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.

Travel points and holidays #2

Let’s get back to our discussion about using your reward points for your holiday travel.

• Some credit cards are going to give you rewards on various places. Examples of this would be a Chase credit card, or a rewards program like American Express has. You can choose where and how you use those rewards of yours. And that always makes life easier.
• Point systems like this are going to have multiple airlines that they partner with. You’ll just have to figure out which airline will give you the best deal.
• Do you need a major influx of hands? You know that a lot of credit cards are going to give you big bonuses when you sign up for their card. Do a little research and figure out which will give you the best deal.

Redeem your travel points over the holidays

First, I have another set of crazy days coming up. I’m hoping to keep working, but we’ll see how much I can do.

Anyone who has read this blog for long knows that I absolutely love the holidays. Well, I love most holidays, I’m not big on the celebration coming up in October, but anyway. Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day are coming up, aren’t those the real holidays. And if there is any time that everyone and his brother wants to travel it this holiday season. This is the one time everyone agrees  that you should take time off work. And these travel point places know that and make it harder for you to redeem your points. Today I am going to share some tips that should help you work around that.

• You are going to want to start making your plans as early as you possibly can. And while part up is that you want to start saving points as early in the year as you can, it also means trying to make your plans at least six months before you  want to take your trip. I know this is too late to do this year, but try to do it next.
• Start looking now for the less expensive travel date. Try looking at the week before Christmas. You may also be surprised at Day itself can be. The name of the game is to be flexible. Have people you’re trying to meet up withduring the holidays? Let them know how important it is to be flexible, and then do your best to figure everything out together.
• And your flexibility needs to extend to more than just your dates. Consider several different destinations where you might want to go. And again, you are going to want to look for the very best deals

Hotel news

We have b and Expedia have decided to join forces and make the whole booking process much simpler. een looking at cruises a lot lately. Let’s do something a little different today.

New Orleans is the latest city to put the nix on airbnb. They join San Francisco and New York City to name a few. Some of their citizens are all for this ban. Airbnb raises property taxes, have negative effects on the city’s historic districts, and tend to push out the working class people. But other people feel like the government should not shut this down. After all, this is a good source of income for some people.

If you are looking for something similar to airbnb, you should consider inns. Sounds nice and old fashioned, doesn’t it? Inns will have limited numbers of rooms which will give you some more privacy. Inns are also going to offer you limited food and drink choices. Basically inns are the older models for for boutique hotels.

And speaking of boutique hotels, Kimpton is putting one of their hotels in Miami. This is going to make their fifth hotel in Florida.

Marriott and Expedia have decided to join forces and make the whole booking process much simpler.

And even more cruise tips for first timers

If you are going on your very first cruise and are so excited, you may want to print out some of these posts I’ve been writing for future reference.

• Able bodied people are usually going to find cruise else to be a waste of time. You are unlikely to find the elevator ready and waiting for you. And do you really want to be one of those people waiting for it when you are going to be around people who actually need it?
• really want to go hang by the pool the first day onboard, and then not go again the rest of your time because you’ve gotten sunburned? Please bring your favorite sunscreen and make sure to apply it before you leave your room for the day. And take it with you for when you are at the pool or other outdoor activities.
• You can actually get your teeth whitened on some ship. I would highly discourage you from doing that though. Sometimes having that done on these ships could greatly reduce the pleasure of eating. And who wants to not enjoy eating while you are on a cruise?
• Cruises are a great way to make new friends. Unless you are on your honeymoon or something like that, chat with other people while you are eating, or hanging out by the pool, or waiting in lines. You may be surprised at how much you have in common with some of these people.
• And this might have belonged at the very top of our list, but please bring a good attitude. You should be having the time of your life, eating incredible food and having awesome adventures. And the people serving you are often away from their families  for months at a time. Be grateful and try to make life easier for them.

More things not to do on a first cruise

A lot of people get nervous when they are doing something for the first time. And sometimes they do things they know they shouldn’t do. Here are some tips for when you take that first cruise.

• There are papers that you are going to need. Be sure to take those papers. Put everything you will need in one folder, and please put them in your carryon. You do not want to stick them in your luggage somewhere, it could take them a long time to figure out where your papers are.
• I have said it before and will no doubt say it again, but you do not want to drink too much when you are on a cruise. Being drunk on a boat can get quite dangerous Drink any time that , drink soda and juices, especially any time that they are free.
• Be kind to your crew. And yes, that does include give the money tips any time that you can. You might also want to bring along some candy and give it out as well. Candy brings out a smile to most everything everyone.
• I know that you want to get some souvenirs, but you do not want to go crazy with them. Decide on things that you are going to like for years to come. For example, how many  Hawaiian shirts are you actually going to wear?
• And make sure you have some room in your luggage for these souvenirs. You don’t want to have to carry them on your lap on your way home.

