Travel news

I have been talking to a couple of people about booking trips this morning. It’s been kind of crazy in a good way But I’m waiting on some things from them , so I am going to do some other things.

One of the cruises I planned for some of my siblings made a call to Belize.. This used to be a very quiet place with little to do except enjoy the beach. But that is changing. They saw a lot more visitors in 2015. A large part of that was due to the renovation of their airport.

And then there is Cuba and all that is going on there. Cuba is slowly opening up for American travel, and that is pretty exciting to watch. It is opening up by degrees. Right now you basically have to be part of a tours group to go to Cuba. But they are going to start opening up commercial flight so you can go anywhere you want.

 

And about Fiji, yes, they’ve had a cyclone go through and cause damage. But please don’t change your plans to go. The best way you can help is to go and spend your money there. The majority of hotels and different things you’ll need are still fully functional.

Please let me know if you are interested in any of these destinations.

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Travel agents save the day

I have so much I want to do that I’m not sure what to do first. And this may be even more true since it is Saturday, and I have a lot I’d like to do before I close everything down for a while.

Travel agents have sway in the industry, because hopefully we are selling travel. Since we are bringing hotels and other travel products business, we can ask for special things and for help in emergencies.. Not sure what I mean exactly? Read on.

• One agent arranged a conference in New York City. It should have been an easy thing, but sadly this was the weekend the blizzard hit. The city got thirty inches of snow. It could have been a nightmare , but the travel agent and her team managed to rebook the air and everything and saved the day. 
• Another travel agent had a multi generational trip. A couple of weeks before they were supposed to leave on the trip, the grandmother calls saying she has to have a recliner to sleep. Not wanting to cancel the trip, because if you don’t go we don’t get paid, this travel agent worked with the resort until they found something that would be comfortable for Grandma.
• Another guest was on the way to the airport when she lost her passport. Somehow her travel agent got her a passport in four hours.

I would love to know your thoughts about this.

More cruises when you want to unplug

I am going to talk about cruises that would be perfect when you want to get away among people you love. But I was thinking earlier, I’m a writer as well as a travel agent. And sometimes authors need to get away from everyone and everything so that they can have concentrated time to write time to write. And these cruises would work well for that as well.

Okay, the first cruise we are going to look at today is Windjammers’ Caribbean cruises. These are six to twelve night cruises that are actually sail boats. The largest ship in this fleet does not hold thirty people. You might have phone depending on your carrier, but there is no internet.

Evoventura is a family owned company, and they’ve been doing galapagos island cruises for twenty years. You are going to be a lot of wildlife. You can also snorkel to see even more wildlife. There is no phone or internet on these cruises. And these ships take no more than twenty guests..

New to the industry is a company called Hebrides, they started sailing in 2014. They have only six cabins available for guests. On this cruise you will be exploring Scotland and enjoying its wildlife. You will have limited phone service.

Please let me know if you are interested in any of these.

Cruise news

I have a lot I want to get to today, and bible study is tonight. So I am going to get started on this, so I can get to some other Things.

The cruise business is huge, and there is something out there that will appeal to everyone.

First, let’s look at Costa, who is an Italian-based company, is going to start doing a mozzarella gourmet bar. It sounds like this is a sandwich bar. But it is going to have some of Italy’s finest meats and cheeses available. They will also make you some high end pizzas.. Pizza is one of my favorite foods.

 

Cruise ships have evolve d over the years, and you can get internet access, usually unlimited comes at a price. But you can also take cruises where you can get totally away from internet. I think we are going to get into more specifics on this tomorrow.

Have you ever been on a cruise? Do you want to go on one? What are some things you would like to see on a cruise? I would love to know your thoughts on this.

More signs that you need a vacation

I must confess that I’m a creature of habit. I like doing things in a certain way and order. I have some things I always do before work, a certain order I like to do my work work in.. But anyway, let’s discuss more signs you may need a vacation.

• Stress i really not healthy for your body. Living with stress long te is going to health problems. If you’re living in pain, please take some time off. Get help if you need it.
• Everyone is going to have an occasional stomach ache. But if you’re having tummy trouble on a regular basis, you need to take some time off for sure.
• If you’re having problems sleeping at night, it may be caused by stress. And not getting enough rest effects everything, your health, your work and your family. If you’re having problems resting, please take sometime to get away.
• You chose your job for a reason. If you’re not seeing any point to your work, please take some time away.

I would love to get your thoughts.

You may need a vacation if…

I hope everyone had a nice weekend. I know I did. And now I am trying to get back into the groove. I’m sure I am going to get back my stride soon.

Okay, I’m always talking about trips you can take, or things you can do on vacations. But today let’s look at some signs you might be ready to take a vacation.

