Want to visit Latin America?

I’ll be honest, I have a lot of projects I want to work on these days, and hopefully some of them will make money. I’m also kind of feeling like I may need to make some changes on this blog, though at this point I have no idea what those changes might look like… Many decisions need to be made, and I’m not sure where to start. But anyway, I’ll figure things out eventually.

Some parts of our country are getting downright cold.. I do have to say that my thoughts and prayers are with the people that are fighting these fires in Tennessee and that area.. But if you are cold and are looking for a reprieve, here are some ideas of places you might want to go.

The first place is Guatemala. Guatemala City has an excellent market which is opened Thursdays and Sundays. They also have nice nice lakes and different boat tours you can enjoy. They also have volcanoes which you can explore.

Panama City has a lot to offer families. Most nights are great for stargazing. And you are going to be able to have all kinds of water sports fun in this area as well.

And of course, Latin America is going to have a lot of historic interest as well. The Incan people lived here at one point. And I think the Mayan people lived around here as well.

I would love to know what your interests are and how I can help you plan the trip of your dream. Please let me know.

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Hotels can help you get in the mood for Christmas

Thanksgiving has come and gone, and now it’s time to really start getting ready for Christmas. And yes, I know that most stores and retailers start putting out their Christmas stuff out right after Halloween.. Let’s look at some specific things hotels are doing.

• At Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe Resort, Spa Casino they are baking up one of the largest gingerbread Houses. Guests are going to be able to walk through this masterpiece. You will be able to see this from late November to early January.
• The Liberty, which is a luxury in @Boston is going to have upside down Christmas trees. Unfortunately, the article I’m reading does not say anything about why they are doing upside down trees. I think that is really weird.
• Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center is bringing back its tradition of a indoor ice winter wonderland. This year, their theme will be Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer more than two million pounds of ice will be used for this display.
• Hyatt Regency Chesapeake Bay Golf Resort, Spa and Marina will allow you to have breakfast with Santa. They will have one of the elves tuck you in bed. You will also be able to enjoy milk and cookies and storytime.

Okay, I have to be honest. I kept hoping that there would be something about the true meaning of Christmas… But maybe that’s a little awkward for hotels, since they ended up sending the Kings of kings to a barn to be born. I don’t know. I would love to know your thoughts on this.

Ice skating in Chicago

I am back to work, and have several projects I need to work on. And then there is e-mail to catch up on.. Taking a break is a lot of fun, and I can actually say that I enjoy catching up as well.

I live in Georgia, and we’re just getting to the place where it is consistently cool… But in Chicago, I bet it is already pretty cold, perfect weather to enjoy the snow, ice skating, and other fun winter sports. Today we are going to look specifically at ice skating.

The first rink we are going to look at is Millennium Park Rink. This is a great place to go to after you’ve done your Christmas shopping. It is a family friendly place. It is free to get in, but you’ll have to pay in order to rent skates. It is usually opened from November to March, but that is dependent on the weather.

Next we are going to look at something called Maggie Daley Skating Ribbon which is not far from Millennium Park. As you might guess from the name, this is no ordinary rink. This is more like a skating path, which has many twists and turning. And again you are only going to pay if you need to rent skates. It is opened from late November to March.

If someone in your group does not like the cold, you might want to try the indoor Rink that is associated with the Chicago Blackhawks.. Skating is just one of the activities you and your family can enjoy there. There is an admission price here.

I would love to know your thoughts, any questions you have.

Why love sea days?

I must confess that I’m about ready to take a few days off. I think I’m just tired.. Hopefully taking a few days off is going to help me renew my vision and focus.

But anyway, today we are going to talk about days at sea.. Everyone has their owns ideas about what makes a perfect vacation. Some people like to pack their days with activities and adventures, keeping busy from sunup to way after the sun goes down. Other people would be perfectly content to go to any hotel and sit by the pool and read. I’ve kind of named the two extremes, and some people fall somewhere in between.. Personally I like getting a lot of time with friends or family on vacations, filling in the quiet times with books and movies. You may not know how much there is to do on a cruise ship. Today let’s look at some the things you may appreciate about days at sea.

