I have had more than my fair share of down time this past week to daydream about getting away. Certainly, I’m not the only one who watched the snow flurries yesterday and thought to themselves, where in the world can I go to get away from this?

Here are the top places on my list right now for a getaway from our current weather trend:

Amsterdam – This has been a hot spot for our clients lately. While the weather may be a bit like ours and could be chilly in the spring, the promise of fields of flowers blooming just outside the city will make anyone feel the pull of spring. The gardens of Keukenhof officially open today and will remain open until May 13 this year.

Bora Bora – If you want to completely unplug and immerse yourself in the beautiful waters on your own slice of paradise, look no further than the islands of French Polynesia. There are some really unbelievable airfares right now and since it’s only an 8 hour flight from the west coast, it’s closer than you think!

Morocco – I’ve been fascinated with this part of the world since visiting Tunisia several years ago. From the endless alleys of souks in Marrakesh to a visit with the Bedouin people in the Sahara this country offers a variety of experiences for even the most seasoned traveler.

Costa Rica – while I may not be ready to zip line through the rainforest any time soon, a visit to a baby sloth sanctuary seems like it’s just my speed right now. You could also incorporate visits to coffee farms, waterfalls and healing mineral filled volcanic springs.

Japan – DC may be the closest spot to see Cherry blossoms, but it’s certainly not the only spot. A visit to Japan during the spring will reward you with blooms as far as the eye can see. One of the most popular activities during the blossom season is enjoying a picnic beneath the blooms. The symbolism runs deeply through the nation where the blooms signify the beauty and the fragility of life.

Is there somewhere you’ve been daydreaming about getting away to during our most recent cold snap? Click here and we can help you turn “someday” into today!

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When is the last time you did something completely unpredictable? That is the sentence I started with last week. It didn’t take me long to come up with something!

Unfortunately, this past Saturday evening I took a bad fall when my husband and I were out of town for the weekend. I knew immediately that I had broken my leg or ankle. Luckily, we were in the Outer Banks, so not too far from home. We drove an hour to the Nags Head Hospital, the nearest medical facility. I can’t imagine if this had happened further from home and I had to fly in this condition. Thank goodness that is where travel insurance is worth every penny.

One question I get from clients quite often is whether or not the insurance is worth the money, because in their eyes, there’s nothing that would stop them from taking the trip they have been planning for so long. I completely get that, but that’s not really why you get insurance, it’s for the unexpected. Those things that you can’t possibly plan for, like broken legs, storms that close airports on the day you are supposed to fly, or even busted pipes. We worked closely with clients several years ago when a volcano erupted in Iceland and grounded air traffic throughout Europe for several days.

Insurance is one of those necessities in my opinion for any trip, unless you are comfortable paying for a trip that you may not take and could possibly loose every penny of your investment.

I got lucky and was close to home, so travel insurance was not an issue for me. What it does mean is that I won’t be leaving my house for a while. I hope to be back in the office the week of April 9th, but I haven’t been able to speak to the Dr yet about how realistic that date may be. I had an extensive surgery this past Monday to repair the three breaks and stabilize the ligaments, I am home now, but can’t put any weight on that leg for at least 6 weeks.

In the meantime I’ve brought Ann up to speed on all of the clients who are currently in the planning stages of travel. You are all in good hands. Of course if you have questions or concerns about your vacation you can reach out to me by email, but I can’t promise that my response time will be what you are used to. Don’t hesitate to call the office and speak to Ann or Dana if you need an immediate answer.

If you’re ready to start planning your vacation we can still be of service, simply click here and I’ll match you to the best travel professional to meet your needs.

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When is the last time you did something completely unpredictable?

No, putting your iPod on shuffle doesn’t count. I’m talking about stepping out of your routine or even your comfort zone. 

Have you taken the same summer vacation to the same destination for more years than you can remember?

Or even worse, have you been saying for years that you’ll finally take that vacation when you turn 50 or 60, or for you 25th Anniversary, or when you retire. Believe me, I’ve heard it all, and unfortunately, seen all to often that vacation never materialize because “life gets in the way.” 

People tend to get stuck in a rut, so to speak, when it comes to picking a destination for their next vacation. Some never choosing to expand their horizons and visit a different part of the world, or even a different part of their own country.

Sometimes, even those who do decide to explore a new destination remain on the grounds of a resort the entire week and are really still surrounded by the familiar comforts of home.

So this year, I challenge you to step out of your comfort zone when you are planning that vacation. That’s not to say you need to hike the Inca Trail instead of sit on a beach in the Caribbean. Perhaps you can still visit your favorite Caribbean Island for a week of rest, relaxation and pampering, but spend some time exploring the island while you are there.

