Travel Tips

The truth is, there are thousands of possible trips out there. There are plenty of great trips to choose from — and then there are trips that are great for you. Being honest about what you want and need and getting to know your own personal travel profile can save you from the but-it-looked-great-on-paper trip disappointment.

Here are a few simple things that can help you better understand your unique and personal travel profile:

Make a quick list of the twenty most fun memories you have of trips you’ve taken in your lifetime.

Notice if there are any themes. While you don’t necessarily need (or even want) each vacation to be a carbon copy of things you’ve already done, you can use those larger themes to guide your planning of future trips. That way, if you decide to step out a little from your comfort zone, you’ll at least have a solid idea of what makes the most meaningful moments for you. Is it time with friends or family? A certain type of weather or geography? Certain activities? Quiet time? When you can build some of these elements into your travel, you’re more likely to come home energized and restored.

 What do you like to do to relax, unwind, have fun, or re-energize when you’re not on vacation?

Do you like to be still or active? Quiet or surrounded by crowds? Scheduled or free-form and spontaneous? Simplicity or luxury? Inside or outside? These might seem like silly questions — but you’d be surprised how often people book vacations that are filled with activities or set at a pace that they otherwise don’t really enjoy.

It’s possible that you’ll love a week of biking in Tuscany even though you’d never go cycling at home — but more likely you’ll be tired, saddle-sore, and wishing for a car. That’s not to say you shouldn’t try new activities every now and then; there’s plenty of room for new adventures on trips. Just make sure that you incorporate new activities in small bites — say, an afternoon bike tour with plenty of stops — to see if it’s something you’d really like more of.

What is the purpose of your trip? What do you want to take away?

Part of what makes travel so amazing is its capacity to broaden and deepen our cultural, relational, and emotional horizons. Are you looking to create tons of new memories with your kids? Are you hunting for the perfect gift(s)? Maybe you’d like to really immerse yourself in a new culture and language, or do a service-oriented trip that allows you to give to others while you’re getting an invaluable adventure. Plan your trip around the kind of experience and emotional takeaway you’re looking for.

Do you prefer to be in control, or are you happier when someone else is at the helm?

This can be a huge factor in overall enjoyment of a trip. Sometimes people think they’d love to be in charge of everything — but when faced with the reality of hundreds of details that need taking care of before, during, and even after a trip, the fun gets sapped right out of the vacation. When you work with me, you can create the best balance of autonomy and assistance in order to maximize the fun, adventure, and relaxation on your trip.

When you take a little time to get to know how you travel best, your vacation can be more than just fun; it can actually be fulfilling. And you can come home refreshed, energized, and brimming with great new memories.

Are you ready to start planning an incredible experience for yourself or your whole family? Contact me today and let me help you get there! Just click here.

Ever feel yourself stuck in a vacationing rut? 

Maybe you try out different places, but they all kind of seem the same.

Maybe you find the planning exhausting.

Maybe you stress out over small things so that your energy gets sapped.

Maybe you cram too many things into too little time, and you come back more tired than when you left.

Maybe you bring work with you, even when you say you’re not going to, so that you wind up giving away precious vacationing hours to your job.

I’m going to be bold and say: This is not what a vacation should feel like.

Here are 5 secrets to becoming a Zen master of vacationing. Trust me — you’ll never regret taking these on.

1. Move a little bit every day you’re on holiday, especially if your job is the kind that has you sitting at a desk all day long.
   

   This isn’t about working out; it’s just  about doing what your body and brain want you to do, which is move around a little. Lounging is great — there should definitely be time for lounging — but only lounging for days on end has an ironic de-energizing effect on the body. (It’s part of why desk work can be insanely exhausting, even though you technically didn’t really do anything physical all day long.) Whatever your level of mobility or fitness, pick something to do every day that gives you a burst of activity: walking, swimming in the ocean, a bike ride, playing with your kids, morning yoga or stretching. If you have some physical limitations, plan ahead and find walker- or wheelchair-friendly spaces to explore, even if it’s just for 20 minutes each day. Your body and your brain will thank you. Activity actually helps boost your body’s ability to fully relax and soak up the restorative purpose of vacationing.

2. Get present to real, peaceful, natural beauty.
   

   You might not be the camping type. Or the sporty type. Or the outdoorsy type. That’s 100% okay! You don’t have to hike the Grand Canyon to sit in total awe of it. Even the biggest, loudest city has peaceful places to just be in the presence of natural beauty. If the weather’s nice and you have the option, sit outside for your meal or pack a picnic. Just soak in your surroundings and the view; pay attention to light, sounds, sensations, and smells.

   Claudio Fernández-Aráoz, a senior adviser and business author, recently wrote in the Harvard Business Review about a CEO friend of his who swore by intentional time in nature to up his business game: “Before retiring from the CEO role, John would try to take these breaks just before his global partners’ meetings because he found that his ideas, initiatives, and even speeches would become much more focused, rich, clear and powerful as a result—even though he didn’t spend any time actively working on them!” We really can’t underestimate the power that being in nature has for bringing out the best in our thinking and seeing.

