Tips for traveling with kids

Let’s get back to discussing tips for traveling with kids.

• First, you might want to consider boarding early. Yes, I know that will make your trip feel that much longer. But doing this will enable everyone to feel more settled in their places. It will be especially helpful if you do not have assigned seats.
• Everyone getting enough rest is essential for a nice, smooth trip. Consider getting a condo. If you are for sure staying in a hotel or resort, consider getting a suite or at least another room.
• Having free breakfast not only cuts down on costs, it also cuts down on stress. This is one meal you’ll know what you’ll be doing and won’t have to have any discussions about.
• I know a lot of people like to just go with the flow while they are on vacation, but some planning is a good idea when you’re traveling with children. You’ll want to try your best to work your children’s sleeping and eating schedules. Not messing with those will help keep everyone happy and on track.
• But you don’t want to overplan your trip, keeping everyone busier than usual.? Children love afternoons at the pool or movie nights.
• You will want to pack everything that you need, but you do not want to overpack. You don’t want to have more to carry than you have to. A lot of places are going to have washers and dryers that you can use.
• If you aren’t going to a resort that has a children’s program, consider bringing a babysitter. It isn’t going to cost that much extra. And vacations are the perfect times to get in some extra dates.

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MSC Cruises

I’ve decided that I like doing two things at once. Sure, writing about what I am learning about in this travel agent school seems to take me a little longer. But we are supposed to get the word out about the things we’re learning, and writing about the things I am learning does help. And since this school has many different courses, I should keep quite busy for a while.

Today we are going to look at the MSC Cruiseline. MSC stands for Mediterranean Shipping Company. MSC  strives for excellence in everything that they do, and has won a lot of awards for what they do.

• Where do these cruises go? Basically anywhere you would be interested in traveling to. They do Mexico and the Caribbean, they also do Europe and Asia. They also do an excellent South American cruise.
• Let’s take a closer look at some of what they have to offer. When it comes to food, their specialty is Italian. They have a lot of great pasta dishes. You will be able to get a great pizza any time that you’d like. But Italian isn’t the only cuisine that they have. They have a famous Asian chef that is over their Asian restaurants. And of course, they have a pas chef to make sure your sweet tooth is satisfied.
• MSC has partnered with LEGO to bring children and their families experiences they will never forget. They will have all the supplies that you will need for your baby and toddler that you will need.
• MSC also understands your need to keep up with your fitness program while on board. They will help you create the right exercise program while you are on board. They will also help you come up with healthy menus.

I would love to know your thoughts on any of this..

Okay, I know there are ways to book trips on the internet. So why would you need a travel agent? Let’s look at some times you might want to use a travel agent.

 

• Travel agents are great when you and your extended family are going on a trip together. You have a lot of people, some people may have special needs to figure out..People may need to come and go on different days. There are just a lot of details to figure out.
• You might want to book through a travel agent if you are going to a place you’ve never been. You may have a lot of time to do the necessary research. A travel agent can help you to set everything up. We can figure out your complete itinerary.
• And when you’re planning your honeymoon, you probably want to go through a travel agent. You have a thousand other things you need to plan. And this is a special trip you is really do not to mess up. Let a travel agent handle all the details .

Movie places

I am going to try to do this, and hopefully I’ll do a better job than I did yesterday.. I’m still doing a lot of experimenting and figuring things out as I go along… x

I think a lot of us like to watch movies when we want to relax. But have you ever wanted to go to the places where specific movies were made? Let’s look at a couple of these today.

• Do you have any Indiana Jones fans in your did you family? You might want to visit Petra, Jordan where these films were made. This has become a popular destination since the films were made.
• Slovenia might be small, but it is where Narnia was made. If I am remembering right, the place has some absolutely gorgeous spots.

Planning the perfect girls’ trip #2

Let’s get back to discussing how to plan a great girls’ trip. I have several things I’d like to look into more today, but feel like I need to do the normal things first and just see how the rest of the day goes. Let’s pick up where we left off.

