Europe Without The Long Flight

Has visiting parts of Europe been on your bucket list for years, but you can't pull the trigger because of the time it takes to get there and the length of trip needed to do it right? Maybe the overall cost of a European vacation has you unable to make the decision to give it a go.  Well I have some great news for you.

I have this little secret that I am about to share with you so let me have your undivided attention and listen closely.  What if I told you that you can see 16th Century architecture, pastel colored buildings similar to those on Italy's Amalfi Coast,  piazzas similar to those in Rome, and have the culinary experience that matches that of Barcelona or Paris, but you only have a 3 to 4 hour flight and half the budget you might think you need? Would you be in for that?  Who wouldn't, right?  But there are tons of travelers here in the US that ignore this hidden gem and opportunity every time they make their vacation plans simply because...its in Mexico.  That's right, Mexico!

Let me formally introduce you to one of my favorite travel destinations in the whole wide world...San Miguel de Allende.  San Miguel who you say? San Miguel de Allende.  This beauty of a city is located in the hill country in what I refer to as the central, lower half of Mexico.  Its a little over 160 miles northeast of Mexico City and about 75 miles or so from Leon (airport code BJX) which is the airport most travelers fly into when visiting the area. The distance from the airport is not a bad thing.  The mountainous scenery between airport and San Miguel is beautiful and worth having your camera at the ready during the drive. Plus, you won't have any of the beauty of San Miguel spoiled by the noise of airplanes landing and taking off.

After you skirt the outer edge of Guanajuato (another amazing historic city) and venture through a couple of smaller villages on the drive, San Miguel finally reveals itself and you can't help but feel a little emotional.  You have officially stepped into an era when things were simpler and life was about friends and family and shared meals and faith.  The cobblestone streets are all the proof you need to prove this place is special and amazingly preserved and protected from major tourism and commercialization.  Residents here don't look to escape to another part of the world after graduation.  They realize what they have and what they have is very very special.

Our hotel of choice for this experience was the Belmond Casa de Sierra Nevada.  It is a gorgeous property which was once an old hacienda now converted into a luxury boutique hotel. While the layout is not a traditional hotel design, the grounds are beautifully landscaped and rooms are elegantly yet simply decorated.  The check in desk, main bar and restaurant are situated in a way that you feel like you have entered someones luxury home after walking through the front door.  You feel stress and the outside world disappear.  Is this a bunch of hyperbole you ask? Trust me when I say it is not.  This hotel captivated me as did San Miguel. Tip:  Upgrade to the deluxe junior suite.

Another hotel visited during our stay was the fantastic Rosewood San Miguel de Allende just a few blocks from the Belmond.  This is a bigger hotel and not as close to the main squares of San Miguel but it would be hard to say its not equal in all other aspects of luxury accommodations.  The rooftop bar offers one of the best (if not the best) views of San Miguel.  It's a must do at night.  And it is closer to more of the local residential areas of San Miguel where you can venture into the nearby park on the weekends and see families enjoying some play time or watch a local pick-up game of soccer or basketball.

So you have reached San Miguel, you have checked into your beautiful hacienda and now you are ready venture out.  Make sure your camera phone is fully charged before you do because you will want to snap a pic at every corner.  As you make the first corner from the Belmond towards the main square, you get the first glimpse of historic La Parroquia de San Miguel Arcángel, the parish church of San Miguel.  It is a magnificent sight.  My recommendation is to grab a seat on one of the many park benches around the square that faces the church and sit and take it all in and listen for the ringing of the bells.  Stop in one of the pastry shops on the many side streets that shoot off of the main square and sit and enjoy seeing what old Mexico was really all about.

But don't stop there...as you stroll the streets you will stumble upon many of the other squares and churches that makes this city a dream location for those that love historic architecture.  The Templo de San Francisco and the Nuestra Señora de la Salud Church are must sees and each are surrounded by beautifully manicured trees and squares.

Once you start walking...you will see that you are somewhere special.  The quietness of the side streets pour into the lively squares where you can sit and savor great food while listening to a musician take you back to the 16th and 17th century by their simple strumming of a guitar.