• First, days at sea are going to give you the chance to sleep in. Ships do a lot of their actual traveling by night. And a lot of the excursions end by sundown so that everyone is back on board, able to enjoy a nice dinner and the evening’s entertainment. So a lot of excursions start early in the morning.
• Or if you’re like me and enjoy getting up pretty early, why not pretend you’re a Hobbit… Second breakfast, anyone? How about elevensies?
• Movies are a great way to relax, and almost all ships are going to have movies that you can watch. That might be in an indoor or outdoor theater, or maybe in the comfort of your own suite.
• If you’re someone that likes getting dressed up for dinner, days at sea are evenings where you can take your time and enjoy a longer shower or bath. You may even want to take a nap before getting ready.

Traveling in groups

rxFirst, I am going to let you know that, unless something happens that I do not foresee, I am going to work today and tomorrow and then take the rest of the week off for Thanksgiving. My family is going to spend Thanksgiving with friends.

Traveling in groups is in. People are doing trips for bachelor and bachelorelette parties. Multi generation trips are really in. Groups of friends will sometimes like to take trips together. But sometimes traveling beside groups can be hard. Traveling can get difficult when things don’t go according to plan, people have different thoughts when it comes to traveling and what they want to do. And sometimes even the best of friends can get on each other’s nerves when they are together 24/7. So today let’s look at some tips for traveling in groups.

• Resorts can make things easier on families when they have kids’ clubs. This will give parents some much needed one-on-one time together, which will allow them to rekindle their romance. Resorts also have large tables which help families have the space they need.
• Sometimes one person takes charge of the whole group, and everyone just does what he or she says. That is usually not the wisest course of action. It is better to let each person in the group pick one thing that they would really like to do, and then do each thing. If the group that is traveling together includes children, you might want to try to limit yourself to one big activity each day. You’re on vacation. This is a time to relax and enjoy one another. You don’t want to have to rush through everything. Take your time getting ready in the mornings. Enjoy hanging out by the pool. Catch up on movies or tv shows you’ve been wanting to see.

I would love to know your thoughts and advice when it comes to traveling in groups. Please let me know.

Broken world? We can help by traveling

I try to keep this blog upbeat and positive… But we’re country has been going through a rough time. And I’m not just talking about this crazy election cycle. We’ve had several incidents of multiple people being killed within the last year, and it’s tragic. And the problems are not just here in the United States. Canada has gone through a difficult election cycle as well. And then there are the terrorist attacks.. I’m grateful to say that that seems to have slowed down some lately, and I’m praying that it stays this way.

Now let me be clear, I would love to help you and your family book a cruise or a week at a resort. Families reconnecting is my mission in this business of mine.

But at the same time, I recognize the fact that if we do not reach out to others who are very different than us we’ll never be able to make any progress on any of the serious problems facing our world at this time. We need to step out of our own comfortable little worlds, and meet other people that look and think very differently from us. Maybe it can start with something as simple as inviting a neighbor who had a sign in their yard for the person we did not vote for to dinner.

Talking to people who are different than us opens our minds to new perspectives. It gives us a better idea of where other people are coming from. And it will also help us look that even if we do not agree on everything, we still can find common ground. We are still humans who need to be loved and respected..

If you want to be brave and take a trip where you are meeting people who can be quite different than you, please let me know, and I can help you figure it out.

How to make the most out of your time on Disney Wonder

I’ve shared on here that Disney’s Wonder has recently been given a makeover. Today, let’s look at what makes this so special.

Disney’s cruises are not just for children. Disney has several nice places that are for adults only. Disney has added some more adults-only type spaces.. You might also want to splurge and stay in one of the nicer suites.

One of the main reasons anyone would go on anything related to Disney is to meet all of the lovable characters. And unfortunately, in the parks, you might run into some pretty long lines when trying to meet all of your faves. But the lines are always going to be somewhat shorter on their cruise ships.

