Cruises

I’m in a really weird place. First, I want to apologize for not being on any last week. I was surprised by my family with a week of camp not. It was a fantastic week. I do not plan being online much this week either, we have family stuff going on. My plan is to return to work next Monday, but we’ll see how everything goes.

When it comes to when to book your cruise, my recommendation is that you book your cruise, or any trip, early so that you will get exactly what you want. But booking cruises at the last minute might enable you to get some awesome cruise deals. Let’s look are at a few of those today.

• Windstar is taking cruisers to Alaska for the first time. I hear that a cruise is a great way to explore Alaska. And Windstar is a luxury cruise line for sure. You might want to check out what is still available.
• Holland America also has room on their vessels that are going to Alaska. And this is one of the more popular destinations for Holland America.
• Seabourn is another luxury cruise line that has room on its vessels that are going to Alaska. Do you want to see some beautiful wildlife? Are you looking to explore some volcanos? Go to Alaska?

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Places to consider #1

 

If you do not already have a vacation planned, you might want to considerplanning one for either late August or early September. Today we are going to start looking at some destinations you might want to consider.

• And let’s start with Anguilla which is located in the Caribbean. This sounds like a nicer area with a lot of luxurious resorts.. You are going to find many five star places here.
• Key West is always going to be nice, but you will be able to get a very nice breeze most of the time. Their Duval Street always has a party going on. And surprisingly, some of the hotels are going to have their best rates in the summertime. H
• ave you wanted to visit Vietnam, but haven’t been sure when? Late summer through October is going to be when the crowds die down. This is also when prices drop. You will also enjoy great temperatures light rainfall.
• Mexico is always pretty inexpensive, but this is especially true during the summer months. Places like Cancun, Playa Del Carmen and Tulum are all going to have great rates whether you want a normal hotel or an all inclusive resort.
• Are you craving winter in summer? Try going to New Zealand. You are going to get great rates anywhere you go. And you will also avoid the crowds.

 

Ways to tell if a travel agent is legit #2

I am going to be doing this as I can over the next couple of weeks.. But I do think I need to take a vacation, trying to figure out the balance.

• Anyway, even though I am a firm believer that everyone needs to take time away from work, I try my best to let you know here and on my Facebook group when I’m planning to be away. If I’m not answering an e-mail within a day or two, I’m either gone, which you should know about, or having problems with my computer. If a travel agent is not answering your e-mail that’s a red flag.
• I want to help you plan your dream trips, helping you make memories that will last a lifetime. Hearing your ideas is important to me. I think I am going to be working on a “vacation planning guide when we get back to normal life. If a travel agent is not listening to the things that you are saying you want in your trip, that is a definite red flag. No one should push a trip on you that you do not want.
• You also probably don’t want to hear your travel agent saying, “I’m just doing this part time to get the free trips,”. And they should never encourage you not to read your travel insurance policy. Really you should read everything to do with your trip to make sure you know everything.

I would love to know your thoughts.

Ways to tell if a travel agent is legit #1

 

I’m starting to grow my Facebook group which is https://www.facebook.com/groups/TravelforMompreneurs/, and I would love to have anyone interested in working with me join. And today the question came up, “how do we tell if a travel agent is actually legitimate?” So we are going to look at that today.

• Let’s take a look at what I do to start with. I’m joined to a host agency, which is what most travel agents who work from home do. Having a host allows me to work with the different vacation vendors and be paid a commission when I book a hotel, car rental, cruise, theme park, or something like that. I will never ask you for cash. And I will not ask for your credit card information until you and I have agreed on the booking that you want to make. When other travel agents ask about giving them cash, that’s a red flag for sure.
• I make more when you spend more, so yes, I am going to ask you about upgrading your cruise or going to a a nicer hotel. But I want you to love the vacations you go on that I book, so that hopefully you will want to use my services again. I’m not going to push you into booking a trip that you will not like. If someone is trying to book a trip that you feel isn’t going to meet your needs, and is arguing with you about it, that is another red flag.
• If someone books a vacation for you, and then says, “Oh, and you need to pay me one hundred dollars as a commission,” that’s a red flag. All charges should be discussed up front before you make your decision to book.
• If you’re asking to go somewhere I haven’t heard about, I am going to do some research about it to help you figure it out. A travel agent who simply says, “I’ve never heard of that place,” and leaves it at that is probably not legitimate.

Okay, I think I am going to be able to do this, but I’m not 100% sure. I think we are going to get back to this discussion tomorrow. I would love to know your thoughts.

Planning a multi generational trip

Tomorrow is the fourth of July. Are you going to be celebrating with friends or family, maybe enjoying a cookout? Is a family vacation in your future? Today we are going to look once again at an extremely popular type of family vacation, a multi generational trip.

• I would love the first thing that you do to be to talk to me about your trip. I would love to help you figure out all the details of a trip like this. Say you are from a family of four, everyone is now married and has three kids. If you bring your parents, you are going to have a group of twenty-two people, and that is a lot to figure out. And I know I say this a lot, but I book the different elements of the trip. I do not charge you anything to work with me.
• One of the first things you will need to figure out is is is how much you want to spend on this trip. Sometimes grandparents decide that having everyone together is worth them footing the bill for everyone. But most the time, each family unit pays their own way. You need to discuss how much each family can spend.
• What kind of trip is your family wanting to take. Would you like to just rent a condo somewhere, either at beach or in the mountains somewhere. Do you want to do the cooking and cleaning for your time together? Or would you rather go somewhere where all those mundane tasks are taken care of? There are resorts and cruises out there which will allow your entire family to do absolutely nothing on your trip. And you can find these type vacations at very reasonable prices.

