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.

Mystery trips

 

We’ve talked about travel and why it’s is important for people to get away from their day to day-to-day busy lives. We’ve also talked about how important it is for families to travel together, and how travel can bring families together. But your problem might be that you have no idea where you want to go. Maybe your family is tired of going to the beach, maybe you don’t like the mountains, and you just can’t decide where to go on vacation. If this sounds like your family, you might want to consider doing a mystery trip.

Now this works best if everyone in your family is ready for an adventure. On these twenty-two day trips, you won’t know where you’ll be going, what you’ll eat, or where you might sleep. The particular group I’m reading about takes groups of ten people on these expedition. You are going to have some long travel days, you’ll never know when you are going to be able to get internet, or even electricity. It looks like they may be doing this adventure only once.

However, they aren’t the only people who can help you take a mystery trip. I could actually help you put together a mystery trip for your family if you are interested. I would send you a questionnaire so I could get a feel for the things you like and don’t like. I would need to get a feel for your budget and things. Please let me know if you are interested. The best way to get in touch with me is e-mail, and that is familytripsinc1@gmail.com

Disney resorts

One of the things a lot of families dream of doing this summer is visiting Disney World. Though I have to say that going to Disney during the summer months is usually something you’ll want to avoid if you can. Summer is by far the busiest time for Disney World because everyone is out of school. If you do decide to go during the summer, I would say that you almost have to stay in one of Disney’s resorts. For one thing, staying at the parks is the only way you can GUARANTEE that you will have a way to get into their parks. Staying in their resorts is also going to get you discounts at Disney Springs, advance reservations into all their restaurants on property, advanced tee times at their golf clubs. And of course, there are also the Magic Hours available at select Disney parks. Today let’s look at some of what the different resorts have to offer.

• It sounds like their newest renovated hotel is simply named the B Resort and Spa. Because of it being recently renovated, it is decorated pretty nicely. You are going to also find several different culinary options, and there is a spa you can relax in.
• Do you want to see the fireworks each night, but maybe not from right up close? You might want to try Best Western Lake Buena Vista. This hotel has eighteen floors. Enjoy the display from the comfort of your room. Each room they have looks out over Disney Springs There are two restaurants and a heated swimming pool.
• DoubleTree Suites by Hilton is Disney’s suite-only hotel. They offer one and two bedroom suites where families can spread out and relax when they aren’t at the parks. Each suite is going to have a living room and dining area. Hilton Orlando Buena Vistaa Palace will have all kinds of dining options, including a character dining experience. They have two pools and a floating lagoon.
• Hilton Orlando Lake Buena Vista is for you if you and your kids love the water. You will find two heated pools, a Jacuzzi, and a kiddie pool. All of these make great places to relax after long days at the parks. Here you will have seven restaurants to choose from.
• Holiday Inn Orlando is very family friendly. That kind of seems silly to say because we’re talking about Disney. But this hotel does have kids-eat-free which a lot of families will appreciate. And it sounds like you can access their wifi from pretty much anywhere in the hotel. You will also be able to enjoy some pool time here. And finally,
• Wyndham Garden Lake Buena Vista has several different dining options. You are going to find a pool bar and grill, a twenty-four hour cafe, a full service restaurant, and room service. You will love their water park.

Staying safe

 

I know that there is a lot going on in our world these days. And I’m talking about everything from natural disasters, to epidemics, to mass shootings. People may be trying to decide whether or not it is safe to travel anywhere anymore. With few exceptions it should be are safe to travel anywhere you want, let’s look at few suggestions that will help keep you safe.

• First, when you know you’re interested in going anywhere, start checking the news. Read up on the things that are going on there. If you start to feel uncomfortable about a place before you go on your trip, you can always change your mind. Watching some news while you’re on your trip is also a good idea.
• It is also a good idea to stay in groups while you travel. Groups are much less like to be robbed from or taken advantage of. If you are doing a solo trip, consider joining a group you meet while you’re on the road.
• Doing your sightseeing during the day is always the best idea. When you do go out at night, stay in places where there are crowds.

Avoiding travel problems #1

 

Everyone has bad days. And sadly, bad stuff can happen even when you are on vacation. But today let’s look at some ways you can do to make sure you have as little to worry about on vacation as possible..