They are doing Disney’s new musical “Frozen, A Musical Spectacular”on board this ship. Now this is something that the lines are rather long on. I hear that it is very much worth the wait. But you are going to want to get in line as early as possible in order to get a good seat.

I think everyone can agree that Disney has some excellent entertainment. On their ships they are always showing their movies, including the newest releases. You can get the theater experience without paying for it.

Disney also as some excellent dining options for you.. Please let me know if you are interested in taking a Disney cruise. I’d be more than happy to help you plan one.

Reasons to go to Baltimore for Christmas

I’m kind of going to apologize up front and say that I love Christmas, and most everything about it. I love the music, the parties and the plays, the decorations that are coming out everywhere So what that means here is, you’re probably going to be hearing a lot about Christmas.

There may be one more reason that your family might want to travel over the Christmas holidays. And that is if you want to see a white Christmas.. While no one can guarantee a white Christmas, it is more likely that you’ll see snow here than in many places in the South..

There is a great ice skating rink in Baltimore. Now through the middle of January, adults are going to pay ten dollars and children are going to pay nine. And this places is near Baltimore’s Harbor Place where you are going to get some nice things to eat and drink.

Baltimore is the setting for “Miracle on Thirty-fourth Street”, and so, starting at the end of this month, that block is going to be lit up. And people come from far and near to see it. The lights will remain up and on through early January. There is actually also a their that will take people through Thirty-fourth Street. It is called Holly Jolly Trolley Tour, and the tours will start on December second.

From Thanksgiving to Christmas Eve, they are going to have a German Christmas festival in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor. They will have offerings both indoors and outdoors. Here you will be able to taste all kinds of European foods.

Please let me know if you are interested in going to Baltimore for Christmas. I would love to help you plan a trip.

Do you want to do something different for the holidays?

Today has just been a different kind of day of day for me. I just have not been at my computer much at all.. And since I have a meeting tonight, I am going to have to sit and get the essentials done pretty quickly.

Personally I’m someone who really like doing the same things when it comes to holiday times. I love being with my family, and just hanging out and catching up with each other.. But sometimes families decide that they want to do something different for whatever reason. Maybe they just want to do something different. Or maybe they’ve had a death in the family or another tragedy and decide that doing something different is going to help take their minds off their loss. Or maybe you’re single and decide that you are going to do something different with a group of friends.

Okay, I know that holiday travel can be a bit more expensive than it is at other times of the year. But when you figure out what you would spend on a nice holiday meal, gifts and decorations, holiday travel is not going to be that much more expensive. In fact, some of the most popular places to travel to are going to have deeply discounted airfares. I’m talking about places like Las Vegas, New Orleans, Chicago and Nashville.

Suggest to your family that you take a a trip together instead of buying as dark gifts for each other. You might be surprised by how many people would be all for that idea. Not making gifts is not only going to save money, it s also going to save time. And who isn’t looking for more time over the holiday season.

I would love to help you figure out how much a trip would cost. Please let me know if you are interested.

People are traveling for Thanksgiving

It does not seem real that we just have a little more than a week left before Thanksgiving. And then we are going to blink and Christmas is going to be upon us. Are you ready? Do you have all your travel plans together? Or do you want my help putting something together? Please let me know if you need my help.

A lot of people are traveling for Thanksgiving this year, more than they have in the past ten years. People are traveling by both air and by car. An overwhelming majority are going to travel by car. But there will be many people in the airports as well. You are going to want to be careful, and polite however you decide to travel.

As you might expect, most people are going to be gathering with family or friends for the holiday weekend. Some other places that are pretty poppopular are Las Vegas, Orlando [which is the amusement park capital], San Diego, New York City.

It is interesting to note that when this study talks about people traveling for Thanksgiving, they are going to be going over fifty miles from their home.

I would love to know what your plans are for Thanksgiving?. Are you going to be with family or friends? Do you have something you do every Thanksgiving, or are you going to try something new this year?