Please let me know if you are interested in anything like this. I would love to help.

Preparing for a trip #3

 

 

Are you someone that spends days on end packing and preparing for a vacation? Or are you the one who throws everything in the suitcase at the very last minute? Either way, here are some tips that might help.

• Unless you are going to deepest, darkest Africa there are going to be shops where you are going. You don’t need to worry if you do forget something. Some people like to pack lightly and buy clothes from the place they are visiting to diversify their wardrobe.
• However, you might not want to forget paper clips and duct tape. And you’re probably asking why you might need those two things? Bring these things in case you have a luggage emergency. Paper clips are going to help you finagle those annoying zippers that can break at the most inconvenient times.
• Do you know that now such a thing as a sunscreen stick? Travelers will find this less worrisome than the liquids that can leak everything. And you can just throw it in your backpack or whatever you’re carrying on your adventures.
• Plastic bags are excellent things to have, especially if you plan to be in and out of the water on your vacation. Put your wet things in a bag so that they won’t get everything else wet. And be sure to pack more than you think you’ll need.
• Airlines go back and forth on how much food you are going to get while you’re in the air. Thankfully, they do not give you a hard time about bringing snacks in your carry on. And you will also want a water bottle that you will want fill up after you have gone through security and everything.

Preparing for vacation #2

When you get ready to go on vacation, most people tend to get in a hurry and may tend to forget things. Let’s look at some things you may not want to forget.

• Let’s face it. Airlines are run by humans, and we humans can mess up from time to time. Thankfully I do not have personal experience with this, but luggage can get lost. Please pack one complete outfit in your carryon in case something should happen to your luggage. I would pack your toothbrush and other essentials in there as well.
• People make all kinds of things that will help you pack more into a smaller space. Making use of those things on road trips is great. But remember that on airplanes you are limited by size and weight.
• I know that a lot of women feel that it is important to look nice wherever they go. Nothing wrong with that. But consider taking things that will kind of mix and match. This might mean taking a little more time to think through things while packing, but you will be glad once you get there.
• Put your toiletry items into their own bag. You don’t want anything leaking on your clothes. You may want to bring extra bags for your return trip.

Preparing for a vacation #1

 

1. It is almost July, I can hardly believe it. We’re getting ready for some family fun. I know I’ve mentioned this before, but I am looking forward to some time with family and friends. A lot of us will be taking a vacation at some point. So the question some of us are asking is how should we get ready for vacation so we don’t come home to a bunch of stress. Let’s look at some tips that might help.
2. First, make sure you have everything ready for while you are gone. Do you have pets? Will they be taken care of while you are away? Are you going to be having a friend looking in on your house while you are gone? If that is not part of your plan, you might want to stop your mail.
3. Consider giving your house a good cleaning before your leave. It is awful coming home and finding a house you need to give immediate attention to. Better idea. Have someone clean house while you’re away.
4. Let your bank and credit card people know where you are going and how long you will be gone. Some credit card companies become difficult when you’re spending money in places you don’t normally frequent.
5. Do some research on the things you will want to do on your trip before you leave. The internet is going to be a great resource. You might also want to check out the guidebook for your destination.

We are going to get back to this discussion tomorrow. I would love to know your thoughts.

Planning a trip with friends

You have a group of friends you absolutely love hanging out with. And last time you were together, you decided to take a trip for your group. But how do you actually go about planning a trip like this? How can you keep everyone happy?? Let’s looks at some tips that might help.

• First, please talk to me about this trip. I know the right kinds of questions to ask that should make your decisions about the trip pretty easy. I can help you figure out all the details. And I don’t charge you anything. I will be paid when I book the different elements of the trip.
• The questions I am going to start off asking is what kinds of like doing together? Are you big into gaming? Maybe the focus of most of your gatherings is trying different cuisines. Maybe there is a show you like to watch together. Knowing what brings you together will help me figure out where you might like to go.
• Is there a price limit on how much each person in your group would like to spend? Most people live within some kind of budget. If some people in your group are pretty well off and some are struggling, you will want to discuss some kind of compromise.

I wou

Some about Rome

Rome is a pretty popular destination. Italy is known for having exquisite food and wine. Some of the greatest artists of the Renaissance were Italy, and so there is a lot of art museums you may want to explore. And of course, Rome itself is home to the Catholic Church and. Today let’s start by looking at a few basics.

• First, when do you want to travel to Rome? It is usually best to go either sometime in April or May, or sometime in September or October. The summer months can get extremely hot here. And even if you do want to brave the heatwave, you will want to avoid August because that’s when the people there take their vacations. Airfare is usually at its lowest in September and October, which is another thing you’d want to keep in mind.
• How long should you plan to stay in Rome? That mostly depends on what you want to see while there. If you want to see all the major sites, you’ll want to stay between four days and a week. Doing it in less than that is going leave you feeling pretty rushed. And part of the point of vacationing is to relax.
• Speaking of relaxing, you are going to find plenty of places to sleep. The closer you get to the heart of the city, the the more expensive the hotels usually are. If you are short on time, this might be worth the convenience. Europe has a lot of hostels too.
• And finally, where should you eat? You are not going to go hungry here. There are literally restaurants everywhere you look. And one thing you should be aware of when ordering pizza is that if you are ordering pepperoni, they will think that you want. What we call pepperoni they call salami. x