• Up to 40% off flight + hotel vacation packages
• Added values such as kids stay free and resort credits
• 20% off car rentals in Orlando and Hawai’i
  
  Hurry-Offers end January 28, 2010!

  Plus, special rate reductions and savings are now available for multiple room categories, unless otherwise indicated. So you can upgrade your room - and experience - for less!

  Air + hotel package prices below are samples. Offers and pricing are available from departure cities nationwide.

I am proud that the Travel Industry leaders are supporting recover efforts in Haiti!  While it seems the press has criticized the spirit of our industry for the continued interest in vacationing in Haiti, the truth is, we are not exploiting, but providing financial support for Haiti and all foreign destinations that we visit.  Please read more from Royal Caribbean’s Blog.

Now is an exceptional time to travel!  Rates are low, insurance waivers provide protection to guarantee price protection, and the whole world relies on the Travel Industry to bring money to stablize the economy!  Why not plan your dream vacation for 2010 before the rates increase?

During the year, I traveled twice to the Mayan Riviera to further my commitment to Karisma Hotels and become an expert on their exquisite properties.  Mexico continues to rebound by providing exceptional deals for these and other grand properties.  The Karisma chain of properties includes El Dorado and Azul brands which continue to receive industry awards for top honors in many categories.  See all the reviews posted on the Karisma web site!

·         Voted among the Top 10 most romantic in Latin America and the Caribbean in 2008 by Trip Advisor.

·         The El Dorado Spa Resorts & Hotels and Azul Hotels, by Karisma were recognized with coveted awards for top performance by Thomson and First Choice at the TUI Travel PLC 2009 Gold Awards.

·         Worldwide only two Green Medal Awards were honored of which the Karisma Group was awarded the Most Improved Achievement in Sustainable Tourism. 

·         AAA Four Diamond Award Winning Hotel 2007, 2008, 2009

The highlight of my most recent visit was the CAMEL SAFARI!  I will encourage all visitors to enjoy this new and different excursion!

JAMAICA was revisited and a whirlwind 4-night inspection of 9 of the Sandal’s/Beaches properties better equipped me for positioning the right property for the right client.  Each property draws clients for different reasons.  Although known worldwide for being one of the most romantic resorts, properties in the Ocho Rios area provide a more secluded and intimate setting, clients seeking a more upbeat destination would prefer Montego Bay.  Beach lovers will love the Negril Beach area on the West side of the Island.  Jamaica has an appeal all its own in the heart of the people who are fun-loving.

The pacific coastal destinations of PUERTO VALLARTA, MAZATLAN AND LOS CABOS will be on my inspection list for early 2010.  I completed certification courses for all three in preparation for our September Cruise.  I invite you to take advantage of the incredibly low prices!  SEE FRIENDS AND FAMILY CRUISE

“Your Personal Travel Concierge”

Tina

One of my greatest joys is the or email I receive or conversation that I have at the end of my honeymoon couple’s trip!  This past week, I have worked to complete a photo journal of a 3-week honeymoon of the mediterranean including a cruise and post Spain trip for customers.  While every customer is special, these particular customers are extra-special because they happen to be the adult children of my cousin.  A cousin who, by the way, I hadn’t seen or spoken to in years until a family reunion in 2008!  It has been the most incredible journey to see what they saw and it will be a joy to present them with their final gift!

Another couple that returned home over the weekend called me yesterday to share their appreciation for not only the incredible service they received while staying at the El Dorado Royale property last week, but for the assistance I gave getting them into the proper room category when they arrived.  The 2-category upgrade they were to receive was misunderstood at check-in but a quick phone call got them their Swim up jacuzzi suite at ocean front.  The resort provided the bride with the romantic ambiance that was important, while providing him with enough versatility and activity to not be bored!   Just when they thought it couldn’t get any better, they were treated to a candlelight dinner on the beach which I was able to provide them complimentary (ask me how).  Then, on their last day, during their fishing excursion, they landed a huge sailfish which they sent off to a taxidermist to commenmorate their trip! 

