American Adventures Month on August, 2024: August is the ONLY calender month without a MAJOR holiday: Why has it never been claimed for any

August, 2024 is American Adventures Month 2024. August American Adventures Month National Adventures Month!

Sponsored Deals
Amazon Gold Box

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

August is the ONLY calender month without a MAJOR holiday: Why has it never been claimed for any

The following events are observed calendar month-long in August:

American Adventures Month

American History Essay Contest

National Catfish Month

Black Business Month

Cataract Awareness Month

Children's Eye Health and Safety Month

Children's Vision and Learning Month

Get Ready for Kindergarten Month

Happiness Happens Month

Harvest Month

Motorsports Awareness Month

National Immunization Awareness Month

National Inventor's Month

National Panini Month

National Water Quality Month

National Win with Civility Month

Neurosurgery Outreach Month

Peach Month

Spinal Muscular Atrophy Awareness Month

What Will Be Your Legacy Month

Are The All American Rejects done already?

Are The All American Rejects done already?

no they're not done.

They have a few concerts coming up in the next month.

and they made a lot of new songs.

I lovee all american rejects!!

Living in London for a month? Feasible?

Living in London for a month? Feasible?

if you are american, you will need 2000 dollars for every two weeks.

the immigration people will say: "what is your destination today" or "what hotel are you staying in tonight?". you have to have a provable answer immediately.

if you are under 25, and you say you are staying with your brother, you will be pulled aside in a detention room. you will be asked to show your itinerary, return ticket, and funds for your visit. The quickest way to get sent back on the plane you came in on is to say -- my brother is picking me up and he is waiting in the lobby.

you will have to prove a credit card with an available balance of 4000 dollars (or a debit card with your bank statement balance). it would be a good idea to have a fake itinerary prepared with hotel reservations that you can cancel once you get there. your answer to their questions is i am touring (Name of city)

do a google search on heathrow immigration "sent back"

this has happened to a number of young people i know.

here is an article i found:

Unprepared travelers may be sent back

04:51 PM CDT on Saturday, July 11, 2009

Jessica Meyers / The Dallas Morning News

Travelers seeking adventure abroad now face hindrances greater than overstuffed backpacks and booked hostels.

In a world marked by economic uncertainty and terrorism concerns, gaining admittance to a foreign country when a visa isn't required is no longer about just having a U.S. passport and a credit card.

COURTNEY PERRY/DMN

Mary Birk hoped to spend two months traveling in Europe, but a border agent in London's Heathrow Airport turned her away.

Three Plano men learned that lesson this month when they were turned away by officials in Ireland. And they have company. Other Americans have found themselves at the discretion of suspicious border agents and their own faulty planning.

"If you're going to go to Europe, you better have an out," said Tom Parsons, the founder of discount travel Web site BestFares.com, who has spent three decades traveling the world. "Have a place to stay. Make a reservation even if you don't mean to stay."

Other precautions, such as buying a round-trip ticket, are essential as unemployment in European countries creeps up and post-Sept. 11 security measures remain intact, he said.

And these days, it's also about strategy – a lesson Mary Birk just learned.

Birk quit her job at a hedge fund in Los Angeles and bought a one-way ticket to England last month. The Mansfield native left her belongings in Austin and booked five nights in a London hotel, a jumping-off point for two months in Spain and Italy.

Then she got to Heathrow Airport.

"I thought the whole thing was a joke," said Birk, a 37-year-old certified public accountant who was sent back because she did not have a return ticket or "any definite plans for what you wish to see and do in the United Kingdom," according to a notice handed to her by the U.K. Border Agency.

The border agent also wrote that Birk is "currently unemployed ... and I therefore cannot be satisfied that you have sufficient incentive to return to the United States."

She said the guard refused to look at a bank statement online, a response the Plano men also reported.

"This is the most ridiculous thing that has ever happened to me," said Birk, who said she had traveled through London before and had money in the bank.

U.K. Border Agency officials stood by their decision, pointing out regulations that say visitors must prove they can meet the cost of a return or onward journey. Irish authorities also require that a visitor show "earning capacity and other financial resources" if the immigration officer deems it necessary.

A spokesman for the U.K. agency said the most important criterion is to "satisfy the immigration officer."

The border agent ultimately determines your fate, said Mark Hoyer, an American Express travel consultant based in Houston who has spent 20 years focusing on around-the-world travel.

"I tell people, 'Be sweet, kissy, kissy, kissy. Butter them up,' " he said. "Don't bribe, but be nice as pie."

He considers it too risky to carry a bank statement and recommends dressy clothes and sweet-talking instead.

Volunteer barred

Rachel Rogerson, a 24-year-old from Dallas, thought that she was being polite when she informed the U.K. border guard three weeks ago that she intended to "volunteer and then travel" in Scotland.

She was barred from entry because officials said she needed a visa to do such work. The First Minister later apologized, gave her a private tour of his home and invited her to hobnob with Prince Charles at an upcoming ceremony.

Both cases highlight the fuzzy line between the information travelers are obligated to give and details border guards need to know. It often comes down to semantics.

"If you're an out-of-work dentist, your profession is still dentistry; you don't have to say the part about being unemployed." said Robert Reid, the U.S. travel editor for the Lonely Planet travel guidebooks.

The same goes for the address form, he said, where a half-answer or a possible hotel choice is less eye-attracting than writing nothing.

The process of obtaining a visa can reduce uncertainty at the border.

Applications often require travelers to spell out their plans and financial information in advance. Then there are places such as Cuba and Burma, where actual dishonesty may be the only way to gain entry because of embargos or banned occupations, Reid said.

U.S. is tougher

Visitor refusals may be growing, though they're still quite rare, Reid said.

"You're more likely to be attacked by gophers than be turned back from the U.K.," he said. Still, he advised checking with consulates about new requirements and sticking with an onward or round-trip ticket.

American travelers have it easier than non-natives entering the United States. Foreign travelers who are not required to obtain visas must have a ticket that proves they will leave the country within 90 days.

For Americans such as Birk who have black rejection crosses on their passports, the potential for international travel is less clear.

U.K. officials said a notation of a previous refused entry would not bar her from returning. Spanish Embassy officials said it might raise a few questions but would not interfere with admittance to Spain.

Birk isn't so sure. "I could try this and get grilled and refused again," she said, recalling the previous four-hour session.

She doesn't plan to go back to the U.K., but she also refuses to give up traveling.

This time she's planning a binder of printed documents – and a round-trip ticket.

Tips for travelers

Americans can travel to many foreign countries without a visa, but they are not guaranteed admission. Experts say there are plenty of things travelers can do to avoid problems at the border.

Have a ticket out. One-way plane tickets, in particular, get noticed at immigration. To avoid hassles, consider purchasing a round-trip or onward ticket even if you have to change the reservation later. Printouts showing bus or train tickets out of the country also help.

Know where you're staying. If you don't know yet, keep a possible hotel choice (or even just a city) in mind for immigration forms. Writing something down is better than nothing at all.

Carry extra documents. Especially if your plans are open-ended, it may be a good idea to have documentation such as hotel reservations and a printed bank statement offering proof of funds.

Check your passport. Make sure your passport is valid for another six months. If in doubt about documents, consider asking a consulate for more information.

Clean up. Scraggly travelers are more likely to rouse suspicion.

Be polite. The immigration officer at the point of entry ultimately decides your fate, so proper etiquette is important regardless of how the officer acts. Follow directions and answer questions as plainly as possible. For example: "I am a tourist on holiday."

Theodore Kim and Jessica Meyers

Also on this date Thursday, August 1, 2024...