Wow, we really sparked some interest last week with part one of our travel trends! Just to recap, the trends we highlighted were slow travel, ocean cruising (beyond the Caribbean), European River cruising and family travel. This week we’ll finish out the list of the travel trends we are seeing for 2020. Maybe this will spark an interest and get your creative juices flowing for your 2020 vacation planning. You know you can simply reply to this email to get started.

Travel Trends for 2020

2020 is an opportunity to tailor your travel around some really huge events. The two most popular events of 2020 are the once-a-decade Passion Play in Oberammergau, Germany and the Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan. For those of you planning even further ahead, America’s Cup racing is scheduled for 2021 in New Zealand.

Group trips! Maybe you want to include others when you travel. We’re seeing a continued rise among a small gathering of friends or families. Maybe you don’t want to be the ring leader, but you would rather fit in with a group who shares common interests, such as gardens, yoga or photography. There are options out there for nearly everyone.

Culinary travel has carved out a niche of it’s own within the vacation world. I attribute a large portion of that market to the popularity and untimely death of travel and food icon, Anthony Bourdain. One of my favorite quotes of his has long been: “If I’m an advocate for anything, it’s to move. As far as you can, as much as you can. Across the ocean, or simply across the river. Walk in someone else’s shoes or at least eat their food. It’s a plus for everybody.” Whether your culinary vacation is centered around trying as much street food in Thailand as possible or perfecting your Nonna’s pasta recipe, we can customize an itinerary that meets all of your needs.

After all of that culinary travel maybe you’re ready to focus on a vacation centered around wellness. We’re seeing a huge increase in the popularity of vacations that include several combinations of yoga, meditation, spa treatments and an overall focus on wellness. The advantage to this trend is that these activities are often taking place in some of the most beautiful destinations you can imagine. Can you picture yourself starting the day with a sunrise yoga class on the beaches of Bali followed by traditional healing ceremonies all while recharging your mind and body with farm to table meals? We know just how to make that picture a reality.

That should be a great start to building a vacation wish list for 2020, let’s start planning before another year slips away.

We are in the final month of the decade! There’s so much left to be done before the calendar switches over to 2020. Over the next two weeks I wanted to take the opportunity to highlight some of the travel trends we’re seeing for 2020. Maybe this will spark an interest and get your creative juices flowing for your 2020 vacation planning. You know you can simply reply to this email to get started.

Travel Trends for 2020

The trend that saw a huge rise in the last several years is that of Slow Travel, in fact, I wrote an entire article on just that subject, you can read it here. In short, the idea of slowing down and immersing yourself in a destination is a really wonderful way to get a better understanding of the region and the people who live there. Often this type of vacation allows you to participate in local cooking classes or even helping on a local farm.

Perhaps that sounds like a little too much slow paced for you, but you still don’t want to pack and unpack every few days. Ocean cruising around Europe has greatly expanded the season offering itineraries to fit any schedule. Save the date (January 14th) for an event coming up with some exciting new Ocean cruise options. Invitations will come out shortly, but if you know you want to be included please reply to this email so I can add you to the distribution list.

European River Cruises are another fantastic way to explore the rivers of Europe, as one supplier enjoys sharing, “Ocean cruises take you to countries, river cruises take you through them.” Maybe you’ve tired of the larger ocean vessels and are ready for a new experience with 200 or fewer passengers.

Family travel continues to be a huge vacation motivation as we enter 2020. We are consistently seeing families wandering out of their theme park comfort zones and exploring more of this great big beautiful world. Costa Rica, Ocean cruises around Europe, Australia and South Africa will be the hot spots in 2020 for family travel.

Wow, that’s a lot to take in for this week, right? Next week we’ll continue our deep dive in to the travel trends we’re seeing for 2020.

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. I love gathering with my family and giving thanks. Of course the fantastic food is always a hit as well. Growing up our traditional Thanksgiving was spent on the Outer Banks. It’s one that we continue this year as well, away from the malls and frenzy of Black Friday shopping.

Our weekend will be spent, weather permitting, combing the beach for treasures, supporting small local businesses and of course sitting around the table, most likely reminiscing about our travels to the beach and around the world. We’ll talk about the destinations we’ve been dreaming about visiting “someday” and those that we would like to visit again.

Of course there are some great travel values that you can secure even before the Black Friday Frenzy hits, most will continue through Cyber Monday as well. The beauty of having a trusted travel professional, like any of us here at Slaydon’s Travel, is that we can see through the “too good to be true” offers and provide you with advice on whether or not that “deal” is really your best value, or will cost you more in the long run. As with any deal it still has to be the right vacation for you and your family. You’ve heard me pass along one of my favorite quotes before; “How cheap does a bad vacation have to be for it to be okay?”