Dream honeymoons are just a small part of the experiences I bring to my customers.  As one trip ends, another begins in the unending cycle of my weekly routine.  To my customers, this is my job and each one of them deserves my utmost best. Whether it is a destination wedding they trust me with, their honeymoon, or a family vacation, the choices I make for each couple is unique to that couple, not some cookie-cutter vacation they purchased on the internet because of price.   To me, this is not only my livlihood, it’s my LIFE!  A life that finds me in a different part of the world daily! Everybody should have a job like mine!

Have you given thought to where will you find yourself on your next vacation?  2010 is just around the corner and I have clients planning their fall trips already! They are the ones who will save up to 65% with the deals that are out there.  My advice for anyone is to use the services of a professional travel consultant so that every detail is perfect, and those that have glitches will be handled with expertise for you and not ruin your trip.  I am available 24/7 for my customers during travel, as are the suppliers that I trust to book client’s travel through.  I am YOUR travel agent…..never leave home without me!

Tina
“Your Personal Travel Concierge”

With the first month of the final quarter of our year nearly over, suppliers are still pumping out the best deals customers have seen since post 9-11.  While the economy seems to be stabilizing and customers are now eagerly planning to take a trip next year, many of them did not plan for the ordinary winter travel this season.  The good news is, “It’s not too late!”

There are plenty of rooms and flights still available and deals that are unheard of.  Take Karisma hotel’s Winter Special that includes up to 20% savings and a $250 resort credit!  Or their Fall Bargains to Brag about with savings up to 45%!  If you are looking for during the holiday weeks check out the Christmas and New Year’s Special. And if your plans include a family of six, perhaps a staffed Villa for the holidays would be to your liking! 

Customers are always a little shocked when the try to plan a holiday get-away because it is when the kids are out of school and they can all get together.  Here’s a shocker….everybody is planning their family vacation for the holidays at that time too!  That makes the prices double during the holiday period and ordinarily, the rooms are sold out months in advance, as are the airline tickets.  This year is a little different and there is still time to indulge yourself if you want the holidays to be a special experience.  So whether it is exotic or close to home, take time now to take advantage of the deals before they are gone. 

If a holiday trip isn’t in your plans, then start thinking about spring break, or early summer.   I already have trips scheduled for customers through September 2010.  They took adavantage of the early booking discounts being offered and it’s not too late for you to do the same.  But the window of opportunity is closing fast!  You have about 30 days left to save!

“Your Personal Travel Concierge”
Tina

One of the things that I love the most about my job is the challenge of a new destination!  While certification courses provide a broad overview of a  destination and the resources for me to utilize when booking travel, not every destination has developed programs and then I have to rely on the expertise of a supplier I can trust.  My challenge this week has been Egypt.  There is much to learn about traveling to Egypt, cool as it sounds with its Pyramids and temples, it is not a destination to “wing it”.  It is definitely a destination that I recommend customers have some previous travel experience abroad so they are not “green” on cultural differences. 

There are many ways to see Egypt, perhaps the best is with a cruise.  Many popular cruiselines now have 1 or 2 days stopvers in ports of Alexandria or Cairo with ample time to take a shore excursion to the Pyramids.  Leaving the safety of a ship, escorted by a tour host provides customers with the reassurance they need.  You may ask what reassurance a person needs and to that I will add that most excursions, even for the major tour companies, are provided armed escort for the guests safety.  I don’t know how comfortable many of my guests would feel about that.  It is a question that I have to ask of couples who are considering the destination for their honeymoon.  Somehow, it doesn’t fit into my spectrum of romantic interlude!

The destination may draw visitors because of the excellent hotel prices, $45 - $100 per night for even a 4 and 5 star property is certainly appealing!  There is also a huge appeal to Cruising the Nile, which is a primary purpose for visiting the destination and major means of getting from one city to another.  There are many wonderful River cruises that provide this opportunity, including one of my favorites, Viking River Cruises.  There are also many reputable companies that have packages including your hotel, a river cruise and all of your sightseeing and intra-country flights.  One of my favorites is Sunnyland Tours.  Depending on the season, your packages can begin from about $1500 per person.

Your choice of travel dates will depend on your choices in type of trip.  Many of the major cruises and tour companies do not have packages available from the months of June through the end of September due to the excessive heat.  Keep in mind, much of the country is desert and with the River, humidity can be high.  Also, given one of the sights to see are temples, which require modest dress covering the body, you need to heed the advice of experts so that you will have a trip that is memorable for the right reasons.

