Travel Planning

Category: Blog

Order Taking Travel Agents are Toast
Order Taking Travel Agents are Toast!

There I said it! The old timey order taking travel agents are toast. I’ve been in Sales for over twenty years and have always despised order takers. When I first got into the travel business, I heard older travel agents lamenting about the times when airlines paid commission. TOO BAD, I don’t care. I expect many more vendors selling mass market travel products to also cut sales commission. Personally, I’m prepared for the future in my beloved industry. [/or_column_text][or_column_text]

WHY Do YOU Care about my ranting?

Simple. I like you and will work super hard to help you have the best trip! But first, join me in looking at the article I read in LinkedIn about how robots will replace many jobs. This article left such an impression on me, that I had to share it with you! Read The 5 Jobs Robots will Take First. The article was written by Shelly Palmer, CEO of the Palmer group. I’m going to focus on vanishing job number 2 with you:

“2 – Commodity Salespeople (Ad Sales, Supplies, etc.)

Unless you sell dreams or magic or negotiate using special perks, bribes or other valuable add-ons that have nothing to do with specifications, price and availability, start thinking about your next gig. Machines can take so much cost out of any sales process (request for proposal, quotation, order and fulfillment system), it is the fiduciary responsibility of your CEO and the board to hire robots. You’re fighting gravity … get out!” [/or_column_text][or_column_text] Think I’m just here to take your “vacation order” and book something for you? WRONG: I may have compared your request with other options behind the scenes – perhaps without you even knowing! Maybe I can suggest something better for what you’re looking to do. Think you know all of the perks with a travel offer? Maybe I do too, or maybe I have some extra goodies that you don’t know about. Maybe your trip doesn’t even exist online but only in a combination of your imagination and my skills to create it for you? As stated above, “Unless you sell dreams or magic…,” well that’s me! That’s what got me so excited. Travel should be a magical experience if planned and serviced correctly. “Specifications, price, and availability” apply to just about any trip you can easily book online – what about custom multi-city trips that don’t “yet” exist within the realm of the online booking systems? These complicated multi-city trips are where I shine in serving your needs. Notice how I said “serving your needs.” I’m first and foremost in the service business. [/or_column_text][or_image_gallery image_size=”thumbnail” title=”Happy Clients in Italy” images=”4067″ type=”grid” click_action=”none”][or_column_text]

Any travel bot can book a simple trip, but who cares about you and your trip before AND AFTER you pay. Will the travel bots answer your questions and concerns?
1. Can I change this?
2. Tell me more about this part of the trip?
3. Can I cancel this trip or part of it?
4. Can I switch dates?
5. How do I check-in for XYZ?
6. How much do I tip? (I get this one all of the time!)
7. Where do I have to be and at what time?
8. This is a birthday, anniversary, etc. trip – how can I know it will be “special?”
Further, do the travel bots care about YOUR TRIP? While travel bots and the Googles of the world get more sophisticated in building out a trip and letting you “click-and-book,” what about after you book and enter your credit card info? Who cares about your trip then? Who wants you to be happy? The answer is ME! I love what I do and I want you to be happy…really! LONG after your payment information is provided, I’m still here to help you for the simple reason that I like you and want you to have a great trip. REALLY!

Have you yet to work with me on your very own special trip? You owe it to yourself to work with me – a real human!
March 1, 2017
Things to Know for Your Wine Themed River Cruise

Things to Know for your Wine-themed river Cruise

We have always believed that it is a good thing to be prepared and know your options for any travel experience. Knowledge of the product and what is included is one benefit that you can enjoy when evaluating a river cruise against a land tour, etc.

You are going to experience an incredible amount of included items with a river cruise that are Not included on an ocean cruise especially the wine-themed excursions as these are included in the price of a wine-themed cruise.

Obviously, your choices would depend on your individual travel goals, availability for travel , river you’d like to explore and the specific wine growing region.

Please also refer to our introductory post on river cruising.

1. Wine on the Rhine makes for the perfect way to take a European river cruise

John Honeywell uncorks a classy European river cruise and finds it is a real glass act… Prost!

Magnificent: Heidelberg wine river cruises

There’s Old World and New, red and white, rosé and sparkling.

I’m travelling downriver from Basel to Amsterdam, and it’s just as much a wine cruise as a Rhine cruise.

On board the AmaSerena, one of the most modern boats in Europe, I’m in the lap of luxury, enjoying the freedom of all-inclusive drinks with lunch and dinner and, when weather permits, I can watch the world go by from the comfort my own private balcony.

READ MORE

2.Top 10 Wine River Cruises

Vineyards pour down the valley sides as cruise ships pass through some of Europe’s top wine regions. Nick Dalton raises a glass to the best wine river cruises

wine river cruises

Bordeaux is the holy grail of wine regions, home to Saint-Émilion and the surrounding sun-drenched slopes that produce more great wines than Oz Clarke has had hot dinners. The Gironde, splitting into the Dordogne and the Garonne, slips through the chalky hills like a knife through foie gras with cruises offering all manner of winery tours and tasting options, as

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3. Wine and water: A river cruise through Bordeaux

A new river cruise takes Colin Nicholson through this celebrated grape-growing region

Bordeaux wine river cruise

Watching the world drift by has never been more popular: 2014 has been an extremely busy year for river cruising, with more than 30 new ships taking to the water.

