Refurbished ships

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Life is crazy. I’ve had communication device problems, hopefully we should be through that. My parents and I have moved. I’m not sure when we are going to get internet at the house and all that.. I’m actually with friends right now. I’m not sure how everything is going to work out, but we’ll see. I wish I could say I know I am going to be back to normal work by a certain time, but I do not know when that will be yet.. Frankly, I do miss my work, and I’m ready to get back to it after nearly a month off.

But anyway, today let’s look at some reasons why you should check out refurbished cruise ships. It used to be that cruise ships would dry dock just about only when completely necessary to stay legal. But these days a lot of cruise companies have decided to completely refurbish their ships, and so other companies are following suit. Here are some reasons you should consider a refurbished ship.

• Going on a new ship is likely going to cost you an arm and a leg. But that is simply not the case with a refurbished ship.
• Your rates are going to be between thirty to forty percent lower than on completely new ship. You might even be able to score a last minute deal out instead of having to book and then wait around for three years to go to on your cruise.
• It does cost less to revamp an old ship than to build a new one. Many ships are adding all of the popular features when they do their dry dock.
• Another thing you will love is the new rooms on these ships.. Most ships are adding suites.

Places you should go before you turn the big 40

I am pretty unsure about whether or not I am going to have internet access starting tomorrow. We will have to see how everything goes.

I apologize but I am going to get a little personal here. How old are you? If you are around thirty, this blog post is written specifically for you.

Bucket lists have been huge. And I know they are not as big as they once were, but they are still . If you are around thirty, here are some place you might want to put on your list.

• Don’t you want to see the Taj Mahel? After all, it is one of the seven wonders of the world. Someone built this place to honor his favorite wife after she died giving birth to their fourteenth child. It is recommended to visit this place first thing in  the morning because sunrise makes this place spectacular.
• Have you ever visited the Grand Canyon? This is another beautiful place to get to at sunrise. You will want to take a day or more to explore, do some hiking/walking.
• You might want to go to the Great Barrier Reef. This is in Queensland. Here you know will find all ks of sealife.

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.

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.

And more travel tipps

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Saturday turned out to be one of those days where work just did not happen. I apologize, and will try to do better. However, I do keep feeling like this summer is going to get pretty busy. I am going to do the best I can. We will see. Let’s look at some more travel tips.

• And the first one we are going to look at today is to note that public transportation is often the least expensive way to get around a place. Taxis vary on how much they charge, and sometimes taxi drivers can be unreliable? Renting cars can get expensive too. Public transportation is usually going your best bet, unless you want to walk. And not only is walking free, it is also a great way to get to know the city.
• Sometimes you just need to go on and use a travel agent. I highly recommend using an agent when you are planning something like your honeymoon. I also recommend using a travel agent when you are planning something big, something like your whole extended family taking a vacation together. Travel agents make money when we book things like hotels, cruises or car rentals. Personally I do not charge anything over and above that.
• Students are going to be able to get special discounts at some places. The same can be said for military personnel. Know what discounts are available to you and your family and use them.

More travel tips

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Today we are going to look at some more travel tips for you.

• A lot of times, you are going to be paying more for an one-way ticket. It may even be less expensive to buy a round trip ticket and then just not go the second trip. You will need to research it and figure it out.
• After air, your next biggest expense is going to be your lodging. To save money on lodging, you can stay at budget hotels, or you can also go camping. You can also look around at airbnbs, which are a nice alternative to hotels. With airbnbs, you are going to get at least your own room, an apartment, or maybe even your own house. And doing this may also give you more of an idea of how the locals live.
• Once you know where and when you are going somewhere, start looking at things that you should do once you are there. You will want to check of out what is free. And sometimes attractions have special deals. Check that out as well.

More tips

• Yesterday we ended by talking about how you need to be flexible about where you go. In order to get the best rates, you also need is to be flexible about when you go.. Most people are able to work from home these days. Use that to your advantage.
• There is more information than you can imagine available on the internet. And that is especially true when it comes to travel. There are many websites which will allow you to book your travel. You will also want to look at your destination learn as much about it as you can.
• People usually pay more when they do not want to have any layovers. Layovers can be fun. It will give you more of a chance an to walk around different airports. Take some books that you’ve been wanting to read for a while or just grab your Kindle.

Ways to save

Things seem to be opening up more and more as time goes by. I think that many people are about ready to start traveling again. But just because you are ready to travel doesn’t mean that you have a lot of money to do so. Today we are going to look at some tips that will help you save money while you travel.

• In order to save money when traveling, you do not want to go to a place when everyone else wants to be there.. Hotels always charge more during the popular times for their area. Airlines are also going to charge more for the most popular destinations. Going during the off season is going to save you a lot of money, it will also allow you to enjoy a much quieter vacation
• When you are going to be flying somewhere, you are going to want to check out the seating chart. Prices are going to vary according to where you sit. However, especially on a long flight, you are going to want to balance price with how comfortable you might be.
• When you are looking for an inexpensive vacation, be flexible about where you want to go. Do research on places that you can go on the cheap. You will want to look at everything, your flight, your hotel, and the things that you will want to do while you are there.