My research on Eqypt has opened yet another great destination for my clients and increased my knowledge of the world reminding me there are still a lot of places for me to discover, reassuring me that I am in a business that I will continue to enjoy for many years to come.

Explore, dream and investigate this great destination.  But when you are ready to plan your trip, please turn to the experts to assist you!  While I may not be one myself, I am the professional with access to them and appreciate your loyalty and support when you are ready to book your trip!

Tina
“Your Personal Travel Concierge”

I wonder how many of you feel that way given the vast number of opportunities surrounding us every day.  While I embrace the opportunity to stretch beyond my somewhat narrow boundaries and entertain new possibilities, I am only one person, managing a business that seems to be in hyperdrive.  Don’t get me wrong, I love the fact that my suppliers all provide incredible tools, not only for research and educational purposes, but as a tool to market their products to my customers.  It allows me to provide professional services in a superior way!

As somewhat of a workaholic, I have a difficult time shutting down my system to relax!  I seem to be in a perpetual state of brainwave that doesn’t want to allow me to rest.  When I am not selling, I am servicing.  When there are no customers present, I am creating and managing.  My problem seems to be that I simple love everyaspect of being an entreprenuer!  I love the challenge, the endless sense of accomplishment and I adore the friendships I have with my clientele!  To that last comment I must add that for lack time for a social life, I am grateful for my customers who consider me their friend!

My days are filled with so many special offers that need to be provided to my clients, but customers are provided with only a fraction of the specials out there due to lack of time on my part.  I’m trying to get myself in the habit of posting on facebook and my blog several times each week.

What I need, are a few of you who are more tech savvy, to teach me a few things about the new world of social networking!  I have managed to establish myself on Facebook, LinkedIn and even Twitter, but I’m less than proficient, and there are some benefits that I know I am missing out on.  I don’t have time to spend endless hours posting on walls and joining “causes” or taking quizzes to see determine my character.  But I admire my adult friends who have revived their lives with such enthusiasm.  I know their is a way to use RSS feeds and postings to provide my friends with current promotions and destination information, but I have yet to figure all of that out!

What I need, are a few good friends who are totally comprehending all of this new technology to teach me now to utilize it properly.  I could use someone to blog daily, write my monthly newsletter, update my data-base daily with new prospects, send out my weekly email specials, and prepare my marketing materials.  Then, and only then, would I have time time give my undivided attention to my well-deserving customers!  Now, I concentrate on the urgent needs of planning trips, with all else taking a low priority.

With better planning and rigid scheduling of my time, I hope to do a better job in 2010 bringing information to all of you!  It is such a pleasure to share vicariously in your trips and the pictures you share with me of your trips are so rewarding!  Please keep sending me links!

I might find time to reignite my social life but I will have to find some new friends since most of my own have given me over to my workaholic lifestyle years ago!  I’ve been promising myself  more “ME time” for the past 3 years!  I think I deserve that much, afterall, my initals are TME!  Ah, the sweet smell of success!  Being too busy to do anything but book travel, or enjoy travel Myself!

I encourage you to share with me!
Tina
“Your Personal Travel Concierge”

The autumn months bring a much larger change than the seasons to Texas.  It is a time when I can concentrate on my business planning because the peak of the sales season is slowing.  With the summer months behind us, most of my client’s vacations are also past and they begin to think towards their next one.  Priority is mainly on perusing specials and considering options, rather than actually making a choice and purchasing.  Customer service issues are typically also slower, due to the fact I have fewer people traveling.  With less on my mind, I normally am able to sleep better too!  My typical 5-6 hours a night can actually become almost 8 hours several times a week!

It is a season that allows me time to take in Seminars and to begin business planning for the upcoming year; as well as schedule my own travel . Since the properties typically are also less occupied, the offers extended to travel agents are plentiful.  I have to admit, September often finds me in a bit of a burnout and in desperate need of a vacation myself, but when I am finally able to catch my breath, I find new inspiration and can’t find enough hours to incorporate everthing into my business plan!