Are you a foodie?  If so, you have to come to San Miguel.  The menus are diverse.  Fresh seafood is brought in daily from the Pacific and the local chefs take pride is their using of ingredients indigenous  to the area.  You can enjoy everything from shrimp tacos to pork belly sandwiches to the best ceviche found on the face of the planet accompanied by the best wines from the mountainous regions around San Miguel.  

Into shopping?  Some of the best boutique clothiers in the world can be found in San Miguel as well as skilled and world renowned artisans selling their hand made, hand painted crafts.

So can you see why I titled this blog the way I did?  San Miguel offers everything that most major destinations do all throughout Europe and is much much easier to get to for those of us here in the U.S.

So are you ready to see the jewel of Mexico?  We sure hope so because you will not be disappointed that you decided it was ok to go to Mexico and forgo the beach.

Millennial Travel

It seems as though everyone has something to say about millennials these days. Despite growing up in one of the toughest recessions, this disillusioned generation remains optimistic and is hungry for adventure and new experiences. I recently attended a major travel industry show in Las Vegas and millennial travel was a major topic of discussion.

Accordingto the Boston Consulting Group, the millennial generation, defined as those between the ages of 16 and 34, is more interested than older generations in traveling abroad as much as possible—by a 23-percentage-point margin. And although millennials are not yet the core travel customers of airlines and hotels, they will be in 5-10 years, when they enter their peak earning, spending, and traveling years. So what’s important to millennials when it comes to traveling? Let’s take a look and see how this intrepid generation is changing the way we look at travel.

-     Why Wait? – Rather than wait for the golden years of retirement like their parents, this generation wants to see the world and they want to see it now. While millennials appreciate the importance of work, they also desire more of a work/life balance than previous generations. They want the flexibility and the opportunity to travel the world now and experience new adventures while they are young.

-     Quick Communication – It’s not a surprise that millennials prefer fast and easy communication. This tech-savvy, on-demand generation prefers text messaging as the #1 method of communication followed by email. As a travel agent I am aware of the unique needs and preferences of all of my clients and make sure you get the information you need as quickly and effortlessly as possible.

-     Beyond the Beach – TheWorld Youth Student and Educational (WYSE) Travel Confederation, found that young travelers are not as interested in “the traditional sun, sea and sand holidays” as previous generations are. Instead they are more interested in exploring remote destinations, backpacking, and extended trips that allow them to visit multiple locations and countries. By working with a travel agent like myself, I can connect you to some of the most remote, unique places around the world and create a custom itinerary that will not only save you time, but create one of a kind of experiences that you simply can’t book on a travel website.

-     The Real Deal – Simply put, millennials don’t want a “cookie cutter” vacation. They want to experience something unique and meaningful, to see and do what the locals do, and create memories that will last a lifetime. This is one of the main reasons millennials can benefit from working with a real, flesh and blood travel agent. I do not plan one size fits all vacations. I scope out travel trends, pinpoint the best locations, and orchestrate every detail for my clients to save them time and money. Top priority for me is researching where the locals eat, shop, play, and stay-cation, so I can pass this information on to my clients. From reservations, to accommodations, to private excursions, I tailor each trip to ensure the most incredible travel experience possible at the best price.

Ready to flood your friends' feeds with pictures of your own amazing getaway? Contact me today and let’s plan the trip of a lifetime. Adventure is calling. Why wait?

AIl-Inclusive vs European Plan

If you have ever traveled outside the US, you most likely reserved a hotel that was either on an "EP" plan or an "AI" plan.  You may have noticed those symbols within your quote and never really paid attention to what they meant as far as your price was concerned.  If you like to peruse the internet and book vacations yourself, you may not even have realized which plan you were on until you arrived at your destination.

There are some resorts and hotels that now offer both an EP plan and also an AI plan.  EP simply stands for "European Plan" and AI simply stands for "All-Inclusive."  But if you were not aware of that, you may have booked a room at a hotel that offers both and think you got a steal compared to someone else who paid X amount of dollars more for the same room.  Little did you know that they were on an AI plan while you were on an EP plan.