• Some friends don’t need much except to have a place to gather and some nice food to enjoy themselves. Other groups will want to go to some of the more exotic locations. If your group is trying to start their annual trips together, it might be wise to have a gathering and discuss what everyone is thinking as far as overall budget. Is it going to be easier to gather in each other homes, or do people want to mark places off of their bucket lists? One of you might want  to play hostess more often than the others to cut down on her costs. You can find solutions that work best for your group.
• If one person is planning the whole thing, this lady will want to give some clues. You might want to get creative with the e-mails you send your group. Some people will go a step farther and send cute little packages to give hints. Groups who are going go somewhere exotic will usually meet at one member’s house, and then they do the reveal at the airport.
• This is a girls’ trip, so you are going want to have comfortable places where ere you can sit and gab. You might want to have one more than one place like this in case your group wants to split up for whatever reason.
• But as much as girls like to just sit and talk, you will want to have a few activities planned. Especially if you are going somewhere you’ve never been, you’ll want to get out and enjoy some of the sights. The planner should have a pretty good idea of the things your group likes to do.

Have you done anything like this? I would love to hear about it.

Go play in your favorite video game

[Disclaimer : I have never been into video games. I have never enjoyed playing those type games. I hardly know anything about any of those games. I’m just going to tell you what this article says.]

I may not know much about these games, but I know they are pretty popular. I know some children, and adults, absolutely love these games. If they aren’t playing them, they’re thinking about playing these things. So let’s look at some places you can play these games in RL [for those that don’t know, RL is real life].

• The first one is, of course, Mario Brothers. I do remember sitting and watching people playing these games. Who doesn’t dream of getting into these games? The closest thing you can get to this is in Tokyo.
• There is always Pokemon Go. And I know that you can play that anywhere. The cool thing about this game is that you have to play it outside.
• In l Las Vegas you can play Any Resident Evil. There you can play zombies to your heart’s content
• .And now I have good news and bad news good news is that  Nintendo is building its own amusement park. The bad news is that it will not be ready until 2020.

Flying standby

There is so much to learn and figure out when you are in the travel business. One person can not learn everything.. Today let’s look into what what it means to fly standby.

Flying standby is a good way to fly if you don’t especially care when you leave or come back. It’s usually the least expensive way to fly, you’ll usually pay around twenty-five dollars, but you are not guaranteed a seat. So if you think that flying standby would be a good fit for you, here’s what you should do.

• Firs, you will want to see which airlines have this option available . You will want to read up your chosen airline’s policies to make sure that you, and they, play by the rules.
• A lot of times they’ll want you to purchase a normal ticket. Sometimes you can get away with a friend flying. Again, you will want to know the specific policies.
• Another thing that would be good to remember is that you do not want to have checked luggage. They’ll more likely to take you if you don’t. You’re allowed one carry on and purse in most situations. The day before or the flight, you will want to look at the airline’s website to get the latest info on the flight. You will not want to check Expedia or Priceline, they are not going to have the latest information.
• You are going to want to get there at least two hours in advance. You will want to go to the ticketing agent, and let them know that you’re interested in flying standby.
• Next you will want to proceed through security and all that. Be sure to let the people at the gate know that you want to fly standby.
• At the time of the flight, the gate people will be able to let you know whether you’ve made it on.

I would love to know your thoughts  about any of this.

Even more travel tips

What do you do to get ready for a vacation? Do you read everything you can get your hands on about the place you are planning to go? Do you have a bucket list that you choose from. Or do you pick the cheapest place and then forget everything until it is time to leave?

• You might want to do a little research. In some countries, America is revered, but other places do not like America. You will be wise to know how your destination feels. And if they don’t like us, why don’t they like us? Are there habits they can’t stand? You should know at least that much.
• Do you want to have to buy every single thing that you eat and drink? Even when I go out of the country, I take snacks in my suitcase. And don’t forget to bring that waterbottle.
• You can choose. You can pay a lot for your entertainment. But there is also a lot you can do that will cost you nothing. You just have to do a little research.
• Remember that you are on vacation. You do not want to be on your phone like you are the rest of the time. Make yourself put your phone down and enjoy your vacation and the people you’re with.
• Life happens. Sometimes it rains when you would like to be outside.. Or the place you wanted to explore could be closed for any number of reasons. Have backup plans.

More travel tips

Today let’s look at some more travel tips.