• Work produces stress, there’s no way around that. But if you’ve gone too long without a vacation, you are going to find that little problems are going to drive you crazy. And you may start to snap at at your coworkers or, even worse, your clients which is never a good thing and can lead to serious poblems if you don’t do something.
• Your coworkers may start asking if you need a vacation, especially if you get irritable. They may start dropping hints. You may feel yourself getting tired or cranky.
• You also may find yourself making mistakes that you would not normally make. And this might lead to you losing your job, or not getting the promotion you want. Work just doesn’t hold your interest like it once did. You might find yourself having more and more negative feelings about work.. Yes, people work to make a living, but you should find it pleasant most days.

I am going to get back to this tomorrow. Please let me know if you have any questions.

Why do people like cruising?

It’s Saturday, and I’m trying to decide what all to do today. But I know I am going to do this, so let’s get started.

The cruise industry is really growing. Today we are going to look at some reasons why this is.

• First, cruises have something for everyone. Whether you are a family looking for a great kids program and lots of fun, an older couple looking for luxury and cultural experiences, or anything in between, there is a cruise that’s right for you. Please let me know what you’re looking for, and I can help you find it.
• People who are going on cruises say that cruises give you a lot of “bang for your buck”. Especially when you get into the premium cruises a lot of what’s out there is pretty all inclusive.
• River cruising has opened a whole new world to cruisers. It enables you to explore parts of the world you wouldn’t have been able to get to on ocean cruises.
• Most cruise lines are taking the motto, “Do whatever you feel like whenever you want”.  Cruising makes traveling to other countries easier and more comfortable for a lot of people.
• Everything is optiooptional, but there is so much you can do on a ship. You can find wine tastings, cooking classes, Broadway shows, concerts, movies under the stars and so much more!

I am going to stop here, let me know if you are interested.

A “no vacation” nation?

I started looking at the travel news, and today they had something on how America is really not taking vacations these days. And to be honest, that is hard on us travel agents because when people don’t take vacations, we can’t book them.. Yes, I know that retired people are traveling, and that there is a lot of business travel. But my heart is really to work with families. I want to help families reconnect through travel. Everything I do, whether writing thi blog, writing this book, trying to talk to more people about my business, is geared to help families reconnect through travel.

Anyway, Americans are getting less time off work than most Europeans. But the sad truth is that most Amercans are simply not taking the vacation time that they do get… We are human, and all of us need downtime. No matter how much we enjoy our jobs, work is always at least somewhat stressful. We need time where we leave the pressures of work behind and just relax with family and\or friends. We also need time by ourselves to be with the Lord.

I would love to hear your thoughts on this.

 

Airport hotels

I’m trying to figure out how to balance everything I want to do. Writing a book is going to take some time, until but I would also love to figure out ways to start bringing in some money now. I have a lot I want to do. And with writing this book, I’m thinking about work\life balance, and not to be honest, I have no idea what that should look like for me.

Anyway, today we are going to look at airport hotels, and what Hilton is planning to do with theirs. Okay, airport hotels is something else I’m just learning about.. An airport hotel is just what it sounds like, a hotel near the airport. It’s a convenience when you have a really early flight or just don’t want to worry about getting there late. These hotels are often known for being pretty basic and without a whole lot of frills.

But Hilton is trying to change that. And they are going to start this concept in Amsterdam. This hotel is very convenient to the airport. But it is going to be a four star property and will have a lot of nice amneties. This is a beautiful property that has ssoundproof windows that will enable you to sleep. Each room is equipped with wi-fi and a nice desk. You will be able to choose from three different restaurants. Let me know if you want to try something like this.

Do you need a staycation?

I am trying to get this book written. Right now I’m just starting the rough draft. It’s a mess, but I’m just trying to get my ideas down. I would like this to be done in about three months, actually I kind of wish it was finished yesterday… But we will see what happens.

But have you ever had one of those weeks where your work was absolutely crazy, and you knew you had to step away from everything work related, and just relax with your family? Here are some ideas if this sounds like a good idea.

• First, turn off your cell phones, put away your laptops.
• Decide as a family whether you want to get together with friends at all. Or do you really need to be with just your family?
• I must confess that I like having good food whenever I’m doing anything special.. Does your family like to eat out, or is that even special? An alternative to eating out would be going to the grocery store and getting fun food to eat together.. You might want to have picnics.
• Do your kids like to make forts? Consider making one that your whole fmily can sleep in. Or put up a tent in your backyard.
• Do things you don’t usually do together. Go to the park. Go to that museum you keep meaning to go to. Go to the movies together.

I would love to hear your ideas on this. Please let me know.