Almost half of those belong to Viking River Cruises, whose newest route takes in the fertile French territory of the Bordeaux winelands aboard the Viking Forseti.

READ MORE

4. Wine Sailings on Pacific Northwest River Cruises

By Ellen Uzelac, Cruise Critic contributor

northwest-wine-cruise-2

Looking for a wine-themed river cruise? Instead of traveling to Europe (the go-to destination for such cruises), consider the Pacific Northwest instead.

In addition to its abundant natural beauty, the Pacific Northwest is also a growing wine region, and river cruise lines operating in the region are taking advantage of their proximity to dozens of vineyards. Cruise lines sailing the Columbia and Snake rivers pay homage to the region’s wine country with tastings onboard as well as excursions to one or more wineries. A few lines have also added wine-themed cruises to their itineraries. The varietal push comes as the long-underappreciated wines of the Pacific Northwest are having their moment.

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5. European Wine Themed River Cruises from AMA Waterways

Whether you’re a passionate newcomer to wine tasting, or a seasoned connoisseur, AMA Waterways has recently had to increase the number of wine themed cruise packages they offer, due to extended public demand. As reported by Travel Weekly, the number of river cruises they offer will increase from 12 to 44.

The company’s new ship, AMAKristina, will launch on the Rhine, next year in 2017, to help provide the extra accommodation needed. As well as being equipped with all the usual luxury facilities customers have come to expect from AMA, the boat will also include more private suites and balconies. So what is proving to be so appealing about these grapeinspired river cruises?

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6. AmaWaterways Has Expanded Wine Cruise Itineraries

Photo courtesy of Thinkstock

AmaWaterways has undergone an expansion of themed cruise itineraries in 2016, most significantly with wine offerings. For example, does the name “Bordeaux” ring a bell? This renowned French wine region now has its own dedicated itinerary, part of 40 vino-specific departures this year.

Regarding the popularity of such themed cruises, Kristin Karst, Executive Vice President & Co-Owner of AmaWaterways stated, “it’s because of the comprehensive curriculum we offer… There is a certain educational component within wine tasting that allows you to fully appreciate in the experience.” To that end, a wine expert sails on each cruise of this type.

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7. Cruising Europe’s Renowned Wine Regions

Cruising Europe’s Renowned Wine Regions

Posted Date: 3/14/2016

This year, AmaWaterways is excited to be expanding our themed cruise itineraries – most notably in the area of wine. In addition to our ever-popular Wine Cruise itineraries, which we have expanded to more than 40 departures in 2016, we have also this year introduced our new Taste of Bordeaux itinerary. This special voyage will guide travelers through France’s renowned Bordeaux region.

I am often asked why I think themed cruises are so popular, and in my opinion, it’s because of the comprehensive curriculum we offer onboard our themed cruises. There is a certain educational component within wine tasting that allows you to fully appreciate in the experience. With that in mind, we invite a distinguished wine expert to join us on this delectable journey, with hopes of creating amateur connoisseurs out of all our guests!

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8. River of themes

By Sarah Feldberg / September 28, 2016

The year-old Strand Cruise is launching a series of themed sailings on Myanmar’s Ayeyarwady River in 2017 focused on classical music, food and photography.

When the Strand Cruise sets sail on its Valentine’s Day 2017 departure on Myanmar’s Irrawaddy River, passengers will be joined by some VIP guests: musicians from the Opera de Paris and Orchestre de Paris and French music journalist Elsa Boublil.

During the four-day sailing, the artists will play a series of classical concerts both onboard and onshore, with Boublil introducing the shows and offering music-themed lectures to complement the live performances.

READ MORE

Looking for some more travel tips? Check out: 50 Best Travel Tips from 10 Years of Travel.

October 25, 2016
Did You Leave Out One of These 5 Items for Your Italy Trip?
This brief guide reveals 5 items you need to know before leaving for your trip to Italy.

trevifountain

Have your overlooked any of these critical items for your Italy trip? While you may have booked a flight and hotel, there is more you must consider to have a well-planned out travel experience! This guide comes from over 10 years of detailed client trip planning and answering client questions.

Follow my advice, and you’ll leave for your trip less worried and with less hassles.
1. Transfers between airports/train stations and hotels
You need to consider advance booking a transfer. Some airports, like Florence, lend themselves to an easy cab ride to your hotel. However, more than likely, you’ll be flying into Venice or Rome to start your dream trip to Italy.

Let’s say that you’re flying into Venice airport (VCE), which is on the mainland. Venice Island and the main tourist attractions are actually on

Venice

a lagoon located off Italy’s coast. Oh, and no cars, buses, or motorized vehicles are allowed on Venice Island. There are no fewer than three main ways to get to your Venice Island hotel from the mainland airport. These include:
- Taking a bus as far as you can go to Venice Island (Piazzale Roma) and then taking a public Water bus (Vaporetto)
- Taking a public water taxi (Alilaguna) from the airport dock to the closest public landing near your Venice Island hotel
- Taking a private boat from the airport as close as possible to your hotel
It pays to plan it out and have an advance transfer booked in a place like Venice.
1. Credit/Debit Cards and Foreign Currency
Please consider purchasing a small amount of Euros prior to your departure at a local bank or a money exchange office as it’s a good idea to have some Euros in your pocket before you arrive.

