On the move....

My blog has moved to my website.   Check here:

http://www.tpiworldwide.com/WendyVanderMeulenTPI/travel_blog.asp

Bucket List Travel - 2

Egypt

I've read several books about Egypt (about Cleopatra, Nefertiti, and general excavations - I've found I love books on history - of any country or person, really) and seen movies filmed there (Mummy series, Indiana Jones) and I find it a fascinating country.  I wouldn't go there to recreate the movies, but the history... the architecture... I find it simply AMAZING what was done with so little all those years ago.  The Pyramids - can you imagine going inside one? - the Sphinx, the Valley of the Kings, the whole city of Alexandria, Luxor, the Nile River.  Fantastic stuff - because so much of it is still there to see!

So, what's the best way to go there?  I would suggest either Tourcan Vacations' 11-Day "Spectacular Egypt" or Goway Travel's 15-day "Grand & Mysterious Egypt."  And the great thing about the Goway tour is that only 2 people are required to book in order for the tour to go ahead!  And both offer other ways to extend your tour, either in Egypt or other Middle East/Africa locations.

Talk to me.  I'll get you there!

Wendy

Wendy VanderMeulen
Travel Professionals International
Direct:  613-987-1164
http://www.tpiwendy.ca/
wendyv@tpi.ca
www.twitter.com/TPIWendy

Bucket List Travel - 1

Antarctica

Know anyone who dreams of going to Antarctica?  I do.  My husband.  He has a shelf of books at home dedicated to the Antarctic and Sir Ernest Shackleton and his trips to the area.  He is fascinated by the determination of this man to reach the South Pole.  He is intrigued by the stories of the ship locked in ice and the trek Shackleton and two of his mates, Worsley and Crean, made across part of the "frozen continent" to look for help to save their shipmates.  He dreams of retracing those steps.  He dreams of taking a trip that truly follows the ship's course, and visits the islands and places on South Georgia island that Shackleton touched.

There are several companies that offer trips and tours and cruises to Antarctica.  You can go as rough as you like or as pampered as you like.   Dog sled?  It can be arranged.  Happy to see the ice from the sliding doors of the suite on your cruise ship?  It can be arranged.  Want something sort of in the middle?  It can be arranged.

The best time to travel to Antarctica is during our winter, when it is their summer (such as it is!).  There is only a small window of travel time, and the number of travellers to the continent is limited.  Every year, we hear word that there will be less and less options for going, as there is a lot of pressure to keep the area as pristine as possible.  Perhaps an eduational-type visit would be the best option.

Some companies to consider:

Gap Adventures
Expedition Trips
Hurtigruten Cruises
Fathom Expeditions (picture above is from Fathom Expedition website)

Whatever you're thoughts are, talk to me.  We can work something out!

Wendy
Wendy VanderMeulen
Travel Professionals International
Direct tel:  613-987-1164
wendyv@tpi.ca
http://www.tpiwendy.ca/

What's on your Bucket List?

How many times have you heard that a person's dream is to "Go to _______"?  I think we all have special places that we would love to travel to - someday. 

So, what places are on your bucket list?  And how do you plan to go about getting there?

Keep an eye out for a soon-to-be organized "Bucket List Travel Group."  Some things just have a better opportunity to succeed when done with friends and friends-to-be (people with the same likes and passions that you have).

Details will be posted here and on my website, as soon as they are worked out.  In the meantime, feel free to let me know WHERE your bucket list would take you....

Wendy

Wendy VanderMeulen
Travel Professionals International
Direct Tel:  613-987-1164
wendyv@tpi.ca
http://www.tpiwendy.ca/

A trip to Detroit

This morning, I booked the motorcoach that will take interested square dancers to Detroit for the 60th National Square & Round Dance Convention in June 2011 (http://www.60nsdc.com/).  It's a great coach, too!  The newest in the 417 Bus Lines fleet of "smaller" coaches, but it's not really smaller.  What they've done is take a regular-sized bus, take OUT the last 8 or 10 rows of seats, and put in a lounge area!  There's a fridge, counter space, couches, and a couple of small tables.  Very neat!  (You can tell I'm excited - look at all the "!" I use... :-)

So, the plan is to leave Ottawa sometime in the morning of Sunday, June 19.  Drive as far as Guelph, picking up passengers along the way.  We'll spend the night in Guelph.  No need to get up too early on Monday, June 20 in order to make it to the Marriott Renaissance in Detroit early in the afternoon.  Get settled in, check out the area, have a relaxing dinner...

