Gem Magazine Long Island Travel

Monday, January 14, 2013

The Wave Is Here!

People always ask me - when is the best time to book a cruise? Welcome to 2013 wave season- THE best time to book your next cruise vacation.

It happens every year. Between January through the end of March, all of the cruise lines offer their very best deals of the year on cruises to just about every corner of the globe. There are some outstanding early booking incentives and extras that can vary from cruise line to cruise line. Some of the most common of the incentives include:

· Special Pricing

· Extra Value Offers

· On-Board Credits

· Cabin Upgrades

· Reduced Deposits

· On-Board Coupon Booklets

This year, Celebrity is even offering a CHOICE of three bonus offers from a free beverage package? Yes, that does include alcohol, or free gratuities (these can add up on 7 nights or longer cruises) or an onboard credit. Luxury line Regent is offering a $100 gift card AND free onboard internet access. Disney has free kids sailings. Remember there are always restrictions and time deadlines. Read the fine print.

Family summer vacations to the Caribbean or Alaska, sure why not? River cruises through Paris or Germany, no problem. Cruising through the Mediterranean or around the Pacific, what are you waiting for?

Where would you like to go?

Saturday, December 29, 2012

Looking Back On 2012 Travel

The best thing that I’ve done regarding travel in 2012 (other than all of the fabulous places, I visited) was to enroll in the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Service's "Global Entry" program, which costs $100 for a five-year enrollment.

The very first time that I waited on the TSA line, got to the front and was told to go to the line on the end – the one with no line, I felt a twinge of pleasure. While walking through without taking off shoes, belts and jacket or removing my lap top from my bag, I turned to the person behind me and said, “That was the best $100 I’ve ever spent”.

Finally, travel returning to some sort of civility. The process involves a rather lengthy online application. Then an in person interview at Terminal 4 at JFK Airport. All worth every minute spent completing the process. When I return to the US from international travel, I don’t even need to complete a Customs declaration. I simply walk up to the kiosk (ahead of that long line of travelers), swipe my passport, answer a few questions and I’m home free.

I’ve heard that the program is being underutilized and that TSA will be coming out with a reduced version that will offer the pre-check only at reduced rates for those that do not have passports. If you travel regularly, this program is well worth the effort and extra money.

The simple things in life are the best! Now if they can only figure out how to move the boarding process along!

You can apply at www.globalentry.gov

Happy Travels!

Tricia Gonzalez

About Me: I began my travel career back in the glamour days of flying in the early 80’s as a charter flight attendant for Transamerica Airlines. The advantages that we had over the scheduled airline flight attendants were our layovers! We traveled the world with a giant suitcase. We didn’t always know where we would end up but I had the opportunity to spend up to a week or longer in cities in South America, Europe, Asia, Africa and the South Pacific. It was always an adventure! When my daughter was born in 1987, I gave up my wings for a ground position with TWA and stayed there until American Airlines took over after 9/11. During that time, I had a variety of duties from Crew Scheduler to my least and most dreaded position of American Airlines ticket agent. In 2005, I was offered a buyout, which I happily accepted and ventured into the corporate world as a Financial Recruiter and then Sponsorship Coordinator for a not for profit. By 2009 and after two layoffs, I was ready to return to my travel roots and began looking into buying a travel franchise. Cruise Planners is an award winning American Express travel network agency. It was, and still is, rated as the top travel franchise, as well as one of the top 100 overall franchises to own. With their American Express association, I felt confident that this would be an excellent endeavor to take on. My success with my business has been due to my experiences with traveling the world and my days in the airline industry. I try to visit the Caribbean, Hawaii and Mexico a few times a year to experience various resorts in order to provide firsthand knowledge to my clients. Oh, and did I mention that I love to travel? My bucket list is a continuous work in progress!