Going by train?

I have to confess that the first thing I think of when I think of trains is Downton Abbey, that very opening scene where hero John bates steps off the train. That show was set between around 1914 to sometime in the 1920’s. Trains were a huge part of transportation at that time. Now trains are more of a relic of the past than a convenient means of transportation these days.. Or so we think.

Airports these days are going to take up a lot of your time. You have to get there in plenty of time to get through security. And then there are delays in flights. Trains, especially in Europe, tend to run like clockwork. [that was, in part, due to Herr Hilter. That might be the only good thing that he did.] But anyway..

Trains are also known for being more flexible. They run specific routes, and if you miss your scheduled train, without too much extra stress or expense.. And when it comes to traveling with children, trains may be a better way to keep them entertained. Let’s look at some reasons why.

• I know you can see some from an airplane, especially if you’re flying during the day. But trains are right on the ground where you can see everything.
• Another benefit of riding on a train is that you can get up and walk around. You are free to explore. You can meet the conductor and ask him your questions.
• You are also freer to either pack your own food or to go into the dining cart.
•  Trains have some tables that will allow you to play games as a family. And this is a great way to pass the time.

Please let me know your thoughts or any questions you might have.

Thanksgiving at Disney

There are several things I’d really like to look into for the business. I’ve submitted my first article that is for pay, and it is going to be up to four weeks until I hear back. I am planning on doing some more research on this group and hopefully figure out more of what they want in their articles. I’m also talking to someone about a trip. Do you know something? I actually love doing research on these trips, figuring out everything my clients might need to know. I would love to be doing more of this soon. Let me go on and do this so that I can get to some other things.

Let’s keep looking at some tips you might be able to use if you were to go to Disney over Thanksgiving break.

• Let’s face it. Big crowds and small children usually make for nervous parents. Try having everyone dress in the same colors each day that you are at Disney. My family also implemented a buddy system, where younger children got matched with an older child, and they had to stay together while we were out. Count your group before and after each thing that you do to make sure that everyone is together.
• You are going to get stuck in long lines. Just get used to that fact. These are actually great times to have conversations with your children and\or your spouse. Enjoy your time as a family rather than getting frustrated that it’s taking a while to get on the ride or whatever.

Okay, you can go to Disney and have this great time, but what about the traditional Thanksgiving feast? Disney is going to have several restaurants at each park that will serve Thanksgiving dinner the way we know it. You will want to make your reservations with the restaurant of your choice well in advance.

I would love to know that reading this has put you in the mood to go to Disney. Please let me know if I can help you book a trip.

Disney at Thanksgiving

I have had several things going on today. I was out of the house most the morning between a bible study group and a doctor’s visit. [The trip to the doctor was something I had to do because of the communication device problems.] I’ve also been trying to drum up some business this afternoon. Hopefully something is going to come of that

Anyway, as I was talking to one of my potential clients, I started wondering what Thanksgiving is like at Disney World. I know that summers are horrendous because nearly everyone is out of school. Christmas is another very crowded time at Disney for much the same reason. But Thanksgiving? I didn’t know, so I decided to look that up.

Thanksgiving is not as bad as Christmas usually is. And you should also know that by Thanksgiving time, Disney is already decked out for Christmas. You aren’t going to find much to get you into the Thanksgiving spirit. Let’s look at some tips that might help you if you do decide to go to Disney for Thanksgiving.

• There are park calendars that will help you find out which parks are the busiest on which days. Disney has something called Park Hop Passes, but it is recommended that you do only one park each day during this busy season.
• It is always in your best interests to arrive early at the parks. During by times like this, arriving early becomes imperative. Disney has “Magic Hours” for those that stay at their resorts. Arriving early allows you to get much farther into the parks without the crowds.
• Know what your priorities are before you enter the park. Are you wanting to ride as many rides as possible? Are you there to get autographs of the characters? Do you want to watch the parades and the other shows? Have a plan and stick to it.
• You’ll  even want something of a plan when it comes to eating. Consider having an early breakfast and either an early lunch or a late lunch to avoid the crowds. Know which restaurants you’d like to try during your visit. Do you want to take advantage of the character dining? You’ll want to plan that well in advance of your trip.

We are going to come back to this tomorrow.. I would love to help you book a trip to Disney. Please let me know if you are interested.

Family fun in Cozumel

It is Saturday, but there are still several things I want to get done today. We’ll see how much energy I end up having.

From what I hear, Cozumel is still pretty much untainted by “tourist traps”, even though it is becoming a pretty popular destination. This sounds like the perfect place for a family to enjoy a fun in the sun vacation.

 

Just because it is a quieter place does not mean that there is nothing to do there. This is on the ocean, so you are going to have a beautiful beach to enjoy. There will also be a lot of water sports to enjoy for your family. You can snorkel or scuba dive. You can also swim with the dolphins.

