A Year in the Life
So many of you are interested in what I do and comment on how much fun it is. I thought I’d give you some insight into a year in my life, just for fun.
Let’s begin back in December when Kassey and I joined 74 of our customers onboard the Viking Tialfi for a marvelous Christmas Cruise on the Rhine. The Tialfi is a very new ship and simply gorgeous. I was quite surprised that the public spaces weren’t crowded. Viking ships carry 190 passengers when the competition carries 160 on the same size vessel, so I was very worried about overcrowding. There was none. The cabins were substantially smaller than competitors’ cabins, but our customers loved the cruise and no one seemed to mind. The staff and tours were excellent, as were the meals. A fun time was had by one and all an even the weather seemed to cooperate with us which is amazing for December in Europe.
Then in January I took a small group of customers to the Westin on Maui. It was a gorgeous resort and a fun group of folks. Most of us went our own way every day but we did occasionally get together for some beach or meal time fun. I was able to see some things on Maui I had been unable to make time for on previous trips there. Best of all we took a helicopter up to Hana hugging the Eastern coast of Maui, had a marvelous lunch in Hana, and then had a private driver take us back down on the road to Hana. The road to Hana is much better when someone else does the driving. Just saying. The weather did not cooperate on this trip, it rained for several days, and not just a brief shower but for hours. We made the best of it.
In April I took a group on my Imperial Palace tour, one I had been looking forward to for years. It included Munich, Neuschwanstein, Innsbruck, Salzburg, and Vienna. It was a great group and an absolutely gorgeous trip. I never met a castle I didn’t like so it was right up my alley. I also love German food, so another big hit was the food. Our guide was Croatian and one of the best I’ve had. We saw some of the most amazing scenery. The cities were immaculately clean, something we all noticed and commented on. I’d certainly do this one again.
Then in May Apple Vacations asked its’ top agency owners to attend meetings in Cancun. It was only four days and I gained a lot of insight that has proven to be very valuable.
In June Funjet Vacation asked its’ top agency owners to attend meetings in Jamaica. Again it was only four days and again it was very beneficial to me from a business owner perspective.
Coming up in September I am going on a 2 week fully escorted tour of Spain, Portugal, and even an overnight in Morocco. As the song says “I’ve never been to Spain, but I’ve been to Oklahoma”. I am really looking forward to this trip. This area of Europe has been on my bucket list for quite some time.
In October I will cruise the Danube onboard the amazing new AMA Magna, the widest river cruise ship in Europe. For those of you who joined me on our Viking Christmas cruise, this ship holds the same amount of people on a ship literally double the size. Our cabin onboard the Magna is 355 square feet. I am over the moon. AMA offers 2-3 excursions per port where the industry leader offers only one excursion per port included in the price. It will be nice to have options that don’t incur additional costs. AMA is known for its’ amazing food quality, so I am grateful for the opportunity to compare it to Viking and Avalon.
In December I am going back to Jamaica. I loved the resort where we stayed in June so much I wanted to be sure to take Doug there ASAP. A few customers are joining us, and there’s room for you if you want to come along for the fun.
That’s 8 trips, two of them 2 weeks in length, within one year. That’s pretty typical. When I say I don’t recommend any place or brand I haven’t tried first, I actually mean it.
My agents travel almost as much as I do. Just last month I sent one of them to Cabo for a week touring resorts, then on to the Dominican Republic for 5 days touring resorts. The night she returned to Tulsa from Cabo she landed at midnight, went home to grab some sleep, and was back at the airport and onboard the SAME PLANE at 5AM to head to the Dominican Republic. That’s dedication.
We take an enormous amount of pride in the fact we try something first before recommending it to you. That’s a world of difference between us and the competition, most of whom spend their days in an office focused on meeting sales goals.
So far in 2020 I will be spending 5 weeks in Greece escorting back to back tours there. I plan to spend Valentine’s Day at a marvelous resort in Cancun, and who knows what the rest of the year will bring. One thing is for sure and certain, I’ll be taking advantage of every opportunity to try something new and be able to personally recommend, or not recommend it, to you.
Your Globetrotting Friend,