Ready for a Deal?

Liz Hough on

I have been reading a lot of negative reviews lately on TripAdvisor, Travel Guide, Oyster, etc.  I am finding that a lot of people who leave negative reviews on these websites is because the hotel or resort they booked was not what they thought they were going to get with their “deal.”  I have to laugh a bit because as much as everyone likes a “deal”, why would you want a “deal” for your vacation?  Most Americans only take 2 to 3 weeks off per year so that means they are working 49 to 50 weeks a year.  I would hate to work so many weeks and then when I take my vacation to be staying at a “deal” hotel or a “deal” resort and be completely disappointed or worse, miserable the entire time.

 

There are amazing deals around us all the time.  I go to Target and get stuff on clearance at the end of the season for my kids and they love it, i.e. princess dresses for those of you who know my oldest daughter.  This is a great deal for me because when they are regularly priced they can be expensive and since she wears them every day, they wear out quickly!  Now when we go to Disney in a couple of weeks I will buy her princess dresses there but I know in advance that I am going to have to pay full price and I am hoping that they are better quality.  I know that I am not going to get a “deal” but I am hoping that I am going to get good “value.”  For weeks now, I have been putting aside princess dress money so I can get a better value dress or dresses for her. 

Now when someone finds out that I am a travel consultant they instantly tell me about their worst vacation ever.  I politely listen and when they are finished I asked them if they booked with a travel agency or travel agent/consultant.  Probably 90% of the time they tell me they found a “deal” on the internet when they did their own research.  I ask them where they did their research and they tell me TripAdvisor or the resorts webpage.  Well, the resort will not post bad reviews of its hotel, and TripAdvisor likes to post the good reviews first.  I ask them if they felt like they wasted their money and their time.  Most of the time I hear an unquestionable Yes!  So if you feel like you wasted your time and money then was it a good “deal?”

 

I also hear that people are disappointed because they didn’t receive the same treatment their friends did when they had stayed there.  When doing your own online research, make sure that you are comparing apples to apples.  A lot of times I hear an apples to oranges comparison, and that is why the same services were not provided.  Resorts and hotels change specials frequently, sometimes weekly, so when you are looking for that same “deal” it may no longer be available.  When doing your own online research, if you feel like you just aren’t finding what fits your needs, it may not be out there.  However, a travel consultant may be able to find it in a few minutes because they know where to look. 

 

To avoid becoming disappointed on your next vacation, and possibly leaving a bad review online, try to make your next vacation a “value.”  You should come back from your vacation feeling happy and proud because of the star treatment you received.  You shouldn’t even realize the amount of money you spent.  You should have indulged in fine food and drinks, splurged on souvenirs, and taken private tours where you were the only ones behind the scenes.  These experiences are unforgettable and is what you will be talking about with your friends and family at your next gathering.  People love to hear these types of travel stories, I love hearing about these travel stories too!

 

So when planning your next vacation make sure to catch yourself every time you say “That sounds like a good deal.”  Steer clear and try to catch yourself saying: “That sounds like a lot of fun and something I would not have done on my last vacation.”

Fill out the form below to get started planning your next European Vacation.  Looking for a motor coach tour, self-drive, or private tour, we can easily put together the perfect European vacation for you and your family’s needs. 

When you book your vacation with a member of the Life is Better Traveling Team, you are supporting local families and business.  Thank you to everyone who has supported us over the past 4 years, we have become an AMAZING travel agency due to your support!

Please understand we get several requests per day for European vacations. We provide experiences for our clients that provide a lot of value. If you are looking for a budget vacation, that is NOT us.

Why you have to visit Burano, Italy.

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If you are visiting Venice, Italy then you must take a day tour via boat over to Burano.  Burano is known for its lace and brightly colored houses.  It is said that Leonardo DaVinci visited the island in the 1400’s and bought some lace.  Why wouldn’t he buy some lace on Burano!  The lace is handmade using tiny needles and the end product is an intricate masterpiece loved by all.  Thanks to Leonardo, the popularity of Burano lace exploded and became well known throughout Europe.  This helped this little city grew in popularity and increased tourism.  With so many visitors buying a lot of the lace, the city opened a lace making school right on the island.  Today you can go into lace stores all over the island.  You can purchase anything from place mats to decorative lace pictures, and each are as intricate and beautiful as you would expect.  Remember that these pieces are made by hand so the larger the piece the more expensive it will be.

 

 

This is a small piece of lace that I purchased on the island of Burano in 2007.  It is about three inches wide and an inch and a half in height.  It is beautiful!

 

Burano is also known for its brightly colored homes.  The story goes that when the fisherman of Burano come back from a long day of fishing, tired and beaten by the sea, they can easily find their house by the bright color.  I also believe this is helpful at night when the fisherman come back from the bar after drinking a bit too much of that amazing Italian wine.  Homes all over the island, even along the small streets, are brightly colored.  The color spectrum of these homes follows a specific color order.  To change the color means that one would have to go through several channels of approval.  I think this is a great tradition that should be well preserved as it is hard for an island even to be recognized for one amazing tradition let alone two that Burano holds. 

