Friends! The fluffiest, most satisfying, Nutella lover’s dream dessert is here: vegan ice cream made with chocolate and hazelnuts. It’s creamy, dreamy, oh-so delicious, and kind of perfect! Especially when craving a sweet treat on a warm summer day.
Just 6 ingredients required for this (dare we say) MASTERPIECE. It’s going to be on repeat in our ice cream maker all season long. Grab your cones. Let’s make Nutella ice cream!
There are places that look better in person than in photos, and places that look exactly as advertised. Wadi Rum somehow does both. The desert is larger and more impressive than you would imagine, changing color throughout the day as the light shifts across the landscape. Of all the places we visited in Jordan, the …
The post Wadi Rum Guide – How to Visit Jordan’s Red Desert appeared first on Travel Notes & Beyond.
Last Updated on June 25, 2026 by Sarah Wilson I visited Togoville as part of a tour with Undiscovered Destinations, which made the trip very easy because everything from transport to the lake crossing was organised for me. You can visit independently, but you will need to put in a little more effort. Most travellers head to the waterfront […]
The post Visiting Togoville: A Fascinating Trip Across Lake Togo appeared first on LifePart2andBeyond.com.
Original content owned & copyrighted by Green Global Travel.
This post was brought to you in partnership with KOA (Kampgrounds of America).
Picture yourself hitting the open road in your home on wheels, or settling into your perfect vacation spot for weeks at a time.
The freedom of RV travel is a dream shared by millions, whether you’re exploring new destinations or enjoying an extended stay in one beautiful location.
With Kampgrounds of America (KOA), finding RV camping sites with full hookups is fast, affordable, easy and fun.
Here’s a look at everything you need to know about RV camping at KOA, which has more than 500 locations spread across the United States and Canada!
READ MORE: 20+ Camping Tips and Tricks For Responsible Travelers
Whether you’re part of one of the 8.1 million households that already own an RV, or among the 16.9 million people who hope to join the growing RV community, finding quality campsites is essential.
Since 1962, KOA has helped families and adventurers create unforgettable memories in the great outdoors.
Spending time in nature offers numerous health benefits, including reduced stress and improved mood, better sleep, and an enhanced immune system.
So, when you camp at KOA, you’re investing in both adventure and well-being.
READ MORE: Camping & Hiking in Joshua Tree National Park
KOA operates North America’s largest network of campgrounds, with over 500 locations spanning the United States and Canada.
You can park your rig beside a mountain lake, nestled in a coastal forest, or near major cities for easy access to urban attractions.
There are three distinct KOA campground types to match your personal travel style:
Matching the KOA brand to your preferred camping style or goals is the first step in choosing your location.
| Camper Type | Best KOA Choice | Why It Will Suit You |
| The Weekend Warrior | KOA Holiday | Close to attractions, full amenities, plenty of activities for the whole family |
| The Cross-Country Voyager | KOA Journey | Highway-convenient locations, quick check-in, clean facilities for overnight stops |
| The Snowbird | KOA Resort | Extended stay options, resort amenities, vibrant community atmosphere |
| The Nature Lover | KOA Holiday or Resort | Proximity to trails and outdoor recreation, peaceful settings, wildlife viewing opportunities |
| The Family Vacationer | KOA Holiday | Playgrounds, swimming pools, organized activities, spacious sites for multiple vehicles |
READ MORE: List of US National Parks By State (An Epic Guide)
Having picked a campground, the next step is to narrow down to the exact type of pitch to book.
KOA welcomes RVs of every type, from compact camper vans to luxurious motorhomes.
The variety of site options across the network means you can find exactly what your rig needs.
READ MORE: What is Glamping? A Guide to Luxury Camping
Understanding hookup choices is important:
The KOA website’s easy-to-use filtering system lets you search specifically for RV camping sites with full hookups so you can book with confidence.
READ MORE: The Best Places for Family Camping in California
KOA Campgrounds accommodate RVs of all sizes, with sites designed for everything from small camper vans to massive 45-foot-long motorhomes.
Pull-through sites let you drive straight in and out without backing up, which is ideal for larger rigs. Back-in sites offer more privacy and often premium views.