All-inclusive resorts are very popular these days, especially when it comes to traveling to places like Cancun, Punta Cana, Jamaica etc. They have made traveling more affordable to a wider demographic. What are the pluses?  The biggest is the one I just mentioned...affordability.  When you look at the price for an all-inclusive, you know what the real cost of the trip is going to be upfront because most include your beverages, most of your food and your lodging and even some non-motorized water sports such as snorkeling, kayaks etc.  Some luxury all-inclusive resort chains also tout that your gratuities are included upfront, but that can be argued (and maybe I will in a future post).  So when a travel agent sends you a quote that includes flights, round trip transfers and an all-inclusive resort, you know you are seeing all of the costs minus any excursion that you may want to venture out on in whatever Country you visiting.

A lot of all-inclusive resorts know that, in order to be successful, they need to appeal to that broader demographic so they have kept their prices more affordable than some of the more high-end boutique and chain hotels.

Which really leads to the only negative when it comes to all-inclusives.  Regardless of how many stars are put next to the description of the resort, some will argue that the food quality is never as good as you will find at some other resort or hotel that only offers the European Plan when it comes to their food venues.  Some will also argue that the drinks are more watered down at an all-inclusive again implying that you are not getting the highest quality of beverage or food.  Or they argue that you will only get "local" (cheaper) liquors served when ordering your Mojito or Margarita etc.  There is a lot of validity to that argument.  Do resorts try to find ways of cutting costs so they can offer these all-inclusive plans and allow patrons to eat and eat and eat and drink and drink and drink while trying to turn a profit?  Sure!  Does that mean you are going to have awful food and terrible tasting beverages?  NO!

But you can't go into an all-inclusive resort and expect Ritz or Four Seasons level food and beverage.  If you go into an all-inclusive knowing you are going to be staying in a beautiful location, enjoying nice accommodations, really good food and drink and even enjoyable entertainment, then you will have a great experience and love the all-inclusive option.

But if you are a really serious connoisseur of food and wine and cocktails, then you should probably look at hotels that offer only the European Plan.  So to keep things simple...EP simply means that you are paying for your resort stay and any meals and beverages will be billed to you separately and NOT included in your resort room rate.  Your major hotel chains such as Marriott, Hilton, Ritz Carlton etc offer EP plans when it comes to your meals and beverages.  Some chains, like Hilton as I mentioned earlier, now offer both at some Caribbean destinations where all-inclusives are the more popular option.  But as a general rule, these major chains will be EP.  Smaller boutique-style hotels tend to be EP.  You will find that some of the smaller, more upscale Caribbean destinations such as St Lucia, St Kitts and Nevis etc mainly have hotels and resorts that are on the EP plan.  These resorts and destinations tend to appeal more to those where budgets are not as important as other criteria when it comes to their vacation planning process.

So I say all of this to simply educate you so you know what you are getting when you choose hotel A over hotel B and you did that solely on price.  You may not have paid attention to one being EP and not AI.  EP resorts and hotels often appear less expensive when comparing packages, but your food and beverage will add up in a hurry during your trip.  The AI option may end up being the better deal if you are one that likes drink and eat a lot while on vacation.  So look for those symbols in your quote and "know before you go."

Out of the two pictures in this post...can you tell which one is at an AI resort and which one is at an EP resort?

"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?

Should I Get a Passport?

A while back I answered the question of "do I need a passport?" That was specifically addressing the questions related to cruises vs land based vacations outside the United States.

But now, I simply want to answer the question of "should I purchase a passport?" This is a general question that I receive from time to time and not necessarily tied to any particular non-US destination.

The short answer is YES! If you are a US citizen and are even remotely pondering the idea of traveling someday, now would be a great time to get your passport. Here are some reasons why I say that:

1) They are good for 10 years (if you are 16 yrs of age or older)
2) Pay now so you don't pay more later. Passport prices have kept steadily increasing over the past several years. Invest in one now at today's price and don't worry about the increase in costs for the next 10 years
3) Be ready to go! Having a passport in hand will allow you to take advantage of last minute travel deals for destinations outside the US
4) Alternate form of identification. Lose your driver's license? Having a passport can come in handy when your other form of identification is either lost of stolen
5) Avoid paying last minute expediting fees. This is tied to the last minute travel advantage. Sometimes a passport can still be obtained in time for the trip, but expediting fees may have to be paid which can add significant costs to the process

There are my top 5 reasons why you should just go ahead and get your passport now, even if you do not have an international trip planned in the near future. Agree with them? Disagree?