 

This island has so much to offer you including great food so you can grab something to eat after all that lace shopping.  I guarantee that when you take in the sites Burano on your next visit to Italy you will not be disappointed.  Just make sure you buy a small token of lace to bring back with you.

Fill out the form below to get started planning your next European Vacation.  Looking for a motor coach tour, self-drive, or private tour, we can easily put together the perfect European vacation for you and your family’s needs. 

When you book your vacation with a member of the Life is Better Traveling Team, you are supporting local families and business.  Thank you to everyone who has supported us over the past 4 years, we have become an AMAZING travel agency due to your support!

Please understand we get several requests per day for European vacations. We provide experiences for our clients that provide a lot of value. If you are looking for a budget vacation, that is NOT us.

Do you pay too much in airline fees?

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Traveling via airplane is a convenient way to get you to your destination in a short amount of time or sometimes it is the only way to get you to an overseas destination.   Planes have advanced so much over the years that more people are willing to fly to their destination and prices between airlines have become competitive.  But should this mean that you as the consumer have to pay for not only for your seat but to take your luggage, cancellation or changing a reservation, priority boarding, a snack, to use the bathroom, connect to Wifi, or upgrade to preferred seating.  These additional fees are called “Ancillary Fees” and most airlines are continually trying to figure out how to incorporate them into their business models.   Airlines are saying that the reason they want to charge ancillary fees is because it is better for the clients to “unbundle” these service from the base price as not everyone uses them.  It benefits the client who did not want that snack or have to use the bathroom on a long flight.

 

So where did all this start?  In 2007 the low cost airline Spirit decided that they wanted to charge their clients a fee to check their luggage to bring in additional revenue.  Quickly American Airlines followed by charging clients $15 per piece of luggage and like any snow ball effect, additional airlines started to get on board with charging clients to check their bags.  Today most airlines charge you to check at least your second piece of luggage and the fees can be really high, i.e. $200 plus per piece of luggage.  This means a lot of additional revenue for the airline companies.  From 2007 to 2014 baggage fees went from bringing in $464 million to $3.53 billion a year in additional revenue for the various airlines charging these fees.  The airline that profited the most from baggage fees is American/US Airways and surprisingly United did not make much of a profit from charging baggage fees. 

 

Now have you ever had to cancel or change your reservation?  The fees on this service can sometimes cost you more than checking your luggage.  Unfortunately, there are times in our lives when something comes up and we need to use this service.  Airlines again have profited from this ancillary fee.  From 2007 to 2014 cancellation/change fees went from $915 million to $2.98 billion in additional revenue for the various airlines.  I, personally, have always believed that you should be allowed one change in your reservation in case you need to take an earlier or later flight and not have to pay for this change.  I do understand that you would have to pay for any change in the cost of the flight but I do not believe that you should have to pay both for one change.

 

Do you like preferred seating?  I have personally used preferred seating for overseas flights.  The airline company that I have used give the client up to 6 inches in more leg room when you purchase preferred seating.  Now I did pay an extra $150 for my preferred seating but let’s be honest, on an overnight flight to Europe, I need that extra room to get comfortable to try and get some sleep. I have not paid for preferred seating on flights here in the US so I do not know how much extra room you get or if you even get extra room.  It seems like the flights that I have been getting on lately with preferred seating are those seats right behind first class but do not offer additional leg room.  Honestly, I feel like this should be called “second class” and then the rest of us in the back of the plane can be “third class.”  More airlines are starting to choose this ancillary fee for this service but consumers are not happy as it can force families with small children to either separate on the plane or make them pay this fee, especially when these are the only seats left on the flight.  Some airlines also have confused consumers with offering preferred seating first in the online booking process.  The consumer is confused if this is the only option left not knowing that if they decline they will be given a regular seat upon check-in.  If you are ever confused about preferred seating, call the airlines reservation line. 

 

The good news is that the United States Senate Commerce Committee took a look at all these ancillary fees and has decided they would like to make some changes.  Some of the recommendations that they want the airlines to take into consideration are:

  • disclosure of ancillary fees early in the booking process so it is easier for the consumer to compare flight pricing
  • checked and carry-on luggage fees are based on costs incurred by the airline, airlines should promptly refund fees for any checked bags that are delayed more than 6 hours on a domestic flight
  • airlines need to clearly state that “preferred seating” charges are optional
  • limit the amount an airline can charge for any changes.

These changes would really help the consumer understand what exactly they are purchasing when they want to take a flight.  Having all fees disclosed to you in the beginning of the booking process will help you understand what your options are and if you want to pay extra for the options.  There are many times that I don’t want to pay extra because I am just on a two hour flight.  When I take my 10 hour flights I may want to splurge a bit, but at least I would understand what exactly I am paying for what services to expect for on my flight.  Understanding your rights as the consumer is always important, especially when you are traveling.