• First, if you’re even thinking that you might want to go somewhere out of the country, you will want to make sure you have at least a year before your passport expires.. The people checking your passports don’t want to see anything less than six months between your travel and your passport’s expiration.
• You’re impressed with your smartphone’s camera. That’s great. The problem with taking your phone instead of your camera is that you might not have enough memory on your phone to keep all your pictures. Are you going to have internet so you can put things in your cloud?
• When you want to take your electronic devices, be sure to take their chargers with you. If you are going out of the country, you will also want to take a converter also. Look up the country you are visiting and figure out what you will need. You will also want to take some extra batteries.
• You always want to make a plan for how you are going to pay for your vacation. Putting everything on your credit card and deciding not to pay it off could cost you for years to come. It is best if you pay for your vacation before you leave.
• If you are going on a big vacation, you might want to consider getting travel insurance. Sure, insurance that is any good is going to cost you a pretty penny, but you will have peace of mind if any emergencies come up.

Reasons for taking a cruise

You may have heard different friends talking about going on cruises, but having never been on a cruise, you’re wondering why people go on a cruise, and whether you should join in on the fun. Let’s look at some reasons why people go on a cruise.

• A lot of people go on cruises because there is always a party going on. Cruise ships are going to have all kinds of bars and clubs.
• People also love the fact that you don’t have to do any housekeeping while you’re on board. Maids come and clean your room while you’re out and about.
• Cruises are known to have an abundance of food. Most ships are going to have at least one buffet place. There are going to be ways you can get food 24/7.
• This is a great way to take a family vacation. Ships usually have lots of activities for families to enjoy together. Of course, they will also have kids’ clubs for when you want to enjoy some adult time. Your family can decide on the right balance for each trip.
• Cruises are getting better and better about having reliable internet. But some people look at cruises as the perfect chance to unplug and just enjoy your family.
• Cruises are moving away from having the gambling. I know that Disney never has casinos on their ships. But some people love to go to take their chances on the games.
• Cruises have all kinds of themes. Do you want to learn more about a certain area’s history? You can find a cruise that will help you do that. Do you want to improve your culinary skills? There are cruises that will help you with that as well.

Are you interested in taking a cruise? I would love to help you figure out the right cruise for you. Please let me know if you are interested.

Cruise news

We haven’t looked at anything related to cruises lately. Today let’s look at some different cruise news.

• Royal Caribbean International has told us some more of what we can expect when it comes to its newest ship, Spectrum of the Seas. This is their most expensive ship to date. Now before anyone gets too excited, this ship will debut about a year from now, and it is for the Chinese market anyway. Royal Caribbean started in the Caribbean market three years ago. This is to be this cruiseline’s first suite-only ship. They will have family suites that will be on more than one level of the ship. And when it comes to food, their main dining room is going to have Chinese and what they call western options. Their buffet is going to be huge. They will also have a tea room and cafe parlor. This ship will be going to diverse ports, and will have some longer sailings.
• MSC has just christened its newest ship. There were were festivities throughout the day in honor of its arrival. Several different celebrities graced the day. This ship is going to have the longest zip line in the cruise industry. Your family will love their aqua park that has four waterslides the ship will also have the world’s widest waterfront boardwalk at sea.
• Seabourn is announcing its European itineraries for 2019. Their plan is to have four vessels in Europe. Seabourn is a luxury cruiseline that has been helping guests explore Europe for thirty years, so they have a pretty good feel for what people want. They know which ports are the best to do overnight stays. They also know what special programs people want. They will have some longer sailings as well.

Suggested trips for solo travelers

Sometimes you would like nothing better than to get away from everyone you know and love, and just experience a different side of life for a little while. Knowing myself, I’d probably just hole up somewhere and work. My idea of vacations is to spend good time with people I love. But maybe you want to get away by yourself and do some exploring. Let’s look at some places you might want to consider for a solo trip.