Tuesday and Wednesday, before the dancing starts on Wednesday evening, there's time to take in guided tours of the area.  Personally, I plan to go on the "Frankenmuth & Christmas Village" tour one day, and "Greenfield Village and Henry Ford Museum" on the other day.  YOU can do whatever you want, but it would be fun to do at least one tour as a group.  :-)

Dancing goes on all day Thursday, Friday, and Saturday - and if you don't want to do that much dancing, feel free to take advantage of other organized tours, or do your own thing.

We will leave Detroit on Sunday, June 26, and drive just as far as Toronto, where we will spend the night at the Novotel Toronto North York.  This hotel is practically across the road from the Toronto Centre for the Performing Arts.  As soon as I can find out what will be playing there, I'll see about getting groups tickets to a performance - for those who want to do that.  A final dinner together is also part of the plan.  Then, once again, after a not-early morning :-), we'll head for Ottawa, arriving there mid afternoon.

Sound like a plan?  :-)  Hope you'll join us.  There's only room for 26 people on the bus, so block your seat early!

Wendy VanderMeulen
wendyv@tpi.ca
http://www.tpiwendy.ca/
Facebook:  search for TPI Wendy

Help!

OK, I admit it.  I'm not as great a writer as I had envisioned myself to be.  Well, not quite.  If I have a subject to write about, I can go on for quite some time.  The problem is deciding what to write about.

So, here is where YOU come in.  Comment on my post with a question about travel - absolutely ANY question at all - and I'll respond with a post geared to your specific question.  Give me a topic - any topic!  Ask me a question.  Get me started....

Wendy

Travel Professionals International
Direct:  613-987-1164
wendyv@tpi.ca
http://www.tpiwendy.ca/

Winter is on the way

Yes, much as we hate to admit it, winter is on the way. I don't know where you are, but it almost feels like it, today. After a week of hot, humid weather - low 30's, feeling like low 40's with the humidity - today is dry and 18'C. Such a change, it almost feels like winter... OK, not quite, but it's obvious that summer is as good as over.

Which means that this is the best time to book your winter vacation! Book early and take advantage of Early Booking Bonuses.  Most tour companies offer good discounts if packages are booked and paid in full well before you travel.  I've recently booked people to Holguin, Cuba, on a cruise to southern Caribbean, and on cruises to eastern and western Caribbean. 

Something new that tour companies are beginning to do is offer people longer vacations.  All Inclusives have always been one or two weeks.  Now you can get 10 or 11 days, or whatever works for you.  Leave on a Friday and come back 10 days later on a Sunday.  How cool is that!  Ask me about it.

I spent time yesterday looking at Iberostar Resorts.  There  are quite a few, in Jamaica, Mexico, Dominican Republic, and Cuba.  I like to think of them as Classy resorts without the Classy price.  They are all 4* or better.  Ask for more information.

Hope you're all having a great Labour Day Weekend.

Wendy

Wendy VanderMeulen
Travel Professionals International
wendyv@tpi.ca
http://www.tpiwendy.ca/
http://www.facebook.com/ (search for "TPI Wendy")

Planning ahead

When looking forward to a trip, how far ahead should a person plan?  I am a firm believer in planning as far ahead as possible.  Two reasons that come to mind immediately are:

1.  Get exactly what you want and not what's available.  Why take the chance that what you want will be sold out because you waited too long to book your trip?  Plan ahead and get what YOU WANT.
2.  Looking forward to a trip makes it so much more like a big holiday.  Thinking of it; dreaming of it; talking about it.  Isn't that exciting!!??  When you plan ahead, you can do that!