Some of the better values we have seen this holiday season, continuing into next week and the week after continue to be fantastically low airfare to Europe, even during the Summer; free airfare offers on European river cruises through 2020 and even a $1 deposit offer on Ocean Cruises. Perhaps one of these offers will spark an interest for you or your family to start planning for 2020.

Every life changing vacation is made up of a series of puzzle pieces that when put together correctly leave you with a memory that will stay with you forever. It’s my job to help you identify those pierces and help you put the puzzle together. Just one missing piece can turn the vacation of your dreams into a nightmare.

Three key pieces to make sure your vacation puzzle matches your vacation vision.

Communication – This piece begins at our initial consultation and is most important throughout, even upon your return home. It’s imperative that we both understand exactly what it is that you expect out of your vacation. Sure, mobility issues and food allergies are important things to share, but it goes beyond likes and dislikes. Ultimately, if you choose not to share that you have a lifelong dream of singing “Maria” at the top of your lungs while you visit the gazebo used in The Sound of Music, then how am I going to know to have the film crew on standby during your visit? It’s equally as important that you and your travel companions communicate in such a way that you each have the same vacation expectations. A vacation where you sit back in a beach chair while a waiter brings and endless supply of Pina Coladas may be exactly what you have in mind, but if your partner can’t sit still long enough to read a chapter of a book, doesn’t like the sand and likes to avoid sun exposure that vacation has the potential to go down in flames by day two! However, with the right communication we can find a destination that will offer you the rest and relaxation you desire and also offer the necessary distractions for your partner.

Be open – We all have a tendency to hold firm to a vision we have in our heads of the perfect vacation. I’m not suggesting that you throw that vision out the window. I’m suggesting that perhaps that vision needs to have a bit of wiggle room available. I’ve been a travel professional long enough to know that just because something was posted on the internet or written in a magazine article doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s a realistic vacation goal. I’ve seen wish lists that would take even the most seasoned traveler weeks to race through that clients want to accomplish in half the time. While a week away from home seems like plenty of time to check items off your wish list as you race through Europe, if you want to stop and see them you’ll need either more time or fewer sites. Do you long to see the Northern Lights but can only that one week in August that the kids don’t have baseball practice? That’s probably not a realistic time for that experience.

Prepare for the unexpected – now, this doesn’t mean pack for the worst case scenario! This means that you can’t let a missed connection or a rainy day in London ruin your entire vacation. Sometimes those moments that don’t go as planned end up being the most memorable time during your vacation. One of the stories that gets told quite often around our house is when we got lost in Venice. Just a hint, if you see cars, you’ve gone too far. Turn around and go back over the last bridge you crossed.

Contact me or one of the other travel professionals at Slaydon’s Travel when you are ready to start piecing together your vacation puzzle. We can make getting there as easy as being there!

Happy Halloween! It’s a season full of treats, my favorite is the pumpkin ice cream at our nearby pumpkin patch. But anyone with kids knows it’s also the season of tricks! It seems the level of surprise gets more elaborate each year. Travel, on the other hand, shouldn’t be full of surprises!

Have you ever been tricked into believing any of these common travel misconceptions? While there are certainly any number of myths that we could discuss, I’m going to stick to the top 5 travel myths this week. 

#1 – “Waiting until the last minute the vacation price will go down.”

Unfortunately, I’ve seen too many times a family, couple or individual traveler put off purchasing the vacation they want because they think the price will get lower as the trip gets closer, in the end the price sky rockets and they miss out on a great deal and stay home. Even if a cruise line or a resort offers a rare last minute deal, often the inflated air cost to get to the destination negates any savings and only escalates the stress level of the traveler. In most cases the further in advance that you book, the better the value.

#2 – “Travelers checks are the way to go when traveling internationally.”

While this may have been the case years ago, and offered a great deal of consumer protection, this is no longer the case. Once the norm, travelers checks have fallen off the radar of many international merchants.

#3 – “Duty free is always a great deal!” 

This is answer is a bit trickier. Sometimes, in the case of liquor or tobacco this could be the case. While with pricier items or those that are not heavily taxed, such as perfume, cosmetics or sunglasses, the prices you will pay in the duty free shop are often higher than you would pay at home. The moral to this story is to know your prices! While the $5 bottle of Rum might be a great deal, if you’re only saving $2 on the bottle of Scotch is it really worth lugging all over Europe?

#4 – “I will get a better exchange rate if I get Euros before leaving home.”

While it’s always nice to have a few Euros in your pocket before heading overseas it is not always your best value. You have to make sure that you are aware of the exchange rates as well as the fees and/or commissions that your bank is charging. It’s always a good rule of thumb to compare these charges to the ATM charges you would incur overseas. ATM’s are common place in international airports and you can often sidestep the commissions charged for currency exchange. We always recommend that you talk to your banker about where you are traveling and make sure that you can access your account through the ATM machines in those countries.

