Travel: A True Gift

This month's post is brought to you by one of H&K Luxury Travel's travel consultants, Amber Dixon.  She is a great resource for family vacation planning and we are proud to have her as a guest writer for our blog.  Enjoy her insights and tips.

As a parent it is so easy to get caught up in the day to day grind of school, homework, activities, cooking and laundry – not to mention making sure you are raising your children to be decent, productive human beings.

One of the greatest gifts I have been able to give myself and my children has been one on one travel. I was recently in New York City with my middle son, Thomas, and it was the best trip ever. Just the two of us – no siblings, no spouse, just us. We were able to focus on the things that Thomas likes to do, move about the city more quickly than if we had more people in tow, and he had my undivided attention. But the greatest part of traveling one on one with one of your children is that you learn things about them that you didn’t know before – like the simple fact that Thomas likes kid shows that aren’t animation and wanted to see the new Beauty and the Beast movie.

Traveling with kids – no matter how many – always brings unique challenges and you can make the most of your vacation by making some simple choices and thinking ahead.

1.  Choose Your Flight Times Wisely
Do as I say, not as I do. We live a couple of hours away from the closest large airport so when we travel as a family we generally pick a late morning/early afternoon flight so that we don’t have to wake up and get everyone ready at the break of dawn. I chose an early morning flight for our one on one trip to New York City which required us to leave our house before 6 am. That was a mistake. Thomas was tired by the time we got to New York City and we spent most of the first day just hanging out and had an early bed time. A later flight would have allowed us to sleep later and be more adventurous our first day in the city.

2.  Let Your Kids Do Weird Things
Thomas loves pigeons. When we were in Washington Square Park there was a man who was feeding and holding pigeons. Now, this is not normally something I would encourage my children to do because it seems ridiculously dirty.  But I could tell Thomas really, really wanted to hold and feed a pigeon as he stared longingly as some other kids joined in. So I handed him a few dollars to donate for the bird seed and he had the absolute time of his life with those pigeons!

3.  Consider Your Kids Interest
Maybe the most important thing to consider when traveling with kids is what they are interested in. No matter where you travel if your days are full of only things that interest you as the parent then your kids behavior is going to be less than ideal. Thomas loves candy so we made several stops at candy stores, including Dylan’s Candy Bar. We also took into consideration that Thomas loves dance, drums and was interested in seeing the One World Observatory when planning our days. We also chose to see STOMP off-Broadway and Thomas belly laughed throughout the show because it fit his taste in entertainment and humor perfectly.

4.  Be Flexible
When traveling with kids even the best plans need to be tweaked. One of the things we wanted to do was eat at the Cookie Do restaurant that has recently become a viral sensation. But, due to the weather (it was cold and rainy) I knew that no one would be happy to wait in the two hour line. We also spent more time than I would have preferred playing in Central Park but at the end of our trip that was exactly what Thomas needed to do before traveling home.

So take your kids to explore new places! It is one of the most precious gifts you can give your children and yourself.

The "Splurge Affect"

How many times have you or someone else said, "let's splurge" when it comes to dinner choices or while out shopping for various things?  We all like to splurge occasionally and just enjoy ourselves and throw budgets to the wind.  Some of us splurge on a daily basis when we head down to our favorite coffee house and pay $4.00 for a cup of coffee that would only cost us $0.75 if we made it at home.  The splurging we do takes money out of one budget coffer and moves it to another.  Some of us call that other coffer the "fun money" or "mad money" coffer.  It is the money we give ourselves each month to just have fun with and, if you are like me, the fun only lasts for a few hours.

Now think about your splurging that you might do each month how much it might add up to if you took that splurging amount and saved it for a year.  How much are we talking?  $600?  $1200? More?