Oh, here's a third reason - and a very important one - get a great price when you book ahead and take advantage of early booking bonuses!  :-)

As a travel agent, I like to plan group space for tours well in advance - for all those reasons.  Here are a few to think about:

1.  Forget your snowsuit - get into your swimsuit! - January 9-16, 2011 cruise to the Caribbean on Royal Caribbean's Liberty of the Seas (http://www.libertyoftheseasondemand.com/).  Go down a day early to safeguard yourself against being delayed due to bad weather.  There's nothing worse that missing your ship!!!  Book a balcony cabin - INCLUDING taxes, fees, gratuities, AND the hotel stay the night before - for only $1675 CAD per person!  Check my website (see below) for more details.

2. Square Dancer alert - get on the bus and join about 5,000 other dancers in Detroit, Michigan for the annual US National Square Dance Convention.  Tentative dates are June 20-27, 2011.  Travel by bus (what fun!!!!) and stay together in a hotel close to the action.  Prices will be released soon.

3.  February 4-11, 2012 cruise from New York to the Bahamas on the Norwegian Jewel (http://www.ncl.com/nclweb/fleet/publicRooms.html?shipCode=JEWEL).  A bus to New York will be arranged, but you can fly if you wish.  Prices will be realeased soon.  Fun times guaranteed!

Plan your holidays!  Join us!   Plan ahead - it works best!! :-)

Wendy

Wendy VanderMeulen
Travel Professionals International
Direct Tel:  613-282-0575
wendyv@tpi.ca
http://www.tpiwendy.ca/
 

Victoria Day

Thank goodness for a holiday Monday!  Not that it's ever really a holiday for people like me who work from home, but it still feels like a holiday - especially that little glass of wine with lunch.

But the travel business must go on.  And it does go on - which is one of the reasons that I don't write on this blog too often.  Probably not a good excuse is it!  So I have more....

On April 15th, we put our house on the market.  By May 20th, we'd sold our home and bought a new one.  I never knew it was so time consuming to do that!  The amount of time we spent driving around the country looking at houses for sale.....  The number of times we couldn't be in our home because a buyer was interested in looking at it.....  The visits to the real estate agent's office to sign papers.....  The time spent cleaning house, so it was always sparkling at a moment's notice.... Sigh....  Sometimes work got pushed aside.

And, just when that was just about history, I got a call from my old job asking if I could fill in for a few hours a week to help straighten some things out.  Turns out the person who replaced me did not work out.  So, with that thrown into the pot, blogging was the last thing on my mind.  Sorry!

Now that things are back to normal (as normal as can be with working towards moving in July), I hope to be a little more regular here.  Keep an eye out.  I'll be back!

Wendy

Wendy VanderMeulen
Travel Professionals International
Direct tel:  613-282-0575
wendyv@tpi.ca
http://www.tpiwendy.ca/

Time flies.....

Times just flies by much too quickly!  That's what happens when you're busy, I guess.  Take today, for example - after doing some updates to my websites (http://www.tpiwendy.ca/ and http://www.johnandwendy.ca/), finalizing a newsletter, and checking to see if air to Portugal is available for December yet (it's not), I talked to a client about a trip that was going to be in 2011 but that will now happen in 2012 - but she got me working on a short trip to Boston this fall and a 2-week trip to the Maritimes this summer; then I contacted a client about a request for a cruise for 4-5 couples in 2011; and then I visited a new client about an Alaska cruise in 2011!  Sure makes the day fly by.

These cruises in 2011 seem like a long way away, but it's so good to plan ahead.  That way, you get what YOU want, and not just what's available.  Plus Early Booking Bonuses really are bonuses that are worth taking advantage of.

And the clients on the Alaska cruise did a very good thing - while they were on a cruise earlier this year, they booked their next cruise!  That way, their deposit was minimal ($100 USD per person) AND they earned a shipboard credit!  That's the way to do it, for sure.

And these people who are looking ahead to those trips now, will find that they will be here before they know it!  After looking forward to a holiday for months and months, it seems like all of a sudden it's time to go, and suddenly your trip is just a memory.

So, don't delay booking your holiday - regardless of when and where you want to go, it pays to book ahead - or else time will fly by and you will have missed getting exactly what you wanted.

Wendy

Wendy VanderMeulen
Travel Professionals International
Direct Tel:  613-282-0575
wendyv@tpi.ca
http://www.tpiwendy.ca/
www.facebook.com/wendy.vandermeulen

Why groups are great to travel with

I had the opportunity to make a short presentation to my BNI Chapter this morning (http://www.bnieast.com/cgi-bin/db.pl?h=frm_members&s_chapter_id=25) and covered a variety of items, like cruising, train trips, motorcoach tours, and touring Canada.  The questions and comments that followed brought out how neat it is to travel as a group - whatever your holiday preference.