Go into town, to the local craft market, invest some of your time shopping for local souvenirs. By shopping at the local market your dollars stay in the community you visit instead of going back to the corporations that run the gift shop on the resort property. Eat a local meal in a downtown tavern, rather than visit a chain restaurant with a familiar logo. Visit a local school and read to the children. The possibilities are endless.

These are the things that will set your vacation apart.  

These are the moments that will become memories.

These are the special touches of your vacation that I love to help you plan. 

 Give me a call, send me an email or simply Click here to schedule an appointment.

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The kids guide to overnight flights

I have to tell you how impressed I am at the number of families planning European Vacations for 2018. It’s been a pleasure planning out itineraries for the youngest travelers, their older siblings, parents and even grandparents the past few weeks. I am often faced with questions on how to keep the younger kids happy on those flights to Europe overnight, so today I wanted to share some tips that I hope you will find useful for the entire family.

#1 – Keep them informed, don’t try to gloss over the fact that the flight is long. However, it’s important to break it down into terms they can understand. The concept of a 7 hour flight might be lost on a preschooler, but when you explain to them what your expectations are for them it makes things more clear.

#2 – Routines don’t stop at 30,000 feet. One thing we have found helpful on the overnight flights is for kids to change into pajamas either right before they board the plane or just after they eat dinner on the flight, depending on the departure time. If the flight doesn’t leave until 9pm we’ll eat dinner in the airport rather than wait for the inflight meal. Brushing teeth and putting pajamas on helps signal your body that it’s time for sleep, as do completing all the steps of your child’s nighttime routine. Also, lets be honest, pajamas are pretty darn comfy! Is the sleep they get on the airplane going to be as good as what they would get in their own bed? No, but it certainly doesn’t hurt. During our last overnight fight to Europe my daughter did change into her pajamas, she was excited about her new eye mask and had been talking for weeks about sleeping on the airplane. Ultimately, the kids movie channel in the back of the seat in front of her was too enticing. She didn’t get much shut eye on that flight, but she was a trooper the next day not complaining once that she was tired.

#3 – Discipline doesn’t stop at 30,000 feet either! If your kids know the rules and know that you’re serious about enforcing those rules you won’t have a problem.

#4 – Bring the headphones or ear buds that your kids are used to using. Sure they pass them out on the plane, but we all know how uncomfortable they can be on us, let alone the smaller ears of children. No body wants a melt down because they can’t watch a movie or listen to some “nighttime music” drown out the airplane noise because the ear buds “don’t work right.”

#5 – Pack a carry on for each person – let your kids (within reason) pack their own. We love story cubes when we travel. They are lightweight, easy to pack and can provide some good entertainment. If they have a favorite stuffed animal you may convince them to leave that one at home and take a runner up just incase the favorite stuffed animal decides to head off on their own adventure and becomes lost. Some gum or kid friendly snacks and an empty water bottle can come in handy as well. As far as travel pillows everyone has their own favorite, but I’ve found for kids that the inflatable pillows are a nice solution. Being able to fill them to fit tiny necks and not having to carry around a larger item comes in handy.

I hope you’ve learned a trick or two from these tips, in the coming weeks I’ll share some insight on how to keep kids entertained during the vacation as well. If you have specific questions or are ready to start planning your 2018 vacation click here and we can get started today.

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10 tips to make your next vacation the best one yet

#1 – Contact me to get started with the planning, I’ll take care of the other 9 steps for you!

It’s that easy! When you work with a travel professional you can sit back and enjoy the process rather than spending hours scouring the internet trying to find the best fit for you and your family on your next vacation, click here and let’s get started planning today.

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You may have noticed, if you follow me, or Slaydon’s Travel on Facebook, that I have been out of the office this week. I’m attending a conference at the Ballantyne Resort in Charlotte. So, at least if I’m away from my family for Valentine’s Day and my birthday I’m in a beautiful hotel, surrounded by fantastic colleagues and business coaches and learning things that will ultimately benefit you, and our entire family of clients at Slaydon’s.

One of my favorite things about this conference is the camaraderie we’ve built over the past 5 years through this organization. I’m surrounded by some of the best minds in the travel industry. The days are long, but when they wind down we gather as friends around a roaring fire in the lobby and share our experiences It reminds me how important it is to surround ourselves with people we can trust, people we can open ourselves up to, people we can share with and people we can learn from.

The same holds true when we turn to a professional to plan our travels. Certainly there is an undisputed advantage to choosing a travel professional that you can speak with either face to face or over the phone as opposed to clicking a button on a web site. When you talk to me, or any other travel professional it is our goal to match you with the best vacation for your travel budget. But, our service to you doesn’t stop there, it goes well beyond choosing a destination or resort, we go on to match you with the best tour or tour guide in your destination, the best restaurant recommendation, etc. As well as watch over you until you return home.