 

Have a Great Week!

Fill out the form below to get started planning your next European Vacation.  Looking for a motor coach tour, self-drive, or private tour, we can easily put together the perfect European vacation for you and your family’s needs. 

When you book your vacation with a member of the Life is Better Traveling Team, you are supporting local families and business.  Thank you to everyone who has supported us over the past 4 years, we have become an AMAZING travel agency due to your support!

Please understand we get several requests per day for European vacations. We provide experiences for our clients that provide a lot of value. If you are looking for a budget vacation, that is NOT us.

When to Buy Travel Insurance

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You plan all year sometimes even two years in advance to take that big trip. You have been saving for years and right before you are supposed to go on this amazing journey something happens. You can’t go! What are you going to do? You read through all the cancellation policies and most of them say “100% non-refundable 6 days prior.” Oh no, you are within that time frame. No refund! All those hard earned dollars down the drain.

Most of us are lucky that this scenario does not happen to us. However, life has a way of throwing curve balls so you want to make sure that when that curve ball comes your way you know exactly where to hit it, with insurance.

There are many insurance companies out there selling travel insurance. The question now becomes, Which one works best for you? Your travel agent is the best guide as to which company will provide the most coverage for your needs. You don’t need to purchase the “Platinum Plan” to get good coverage. Most times their basic plans, or gold plans will cover up to 100% of your non-refundable costs and give you very good health coverage too.

Some things you want to make sure you do when buying travel insurance:

Tip #1: Buy travel insurance within 15 day of your initial deposit to ensure coverage for pre-existing medical conditions.

Tip #2: Only buy “Cancel for Any Reason Coverage” if you really are on the fence about going on the trip. Most medical issues for both travelers and immediate families is covered under their reasons for cancellation plus, this is an added cost that you may not need to pay.

Tip #3: Check what your medical insurance covers for out of country visits. Don’t buy additional medical coverage if you already have good medical coverage.

Tip #4: Renting a car? Check what your credit cards and car insurance coverage for any damage to vehicle overseas. Consider buying additional coverage if you already have high premiums here in the states or you don’t have enough coverage.

Tip #5: Make sure to get a comprehensive copy of your purchased policy from your travel agent. Each state has different policies so make sure you have received the correct one for the state you live in.

Tip #6: READ OVER YOUR POLICY!!! The more you know before you go the better. If you have any questions about the policy call the insurance company for a full explanation.

Fill out the form below to get started planning your next European Vacation.  Looking for a motor coach tour, self-drive, or private tour, we can easily put together the perfect European vacation for you and your family’s needs. 

When you book your vacation with a member of the Life is Better Traveling Team, you are supporting local families and business.  Thank you to everyone who has supported us over the past 4 years, we have become an AMAZING travel agency due to your support!

Please understand we get several requests per day for European vacations. We provide experiences for our clients that provide a lot of value. If you are looking for a budget vacation, that is NOT us.

 

Ready to Use Your Magic Bands?

Liz Hough on

Walt Disney created Disneyland so one could be in the past, present, and future all in one park while letting your imagination run wild.  He created what has become the most magical places on earth including Walt Disney World.  Since 1971 when the Magic Kingdom opened, Disney employees have tried to make sure that their guests have the best experiences possible.  However, with so many people wanting this experience and the increased popularity of a Disney vacation, overcrowded parks had become a problem.  Disney decided something had to change. They took a big risk and decided to incorporate new technology in this decision and came up with the idea for the Magicband, an all-inclusive wristband.  This was a huge risk has paid off nicely for Disney and goes perfectly with a quote Mr. Walt Disney has said “It’s kind of fun to do the impossible.”

 

What is a Magicband?  Magicbands are bracelets that you wear around your wrist and have a Radio Frequency Identifiable Device (RFID) in each band.  RFIDs are a great way to store information that can be quickly used later and by the end of this article you will see why they are a perfect way to get around the parks.  Let’s get back to exactly what the Disney Magicband is.  It is a bracelet or wristband with a RFID in it that contains all the information of your entire Disney reservations.  It will have which resort you are staying at, dining plan, Fastpasses, restaurant reservations, and of course your credit card information that is on file.  Now, having my credit card information on a device that is readable is a bit scary to me but when you check into the resort you must enter a unique four digit pin that is linked to your band.  Each person has a unique pin for their band.  You need this four digit pin to make any type of purchase on your band so if your band gets lost a person won’t be able to charge anything to your account.  The other great thing about the bands is that there are no identifiable markers on the outside to let someone know which resort you are staying at.  You may have your first name engraved on the back of the wristband so if your party is large and multiple people have the same color wristbands, you know which belongs to whom.  Also, if you lose your band you simply go to guest services and they quickly deactivate it for you.