Many locations also feature KOA Patio® sites, which include an extended private patio space with outdoor furniture and a fire pit or fire ring.
READ MORE: The 15 Best Camping Tents for Families
Every KOA Campground includes laundry facilities, playgrounds, and convenience stores stocked with camping supplies.
Depending on which type you choose, some also have after-hours check-in, group facilities, supervised children’s activities and resort-style pools.
Most locations are near hiking trails, water recreation, wildlife-viewing opportunities, or visitor attractions.
The friendly staff (in their signature yellow shirts) are always happy to share local recommendations.
READ MORE: Wadi Rum Desert Camping & Camel Trekking in Jordan
Your four-legged family members are always welcome at KOA.
Every location features a KampK9® area, with fenced off-leash space where dogs can play safely. Some campgrounds are rolling out new KOA Paw PenSM sites, which include a private fenced area as part of your campsite. S
Since around 43% of all RVers consider pet-friendly camping important, KOA has made it easy!
READ MORE: The Best Hiking Trails (For Your World Travel Bucket List)
KOA’s streamlined online booking system takes the stress out of planning, letting you search by location, filter for amenities like full hookups, and view detailed site information.
You’ll also see transparent pricing, with no hidden fees. The platform shows real-time availability across hundreds of campgrounds, eliminating the need to check multiple sites.
Consider joining the KOA Rewards Program, which offers valuable perks to make camping more affordable.
Members receive a 10% discount on nightly rates at participating locations, plus exclusive promotions and the ability to earn points toward free nights.
READ MORE: What is An Eco Lodge? (Top 10 Eco Lodges in the World)
Make the most of your experience with these insider suggestions:
READ MORE: What Is Ecotourism (History & Principles of Responsible Travel)
Here are answers to common questions about RVing at KOA.
Can I have a campfire at my site?
Campfire policies vary by location and season. Many sites include fire rings, and KOA sells firewood. Always check current restrictions with staff.
Is Wi-Fi available at KOA campgrounds?
Most KOA locations offer Wi-Fi access, though signal strength varies by site location.
Do I need a reservation or can I just show up?
Reservations are strongly recommended. Booking ahead guarantees you’ll have a site.
Are there size restrictions for RVs?
Each campground lists maximum RV lengths for sites. The booking system filters results based on your RV size.
The post Everything You Need to Know About RV Camping at KOA appeared first on Green Global Travel.
Whether you’re visiting Málaga for its beaches, historic charm, food scene, or vibrant nightlife, choosing the right neighborhood can make all the difference. This guide breaks down the best areas to stay in Málaga, along with top hotel recommendations for every budget and travel style.
The post Where To Stay In Malaga: Best Areas And Neighborhoods For Every Type Of Trip appeared first on Going Awesome Places by William Tang.
This post was originally published on this site.
Fifty years ago, a U.S. Air Force colonel named John Boyd offered a profound insight into why battles are won or lost.
His famous Observe, Orient, Decide, Act — or OODA — Loop described the mental cycle by which combatants, from fighter pilots to generals, assess and react to a constantly changing situation.
Those with a faster OODA Loop could exploit opportunities while their befuddled opponents struggled to understand what was going on.
Germany crushed France in 1940 largely because of a sluggish French command system that was always one OODA step behind the swift panzer divisions. More recently, OODA might explain why tactically rigid Russian tank columns were decimated by outnumbered but agile Ukrainian troops in 2022.
Had the Soviets invaded Western Europe during the Cold War, NATO would have relied on OODA — plus airpower and more advanced weapons technology — to stop the Soviet steamroller.
To the troops watching waves of Soviet tanks roll into the Fulda Gap or the North German Plain, OODA would have been just a buzzword. But NATO needed every advantage it could get to compensate for superior Soviet numbers and firepower.
Flashpoint Campaigns: Cold War, published by Matrix Games, is a computer wargame that depicts a hypothetical Warsaw Pact invasion of West Germany in 1989.
But it is more than just another World War III wargame. Flashpoint Campaigns is the OODA Loop gamified. In fact, the game comes in two versions: the regular game for armchair generals, and a professional edition for real soldiers.