Most exchange offices in airports or train stations will charge you a higher fee, and you should be aware of that higher fee. However, cash withdrawal from an ATM would also charge you hidden fees by using a modified exchange rate, which is lower than the real market rate.

Please complete these steps prior to leaving the US:
- Call your bank or credit card company and make sure that you can use your debit/credit card(s) in Italy and can access foreign ATMs
- Inquire about a credit card “PIN Code.” Some European Merchants will ask for a PIN code when you present your card for a transaction (you may need a card with a chip if you don’t already have one)
- Ensure that your ATM PIN code is numeric only (some banks may use alpha characters in the US but European ATMs use numbers only)
1. Cell/Smartphones and chargers
Please contact your service provider to determine if your phone will work and inquire about a short term international or country-specific plan. Further, contact your wireless carrier to use the data off/international data roaming off, or airplane mode features on your phone. Finally, consider using the hotel’s Wi-Fi for email, browsing, social, etc.

Concerning chargers, electrical outlets are a different electrical voltage than the US; hotels in Italy and other places usually don’t have converters and you’ll need to bring an adapter.

Make sure to check with your cell phone/smart phone/tablet manufacturer or wireless carrier for the correct adapter and/or converter for the countries you are visiting.
1. Pre-arrange critical sightseeing, especially for a must-see site like the Vatican
Just going to wing it for your critical sightseeing? Few people visit Rome without a tour of the Vatican which includes a vast complex of some of the world’s greatest art museums…Oh, and the pictures below are what the lines can look like if you just show up!

Yup these are the queues or lines to get into the Vatican

Further, you can be quickly rushed in and out of the different galleries with your new hot and sweaty friends. Please pre-book tours to the must-do sites, but do leave some down-time just to take Rome in from a café.
1. Trip Protection Insurance
Think your US-based health insurance or credit card will provide coverage in Italy? You’d better check!

When your travel planner, be they human or electronic, asks you about travel insurance/ trip protection, you need to know if travel insurance is a wise purchase. But first, let’s share some stories.
- My doctor, quite the photographer, left his camera in a cab while on a trip in the Baltics and could not recover it. Travel insurance reimbursed him for his loss.
- More recently, a husband and wife were packed and ready to leave for a ten day cruise leaving on the wife’s birthday. She woke up around 5am with a bloody nose that would not stop bleeding. She called me at 9:15 am on a Sunday morning to cancel the trip. I immediately started the travel insurance claims process and the couple were reimbursed in record time for the full amount of the money they lost from the cruise line.
These are just two of many stories of my travel guests’ using their travel insurance benefits (Always refer to the Description of Coverage for legal details specific to your quote or policy.)

Here is a quick summary of what a good travel insurance/trip protection product will do for YOU:
- Reimburse you for the full cancellation fees from your trip in CASH, not vouchers or certificates.
- Provide emergency medical insurance including hospital admission. Do you know what it takes to be admitted to a hospital in another country? (Some hospitals require up-front payment.) Or would you like to rest assured knowing that your trip insurance provider will take care of emergency hospital admission?
- Does your credit card provide travel insurance for trip cancellation? Read that fine print very carefully…few credit cards cover trip cancellation.
- Provide emergency evacuation home due to a medical condition? Imagine how much it would cost to get back to the US on an emergency basis. And where would you be taken? To a US hospital of your choosing?
July 5, 2016
My Favorite Travel Tools

Here are some of the travel tools I enjoy using; you just might need some of these travel tools too.

Whether creating interactive itineraries, keeping in touch with existing clients, or explaining my value to new clients, I love to test out new travel tools.

Itineraries

Travel Itinerary Collage

iZento – I’ve used iZento for years; they are one of the pioneers for travel professional itinerary builders. You can get a PDF, tablet versions or share your itinerary on Facebook.com. Here are samples for you to check-out:Italy Birthday Trip or Hawaii and San Francisco.

While this works just fine, I’m currently testing another tool that has it’s own native app; who doesn’t like apps? My latest test is with Umapped. Umapped is designed for travel professionals, but consumers can use it as well to aggregate all of their booking information from various vendors in one app. But, why do the work yourself when I’m happy to do it for you?

Next up is Tripit. Are you a heavy business traveler? Tripit Pro will provide you with real time flight alerts. Further, TripIt may ingrate with your corporate travel expense management system.

FX or Currency Exchange

coChange – a travel tool

While I’ve written a lot about ATMs and no FX fee credit cards, coChange takes it a step further and can really optimize your exchange rates and potentially get you better exchange rates than an ATM. Further, the coChange App rewards you for sharing your rates/experience at a particular exchange office.

The following items are all techie stuff…..stop reading now unless you’re into heavy tech stuff – YOU’VE BEEN WARNED.

Email Service Providers (ESPs)

Mail Chimp – this newsletter is produced and distributed with Mail Chimp. In the past, I’ve used AWeber, Benchmark, Get Response, Infusionsoft, Wishpond, and Act-On.

Landing Pages:

Lead Pages, InstaBuilder 2.0 (what I have now), Optimize Press

Website and hosting

I’m a huge fan of creating in Worpress! WordPress let’s you do whatever you can imagine. Siteground is my current host after about three different vendors.

