New Year's Eve - Plan for Next Year?

It's New Year's Eve afternoon. As I look back over this last year, there have been a lot of changes in our lives. I have a new son-in-law. Last year at this time, if anyone had said that I would have told them they were crazy! My other two children are both in relationships. I don't think that has ever happened that all 3 of my kids have been in relationships at the same time.

My parents moved from Florida to Tennessee. Definitely didn't think that would ever happen and it is good to get them closer to us.

My wife turned 50 this year and we celebrated our 30th anniversary...and they said it wouldn't last. :)

What does next year hold? If you look back at my first blog post, I mentioned last year's Christmas present to the family was a cruise in 2010. I did it again this year. Lisa and I are going on the Norwegian Epic in January. It will be a great time for us to get away and recharge and allow us to have an 'Epic New Year'.

What about you? What kind of travel/vacations do you have planned next year? I know what you are thinking. "I don't have a couple of thousand dollars I can spend on a vacation right now." I completely understand, but how about putting a deposit down on your dream vacation and then making payments? I've had many clients do just that. For a cruise, normally the deposit is no more than $250 per person and some of the shorter cruises can be as little as $100 or $150. Then you can make payments up to 45-60 days prior to the cruise. Before the final payment date, there is no penalty if something happens and you have to cancel.

Don't want to do a cruise? Prefer a land-based all-inclusive? You can do the same thing with those. Most places do require that you pay the airfare up front, but I do know of one tour operator that has a $268/per deposit that includes the airfare. The one downside is that it is non-refundable due to the airfare portion being purchased, but you again can make payments you can afford and have the vacation of a lifetime.

Make sure you take time this year to travel somewhere. Even if it is 10 miles away to someplace in your hometown you haven't seen, do something in 2011. You will never regret it!

Two Nights before Christmas and All through the House...

Christmas changes as we grow older. My wife just mentioned that this is the first Christmas that we haven't had our family all together. One of our daughter's got married this year and they will be spending Christmas with his family. That is fine. His job kept them from being able to spend any of the Thanksgiving weekend with his family. They will be missed, but I know his mom and dad are looking forward to seeing them.

So here we are, two nights before Christmas, sitting alone in the dark, the fireplace on, watching The Santa Clause. Times change as we grow older. At least this year we have all of the shopping done already. I think that is a first.

I remember many Christmas Eve's sitting up and putting Santa gifts together. The kids told me they heard me playing the Nintendo 64 one Christmas Eve. This year will be different. Quieter, but somehow more satisfying. Some of the presents are known, others will hopefully be a pleasant surprise, but we can never forget the true meaning of Christmas.

As the presents are open and the wrapping paper is thrown away, don't forget the Baby in a manger and what that Baby truly means.

Behind the Curtain

There are so many different travel blogs. So many different blogs all over the blogosphere, why should you read another? That is a good question. I guess the next question would be, why would I write one? That question is probably the easier of the two to answer. I was challenged, as are up to 100 other Travel Agents to write a blog every weekday for 100 days.

That is a daunting task, and I will do everything I can to make this interesting and try not to do too much salesmanship in the following days. What I want to do is help make the reader a more informed traveler. All of us travel. Some of us may not travel far, but we all travel somewhere. Even in our own backyards, we can find something interesting to do or somewhere to go.

On this 100 day journey, I hope to inspire you. I hope to let you have a glimpse into my life, as mundane as it may be, and to let you know why I became a Travel Agent.

On with the journey. If you have any questions or comments, please let me know. If you want to learn more about anything posted here or you have questions about planning your personal travel. If you have suggestions for topics to be discussed, I am open to that as well. I am here to serve you. You can email me or visit Cruznmore Travel.

Christmas Past and Travel

Christmas is almost here. Is Santa done at your house? Have you thought about what you will be doing for your vacation next year? Last year in our household, we decided to do a Cruise for the entire family. The cruise was in August, but we told everyone on Christmas. That was their Christmas present last year. We were able to give them personalized luggage tags and our children (young adults now) were able to plan and get ready for the months prior.

If you haven't finished your shopping yet, maybe you could do something similar. But if you do, make sure you contact a Travel Agent. You don't want to end up like the Griswalds. :)