 

How do you get a wristband and where do you use it?   For anyone who is staying on Disney property you will get a wristband.  In your My Disney Experience you will have the opportunity to select colors for each member of your party and any names you would like to have engraved on the inner part of the band.  The bands are simple in construction with a Mickey Mouse head imprinted on the top.  If you don’t like your jewelry simple, like me, don’t worry, you can add bling.  Small trinkets are available for purchase at several stores on Disney property.   Now, your wristbands will be mailed to your house or you will receive them at time of check in at the resort.  Once the band is on your wrist it is now the key to your room.   Simply place the Mickey Mouse on the wristband to the Mickey Mouse on the door knob, and you are in your room.  When you are ready to enter the parks you will place the Mickey Mouse on the wristband to the Mickey Mouse on the entrance pole and place your finger on the reader and you are in.  When you are ready to get your check after dining or check out at quick service, simply place the Mickey Mouse against the reader, enter your four digit pin, and everything is paid.  When your Fastpass time has arrived, simply place the Mickey Mouse against the Mickey Mouse FastPass pole and enter the ride.  I think we have a pattern going here: simply place the Mickey Mouse on your wristband to the reader and you are in!

The wristband has revolutionized how easy it has made families to plan their vacation and get around the parks.  You don’t have a room key, a park ticket, a FastPass ticket, and a Disney voucher to carry around anymore.  It is all now on your wrist.  The band is waterproof so if you go to the pool or one of the water parks you don’t have to worry about getting it wet.  It is a bit difficult to get on and off so they recommend that you keep it on for the length of your stay. 

 

Now comes the question of how does all that information get onto the band?  I briefly discussed the My Disney Experience application for choosing your color bands and what you want engraved on the inside. The My Disney Experience application can easily download this onto any phone from the Android or Apple store or by using your computer going to MYDISNEYEXPERIENCE.com.  Once you have made your reservation, make an account here and put in your reservation number.  All of your information will show up including where you are staying, dining information, park tickets, etc.  Set up your profiles for those traveling in your party and you can make yourself a fun Disney character, I am personally Goofy.   You can link tickets to each person accordingly especially if you are going to a special event tickets.  Once you have the profiles set up you can look at the restaurants that are available all over Disney.  On the 180th day from the start of your reservation you can start making dining reservations and linking them to each person.  Once you hit the 60 day mark you can start adding FastPasses to each person to ensure you get on the rides you want at the times you want.   You can add Memory Maker and link that to one person, preferably the ring leader.  All of this information is going to be right on your Magicband.    

 

Now once you get home, that information is still in your My Disney Experience and you can also look at your pictures.  The great thing about the Magicbands is that you can reuse them if you would like or you can always order new ones for your next Disney vacation.  I have to say that, I really enjoyed my experience with the Magicbands and I hope that you have or will too.

On a side note.  Our agency now offers day by day planning for those who do not want to or have the time to plan their entire Disney experience.  We have put together itineraries to fit all families and we will even put together your my Disney experience.  We do charge an extra fee for this service but this will alleviate even more of your stress of planning an amazing Disney experience.

 

Have a Great Week!

Fill out the form below to get started planning your next European Vacation.  Looking for a motor coach tour, self-drive, or private tour, we can easily put together the perfect European vacation for you and your family’s needs. 

When you book your vacation with a member of the Life is Better Traveling Team, you are supporting local families and business.  Thank you to everyone who has supported us over the past 4 years, we have become an AMAZING travel agency due to your support!

Please understand we get several requests per day for European vacations. We provide experiences for our clients that provide a lot of value. If you are looking for a budget vacation, that is NOT us.

How to Spot a Dirty Hotel Room

Liz Hough on

How Dirty is Your Hotel Room?  

I have been watching a lot of Hotel Impossible on Netflix lately.  I am strangely drawn to this show where one guy evaluates hotels that are in the decline.  He revamps everything from management, the front desk area, and the cleaning crew’s philosophy on what is actually a clean room.  By the end of the show the hotel looks great, the staff is unified, and bookings start increasing.

It does have me thinking though – if all these places he is visiting have issues with cleaning, am I doing a good job finding inadequacies when I stay at a hotel.  After all, the first thing I do when I enter my hotel room is get out my antibacterial wipe and clean down the remote.  But what else am I missing?  I have come up with a few tips on what to “spot” if you have a dirty room.  I came up with these from my own experiences and from watching the show.  They have helped me on several occasions even when we have stayed in big name, five star hotels.  These tips even hold true if you are renting a house at the beach for a week.  Those cleaning crews really don’t have enough time to clean everything!

Tip #1:  Make sure you have antibacterial wipes or Clorox wipes with you when you go on vacation.  Clorox now has a convenient small pack in the travel size section.  Make sure to wipe down the remote (dirtiest thing in the room based on several studies), any handles i.e. toilet, facets and the inside door, the toilet seat and cover, the telephone even the ear piece, and if you have a kitchen you may want to do a bit more work there if you are planning on using it.