Flashpoint Campaigns is a 2-D map game, with NATO platoons and Warsaw Pact companies waging battalion- to division-sized battles. Set in the twilight of the Cold War, much of the hardware — such as Abrams and T-72 tanks, and Bradley and BMP infantry fighting vehicles — are still around today.
Players issue orders to their troops, such as movement, direct fire, calling in artillery and airstrikes, combat engineering operations and resupply. For example, a tank platoon can be ordered to head to a crossroads via a series of designated waypoints along the route.
Units can be given standard operating procedures, or SOPs, such as determining at what range to open fire, when to change firing position and when to retreat. Enemy units are usually invisible until spotted. With Late Cold War weapons so devastating, combat is deadly and proper concealment and reconnaissance a must.
After a player finishes issuing commands, they can hit the start button. A game clock then appears and a certain number of minutes elapse, during which units try to fulfill orders.
It all sounds like a straightforward process — until OODA intervenes.
Unlike many wargames, players in Flashpoint Campaigns can’t give orders to their troops at will. Instead, only at certain intervals does the game clock pause and allow commanders to issue fresh orders. This reflects the time it takes for the command system to collect information, analyze it, reach a decision and pass a new order to subordinates.
Like an object in motion in Newtonian physics, units will try to execute their last set of orders until new instructions arrive. That tank platoon heading down the road toward a village will keep going toward that village until told otherwise, even if the tactical situation has changed.
This is where NATO’s OODA advantage kicks in. The NATO player might have to wait, say, for 14 minutes of game time to elapse before issuing fresh orders. For the Soviets, the delay might be 23 minutes, or about 50% longer.
This means that NATO will have more opportunities to give new orders than the Soviets do. In turn, this means NATO troops can more quickly react to new threats such as enemy forces on their flank, or exploit discovery of a gap in the enemy’s lines.
It also means that NATO can be more flexible in its planning, rather than having to anticipate the tactical situation far in advance.
“We all know what happens when plans make contact with the enemy,” Robert Crandall, president of On Target Simulations, which designed Flashpoint Campaigns, told Military Times. “NATO spent considerable efforts to train for what happens after that contact and to respond faster than their counterparts. This could let them operate inside the Warsaw Pact command loop and outmaneuver them.”
But even NATO has OODA problems in the game. The presence of electronic warfare, in which the Soviets invested heavily, lengthens the interval before a player can give orders. Units engaged in combat will require 50% more time to react to new orders.
And commanders who send too many orders to their troops will receive an unpleasant surprise: too much radio traffic reveals the location as a headquarters, marking it for an artillery or airstrike.
Indeed, some U.S. Army experts today worry American command posts are so chatty that they will be targeted in wartime.
As battles progress in Flashpoints Campaigns, and units takes losses and headquarters are disrupted, command delays will inevitably lengthen for both sides.
Clausewitz’s “friction of war” will become an impediment, though a bit less so for NATO. Commanders on both sides will have to grit their teeth and accept that they can’t control their troops as they would like to.
Would NATO’s tighter OODA Loop have been enough to defeat the Soviets?
“One of the nicest compliments the game received came from a former Warsaw Pact officer who said he played the game using strict Warsaw Pact doctrine and won,” Crandall recalled.
“If the Warsaw Pact player has figured things out correctly, his initial plan will not have needed much, if any, adjustment and just rolls along at maximum speed. His opponent will be wrong-footed and at the mercy of the OODA Loop to react in time. With the fast-moving, hyper-lethal forces of 1989, good luck with that.”
In some ways, Flashpoint Campaigns is a memorial to another era.
The year 1989 was the twilight of 20th Century mechanized warfare. With the threat of drones paralyzing battlefield maneuver in the Ukraine War, discussing OODA’s influence on tactics seem almost quaint.
And yet, there is a reason why there is a global arms race today to develop smarter AI, quicker kill chains between sensors and weapons, and tightly networked forces that can act faster than the enemy.
Every year, the OODA Loop seems to tighten, with less margin to fall behind. As OODA reminds us, time is too precious a commodity to squander.
