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.

Keeping entertained on a road trip when blind

Road trips are not the most fun for anyone. I can not Imagine being blind. Let’s look at some things that might help.

• Can you travel at night? The little ones might actually sleep most of the way.
• Bring lots of snacks. And Mom, do the snacks HAVE TO be healthy? This is vacation. Bring fun food.
• Bring their texture books for sure

Things have been to kind of crazy this week. We’re visiting family. Actually we’re helping one of my siblings move. I’m working while they’re working, and enjoying visiting when they take breaks. Okay, let’s get back to our discussion on how to choose the right destinations for your family when you have a child with special needs.

Once you have gotten some recommendations from your family and friends, you will want to start doing your research. And this probably means you are probably going to be doing some emailing. Think about the things your special needs child is going to need. Do they use a wheelchair or have other mobility issues? Are there cognitive issues? How important is it that he stays on a certain diets. Think about everything you are going to need, and start e-mailing the different places.

What does it take for your family to be comfortable? Would you want some kind of a kitchen? Should the pool have a lift? How important is it for you to have a quieter space?

How do you choose where to go on vacation when you have a special needs child? Okay, first of all, this is the the wrong question to ask. The first thing you should consider is what kinds of things does your family like to do together? You are going to find many different places that are accessible these days.
Like I said earlier, you are going to want to think through what family likes to do, especially what you like to do together. Don’t be afraid to try things that doesn’t seem like you should do with a special needs child. A lot of these places are going to have ways to help your special needs child and make them feel included. Ask your family and friends where their places to go on vacation. Ask them what they like to do.. You may even want to put the question of where to go up on on Facebook. Look through them and decide what might might work

• You will want to bring the things that you know you will need in your carry on. Bring all necessary medications. Bring one or two changes of clothes. And all of your important papers will go is into your carry on as well. It is just really wise to do things this way. It is better to be safe than sorry.
• There will always be a line for those with special needs at the airport. Please take it. Ask someone if you do not see the line. Bring your liquid medication in their prescription bottles.. I don’t think they are allowed to x-ray those.
• You will want to bring some lightweight blankets for you and your little ones. The blankets they give out are unlikely to keep anyone warm.

More flight tips

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I am going to go on and start. I’ve kind of gotten a new computer. Getting everything set , or starting to, anyway, has kind of worn me out. But anyway, let’s get back to some more flying with special needs kids.

• Is gum considered that special treat that no one gets, like ever? You will want to take some on your flight. Chewing gum is going to help when your ears are popping. It doesn’t necessarily have to be gum, you just need to be chewing something when taking off and landing.
• No one likes to be bored. Take things that you and your children can do. Bring books. Bring their devices. Flying is not the time that you want to be limiting screen time. Bring games.
• This website I’m reading is saying that you want to check as many bags as you can. I kind of understand that you don’t want to be carrying around lots of stuff, you also don’t want to lose. I’ve heard bad things about checking bags.

Flying with a disabled child

Let’s face it, flying is almost never our favorite part of travel. We just want to get to our destination. Having a special needs child just complicates that further. Let’s look at some tips that might help.

• First, you are going to want to let everyone you can think of know that you are traveling with a special needs child. You will probably want to say something about your special needs child each time you speak to someone with your airline. Do this even if you don’t have a wheelchair. Hopefully the airline people will help you out.
• Using the bathroom is just a part of line. Airplane bathrooms are not accessible. Airport bathrooms are usually great. You are going to want to keep that in mind.
• ‘Bring lots of snacks. You can never be sure when you will be fed. And you also can not be sure whether the food will be good for your children.

Autism tips

Some special needs children really like order. They love having their own bedrooms. They love their schedules and always knowing what happens next. They like knowing that they will be eating the food that they enjoy. Vacations have a way of messing all of that up. To many of us, changing our routines is part of the beauty of vacations. That may not be true of the special needs child. For these children, change just means emotional upheaval. It’s scary. This may be especially true for those children who have autism. Let’s look at some tips that might help.

• You will want to try to get to them to learn on wear headphones. You are going to want them to wear noise canceling headphones, especially when you are traveling. This will help them not get over stimulated.
• I’m sorry, I know it is going to be difficult. But you are going want to go on and potty train your child once they get three or four. Younger kids are going to be able to get away with wearing diapers.

Tips

I have lots that I would like to get done today, so here goes.

• No one likes a Debbie Downer, especially when you are on a vacation. Try not to worry about anything. Things may surprise you just how well they turn out. When you is worry, your children are going to pick up on that. Be positive about your trip, and so will your family. It’s kind of a circular thing, the more positive you are the more excited they’ll be which will make you more excited as well.
• You will want to think through everything that you want to take and make lists. Are there toys your child doesn’t do well without? Are you going to take any of his assistive devices?? How strict do you need to be about his diet?
• Do as much planning as you think is necessary for your family. Some people like to do a lot of planning. Others find that they can do well with little planning.

I’ve been talking to someone about my business, and what I need to do. The long and short of it is that I think I need to write an ebook. How I am going to do that I’m not exactly sure, but I am thinking through that even as I write My brain is kind of exploding with everything I need to do and think through. There is no question that traveling with a special needs child is hard, it takes a lot more planning and some more maneuvering once you are on your trip. But I believe that every family needs to travel. Let’s look at some more tips that might help you.

• First, Don’t be afraid to go on vacation. You might be thinking of everything that could go wrong?? Maybe you have taken a trip that did not go well. You’re probably always talking to your special needs child not to give up things that are hard. Remember that when you think about going on vacations. It is going to pay off in the end.
• Surely you’ve met other special needs parents, right? It might have been at the doctor’s office, it might have been at some kind of therapy, or you might have joined a support group. Ask them where they go and what they do for vacation. Ask them what worked and what didn’t.

Let’s look at some destinations that may be great for children with autism. I know that no one with autism is exactly alike, and what may work well for one child with autism may not work well for. But read on to see if any might work well for your family.

• Austin is a city that is trying trying to reach out to those with autism. The hotel that they recommend is Wyndham Garden Hotel. There you will want to book what they call a “Thoughtful” room. These are going to be rooms away from all of the hustle and bustle. You will receive baskets with snacks and games.. The city has several museums that would work well for you and your family.
• Camping is another vacation that you might want to consider. And one reason for that is that it is so inexpensive. Another good thing is that it is usually a very quiet experience. You are also going to be able to choose what you are going to eat, which is important for some families with autistic children. Bring your favorite games to play. Swim in the lake. Go on hikes.