Tip#2:  Check for bed bugs!  Bed bugs are the worst thing you want to bring back with you.  In order to find them you have to pull

Our hotel room in Venice

the fitted sheet back and expose the mattress all together.  Look in the seam of the mattress at the top and bottom curves.  Some people see bugs and some people see what looks like dirt.  Either way, if you find them get another room immediately!  Don’t trust your bed bug spray that you bought at the hardware store is going to work.  Let the hotel call someone in to take care of it.  It you are renting a house, then definitely use the spray but keep all luggage outside until you know it has worked.  The last thing you want is bed bugs to get into your luggage and you bring them home!

Tip #3:  Since I was a child my mother never let me touch the bed cover, duvet, or comforter that was on the bed.  That was always the first thing off the bed on onto the floor.  Hotel policy should be to change them after each guest and clean them but that doesn’t always happen.  After all, they are heavy and thick so how can one person lug 20 of them on their tiny cart.  Check the bed cover for any stains.  The top of the cover typically has bright colors so you may not be able to detect any stains.  Flip it over and look at the white part underneath.  Any stains need an immediate call to housekeeping.  This also holds true for the sheets.

Tip #4:  Check the toilet!  I know that this can be disgusting but from watching the show I have really learned that places aren’t very good at cleaning the toilet.  Just because they lay that piece of paper over the lid that says it has been cleaned, most times, it hasn’t.  When you lift the lid try to look under the lip of the toilet or if you are even more daring take a piece of toilet paper around the lip of the toilet to check it was cleaned.

Tip #5:  Check the shower and especially the shower curtain.  I am finding that more and more hotels are not cleaning their shower curtains.  One time I even had one curtain switched out and the newer curtain had more mold and soap build up than the other one.  This was not acceptable and I told them they needed to find one that was either straight out of the packaging or washed.

Tip #6:  The one thing that most people don’t seem to check is the pillow.  It is very easy to change out the pillow cases, but I know that when I change out my pillow case my pillow sometimes needs to be washed too.  You should check both pillow cases and the actually pillow for stains.  Hotels have tons of pillows so they can easily get you more.

 

Remember, that you are a guest at their hotel.  You have right to request things to be switched out if they have stains, mold, soap scum, are dirty or even broken.  Most of the time the rooms that I have been staying in are brand name hotels and are over $150/night, not your highway motel with a rate at $49/night.  There are many websites that allow the consumer to rate hotels including TripAdvisor, Yelp, and Hotels.com to name a few.  If you may be concerned about the hotel you are going to be staying at you may want to consider checking out the reviews or even making a review based off of your personal experience.  Either way, make sure to protect yourself the next time you are staying at a hotel.

Fill out the form below to get started planning your next European Vacation.  Looking for a motor coach tour, self-drive, or private tour, we can easily put together the perfect European vacation for you and your family’s needs. 

When you book your vacation with a member of the Life is Better Traveling Team, you are supporting local families and business.  Thank you to everyone who has supported us over the past 4 years, we have become an AMAZING travel agency due to your support!

Please understand we get several requests per day for European vacations. We provide experiences for our clients that provide a lot of value. If you are looking for a budget vacation, that is NOT us.

 

What type of Traveler are You?

Liz Hough on

I absolutely love my job and the best part of my job is meeting new people.  I love hearing how someone had an amazing time on their vacation! When I hear this it means that I am doing a good job by pairing them on the right vacation.  But how do I know which vacation is right for each person?  I ask a lot of questions that help me understand what type of traveler you are.  You are probably thinking, “what kind of traveler am I?”  Here are some of the categories I have come up with: Active, Eco-friendly, History Buff, Beach, and Laid-back.  Believe it or not each person is a type of traveler and sometimes you may be more than one.   So read the categories below and figure out which type of traveler you are.

1. Active Traveler – the Active traveler is someone who doesn’t stop.  They want to enjoy every single moment of their vacation.  They get up early to be on the streets observing the locals and tasting that fresh baked bread as it comes out of the oven.  They usually sign up for at least one tour every day.  The Active traveler isn’t worried about where they are staying because they feel that it is just a bed, someplace to rest for a few hours.  They want to spend their time and money exploring and learning as much as possible.  Active travelers are also the most likely to enjoy some type of physical activity during their vacation!

2. Eco-Friendly Traveler – the Eco-Friendly traveler is someone who wants to do something better for the environment or a community.  Ecotourism is a very popular way to travel today.  Many people choose vacations where they submerse themselves in nature or helping a community.  They trek around the jungle or enjoy the sounds of the ocean while trying to do something good for the Earth.  The resorts they choose to stay at have little carbon footprint on the earth and believe in all natural products and foods.  This is a very healthy and rewarding way to travel!

3. History Buff Traveler – I love this category of traveler because I personally fall into this category.  I love reading about the places we are going to visit and preparing for everything we are going to see.  A History Buff is someone who likes to walk through old cities and take in their surroundings.  They appreciate and enjoy the history of the places they are in.  They typically like a city’s architecture, museums, shops, pubs, and/or attractions.  In some ways the History Buff is an Active traveler as they want to see everything and may get up early and stay out late, but they know their limits.  The History Buff has purchased travel books so that they know the general history, but they always look for guided tours so that can hear the local versions of the history.  Listening to stories and exploring off-the-beaten-path locations is the best part of their vacation!

