A few of you have sent personal messages to us during or after our recent trip to the Galapagos and commented “Wow!… You two sure travel a lot”.
Yes… we do. And not a single day goes by that we don’t greatly appreciate these travel opportunities. We’ve both always been travellers – even long before joining the industry.
Now, it’s part of the job. It’s a tremendously FUN part of a FANTASTIC job… but we are working. I don’t expect anyone to feel sorry for us because we’re working when visiting locations most people consider to be the vacation of a lifetime. Nobody could possibly be more appreciative than Bob and me of this incredible privilege.
Here’s a little insight into how, where, and why we travel.
- We typically do 3 international trips per year. We try to stay home during the summer months.
- There are a lot of travel agents that treat the business like a hobby. In the biz, these folks are called “Kitchen-Table Mabels”. There’s nothing wrong with being a Mabel… but that is not what we do – this is a professional business, and we treat it (and conduct ourselves) accordingly.
- Most of our vendors have exquisitely well-trained call center staff. They are polite, professional, they know the product, and they’re knowledgeable. However…not many of them actually travel. We DO.
- If you want to take a river cruise out of Amsterdam (for example), they’ll give you all the reasons you should travel with THEIR company. In contrast, we can compare all the cruise lines to help you make the best decision for you. We’ll also tell you our favorite places and sites in Amsterdam.
- We go to places like Amsterdam to see where each of the cruise lines dock, what hotels the cruise lines use, the best way to get to/from the airport, and what attractions might NOT be on some of the cruise lines’ lists. A google search will tell you they don’t use Euros in Budapest. Having travelled there will reveal whether local vendor will TAKE Euros (they do).
- When we travel, we also collect a lot of photos and video clips we share with our clients. How many power outlets are in the cabin on a cruise line? When we go to a destination or take a cruise we usually produce 3 or 4 videos about that trip, and post them to our YouTube Channel: YouTube
- In the past two years, Bob and I, as well as Kim have travelled to the following places so that we can better assist you in making the best decisions for you:
- Alaska & Yukon
- Canada & New England
- Croatia
- Ecuadorian Amazon
- Galapagos Islands
- Great Lakes Cruise
- Greece
- Italy & Malta
- Mississippi River cruise
- Morocco
- Newfoundland & Labrador
- Provence & Lyon river cruise in France
- Rhine River Cruise (Netherlands, France, Germany, Switzerland)
- Turkey
- Venetian Lagoon and Northern Italy
- Vietnam & Cambodia
- In the last two years, we’ve travelled with the following Brands:
- AMA Waterways
- Explora Journeys
- Globus
- Holland America
- Hurtigruten HX
- Intrepid Travel
- Metropolitan Touring
- Oceania
- Uniworld
- Viking (River, Ocean & Expedition)
Yep… a lot of travel to be sure, and it makes us much better able to assist you when you want to travel.
Today’s Travel Opportunities
OCEANIA PRIVATE SALE
In case you missed our announcement last week, we have a private sale running with Oceania:
The short story is that you will get an additional 5% off their best price on just about all sailings for balcony rooms and above. Here are a few examples, and on the sailings below, we can get prepaid gratuities for you too!
JAPAN: Tokyo round-trip departing April 1, 2025 for 12-days:
- Visit Tokyo, Nagoya, Kochi, Kagoshima, Nagasaki, Busan, Hiroshima, Beppu, Kyoto (overnight), Shimizu.
- Verandas from $6934 with prepaid gratuities. Space is VERY limited.
MEDITERRANEAN: Barcelona to Istanbul departing November 8, 2025 for 12-days
- Visit Toulon, Nice, Rome, Naples, Catania, Argostoli, Crete, Santorini, Athens, Ephesus, Istanbul (overnight)
- Verandas from $4559 with prepaid gratuities.
TAHITI: Papeete round-trip departing February 5, 2025 for 10 days:
- Visit Papeete (overnight), Moorea, Fakarava, Nuku Hiva, Rangiroa, Bora Bora (overnight), Raiatea.
- Verandas from $5224 with prepaid gratuities.
UNIWORLD BOUTIQUE RIVER CRUISE COLLECTION
Uniworld custom builds its ships to suit the area through which they sail, and they are showing some strong pricing in 2024, and a 10% early booking bonus for 2025:
EGYPT for 12-days (4 nights Cairo and 7-nights on the ship)
- See the Pyramids and Sphinx, the Egyptian Museum, Temple of Karnak, Temple of Luxor, Valley of the Kings, and a Nile Felucca ride.
- 2024: September 14 or 28 $5999 per person
- 2025: Departures in January through April from $6749.
AMSTERDAM to BUDAPEST for 15-days
- Visit Cologne, Rudesheim, Frankfurt, Heidelberg, Wertheim, Wurzburg, Rothenberg, Bamberg, Nuremburg, Regensberg, Passau, Melk, Vienna, Budapest.
- 2024: October $7499 per person
- 2025: July & August $5849
LAND CRUISES WITH COLLETTE
AFRICAN SAFARI: Kenya & Tanzania for 15-days round-trip Nairobi
- See Mt. Kilmanjaro, 12-game drives to spot the Big 5, see the Farmhouse from Out of Africa, Ngorongoro Crater, Serengeti NP.
- Departures weekly from September 24 – April 25 from $6145
National Parks of America from Phoenix to Rapid City, SD for 12-days.
- Visit the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, Zion, Bryce Canyon, Grand Teton, Buffalo Bill Center, Mt. Rushmore, the Crazy Horse monument, Lake Powell.
- Departures May through October from $4999 per person.
Recently booked a Viking Cruise?
Viking makes it really easy to book direct, either online, by phone, or on board. Our clients worry that if they book on-line (or on board), that they’re cutting us out, but if you let us know after you’ve booked, then we can still help you with your reservation.
We’ll check over your reservation to make sure you’re getting the best possible deal, and we will also add some onboard credits that are not available on direct bookings.
We can add at least $100 per person onboard credit to any direct Viking reservation made in the last 60 days.
There is never a situation where you’ll get a better deal by booking directly with Viking (or any other cruise line).
If you recently booked a Viking Cruise, please let us know as soon as possible.
Have something to say about this?
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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