More ski resorts

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I’m not big on snow. It is beautiful for sure, sitting inside in front of a fire with a good book.. That is, I like it if I do not have anywhere I want to go. But I know some people love the snow and playing in it. Today let’s look at some more ski resorts.

• The first one we are going to look at is Timberline Lodge which is in Oregon. This place has a rustic feel to it, and the people here put pride in that fact. It is owned by the Forest Service, but it is run by the Timberline family. This is a place where you can get the white stuff pretty much any time of the year, but their season is generally between November to Memorial Day.
• You might also want to consider Mammoth Mountain, and this is in California. This place is known for being especially family friendly. And here you are probably going to be able to ski until the beginning of summer.
• Are you looking to go somewhere international? You might want to try Kitzsteinhorn Glacier Ski Resort, and this is in Austria. Here they have slopes for everyone, whether you are inexperienced to quite experienced. Their season is from October to June.

Ski resorts

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It is spring, and I’m loving it. Personally I have no wish to return to winter. But maybe you are. Maybe where you live, you don’t get a lot of winter. Today let’s look at some places that you might want to go.

The first one we are going to look at today is Hintertux Glacier Ski Resort. This is in Austria, and it is great place to go skiing no matter when you want to go. The spring may be the best time to go because you can enjoy the snow while outdoors having times to relax by a sunny window and get warm.

You might also want to check out Whistler Blackcomb, which is in Canada.. They are likely to have snow in November, and will also have great rates at that time. You can actually take a helicopter ride to some of their more remote areas.

And then there is Squaw Valley in California. They are working to figure out a more respectful name for their place. But you will find a lot of great places to ski out here. And you will also want to keep in mind not that their season usually runs between November and May.

https://www.travelpulse.com/videos/destinations/your-story-begins-in-quito.html

More flying tips

I am very distracted today, for good reason.. Today is my birthday. I have all kinds of fun things planned for later on. But let me go on and get this done.. Today we are going to talk some more about flying.

Many people know the big names when it comes to flying. Here I am thinking of airlines like Delta, United and Southwest. But if you would like the cheapest in air, these are usually not the airlines that you want to consider. There are less expensive options there for sure. True, you may miss out on some of the perks. And while some of these cheap airlines are bad, others are not. Go online and read reviews.

Some flights are going to be long, there’s no getting around that. No one cares what you look like when you fly. Wear your most comfortable clothing. You can always change in the airport bathroom.

Most the airplanes these days are going to have some kind of entertainment. Still, you will to take stuff to read. You may also want to take your own music.

Flying tips

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Sometimes I know exactly what I want to write about. Sometimes it takes me a while to figure out. If you have questions about travel, please send me a comment on this blog, or writes me at familytripsinc1@gmail.com.

Today we are going to talk some about flying. Flying is weird these days, everything about travel is weird right now. Just get used to it. But today we aren’t going to discuss the weirdness. Instead we are going to look at more general flying tips. Flying is usually one of the biggest expenses when you are traveling. To cut down on that expense, you have to know what you are doing.

The first thing that you need to know is that airlines and post fares that can be ridiculously inexpensive. You just have to know how to find them. The best way to find these mistakes is to sign up for newsletters. Some of the best are Secret Flights, Scott’s Cheap Flights, or Fly4Free. You should know that some of these newsletters are going to cost you something to join. And this usually works best when you don’t really care where you go.

More on Norwegian Joy

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Let’s look at some more things that you can do on the Norwegian Joy.

• Everyone is always talking about self-care, and how important it is to do. I talk about it a lot on my blog https://wordpress.com/view/familytripsinc.wordpress.com. And I guess that this blog is kind of about self-care in that we’re always talking about vacations on this. On this cruise ship, you are going to have access to a fitness center an where you can do your workouts while watching the beautiful ocean. You might also just want to walk around the ship, doing laps. And of course, this ship also has a great spa.
• You are going to be able to get all kinds of treatments here. Do you enjoy the theater? Norwegian will have several shows for you to see. Some are going to be shows where you can enjoy lunch as well. Now, I do have to be honest and say that I have no idea how clean these shows are. I have heard that shows on cruise ships can get pretty raunchy.
• Do you like older music? Norwegian has places where you can go to relax and listen to classics. They also have places where you can enjoy comedy shows and then dance the night away, sometimes in the same places.
• Is your favorite pastime shopping? Norwegian has you taken care of there too. They have plenty of shops you can choose from.
• But wait, we haven’t talked about food yet. They will have a lot of different options for you there too. You have complimentary dining options as well as specialty restaurants to choose from.