 

4.  Beach Traveler– Beach Travelers really enjoy the beach.  Warm weather, white sand, and most importantly plenty of sun!  This type of traveler has going to the beach down to a science.  They have done their research on places and resorts, and if they find a destination that they really like they will go back there several times.  Beach Travelers tend to have the ultimate relaxation vacation because they don’t have anywhere else they need to be.  It’s all about soaking up the sun’s rays and re-energizing their body!  Don’t be fooled thinking that the Beach Traveler just lays on the beach all day, no sir.  They love the water too so snorkeling, paddling boarding, riding wave runners are just a few water activities that they love to do.

 

5.  Laid-back Traveler – the Laid-back traveler is the best type of traveler to take on vacation with any of the other type of travelers.  The Laid-back travelers are very happy to be away from their normal routine and most of the time are willing to do anything you want to do.  They don’t care what type of hotel or resort they are staying in, they just enjoy being away with their friends or family. They may want to have some time for themselves to just take a day and relax or sight-see on their own.  But they are interested in joining you on your adventures and will always say yes to the next vacation idea!

 

The great thing about a traveling type is that it sometime it changes.  In the middle of winter when we have had snow every day for 60 days straight, I am ready to be a Beach Traveler.  When I was younger I was more of the Active traveler as I didn’t want to miss anything.  Now, having kids has now made me more of the Laid-back traveler.  No matter which type of traveler you are there are so many amazing vacation to be had, so keep on traveling!

Fill out the form below to get started planning your next European Vacation.  Looking for a motor coach tour, self-drive, or private tour, we can easily put together the perfect European vacation for you and your family’s needs. 

When you book your vacation with a member of the Life is Better Traveling Team, you are supporting local families and business.  Thank you to everyone who has supported us over the past 4 years, we have become an AMAZING travel agency due to your support!

Please understand we get several requests per day for European vacations. We provide experiences for our clients that provide a lot of value. If you are looking for a budget vacation, that is NOT us.

 

Travel Agent Scams Local Families

Liz Hough on

For the past couple of weeks I have been writing about reasons one would use a travel agent and to watch out for hidden fees with those large Online Travel Agencies (OTA) like Travelocity.  I recently learned that in a small town outside of Pittsburgh, a lady who was a travel agent had been scamming people out of their hard earned money.  She had a brick and mortar office, was a member of the local chamber of commerce, was “licensed” according to the news station (but there was no elaboration on what they meant by being licensed), and even generated invoices for booked vacations.  Unfortunately it appears that she had her own debts to pay before her client’s vacations bills.  I am sure after reading this you are reconsidering using a travel agent, right?  Don’t be!  I am going to give you some tips on how to make sure that your travel agent is legitimate and how to avoid being scammed out of your hard earned money.

 

Tip #1:  Check their credentials.  Ask them if they have taken any course work related to travel and tourism.  Do they have certifications in the travel industry, are they rated on Angie’s list, the Better Business Bureau, or another reputable business rating website?  Are they part of any networking works like chamber of commerce, Business Network International (BNI), or the Women’s Business Network (WBN)?  And you should always ask for references!   Asking for a past client’s phone number or email address to give them a referral should be easy.

 

Tip #2:  When booking with a new travel agent, only give the deposit amount required to secure your booking, payment for any trip insurance, and any service fees your travel agent charges. Service fee amounts should be clearly stated on anything you sign.  Unless you are booking within a 90 day window of departure, you should not have to put down the full amount.  If your travel agent is requiring you put the full amount down, ask to see the supplier’s brochure and look in the very back for their deposit requirements.  If you feel uncomfortable about booking at that time, politely say “it was more than you were looking to put down at this time so you will have to get back with you later.”  Then get up and walk out!

 

Tip #3:  In a world where credit cards are so easily used and they seem to be like potato chips where we all don’t just have one, please always use your credit card.  There is built in fraud protection on most, if not all credit cards nowadays.  Use this card to make your deposits and final payments.  I would recommend against using a debit card unless you have been working with this person for years.  Please be aware of any travel agent who ONLY takes checks as their form of payment as it is very easy to set up an account to take credit cards.  Always check your credit card statements to ensure that the charges discussed are the exact charges on your bill.  And don’t be afraid to ask questions if you find an error.  An honest agent will review everything to find any mistakes.

 

Tip #4:  Once you have made your reservation, your travel agent should give you an invoice with a reservation number of the supplier being used.  If they have not, please ask them for this information.  This gives you the opportunity to call the supplier directly or go on the supplier’s website to verify your booking.  Now this sounds easy enough, but if you are part of a tour group that the travel agent has put together you will not have supplier reservation numbers.  The best way to double check your tour is legitimate is to call one of the hotels you will be staying at and ask them if your group is booked.

