Give back while traveling

Today has been wild with family stuff, and I’m just settling into work. I have no idea how much I am going to be able to accomplish, but I am at least going to do this and check e-mail.. By the way, it looks like I have a lot of new followers. I am honored to have you following my blog. And if you want to get in touch with me, the best way is through e-mail which is sarah@familytripsinc1.com

Sometimes families want to do more than just lounge on the beach when they take their vacations. They want to actually give back to other people during their time away from home. And according to one survey, when you take this type of vacation, you are very likely going to want to do again.

We have discussed Carnival’s new venture, called Fathom previously on this blog. They take their cruises to the Dominican Republic and Cuba, offering their passengers different ways to give back to the people they are visiting.

But Fathom is not the only company to offer these kind of trips by any means.. I would love to hear if your family is interested in doing something like this. If you are, I would love to know where you want to go and what you want to do..

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This and that

I think we are going to talk about some different things today. Sometimes it’s good to highlight some different things.

he first thing that caught my eye is that Air France is going to be offering sleeping compartments to its first class guests. I think they would be something like what you would get on train in the old days. To me this sounds wonderful since I do not sleep well sitting up at all. If you decide to do this, you will also be getting a comfort kit, which will include comfortable clothes you can sleep in, and a nice pillow among other things.

Doctors are urging the Olympic committee to change something  in order to avoid a Zika epidemic. Others are saying that this will not be a huge problem, pregnant women are the ones who really have to be careful about this disease… It is not clear what will happen with the Olympic this year.

People seem to prefer to use technological advances to get their travel needs met, instead of having service face to face. Personally I think that’s kind of weird in a sad way. I know we can do so much on our phones these days. But are we becoming that independent from our fellow man?. Do we truly find each other more frustrating than technology?

I would love to know your thoughts on any of these stories. I can help get you answers to any questions you may have.

Travel “Jungle Book” style

 

I’m not sure whether baseball is truly America’s favorite pasttime anymore. We love movies, and yes, I do include myself in that. When I’m tired of working, or tired of being in the wheelchair, I love sitting down and watching a good movie.. But not only do we like to watch movies, we like to live them. That’s part of what makes Disney so magic, we’ll get to meet some of our favorite character whenever we travel with Disney.

Mahekal Beach Resort in Mexico is putting together a package that will kind of compliment the new movie Disney has coming out. For a little under $1300, you are going to get a nice fivenight package. You are going to get a nice bungalow, the adults will get free breakfasts as well as lunches or dinners free. You will also get to choose between free breakfasts and either lunch or dinners for your kids, or a free spa treatment for each adult.

You are going to be in a jungle, so you are going to get to see a lot of different kinds of animals. The resort is going to provide you with rope swings. I thought that was more of a Tarzan thing, but anyway. And then there are the more usual amenities like pools and a fitness center. Please let me know if you are interested in anything like this.

Unexplored destinations

It used to be that you had to be brave to go across this country, and you must have been super brave to go to another part of the world. Today people often think nothing of jumping on an airplane and going anywhere that they please. So this post is for those that still want to be explorers.

The first place we are going to look at is in Thailand. The place is called Koh Lipe. This is an island paradise. So it sounds like it would be the perfect place for those of you who love hanging out on the beach. Getting to this place may be something of a challenge.You are going to have to do a combination of flight, boat and bus. But you can just relax once you get here.

Or if you are into exploring history, you might want to try going to Slovenia. This whole country is pretty much out of the way of most trtraffic. Here you can find beautiful countryside and a lot of information on the World Wars.

Germany itself has some out of the way places that you might want to explore. The town is called Schanau Am Koisgee. It is home to some great bobsledding. If you’re looking for an adventure, you might want to go in January when all of the races take place. And in summer, this is a perfect place to spend time at the lake.

I would love to know any thought or questions you might have about any of this. Please let me know.

Costa for families

I am the oldest of eight siblings, and I think I’ve shared on here that most of our trips were to see families or friends. Bu there is a pretty big age gap between me and the youngest. It’s something like twenty-one years. And each of us have very different tastes in what we like to do.. Bringing a family on a vacation together can be challenging, and one of the more challenging groups to please is the teenagers. They’re the ones that are most likely going to complain if they don’t have phone service or wi-fi. They also hate had nothing to do.

Costa has things that will keep everyone in your family busy. For the adults, you can choose if you want to take Italian classes, or cooking classes. There is also a spa where you can have your choice of a lot of different treatments you can enjoy. And there are different shops you can enjoy when you get tired of laying out by the pool or enjoying all the fine food.

But what about the kids? Costa splits kids up, and the first age group is three to six. They will have programs all day long and are going to do a lot of arts and crafts. The next group, which is ages seven to eleven, will do much the same thing. In addition to arts and crafts, there will be volleyball, basketball, along with all kinds of fun in the pools. They split older kids up twelve to fourteen and then fifteen to seventeen. They will have a wide variety of things teenagers will enjoy doing. And they will be with their peers instead of with Mom and Dad all day, which likely works well for everyone. Teens will be able to do art. There are going to be parties for every age group too.. Let me know if you are interested.