Read more:
https://www.mycg.uscg.mil/News/Article/4510034/coast-guard-announces-new-training-center-in-alabama/
Interested in joining the U.S. Coast Guard?
Visit: http://www.gocoastguard.com
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Dear Veteran,
Every day as Chairwoman of the Texas Veterans Land Board (VLB) is an opportunity to honor our Veterans and ensure they receive the benefits they have so justly earned as defenders of our nation. On Memorial Day and during the preceding weekend, we have the solemn but honorable responsibility to remember the men and women who were Killed in Action (KIA) or listed as Missing in Action (MIA) while fighting for the land they loved. From its origins as Decoration Day, when towns across the U.S. began holding springtime observances to lay flowers on the graves of fallen warriors, to the parades and touching ceremonies of today, Memorial Day remains a cherished time for the families and communities of Veterans who made the ultimate sacrifice.
It was a privilege to speak at my local Memorial Day ceremony in Lakeway, Texas. There is something special about gathering with your church family to remember not only the sacrifices of our Savior but also the selfless sacrifices of those who died in service to a cause much greater than themselves: the preservation of freedom. The love these men and women have for their country and the people for whom they fight makes them shining examples of what it truly means to love your neighbor. As General Patton said, “While we mourn those that we have lost, we should have joy in the fact that such men and women lived.”
As important as the men and women we have lost are the families they left behind. Our Gold Star Families deserve nothing less than our greatest reverence on Memorial Day as they honor their loved ones’ lives. Hearing from a local Gold Star Family during the ceremony was deeply moving and an experience cherished by the entire congregation. Giving up your life in service to your country requires the kind of bravery few possess, but living on as a testament to this selfless sacrifice, in the face of the deepest grief, demands strength beyond comprehension.
The VLB’s four Texas State Veterans Cemeteries also held Memorial Day ceremonies. The Texas State Veterans Cemetery at Abilene hosted a ceremony featuring the Abilene Community Band, an appearance by the West Texas Patriot Guard Riders, and a flyover by the Big Country One Formation Flight Team. At the Coastal Bend State Veterans Cemetery in Corpus Christi, Gold Star Wives, along with Blue Star Parents and Families, were honored, and Navy Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps scholarships were presented to outstanding students.
At the Central Texas State Veterans Cemetery in Killeen, United States flags were placed at the graves of KIA and MIA servicemembers, and a 21-gun salute and Taps were performed at a special off-site ceremony to honor those lost on the battlefield. The Rio Grande Valley State Veterans Cemetery had more than 200 people in attendance at its Memorial Day ceremony, and during night viewing over the weekend, the poignant melodies of “Taps” and “Amazing Grace” echoed from the cemetery’s bell tower.
All four Veterans cemeteries were open 24 hours a day during the Memorial Day weekend. At night, the gravestones of KIA and MIA warriors were illuminated in tribute to their sacrifices and to demonstrate the Texas General Land Office and VLB’s reverence for their families. Maintaining these hallowed grounds as places for families to cherish their loved ones’ memories is a year-round responsibility. Thanks to the hard-working staff at our award-winning Veterans cemeteries, families from across Texas have beautiful spaces to honor their loved ones on Memorial Day.
I encourage Texans to remember that we are the home of the free because of the brave, and never to forget that the freedom we cherish has always come at a cost.
For Texas,
Chairwoman Dawn Buckingham, M.D.
Remembering Those Who Gave Their All in Defense of Our Nation was originally published in Texas Veterans Blog on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.
Last Updated on June 25, 2026 by Sarah Wilson Lomé wasn’t a city I knew much about before arriving, but it turned out to be the perfect and surprisingly gentle introduction to West Africa. Arrival and Visa Lomé was the starting point of my West Africa trip through Togo and Benin. Before you go, you’ll […]
The post One Day in Lomé, Togo appeared first on LifePart2andBeyond.com.
If your summer calendar looks anything like mine, it’s filled with BBQs, lake days, family get-togethers, and those last-minute texts asking, “Can you bring dessert?”