#5 – “Using a travel professional will cost more than if I book my own trip on the internet.” 

Quite often the opposite is true. Nothing compares to the value that a travel professional can add to your vacation. Trusting a professional can stretch your vacation budget and get added values and amenities that you didn’t even know existed. On the flip side, it can also prevent your investing your hard earned vacation budget on the wrong vacation. Any travel professional would hate to see a client invest their vacation time and budget into the wrong vacation just because the client thinks it’s a good deal.

I hope this has helped to clear up some very common misconceptions about travel and vacations. Now if you hear any of the above, you won’t be tricked! As always, if there are any questions or concerns that you have about your upcoming vacation, we at Slaydon’s Travel are here to help.

Staying organized at home can be difficult enough, but when you’re removed from your routine things can get off the rails pretty quickly.

Here are a few tips that may help you stay a bit more organized on your next vacation.

Packing cubes – whether your preferred packing style is to fold or to roll, either will work in a good set of packing cubes. You can use them a number of ways. Put entire outfits in them, keep your items separate by packing pants together, dresses together, etc. The best part is when you arrive at your destination and unpack (yep, that’s the next tip) you can simply pull the cubes out and the organization remains.

Unpack on arrival – You can’t utilize what you can’t see – empty your suitcase when you arrive so you’ll get a refresh of the items you brought and can more easily get up and out in the mornings. No more digging through a suitcase to find what you need.

Collapsible valet – these are fantastic and pack flat in your luggage. When you remove your watch, jewelry and empty your pockets at the end of the day put everything in the valet. No more worries about leaving something behind since it’s all in one spot. Disclaimer – the first time I used one of these was at at a conference, it was great for making sure I had everything together, the downside was that I left the room key in the valet at least three times and had to get a new key at the front desk because I didn’t grab the key on the way out. When purchasing a valet I would suggest a bright color if you can find one. Mine is black leather and the black room key seemed to disappear inside.

Keep your list with you – when you finish packing, don’t throw your packing list away, put it in your suitcase or carry on. When it’s time to pack up and move on, or return home you can check the list again to make sure you haven’t left any items behind.

Travel journal – keep a daily log of the things you do while on vacation. When you return home people are going to want to know what you did, where you ate and what you saw. Spending a few minutes each evening recapping your day will help you remember the name of that gelato shop, or the bakery that had the best croissants you’ve ever tasted. You may find that information will come in handy on your next trip as well.

Apologies to our friends to the North, Canadian’s celebrated Thanksgiving this past Monday and I totally missed it. That means Thanksgiving here in the States is in 6 weeks. Of course you’ve got time to prepare, but I wanted to challenge you this year to approach things a bit differently. It’s always been an odd juxtaposition to me that Thanksgiving is a holiday about being thankful for the things you have and just hours later, sometimes before the dishes have even been cleaned, people are rushing to the stores to buy more things!

What if this Thanksgiving season you focused on spending that extra time with those people you’re thankful for creating new experiences rather than buying more things, even if they are a great deal?

You’ve heard me pose this question different ways in the past, but honestly how many pairs of slippers do you really think Aunt Sue needs? I’m not saying that she doesn’t love them, but by now she’s got a closet full. Instead of getting up at the crack of dawn to stand in line for the newest video game for your kids, why not get up at the crack of dawn and pile into the family truckster to go for a hike in the mountains or a walk on the beach? It’s the time you spend together as a family making memories that will last much longer than the battery life of 2019’s hottest toy.

Spend Black Friday making a scrap book of the photos you’ve taken this past year on your adventures together. Wouldn’t it be nice to share those memories sitting around the dinner table instead of crowded around a phone screen where your photos are eternally stored?

Believe me, I love to shop as much as the next girl (my husband may even say I do so more than the next girl) but I also love the idea of focusing on things we can do together.

Now, if you just can’t pass up the urge to shop, I’d like to introduce you to the children’s Christmas book that my dear friend and fellow travel professional, Shannon has written. She was inspired to write this book to honor her parents, both of whom she lost within a month, last year. Shannon’s Dad was the local Santa, her Mom made all of his costumes and Shannon was the Christmas photographer preserving precious memories for families who visited. The Santa Princess is a story of Santa & Mrs Claus’ daughter, Merry and the gifts she shares with the world. You can pre-order a copy today by visiting www.thesantaprincess.com

When you are ready to get started planning your next vacation, all you have to do is click here. I look forward to helping you.

When is the last time you really unplugged from your device? Can you make it through the day without your phone? Most of us can’t, myself included. I’ll admit that if I happen to leave my phone at home or at the office accidentally, I’ll go back and get it pretty quickly.

As a society we’ve come to rely on having that technology at our finger tips. The statistics I get each week on this email indicate that around 50% of you read this on your phone rather than a computer or tablet.