Palace Resorts in Cancun

I’m a person that likes order to most of my days. I always try to get this done in the morning so that I can work on other things in the afternoon. I had I have several things I want to work on, but my family is also going to have a lot going on this summer. I’m just going to have to figure things out as summer goes by.

But anyway, Palace Resorts is building and renovating in Cancun which will give you even more choices for luxury in this area.

When staying in a Palace Resort, you’re invited to live the palace life. They have a spa that is so awesome, they call it the awe-spa. Here you will also find a cool children’s waterpark, along with a trendy teen club. So your children will enjoy this place no matter what age they are. You will also have access to a great fitness center. And of course, besides the beautiful ocean, there are several pools for you to enjoy.

These are all inclusive places that will not nickel and dime you every time you turn around. So all of your food and drinks will be included. Your entertainment and night life will be included. There should be no charge for childcare. I would love to know your thoughts on this.

Why use a travel agent? #2

I am going to brag on my host agency.. Some travel agents who work from home go into business all by themselves. My guess is that most of them have a lot experience before they decide to do this. Being in this business almost four years, I still feel like I would be lost without a host agency. They provide a lot of training, which I need to take more advantage of. Being part of an agency gives me sports to pick other travel agents’ brains on any number of topics.

Being disabled I haven’t figured out how to take advantage of this, but hotels, cruises and other travel venues give travel agents discounts. And this is more than just professional courtesy. When travel agents go and explore these different venues, it helps them get more knowledgeable more excited about the specific products.

Are you looking at doing something on your bucket list, and what you really want to do is to get vip access to some of these places, but don’t know how to do that? Call a travel agent. We can get you access to all kinds of things that your average person will not have a clue how to do.. I would love to know your thoughts on this

Why use a travel agent?

My family has had some things come up, and I am going to need to take some time off later this week and maybe early next week. Just wanted to let you know that much. We’ll see how everything turns out. It’s looking like the family stuff will actually be in a couple of weeks.

Okay, I know I talk about this whole thing of why people need travel agents these days… And part of the reason I talk about this is because I would love some more clients to work with. Personally I work for whatever commission I get from the trips I book, I do not charge anything more. I should actually be able to save you money because I know more of where to look. More importantly, I have a large group of people I work with, many of whom are more knowledgeable than I am.

I can figure out the best places to book the different hotels and services you will need to have a nice relaxing vacation. I can help make sure that you have everything that you need to have a great time.

Because I’m part of a large group of travel agents, I should have more sway when something goes wrong.. Say you go to a hotel and are unhappy with your room. You can say something to the manager, and they might or might not do anything about the problem. If they do nothing, or do not meet your expectations, e-mail me. I will contact them and say something like, “please help us, I have people I’m working with who can bring you business or not.” With all of the agents I have working with me, that could have a serious effect on business.

I think we are going to come back to this tomorrow. I would love to hear any or comments you have.

Zika-free places

Honestly, when I read something on Zika, the only people they say should be worried about this is women that are pregnant, or couples that are trying to become pregnant. So this does not feel like a wide spread risk at all. Still if you fall into this category, this is important to figure out. Read on for some good advice.

The first place we are going to look at is Hawaii. They have managed to keep the disease away quite well. And Hawaii has a little something for everyone. There are some beautiful beaches, of course. You can find great golf. There are all kinds of great restaurants, no matter your taste. And you can plan a vacation as cheaply or as extravagantly as you’d like.

Or if you’re looking for something like Cancun, you might want to try Spain. This country has a lot of great nightlife. And of course, you will also find some great beaches and beautiful scenery. you might also want to try Portugal if you are looking for something a little more like Brazil.

Or if you like adventure, you might want to consider Alaska. Here you will find all kinds of wildlife and beautiful views. Please let me know if anything piques your interest.

 

Traveling alone?

Today we are going to talk about something a little different. Usually I’ll write about trips that would be great for families to take. But sometimes we women want to venture off on our own. If that’s something you’re thinking about doing, please read the following advice.

First, please wear some type of ring, so that people will think you are married. If you are unmarried and looking for someone special and find someone of interest, you can just explain your situation. If you are married, well, you shouldn’t be looking for anyone else anyway.

There are all kinds of things that you can put on your key ring that will help you if you get into a bad situation. There is Mace. There are also lots of cute charms you can have that will inflict pain should the need arise.

Do not let anyone around you know that you are traveling by yourself. This is probably the perfect time to pull out your imaginary friends from when you were little. And let other people know about their antics. Maybe they always sleep later than you. Maybe they take too longer in the bathroom.

Having said that, it is best to let someone you trust know your travel plans. It’s probably wise to check in with them every day or two to let them know you’re okay.. I would love to know your thoughts on this.