“If It sounds too good to be true…….”

Just today I opened an official looking envelope with an official looking travel agency return address and discovered yet another way for the traveling public to be duped.  Inside the envelope was a very authentic looking “boarding pass” declaring that I had won the right to board a “cruise of my choosing”.  All I could do was roll my eyes.  For more than 30 years,  I’ve seen this kind of promotion over and over again…maybe a fax offering you the last remaining seats on a trip, or like this mailing, the announcement that you’d won a place on a cruise.

May I make it easy for you to decide whether or not you’ve a travel scam invitation?  Pick up the phone, call me and READ me what you received.  I can tell you horror stories, if you’re interested, about folks who invested their honeymoon dollars or travel budget dollars on one of these supposedly great deals.  Deals that never actually materialized; or at least, not in the way the buyer planned for them to.

We are so fortunate in this area to have many, many good travel agents and tour companies who will serve you with integrity and honesty.   And there ARE good deals out there in the legimate travel industry.  Keep your travel dollars in our community by using someone you know and trust.  And remember, if it sounds too good to be true……it’s not for you!

But, boy…does that boarding pass look official.

Having a great time.  Wish you were here.

Vickie

Gum on the sidewalk and other casualties of summer.

Yesterday afternoon I stepped on a piece of chewed gum on the sidewalk. It was my 3rd time this summer to get this stuff on my flip-flops and white slacks as I strung it along for my next few steps.   People, please toss your gum in the nearest trash recepticle, or at least do what my grandmother did and wrap it in a tissue. Please.

Melted gum on the sidewalk is a casualty of a hot Texas summer.   Other casualties include lipstick left in your car (actually, anything left in your car) and spring blooming plants.  Surviving the summer are folks heading to Alaska  and the snow-cone vendor on Taylor Street.

If you’re like many of my clients, you’re already thinking about cooler days (and those crisp nights!) that await us in the next few weeks.  Fall destinations and tours which visit popular “leaf-peeping” spots are filling rapidly, so don’t wait for our first football weather to decide you want to see the leaves change this year! 

Speaking of football, our first two trips to tour the new Dallas Cowboys Stadium were incredibly exciting and successful.  We’re offering a cooler-weather option for those who missed out on our earlier trips on Tuesday October 6.  Go with me again and let me show you this incredible entertainment venue.  It’s the most beautiful large structure I’ve ever seen.  By the time we go, the season will be in full swing, so we’ll get to actually see the names on the locker-room spaces and the football turf surface will be installed.  Same price of $80 will get you motorcoach transportation, tour ticket, snacks and refreshments on our coach and a full lunch.  Sign up now and impress your friends! 

I’ve been busy this August planning for great getaways for the remainder of 2009 and for exciting departures for 2010.   Give me a call if you’re looking for something to do for Labor Day, or if you want to be on the list for our upcoming fall and holiday motorcoach tours.      For you individual travelers, there are lots of bargains out there in the travel industry.  Give me a call if you need to finish up your summer with a trip!

Having a great time, Wish you were here,

Vickie

You just gotta see this stadium…

Well, I went. And I gawked. And craned my neck. It’s just unbelievable, this billion dollar Dallas Cowboys Stadium. It’s amazingly elegant and beautiful in its all-new-shiny-ness. But it’s not cheesy, in any way. If you’re going with me on one of my Dallas Cowboy Tours, you are in for SUCH a treat! (And, you’re gonna love your choices for lunch…..) If you’ve not yet signed up yet, now’s the time. My ad is going to hit the paper on Wednesday, so get your name on the list before then. Only my August 6th trip has seats left, but I can put you on a waitlist for the 4th trip if that’s the only date you can get away. Just plan to go…and soon. I would hate for that “new stadium” smell to go away before you get there!

Having a great time.
Wish you were here.
Vickie

How do you want to feel when you get home from your trip?

This may seem like an odd question, but it’s one that I often ask my clients who are not sure where they want to go, or what they want to do when they get there.  People travel for a multitude of reasons, and it’s my job to figure out the best way to fulfill their particular needs.  Do you want to leave early, return late and squeeze every drop of activity out of every minute? I’ve got just the place for you.  Or maybe you want to come home relaxed and de-stressed…there are fabulous destinations and hotels that will treat you just the way you want.  Or maybe you want to return home with a new appreciation of art and history…I can plan tours and activities that will enrich the learning process….it’s your call….you just need to tell me what you want.

Regardless of why my clients travel, or how they want to feel when they get home, they all have one thing in common:  they all want to feel like they’ve been treated well and received good value for their travel dollars.   It’s my challenge each and every day to fulfill that need, and one that I never take for granted.

So, here’s to those good feelings and memories that come from a wonderful trip to…..anywhere.  The world is waiting for you to get there!

Having a great time.  Wish you were here,

Vickie

If you build it..they will come.

Who’d have thought that the newly completed Dallas Cowboys Stadium in Arlington would be such a popular destination for this summer?!  My advertisement for our August 4 Stadium tour came out on Wednesday morning, and by the afternoon I had sold 49 of my 50 tickets!  Needless to say, I’m doing a second date for those who called on Thursday, missing out on the original trip. 

 I thought it might be a fun afternoon for folks, but I was surprised that it has turned out to be such a popular day trip.  I guess everyone wants to see what a billion dollars buys these days.

Stay tuned for a report on my preview tour next week.  I’ve been invited down to join other tour escorts and see what all the excitement is about.  Walking shoes for sure.

Having a great time.   Wish you were here,

Vickie

Staycations this summer

The new catchphrase for vacations in this economy is “staycation”. (you know, you STAY at home for your vacation.)  While,  as a travel agent, that idea doesn’t warm my bank account, I realized that I’ve actually been doing that for years….since I travel extensively for work, my idea of real relaxation is to stay at home.   Not to pack or plan or make lists or reconfirm or make advance calls or to worry about my group members or the weather or the million other things that can affect a successful trip.

In the summer, I sleep deeply in my own bed, on crisp cotton sheets, wake to the smell of my favorite coffee brewing (thanks, honey!) and stand in front of my closet filled with my favorite summer cottens and linens. After my morning prayer time (I’ve currently got a long list of named prayer recipients) I step outside to arm myself with a waterhose to fight off the effects of the Texas summer heat on my blooming  flowerpots, then I can walk down the hall to my office, where I always look forward to what the day brings with others who are wanting to go somewhere else.   Staycation indeed.

Having a great time…wish you were here.
Vickie

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