Can you really enjoy a relaxing vacation if you’re always looking at the screen on your phone rather than the stunning surroundings you are visiting? Or, is it because you are plugged into the office that you feel like you can get away for a week or more and not be buried under a pile of work when you return? The struggle is real, I get it, but when we talk to our kids we find out that their favorite parts of vacation aren’t necessarily the experiences or the sights. When asked, most kids will tell you their favorite part of a family vacation is the time they spend away from routines at home, the time they spend with you, no housework, no yard work, no phones, no email, just the family making memories together.

This week I wanted to share with you a few ways that you can ease into unplugging during your next vacation.

Sure, selfies are a great way to get the whole family in the picture, but some vacations deserve more than selfies. That’s why we have teamed up with the folks at Flytographer who have photographers all over the world. We handle all the details for you and all you have to do is show up and the photographers from Flytographer will capture your vacation memories and send you the link to digitally download the high res images from your photo shoot. The results are stunning.

Instead of turning to social media for restaurant suggestions why not ask a local where they recommend. Better yet, we’ve also teamed up with suppliers who will match you with a likeminded local family with whom you can share an evening of conversation over dinner in their home. It’s a really fantastic way to immerse yourself in a destination and get a greater understanding of the differences and similarities of every day life.

Most of us would draw the line at actually leaving the phone at home during a vacation, but a day out on the water is a great excuse to at least leave it safely at the resort. Don’t get so caught up in nonstop social media posts that you miss the whale breaching beside your boat, or don’t quite catch the green flash as the sun sinks into the sea after a beautiful sail. Take time to really experience your destination as well as the time you are spending with the ones you love the most. The memories you make together on vacation will last long after you return to the office, and perhaps will provide you with the much needed mental fuel to make it to the next vacation.

The good news is that you don’t even have to put your phone down to get started planning your next vacation, all you have to do is click here and we can get started today!

Helen Mirren, two helicopters and a submarine, sounds like a great start to a James Bond movie, right? The common denominator of all three is the a ship, currently docked in Norfolk for the day. The Scenic Eclipse is setting a new standard for luxury and discovery on the seas.

She was christened just a few weeks ago in New York City by Dame Helen Mirren, who also serves as the ship’s Godmother. In addition to a stellar lineup of included amenities, the ship also features two 6 passenger helicopters as well as a 6 person submarine that guests can utilize for a fee.

I know those of you who have experienced a river cruise are familiar with the Scenic name as they have been innovators in European river cruises for several years. This is their first foray into Ocean cruising and they certainly are setting the bar quite high.

The Scenic Eclipse is a 551-foot megayacht. At the most, she will sail with just 228 guests in 114 suites.

Ashley and I will be touring the yacht today, while she’s docked at Norfolk’s Half Moone Cruise Terminal. Check out our posts on Instagram and Facebook throughout the day. We also hope to do a Facebook Live session while onboard if time allows.

When you’re ready to get out of your zip code and experience more of what the world is waiting to share with you, I would love to help. Click here to schedule an appointment.

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This week I wanted to dive into the different reasons we all have for wanting to travel.

What motivates you to get off your sofa and see the World?

Here are some of the most common answers I get to that question, some might surprise you!

#1 – I’ve always wanted to see (insert any destination) in person – This is by far the most common response. Whether you read about a destination in your favorite book, studied it in school or can trace your family tree back most travelers want to experience the destination themselves and bring that to life with their own memories.

#2 – I want to see the destination before it changes more. Alaska, Venice, Cuba, these are all prime examples of destinations that are being changed either through natural or political causes before our eyes. Unless you’ve been to Alaska within the past 3 years, chances are the landscape has changed dramatically.

#3 – My neighbor/friend/cousin loved it and said I should go – This isn’t always the best reason to go. Just because they loved a particular resort or destination doesn’t mean it’s the right fit for you. That’s where sharing your travel style, expectations, and other motivations with a travel professional will help make sure that you are a good match for the vacation you are describing.

#4 – To celebrate a milestone – We see this one quite often as well. Couples will plan to visit iconic destinations for milestone celebrations such as 25th Anniversaries or 40th Birthdays. While those are great motivations when saving for your vacation fund, too often we see clients not reach those milestones because life gets in the way. We don’t have a crystal ball to know what could happen, go ahead, take that trip for your 22nd anniversary or your 39th birthday, you won’t have regrets of what may have been.

#5 – I want to learn more about the people, the culture or the food. This is a great motivator for getting off the sofa. What better way to immerse yourself in a destination like Italy than living like a local for a week or two while you become an expert in Italian cooking? That’s an experience that will provide stories to last a lifetime.

When you’re ready to get out of your zip code and experience more of what the world is waiting to share with you, I would love to help. Click here to schedule an appointment.