This is time spent on you, time that is valuable in planning the best possible experience for you and your family. It’s this attention to detail and in depth planning that caused us to abandon the business of weekend getaways and air only business. In order for us to give our family of clients the best possible experiences, we had to give them our highest level of attention. Are you ready to utilize our connections, our expertise and our services on your next vacation? Click here and we can get started today.

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I think that generally there can be two categories of travelers when it comes to vacation planning. The dancers and the jugglers. What do I mean by that? Let’s take a look.

The jugglers are those who really want to do and see as much as they can during a vacation and research everything but really don’t go so far as to seek the advice of a travel professional or even lay out their own itinerary when it comes to the trip. Their vacations could come off without a hitch, but often result in one resembling controlled chaos. Sure, they “see” everything, but often don’t really know what it is they are seeing.

On the other hand, the dancers put the same level of research into their trip, but also seek out the advice of a professional who can seamlessly lay out all of the steps of the trip. Much like a ballroom dancer who has a well choreographed series of steps when put together with thought and executed make the process appear not only effortless, but beautiful.

Certainly it is no one’s intention to take a vacation that is more stressful than staying at home. However, when not planned out to take full advantage of their time it can certainly turn out to be quite stressful for everyone involved. That’s not to say that every moment of your vacation needs to be planned out like the steps of a dance. I love building downtime into itineraries where clients can explore on their own and experience serendipitous moments that will create memories to last a lifetime.

If you’re ready to stop juggling your vacation dreams and lay out the steps to make it effortless, we would love to be of service to you, click here and let’s get started planning today.

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We’ve been busy this holiday season updating the office!  We’d love to have you stop in for a cup of coffee and see them for yourself, better yet, make an appointment to start planning your 2018 vacation so we can chat longer.

Now I’d like to share the

3 biggest changes we are seeing in the way people are vacationing.

Experiences – Our clients want to do things while they travel, not just see things. They want to participate in cooking classes. They want to get their hands dirty helping build a community school. Some even want to swim with the sharks and rays in their natural habitat. Now that’s not to say that our client list is full of adrenaline junkies, you don’t have to jump out of a plane to have an experience. We can customize your vacation to include experiences that are as unique as your family.

Authenticity – Our clients want to really immerse themselves in their destination. They want to try the local cuisine. They want to visit with the local artisans. They want to get to know the people who make up the communities and destinations that they visit. They want to contribute to the community and #VacationForGood

More and more often we are seeing clients move away from the mass market vacations that became so popular years ago. Our clients tend to seek out more unique and customized vacations that really fit their travel style as opposed to checking boxes off a list they found in a guide book.

If this sounds like the way you want to experience the World on your next vacation, click here and let’s get started together.

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Remember last week when I asked if the snow days were ever going to end? Well, here we are a week later and another round of school closures. While this snowfall doesn’t look as deep as the last, it’s still enough to disrupt a routine. Sometimes, that’s just what we need when it comes to planning your next vacation!  Have you and your friends or family visited the same vacation destination year after year? While there is certainly comfort in familiarity, it can also breed boredom. Sure, it’s great to have that go to spot where you know the meal is going to be amazing and you’ll have the perfect view of the sunset as you finish you before dinner cocktails. But, why not catch an equally beautiful sunset from a different destination this year.

This week we’ll dive a bit deeper into some destinations that may not have already been on your radar.

If you’ve been to the Caribbean more times than you can count, why not try test the waters in French Polynesia? It’s only two and a half hours more flying time than to Hawaii. Did you know that Hawaii gets as many visitors in a week than French Polynesia gets in an entire year? If you’re ready to escape the crowds and reconnect with the ones you love this is the spot!

Is New York City an annual trip for your family? Maybe it’s time to hop across the pond and take in the theater scene in London. A short flight from the East Coast, we’re seeing more visitors make this a weekend trip. From culture to shopping there’s something for everyone.

Perhaps strolling the farmers markets in search of the freshest ingredients to fix your favorite meal no longer holds the same thrill it once did, let’s plan a trip where you can visit the markets in France with a chef only to return to their kitchen and learn to make some new favorites?

What are you waiting for, there’s a big world out there. Don’t get stuck in your comfort zone, go explore! Together we can plan a stress free vacation that will allow you to experience the authenticity that these destinations can provide if you will be open to the change. Click here and we can start today, while you’re stuck inside wondering when the kids will ever go back to school. 

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Wow! I wasn’t sure the snow days would ever end, what about you? We had a great time at home together sledding and snuggling, but it sure will be nice to get back into a routine this week. Did having your kids home from school for all this time start making you wonder what your summer break will look like? Sure, camps are great, but with costs averaging $300 a week, they add up quickly. We love sprinkling the summer with 5-6 great camps, but we also love our summer vacations.

I get lots of questions about “when is the age to visit (insert any destination here)” so this week I’ve put together a few suggestions based on  grade level so you can start planning to make the most out of your 18 summers! 