I was asked about taking a group to Montreal, New York City, San Francisco, a Caribbean cruise, and a Mediterranean cruise.  All great places to go, and a great variety of ways to get around!

The very best thing about group travel is that no one is host, so no one ever has to excuse him/herself to prepare supper, do dishes, make beds, clean the bathroom, etc....  All those things that have to be done are taken care of by someone else.  You just relax, visit with your group (family? old school mates? church group? dance group? athletes?) and really have a holiday.  How fantastic is that!!??

Contact me about your idea of a group holiday, and I'll get all of you there!

Wendy

Wendy VanderMeulen
Travel Professionals International
"I'll get you there."
Direct Tel:  613-282-0575
wendyv@tpi.ca
http://www.tpiwendy.ca/

Why use a Travel Agent?

I was asked that question just yesterday morning at a networking meeting.  There are various reasons:

1.  We have relationships with Tour companies and airlines that the public does not have. 
2.  We take the time to research your holiday completely, to make sure you are getting what you expect and what you want.
3.  We know the questions to ask to make sure there are no "surprises" when you get to your destination.
4.  We have access to Tour company and airlines inventory and can book directly from that inventory.
5.  We are working for YOU; we aren't working to fill our plane or our resort or our cruise ship....
6.  We are licensed professionals, which gives you the security of knowing your holiday investment is protected by TICO, the Travel Industry Council of Ontario, which oversees the travel industry in Ontario.

Coincidentally, I had lunch with a client yesterday, and she told me that she wanted to work with a Travel Agent because it was too time consuming for her to do all the research herself.  And she wanted the assurance of getting the best value for her money, as she knew that a professional would know better what she wanted.

I'd be happy to sit down with you to talk about these very things, and to talk about your travel plans, too.  Afterall, I do make house calls (or Tim Horton's calls, or Starbucks calls.....)

I'll get you there...

Wendy

Wendy VanderMeulen
Travel Professionals International
Direct Tel:  613-282-0575
wendyv@tpi.ca
http://www.tpiwendy.ca/

Pros and Cons of cruising

Just got back from a breakfast out with a friend.  It's a usual Friday event and there is usally up to 6 of us, but this time it was just me and Howard.  I had previously sent him some information on Barge Cruising in France.  So we talked about that and cruising in general.

Turns out, he wouldn't mind doing a "big ship" cruise but his wife is "afraid" of being confined to a ship.  I explained that you aren't really confined when there is thousands of square feet of space to move around in, and islands to visit, and private balconies to enjoy.  And if not being able to leave the ship whenever she wants is an issue, there are cruises available where the ship is in a port every day so she can be off the ship every day, all day long.

He just laughed and said, You need to talk to her, not me. 

When people have never been on a cruise before, they really don't know what it is like.  I have sent quite a few people on their first-time cruise and NOT ONE has come back saying they would never do it again.  Even the woman who only went because her husband wanted to, although she was afraid of not having solid earth under her feet, wanted to book her next cruise when she'd only been on the ship for 2 days!

Ah yes....  "You haven't lived until you've cruised."

Cheers!

Wendy

Wendy VanderMeulen
Travel Professionals International
Direct Tel:  613-282-0575
wendyv@tpi.ca
http://www.tpiwendy.ca/

Is it old age?

After a 4-day long weekend, I should be all geared up and ready for work.  BUT - for those of you who know me, I have been having problems with my hands, recently, and I find it hard to concentrate on anything but my hands.  They itch.  They sting.  They're dry.  They're cracked.  They have tiny little bumps all over (which are now creeping up my wrists and have even spread to my neck).    Is this old age?

I have a doctor's appointment this afternoon at 3:30 and hopefully, she'll find my hands extreme enough that she can pull some strings to get me to see a dermatologist ASAP. 

Maybe I just need ... oh, I don't know ... a long trip away?  Retirement?  Win the lottery?  A cruise?  Now, THERE's an idea!  :-)

Cheers!

