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WHETTING THE APPETITE FOR TRAVEL
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Repeat travelers and newbies who have yet to travel abroad have taken virtual tours with Claudia. While experiencing a trip in person is still the ideal, virtual travel has many advantages as well. “I had a great time,” said Kori Flowers. “I haven’t done any international traveling yet myself but this is a little taste of what that would be like. Even though she has not gone abroad, traveling virtually with Claudia to Budapest and Kyoto, Japan, gave Kori some inspiration to consider such trips in the future. “I loved the trip to Japan, and I enjoyed exploring new places in the comfort of my own home.” She encourages people to take the opportunity to travel whenever they can, even if it is a virtual adventure. “It was really cool to see halfway across the world while I’m still here at home,” Kori said. Rosemary Goff and Bob Toborg have traveled with Claudia in person. “She’s a lot of fun to travel with,” said Rosemary. When they were contacted about the opportunity to travel virtually, they could not resist. The tour guides are usually on foot which limits the places you can visit, but on the flip side, it also means a more in-depth experience in a local area. Sharing her experiences, Rosemary said, “We visited Budapest. The most interesting part was down by the canal where they had dozens of pairs of metal shoe sculptures on the riverbank.” This sobering memorial named “Shoes on the Danube Bank” was erected in 2005 to pay tribute to the thousands of people killed in Budapest during the second World War.
1. Claudia Allene is pictured with a student offering free hugs in Kyoto, Japan in 2014.
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2. This is a street view from Kori Flowers’ virtual trip to Budapest, Hungary. Submitted. 3. Kori Flowers was able to see this view of Budapest over the Danube River, thanks to Claudia Allene’s virtual tour there. Submitted. 4. In 2015, Claudia went camel riding in Ulaanbaataar, Mongolia, with a French couple she met on her travels. They stayed with a family in their nomadic yurt. 5. Kori Flowers virtually visited the Budapest presidential residence, Sándor Palace. She learned it was almost entirely destroyed during World War II; the stone wall in the foreground are remnants of the original palace. Submitted. 6. Claudia poses at a World Heritage site of Inca ruins in Machu Picchu, Peru.
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her voice | fall/winter 2020 • share your voice with us