3. Cultivate your appetite for “different.”
   

   This one can be challenging — but it pays huge dividends when it comes to creating vacations that are full, satisfying, and memorable. This is less about booking some extreme trip and more about being willing to approach every trip as a learning experience, to being open to the possibility that every vacation can actually make you a better person. Seek out conversations with interesting strangers. Learn some phrases in a new language and practice them and see what happens. Try new foods. Take in a performance that features local music or dance. Take the risk of not knowing and being willing to ask. As Fernández-Aráoz observes, “The world’s most productive people are deeply curious and collaborative and constantly seek out new acquaintances and allies — even when they’re on vacation.”

4. Put your money into experiences, not things.
   

   Again, this one can be challenging. We’re taught in our culture that having more stuff will make us happier, even though research has proven this over and over again to not be true. Vacations in and of themselves are experiences — so that’s one step in the best direction — and getting a few small things to remember your trip is certainly not a bad thing. But keep an eye out for ways to maximize your experience of each moment within your holiday. When the moment comes to decide if you want to blow a ton of cash at the duty free shop or a souvenir shop — ask yourself what kinds of experiences you could buy that will be with you forever and that will continue to bring you happiness long after they’re over.

5. Treat your vacation like a vocation.
   

   Notice there’s only one letter that separates the time you spend relaxing, re-energizing, and reconnecting and the thing you were born to do. The word “vacation” comes from the Latin vacare, which means “freedom from obligation and duty, release, to be free and at leisure.” The word “vocation” comes from the Latin vocare, which means “to call” — as in, your personal calling, your purpose, the thing that brings you deep joy and brings out the best in you and everyone around you. Think of the joyful energy you would put into your calling — the intention, the planning, the attention to detail, the gratitude. Consider the other word we frequently use for vacation — “holiday” — and note that it means “holy day.” It’s okay to approach your upcoming trip as something that can hold a bit of magic, because it just might. As Fernández-Aráoz writes, your vacation can be the thing that actually brings you back better than you were before — better for yourself, your family and friends, your work, your life.

If you’re looking for ways to maximize your traveling experiences, but you’re not quite sure how to get there, I’d love to help! If planning stresses you out, I can be your best ally. I love this work and can help connect you with the places and experiences that will stay with you for a lifetime. Let’s talk today — you can reach me by clicking here.

 

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 — like 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. He’s got the inside scoop on which resorts give the best bulk discounts. She’s tracked the best time to look for plane or train or ferry tickets to your dream destination. She’s the one who knows when the crush of tourists will let up enough to allow you the most authentic experience possible. He’s got the answers to all those nitpicky questions about openings and closures, vaccination requirements and necessary documents, local customs and dress codes.

Your agent has access to deals and bookings that are not available to the general public, and sometimes can even snag free upgrades for you.

People often assume that using a Travel Agent is more expensive than planning a trip on your own, and they are skeptical that hiring an agent can actually save them money. But this is the key: your agent has connections that you don’t. They have the inside track. The deals you spot on a website might be great — but they are also hit-and-miss, and they may or may not be in the sweet spot of what you’re looking for. So you might get a great deal on a hotel, but it might also be miles away from where you most wanted to stay. Your agent knows exactly where to go to find the deals — and has access and the ability to find bargains that line up with your ideal vacation.

If you’re planning a group trip, your agent is indispensable.

Who else can find a way to accommodate health concerns, a variety of dietary preferences, and the needs of children, adults, and seniors on one amazing trip? Who else can make sure that the aunts who are best friends get adjoining rooms? Who else can ensure that all 16 of you get an unforgettable experience? All the details that give most of us headaches — these are the very things that a good agent thrives on taking care of and providing.

Many agents are on call 24/7 while you are traveling.

There really is no price you can put on this kind of assurance and help. If you find yourself in Munich and you left your medications on the train, your agent can help you get set up again. If your passport gets stolen, your agent can help you get a replacement. If an emergency comes up and you need to re-route your trip, your agent is the one who can make those arrangements so you don’t have to stress about it.

For most agents out there, planning trips is so much more than just a job. They love what they do. They’re genuinely passionate about great travel. They love people, and they love creating the vacations that live on and on in fond memories and family conversations.  I would love to help you plan the trip of a lifetime, click here to send me an email or give me a call and let’s get started!

 

 

P.S. Do you have a friend or family member who loves to travel?  Please forward them my info and let them know how a Travel Agent can help them have the best trip of their life.

 

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. GateGuru is an app developed by TripAdvisor that is a full-on airport genie for your phone. With this app, you can check in, check your flight status, get a rental car, see maps of individual airports — 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.
• When you’re looking for advice from the experts. If you’re suspicious of crowdsourcing opinions on the best food, why not consult those who know best? ChefsFeed allows you to pick a major city (featuring major US cities, plus several Canadian cities, and London, with more coming soon), and up pops dishes that top chefs in that city would recommend from their favorite restaurants. (Free, iOS)

• When you want to know what the heck you’re eating. You might like a little mystery when you’re ordering in a foreign country — but maybe not too much, right? WordLens started as a standalone app and is now a part of Google Translate. It uses your phone’s video camera and optical character recognition to make translations in real time when you hold your phone up to the text. Even better? It doesn’t require a network connection to work, so when you’re visiting that quaint little hill town in Umbria, you can still know what’s on the menu. It’s currently available for Spanish, Italian, French, German, and Portuguese. (Free, iOS and Android, each language pack is $5.95)

 Make the most of your trip and the food you enjoy while on your next adventure! Give one (or more!) of these apps a try and let me know what you think.