Wendy VanderMeulen
Travel Professionals International
http://www.tpiwendy.ca/
wendyv@tpi.ca

Next stop - Halifax, N.S.

I've been back from Niagara Falls for two days already.  I DID make it to the American Falls (check my Facebook page for pictures and a short video www.facebook.com/wendy.vandermeulen).  It was a cool day, when I walked down there, but it was great.  On the American side, the Falls are part of a national park - very different from the Canadian side, which is very commercialized and "touristy". 

The information centre on the American side was very interesting.  Could have spent a lot of time there, reading about the history of the development of the Falls, and there was a film offered about people who "dared" the Falls.  I didn't see that, but would have liked to.  So, lots to do there.  I think it would be very easy to spend a full day there.  Take in the Canadian side, too, and you could easy spend a long weekend.  What a great idea for a holiday!

Speaking of which, I just made arrangements for a family to stay at the Great Wolf Lodge in Niagara Falls, Ontario, later this spring.  That looks like quite the place to stay!  Check it out at http://www.greatwolf.com/niagara/waterpark and I'll be happy to help you with your arrangements.

MY next holiday will be to Halifax, Nova Scotia, the last week of July.  I'm going down for the Canadian National Square & Round Dance Festival.  We're taking 3 days to get there, driving along the south shore of the St. Lawrence, around the Gaspe Peninsula, and along the cost of New Brunswick, then across Nova Scotia to Halifax.  Three days of dancing, and then a 2-day trip home.  We've been to Halifax twice before, but this time it will be nice to do some touring as well.  Looking forward to it!

I hope you're all enjoying this unseasonably-warm Easter weekend. 

Wendy

Wendy VanderMeulen
Travel Professionals International
Direct Tel:  613-282-0575
http://www.tpiwendy.ca/
wendyv@tpi.ca

Niagara Falls, NY

I'm in my room at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Niagara Falls, NY.  It's almost 10:00 PM.  Outside my window, I see the flashing lights of the Seneca Niagara Casino.  Quite pretty, actually.  Haven't been inside, but I might get there before my time here is done.

I'm here for 5 days, attending a conference for Modern Western Square Dance Callers.  I teach MWSD and have been a dancer for 26 1/2 years!  Who says it's only for old people :-)

The Convention officially starts on Sunday night, but I am here with a friend who wants to attend a pre-conference workshop.  I'm not going to attend that, but there is an "Open Dance" on Saturday afternoon and evening in Amherst, NY (about 20 miles away) that I will attend.   After supper on Saturday, my friend (another Wendy) will go to the evening dance with me.  Just a fun day.

Sunday, I'll find something to do to fill my time before the official start of the convention at 5:30 p.m. I'll probably go to visit the American Falls - I was to they are 12 minutes walk from here, if I take a right as soon as I leave the hotel.  12 1/2 minutes would put me in the water.  Don't want that!  I'll have to time it and see if the guy was right.

So, check in sometime Sunday for an update...

Wendy

Wendy VanderMeulen
Travel Professionals International
Direct Tel:  613-282-0575
http://www.tpiwendy.ca/

If only you could see me now.....

I just made myself a cup of tea and put more cream on my hands....  Over a week ago, my hands broke out in little spots, as they are wont to do on occasion.  Normally, when I put my doctor-prescribed, medicated cream on the spots, they comply and go away.  Not this time!!

One person who saw my hands asked me what stress I was feeling lately.  Who me?  Stress?  No, ma'am!  I love what I do - with 2 businesses, one in travel and one in modern square dancing, who can be stressed out?  But then, without the regular paycheque that I used to get when I had my bookkeeping job, maybe there is a bit of stress!  But not as much as my hands would dictate.

So, I finally saw my doctor, who prescribed a cortisone cream, which a person would never want to use too much, I understand.  Three times a day, my hands get covered in "goo", but they ARE getting better.  Not NEAR the itch - that woke me up at 3:30 a.m. last Tuesday night! - and the bumps are getting less and less.    Might it have something to do with old age????

A friend just suggeted I need more Omega-3's and "prescribed" 4 teaspons of olive oil a day.  Hmmmm, wonder if that works?  It HAS been awhile since I had any fish, but I do have almonds almost every day.  Any other suggestions?  I'm open!  Maybe I need a holiday.  Ahhh, there's a thought!