One of the best places to stay in Cozumel is Sunscape Resorts. When you stay there, if you were to get tired of the water activities, you could take advantage of their full-service spa. You will be able to enjoy live music. They do have a kids’ club for your children to get to know other people their age. They also have a teens club if you have older children.

You will be be able to choose from a variety of nice places to eat. And of course, this is an all-inclusive resort, so most everything should already be covered. Don’t worry about how much everything will cost once you get there.

Please let me know if you’re interested in a vacation like this. I would be more than happy to help you plan it.

Traveling with the in-laws

Tuesday is the morning I meet with friends to have a bible study. I’m just getting a later start for today, and then had trouble figuring out what to write about.

In-laws… Even if we don’t have them because we aren’t married yet, we have siblings who are married or friends who are married.. I know sometimes in-laws get along great, others it’s best to keep them separated as much as possible. But like it or not, you are going to have to travel with them at some point. And traveling together can be difficult even when you love each other. Here are some tips that might help help everything go as smoothly as possible.

• You will want to figure out how they usually travel. Do they like doing things on the cheap, are they people who live for luxury, or are they somewhere in the middle?
• If you haven’t spent a lot of time with them yet, you might want to quiz your other half on quirks, forbidden subjects and things like that. You want to avoid stepping on toes if you can.
• And that works both ways. Try to get your spouse to tell his parents about you too? Are there things they need to know? You might be a morning person, but tend to enjoy being by yourself first thing. You may be uncomfortable when people stat telling certain kinds of jokes. Or maybe they aren’t really into anything green, but that is your passion.
• You will want to have some discussions about what this trip is going to be like before you are actually on the road together. Have a rough idea of your itinerary for the trip. Having plans already in place tends to lessen stress and hard feelings.
• And please discuss who will be paying for what on the trip. They may not want to pay for everything. Or they may feel bad if you don’t let them treat you. Again, your spouse may have insight into what the parents are really thinking or feeling.
• It is probably best not to spend the whole time together. Give yourself time to enjoy as a couple. You may also want to consider having the girls go shopping while the guys play golf or something like that.

Those are some of my thoughts. I would love to hear your own ideas, or any funny stories you might have.

Bachelorette getaways

I’ve done something this morning that I’ve known some time needed to be done. I’ve redone my profile on this. Hopefully this explains how we can work together. I would love to know your thoughts about this. And planning this is usually the job of the Maid of Honor to make that clear.

• The first thing that you will want to do is to talk to the bride, and find out what she wants this getaway to be like. Yes, this is for everyone, but it is her special time. She’s been trying to balance work, planning her wedding, and everything else she needs to do. Having a vacation with the people she considers her closest friends will hopefully relax her before her big day. She is going to have contact information for everyone she wants to have at this gathering.
• Find out how much of the actual planning she wants to do. Some brides know exactly what they want and want to make sure everything is exactly how they want it. Others need someone else to handle all of the details.
• Decide on the dates that will work best for everyone. If everyone is relatively close by, you might want to do this pretty close to to the time of the actual wedding. If people are spread out farther, you might want to have it farther out so that everyone is not worn out from traveling right before the wedding.
• Planning these events can take some time. Decide if you want to do all of the work yourself, or if you want some help doing this. You can get other friends to help put everything together. Or you can have your friendly travel agent help you.

 

I think I am going to get back into this on Monday. I would love to know any thoughts or questions you might have about any of this.

Why a Couples’ Resort is the perfect place to vacation

I’m usually talking about taking vacations here. [Since I’m a travel agent, that’s pretty much expected.] I believe in work\life balance. I believe it is good and right to work, to find a job we love and pour ourselves into it, but making sure we make time for our family and friends. And of course, I believe in taking vacations when we need to.. If it is time to start planning your next vacation, I would love to be the one to help you through that process.

For those looking to take a romantic getaway, a Couples’ Resort might be the ideal spot. Today we are going to take a to look at some reasons why that is.

• First, all inclusive tends to be a word that is used a lot when we talk about vacations, but each travel vendor defines exactly what that means with their company. With Couples’, you are going to probably going to get everything you’ll want at the up front price. You are going to get all of your meals covered any time that you want to eat, day or night. You’ll get to take part in their nightly entertainment at no charge. You’ll also get free golf, I do not see many places that say that. You’ll also get to participate in off-site trips.
• You will also have access to a “romance conceirge” who will help you line up everything that you will want to do on your vacation.
• Let’s look some at their accommodations. It looks like a lot of their suites are actually little bungalows which give you a lot of privacy. These are quiet retreats which will give the perfect place to relax with the one you love. Itlooks like a lot of these units will not have tvs.
• Okay, I said earlier that all your meals are included, but what kind of food experience ? It looks like you can choose from a little bit of everything. There is a grill which will be opened 24/7. They have a place where you can get sandwich. They also have a nice breakfast place. hey have a nice Asian restaurant they also have several nice places for you to do dinners.
• But maybe you have gone and explored all day, and all you really want to do is relax in your rooms. They will accommodate you. They will also serve you breakfast in bed. Looking to rekindle those sparks? Try having dinner in the moonlight here you will enjoy a nice three-course dinner, complete with wine.