Do you have a business or no profit and want to learn more about these tools? Please let me know, and I’ll assist you!

June 21, 2016
Burst: Huge Travel Insurance Breakthrough

How many times have I written about travel insurance? Thanks to Kit Kiefer from Berkshire Hathaway Travel Protection and Patena See, my rep. for providing this article on a Huge breakthrough in travel insurance!

Just when you think there’s nothing new under the sun when it comes to travel insurance, along comes something that changes your mind completely. Such a development is Burst, the new payment program from Berkshire Hathaway Travel Protection (BHTP).

BHTP AppHomescreen

BHTP Burst is a “multi-channel payment platform,”

which is just a fancy way of saying that Burst lets you choose how you want your travel-insurance claims to be paid. Suppose you’ve just embarked on a two-week vacation to see Europe from one end to the other, but you stumble on a cobblestone soon after landing in Portugal and break your wrist. In the past, if you had travel insurance your only option was to gather all your paperwork — forms and hospital bills and such — put them in an envelope and send them back across the pond to the insurance company.

The insurance company would then spend several weeks adjusting and processing your claim, and then another week would be spent cutting a check, putting it in an envelope, and mailing it to your home address, so that by the time it arrived you may have been out of a cast altogether … with Europe just a fading memory.

BHTP Burst flips that old way of doing things. With BHTP Burst, the original medical claim can be filed via a smartphone. A traveler can start the claim process by taking a picture of their doctor’s report (even if it’s in Portuguese) and emailing or texting it to BHTP.

BHTP will use that picture to set up a claim. Forms and other paperwork can be submitted via smartphone picture as well. Suddenly a process that used to be cumbersome and time-consuming takes less time and hassle – and it doesn’t matter whether the traveler is in Lisbon or Lincoln, Bali or Boston. Claim submissions still are nearly instantaneous – and easier than they’ve ever been.

Fast travel insurance claim submissions are only one part of BHTP’s story.

When travelers download the BHTP mobile app or set up an account with BHTP, they are prompted to enter their payment preferences. They can still receive old-fashioned paper checks if they want, but they can also specify PayPal for a payment method, or electronic funds transfers into checking accounts, or transfers into specified accounts via debit cards.

While all these payment methods outside of the paper check differ in how they work, they have one thing in common: They’re really fast. EFT payment can take place in a day or so. Payment through PayPal takes a couple of hours. But claims can be paid in as little as a matter of seconds into a personal checking account through a debit card.

BHTP has partnered with MasterCard specifically to access the MasterCard Send technology that makes instantaneous payments to virtually any debit card. Nobody else is doing this, and it gives BHTP travelers access to their funds instantly after claims are approved — the money they need, right when they need it most.

“Our customers are used to the idea that they can do everything with a mobile device – they can buy that way, they can file a claim that way if they need to, they can get notifications about flights being delayed, and more,” says Dean Sivley, BHTP’s president. “

“This allows us to pay people faster, while they’re still on their trip,” adds Brad Rutta, marketing and communications VP at BHTP, and it’s true.

Consider the earlier example of the traveler who broke her wrist in Portugal. She’s overseas for two weeks, and probably on a budget, and really wants to use her vacation fund for the fun things that make a vacation memorable – great meals, tours, and adventures. She doesn’t want to blow her vacation budget on medical bills. BHTP can put money into the account she uses most, maybe before she’s ever left Lisbon, in a matter of seconds in some cases – and that’s money she can use to pay hospital bills and buy prescription medications.

BHTP can put payments back onto almost 99 percent of debit cards, including all MasterCard and Visa debit cards, and the debit cards from a dozen other debit-card providers.

“Our customers are really excited about this new feature,” Rutta adds. “Payments are going right into their personal debit-card accounts – and it’s happening in near-real time. Those two pieces together allow us to really give an impactful claims payment at a time a traveler needs it the most.”

Berkshire Hathaway Travel Protection is a different kind of travel-insurance company.

BHTP came into the business fresh and built its product-and-service model from scratch. As a result, it’s had time to see where the pain points were with traditional travel insurance, and has been able to come up with technology-based ways of solving those problems. BHTP Burst is just one of those solutions.

“That moment of truth when that payment flashes up and nobody had to do anything – that’s what insurance should be,” Sivley adds. “It’s magical.”

Daydream Excursions can help you with Berkshire Hathaway Travel Protection. Here are NINE Questions you must ask when considering travel insurance!

May 11, 2016
Your tour of the spectacular Iberostar Grand Hotel Paraiso

This post provides your tour of the spectacular Iberostar Grand Hotel Paraiso

IBEROSTAR Grand Hotel Paraíso -seawater pool2

I did a site inspection of the Iberostar Grand Hotel Paraiso April 2015 as part of a site inspection of the Iberostar Paraiso complex. This-multi resort “complex” includes 5 (yes FIVE) different Iberostar resorts that make up the Iberostar Paraiso resort “complex” in Mexico’s Riviera Maya. The Iberostar Paraiso Grand Hotel as one of the highest rated resorts in all of the Rivera Maya. This resort is the only property in the Iberostar Paraiso Complex that actually sits on the beach.

