Hiya, ! This week's newsletter will focus on:
1. Go Big!
2. Consider a Saint Lucia Getaway
3. Return of Travel Tuesdays & Other Virtual Events
4. Some Special Offers from Lush/ Vision/ Direct & Virtuoso
5. Taking a Trip on an Expedition Cruise Safer than Costco
6. Typical Travel Advisor Afternoon During CoVid
7. A Tangled Tale - Time to Visit Newfoundland Ad
8. Travel with Sheila to Newfoundland
9. Work with me at Lush Life & Schedule a Consultation
Let me know if I can help you plan a getaway!
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Go big!
When my clients finally can travel, that is what they are telling me!
If they are finally leaving home, they are deciding to Go Big!
They are asking me to upgrade their vacation.
Go Big or Go/ Stay Home - well, they've had enough of being at home for 2 years.
So now it's...
Go for luxury. Longer stays. Top cabin accommodations. Better views.
This week, I've had at least 4 examples of clients upgrading their trips. Here’s one example.
I'm just moving a client's river cruise to next year. They're deciding to upgrade to the top cabin, and also take a much longer cruise than they had initially planned. And they are adding on some lovely pre and post nights - including a nice visit to Budapest.
While my clients have had to delay when they go, they've decided to go big when they do.
This seems to be more than a trend. It seems to be a movement. Go big.
How about you?
Does upgrading and going big factor into your next travel plans?
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Consider a Saint Lucia Getaway
Saint Lucia is the ultimate Caribbean escape plus some. At Cap Maison Resort & Spa, you'll enjoy a beautiful location, a secluded sandy beach, and a passion for food and wine. At Jade Mountain, you'll experience stunning architecture featuring sky bridges, infinity-edge pools, and sweeping views.
Let me know if I can help you plan a Saint Lucia Getaway.
Return of Travel Tuesdays & Other Virtual Events
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We're back with Travel Tuesdays & Other Virtual Events. Join me.
Tues., Feb.1st 5 pm est - Travel Trivia
Lush Life & Travel Trivia - join Sheila for a fun travel trivia game. Come join us for a friendly competition about travel trivia. See how much you know, and compete against other players.
Sheila will create another game to play on kahoot, so you'll need to either watch two windows on your laptop/ pc, or use two devices - one to see the questions asked with multiple choice answers given (or true or false), the other to enter your answer.
Kahoot games (once struck) will give you a pin to enter and play. That's entered on the second screen/ device to track your answers.
Join us for some Travel Trivia fun!
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Thurs., Feb.3rd 7 pm est - AMA Waterways Private Sale
Join us, along with our partners AmaWaterways for a Live Virtual Event and learn about this family-owned river cruise company celebrating 19 years of experience on the world’s rivers, featuring one-of-a-kind ships with added comforts and conveniences ranging from their signature view-enhancing twin balconies to the one-and-only Chef’s Table specialty restaurant to their award-winning AmaMagna – redefining the river cruise experience. Now is the time to plan your
next cruise with AmaWaterways, as we reveal our Exclusive Private Sale offer to you at this event. Register Today!
Discover Europe, Asia or Africa with AmaWaterways- one river at a time!
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Some Special Travel Offers
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As you know, I run my boutique travel agency, Lush Life Travel, as an affiliate of Vision Travel. Vision Travel is a Direct Travel company, and one of the largest Virtuoso luxury travel network partners.
Here are some offers from partners of Lush/ Vision/ Direct travel as well as the Virtuoso luxury travel network. Here are some offers from a few of our favourite travel supplier partners.
And have a look at the culinary experiences with Windstar Cruises too with a teaser video about their partnership with the James Beard Foundation.
Let me know if you are interested in taking advantage of any of these special offers.
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Expedition Cruising is Safer than Costco
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Did you know that taking an expedition cruise is safer than taking a trip to Costco?
Cruises have mandated health and safety protocols, and that they have to follow the rules and regulations of every country they travel in.
Cruises are required to report any health issues of any outbreaks.
Almost all cruises lines require all passengers to be doubly vaccinated.
Most expedition cruises now require you to be boosted.
Taking an expedition cruise, such as one with my travel partner friends at Lindblad Expeditions requires you to be fully vaccinated to be able to book.
And you have to upload proof of a negative PCR test before you leave home.
Canadian government rules require you to show your vaccination proof to board a plane.
But even if you're flying out of the US or elsewhere, you still have to take another PCR test to board the expedition cruise.
And, no, you can't board if you have a "document of recovery" from CoVid. If you test positive, you cannot board.
Don't have your PCR test back in time. You can't board. You'll have to reschedule.
Generic protocols tighten with specific destinations too, as expedition cruise partners follow local rules.
If you're going to Antarctica, say, and have to take a charter flight, you will likely have to test again to fly.
Expedition cruises take every precaution to ensure their crew and their passengers are as safe as possible.
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A Typical Travel Advisor Afternoon During CoVid
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This example is so normal in times of CoVid it is unremarkable. But I've had someone ask me how the day of a travel entrepreneur unfolds right now, so I thought I'd share an example of a travel advisor's typical CoVid afternoon.
I was trying to invoice air for a client's 2022 Christmas river cruise - this would ordinarily be a 10 minute task, but it turned into 3 hours, and is still completely wrapped up.
In starting the invoicing, I had to track through 3 years of work, pouring over invoices & credits.
The client's initial 2020 Christmas cruise was cancelled because of CoVid, then it was rebooked to 2021 Christmas. But, of course, then 2021 Christmas cruise cancelled because of CoVid. And now the cruise is booked for 2022 Christmas.
After building a spreadsheet to track all the moving bits and pieces, and trying to reconcile all the amounts, I discover that the client's initial 2020 deposit was carried forward to the 2021 cruise, but somehow has disappeared on the 2022 cruise invoice.
So, then, it was off to chase the cruise company accounting to see what went awry, to ensure my client was made whole.
Fun times!
Travel will return from the ashes like the phoenix - but - I'm more than ready to get out of the smoldering ashes stage!
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A Tangled Tale - Time to Visit Newfoundland
Travel with Sheila to Newfoundland
Newfoundland - Two Group Trips
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If you’re looking to travel to Newfoundland, and visit my home province with me, come “Travel with Sheila” from Corner Brook to St. John’s, Newfoundland.
I will be escorting two tours to my home province on:
* Sept. 7-18, 2022 Newfoundland & Labrador, and
* May 29- Jun.10, 2023 NL with Iceberg Festival.
I only have 2 rooms left!
Let me know if you'd like to join me!
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When You Work with Lush Life
When you work with Sheila at Lush Life Travel, you get access to our in-depth knowledge, honed over 16 years experience in travel (with another 20 years in financial services). Atop our foundation of financial risk management skills; we have layered the bricks to build a wall of travel knowledge and relationships. We leverage all of our expertise to help you live your lush life through travel.
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Live a Lush Life - Travel!
Lush regards,
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