Lake Tahoe At Dusk

Lake Tahoe At Dusk
TIME TO GET AWAY

Sunday, June 23, 2013

Country Roads - Take You Home on Your Next #Vacation

Have you ever wanted to go on a Road Trip?  Well it is not to late to start planning. a fantastic Vacation that will spark the interest of every family member.    Many people don't know where to start and this is where I can help you.




Get out an Atlas or your computer and plot out an area that you would love to explore.  It always help if you have some land marks, points of Interest, Lakes or National Park and Monuments.  The US is so filled with National Treasures that you will find a Nation Park in almost every state. Some people are taking trips and doing Genealogy and studying some family History.  There are lots of Road Trips that will allow you to do some Winery Tours, Cave or Caverns exploration, State or National Parks, checking out lighthouses.  What Interests YOU and just expand on it. 

One sample of a Great Road trip is to plan on attending a Family Reunion, but you can always include some sites of interest along the way.  To have a Great Road Trip there are just a few helpful hints.  Country Roads Take you home to where your Family Ancestors came from.  Secondary Roads offer a chance to get off those Freeways and start seeing what this country is all about.

Road Trips Tips:

1.  Rent a Car.  This will allow unlimited mileage and these vehicles are well maintained for less mechanical problems

2.  Get an updated Road Atlas, don't use a 20 year old Atlas as there will be some New Roads that have been created

3.  Drive a long distance on your first day of your trip,.  Most families aren't use to driving long hours, but if you do it mostly over a two day period then you will have more time to see the sites

4.  Always have your passport along with you.  You Can Not drive into Canada or Mexico without one.  You will be very disappointed if you are going along and then you find out for example that you would like to explore the back side of Glacier National Park, and you realize it is in CANADA. Be prepared to make some changes in your route.

5.  Hotels.  This is my best advise.  Be sure to know what discounts that you qualify for and when planning a route, estimate where you might need to stop for the night.  Call ahead around 12:00 noon - 2:00 pm.  Having an advanced reservation will allow you to get the best rate, plus you will find availability.  We found that when you are traveling across country and you come to a Large Cross Roads out in the middle of NO WHERE Hotels will be FULL.

6.  Cell Phones, First Aide Kits, extra Blankets and pillows.  If you have two drivers it is very helpful to have some comforts of home to get some sleep before you have another driving shift. (don't forget those chargers, Computers and traveling apps to help you get the driving times between Major Cities.

7.  Site Seeing is a personal thing so I will have to leave that up to your imagination.  We enjoy the National Parks as they provide learning experiences for the kids, magnificent beauty for the Camera Buffs and some amazing learning centers to become educated on wild life and wild flowers native to the area.

These are just a few tips I, as a Travel Agent would like to provide for that Road Trip that you put off until now.  Happy and Safe Travels.

Jeanne Felix, Travel Agent
Hearts on the Go Travel,
Division of Cordially Yours Travel
California registered Seller of Travel #1013939-40
http://www.travelatheart.com
http://www.facebook.com/travelagentjeannefelix



Thursday, June 6, 2013

Traveling and Making Use of Your Free Time on Vacation

When sitting at an airport is a perfect time to keep you informed about my Travel Thoughts.  You have lots of free time at the airport and in between your flights.  International Flights offer the best quality time to make great use of your personal travel needs.  The Idea is to make use of your Free Time on Vacation.




Make sure that you have signed up for the Frequent Flyer programs and pay attention that you have called in the Frequent Flyer Number.  Most airlines have several Travel Partners that will give you mileage for your flights.  Example  US AIR is a partner with United, so you can earn Mileage Plus credits for you US AIR itinerary.  Every flight adds up and I highly recommend signing up for the larger carrier Frequent Flyers Programs to take advantage of increasing your value of your flight.  Lots of Mileage earns you a free flight.

Arrive early enough so that you can check your last minute emails and get caught up with your social media platforms.  There are some great platforms that offer you the opportunity to post information while you are away.  Hootesuite.com and Bundlepost.com are some of the ones that I use and are great for keeping you live while you are on Vacation.  Try them out and you will be amazed how can keep current with the Media World.

Call last minute reminders to family and friends (take time to make sure that you have wished your best friends a Happy Birthday etc or plant an ideas of traveling with you friends next trip).


Get the latest news and travel updates.  Example flooding in Europe that has caused the cancellation of a River Boat Cruise.  Recently there have been 3 sailing dates that have been cancelled due to weather and Flooding.  Keep in front of your itinerary with weather and travel advisories.

Check in for your flights early and allow some time to start reading that great book that has you name all over it.

Keeping informed is the best thing you can do to make your travels go smoother and hassle free.  Happy and Safe Travels

Jeanne Felix, .
Travel Agent
http://www.travelatheart.com
http://www.facebook.com/travelagentjeannefelix
@travelatheart - Twitter