IBEROSTAR Grand Hotel Paraíso front desk

Iberostar Grand Hotel Paraiso: Design and Layout

The main desk sets the scene for serene luxury. I was immediately overtaken with the quiet nature of this property at the main entrance. The first-class service that IBEROSTAR offers includes a special welcome check-in complete with champagne and a refreshing moist towel. There is also a quiet lounge near the front desk. Bear in mind that this property is adults only (18 years and older). While the price is still affordable for many budgets, the Iberostar Paraiso Grand is probably not on a spring break-ers budget.

IBEROSTAR Grand Hotel Paraíso – interior hallway for to guestrooms

Two words – marble palace – really come to mind if I had to sum up the place. There are also fantastic gardens surrounding the buildings prior to getting up to the beach and Caribbean Sea. All guestrooms are in two beach front buildings; the guest rooms are all suites with marble and luxurious furnishings. I walked through one of the hallways and could not believe my eyes as most resorts in Cancun/Riviera Maya have only partially enclosed hallways (“not that there’s anything wrong with that”). This serene hallway even has seating out in front of the rooms. It’s hard to see the artwork on the ceilings from my picture but it is beautiful!

All suites include a pillow menu; minibar stocked with your favorite beverages, complementary newspaper and shoeshine. Poolside services include a pool concierge where you can pick up towels, sunbathing products and reading material. You can also request butler service when poolside and on the beach.

Iberostar Grand Hotel Paraiso Dining

Dining here is true luxury. For example, the Bella Vista buffet had individual seafood items in spoons ready to be picked up. There are No

IBEROSTAR Grand Hotel Paraíso – seawater pool

tongs to rummage through piles of food. Most items were already portioned out and waiting to be picked up. This buffet reminded me of the food presentation at the Hideaway section of the Royalton Resort and Spa. (Be sure to check out my review of the Royalton Resort and Spa.) There are also five specialty restaurants for your dining pleasure.

Iberostar Grand Hotel Paraiso Spa

IBEROSTAR Grand Hotel Paraíso – spa pool with retractable roof

The Spa is magnificent with its retractable dome over the seawater pool; my photo cannot do it justice. The spa also offers Jacuzzis, solarium, sauna, Turkish and Roman baths, thalassotherapy pools and the extraordinary Temazcal of Mayan origin. Couples massages are also offered along with treatments near the sea

IBEROSTAR Playa Paraíso Golf Club

Guests of the hotel can go out and play, hit balls on the practice field or spend time on the putting green to improve their strokes (18 holes free per person for stays of 3 and 4 nights, and two rounds for stays 5 days or more, with food and beverage service included during the game; equipment separate).

Want to kick-up the entertainment a bit? The resorts have shuttle service over to the Iberostar Playa Paraiso shopping center which features the the Galaxy Discotheque nightclub along with stores and shops. Be sure to read my review of the Iberostar Paraiso Complex to learn about the other 4 properties that make up this client favorite spot.

Looking for an ultra-modern resort closer to the Cancun airport? Read my review of the fabulous Royalton Resort and Spa. Contact me to start planning your trip today.

January 31, 2016
See the Spectacular Iberostar Paraiso Resort Complex
This post reviews this sprawling 5-resort complex. See the Spectacular Iberostar Paraiso Resort Complex.

IB Paraiso Maya Pyramid Bar

In addition to touring this mega-resort complex, I’ve sent clients to the different resort properties here for years. There are five different resorts here at the Iberostar Paraiso for different budgets; the resorts and for families and adults plus adults only. I do NOT get complaints just happy clients who visit the Iberostar Paraiso resort complex.

I did a site inspection of parts of the Iberostar Paraiso complex (including the spectacular IBEROSTAR Grand Hotel Paraíso). This-multi resort “complex” includes 5 (yes FIVE) different Iberostar resorts that make of the Iberostar Paraiso resort “complex” in Mexico’s Riviera Maya:
1. Iberostar Paraiso Beach
2. Iberostar Paraiso Del Mar
3. Iberostar Paraiso Lindo
4. Iberostar Paraiso Maya
5. Iberostar Paraiso Grand Hotel
The complex is located North of Playa del Carmen and delivers a great vacation experience! Again, I should know as I have sent my clients to different properties in this crowd pleasing resort complex and I can tell you that I do NOT get complaints (yes this is a repeat)! The Grand Hotel is consistently in the top rated resorts in all of the Cancun/Rivera Maya region.

Iberostar Paraiso Facilities: Design and Layout

Iberostar Paraiso Lindo Lobby

The Beach and Del Mar are the two original sister properties and located on the Northern end of the Complex. The Maya and Lindo are the newer more upscale sisters located South of the Beach and Del Mar. (We entered the complex via the Iberostar Paraiso Maya (the one with the fabulous Mayan pyramid (see the picture above). The Grand Hotel Paraiso is at the Southern end of the complex and fronts the beach.

These resorts reflect a very Mayan design. You will feel like you are in the heart of the Mexico’s Riviera Mayan region as you are and you are just North of Playa del Carmen. The first four resorts reflect traditional Mexican design while the Grand Hotel is simply a palace. You are outside to get to the different dining, drinking and, entertainment venues. If you’re looking for more of an “indoor” resort of modern sleek design, please see my popular review of The Royalton Resort and Spa.

