The Savvy Tourist

It Pays to use a Travel Agent

The general belief or myth is that is costs more to use a travel agent when booking your vacation. That is simply not true. Actually, the opposite can be true after you see what kind of special deals an agent has access to and the savings you will incur thanks to their expertise. I was a travel agent for many years and still get requests for assistance with vacations from my readers and past clients. I can offer advice but I no longer have any affiliation that allows me to book trips, so I ask anyone out there that is interested in planning a vacation, please call Carolyn, a.k.a. Blondie, at Why Not Travel. You will be in good hands.

For more information on why you should consider the services of a travel agent, check out a post I wrote a few years back, Why Travel Agents?  And don't forget to read How to be a Good Customer

 

Traveling to the Gulf of Mexico

If I was still an active travel agent, I would have inevitably had all my clients booked for a nice sunny vacation at a resort on the Gulf of Mexico this summer. You see, that is how my luck works and one of the main reasons I got out of the biz.

Charlie, Hazel, Hilda, Debbie, Beulah, Eloise, Gilbert, Keith, Arlene, Roxanne, Emily, Stan, Wilma, Dean and Ida...do you recognize these names? These are the names of the hurricanes that collectively ran me out of the travel agent business. All I have to do is book a client (or better, a large group of clients) to an island resort like Cozumel and it becomes the target for a hurricane or really big tropical storm. This happened a few years in a row and although I am not superstitious, I took it as a sign. I do not know who the poor fool is that jinxed the Gulf with the oil spill, but I am sure they are currently waving their white flag and changing careers as I write this.

Now I ask...who has booked travel to the Gulf this summer? Are you still planning to go or have you rescheduled? Rescheduling travel can be a nightmare. This is another reason you should always use a travel agent for your vacation planning (and I don't mean me). Travel agents will spend endless hours rescheduling your trip for you with the knowledge of what you are eligible for in the way of refunds and later bookings without penalties for changes. Also, if you used a travel agent in the first place, he or she more than likely insisted upon you purchasing insurance for your trip, therefore making all these last minute changes much more affordable.

Having been out of the travel agent business for a few years now I am not as familiar with insurance as I used to be. Now, what I can tell you is that your insurance coverage will be limited and that the Gulf Oil Spill Disaster is a man made event therefore not covered by most insurance. You will have to spend the extra money on a "cancel for any reason" travel policy. For all of your travel insurance questions you can travel on over to The Trip Insurance Store Blog and insurance expert Steve will assist you.

Now for all you savvy travelers that plan to drive into Mexico for your vacation or for any other reason, please realize that Mexican Law does not recognize our insurance purchased in the U.S.

Click on the link below to get a quick and safe policy that will protect you once over the border.

New Home for Disney's Wonder

Disney Cruise Line has announced that it will be repositioning the Disney Wonder to Los Angeles from it's home port in Port Canaveral, Florida. Disney Cruise Line did a "trial" run during the last two summer seasons operating cruise itineraries to the Mexican Riviera from the West Coast on the Disney Magic. The ship always sailed full.
From a travel agent's point of view, I really understand the need for a Disney Cruise option that will include our Disneyland Parks out here in California. Paying airfare for a large family to travel to Florida before beginning their cruise can be the deal breaker for many savvy tourists here on the West Coast.
 Since Disneyland is not nearly as large as Walt Disney World in Florida, it will be nice to be able to add a cruise after 3 days of Disneyland Adventures. Disneyland is currently undergoing a major renovation in it's California Adventure Park and from what I understand, all will be revealed just about the same time as the Disney Wonder makes it's debut out here in sunny Southern California.

Travel Specials and Updates

Does this cold winter weather have you dreaming of warmer climates? Well, check out my Travel Specials page where Pleasant Holidays  has teamed up with Marriott Resorts  to offer you some great deals for travel to Hawaii, and Palace Resorts  has some great incentives for traveling to Mexico (like you need incentives).

Just a heads up - I am starting a series of posts on Sydney, Australia. My husband has been spending some time there for work and has some fabulous pictures to show off. Having never been there myself (but planning to go soon), I would love some input from my loyal Aussie bloggers as to things to do in Sydney or great places to stay and eat. So, keep an eye out for my upcoming "Disoriented Down Under" series. Here's a sample of hubby's photographic prowess.........

And here is the biggie.......I finally released my Disney blog this week for public consumption. Keep in mind, we are still under construction, but please stop by and visit Mickey and Me...........A Love Story!
I currently have Jay over at Dat Money working on a cool banner for Mickey. Jay is running a fabulous special for the month of January and does some really great work. Check him out!!