 

Tip #5:  Always listen to your instincts.  If you don’t click with your travel agent then please don’t feel like you have to stick with them.  Find someone who works well with you and your family.  If you feel like something is wrong, ask a lot of questions or just leave.  You have the right to ask questions.  My mother has always told me that “if it sounds too good to be true then it is too good to be true.”  There are deals out there that are really good, but do some research.  Before talking with your travel get an idea of the cost of the vacation you want to take but remember that your travel agent can sometimes get you the same price or lower with added amenities.

 

Now you are prepared to work with any travel agent!

Fill out the form below to get started planning your next European Vacation.  Looking for a motor coach tour, self-drive, or private tour, we can easily put together the perfect European vacation for you and your family’s needs. 

When you book your vacation with a member of the Life is Better Traveling Team, you are supporting local families and business.  Thank you to everyone who has supported us over the past 4 years, we have become an AMAZING travel agency due to your support!

Please understand we get several requests per day for European vacations. We provide experiences for our clients that provide a lot of value. If you are looking for a budget vacation, that is NOT us.

Beware of Booking Travel Online: Read the fine print.

Liz Hough on

I recently had a friend ask me what to do when she needed to change their flight that they booked through one of these large travel booking engines or in the travel business what we call an Online Travel Agency (OTA).  The problem was that the airline they were using was now using Expedia or Travelocity exclusively and not offering direct booking on their website.  When they needed to change the flight, they had to call the booking engine company directly and not the airline.  They had a lot of trouble speaking with a person and once they did they were charged all these extra fees to change the ticket.  These fees were almost as much as the cost of the original airline ticket!  So why do we use these travel booking engines, is it easier?

 

So many people ask me “why should I use you or any other travel agent when I can just book on-line?”  People who are looking for a “deal” only think that they can get that online.  Unfortunately, when you book online if something goes wrong it could end up costing you many hours, energy, and money to get it fixed.  My friend not only had to pay the airline fees to change the flight (which can be up to $150 on domestic or $200 on international) but they also had to pay the travel booking engine fee.  For example, Travelocity’s fee to reissue an airline ticket is $40 per passenger in addition to the airlines fees.

 

I looked further into these “fees” that some of these online booking engines charge.   I found that Travelocity also charges a “Processing Service Fee” for all cruise line reservations.  There is no set amount so it may vary depending on the price of your cruise.  When booking vacation packages they have a “Facilitation Fee” that you pay them for facilitating your travel arrangements.  Again, there is no amount so it probably is a percentage of your total amount of the vacation package.  All of these fees are incorporated into your final amount.  So double check when you get to the payment page the additional fees from the travel booking engine should be clearly listed.

 

Other travel booking engines like Expedia have similar fees but you really have to look deep in their website to find them.  If you don’t have the patience to do this then I would suggest going through the booking steps until you reach the final payment page to see how much the additional fees are and then decide if you want to continue.

If you did or didn’t know that you were paying these fees, do you still feel the same way about booking online?  Now my question is, why not pay a travel agent service fee to have a real life person to talk to and handle your reservation for you?  Some travel agents don’t have service fees but to me the ones that do are the one that are serious about what they do.  When we think of lawyers they charge a service fee and the more they charge we think the better they are.  So why not think this way about your travel agent?

 

I truly believe that if you are paying a service fee to a travel agent you should be able to get that person on the phone every time you call them and they should take care of any and all changes for you.  Having a travel agent also gives you peace of mind that when something goes wrong you have someone who is in your corner and already knows your information and details.  You won’t have to repeat it 10 times like my friend did with the booking engine company!  Also, travel agents can sometimes get you incentives that you won’t get from booking on-line.  Want a free massage, a suite upgrade, a $250 resort credit, or a free tour?  Yes, these are all incentives that, if available, a travel agent can provide to you.  When you book on-line you get what you order.  If you book a standard room you will get a standard room.  That’s it, no frills.

 

When it comes to finding a travel agent find someone out there who has a niche for where you want to travel.  Try them out.  They may or may not be a good fit for you.  When picking a travel agent make sure you do your research. You don’t want somebody who doesn’t know what they are doing or hasn’t been to the places they are selling.  I am speaking from experience, having had a great travel agent for our first  Mediterranean cruise.  She helped us find tours we never would have found on our own.  So when you find a travel agent you love, DON’T LOSE THEM!!!!  Good travel agents are like good doctors, they are hard to find but when you find them hold onto them, even if you have to pay a service fee!  Besides you will be spending a lot of money on your trip and you want the special touches and reassurance that a travel agent can give you.

Fill out the form below to get started planning your next European Vacation.  Looking for a motor coach tour, self-drive, or private tour, we can easily put together the perfect European vacation for you and your family’s needs. 

When you book your vacation with a member of the Life is Better Traveling Team, you are supporting local families and business.  Thank you to everyone who has supported us over the past 4 years, we have become an AMAZING travel agency due to your support!

Please understand we get several requests per day for European vacations. We provide experiences for our clients that provide a lot of value. If you are looking for a budget vacation, that is NOT us.