Iberostar Paraiso Beach

The resort complex has a really nice stretch of beach but be forewarned that rooms do NOT have ocean views unless you are staying at the Grand Hotel Paraiso. Guest rooms at the first four properties come in different level and locations but offer nature or pool views. You access the beach by walking through a stand of trees. Once you arrive on the beach it is beautiful and loaded with bars, snack bar, palapas, water sports shacks, etc. Oh, the staff also prepares a gargantuan sized paella on the beach!

Iberostar Paraiso Pools and more

IBEROSTAR Paraiso Resort Complex Wave Pool

The pool scene definitely sets the Iberostar Paraiso resort complex apart from ALL other resort pool. The Iberostar Paraiso resort complex has the only wave pool in ALL of the Caribbean. It’s a zero entry pool and a bell rings when the waves start. The main pool is gigantic with a swim up bar in the middle. There is also a lazy river pool. Floats are extra and must be purchased or brought in. There is so much going on that the pool area is great for kids, families and adults. They also have SCUBA introductions in the pool. This area is the hub of many activities and a short stroll to the beach.

Iberostar Paraiso Kids Club

The kids club at the Maya is very rustic. There is an indoor activity room . Bathrooms have outside access. There’s also a great kiddie pool with a large pirate ship. (Don’t worry, I WON’T put you there unless you want!) Iberostar also has a little kitchen for infants’ needs. This building has a refrigerator and pantries with formulas, baby foods and other items – great for families traveling with babies.

Iberostar Paraiso Maya Guest Rooms

Iberostar Paraiso Maya bathroom

My tour offered tours of the Paraiso Maya guest rooms only. Of the first four resorts, the Maya has the nicest rooms and facilities. These rooms offer a very large bathroom with a full height shower, tub, and double sink. Perfect for getting multiple people ready for nighttime festivities after a full day of sun and surf. I’ve had multiple rooms of clients booked right near the pool which offered easy pool access along with show theater and restaurants close by.

Iberostar Paraiso Dining

There are buffets and a specialty restaurants. The higher you are in the resort pecking order and the longer your stay, the more specialty restaurants you can visit. Thus, staying at the Iberostar Paraiso Maya will give you the most nights at the specialty restaurants. Don’t hesitate to contact me with assistance for advance booing of your specialty dining! Note: you must be a guest at the Grand Hotel Paraiso to dine there.

Iberostar Paraiso Drinking and Entertainment

Iberostar Paraiso Maya Show Theatre

There are numerous bars in the resorts plus a show lounge that has both adult and kids shows. We’ve already mentioned the pool bars and beach bars. You can also take a shuttle over to the Plaza Paraiso Shopping Center for the Galaxy Discotheque. As the Disco does not open until 11pm, I think it is great that it is away from the guest rooms. There is also a casino. Finally, the Plaza Paraiso shopping center includes a nice coffee shop, multiple eateries, and a small carousel for the kids.

That’s it for this review of this monster Mexican Colonial style resort complex. I really believe there is something for everyone here. As this resort gets updated and changes frequently (there was work being done when we there there in April of 2015), please weigh in with your own comments and/or additions, corrections if need be.

Ready to plan your trip? Contact me today!

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January 31, 2016
Over-Water Bungalows… and Camels, too!

Looking for a destination with over-water bungalows and camels? No, it’s not Bora Bora nor Egypt!

English: Bora Bora (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Dreaming of over-water bungalow accommodations at a great resort so you can look at the sea through your own Plexiglas floor? Want to ride a camel as part of your stay? Don’t have the time or money to travel all of the way to Bora Bora or the Maldives? There’s been a lot of talk about over-water bungalows coming to the Caribbean. I’ve heard the rumors and seen the artists’ renderings. While you can’t check-in yet, over-water bungalows are coming to the Caribbean – the Mexican Caribbean specifically. And, they’re under construction right now!

Over-Water bungalows are coming to Maroma Beach

Karisma Presentation

I recently attended an exciting presentation from Karisma Resorts. You may have never heard of Karisma, but you may know their unique resorts including El Dorado, Azul, Generations, etc. Karisma resorts feature “gourmet inclusive dining,” and El Dorado resorts are adults only. Sound good so far? As part of the presentation, they showed some pictures of the over-water bungalows they are building NOW! These over-water bungalow suites are under construction at the El Dorado Maroma Beach resort; Maroma beach is ranked as one of the top ten beaches in the World! Further, the over-water accommodations in Maroma beach will have their own infinity pools. Plans also include adding a restaurant and small spa on the pier.

If you search for over-water bungalows in the Caribbean, you will see some in places like Belize and Panama; however, if you’re looking for over-water bungalows at an all-inclusive resort in Cancun/Riviera Maya, Dominican Republic, or Jamaica, you will come up empty-handed. Some developers have attempted to build in the Dominican Republic, and Sandals keeps promising over-water bungalows. Now, Sandals has released renderings but not pictures of their over-water bungalows; I’ve heard about this project years ago and believe Sandals will get these accommodations at some point. And I’m sure Sandals will have a fabulous product when they are finished!

