{"id":126,"date":"2014-06-05T16:32:45","date_gmt":"2014-06-05T20:32:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ustoa.com\/blog\/?p=126"},"modified":"2024-02-22T15:49:24","modified_gmt":"2024-02-22T20:49:24","slug":"70th-anniversary-d-day","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ustoa.com\/blog\/70th-anniversary-d-day\/","title":{"rendered":"70TH ANNIVERSARY OF D-DAY"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><em>By: Terry Dale, President and CEO, USTOA<\/em><\/p>\n<p>June 6 marks 70 years since allied forces invaded Normandy, a crucial turning point in the war against Nazi Germany, and people from around the globe will come together to honor the brave soldiers who fought during World War II. At the invitation of French President Fran\u00e7ois Hollande, dignitaries and world leaders including President Barack Obama and Queen Elizabeth II will visit Normandy to commemorate the occasion, which will also be marked with firework displays along the coast at main D-Day sites, military parades, parachute drops and more.<\/p>\n<p>Travelers, too, can honor the courageous veterans who fought with visits to the infamous beaches of Normandy and other influential WWII sites through tour programs and packages from USTOA active tour operator members. While many have been exposed to the beaches of Normandy through old newsreels and mainstream films, especially younger travelers, few have had the opportunity to set foot on the historic beaches and sites.<\/p>\n<p>USTOA members provide limitless opportunities to delve into the history of WWII and commemorate the 70<sup>th<\/sup> Anniversary of this significant and solemn occasion.\u00a0 Following is sampling of itineraries from members designed to commemorate the bravery and sacrifice of the Allied troops who fought during WWII:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><b>Insight Vacations\u2019<\/b> nine-day \u201cNormandy, Brittany &amp; The Loire Valley\u201d tour includes two nights in Normandy, two evenings in Paris and two nights in the Loire Valley. Visit <a href=\"http:\/\/www.insightvacations.com\">www.insightvacations.com<\/a> for more information.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>From Southern England and Northern France to Belgium and the Netherlands, travelers on the \u201cWWI &amp; WWII Battlefields\u201d tour from <b>Trafalgar<\/b> will visit a variety of memorial sites beyond just the beaches of Normandy. More details at <a href=\"http:\/\/www.trafalgar.com\">www.trafalgar.com<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><b>Worldwide Traveler\u2019s<\/b> \u201cBack-Roads Touring: D-Day Battle for France\u201d itinerary visits the French cities of Lille, Dunkirk, Dieppe, Bayeux, and the Normandy beaches and is led by a specialist in historic battlefields. Visit <a href=\"http:\/\/www.worldwidetraveler.com\">www.worldwidetraveler.com<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><b>Go-Today\u2019s<\/b> six-night \u201cParis &amp; Normandy, Saint Malo, Mont St. Michel and Loire Valley Escorted Tour\u201d combines free time and organized sightseeing. Visit <a href=\"http:\/\/www.go-today.com\">www.go-today.com<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>Travelers on \u201cNormandy, Brittany &amp; the Loire Valley,\u201d a nine-day tour from <b>Grand European Travel<\/b>, will drive along the beaches of the D-Day landings, reflect at the American Military Cemetery of St. Laurent near Omaha Beach and learn more about the historic battle at the D-Day Invasion Landings\u2019 Museum. Visit <a href=\"http:\/\/www.getours.com\">www.getours.com<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>\u201cNorthern France,\u201d a private journey from <b>Cox &amp; Kings<\/b>,<b> <\/b>follows roads taken by allied forces while listening to anecdotes from a local guide and learning about the heated fighting of WWII at Omaha Beach before stopping at the American Cemetery, Caen Memorial, and other locations related to the war. More details at <a href=\"http:\/\/www.coxandkingsusa.com\">www.coxandkingsusa.com<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>From a wreath-laying ceremony and moment of silence to exploration of the D-Day museum in Mulberry Harbor and Juno Beach landing site, the \u201cParis &amp; Normandy\u201d itinerary from <b>Uniworld Boutique River Cruise Collection<\/b> honors fallen soldiers. Visit <a href=\"http:\/\/www.uniworld.com\">www.uniworld.com<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><b>Insight Vacations\u2019<\/b> nine-day \u201cNormandy, Brittany &amp; The Loire Valley\u201d tour includes two nights in Normandy, so guests will enjoy leisurely yet comprehensive visits to numerous WWII sites. Visit <a href=\"http:\/\/www.insightvacations.com\">www.insightvacations.com<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>Travelers will gain a greater understanding of D-Day and the beaches where allied forces landed on <b>Gate 1 Travel\u2019s<\/b> 12-day \u201cIllustrious France\u201d tour. Visit <a href=\"http:\/\/www.gate1travel.com\">www.gate1travel.com<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>Explore France via bike and gain insight into Normandy\u2019s rich history during <b>VBT Bicycling and Walking Vacation\u2019s<\/b> eight-night \u201cBicycling France: Normandy &amp; Brittany.\u201d More details at <a href=\"http:\/\/www.VBT.com\">www.VBT.com<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>Created exclusively for the 70<sup>th<\/sup> Anniversary of the epic D-Day landings, <b>Collette\u2019s<\/b> tour \u201cMemorials of War: Normandy &amp; Paris\u201d takes travelers to the landmarks of D-Day. Visit <a href=\"http:\/\/www.gocollette.com\">www.gocollette.com<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>Travelers get an inside look at the daily rhythms of French life on <b>Tauck\u2019s<\/b> 10-day \u201cRendezvous on the Seine,\u201d which includes a seven-day river cruise on the ms <i>Swiss Sapphire<\/i>, in addition to a guided tour of the D-Day beaches. More information at <a href=\"http:\/\/www.tauck.com\">www.tauck.com<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><i>For more information about tours and packaged vacations, visit <\/i><a href=\"http:\/\/www.ustoa.com\"><i>www.ustoa.com<\/i><\/a><i>.\u00a0 And, remember that when booking with USTOA active members, you also get the assurance of knowing that they are held to the highest standards in the industry with our $1 Million Travelers Assistance Program.\u00a0 Visit <\/i><a href=\"http:\/\/www.ustoa.com\"><i>www.ustoa.com<\/i><\/a><i> for complete details.<\/i><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By: Terry Dale, President and CEO, USTOA June 6 marks 70 years since allied forces invaded Normandy, a crucial turning point in the war against Nazi Germany, and people from around the globe will come together to honor the brave soldiers who fought during World War II. At the invitation of French President Fran\u00e7ois Hollande, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[129],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-126","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-travel-blogs"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v24.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>70TH ANNIVERSARY OF D-DAY - USTOA Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Travelers, too, can honor the courageous veterans who fought with visits to the infamous beaches of Normandy and other influential D-Day WWII sites.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/ustoa.com\/blog\/70th-anniversary-d-day\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"70TH ANNIVERSARY OF D-DAY - 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