I would love to help you book a vacation at one of these resorts. Please let me know if you are interested.

Working with a travel agent

I have several things I am going to try to get done. I still have a lot of e-mail that I need to go through after being gone for three weeks. I think I have another article I am about ready to send out. And I just have a lot of other ideas. So I am going to write about something fairly familiar.

First, let’s go through some of why it is wise to use a travel agent.. I personally do not charge anything over and above what I will make from commissions from your hotel and whatever other vendors we may use to book your dream trips. I’ll be honest, I have not done much booking myself yet , but I’m part of a large host agency. And if something does not go right on the trips hotels and other vendors usually listen better to travel agents who can either send a lot of business their way or avoid them like the plague.

My hope is that when you book one trip through me, you’ll find out how easy and convenient it is to book through me and will want to book all your trips through me. So it truly helps when I can learn as much about you and your family as I can. What kind of hotels do you like to stay in? Do you like the idea of an all inclusive vacation, where a lot of your meals and other activities are covered? Do you want to rough it on your trip, or do you like luxury? These are just a few of the questions I will be asking when you start working with me.

But I know that all good relationships are not one sided. It help when you get to know me as well. I love this job. I have a lot of hopes and dreams for this business. And mainly they revolve around helping families reconnect through travel. Families are so busy these days with all of their activities that they make little time for each other. Vacations take us out of our busy lives and help us reconnect with the ones we love most.

Could your family really use a vacation? Or do you know of another family that might? Please let me know.

Some hotel deals for the end of summer

You can’t imagine how good it feels to be back to work after being gone for a little more than three weeks. Part of my “vacation”, if you want to call it that wasn’t much fun at all , my communication device had to be sent off to be worked on. I had to wait about a week to get my loaner. In the grand scheme of things I know a week isn’t maybe, but it felt like a long time. When I had gotten the loaner, I had two days where I had internet before I was going out of town. I had problems figuring out the e-mail I had connected to this. I couldn’t figure out the password and was getting pretty frustrated with all of that, and then I tried a different way to get in. I should have tried that in the first place, but anyway. Live and learn.. And I guess I said a lot of this in yesterday’s post, but I’m so glad to have everything working again.

If unlike me, you haven’t taken any time completely away from work, there’s still time. Labor Day is still a little  over a month away. And for us who e in the South, it should still be pretty warm until the middle of October. Vacationing when most other people have already had their break is nice, especially for those who who hate crowds. In fact, many hotels are going to give you better deals so that they will have some money coming in during this slower time. Let’s look at some of these deals.

• The first deal that we are going to look at today is in Atlanta, which is near where I’m from and I have several siblings in that area as well. There is a really nice hotel in the Buckhead area called the St Regis Atlanta. Here you will find butler service available. This hotel has a great pool and a spa.
• Next we are going to take a look at something in the city of brotherly love. The Logan Square sounds like an excellent place to explore. Here you will find several nice restaurants as well as a nice place to picnic. They also have some nice museums in this area. Hilton has a nice hotel called simply The Logan Hotel. You will be able to collect points from this hotel.

Please let me know if I can help you book any trips. I would love to help someone book a trip any time..

Traveling with children

There are many, many things that I’d like to get done today. I have some things I want to try with my writing. So let me do this so that I can get to other things.

Summer will officially be here next week. But hopefully by now most everyone’s school has let out. I know when school lets out depend on a wide variety of factors. And then there are our homeschooling who might have gotten out months or might not really take a summer break. Whatever you do, I hope you take one summer vacation as a family. Today let’s take a look at some more tips for traveling with children.

• You will want to make up a little bag for each child. Put in their favorite small toys, maybe a game or two, snacks that they will enjoy. For the littler people in your family, you may even want to include a change of clothes.
• Hopefully the bags I’ve described are going to keep them busy for a good while. Consider rewarding good behavior with time on your phone or IPad.
• But keep in mind that driving time is also a good time to talk and enjoy being together. Tell stories about what things were like as you were growing up. Play games the whole family can enjoy on the road.
• While you are on vacation, you shouldn’t always be rushing from one activity to the next. Take some time each day where everyone simply reads a book or maybe watches a movie together. Probably the best time to do this is right before dinner so that everyone will enjoy the evening’s fun.
• You are going to want to pick the best accommodations for you and your family and the trip that you want to take. Some resorts cater to children, others cat to adults. You want to go some place that is going to be welcoming to your idea of fun.

Helping you plan your vacation just the way you want it is what I’m here for. Please let me know if you would like my help.