For Vacation Fun...a travel blog

Do you love new adventures and exploring new areas? I have loved "family drives" since I was a kid.   When I was young, my parents would put us all in the car and head out to a mountain lake, a fair, an historical site, a beach ... you never knew where you'd end up!   As an adult, I love to continue to explore.  I like to map out a path and then stop and explore as the mood strikes or places I've highlighted on my list. How else would I know that there is a life sized recreation of Stonehenge in Virginia, known as "Foamhenge"?   And I definitely would not have otherwise spent 2 hours exploring the most amazing boot barn somewhere in Missouri (yes, I do have boots from that stop!), wandered the coast of North Carolina envisioning the Wright Brothers' first flight, or exploring funky metal work shops and collections in Arizona.  When I'm mapping out a road trip (for me or for a client), after I have all the important things settled -- the hotels, the m

 Yes, I have absolutely said those words. Or something along those lines.  I wasn't sure I would like being on a ship for a week -- I'm not a take it easy kind of girl after all!  I'll just leave a few things here to show you that taking a cruise is as much or as little as you want it to be. I was by no means going all day like crazy, and there were lots of activities that I missed because I was doing something out.  FOMO is real baby! Here are photos of some of the fun things to do on a cruise ship (yes, its messy and random on purpose!) Swim, relax, enjoy   Lounges, pubs, and dining. Lounges are not just for drinks - think trivia, karaoke, dance lessons along with tastings of different categories, such as champagne, wine, bourbon, martinis, etc.  Music Music Music so much music - live music, djs, relaxing music, fabulous party times, on the ship, on the islands, everywhere. Shows & entertainment Strolling the ship, enjoying the views and people watching   Kid and F

 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&

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