Ok, you know I am a travel consultant so surely you have figured out that I am going to bring this topic around to travel.  So here it goes.  I deal with traveler's budgets on a daily basis.  Some are good...some are not so good.  I define not so good as those budgets where someone only wants to spend $500-$750 per person on a 6 night trip to the Caribbean.  That is just not good.  No easy way to say it. It is a limburger cheese budget.  So that brings up the splurge affect.  Those same folks or in fact anyone who is looking to travel, needs to look at their splurging that is done on a monthly basis.  Maybe you don't feel like you splurge on anything.  Good for you.  But a lot of us splurge, we just don't call it splurging.  We call it normal life because we think eating out or buying a Starbucks cup of coffee is normal when it fact, that is something a lot of people around the world could never afford to do.  But I digress.

Add up the splurging you do and be honest about it and annualize it.   Now think about that amount and the how much time of enjoyment it really gives you.  Now let me show you how the splurge affect can relate to your next vacation.  Most people will take a 5 to 7 day vacation these days.  So while that upgraded cup of coffee or dessert or entree may bring you enjoyment for an hour or so, vacations bring enjoyment for a minimum of a few days if not for a lifetime.  So if you splurge in the amount of $50 per month, that same amount of "fun money" could get you:

• Upgraded from coach to business class
• Upgrade from an ocean view (window only) to a balcony stateroom on a cruise
• Upgraded from a "garden view" to an ocean view room at a resort

If you splurge on the order of $100 a month, you could

• Upgrade from coach to business or first class
• Upgrade from a balcony to a junior suite stateroom on a cruise
• Upgrade from garden view to an ocean front with premium club privileges or to a larger suite

Naturally these upgrades depend on destination, time of year etc, but I want you to see that we all make choices.  Maybe the ocean view or even the inside stateroom is all you really want and that is ok.  Maybe a tropical or garden view room is perfectly acceptable which is 100% fine.  But make sure you have factored in the splurge affect before saying that your travel budget is all you can afford and that is what is driving your choice of accommodations or cruise choice etc.   Am I writing this in hopes of getting every client to spend more money on their trips?  Not at all.  I respect every client's budget when it it is given to me.  But what I want you to see is how much it actually takes to possibly enhance an experience that lasts a whole lot longer than some of the things we splurge on daily.   Add up that amount and you might be surprised.   I am also writing this because we travel professionals have too many potential clients these days who come to us with incredibly unrealistic budgets and those same travelers need to go back and re-evaluate their budgets before only allotting a certain amount to their family's vacation.  And trust me, I am not immune to the splurge affect.  I have decided to do some upgrades myself for my next trip and take some of my "mad money" and use it for something other than my Frothy Monkey coffee habit etc.

So there it is...the splurge affect.  I am sure economic students will be seeing this phrase pop up in text books very soon.  

Disney "Land and Sea" Preview

We are within the final countdown stage of our upcoming Disney "land and sea" adventure.  I wanted to write this preview because I am excited about some new experiences we are about to have.  Most of my readers know that we have been to Walt Disney World numerous times and have sailed on the Disney Wonder several years back, but this fast approaching vacation will have several first-time moments.

We start our adventure a few days before the cruise on December 6th.  As we normally do now, we are driving down from our home in middle Tennessee and are scheduled to have 2 pre-cruise nights. Our first night will be spent at the Orlando World Center Marriott.  Our plans the first night will be to head to Downtown Disney for a little shopping and eating fun and see how some of the new construction is coming along.  Then on Sunday morning, we will pack up and head out to the Port Canaveral area where our next night will be spent at the Courtyard Cocoa Beach Cape Canaveral.  But one of our first time experiences occurs on this day.  I have always wanted to sit at Fish Lips Waterfront Bar and Grill and enjoy a tasty drink and meal while watching the various cruise ships meander by on their way out to sea.   For those that take a peek occasionally at the Port Canaveral webcam, it sits atop Fish Lips.  So our plan is to get there early, grab a table outside and watch Royal Caribbean, Disney and Carnival ships sail by which will make the excitement build for our cruise that sets sail the next day (Monday the 8th).

