I’ve been globetrotting – literally, and figuratively, these past two weeks.
With my family, I’ve been to London, Munich, Passau, Linz, Salzburg, Durnstein, Vienna, Bratislava, and Budapest – on a pre-cruise tour (of London), followed by a Tauck Family Bridges river cruise on the Blue Danube.
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Then, I returned home to Ottawa, changed suitcases, and hopped on a plane to Vegas for a week with the best-of-the-best in travel at Virtuoso Travel Week and VAST (Virtuoso Active & Specialty Travel) Globetrotting. It’s been totally exhausting, but wonderfully exhilarating. (Thanks, Lynda, for pics.)
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One of the thing that comes from all this travel and learning, of course, is that I’m full of new ideas and excitement about travel, and my newsletters over the coming weeks will share insights and I hope inspiration for you to arrange your next bucket list trip. I’ve interviewed suppliers about a trip to Madagascar with Natural Habitat, talked to A&K about their Inside Passage cruises, met Sven Lindblad to talk about Lindblad Expeditions, talked to Costas Christ about sustainability, talked to Resort at Paws Up about their ladies only spring round up, and arranged some client calls with Ashish Sanghrajka about African safaris. I’ve been globetrotting for you!
Be sure to read this newsletter next week for more sharing.
Virtuoso’s travel week theme has been “travel unites” – and – as I shared when I was interviewed by Virtuoso, that’s never been more true than now. With the world today, there is nothing like travel that helps you remove boundaries, and discover how much in common we all have. As the saying goes – travel is the one thing you buy that makes you richer.
In between all those planes and meetings, of course, I’ve also been working on booking some clients on a Tauck river cruise from Amsterdam to Budapest (even booking a couple of staterooms while I was still onboard the Tauck MS Espirit), and arranging final payments on a Tauck Week in Tuscany & Umbria for a mom and adult daughter. I’m looking at Galapagos and Costa Rica/ Panama for some clients with Lindblad Expeditions; and arranging final details for a 21 day Crystal Cruise to Australia and New Zealand. I’ve booked some solo ladies on a trip to Cambodia, Vietnam, and Thailand with On the Go Tours; and confirmed a couple of river cruises for folks with Uniworld and Ama Waterways. (Did you know that Uniworld has a new active travel program?)
I’ve also booked insurance for a young backpacker headed around Kenya, got e-dox for two young ladies doing a Croatia sailing holiday with Top Deck, did final payments on a couple of Disney family holidays (with a stay at Waldorf Orlando at the end to rest up), and booked a Ritz Carlton Bal Harbour hotel stay. I’m working with an aunt and niece to get them to Greece for some island hopping, and finalizing a couple of Spain customized trips for some couples.
All that was squeezed in between 300+ meetings in Vegas at Virtuoso Week, plus meetings over breakfast, lunch, and dinner – and various business networking events and cocktail parties. It’s been a whirlwind!
One of the things I love about attending Virtuoso Travel Week each year (and this was my 7th consecutive year) is the shopping I do for clients while I’m there. Think of Virtuoso Travel Week as being the travel industry’s equivalent to Paris Fashion Week.
Here’s a snippet of what I was up to.
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| At the tables – Virtuoso Travel Week in Vegas |
Want to explore further some of the travel ideas I’ve mentioned to see if they’re right for you? Please give me a call (613-837-0699) or shoot me an email at [email protected], and we’ll schedule a bucket list planning call to dig into your needs, interests, how you like to travel – and we’ll find the right holiday/ mix for you!
Not sure what’s right for you? Get some further inspiration here. Look at the new VAST catalog here Vast 2017 .
Remember the 4 A’s I promise if you work with me? Advice, Access, Accountability, and Advocacy. See blog article .
Let’s schedule your dream vacation planning call today!