• You are going on vacation. You are not going to need everything that you think you might need. You are going to be busy having fun and relaxing. Take comfortable clothing, and clothing that is easy to wash in your hotel sink. Limit yourself to one device for each person is going on the trip.
• But be sure to take the things that you know you will need. Take any medicine that you are going to need. Figure out all the papers that you are going to need, and put those in a folder which you will want to know where that is at all times. And do not forget to bring your chargers.
• People like to do different things on their vacations. Some like to be busy the whole time. Others like sitting beside the pool with a good book at least part of the time. Do some planning, but make sure everyone is free to choose what they do.
• Make sure you know exactly what you’re getting into. It is usually best to book your trip well before you are to leave. And read the fine to print sure that you don’t run into any surprises along the way.
• It used to be that you wanted to be sure to have plenty of film. Now you want to be to know sure to have your camera’s memory cleared before you start on your trip. Put everything on your computer. You won’t want to have to worry about limiting your pictures. I know that most everyone has gps on your phones. But you want to have some kind of back up plan. Print out directions to the places you know you want to go to. And take a map.

Vacation tips #2

Trips are like everything else in life, you can’t prevent every single thing from going on, but you can do some things make things go better. Read on for some more tips that will help you.

• Consider using a travel agent. Personally I charge nothing over and above what your vacation costs. I can help you do all the planning you want to do.
• You do not want to forget your electricity adapter. A lot of countries are going to have different voltage than we do. Their plugs work differently than ours. Be sure to take something that will charge all your devices.
• I’ve said it before, but you can’t plan away every emergency that might come up on your vacation. That is the reason that we have travel insurance. They will help you when things go wrong on your vacation.
• Pay attention to your credit cards. Do you know which ones will give you money back on the different things that you will need on your vacation. Credit cards are tools, use them wisely.
• Some places simply will not take credit cards. Make sure you take cash, or can get it easily.

Vacation tips

Memorial Day weekend is right around the corner, and hopefully you’re starting to dream about your summer vacation. You want everything to be perfect. While I can’t make that happen, I can offer you some tips that might help.

• You will want to have some kind of plan. Leaving everything up to fate is usually not a good idea. Figure out some restaurants you might want to try? Are there museums you might want to explore?
• But at the same time, you don’t want to have every second of your vacation planned. You want to make sure you have sometime to relax. Watch movies. Play games. You will how much planning is good for you and your family.
• There have been some recent changes concerning passports. Make sure you and your family have everything you need before it’s time for you to leave.
• Another thing that you will want to be sure to think through is how much you want to spend on your trip. Something you may want to consider is taking cash on your trip. This will help you know exactly how much you have.

Destinations

There is a whole world out there. If you are ready to start traveling, but aren’t sure where to start, read on for some advice..

• You might want to try London. Haven’t you wanted to see Big Ben in person? Maybe you want to go to The Globe and watch a play where Shakespeare did his work? Or maybe the royal family has tickled your fancy. You will also love the culture that is here.
• Especially if you are looking for a place to go with the one you love, you might want to try Paris. You might want to see their lovely river, the Sein. Lots of people want to see the Eifle Tower. There is a lot of history here. And you will not want to miss visiting their cafes.

Cruising with children

Okay, I’ve talked you into it. You are sure you want to go on a cruise. You just aren’t sure which one, because you have kids that you want to take with you. You want them to have the best experience that they can. Your question is, which cruises are good for children? Read on to find out.

• I have heard amazing things about Disney cruises. I know adults who have gone on Disney cruises without children. Disney cruises are going to have a great kids’ club, good things for tweens and teens to do. They are going to have babysitting for you to go out and enjoy yourselves as a couple at night. They have Disney movies that they have turned into Broadway plays.
• I think it was earlier this week that we were talking about the Norwegian Escape. Well, it is good for children. Toddlers are going to have their own dedicated staff. They are going to have a quiet rooms for their naps. Older kids are going to have a blast at the water park.
• Celebrity Edge is reworking their children’s program, and they will be ready for your children in 2020. Celebrity is collaborating with Lonely Planet for their new program. Let me know if you want to book a cruise with your children.

Girls’ getaway #2

Let’s get back to our discussion about planning a girls’ trip for you and your friends.

• Okay, you have decided who is going to go. And you have decided where you want to go. The next big question to try to figure out your budget. The exception to this is if you have a rich friend that wants to pay for everyone, but that’s rare. The majority of us need to figure out a budget when we go on a trip. You are going to want to discuss this as a group.
• If everyone has was some money you want to spend, you might want to go to an all inclusive resort and enjoy time in spas and things like that. If you have a somewhat tighter budget, you might want to rent a house by the beach. Or you might consider meeting at one of your group member’s houses.
• You might want to work with a travel agent if anyone in your group is short on time. I would love to help you put something like this together for you. I do not charge you anything extra, because I make money when I book trips for people. And so, I would love to help anyone interested in working with me.
• If you are going to plan everything, your group is going to want to designate one person to do the planning. It is going to take some time to do the research and coordinating. Ask your group how much they want to be involved in the decision making process.. Most women are not going to care about all the details, the most important thing is going to be just spending time together.