Camel Safari in Maroma Beach

You may have read my past articles on the wonderful experiences and value you can experience from the Cancun/Riviera Maya region of Mexico. The owners of Karisma also own Lomas Travel and Maroma Adventures. Lomas Travel is one of the premier transfer and excursion providers in the Cancun/Riviera Maya region. Maroma Adventures are the purveyors of the camel safari excursion – right in Maroma Beach. When the over-water bungalows arrive at El Dorado Maroma, you can stay above the Caribbean Sea and go on a camel safari close by – ALL from a modest flight from the US mainland.

Finally, I especially enjoyed the praise from the owners about how Americans provide jobs for locals! So, when you go to the Mexican Caribbean understand that you are greatly helping their economy while you receive great value for your vacation!

Contact me for more details on the coming over-water bungalows at the El Dorado Maroma or over-water bungalows in Bora Bora or Moorea, French Polynesia!

October 26, 2015
How to get a Wonderful Trip Itinerary
Wonder how I go from your initial travel survey to a wonderful trip itinerary?

Getting from our initial contact to your completed travel itinerary takes a lot of work! (The majority of the task is my job to make your complex travel planning easy.) After you submit your trip planning survey, we’ll take these steps to work together on your dream trip itinerary:
1. Trip planning kick-off call
2. Initial trip proposal(s)
3. Multiple email iterations
4. Calls as needed
5. Final itinerary ready
Let’s look at an actual travel planning survey that was submitted early in 2015 for a 20th Anniversary dream trip itinerary through Italy this August.

What is the objective of your trip? Any special celebrations or milestones?

Italiano: Collage di varie foto riguardanti la cultura dell’Italia. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Pleasure, celebrating 20th wedding anniversary

Do you have a specific destination(s) in mind? Why?

Rome, Florence (Tuscany – wine country) and Italian coast/rivieria

Do you have specific dates? or a flexible window to travel?

Mid/Late August – somewhat flexible (our anniversary is in August which is the reason for the timing/date….as an option we could consider July but I suspect pricing/availability will be about the same given peak travel months).

This section provides a glimpse into your lifestyle and past “travel personality” so we can collaborate on a memorable experience. Where have you previously vacationed? What did you like or not like? WHY? I want to hear whatever you’ll share.
- Personal trip through Western Europe out of college.
- Vienna/Budapest with my wife
- Australia – Sydney/Adelaide
- Multiple trips to Hawaii, Mexico and around US.
And, what types of trips have you taken?
- All-Inclusive Resort
- Hotel
- Theme Park
- Escorted Tour
- Independent Tour (Multi-city)
- What will YOUR trip feel like? What do you envision yourself doing? Exciting with lots of activities? Group tours? Time to explore on your own? relaxing on the beach?
Interest in this trip is both site seeing as well as taking in Italian culture (food, wine, etc)….plus relaxation for part of the trip (e.g. beach town on Italian coast/rivieria). As far as site seeing, I am open to both group tours as well as exploring on our own.

Do you have a preferred hotel/resort/cruise line/air line? Loyalty program member? Any “must haves” such as ocean view or balcony room?

No must haves. Would like to stay in moderate to nice accommodations (nice, but does not need to be 5 star).

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That was the beginning of the trip planning process or “trip genesis.”

What happens next in planning your trip itinerary?

So after we discussed the trip survey, I went to work designing the “trip flow.” When I design a custom trip itinerary, I work out the “trip flow” first which includes:
- number of cities visited
- number of nights in each city,
- order of cities visited
- required pre/post nights due to air schedules to begin or end the in-country portion of the trip itinerary
We review the trip flow prior to getting into the hotel and tours, etc. By focusing on the trip flow, my clients clients and I stay focused on designing the optimal trip WITHOUT getting distracted by how nice a hotel looks, or which tours are “must do’s” as this fun stuff will come next. NOTE: the tours can be the most memorable part of the trip.

Montalcino, Toscana, Italia (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

For this particular trip, staying in Tuscany was mandatory as touring wineries in the Montalcino area was KEY! Visiting a beach town in Cinque Terra was also highly desired for relaxation after heavy sightseeing. There were stays in Florence and Rome to take in the “must do” sightseeing.

We started getting some traction and agreed on the number of nights in each city. To make the whole trip itinerary work, there needed to be one longer travel day from Cinque Terra down to a Rome (FCO) airport hotel to finish up the trip. It was also decided to visit Venice as a day trip from Florence.

Now it was time to make this happen by selecting hotels, train, tours, and transfers. My client had already booked airline tickets to coordinate with the start/stop dates of the trip itinerary.

So, want to see the final trip? Click on the itinerary calendar below to get the whole trip (Zoom in and scroll around if you want to really take in the details.). Be sure to see some pictures of my travel guests enjoying their trip in Italy below the trip itinerary calendar. Want a custom planned trip for yourself? Don’t hesitate to contact me today.

Sample Italy trip Itinerary (click for enlarged view)

View from Hotel Pasquale Monterosso al Mare on Cinque Terre coastline

Cinque Terre

Cinque Terre Hiking
September 13, 2015
How I Stopped a 767 from Taking off for Disney Aulani

Interested in how I stopped a 767 from taking off?

Please read on! This story started back in November of 2014. I’ll start with a quick question? Do you like the idea of someone monitoring your flights in anticipation of any problems?

