(2 min read)
For some people, a dream destination pops easily into mind: they know exactly where they would go in a heartbeat if there were no obstacles. For others, it’s a bit more ambiguous. You might have an idea about what you’d like, but you might not be entirely certain where you’d have your passport stamped if the opportunity came up tomorrow. We all know that the best way to make something happen is to start intentionally giving it shape — something to look at, imagine, talk about, and (most importantly!) plan for. With that in mind, here are a few questions to ask yourself so you can get started working out the details of that trip you fantasize about during those hectic workweeks.
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Sleeping well on a plane has developed into a certain kind of art — and into a healthy business — with savvy travelers constantly scoping out new ways to make long flights more conducive to actual rest.
Here are a few that really seem to have some payoff. Splurge on a better seat. Sure, not everyone can afford a premium seat in first or business class, where you can take advantage of fully- or almost-fully-reclining seats and loads of leg room. But for long-distance flights, it can still be worth it to spend the extra money on an exit-row seat, a bulkhead seat, or a window seat. Flying on off-peak days, like a Tuesday evening, will also increase the likelihood that the flight will be less crowded and quieter. Do the best you can with flight times and direct flights. While crossing many time zones always poses its own sleep challenges, do your best to pick a flight time and schedule that will sync up most naturally with your sleeping and waking times. If you’re a frequent traveler, you’ve undoubtedly had the near-universal experience of enduring a TSA security line or an immigration line upon re-entry to your home country.
What if you could bypass these lines for good? You may have heard of Global Entry, a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) program that allows expedited clearance for pre-approved, low-risk travelers upon arrival in the United States. You fill out a (fairly lengthy) application, pay $100, and if your application passes the initial phase, you’re invited to an in-person interview/screening at a participating airport. If you pass that phase of the application, you are granted a Global Entry ID. In a nutshell, this is how it works: It seems like every few months, a new travel app comes out, or some new website pops up promising the best deals ever.
And while certainly technology can make many things about travel more organized, the secret to the best trip of your life has been around much longer than aggregate travel sites. Because the secret to an awesome trip isn’t an app — it’s a human being. Your Travel Agent has got the experience, the know-how, and the connections to help you design and plan a vacation that will create the best memories of your life. Here’s just a few of the things that make your certified Travel Agent the key to the perfect trip. Your agent can save you time — as in, hours and hours of research, phone calls, emails, and online searching. She’s the one who knows the best spots to catch that breathtaking sunset on the beach. She’s got the inside scoop on which resorts give the best bulk discounts. Whether you’re planning a proposal or you’re looking to rekindle the spark in a long-term relationship, there’s nothing quite like a beach to bring out the romantic in us.
Here are five places — for all kinds of tastes — where you can sit, sip, swim, hold hands, and just take in the majesty of big water. For the ultimate tropical fantasy, check out Fiji. With over 300 separate islands — many of them almost completely untouched — this place really has it all. Pamper yourself in a secluded, luxurious resort. Take a walk through one of the world’s largest Asian orchid collections. We know that travel comes with a host of great benefits: you get to spend time with people you love; you get to see new things and try new things; you get to relax away from the pressures of work and everyday life; you get the thrill of realizing dreams you may have had for years and years.
As it turns out, travel is the best way to spend your money. Of all the things you can buy, the experience of traveling gives you, by far, the most bang for your buck. All these great elements of travel have been proven to make people happier. Vacations, even simple weekend getaways, can be full of adventure — that’s part of the great appeal, after all — but if you value a delicious, high-quality meal along with your adventure, then check out these four apps for different travel needs that can direct you to the best places to savor a great meal.
• When you’re stuck at the airport. Usually, airports are not known for their culinary quality, although that’s changing in some places. Yelp and TripAdvisor (available in your app store) are both great apps for finding the best food available at your airport — and you can get lists of restaurants in the airport and see reviews from fellow travelers. (Free, iOS and Android). • When you want to know what you’d love. App developers have a knack for creating complex algorithms that essentially “get to know you” by analyzing your previous food choices. Foodspotting (free, iOS and Android) delivers up choices based on specific dishes you’ve indicated you loved (or hated) before. (1 min read) Having to stay home during the pandemic isn’t easy for anyone.
Even if you are getting good things from the slowed pace, or are finding unexpected joy in the quiet — this time can still be a time of restlessness, uncertainty, and anxiety. You probably know someone (maybe yourself!) who had to cancel a destination wedding, romantic honeymoon, a summer vacation, or a trip they’d been anticipating for months or even years. If you’re someone who loves to travel, restricted movement can feel especially discouraging. Travel isn’t just about going places. It’s about the entire experience, the anticipation, the joy, about who you are and who you become when you visit someplace new. There can be a real sorrow in the letting go, especially amidst so many other changes and unknowns. One thing I’ve heard a lot of people saying is, I wish I hadn’t put off taking that trip I always wanted to take. But believe it or not, now is a great time to be planning your post-Corona-celebration trip. There are a few reasons that this downtime is the ideal time to give me a call and get started planning the vacation of your dreams. Traveling can be exhausting.
Whether it’s an early train ride to the next city or the third full day of touring the Louvre, sometimes even non-coffee drinkers need a pick-me up in the form of that caffeinated nectar of the gods. Ordering coffee outside of the US can sometimes be a bit tricky for travelers – but once you get the hang of it, you’ll find yourself enjoying some of the best stuff on earth, and it can be a rewarding way to make connections with locals. So here’s a brief overview of how to order coffee at a few stops around the world. Like a lot of dramatic stories, this one starts with a couple in love. They’d just gotten hitched and were set to depart the next morning on their dream honeymoon to Bali. With their travel agent, a colleague of mine, they had planned for six months to make sure this was the trip of a lifetime.
For these honeymooning clients, she had booked ten incredible nights divided between the beach and a culturally-rich main city, complete with a private driver, 5-star resorts, VIP access to special honeymoon perks, and exciting excursions. For the honeymooners, this was not only a dream trip that represented a ton of planning time; it also was a significant financial investment that they had worked and saved for months to pay for. Imagine their agent’s shock when she got a call on the morning of their departure: they’d uncharacteristically overslept and missed their international flight. People think that the perks of hiring a travel agent begin and end with the planning, but that’s not true at all. The real benefit of hiring an agent is something you discover when an emergency arises and you’ve got to figure out what the heck to do. Their travel agent immediately moved into action. Here’s what she did: |
Camille SandersCamille is an Internationally Certified Honeymoon & Destination Wedding Specialist, along with a Caribbean, Mexico & Europe Specialist. Archives
March 2021
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