So on the 8th is when a lot of new experiences begin and they are all related to the category of stateroom we are staying in on the Disney Dream.  I decided to splurge a little since this is a short, 4 night cruise so I booked us a category 00T which is a one bedroom, concierge suite.  Can I get a whoop whoop?! Uber-excited am I.  So here is why I am so excited; when we arrive at the pier and after clearing security, we will be able to head to a nice, less-congested check in area designated for concierge level guests as well as platinum Castaway Club members.  Once checked in, we will also be in the very first boarding group once embarkation begins.  So that is new experience number 2. Once onboard, we will have the choice of heading to the buffet, which is our normal cruise routine, or heading for the concierge lounge where snacks and beverages are served only for concierge-level guests.  I have a feeling we will be heading to the lounge which will be new experience number 3.  The cool part about the lounge, besides the exclusivity, is that they serve snacks during the day as well as free "adult beverages" at certain times each day. That can actually offset some of the higher cost of the stateroom assuming you are an "indulger" of such a beverage.

So 3 new experiences already and we will be only 3 days into our 9 day trip.  But one of the biggest new experiences of them all will happen once we step inside our one bedroom suite.  The suite has over 600 square feet (including the verandah) and comes with 2 full baths.   The master bath comes with a large tub as well as a walk-in shower, double vanities and a tv built into the mirror while the second bath comes with a single vanity and a walk in shower.  There is a separate dining area as well as a living area with a convertible sofa, 2 chairs and a large flat-screen tv.  The bedroom comes with a  queen sized bed and upgraded bedding.  I am leaving a lot of the little details that are included out because they will be covered in my full review after the trip.  But needless to say the suite is large as well as the verandah and I am excited about it all!

So I will lump the suite into one big new experience making it the new experience number 4 on this trip.   We sail to Nassau and Castaway Cay which will not be new to us, but we have a new excursion planned for our day in Castaway Cay.  We are going to try Parasailing for the first time.  I am a little nervous and excited about it all at the same time.  It will be a great opportunity for some cool GoPro camera footage.  So adding them up so far...that makes new experience number 5.

So before this preview gets too out of hand as far as a word count goes...let me jump ahead now to the "land" part of the trip.  After we disembark on the 12th, we are heading for Disney's Yacht Club Resort.  This will be new experience number 6.  We have stayed at several onsite properties such as the Grand Floridian, Beach Club, Boardwalk, Swan and Dolphin, Polynesian, Caribbean Beach and the Pop Century.  But this will be our very first time at the Yacht Club and we are excited to be back in our most favorite area of WDW...close to Epcot and Hollywood Studios.  No upgrade for us at this resort but excited nonetheless. We are staying 3 nights...yes I wish it was more, but from the time we leave home until the time we get back home, this will be a nice long trip.

So two more new experiences I have yet to mention.  New experience number 7 will be breakfast at Captain's Grille.  We have heard good things so I will let you know what I think again in my trip review post.

And finally...new experience number 8 will be getting to ride Seven Dwarfs Mine Train for the very first time.  I was excited about this attraction when when the first renderings were released and I am anxious to see how the new riding technology really feels.  We have not been back since it opened so getting a little giddy about finally being able to ride it.

So there you have it...a land and sea adventure chalked full of newness.  If any of these new experiences are new to you as well, make sure you subscribe to my blog so you will be notified of my review once we return in mid-December.

Disney's Villainous Halloween Party Tactic

For those that lose site of the fact that Disney is a corporation with shareholders that needs to make as much money for their shareholders as possible, I hope this post will awaken you to that fact.

Disney today is not the Disney that Walt dreamed of and created and nurtured.  In fact...most of Walt's family is long gone and has little to do with anything going on within the Disney corporation.  I think we all thought that Walt's vision would forever be passed down from generation to generation regardless of being an employed blood relative or not.  That was our hope anyways.  But recent moves by Disney have constantly shown that Disney is a BIG business...a VERY BIG business and their first responsibility is to their shareholders, like any corporation.

Many of us have watched the "magic" seem to dwindle more and more each year that passes.  New cast members come onboard and it seems that the magic is slowly but surely seeping out of some of the corporate cracks.  You can now occasionally run into some cast members who just don't seem that happy which carries over into the guests, whether at one of the parks or at one of their resorts.  Some bus drivers smile less and on occasion get snarky in public.  Some problems are now being met with, "I am sorry there is nothing we can do," when there was plenty that could have been done.  If you are a first time visitor within the past 2 years or so, you may not notice as much, but for those who have been patrons for years, those are the ones that can attest to the slow and subtle changes that are zapping some of the "happy" away from what used to be hands down, "The Happiest Place on Earth."