• Paris is the first place they mention on this list. Do you dream of seeing the City of Lights, but maybe your significant other has already been or has no interest in going. There are plenty of cafes to visit when you do want some human interaction. Go see the Eifle tower. Enjoy some of their beautiful parks.
• Or is London more your thing? Maybe you want to take a tour of all the royal palaces without worrying if your little one is going to have a melt down. Take in a play at The Globe. Visit Westminster Abbey. Can’t decide between these first two? Doing both of these on one adventure would be quite easy to pull off.
• Thailand is an incredibly hot destination right now. Perhaps part of that is most everyone loves their food. Solo travelers are going to love Bangkok . You can usually find something pretty interesting going on in their streets. You can also visit some of their shrines and some great outdoor markets.
• Do you just love the Sound of Music? Why don’t you go to Vienna where this amazing story took place? There is a lot of interesting architecture here. And if you are a coffee lover, you are going to find more to love about this place.
• If you are looking for some gorgeous weather, you might want to try Sydney, Australia. This is a fantastic place to just unwind. You can chill out on their beautiful beaches, or enjoy some of their water sports.

Money saving tips #2

Money is the way we do what we do. We do our jobs to get the money we need to pay for the place we live, the food we eat, take care of our vehicles, and I could go on and on. The point is that most everyone wants to save money in any way we can. Okay, let’s look at some more ways we can save while we are traveling.

• It is important to know that some credit cards are going to charge fees when you charge things outside of this country. Do your research and find a credit card that will not charge you extra when you travel.
• Do you want to do your money exchange once you get to your destination?  Don’t do it at the airport. They will charge you more an there. The money exchangers in the town are going to be the best bet.
• Traveling and paying for your expenses on your regular debit or credit card isgoing to cost you. Using a travel credit card will allow you earn points which you can put towards hotel stays or airline miles. It is always a good idea to pay your balance at the end of each month.
• Most cell phone services will not allow you to use your phones while traveling internationally without charging hefty fees. Put away your phones and enjoy your trip.
• Airport food is always going to be higher than normal food. You will be better off picking some food up on the way to the airport. And pack snacks in your carry on. You will be glad that you did.
• When you rent a car, you agree to bring it back with the same level of gas in it as when you picked the car up. Not remembering to do that is going to cost you a good bit.
• Some hotels will look the other way when you bring a larger family into a hotel room. Others will charge an additional occupant fee, and still others will make you get an extra room.. Call to figure out which hotels do what.

Money saving tips #1

Saving money never hurts anyone. Saving money while doing something that you love? That’s something that most anyone can get into. Today we are going to look at some tips on how to save money while you are traveling.

• First, if you do not have children who are in school, is there any real reason why are you traveling during the peak season? You are going to save so much money traveling when no one else wants to. You are also going to avoid the crowds and may even get better service.
• Worst idea ever? Charging your vacation to your credit card with no plan to pay it back. Credit cards are going to charge you so much interest. Ask me to help you plan a trip that is within your budget.
• While we’re on the subject, make a budget for your trip. Figure out how much air, your hotel, and the things you will want to do will cost. Estimate what you will need to spend on food and the little extras like souvenirs. Uncomfortable estimating? There are a lot of resorts and cruises that are all inclusives that are not all that expensive. Ask me to help you figure something out.
• Know what you are going to be charged before you leave on your trip. Is the airline to charge for checked bags? Know your hidden costs and be prepared.

We will get into some more money saving tips on Monday.

Why go on vacation?

 

I know that technically summer will start later this month, but we’ve celebrated Memorial Day, and most people are in summer mode already.. But just because summer is here doesn’t mean that work stops for everyone. Have you figured out when you are going to take your vacation yet? I know that my family is planning a trip for the middle of July. My thought is to take that week off of work completely. I’m fitting work around the other things I have going on these days, but that isn’t the same thing. Today let’s look some reasons why you should take sometime off.

• First, our bodies are not made to work all the time. We need to take breaks, and I’m not just talking about taking time off to sleep. We also need time to relax and enjoy ourselves. It is a good idea to take up a hobby. Every job brings stress, and it is never good to live under stress. Getting away from everything is going to give you help when it comes to solving your work problems.
• Sometimes we look at something so long, we can’t make any headway on it. Getting away from everything for a while will help you gain a new perspective.
• Not taking vacations actually costs us productivity. We get tired. We get bored of doing the same things day after day. We get irritable and snap at our coworkers, or even worse at your boss or clients.
• Work tends to pull us from the people we love most, our families. We get caught up in the busyness of our lives. We think our families will be fine if we miss dinner because something came up at work. Vacations are times to get away from our busy lives and focus on those we love.