, and two silver and

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Time goes by. It’s winter, then summer, then winter again. I know some children, grown older, whose lives were marked by Christmas, then summer vacation, then Christmas, then summer vacation again.

Whatever the season or reason, with pandemic guidelines now relaxed, many individuals, groups, and families have taken, or are planning on taking, vacations, staycations, migrations, isolations, call it whatever you like. It doesn’t cost anything, travel checks (does anyone use them anymore?), frequent flier/honor points, or plastic, to live vicariously through our fellow humans’ experiences and impressions. That’s what this is all about.

Whether your ideal holiday or holistay, as the Brits say, is fishing in Minnesota, cruising down the Panama Canal, dining on Gibraltar, birdwatching on the Galápagos Islands, backpacking in the Pyrenees, or running through the sprinkler in your backyard, everyone needs a break from this journey called life once in awhile. It’s exhilarating and refreshing.

Without

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Today on Up To Speed, Communications Manager Chris Serico previewed his interviews with two travel icons – former “Man vs. Food” host Adam Richman and “Kellee Set Go!” herself, Kellee Edwards – about their Dream Vacations, which were inspired by the many travel benefits of the Verizon Visa Card. And because fantasies aren’t bound by the space-time continuum, Adam and Kellee let their imaginations run wild for their ultimate 24-hour travel experiences. Check out the full interview with Adam up above.

Verizon Visa Card helps customers earn 4 percent back on gas and groceries; 3 percent at restaurants (including takeout); 2 percent at Verizon; and 1 percent on all other purchases – including hotels. Those rewards can help Verizon customers earn Verizon dollars to pay bills, buy a new phone or cash in for travel and gift cards.

Famous for traveling across the country and around the world in search

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On today’s episode of Up To Speed, Communications Manager Chris Serico checked in with our retail V Team to explore why we love the Verizon Visa Card, whose vacation-friendly rewards inspired travel icons Adam Richman and Kellee Edwards to imagine their Dream Vacations.

We learned more about the Verizon Visa Card’s travel-friendly benefits from retail V Teamers Jordan Daniels in Portland, Oregon; Paul Martin in Noblesville, Indiana, Colleen McCafferty in Hanover, Massachusetts and Amanda Carver in Kokomo, Indiana. They appreciated how Verizon Visa Card helps customers earn 4 percent back on gas and groceries; 3 percent at restaurants (including takeout); 2 percent at Verizon; and 1 percent on all other purchases. Those rewards can help Verizon customers earn Verizon dollars to pay bills, buy a new phone or cash in for travel and gift cards.

Jordan said he loves using the Verizon Visa Card for dining purchases: “Plus, it can

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