But that is not what I am meaning to address in this post.  To me, the magical leakage is a result of a corporation slowly moving all of its focus to the dollar and away from the customer.  This week's announcement of Disney's new "ticket within a ticket" plan for an event within Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party" has made me somewhat disgusted at their attempt to earn more and more and take more and more away from the families that have to sometimes save for years before they can let their children experience Walt's vision.  For those that may not know what I am referring to...Disney has this special party every fall that runs for a few weeks and we refer to it as MNSSHP for short.  You pay for an extra ticket to attend this party.  On certain nights during the week, Disney closes the Magic Kingdom early for the MNSSHP event.  Those who have paid extra for the ticket get to stay for the event.  Those with just regular park tickets have to leave usually around 7pm.  Those tickets can cost a family of 4 an extra @$250.  That is in addition to the tickets they have already purchased to visit the 4 main parks that make up Walt Disney World.  The event has a special parade, an awesome fireworks show, some additional dancing and singing shows during the night and trick or treating opportunities for everyone.  It is a party I have attended and have recommended to my clients because it is a lot of fun.

Well Disney announced this week that they are going to offer another special ticket for those already attending the MNSSHP where guests can attend a special "villain event."  For those that want to be a part of this special event, you are going to have to fork over an additional $99 per person.  That's right...an additional $99 per.  HELLO!!  Tap tap tap, is this thing on??  Did you get that?  So the party that already is not cheap to attend is going to try to milk another $400 out of a family of 4 so they can do the following:

"Set within the majestic halls of Cinderella’s Royal Table, this special ticketed event allows guests to meet a menagerie of malevolent special guests while they indulge in decadent desserts and specialty non-alcoholic beverages. Guests also will receive preferred viewing for the 8:15 p.m. performance of Mickey’s “Boo-to-You” Halloween Parade, as well as preferred viewing for the Happy HalloWishes Fireworks Spectacular."

So you are really paying $100 per person ($99 to be exact) extra to be inside of Cinderella's castle, snack on some goodies and meet some special villains.  You can see the fireworks and parade without any special seating needed.  So the goodies better have come straight from a 5-star restaurant for me to want to pay that much for characters and snacks.  For the love of Pete...a full meal inside the castle will cost you the same or less depending on the time of year.  So this party plus the event is going to end up costing a family of 4 @$650 by the time it is all said and done.  $650!!  A blogger I follow (Theme Park Insider) asked the question, "Does this sound like a good value to get a better experience at Disney, or does this sound like a plan that only a villain could love?"  My answer...it is simply villainous.

Disney...I hope you wake up soon before too much of the pixie dust escapes and you find yourselves on the list of "what used to be one of the happiest places on earth."  You keep raising prices.  You keep adding events that cost more money.  You keep increasing your more aggressive marketing and sales tactics.  You are a large corporation..we get that.  But I hope your "boardship" will stop and remember why these parks were created and the vision behind it all when the first piece of ground was broke.  When will you remember these simple words...

I only hope that we don't lose sight of one thing - that it was all started by a mouse.

-Walt Disney

Loews Portofino Bay Hotel...a True Destination Hotel

Who says that Universal Orlando can't be an actual destination in and of itself?  I am discovering that too many travelers don't give Universal Orlando and one it's onsite resorts enough credit for being its own stand-alone vacation destination.   I must confess that I was one of those travelers a few years back...ok, maybe only a couple of years back.  But I am no longer one of those people.  I am a true fan of Universal and what it offers when it comes to a full vacation package.

Did their rides and attractions change my mind?  Not completely, although The Wizarding World of Harry Potter has aided a bit.  Their resorts are what has sold me.  Universal Orlando has made a smart move in teaming up with Loews and Hard Rock.  Both Loews and Hard Rock know how to run hotels and resorts.  They know what makes their hotels something that travelers will stay at even if a theme park is not adjacent to them.  That to me sets them apart from Disney.