Is Flying Stressful? 5 Simple Steps to Calming Your Nerves.

Liz Hough on

Most of us love that feeling of soaring above the clouds and seeing how beautiful the sun reflects off of white cotton balls of softness.

All of a sudden you hit some turbulence and you remember that you are sitting in a confined “sardine can.”  So what happens in your brain to allow you to go from feeling like you are at peace to feeling like, “Please Lord, today is not my day.”

 

I always loved to fly even as a little girl.  The idea of going places was so exciting to me.  Flying to me was no different than driving in the car.  Like most people who become nervous about flying, I too had a bad experience.  In 2001, my husband and I were flying back from a trip to Disney World and there were bad thunderstorm all along the east coast.  Well, when you are flying from Florida to North Carolina there was no way of getting around the storm.  We were on a small Midway plane with maybe 25 passengers and the poor flight attendant tried so hard to serve us drinks and pretzels.  About 30 minutes into the flight even she couldn’t stand up.  She took a seat in the back of the plane with arms stretched out holding herself in place.  The good news was we landed and as I took a second to sit at the terminal to catch my breath the pilots come off the plane.  I am assuming or keep telling myself that this was only pilot humor when the one pilot said, “Man, I didn’t think we were going to make it there for a second.”  Instant FEAR OF FLYING!  It took me 4 years before I could get on a plane again.

 

Now luckily for me I did get on a plane again, but that first time was very rough for me and for those who flew with me.  Now being a travel agent you must be thinking I am crazy.  How can she be a travel agent and not like to fly?  Well, we all have parts of our job we aren’t thrilled about but we put our minds to it and it gets done.  And that is exactly what I did, I PUT MY MIND TO IT!  One bad or poor experience and my brain rewired itself into thinking that I didn’t like to fly.  Well, I had to rewire it to think that I can fly and that I will fly.

Waiting for information on flights after bad weather canceled ours.

So how did I do this:

 

Step 1 I Think I Can!:  From the time I booked my flight until the plane landed at the destination, I told myself that I can fly and I will fly.  I have a personal pep talk I give myself but you should find one that works for you.  Convincing yourself from the beginning gives the mindset that YOU CAN!

 

Step 2 Educate Yourself!:  I started to read stuff on the Internet about how planes work.  I don’t fully understand how my car works and I drive that every day but I do have a basic understanding of it. Even though I am not personally flying the plane, it is good to know what is going on.  There are a lot of noises too so I was curious what they were from.  I also read that turbulence in an airplane is like hitting pot holes in a car.  The planes are built to move along with the wind and pockets of air.  As my questions were answered, I started to realize that planes are extremely sturdy and noisy.

 

Step 3 Draw Yourself a Picture!:  About a month before I got on the plane, I started to picture myself in my seat.  I prefer the window seat because I love looking at the land.  I picture myself sitting in my seat whiles other are boarding, making noise putting their suitcases above me, having the screaming kid sitting near me, which now a days they are sitting with me, staring at the person who looks more nervous than me to fly, etc.  There are many scenarios you can picture but picturing them in a safe environment makes you FEEL safe.  So once you get on that plane you have that same feeling.  Again, mindset.

 

Step 4 Meet New People!:  I love meeting new people.  So as soon as I get on the plane I like to say hello to the flight attendants.  Ask them how they are doing, where they have been, are they almost done for the day is one of my husband’s favorite questions, and sometime we even talk about their families.  This is a more recent conversation topic since I board with two little ones and people love to tell me about their experiences flying with their kids.  It is great as it keeps my mind from thinking of flying.  Maya Angelou said that “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”   The flight attendants may not remember our conversation but every time I have flown they remember me and I get extra pretzels or even the can of soda with the drink.

 

Step 5 Rituals!:  So right before take-off I have a little ritual that my grandmother used to do every time she got into a car or a plane.  She would do her cross.  I find myself doing it not only to myself but to my husband and kids.  My husband and I also like to make sure that we kiss right before we take off, another ritual.  I have heard of a lot of amazing rituals that people do to make themselves feel better.  When they tell me they usually laugh like it may be a bit silly, but if it makes you feel good and helps calm your nerves then do it.  There are more people on that plane who have rituals then don’t.

 

I have come a long way since that flight in 2001.  I have rewired my brain and now the only time I get nervous is during turbulence, even if they are the pot holes of the skies.  Hopefully some of these tips will come in handy the next time you set foot a plane for your next journey.

Fill out the form below to get started planning your next European Vacation.  Looking for a motor coach tour, self-drive, or private tour, we can easily put together the perfect European vacation for you and your family’s needs. 

When you book your vacation with a member of the Life is Better Traveling Team, you are supporting local families and business.  Thank you to everyone who has supported us over the past 4 years, we have become an AMAZING travel agency due to your support!

Please understand we get several requests per day for European vacations. We provide experiences for our clients that provide a lot of value. If you are looking for a budget vacation, that is NOT us.

 

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