Snobby Tours Travelblog: HERITAGE TOUR DESTINATION: MONTEREY, CARMEL and SALINAS, CALIFORNIA - Review: 5 stars
Here is a great link for anyone interested in visiting the Monterey/Carmel area. This is a fabulous trip. Dont get in a rush (like I did) and not schedule enough time to stop and fully enjoy the area. There is so much to see and do and just relax. Its an area that just sitting, having a picnic or walking the shore line gives you hours of enjoyment. Beautiful scenery and nature is all around.
Schedule in several hours for the Monterey Aquarium....a must!
New England Fall Foliage Group
Friday, February 4, 2011
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Monday, January 24, 2011
Why book a group? Let me count the reasons why!
There are so many reasons for someone to book a group, its hard to know where to start but the main reason is they are FUN!! Whether you're setting up a small reunion of friends at the lake for a day or taking 50 seniors on a tour of the holy lands, its the getting together, sharing meals, conversing and spending time with one another that makes the effort and planning well worth it.
The ideas to put together a group are almost limitless....class reunions, family reunions, business, educational groups, hobbies, workshops, church groups, theme groups the list goes on and on.
Not only is traveling with a group fun but you also get the benefit of group discounts and most group travel planners get to travel for free!
Whatever your incentive is, having the right person to handle the details of group travel is essential. It takes lot of experience and group travel knowledge to be an expert in this field.
The ideas to put together a group are almost limitless....class reunions, family reunions, business, educational groups, hobbies, workshops, church groups, theme groups the list goes on and on.
Not only is traveling with a group fun but you also get the benefit of group discounts and most group travel planners get to travel for free!
Whatever your incentive is, having the right person to handle the details of group travel is essential. It takes lot of experience and group travel knowledge to be an expert in this field.
Friday, January 21, 2011
Spring Breakers!
Thanks goodness it Friday! I've been working on spring break vacations all week! The good news is there is still space available the bads news is that you're going to pay a premium to travel at this time. But with that being said there are still plenty of affordable trips to get away with the family, the key is booking early...."the early bird gets the worm". #FollowFriday
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Specializing in the Group Travel "Niche"
As a travel agent who specializes in the group travel market I have to stay on top of the ever changing travel trends in this niche. Being a group travel specialist it is important to focus on each group individually to design and customized an itinerary to fit their needs and interests. You may have two groups going to the same place for completely different reasons and expectations. Customizing is the key for a group travel niche.
There is no end to the types of groups you can rally up. There are theme groups, adventure/adrenaline junkies, history seekers, hobby enthusiasts, foodies, work groups, reunions, just let your imagination flow! I love the group travel niche because its challenging and you get to form relationships with your groups.
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
What a Fantastic Experience!
Just recently returned from an 8 day Viking River boat cruise from Nuremburg, Germay to Budapest, Hungry. The cruise itself was a great experience but the climax of the trip was an easy inexpensive visit to the mineral baths in Budapest - what an absolutely relaxing, indulging treat. You cant visit Budapest without going to one of the many Baths. The experience not only revitalizes the soul but will be a memory you carry home with you forever.
http://www.gellertbath.com/
http://www.gellertbath.com/
Friday, January 14, 2011
Passport Panic
When booking trips to Africa you really have to dot all your i's and double cross your t's.
Last month I had planned a pretty involved trip to Europe/Africa for some really awesome clients. His wife and him are pretty well traveled, they have been on several cruises and international tours. This year they were combining a 28 day European/Africa cruise with a Safari land tour. After getting all their pre cruise land set up in Italy I started working on the end of their trip to Krueger National Park and Victoria Falls. I double checked all their documentation and sent them to an international vaccination clinic to get shot up for the trip. After reading through all the legal mumbo jumbo on entry requirements I see a paragraph that notes clients have to have at least 2 completely empty pages in their passport book. I high lighted this information and also told the clients that customs will not stamp on the page if their is another stamp there (I dont know why this is a big deal in Africa because they put several stamps on a page everywhere else). Their passports were only a couple years old so they figured this was not a problem.
Unfortunately, a couple days before their departure they got out their passports to discover they only had one page that was still completely blank, even though most pages only had one stamp and plenty of room for more. I called the consulate to see how strict this rule was and if the clients could get by with what they had. Of course they said they could chance it, but they could also run into to problems. So, after weeks of preparation and planning they had to make a last minute drive up to Seattle to have additonal pages added to their passport. After a six hour roundtrip drive and another $90 each they returned home with several new blank passport pages. The upside of this story is that they were close enough to drive to a passport office and they got the passport office to reissue the passports same day (they were original told they would have to come back the next day for them). To every story there is a silver lining, we decided that they would now be able to travel a whole lot more in the next five years.
Last month I had planned a pretty involved trip to Europe/Africa for some really awesome clients. His wife and him are pretty well traveled, they have been on several cruises and international tours. This year they were combining a 28 day European/Africa cruise with a Safari land tour. After getting all their pre cruise land set up in Italy I started working on the end of their trip to Krueger National Park and Victoria Falls. I double checked all their documentation and sent them to an international vaccination clinic to get shot up for the trip. After reading through all the legal mumbo jumbo on entry requirements I see a paragraph that notes clients have to have at least 2 completely empty pages in their passport book. I high lighted this information and also told the clients that customs will not stamp on the page if their is another stamp there (I dont know why this is a big deal in Africa because they put several stamps on a page everywhere else). Their passports were only a couple years old so they figured this was not a problem.
Unfortunately, a couple days before their departure they got out their passports to discover they only had one page that was still completely blank, even though most pages only had one stamp and plenty of room for more. I called the consulate to see how strict this rule was and if the clients could get by with what they had. Of course they said they could chance it, but they could also run into to problems. So, after weeks of preparation and planning they had to make a last minute drive up to Seattle to have additonal pages added to their passport. After a six hour roundtrip drive and another $90 each they returned home with several new blank passport pages. The upside of this story is that they were close enough to drive to a passport office and they got the passport office to reissue the passports same day (they were original told they would have to come back the next day for them). To every story there is a silver lining, we decided that they would now be able to travel a whole lot more in the next five years.
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