Show of hands...how many of us Disney fans (if we are really honest) would stay at one of Disney's resorts if there were no theme parks to visit?  How many of us would pay the prices at a Disney resort if there were no theme parks, would be a better question to ask.  I am thinking not many of us would including myself.  But in comparison, I would for sure stay at the Loews Portofino Bay Hotel even if a theme park visit was not planned.  It is a true resort hotel and a destination hotel.

What makes it a good destination hotel you ask?  Here is my criteria for a great hotel to be a destination hotel:

1) Great pools with attentive staff and good ambience
2) A good variety of food options ranging from grab-and-go to fine dining
3) Lot's of shopping options that cover a lot of different things from art to clothes to souvenirs
4) Great eye appeal in the design and lots of areas of interest (best way I can describe that)
5) Evening lounges for entertainment
6) Large, comfortable rooms preferably with a separate tub and shower
7) A first class spa

The Portofino Bay Hotel offers all of these and does a great job keeping your interest at the resort itself.  You could wake up, go grab a nice buffet breakfast at Trattoria del Porto, enjoy the paper and cup of coffee before putting on your swim wear and heading down to one of their great pools.  You could then eat lunch at the Splendido pool side grill before you head off to your mid-afternoon spa treatment at the Mandera Spa.

Then go back to your comfortable room, relax before getting ready for pre-dinner drinks at either Bar American or the Thirsty Fish.  Let your appetite build there before heading off to a fine dining experience at either Bice or Mama Della's.  Then cap the evening off again with an aperitif and some live music and take in the evening serenade out on the promenade.  That is what I call a vacation!

That is how a stay at the Portofino Bay Hotel can go.  I am speaking from experience and am writing this post as a review of just the property itself, not the parks.  Did we visit the 2 Universal Orlando theme parks during our stay?  Sure we did, but we found ourselves gravitating back to our resort during the day.

Our stay consisted of 2 nights in one of the hotel's club level rooms which gave us access to the private lounge downstairs where we enjoyed our included continental breakfast, afternoon snacks and beverages, evening snacks and beverages and our nightly cookie run before heading back to our room.  We enjoyed the evening snacks well enough that we considered them a meal. Beverages included at the evening snack time were choices of red or white wine, domestic and imported beers, sodas, water and teas.  And the continental breakfast was plentiful each morning.

We enjoyed a pool side lunch at Splendido and utilized their pool servers often for some fun afternoon treats.  One of our dinners was at the wonderful Mama Della's.  The food and atmosphere were wonderful if you enjoy Italian cuisine and being serenaded table side.  The Italian theming of the hotel is well done.  Great theming means you transport the guest from where they really are to somewhere else (mentally) just by good design, architecture and ambience.  As you walk around the hotel's grounds, you do get the sense that you may have taken a longer flight than you had planned and have actually stepped into a nice seaside Italian town.

So here again is where I think Universal has done well by forming this partnership with Loews.  When you are at a Disney resort hotel, you are constantly being reminded that you are at Disney.  Their dining is built around their dining plans.  Their shops are mainly focussed on selling their name and merchandise.  The Disney deluxe resorts have smaller rooms overall.  Disney's argument in return would be...you come to Disney because you want all things Disney and because you will most likely be heading into one or more of the 4 main parks so the room sizes are overlooked.  True! But for those who don't want Mickey staring at them every time they turn around, Loews Portofino Bay Hotel is a great Orlando vacation option.  I think it is time to quit thinking of Universal Orlando as just an add-on to a Disney World vacation.  I think it is time to start considering one of their resort hotels as an actual destination and then you can decide what you want to add to the trip as far as theme park visits or some other Orlando area attraction.  Bravo Loews Portofino Bay Hotel, bravo!

For more photos of the resort...you can click on this link, Portofino Bay Hotel

WDW Question: When Are The Best Times To Visit?

Looking back over the years, the most prominent questions that I get asked related to a Walt Disney World vacation are usually centered around when are the best times to visit?  So I am not sure why it has taken me this long to write a blog article related to the subject.  Nevertheless, here are my personal thoughts when it comes to the times of year that will make for a better overall experience during your stay at the "Happiest Place on Earth."