Since August, I have attended one incredible supplier seminar (MLT, Delta & Continental Vacations); Completed 3 certification courses:  Mazatlan, Puerto Vallarta, and Los Cabos; and implemented the beginning of my Virtual Destination Previews for my customers.  I have also renewed my commitment to blogging and plan to find time no less than 2 times each week to post.  My customers are slow in finding time to contribute to this new initiative (already over a year old!) but with continued encouragement, I plan to utilize this to bring first-hand experience from their own trips to share with my readers.

Focussing on the training, I selected the Pacific coast of Mexico for several reasons.  First, it is an upcoming desitination with increasingly great bargains for my clients.  Texans have long used Cancun as thei vacation getaway and I feel many are ready for something new and exciting!  The coastal cities of Mazatlan, Puerto Vallarta and Los Cabos each have their individual charm and in order for me to make the appropriate recommendation for each customer, I need to understand the individual charm of each destination.  Following the course, I will have opportunities to travel to and gain first-hand experience!  Another reason I was interested in these destinations was to prepare to answer questions for customers who are traveling with me for the Friends and Family cruise in September 2010.  Have you signed up yet for this incredible deal?t is posted on my website under “Friends & Family Cruise” on the right side panel.

In future posts, I’ll talk about each destination independently so keep checking back!

Tina
“Your Personal Travel Concierge”

Normally, I am prepared when a client asks me a question about leading industry news, especially something as crucial as a plane hijacking!  After all, I have had clients coming and going to Cancun all week, so how was it that I had to be informed by my client?  Not certain, except that when I researched it today, the incident details read more of a delusional drug and alcohol addiction situation than of terrorism.

In a nutshell, the hijacker claimed to have a message from God and demanded a meeting with the President of Mexico.  Passengers on the flight indicated they never even knew there was a situation and exited the plan in Mexico City promptly.  There was no bomb and the cockpit was never accessed by the man.  Bottomline, he was escorted from the plane by police.  If you would like more details, I have provided this link for your convenience http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/10/world/americas/10mexico.html?_r=1&scp=2&sq=&st=nyt

I truly love my job and the opportunity to help people fulfill their travel expectations.  As with any job however, there are times when I get frustrated and most of that is avoidable with good communication.  I do my best to communicate to my clients their responsibilities when traveling.  Simply put, most of the problems clients experience when traveling are avoidable when they understand their own responsibilities.  These are usually simple, common sense details for which I have provided the client instructions.  But somehow, I deal with traveler’s issues every week due to the failure of a client to follow those instructions.

PASSPORT ISSUES:  You cannot travel by air to an international location without a passport.  Therefore, unless you are flying to one of the US Virgin Islands, or Hawaii, you will need one.  Canada is no exception.  While there are some exceptions for cruising, they are very limited and I advise all of my clients to obtain a passport.  The time to obtain your passport is not the week before you travel.  Recently, a client of mine was upset when his passport failed to arrive in time for travel.  When I inquired when he had applied for it, he stated the previous week.  While it did arrive one day later, he opted not to travel due to the increased expenses for last minute flights and change fees.  Every client is advised to apply for a passport a minimum of one month prior to the date of travel.

TRAVEL DOCUMENTS:  Understand the importance of taking them!  There has been a rash of calls received lately by customers who try to check in and the resort can’t locate their reservation.  Although there are times when even the best technology resources mess up; when a client fails to take their documents with them, there is nobody to blame but themselves.  Frequently, the resort cannot receive payment unless they submit the voucher that is part of your documents.  Documents can come in the form of a hard copy, or more frequently over the past year, an e-document which is the customer’s obligation to print and carry  e-documents on their trip.

MISSED CONNECTIONS:  There’s only one time that it is someone else’s fault…bad weather or mechanical problems.  Unless those are contributing factors, clients simply need to plan better to arrive 2 hours prior to their departure.

The travel industry still remains one of the best careers that I have ever followed and in spite of the occasional hurdles that arise from issues such as these, I still find my customers to be some of the most wonderful people to work for!  Their gratitude for the assistance I provide far outweighs any difficulties that I must face on a daily basis! 

Tina
“Your Personal Travel Concierge”