Monthly Archives: May 2019

Always pack your itinerary in your luggage

Packing a copy of your complete itinerary in each piece of checked luggage can help save you from a vacation that devolves into a total disaster. Recent improvements by the airlines have reduced lost, misdirected, and delayed luggage, but it still happens. And if you are about to begin a cruise, you want the airline to have all the information it needs so it can get your bags to you as quickly as possible. Help the airline get your bags to you Almost half of delayed bags happen on flights with a connection. The shorter the connection time, the ......

By |2024-02-02T13:38:46-05:00May 29th, 2019|

A peaceful Sunday stroll through Madrid’s Retiro Park

Madrid - a Vibrant & Cosmopolitan City When every we take a cruise outside of the Caribbean, we add a few extra days at the beginning or end of the cruise to visit a city we’ve never been to before. One of my favorite European cities is Madrid. It is a city that I keep returning to. ? Near Plaza Mejor Madrid is 2 hour and 30 minute ride from Barcelona on Spain's high-speed AVE train which travels at 217 mph. Barcelona is the launch point for many cruises around the Mediterranean or up the Atlantic coast, plus it is ......

By |2024-02-02T13:38:47-05:00May 23rd, 2019|

Galapagos Island cruising goes upscale

https://youtu.be/Jj9CXshqPyo Celebrity Cruises and Silversea Cruises have upped the ante for luxury cruises through the Galapagos Islands. Silversea will launch its luxury 100-passenger Silver Origin in summer of 2020. Silversea cruises start with two days in Quito, the capital of Ecuador, and include airfare to and from the Galapagos Islands. ?Celebrity Cruises is launching the Celebrity Flora, a 100-passenger luxury exploration ship in June 2019. All cruises are seven night itineraries with 10, 11 or 15 night all-inclusive packages including pre/post cruise nights in Quito or Peru/Machu Picchu. (Both Celebrity Cruises and Silversea Cruises are ......

By |2024-02-02T13:38:48-05:00May 16th, 2019|

How to skip long TSA security and Customs & Immigration lines

If you’re a frequent traveler, you’ve undoubtedly had the near-universal experience of enduring a TSA security line or an immigration line upon re-entry to your home country. ?What if you could bypass these lines for good? Global Entry - Speed through Immigration You may have heard of Global Entry, a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) program that allows expedited clearance for pre-approved, low-risk travelers upon arrival in the United States. You fill out a (fairly lengthy) application, pay $100, and if your application passes the initial phase, you’re invited to an in-person interview/screening at a participating airport. If ......

By |2024-02-02T13:38:49-05:00May 2nd, 2019|
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