Naturally, the best times when it comes to crowd levels, are those times when the majority of kids are in school.  That means that spring break, fall break, the Christmas break and the summer months are never optimal times for those who prefer to spend less time in a line and more time on the actual ride.  But for a lot of families, they simply have no choice but to go during school breaks or in the summer between the end of May and the beginning of August.  If summer is your only option, I recommend going earlier than later.  The weather will generally be better earlier in the summer season than later during the times when the summer overlaps with the heart of hurricane season.  So maybe look at going as soon as school lets out in the end of May or very beginning of June.

But for those that do not have to worry about school schedules or holidays, here are my top choices of times to visit:

1)  Most of September.  Most everyone is back in school now by the beginning of September.  If you can wait until after labor day, you will hit a time of year that does not coincide with any holiday weekend and the weather can be a little better as you get further into September (I stress a LITTLE).

2)  The two weeks after Thanksgiving.  Again, most families that took an extended Thanksgiving Day holiday will be back home.  The weather is generally really good (low 80's, lower humidity etc), but be aware that this can also now correspond with the beginning of the summer break for some South American countries.  So crowd levels tend to be a little higher than September.

3) The second or third week of January or the first and second week of February.  Good weather and generally decent crowd levels, at least by Disney standards, make this a great time to visit as well.  If you go in January, you are more in the peak of the southern hemisphere summer break, but Disney still views this as a low period because this tends to also be a time when they are training a lot of new employees who are trying to earn their "ears."

There ya go.  There are my top 3 times of the year that I recommend to clients to book their WDW vacation.  Again, I make my recommendations based on crowd levels as well as factoring in weather.  But overall, I will go when the crowd levels are at their lowest even if it means the weather might be a bit more iffy.

Let me know if you have any questions related to crowds and wait times.  You can also feel free to either agree or disagree with my choices. What has been the times that you have found to be the best to visit WDW?

"Rebooting the Family Vacation"...My Reply

Christopher Elliott is a very well-known travel writer that contributes to a variety of publications such as the USA Today and National Geographic which is where I found his latest article.  It is titled "Rebooting the Family Vacation."  You can read it by clicking HERE.  I encourage you to go read it before reading my reply to his article.  I have taken some of his views to task in the past and find myself doing the same with this most recent post of his.  But again...make sure you read it before reading what I have to say.  Are you reading it?  I can see you! Go read it!!

Ok...now that I know you have taken a moment to let it sink in, here is what I have to say in reply.  I agree with most of what he had to say.  It IS a shame that so many parents never take their kids to places that offer any form of cultural enrichment and actual downtime.  It is a shame that some parents force feed their kids the same old fast food that they get at home which is not only made in mass quantities, but also not healthy at all.  But that is not to say that vacations to amusement parks like Walt Disney World or Universal Orlando are worthless and bad overall for children.  In fact, some would argue (including me) that a vacation to Walt Disney World offers some of the best cultural experiences a child can have without needing a passport.  Epcot and Animal Kingdom offer everyone a chance to experience people from various parts of the world, including their native cuisine.  They also offer hands-on educational experiences such as Rafiki's Planet Watch and Innoventions East and West.

So I take an exception to what seemed to be a huge generalization in Chris's article when he mentioned amusement parks amongst this statement, "We’re too tired to prepare real meals for the kids, and we’re too busy to plan enriching travel experiences, so we buy what’s easy—processed junk food and off-the-shelf, highly marketed package vacations that are overly focused on amusement."

While a place like Walt Disney World is about amusement, that amusement can very well come in the form of enrichment.  And there are lots of choices where families do not have to settle for "processed junk food."  No one can force parents to look for healthier eating choices or to search out those "amusement" experiences that both entertain and enrich, which leads me to my second exception to his thoughts.