The Hawaii Trip to Disney Aulani

A new client asked me about planning a sweet 16 trip to the Disney Aulani resort in Oahu, Hawaii. She invited friends and family to the party

By Aero Icarus from Zürich, Switzerland [CC BY-SA 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
at the resort and already selected flights on United Airlines. The first flight was from Newark to San Francisco; while the second flight was from San Francisco to Honolulu. From there, I arranged for multiple car rentals to take them to the resort.

This trip involved an immense amount of planning for all parties. The mother of the guest of honor extensively planned out details of an onsite party with wonderful Disney accoutrement. I advised my travel guests on the various types of accommodations both at the Disney Aulani resort and the Disney Vacation Club (DVC) Villas onsite.

The flight situation in Newark

Everyone arrived bright and early at Newark International airport anticipating a long travel day! It’s a long road to Hawaii from the East Coast of the US! The pilot noticed an issue with the brakes and had to pull back to the gate. Eventually, everyone had to leave the plane and wait for hours. My crew of 21 anxious travelers re-boarded the plane and then were further delayed by paperwork as the pilot had to sign-off on the repairs. Then the plane was refueled. At last they were off – bound for San Francisco and then Hawaii by night.

I use flight aware to track my clients’ flights. I carefully watched their estimated landing time in San Francisco (SFO) and the next flight’s take-off time. Do you know when you get that sinking feeling that things are not going to work out?

Anticipating the race to get to San Francisco (SFO) for the next flight

As I watched flight aware to track both flights, I was losing confidence that my 21 people could make the next flight. I called both Untied Vacations and United Air Lines looking for help! Not knowing what to do after speaking with a United Vacations Rep. I called United Airlines directly and asked if it was possible to delay the take-off of the next flight. A representative at United said he’d call SFO airport management. The rep, came back and said they could hold the flight for 30 minutes. Adding that on to the already slight delay for the next flight to Hawaii was just enough time for my clients to board the next flight. I felt like a rock star super hero as one of my people let me know that they made it on the next flight! My clients were keeping in touch with me via cell phones, emails and Facebook. Hooray, look at what I’ve accomplished!!! But my celebration was premature.

The flight situation in San Francisco

B767 By FcoRiveros2000 (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Everyone made it on board hoping their luggage was with them too! This plane was a Boeing 767 loaded with lots of personal entertainment gear and a lot more fun technology than the plane for the flight across the US. Bear in mind that no one had really had a meal since very early in the day. My main contact let me know that they had to go back to the gate due to another strange sound (second time in one day for this group). After arriving back at the gate the pilot thought they could take off again – maybe. Some passengers onboard became irate and there was some degree of screaming and crying. Finally, all passenger had to leave the plane and wait at the gate hoping they could once again be en-route to Hawaii that night.

What to do after the flight is cancelled

It was just past 6:30 pm California time when my buddy called me from the gate to tell me the flight was cancelled. The on-line flight tracker showed the flight as over the Pacific Ocean from the first time it pushed back from the gate. Now what? There was a 767 full of passengers angry that they were not going to Hawaii and many of them not making it to the Disney Aulani Resort for their first night in Paradise!

My clients were commanded to wait in line to rebook their flights/pick-up meal vouchers/receive hotel and transfer accommodations. I had already looked at other airlines with flights out that night but it was getting later and United Airlines had re-booked all of my guests for a flight early the next morning.

TIP: if an airline cancels your flight, you have the right to demand that they put you on another carrier’s flights. They are NOT going to tell you this and it may not work but I want you to know you can always ask…Or ASK me!

AND, the luggage never made it on to the original plane from SFO to Hawaii. Again, all of the flights were re-booked for the next morning on the same flight. I started pulling up everyone’s United reservations and reviewing their seat assignments to share with the group.

The line for hotels lasted for hours with only 4 reps. to take care of all of the logistics for the night. Some of my clients elected to sleep in the United Terminal to avoid the stress of catching to shuttles and checking into a hotel at who knows what time!

The next day

Photo courtesy of Michelle Kraft Cook

The flight from SFO to Honolulu went off early the next morning with little delays transporting my guests to beautiful Hawaii. The Disney Aulani resort was waiting for them.

While the car rentals were supposed to have been on hold for 24 hours after the first flight was supposed to land, at least one of my clients had issues picking up their car.

To top it off, a client could not find his license after landing in Honolulu. With no license, I advised him to switch over the car rental to his wife, BUT how was he supposed to board the flight home? Turns out that that is a story in and of itself. (He actually found his license but after much effort I can tell you how to board a plane IF you lose your ID.) The DMV assured me that there was no way they could get a replacement license to Hawaii in time for his return trip home.

FINALLY, all of my clients eventually got to Aulani and their rooms were waiting for them!

Trip Insurance as a remedy

Now that everyone has returned from Hawaii, I still have 21 clients who lost their first night at Disney Aulani Resort and also multiple car rentals which lost one night of use. As everyone had trip protection insurance, I initiated claims for their trips after they returned home. Now, they all need is proof from United Airlines that the flight was cancelled in order to file their claims…I’m waiting for that to come in.

Hear comments from my clients before they left Hawaii:

Happy Travelers at Disney Aulani Resort

August 25, 2015