If you believe variety is the spice of life, then you have to agree that music is food for the soul. It doesn’t matter what country you’re from or what language you speak, your life in some capacity is full of music. I believe that music is a universal language. The only true, global language.  As a sponsor of  the 52nd  GRAMMY Awards, the pinnacle of music excellence,  we’re bringing The GRAMMYs to you, and for two lucky fans, you to The GRAMMYs.

In celebration of music everywhere, Delta is providing our customers the gift of music. Visit www.pandora.com/delta where we’ve provided personal listening stations inspired by The GRAMMYs. While you’re there, enter-to-win a trip to the 52nd GRAMMY Awards in Los Angeles, including flying in our new Business Elite service from JFK to LAX and staying with our partner Hilton Hotel with your own Avis car rental. And there are plenty of other prizes. You’ll find all the information in tiny little print at the bottom of this post. And don’t forget to tell your friends! From January 5th- January 22nd, for every tweet using #DeltaGRAMMYs we will donate $1 up to a total of $10,000 to The GRAMMY Foundation.

What’s your favorite artist or album of the year? Post below or tweet us @deltablog. Then follow me @deltablog as I tweet LIVE from The GRAMMYs.

Rachael R,

Manager, Marketing

DELTA “GRAMMY AWARDS” SWEEPSTAKES. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Open to legal residents of the U.S, 18 or older as of 1/4/2010. Void in Puerto Rico, U.S. territories and possessions, and where prohibited. Sweepstakes begins 12:00:01 AM, U.S. Eastern Time (U.S. ET), on 1/5/2010 and ends 11:59:59 PM, U.S. ET, on 1/22/2010, See official rules by visiting www.pandora.com/delta Sponsor–Delta Air Lines, Atlanta, GA 30354.

Email abbreviated rules:

DELTA “GRAMMY AWARDS” SWEEPSTAKES. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY – A PURCHASE WILL NOT INCREASE YOUR CHANCE OF WINNING A PRIZE. Open to legal residents of the U.S, 18 or older as of 1/4/2010. Void in Puerto Rico, U.S. territories and possessions, and where prohibited. Beginning 12:00:01 AM, U.S. Eastern Time (U.S. ET), on 1/5/2010 and ending 11:59:59 PM, U.S. ET, on 1/22/2010, enter by visiting www.pandora.com/delta and providing your First Name, Last Name, Delta SkyMiles number and e-mail address. Limit one (1) entry per person, SkyMiles number and/or e-mail address per day. Sweepstakes subject to complete Official Rules at www.pandora.com/delta Prizes: Two (2) Grand Prizes – 3 day/2 night trip to 52nd Annual Grammy® Awards in Los Angeles on 1/31/2010. Trip includes air travel, hotel accommodations, rental car, tickets to Grammy® Awards Show and after-party. Trip must be taken 1/30/2010 – 2/1/2010 or prize will be forfeited. Trip components, including rental car, are subject to additional restrictions; see Official Rules for details. (Approximate Retail Value $6,900 each). Actual Grand Prize value depends on various factors, including Winner’s city of residence. Two (2) First Prizes – Delta Gold Medallion Status in SkyMiles program for one (1) year. ARV: $6,000 each. All SkyMiles program rules apply to Medallion prize. Taxes and fees for any Award Travel are the responsibility of the Winner and must be paid at the time the ticket is booked. Please visit delta.com/fees for current fee schedule. Award Travel seats are limited and may not be available on all flights or in all markets. Five (5) Second Prizes – $50 Delta SkyMall® gift card. Five (5) Third Prizes – GoGo® inflight wireless Internet access pass. (ARV: $49.95 each.) Gift card and access pass prizes subject to terms/conditions of use. No more than 14 prizes will be awarded with a total Approximate Retail Value not to exceed $26,299.75. Odds of winning a prize depend on number of eligible entries received for drawing. Limit one (1) prize per person/SkyMiles number/e-mail address. SkyMiles account necessary (obtain one at no cost at delta.com/skymiles or call 1-800-323-2323). SkyMiles offers void where prohibited by law and other restrictions may apply. SkyMiles offers subject to change without notice. Sponsor–Delta Air Lines, Atlanta, GA 30354.

What makes a great beach? I think we can all agree a great beach has soft sand, crystal-clear water, a variety of interesting seashells, good waves for boogie boarding or maybe surfing, a nice sand bar, or just a good beach bar. But, everyone has something they like in a favorite beach. One of the perks about working in the travel industry is we get to travel so here are some of our employees favorite beaches in Hawaii, Mexico, and the Caribbean.