Good news: this list of summer dessert recipes has you covered! These are the sweet treats that I make every summer – easy, crowd-friendly, and loved by everyone. Bars, pies, cookies, brownies, and more!
My MOST favorite ones on the list: the Best Peach Cobbler and those S’Mores Bars. I make them multiple times every single summer. ❤️
Here’s to long summer days and lots of treats! Hope you find your next fav!
Best summer dessert ever! Made with fresh peaches, sugar, and a topping that bakes like slightly underbaked cookie dough, with crunchy sugar broiled on top.
These really are the BEST S’mores Bars! Chocolate, peanut butter, and marshmallow sandwiched between two layers of a graham cookie crust. Everyone’s favorite summer snack (S’MORES, please!) in dessert bar form!
Absolutely my new favorite dessert. Salty-sweet graham cracker crust, silky caramel toffee filling, sliced bananas, and whipped cream on top. My family loves this easy dessert recipe!
Brownies covered with a thick layer of fudge frosting and rainbow sprinkles. The best way to jazz up a box of brownie mix!
These are HUGE Strawberry White Chocolate Cookies speckled with creamy and rich white chocolate chips and beautifully balanced with tart freeze-dried strawberries. Grab your baking essentials and let’s go!
Salted Caramel Rice Krispie Bars! Perfectly chewy, crispy, caramelly, buttery, soft, and exactly as over-the-top as you need them to be.
Beautiful, chunky clusters of puppy chow with extra chocolate and peanut butter, and a coating of powdered sugar! Midwest summer bliss.
This simple fruit pizza is beautiful and delicious! A soft sugar cookie crust with a cream cheese frosting and topped with sliced fruit. So simple and oh-so good!
It’s nearly springtime and we’re making this beautiful Pistachio Loaf! Grab your baking essentials – like butter, eggs, and sugar – plus a few extras, like pistachios and coconut flour, and get baking!
The BEST Easy Peanut Butter Pie! A simple cookie crust under a layer of fluffy peanut buttery filling that is pillowy, light, and incredibly rich all at the same time.
These Almond Butter Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bars are wholesome and perfect and just everything your summer needs! Made with oats, almond butter, zucchini, dates, and maple syrup. So many feel-good ingredients packed into one bar!
This easy blueberry sauce is made with fresh blueberries, sugar, vanilla, and corn starch. Thick, sweet, and perfect for topping pancakes.
Life-changing Homemade Oreos that are soft, buttery, moist, perfectly dense chocolate cookies stuffed with cream cheese frosting. SO GOOD.
A graham-cracker loaded cookie base, top it with little squares of chocolate bars, piled high with marshmallows. An ooey-gooey, golden brown, melty, cookie-loaded miracle.
Two-Person Banana Cream Pies! Low maintenance, high enjoyment, unfussy banana cream pies in jars are yours for the taking.
These peanut butter chocolate chip cookie cheesecake bars are just as extreme as they sound. SO GOOD.
The BEST easy summer dessert – for two! A layer of oat-brown-sugar crust, juicy, sticky, bubbly raspberries, and topped with a buttery crumble that’s baked to perfection.
Blender Lemon Pie! Eggs, butter, sugar, and a WHOLE LEMON blended up and poured into a crust. Springy, custardy, simple lemon magic.
Crunchy, chocolatey, and made with just FIVE ingredients. Even better: it’s no-bake a super easy to make. Winning!
Mocha Peanut Butter Pie! A mocha cookie crust filled with creamy peanut butter cheesecake and topped off with chocolate ice cream and plenty of peanut butter cups. My new favorite dessert!
These Raspberry Crumble Bars are THE BEST! So soft, buttery, and delicious. My favorite summer dessert.
This vegan chocolate pie is a five-ingredient, no-bake miracle. The ultra-thick and creamy chocolate pie filling is made with (wait for it)… tofu, almond butter, almondmilk, and melted chocolate. Easy!
Summer is snack time in our house! Whether we’re running out the door to the park, having last-minute friends over in the backyard, or hosting a playdate, these are the snacks and apps I reach for.
The post 22 Must-Make Summer Dessert Recipes appeared first on Pinch of Yum.