Wendy VanderMeulen
Travel Professionals International
613-282-0575
wendyv@tpi.ca

Trafalgar Tours

Over the past weekend, I had the opportunity to sit in on a presentation about Trafalgar Tours - a Canadian company that operates tours of and cruises in Europe and Great Britain, and tours through Canada & the US and Australia & New Zealand.  For people who don't have the time or inclination to take a month to visit every country, this is a perfect way to see the highlights of these different places.  I know it certainly made me keen to want to go...

So much so that I am beginning work on two different possible tours to Europe.  You'll have to watch my website to get the details as they unfold because, for now, they are still just ideas in my head.  But I'll hint that one will be to Germany and the other will be to a few European countries...

In the meantime, if you can't wait for that to work out, why not call me to arrange your own Trafalgar holiday?  Watch the attached video and then contact me for help in booking it.  :-)

Wendy

Wendy VanderMeulen
http://www.tpiwendy.ca/
613-282-0575

Summer Vacation

It's March, and even though it is not yet officially Spring, it is time to consider your summer vacation.

Summer is the time for trips to Europe and Alaska, whether a cruise holiday or a touring holiday.  The options are endless!

Touring Europe and the British Islands, you can choose a motorcoach tour with Insight Vacations, Globus Tours, or Trafalgar Tours, to name a few of the more popular ones.  Then there is the option of "Castles and Country Homes" or "Backroads" tours; or how about staying at Bed 'n' Breakfasts and making your own tour of Ireland?  And don't forget river cruising down the Danube or Rhine with Viking or Uniworld River cruises, or "France by Barge". 

This September, for you car buffs, there will be a tour to German's automotive museums; details to follow, and they will be posted here.

Alaska - how absolutely beautiful.  If you've never been there, you really owe it to yourself to go.  Don't just do a 7-day cruise out of Vancouver and back to Vancouver.  Do the cruise from Vancouver (or Seattle, or San Francisco) up to Anchorage, Alaska, and then do an inland tour of the state.  There are beautiful resorts and lodges scattered throughout Alaska to give you a grand experience in the state.  Stunning.

Princess Cruise Lines - Holland America - Royal Caribbean - Cruise West - depending on your preferences, each of these offers great options to cruise and tour.  Check the photos on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/wendy.vandermeulen#!/album.php?aid=155137&id=643216882) of my vacation there last year to get an idea of what you would see.

It's what YOU want that counts.  It is my job to help you get what you want.  Let's talk.

Wherever you want to go this summer, I'll get you there.

Wendy

Wendy VanderMeulen
TPI Travel
613-282-0575
http://www.tpiwendy.ca/

Now for something different...

Last night, I went to a "Goway Travel Expo."  If you don't know, Goway Travel  is "The Way to go Globetrotting."  And that's the truth!  Besides that, this year, they are celebrating 40 years in the travel business.  What a great accomplishment.  And they get better every year.

I had the opportunity to listen to an hour-and-a-half presentation about Australia & New Zealand and a 45-minute presentation on Latin America.  Absolutely fascinating!  There are so many excellent things to do in either area:

Australia/New Zealand:

• Visit "The Rocks" in Sydney
• Go hot-air ballooning over Melbourne
• Enjoy one of the many restaurants in Adelaide, which has more restaurants per capita than any other city in Australia
• Visit Kangaroo Island to get a close look at Australian wildlife
• Make it a "Stay of Distinction" and stay in special hotels/resorts/lodges
• Go "Zorbing" in New Zealand
• Visit the locations where Lord of the Rings was filmed

Latin America:

• Quito - the jump-off point to the Galapagos Islands
• From Cusco, hike to Machu Picchu
• Visit Lake Titicaca's floating reed islands
• Take a cable car over Santiago, Chile
• Visit the many wineries of Chile
• Cruise the Chilean fjords
• Enjoy tango dancing in Argentia

The list goes on and on and on.  Talk to me about many more options!

Wendy VanderMeulen
TPI Travel
613-282-0575
http://www.tpiwendy.ca/

January 2011 - Forget the snowsuit - get into your swimsuit!