Are White Sands Calling You?

Our favorite Hawaii Beaches

Big Beach on Maui – Is natural and authentic. Big Beach is great for boogie boarding, long walks and whale watching. It’s a huge beach, with no crowds, fun waves, and has clean,clear water. – Terry, Jason, Wendy, and Kathy

Ke’e Beach on Kauai – It is literally at the end of the road on the north shore – incredible sunsets, super tropical with mountains and natural vegetation and no development along this beach.
- Brian

Red Sand Beach in Hana (Kaihalulu Beach) on Maui – It is beautiful! The sand is red and black. It is remote and hard to get to, which makes it really nice.
Maluaka Beach on West Maui – It is wide, and has a big sandy beach. There are tons of turtles and good snorkeling too.
Hamoa Beach on East Maui – White soft sand and lots of waves, good for bodysurfing.
- Jeannie

Poipu Beach on Kauai – It’s great for families and small kids. With its gentle surf, soft sand, protected swimming area, frequent monk seal visits, and great snorkeling, Poipu is a fun and unique experience.
- Brian and Jeannie

Our favorite Mexico Beaches

Nikki Beach in Cabo Laid back and trendy, I love the party on Nikki beach! – Shanna

Los Muertos Beach in the Romantic Zone of Puerto Vallarta – It is such a great beach because of all the activities, people watching, beachfront restaurants and bars. Plus, you can walk for miles to the north along the Malecon for even more people watching. – Lori

El Palmar in Ixtapa – It’s so huge, uncrowded and clean.
The Bahia de Banderas Beach in Nuevo Vallarta, Riviera Nayarit – It’s a wide sandy beach that stretches for miles, gentle rolling surf great for swimming, boogie boarding, and families. – Wendy

Maroma Beach in Riviera Maya – It has been ranked among the Top 10 Beaches in the World. I have never seen such a white beach in all my life. The sand is so very soft, like a super soft carpet. – David

Our favorite Caribbean Beaches

Bavaro Beach in Punta Cana – Endless white sand that stretches for 20 plus miles and is dotted by palm trees. It is the most beautiful beach I have ever been on. You can walk for miles and hardly see any sign of civilization. – Lori

7-mile Beach in Negril – Walking this beach is one of the best things to do in a beach location. Soft white sand and an ‘endless’ beach as far as the eye can see. The laid-back vibe, beer stands selling $1 Red Stripes at happy hour, and small hotels is super charming. – Lori, Brian and Alicia

Orient Beach St. Maarten – Visited this beach on my honeymoon and was so much fun. Great waves to play in and there is plenty of room to layout. You can walk up and down the beach to find many beach bars and different water sports. If looking for water sports price quote a couple different stands, they will most likely match their neighbors prices.

Sean, Delta Vacations

What’s your favorite beach? Let us know by replying to this post.

NYC based pilot and blogger, Scott J.

My mom used to say, “Do something you love and you’ll never work a day in your life.” And while it’s rare to find experiences that are more meaningful and purpose-giving than making a difference in the lives of others, even more rare is the opportunity to pair doing something you love that also has meaningful purpose. The Habitat for Humanity build here in Chiang Mai is the epitome of both. Yes, our build site feels like it’s ten degrees from the center of the sun, and humidity is our constant partner, but we’re sustained by the joy and satisfaction we’re witnessing as a community grows from the ground up in mere days.

Our third day on the project was decidedly less hot and humid than the previous ones—a quite welcomed break. The first two days spent laying brick and mortar today gave way to working with steel, as we placed each metal truss that will become the roof.

The work was sometimes tedious but highly rewarding. This was the third day in a row I’ve felt the communal pride that’s formed as strangers with little knowledge of each others language unite as friends and coworkers in common purpose.

The Thai people we’ve met are of remarkable and uncommon humility and graciousness, and we all know the families are pleased with our work and progress. The Delta teams’ houses are taking shape much as the rest of the homes in the village are, albeit at a slightly faster pace than the majority. Tomorrow the shelter will be evident, and as this community of concrete, bricks and steel take shape into livable personal spaces, you witness sweat equity bringing tears to the eyes of the families—and our teams.

An anecdotal note: Thai chili peppers completely live up to their reputation! The food we’ve had on this trip has been delicious and flavorful—making Thailand worth a trip, from top to bottom, just for the love of amazing food.

Scott J., NYC based pilot