I was shocked to see that he is blaming the travel industry for this demise of the family vacation.  I fail to see where someone can lump travel agents, tour operators and even cruise lines into this problem.  Are there some travel agents who don't know have enough travel knowledge in order for them to properly offer some culturally diverse vacations to their clients?  YES!  But generally travel agents take their cue from their clients.  In other words...we listen.  We ask "where do you want to go? What types of experiences do you want on your vacation?  How many days off can you take?  What is your budget?  What are the ages of your kids and what do they like to do?"  We ask all of those questions and we listen enough to be able to offer options that suit what the client wants...not what we want.

If a client comes to us and says..."We want to take our kids to Walt Disney World or Universal Orlando," we don't reply with "have you thought about the Grand Canyon instead??  We would get that look that says, "Are you an idiot? Did you just not hear me say that we want to take our kids to Walt Disney World?"  The same look would be given if a client said, "We want to head to Cancun so we can do literally nothing and just relax on the beach" and then we reply with, "Have you thought about hiking through the mountains of Peru?"

Now again...can a client go to Cancun and experience some awesome, local Yucatan cuisine?  YES!  Can a client take their family to Cancun and experience some real cultural enrichment by visiting some of the Mayan ruins or other World Heritage sites? YES!  And most of those options are presented to clients during the planning process, but that doesn't mean they will take advantage of those options.

Travel agents, tour operators and cruise lines make all of those enrichment options available, but you can't force a vacation on a client that the client does not want.  A cruise line will take people to a variety of ports of call that will offer every passenger the chance to experience something unique to that Country, even the food.  But again, if the client simply chooses to take a "beach break" at every port, how is that the fault of the cruise line?  And if a family can only afford a 3 or 4 night cruise that only stops at ports that center around beaches and fun in the sun, who am I or who is anyone to try to force the client to take more time off or spend more money?  That leads me to my next rant about the article.

It cannot go overlooked that Chris's article failed to take budget into account.  If a client's budget is X, but the more culturally diverse vacation would cost Z or Y, a good travel agent is not going to try to up-sell their client to Z or Y.  If clients want to go to a certain place because airfare is cheaper or maybe they can drive instead and that destination also has some things they want to do on vacation, then it is not a good business practice to try to get the client to spend more money so they can consider more options that you, the travel agent, thinks is best for their overall vacation.  This is how travel agents have gotten a bad rap over the past several years.  The general public thinks it is all about the sale and not about what they really want or what they truly can afford.  It is the goal of the travel industry to provide vacation options that the families want AND can afford.  Do I wish more clients would consider a trip to some far off destination where they can all learn more about people from all over the world?  YES!  But lest we forget, we are still a Country that has gone through a major financial crisis in the not so distant past and budget-friendly travel is still a priority with most families.  These days, a family either takes the budget friendly vacation or no vacation at all.  I would rather see families go where they want and spend what THEY want vs not going at all because someone thinks their vacation is not very educational or enlightening.

And keep one more tidbit in mind before we criticize the type of vacation that the American family is taking; we should be thrilled that families are vacationing at all.  We, the good ole USA, are one of the worst industrialized Countries when it comes to the amount of vacation days that a family will typically take or be given by their employer.  So, as a travel agent, I am thrilled when I get contacted by a mom or dad that says they are ready to take some time off and take their kids to any place that is not their neighborhood pool or local Chuck E. Cheese and requires them to leave their current city limits and spend nights away from home.

So if families want to spend their vacations on the go and at a fast pace, and if they want to only eat what they know their kids WILL eat, then who are we to tell them they have to do something different?  Again...do I wish more clients took some of the more culturally diverse suggestions?  Sure.  Do I wish more clients would branch out and try some different food options that reflect more of what the actual locals eat?  Absolutely.  But families make choices that are best for their families and I can't judge a family because they choose a certain vacation over another.   I am all for vacations that offer a bit of everything and I am very much for vacations that truly offer some much needed R&R, but I cannot see how someone can point fingers at someone else and blame them for what some other family chooses to do.  There are too many factors that go into vacation planning and I simply feel Chris's article did not take those factors into consideration.

So there is my reply.  What are your thoughts about the article or even about my reply?  Agree with Chris?  Agree with me?  Disagree with both of us?