I am excited to confirm that space has been blocked on Royal Caribbean's Liberty of the Seas for a 7-day cruise to the Eastern Caribbean in January 2011.  Starting with a pre-cruise night in Miami, we will then visit the islands of St. Maarten/St. Martin, Puerto Rico (San Juan), and Labadee (Haiti). 

If you haven't seen Royal Caribbean's "Freedom Class" ships, you are missing something!  With a rock-climbing wall, surf simulator pool, ice skating rink, miniature golf, Water Park, WI-Fi connectivity - it has everything you need.  Of course, you also can't forget the Royal Promenade - it's like they hollowed out the middle of the ship and turned it into Bourbon Street (that was my immediate thought, when I first saw a picture of the Promenade) with cafés, bars, shops, and access to the casino.  A great place for people watching!

Great prices for balcony cabins - $1675.33 INCLUDES all taxes and fees, gratuities, and pre-cruise night in Miami.  All you need is your airfare (and insurance, of course, because no one ever travels without appropriate coverage!  :-)

Call for other prices or check my website for details.

Wendy VanderMeulen
TPI Travel
613-282-0575
http://www.tpiwendy.ca/

Is it winter or spring?

Today has been an interesting day.  I have hardly been away from my desk, so I've been able to watch the weather all day.  I look up - it's snowing like crazy.  I work....  I look up - it's snowing lightly, almost rain.  I work....  I look up - is it doing anything?  Hard to tell....  I work....  I look up - it's snowing like crazy.  I work....  I look up - it appears to be snowing, but the icicle hanging outside my window is dripping like crazy.  I work....  I look up - it's snowing.  I work....  I look up - hmmm, looks like rain.  Etc..... Get the picture?

This is the time of year when people get sick with colds.  No wonder!  Can't decide if I should wear boots or shoes, heavy coat or lighter coat, take a hant or an umbrella.  What to do?  I mean, I know we needed the snow - so let it snow, not this "it is/it isn't" stuff.  Makes me think that THIS would be a perfect time of year to get away.  Then, at least when you get back home, it's spring!  :-)

Coincidentally, I was just on a Carnival Cruise Lines Webinar.  Ahhhh, brings back memories of Caribbean-blue water, heat, sun, lazy days.  I've cruised with Carnival 5 times.  It's been a few years, though.  And they are coming out with bigger ships.  Must look into that....

Oh - I'm pretty sure it's raining right now.

It's a great day to be alive

Happy Monday!  And yes, why not be happy?!

This morning, after my workout at the Orleans YMCA, I had a doctor's appointment.  Now, my doctor's office is very close to where I used to work at my bookkeeping job.  And close to that, there is an ESSO station that I would go to, occasionally, when I had to do some banking for that job.  I started going there because of the Subway that was inside, then I would go there to get some coffee and one of the oatmeal cookies that they had for sale up by the cash.  Eventually, the coffee and cookie was just an excuse to go and get cheered up because the owner/manager of the station was so pleasant.  I'm not sure of his nationality, but he was always happy and very pleasant. 

So, today, after I left my doctor's office, I decided to gas up at that station, get a coffee and cookie, and just say hello to the owner.  Well, he didn't appear to recognize me (it HAS been almost 2 months since I've been there!), but he was such a joy.  He was obviously very happy, humming a tune, and doing his best to make all his customers smile, with his favourite phrase "It's a beautiful day; it's a great day to be alive."

Yes, Mr. ESSO station man, it IS a great day to be alive!

Wendy VanderMeulen
TPI Travel
613-282-0575
wendyv@tpi.ca

My first blog post

It's a cool, damp day in Ottawa, Canada. Can't help but think of some of my clients - 2 flew to the Dominican Republic for a week in Punta Cana, and 2 boarded a ship for an 8-day cruise on Royal Caribbean's Independence of the Seas. Even though I have only been home for 4 weeks from my own cruise holiday, I sure wouldn't mind being where they are right now!

But I'm here, and that's okay, because it's Olympics time and tonight, Canada play the US in men's hockey. Gotta see that. Go Canada Go!

So, bear with me as I get used to blogging, and if there are any subjects you want me to expound on, let me know. I'll be happy to do that.

Wendy VanderMeulen
Travel Professionals International
http://www.tpiwendy.ca/
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