For Vacation Fun...a travel blog

 I love when I have the opportunity to visit trade shows promoting a destination or my professional association, ASTA.  I always learn some new thing about a destination, or meet a new business vendor to work with. I attended an ASTA event recently and made some great new connections along with reconnecting with long time business partners.  It gets me excited to promote things like the new MSC cruise ships coming up soon. Did you know that MSC Cruises also leave from Brooklyn, NY? A great spot for folks in the Northeast who would rather not fly to Florida.  I picked up a few luggage tags to give clients staying at Iberostar Rose Hall Suites in Jamaica in a few months and found out some fun facts about that property.  Iberostar is not just the Caribbean, but is throughout Europe and has many beautiful properties.   We chatted with a rep from Tenerife - I did not know that this beautiful island in Spain, part of the Canary Islands, offers a little bit of everything: diving, birdwatching

If you are an American, you probably don't spend much time thinking about how you approach vacation is very different than Europeans. But there are definite differences. Americans on average start out with 2 weeks of paid vacation a year, or 10 days.  Some companies add to that based on your length of service other factors, but think about your 10 days.  Maybe you chip away at  them during the year for family activities like a child's dance recital out of state, or a wedding that requires you to leave on a Thursday or a Friday. People who live in the European Union get at least 20 paid vacation days each year - twice what Americans receive.  So when American's finally are able to take vacation time and experience their vacation, they are often trying to jam as many activities into that 5 or 10 day trip as possible.  You've heard people say they want to "Make the most" of their trip, or "we want to do everything because we probably won't go here again&

If you have visited Disney World with your children, you have spent major bucks on an exhausting, foot aching, long days vacation.  And it was fun. The kids laughed, smiled, hopefully gave you lots of appreciative hugs.  But you needed a vacation to recover from your vacation. So let's talk about visiting Disney World WITHOUT the kids.  Yes. You can. And it's great! Enjoy your resort. Book a deluxe resort...the amenities are worth it for your adult vacation. Sleep in and then take a book and a beverage and relax poolside. No rushing to get to a park. No guilt for sitting still, and no whims to cater to except your own. Visit your favorite park for a casual trip. You don't have to do every ride and attraction. Get a beverage and people watch. Have a conversation with your partner, or even a stranger.  Do one or two favorite spots and then leave before its steamy hot. Visit an upscale restaurant where you can enjoy a meal and, in some cases, a beautifu

  What is friend therapy? If you have to ask, YOU NEED A VACATION!    Friend trips are often laid back, low pressure, no-stress trips.  We all love our families, but as mom or dad, we find our selves having to be boss, driver, financier, decision maker and ringleader of a 3 ring circus.  Days of working, evening of running to sports and recitals followed by meal prep, homework, chores..it adds up.  Sometimes you just need to spend a few days away to recharge. Pick your bestie, your sister or brother, your lunch buddy from work, and get away.   Explore a new town that's halfway between where you each live, take a cruise, hit Vegas and enjoy some night life, visit a new country, relax at the beach.   Schedule a call with your travel agent to talk about your time and budget - if you're feeling really adventuresome, let your travel agent surprise you. 

Setting the pace for a family vacation can be difficult, especially when your family is a mix of go-go-go, chill-by-pool, and I-can't-people-today.    That's my family.  We all enjoy trips, and of course, we all compromise, but ultimately each person needs to have time to do their thing.   As a mom, I have learned over the years to identify the signs of who needs downtime, who needs alone time, and when everyone is ready to jump all into a day full of activities. As a travel agent, I talk with my clients before anything else happens. Its important to get the feel for the people going on their trip, and sometimes they don't even know themselves.  A conversation helps bring things to light - like is your family on the go all the time, heavy into sports and dance? Or do you tend to spend weekends on a hike? Or geocaching in a new city?   Plan your vacation days to give downtime to the people who need it, but maybe plan some alternate activities for the "go-go" member

 This is kind of a weird phrase, I know.  And to be blunt, it was something my mother said to me related to guys. (get it?)  But the concept comes up in conversations among travel professionals a lot.   Travel professionals spend a lot of time, effort, and money to learn their trade.  Time researching, taking classes, reading blogs and marketing information, industry updates and following news.  Money to visit and learn about different destinations (not vacations, but think 3 days of visiting 10-13 hotels to understand their offerings, properties, clientele, etc.).  Effort to put together customized itineraries for clients, to market themselves and their offerings, etc.  Most travel professionals work on commission paid directly from the locations the book - hotels, resorts, cruise lines, etc.  Many places, like small mom & pop properties, boutique hotels, etc. don't pay any commission at all, but people like them, so agents will them.  Since 2022, more and more agencies charge

What is the benefit of using a travel agent? (2023 Update) That is the question everyone asks.  Years ago, having planned a few Disney trips myself, I asked it too.  I had planned two trips for our family, using the Disney web site, organized my days, figured out my dining, called Disney's reservations, scoured the web sites to find out about tips, discount codes, crowds, the works.  But when my husband and I were discussing our next trip, I was pretty busy at work, with Girl Scouts, and with my daughter's sports and activities. I didn't have a lot of time to dig around and wait on hold for dining reservations.  So I decided to use a travel agent. So EASY!  I filled out a form online with information about our travel dates and preferences, and when the agent contacted me, we chatted more about what we expected from our vacation, what we liked and didn't like to do, and how this was a special birthday trip.  She priced out the trip for me, and offered me an alternat