Girls’ getaway #1

There is no question that you love your family. But sometimes it is nice to get away from them, to take a break, and get away with some of your gal pals for a little while. Traveling with your family is a lot of fun, but it is also work. You can’t really stop parenting. You can’t stop seeing that your children are fed, or get the sleep that they need. But when you’re with your girlfriends, you leave every bit of work behind. If that sounds good to you, you might want to read on for tips on how to plan a girls’ getaway.

• Okay, so the first question you need to ask is who is going. Who do you want to hang out for three or four days? Is there a group of women you know that they will get along for that long?
• When you decide on a group, where do you want to go? Do you want to go to the beach and just lay out and eat? Are you wanting to plan your trip around some major retail therapy? Are you and your pals into board games? Or is there a certain place you’ve always wanted to go together? Decide what you want to do on your trip.
• Now if you would like to go on a cruise, you are actually going to have very little planning to do. Another advantage of a cruise is that you won’t have to do everything together..

We are going to get back to this tomorrow.

Saving on a cruise

You might be thinking about taking a cruise for your next vacation. But just because you want to take one doesn’t mean money is plentiful for you right now. Can you take a cruise without spending a lot of money? Of course you can. Today let’s look at some ways you can do just that.

• First, talk to me when you are thinking about booking a cruise. I know some of you have taken cruises before and know something about cruising. But researching travel is what I do day to day. I also have access to other travel agents who I can ask questions of. I am going to be able to figure out exactly you want, and will also be able to save you money as well.
• You are going to want to join any loyalty programs you are asked to, if you think you are going to cruise with them again. You are going to be asked about loyalty programs as you leave your cruise. Oh, you may not see many savings when you first join, but as you cruise with them more and more. Look at this as a long term strategy.
• If you have found the cruise of your dreams, and know you’ll be cruising with them the rest of your life, consider getting a credit card with them. Many of these cruise credit cards will give you double points when you book your cruise with that card. You can also get double points when you buy anything on board. Get a lot of points and you might score a free or deeply discounted cruise.
• Here’s a big one. Research your shore excursions before you leave on your cruise. Cruiselines are going to charge you a lot for their excursions. Doing things your own thing is also going to allow you to do exactly what you want.
• Most people who go on a cruise are going to want to buy the cruise tshirt. Usually they are going to have a great special on these tshirts on the last day of your cruise. You might be able to get one of these tshirts for ten dollars, sometimes they’re even less. You might also want to read your cruise newsletters for more sales.
• If you’re dying to have a massage at the cruise spa, you are going to want to do that when your ship is in port. You will be able to get better deals, and will also be able to have the place to yourself for the most part.
• If you are interested in going to the specialty restaurants, book your reservations for the very first evening of your cruise. This is usually a great way to get a fantastic meal at a discounted price.

Advantages of river cruises

River cruising is still a relatively new concept. There are some similarities between the cruises most everyone has come to know and these newer river cruises. These similarities include you are on a ship for a week or more, and you do get to visit different destinations while keeping your same accommodations throughout your journey. But today let’s look at some things that are different about these river cruises.

• Ocean ships are growing larger and larger with each passing year. Their goal seems to be to take as people as possible. And that’s great if you are looking for one gigantic party. But if you are looking for something smaller, river cruises are the way you want to go. There will not be as many restaurants that you can choose from, and you may find little to no entertainment on these smaller ships.
• Hmm, I’ve never heard anything except that you will not feel any movement on these huge ships, but they are saying that you will feel so much less movement on these river vessels. You will not have to worry about any seasickness.
• One big advantage of going on these smaller vessels is that you can practically get anywhere. These huge ships are going to be quite limited in where they can get to. The large ships are going to even have trouble getting you to the major cities, meaning you are going to have to take other transportation, which means you will be wasting valuable time.
• On your typical cruise, you are going to pay for each and every shore excursion you choose to take. On a river cruise, that is simply not true. You are going to be able to go on the shore excursions at no additional charge. Everything is included in the price you pay up front.
• And that is not just your excursions, you are going to get a whole lot for your money on these cruises. Free wifi is the norm. You will also get free wine or beer with lunch and dinner.

Are you interested in a river cruise. Please let me know at familytripsinc1@gmail.com.