Things not to do on a cruise

I think have guessed this, but I find cruises easy to write about. But cruises are like most anything else, the more you know before you leave, the better things will go once you are on your trip. Today let’s look at some things you should not do on your cruise..

•  You know yourself and your family. Most people are going to use their cruise cabins for sleeping and changing and nothing more. Getting an inside room is going to be your least expensive option. But will you be happy in cramped quarters? That is something you’ll have to decide for yourself.
• Don’t bring someone who is going to be no fun on a cruise. If their idea of a vacation is doing little except sleeping, and you’re wanting to have all the fun you can, that is probably not going to be the best cruise match. Bring someone you like hanging out with a lot.
• I’m sorry, but I don’t think of a vacation as a good time to be on a strict diet. Vacations are times to have fun and enjoy yourself. Besides most cruises are going to have these buffets that will cost you nothing extra to enjoy. You’ll wto try a lot of different food.

More reasons to cruise

Yesterday we were talking about reasons to cruise. Let’s continue that discussion today.

• Sometimes it can be hard for families to figure out a vacation that everyone is going to love. Adults may plan something that they themselves will love, but their children get bored and just want to play at the pool. Or the parents may plan the vacation to suit their children, and end up coming back just as worn out as they were before the trip. Cruises are going to have something for everyone. They are going to have great children’s programs which will allow adults to do whatever they feel like. Want family time? Cruises are going to have several different options for that as well.
• Cruises used to be pretty standard. You would get on this huge ship with lots of other people and go to some exotic locations?. They still have those huge ships to this day. They also have small ships where you are going to be able to get to know most of your fellow guests. Are you wanting to learn about a certain subject? Cruises allow you to explore all kinds of different topics. They also have cruises that allow you to help others.
• Because a cruise comes with so much to see and do, you will not have to spend hours on end doing research to figure out the hotels and what you are going to do. You may be wise to go to your port city the day before you are to leave just to make sure no problems come up. But once you are on board, everything is taken care of for you.

Why cruise?

You’ve not taken a cruise, and wonder if it is something that you would enjoy. Your friends have gone on cruise and think that doing a group cruise be so much fun. Here are some things that most people love about cruising. 

• On a lot of cruises, a lot of what you need to have a great vacation is going to be included in your fare, which means you will have almost paid for everything and you can just relax. A cruise is going to include your sleeping accommodations. Most cruises will also include most of your meals, you might have to pay extra for their specialty restaurants, though on some cruises specialty restaurants are also included as well. Most ships are going to have all kinds of things that you can do for free both day and evening.
• Part of a wonder of a cruise is although you are going to be touring several different destination, you will have one room your entire trip. You will not have to keep packing your stuff every time you leave one place to go to the next destination.
• And a cruise ship is a great place to be in between destinations. You will not be stuck on an airplane, wondering what to do with yourself. No, you will be enjoying yourself, eating any time you want, swimming, enjoying everything the ship have to offer.

More places to see leaves

 

 

I try my best to let you know when I am to be away from this. But sometimes life jus happens like it did yesterday, and I was hon the computer. Let’s look at some  more places you can find leaves.

 

• When most people think of enjoying the fall leaves , they generally think of the southeastern United States. But this is not the only place in our fair country where you can find some gorgeous leaves. Try Telluride, Colorado. Going to see their leaves is going to let you get much better prices on accommodations and things like.
• California has some beautiful places to go hunting for leaves as well. You might want to try Shasta Cascade. You will not want to miss their waterfalls.. They’re beautiful. This is a great place to camp.
• Or you might want to try visiting Oregon’s beautiful wine country. Late September is probably going to be your best bet.

Where to see great leaves

It is the Monday after Labor Day and I guess accord to a lot of people’s thinking, we are already into fall. School is in session for everyone. Football has started. You can tell that there might be a little cool to the air. So when are you going to take your trip to see the fall leaves? Today let’s look at some places you might be able to do that without a lot of expense.

• The best way to make your dollar stretch is going to be To head out of the country. Why don’t you try Quebec? Here you are going to find all kinds of nice trails to hike. You will also find interesting and not expensive accommodations.
• Do you and your family just love the water? You might want to try Nelson, British Columbia. Their Kootenay Lake is absolutely beautiful. Go when it isn’t tcold and enjoy kayaking and things like that.
• Chattanooga, Tennessee is beautiful any time the year. When its fall colors come out, it is breathtaking. And there are all kinds of places places families can enjoy in this place..