Beyond their classroom, where to travel and when

Elementary school aged children

London – Actually, elementary age is a great time to visit any European destination, but London is an easy first stop. Have your kids grown up on iconic movies like Mary Poppins, 101 Dalmatians, Peter Pan, and Harry Potter? Your kids will recognize Big Ben, the houses of Parliament and other buildings as soon as you start to research the destination. With a ton of non-stop flights from the East Coast and no language barrier it’s a great choice for your little ones. All of the UK is a great value again this year with extremely low airfare and the strong dollar. 

National Parks– You’ve read my articles in the past about the Every Kid in a Park program where 4th graders throughout the US can obtain a National Parks pass for free. This is a great opportunity for your family to explore the beautiful diversity within the park system. From snorkeling in the US Virgin Islands to hiking the Grand Canyon or even kayaking beside the Glaciers in Alaska there is something for every family in a National Park.

Costa Rica –  Who wouldn’t love a family vacation that allowed you to visit with a local family and learn how to make fresh tortillas, zip line through a cloud forest, visit a not only a turtle sanctuary but also possibly a sloth sanctuary and a monkey sanctuary? This is a trip that even your youngest student will love. Of course there’s also time for Mom and Dad to kick back on the beautiful beaches of Costa Rica while the kids test their balance during a surf lesson or on a stand up paddle board.

Middle School

New Zealand – What pre-teen isn’t ready to explore Middle Earth? Most have read the novels by J.R.R. Tolkien at this point and are ready to see first hand the mystical beauty that can only be found in New Zealand. From the bubbly mud and geysers  of Rotorua to the Waitomo Glowworm Caves only a few hours away, this small country is it’s own classroom! We can even through some PE in the mix with the extreme sports that can be found throughout the North and South Islands. This is a great destination to bond over some family zorbing, bungee jumping or even white water rafting.

Morocco –  Negotiating the souks of Marrakech can easily turn into an economics lesson as bargaining is the norm.  This diverse Northern Africa nation is quite accessible from the East Coast. It’s also very family friendly and a playground for kids and adults alike. You can spend an entire morning or afternoon exploring the shoreline on a camel – sure beats the carpool line!  The culture and history will keep you captivated and keep the kids entertained as well, they may even come home with a new found appreciation for traditional mint tea!

Thailand – Your kids are a little bit older now and hopefully are expanding their diet to include more than pizza and chicken nuggets – maybe it’s time to expand their palette even more and dive into the food scene in Thailand?  Imagine a day where you leave the hotel with the chef and head to the local market. There you will choose only the freshest local ingredients before returning to his kitchen to prepare a meal for the afternoon. One thing that I have noticed is that kids are much more willing to try new things when they can see first hand what goes into those experiences. From the temples to the beaches, there’s something for everyone in Thailand.

High School

Africa – What could be more fun than a family safari? Being able to reconnect with your kids in nature as you view the vast expanses of the savanna is something you’ll remember long after they have flown the nest and started college. There are a number of nations you could visit with the most popular for families being a combination of Tanzania  and South Africa. No visit to Tanzania is complete without gazing out at the vast Serengeti National Park or visiting with the elders of the Maasai tribe to learn about their traditions. South Africa is an entirely different atmosphere also full of awe and history.  Imagine  being able to walk through the iconic Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned. You’ll see first hand what history this place holds that your children have only learned about in school, but you witnessed on the nightly news while growing up.

Peru – Conquering the Inca Trail as a family will provide memories to last a lifetime. Imagine the moment you view the ruins of the Sacred Valley shoulder to shoulder with your kids. While these trips are recommended for ages 6 and up, we’ve found that the older your kids are the more equipped they are to handle the hikes and intensity of a trip that visits Machu Picchu. With many of these itineraries you’ll also have time built in to visit the rain forests of the Amazon, the museums of Cusco and Lima as well as visit with some of the Cusco Kids Projects where kids living in extreme poverty are taught important life skills that will help them in the years to come. It’s a wonderful way to expose your children to the beauty and rewards involved when you #VacationForGood

Australia – Let’s face it, teenagers are hard to please. Nothing is more certain to put a smile on their face than the wonders of down under. They will tweet about their experience climbing the Sydney Harbor Bridge, they will Snapchat about cuddling a koala and feeding a kangaroo and they will fill their Instagram feed with the fabulous photos from the Great Barrier Reef.

Now, I know the questions are going to come about what happens when your kids are all different ages and span all of these categories. You’re in luck! Each of these itineraries can be customized to fit the needs of children as young as 6, many of them can be customized for children as young as 2.

What are you waiting for, there’s a big world out there that is ready to help you expand your children’s education beyond their classroom walls. Your kids are ready to see the world, are you ready to see it with them? 

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