Today we celebrate our 200th destination. It's been a little over 3 years since the first code was written for the Duckwyn Travel Passport app. Now, we're adding several new destinations each month and will be approaching 250 destinations by year end.

Destination #200 is Machu Picchu. This beautiful destination takes some work to get to but it's worth it.

Machu Picchu was built during the 15th century high above the Sacred Valley. The Incas abandoned it during the Spanish conquest. It remained relatively unknown for years until American historian, Hiram Bingham, helped it gain international attention in 1911. Today, many of the structures have been restored to give tourists a better idea of how they would have looked 500 years ago.

More information:

• Wikipedia
• Tickets and other information

We've been busy adding new destinations to the Duckwyn Travel Passport.  Italy is one of my favorite countries to visit. Several years ago we enjoyed a long weekend in Venice. It was part of our longer trip exploring Rome, Naples, and Sorrento. The kids we're much younger then but they enjoyed exploring the city with boats instead of cars. This week I'm excited to add our first destinations in Venice to our travel passport app. 

The first is St. Mark's Basilica. This unique Roman Catholic Church built in the 11th century features 4 large horses above its entrance and gold mosaics covering much of the interior. Many of its artifacts were plundered during the Fourth Crusade. 

The next sight to explore is the Doge's Palace. This Venetian Gothic styled palace was built in 1340. It has undergone many changes over the centuries since. The palace was the residence of the Doge of Venice, the supreme authority of the former Republic. It has an enclosed bridge that connects the building to a prison, referred to as the Bridge of Sighs. Prisoners would go from the courtroom in the palace over the bridge to their jail cell making the bridge their last view of the lagoon and freedom before being locked up.

Finally, the last place we added is the Rialto Bridge. Built in 1591, this famous bridge crosses the Grand Canal. It features rows of shops on each side. A visit to Venice is not complete until you get a few pictures of the Rialto Bridge with a steady stream of gondolas passing by.

In addition to these 3 sights, be sure to visit the Church of San Giorgio Maggiore. Go to the top of the church for 360 degree views of Venice and the surrounding islands. You can find this gem and many more in our Family Travel Gems.

Also check out our Italy travel resources at VitaViaggio.com to help with planning your trip.

Photos attributions

This week we've added 2 new World War II related destinations in Warsaw, Poland. In 1939, the German Army invaded Poland. It started with aerial bombings on September 1st and was followed by a ground attack on September 8th. The battle lasted until September 28, when the Polish Army surrendered and about 140,000 troops were taken as prisoners of war. Germany would occupy Warsaw for about 5 years until they left the city, in January 1945, when the Soviet army closed in.

In 1940, the largest of the Nazi ghettos was established in the city. At its height, about 460,000 Jews were imprisoned. Many would be deported to Nazi concentration camps where they would be put to death. The conditions in the Warsaw Ghetto were harsh. Thousands of people were living in a small 1.3 sq mile area (3.4 square km). Food was scarce and disease spread easily. At least 300,000 were either shot or gassed and another 92,000 would die of starvation, disease, and other attacks. The ghetto was destroyed by the Germans in 1943 after the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising.

In the summer of 1944, Polish underground resistance rose up to push the German Army out of Warsaw as the Soviet Army advanced on the city. The fighting lasted until October 1944. Stalin commanded his army to stop their advance. He not only refused to help the Polish resistance but also worked to prevent other Allied nations from providing support. The uprising was crushed by the Germans after 63 days. After, they would destroy much of what remained of the city before leaving in January 1945. Today, a memorial stands in the city in honor of these brave Polish fighters.

Learn more:

• Siege of Warsaw
• Warsaw Ghetto
• Warsaw Ghetto Uprising
• Warsaw Uprising

It can be difficult to inform your audience of all the places they can find your content. Social channels like Instagram only allow one profile link but you might have a blog, videos on YouTube, a Twitter account, and a group on Facebook that you want to include as well. Instead of having to choose where you send people, you can now use a new tool that we created specifically for people who love to travel.

Your Travel Bio allows you to add social links, web site links, journal entries, your travel bucket list, travel stats, and more. It's a great way for people to stay up-to-date on all your activity in one location. When you visit new countries, cities, and states using the Duckwyn Travel app your profile will be automatically updated. This gives you a unique way to show off all the places you've been and the stamps and stickers you've collected along the way.

The tool is available for both free and paid accounts. If you have an account already you can update your travel bio in your settings. Paid accounts have some additional features giving you the option to add more modules to your profile home page. For more information on this new tool visit TravelB.io.

Here's an example of my TravelB.io.

Two more castles have been added to the Castle Travel Challenge. There are now 12 castles  in the challenge with more to come.

​The first castle added this week was Cité de Carcassonne. It is a castle town located in southern France. It makes for a great family destination. Explore the castle, take in the beautiful views, and enjoy learning about history of this area that dates back over 2000 years. Make sure you have time to checkout the town as well. Its medieval streets lined with shops and museums are fun to explore.

The second castle is Caerphilly Castle in Wales. It dates back to the 13th century. This medieval castle is the second largest in the United Kingdom. It is surrounded by artificial lakes built to protect the castle from attackers. It's unique concentric rings of walls inspired the designs of future castles including Edward I's castle in North Wales.

Caerphilly Castle is another kid friendly destination. It's large outdoor spaces, towers and reenactments make for a fun day out. The nearby town is a great place to stop and get something to eat.

More information:

• Cité de Carcassonne
• Caerphilly Castle

Sachsenhausen was a German political prison from 1936 until the end of World War II. It was here that Joseph Stalin’s oldest son was held during the war. The Nazi's treated the prisoners harshly, often starving them and killing them openly. The camp contained a gas chamber and prisoners were subject to medical experiments.

This destination is best for older audience. My 12 year old son who is into World War II history would be interested in learning about it but it’s not for everyone.

Looking for other World War II destinations to visit, check out our Ultimate World War II Experience guide.

Learn more about Sachsenhausen:

• Wikipedia
• Website

Duckwyn is traveling around the world hiding eggs in fun locations. So far he's hidden eggs in Boston, New York, London, Paris, and Rome. If you come across one of his hiding spot between now and April 4th, be sure to get close enough to add the 2021 Easter Egg Hunt sticker to your collection. More cities are coming very soon.

Update: New locations added in Tokyo, Barcelona, Washington DC, and San Francisco.

Not near a major city this weekend? Let us know and we'll arrange to have Duckwyn stop by your town or city.

To take part in the Duckwyn Easter egg hunt you'll need to have a Duckwyn account. You can signup for the paid account (free for 1 year) or you can use the free account and still take part in the fun.

Log into the app and look for a picture of Duckwyn holding an Easter basket on your map. Once you get close enough to him you'll be able to add the 2021 Easter Egg Hunt virtual sticker to your collection. While you're out, be sure look for the many other historical destinations nearby that you can also add to your collection.