Do you have a 5-year plan for your travel adventures?
Bob was a Management Consultant for 20 years. I still don’t really understand what that means. He tells me he helped his corporate clients become better, cheaper, and faster. I’m pretty sure the hangover from that job is responsible for the checklists and process maps that I now must suffer through not only in our business, but when we travel personally.
So it is with this backdrop, that I reacted with more than a little skepticism when he emailed me a copy of our 5-year travel plan. I said, “This is a bit much, isn’t it?” – thinking Bob had become the travel version of Phil Hartman’s SNL character, the anal-retentive chef.
“We have to get things OFF the Bucket-list and ON to the NEXT list” was his reply.
After a couple of glasses of wine, I warmed to the idea. Like many of you, I am acutely aware of the effects of my own aging. I am still fortunate enough to be able to do pretty much anything I want, but I know that window will narrow in the coming years. Then there are the things we DON’T know… like the next time an international health crisis might close borders.
Or geopolitical events narrowing options.
THIS is what motivates Bob. In September of 2001, he had planned a 4-month trip leaving from London and finishing in Kathmandu. He was supposed to travel quickly through Europe, and then into Turkey, Syria, Jordan, Iran, Pakistan, India and Nepal. A week before he was to leave, the world changed forever, and more than two decades later, that travel opportunity is still not available. So you never know when options will be taken away.
I also don’t know when I won’t WANT to do certain types of travel – I’m sure a time will come where I won’t have an interest in visiting more challenging destinations.
A five-year travel plan doesn’t mitigate risk of geopolitical events, or health emergencies. It ELIMINATES the risk of not getting around to making the trips you want to make. You know how it goes: “We should go to the Maldives one day!”, and then months turn into years, and next thing you know the Maldives are underwater.
So we now have a 5-year travel plan. How about you?
ICYMI: How to get 10% off any Windstar Cruise. https://pamperedcruiser.com/yacht-cruising-with-windstar/
ICYMI: In Case You Missed It: MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT TRAVELLING: https://pamperedcruiser.com/deprogramming-travel-misconceptions/
Today’s Travel Opportunities
AMA WATERWAYS
Our friends at AMA always have several promos running concurrently. Here are a few examples
Budapest to Bavaria on the Danube River for 7-nights
- Visit Budapest (overnight), Bratislava, Vienna, Durnstein (for Melk Abbey), scenic cruising in Wachau Valley, Greinburg Castle, Linz (for Salzburg OR Cesky Krumlov), Passau, Vilshofen (overnight).
- Optional 3-night extension to Prague.
- 2024: Depart October 26 from $3623
- 2025: Depart April 2 from $2960.
Paris & Normandy on the Seine River for 7-nights
- Visit Paris, Les Andelys, Le Havre, Normandy Beaches, Caudebec-en-Caux, Rouen, Vernon (for Monet’s Gardens)
- 2024: Depart November 7 from $3644
- 2025: Depart August 2 from $3839
South America: Columbia on the Magdalena River for 7-nights
- Be amongst the very first to discover this new river cruise destination, and immerse yourself in the food, music, scenery and culture of this South American gem.
- From Barranquilla to Cartagena with optional extensions to Panama City and/or Medillin
- Experience Latin Music, the Carnaval experience in Barranquilla, tropical birds & wildlife, famous local coffee, a village tour in Nueva Venecia, a Jazz Street performance in Santa Barbara de Pinto, Historical walking tour in Mompox, Cumbia performance in El Banco, Bird watching in Magangue, visit the San Felipe Castle and do the Walled City tour in Cartagena.
- Depart June 11, 2025 from $3755. Other departure dates available.
** On AMA your deposit will be $400 and your final payment due 90 days prior to departure.
AZAMARA COUNTRY INTENSIVE VOYAGES
Experience Azamara’s small ships (680 guests), that really focus on a certain country or region. Here’s a few examples:
JAPAN intensive voyage departing May 3, 2025 for 15-nights
- Visit Tokyo, Hakodate, Otaru, Aomori, Niigata, Toyama, Kanazawa, Sakaiminato, Busan, Nakasaki, Kitakyushu, Hiroshima, Takamatsu, Kobe (overnight)
- Fares from $6715
NORWAY intensive voyage departing July 28, 2025 for 16-nights
- Visit Edinburgh, Olden, Alesund, Lofoten, Troll Fjord, Tromso, Honningsvag, North Cape, Alta, Harstad, Bod, Trondheim, Eidfjord, Stavanger, Copenhagen
- Remember that after 2025, cruise ship traffic to the Norwegian fjords will be significantly restricted, so this is a great chance to visit this unique destination.
- Fares from $5869
ICELAND, GREENLAND & CANADA departing July 21, 2025 for 15-nights
- Visit Reykjavik (overnight), 3 stops in Greenland, Saint-Pierre (the French Island in the Gulf of St. Lawrence), Saguenay, Quebec City, Montreal.
- Your flights are considerably shorter on this itinerary than for other Northern European cruises.
- Fares from $5395
HOLLAND AMERICA WORLD CRUISE SEGMENT
Maybe a world cruise is not on your radar, but this world cruise segment is well priced, and has a really interesting itinerary. Very few cruises stop in some of these ports (notably Easter Island), and if you want to visit Australia & New Zealand, but only want to fly one way (or if you have time take a repositioning cruise back across the Pacific), this is a great option
Fort Lauderdale to Sydney 37-days departing January 4, 2025
- Visit the Cayman Islands, Costa Rica, full daylight transit of Panama Canal, Ecuador, Lima, Easter Island (overnight), Pitcairn Island, Tahiti (3 stops), Cook Islands, Tonga, New Caledonia, Sydney
- Fares from $8494 per person.
TAUCK LAND CRUISES
Australia & New Zealand for 20 days.
- Australia is so large and so sparsely populated that it can be difficult to travel. This itinerary has a number of internal flights included in the price, so you get to see a wide variety of Australian attractions before doing the same in New Zealand.
- Visit Melbourne, fly to Ayers Rock, then to Cairns, cruise the Great Barrier Reef, then on to Sydney. Fly to Wellington, Blenheim & Marlborough Sound, Te Anau, Fjordland NP & Milford Sound, Queenstown, Auckland, and Waiheke Island.
- Departures January through April, and September to December of 20225 from $16,290
America’s Canyonlands departing Phoenix to Las Vegas for 8-days
- Visit Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon, Zion NP, Lake Powell, Glen Canyon
- 2024: October departures from $5690
- 2025: March to October departures from $5990.
Do You Have an Upcoming Viking Cruise?
Earlier this year, Viking replaced its Book on Board program with the BON VOYAGE incentive. This allows you to book your next Viking cruise in the 2 weeks BEFORE you board, and get some extra goodies for doing so:
- $100 per person on board credit
- 6-month final payment date
- $100 per person OFF one week cruises, and bigger discounts for longer itineraries.
We made a short video about the Bon Voyage Program if you’d like more details:
https://youtu.be/gBM8IvjIb3U?si=Vy9UDiSqZQYHWR32
Contact us to book your NEXT VIKING CRUISE
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If you’re planning a trip, I’d love to help! Click here or call 800-876-0168 to get in touch today.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Sue Bradley
Sue Bradley
