Conde Naste Readers’ Choice Awards for 2014 has named Florence, Italy as the most popular city in Europe.
With the Euro presenting the best value in a decade, this is a great time to travel. Click this link to see the other top contenders.
See our online video of Florence below:
Everyone who travels can expect to pay a premium for food and beverages in hotels, but $127 for three bottles of sparkling water might have you double checking your bill. That is what a business man in the UK did when he was presented with the tab from the bar.
In-room bottled water can also be expensive. There is a price for convenience, but a less costly idea is to buy bottled water and healthy snacks from the hotel gift shop or local store, for your room. Also, the fitness center often has complementary water.
In a sign of strengthening demand, vacations are being booked early for next year and even 2016!
Normally, this time of year savvy travelers are booking their holiday vacations for Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s. Families already are planning from their children’s work/school calendar and taking advantage of our promotional rates for Asia, South Pacific, Africa, Caribbean/Hawaii, Europe and South America.
Multi generational vacations are popular and many include a focus or a ‘theme’ ~ culinary tours, historic/cultural trips, soft adventure, etc., And many are being booked for 2015 and 2016!
With multigenerational travel, you’ve got to plan ahead or its gone. Booking early is the key for scoring the best travel deals. Clients have strong preferences and specific needs – if they want to go on a bike tour to a particular place, there are only so many spaces ~ they want what they want. Same goes for river cruising – once the 140 or 150 staterooms are booked, that’s it. Looking for a family suite or connecting rooms? Most resorts/luxury hotels have limited availability.
Our focus on wine and culinary vacations have increased dramatically. Food travel has emerged as something to experience after the explosion of cable TV cooking shows. We put together wonderful cooking classes with added amenities that people can’t get on their own and they love the attention to detail. Couples, singles and families alike; love trying local dishes and talking and connecting with cooking activities.
Of course romance/honeymoon/anniversary trips are always big with guests. Creating a memorable stay with fun activities is paramount. With our ‘insider connections’ at select luxury properties; it’s always nice to include a luxe option to surprise our clients.
~ Donna Salerno, CTC, DS, MCC
Certified Travel Consultant, Destination Specialist, Master Cruise Counselor
Escape Artist Extraordinaire
After a long cold winter with more snow than most people can remember in their lifetime, thoughts turn towards summer with long lazy days at the beach.
Trip Advisor announced their readers choice for the World’s Top Beaches. Baia do Sancho in Brazil is number one.
For US beaches, Lanikai Beach in Oahu, Hawaii came out on top.
See the other top winners to help plan your next vacation.
Luxury is a term that is often over-used these days for everything from automobiles to electronics. In travel we often associate luxury with resorts, spas, cruises and fine dining.
Forbes Travel Guide has come out with their 2014 Star Award Winners with the Four Seasons and Ritz Carlton mentioned often. Take a look at this outstanding list from around the world.
With land at a premium along the coastline in Europe it is difficult and expensive to build or expand hotels to accommodate the demand. That in turn makes it more expensive to rent a hotel with a water view, luxury hotel or not.
So it is no wonder that we are starting to see floating hotels on a grander scale, such as the Sunborn Yacht Hotel in Gibraltar’s Ocean Village Marina. They also have a sister-ship in Finland at the Naantali Resort & Spa.
The concept of living on the water on a grand scale of permanent luxury is also available with ships like “The World”, which however actually moves and constantly circumnavigates the globe. Well to do owners can and go as they please, and rent out their “homes” during their absence.
For the rest of us looking for a vacation away on the water there are plenty of cruise ships for every budget. Bon voyage!
Trip Advisor has announced their 2013 Top 25 Destinations for the USA and World travel.
New York takes the top spot followed by San Francisco, Chicago, Las Vegas, Orlando, Washington DC, Boston, Los Angeles, Honolulu and New Orleans.
For international travelers Paris is first followed by New York, London, Rome, Barcelona, Venice, San Francisco, Florence, Prague and Sydney.
The rankings are primarily based on member feedback and hotel rankings. Time to plan your last minute summer vacation? Then click on the links provided above.
Read more to find out what other cities are on the list.
Medical Travel has seen staggering growth over the last ten years. With the future of health care in the US looking to have significant cost increases, it will expand even more.
The cost for services like dental work, cardiac, orthopedic and cosmetic procedures is significantly less expensive in countries like Brazil, Costa Rica, India and Turkey to name a few; because of the lower cost of insurance and labor. Most doctors are trained in the US and the facilities are outstanding.
Many convalescence facilities are like luxury hotels and people are combining their surgeries with a relaxing vacation.
Traveler’s loyalty to airlines and hotel chains is changing according to a survey by Deloitte. Loyalty points have less of an impact than service, comfort and price. Travelers are more likely to compare different options and choose what best fits their needs, and with so much information available online, it is easy to compare.
Travel is one of the best gifts you can give, any time of year.
Travel broadens the mind, enlightens us about different cultures, takes us out of our comfort zone to try new experiences and teaches us respect and humility.
What will be a more important memory in 20 years, witnessing thousands of Wildebeest during their great migration of the Serengeti on an African safari or the latest version of the iPad?
The best thing about memories is creating them!
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