When I started this blog, I thought I was going to make money with my travel website. Since then, I discovered that it cost me far more than I made, even though I got some terrific deals for myself. Now, I think, I'll just tell you about my own travels and maybe suggest some mini-vacations.
When I was selling real estate, it was difficult to get away for very long at a time. The only real vacation I had during that ten year period was when I went to the British Isles. Other than that, I'd take an afternoon for myself or, on occasion, a whole weekend and call it a vacation.
If you live in southern California, one of the best things you can do for yourself is take a drive up (or down if you live north) to Ventura. This community by the sea has everything from expensive seaside condos to little, old Victorian style houses. Some of the houses have been converted to restaurants and other businesses, and one old church on Main Street is now a funky, beautifully decorated bed and breakfast.
The highlight of a day in Ventura might be lunch on the pier, or it could be finding a bargain at one of the many thrift stores. There are scads of antique shops, great restaurants, and colorful characters wandering the streets.
I'm going to Ventura, myself, this weekend, and will report back to you on what I find there.
Monday, April 6, 2009
Friday, June 20, 2008
June 20, 2008
Traveling these days can be a bear - or a joy, depending on your attitude. There's talk about charging to check your luggage - even the first bag (United and American are already doing it), and even worse, charging a total weight fee. That means they would weigh your baggage AND YOU! Guess who is on a brand new food plan! I'm NOT giving up opportunities to travel.
In fact, I'm headed to Utah on the 24th to see cousins (Marilyn and Neal Yerkes) and their progeny. We haven't met face to face for several years. Oh, yeah, I guess I'd better send them a picture of my new hair (translated "natural gray") or they won't recognize me at Baggage Claim.
I'll let you know when I get back about all the wonderful things we did, said, saw.
Look for later postings about how to travel with ease.
Traveling these days can be a bear - or a joy, depending on your attitude. There's talk about charging to check your luggage - even the first bag (United and American are already doing it), and even worse, charging a total weight fee. That means they would weigh your baggage AND YOU! Guess who is on a brand new food plan! I'm NOT giving up opportunities to travel.
In fact, I'm headed to Utah on the 24th to see cousins (Marilyn and Neal Yerkes) and their progeny. We haven't met face to face for several years. Oh, yeah, I guess I'd better send them a picture of my new hair (translated "natural gray") or they won't recognize me at Baggage Claim.
I'll let you know when I get back about all the wonderful things we did, said, saw.
Look for later postings about how to travel with ease.
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Getting the best deals
Not too long ago, I tried to make a reservation for a hotel in Mount Shasta, California. I called the 800 number and was told there were no reservations available. I asked what their rates happened to be and was told $200 per night. Then I called the hotel directly. I found that there had been a cancellation and that I could have the room for $120. Not too shabby. Since then, I have tried this technique with a number of hotels and motels. I usually ask if they have any specials. I talk to them about how full they might be at a particular time of the month or on weekends and ask what the rate would be if they could fill a room they wouldn't normally fill. Believe me, you will get better rates this way - especially if you like to schmooze - people love to talk about themselves and the city they live in.
Thursday, March 15, 2007
TravelWithBarbara
Do you like to travel? Yeah, me too, although I don't do enough of it. However, I think I found the solution to being able to travel more frequently.
About a year ago, my friend, Nancy, asked me to go to a meeting with her to learn about how to travel for pennies on the dollar. Wouldn't you know? It was another one of those direct marketing schemes - or so I thought. After listening to the various speakers, I was mildly interested. Then, one by one, people started standing and telling about all the great travel packages that had gotten just because they bought the company's travel manual and acquired their own travel website. A bunch of them had just come back from the Dominican Republic. My friend talked about going to Las Vegas and getting a $159 room for $59. Then the hotel upgraded her to a suite!
So guess what? I joined. Now, I'm making money doing what I love. Next week I'm going to Colorado (got a heck of a deal on the air fare). I'll be visiting Eagle, Denver, Boulder, and a bedroom community called Broomfield where my brother and sister-in-law live.
My most recent trip was to Baltimore with my 14 year old granddaughter, Hillary, to see my 91 year old father. He's begging us to come again this summer, and I guess we will.
What I really want to do, though, is find one of those fabulous "agent only" trips (which sometimes allow me to bring a guest). These are trips that hotels and resorts offer so that we agents can get familiar with the places and then market them to our clients. The one I want to take is going to Paris, France. It includes round-trip airfare from either Boston (BOS) or New York (JFK) to Paris, transfers, accommodations at the Hotel Bredant, four continental breakfasts, one fine dinner, city tour, night cruise on the Seine and an escort to show the places of interest. And the price: $599! All I have to do is get some of my family trips out of the way, and I'm off!
Other trips I'll take this year? Seattle, to see a friend who moved. Salt Lake City to visit a cousin. Maybe Sebring, Ohio, to look at a piece of investment property.
My favorite trip? I went to London with a group of friends for seven days. Then, when everyone else went home, I rented a car and drove (on the "wrong" side of the road) around the British Isles for nearly two weeks. Whoa! Those roadways are something else. I was going 80 in the "slow" lane and people were honking at me to either speed up or get off the road. I ran over the curb a couple of times until I learned to make a left turn at a corner.
Ireland was the best! It really IS the Emerald Isle. I stayed with a marvelous family in their home, which was also a bed and breakfast. Twomey was their name. They cooked for me and their kids, a boy and a girl, danced Irish fold dances. They sang for me, and begged me to sing American fold tunes. Did I know any? Not really. I ended up singing "Down in the Valley" and "Old Dan Tucker" and "My Darling Clementine" - songs I learned in high school choir. The 80 year old grandmother, May, had lots of stories to tell about how she had come to the United States in the 1920's as a young woman. She was hired to be a nanny for a well-to-do family. When the stock market crashed, the family couldn't afford to keep her, and sent her home to County Cork. If she had stayed here, she wouldn't have married Mr. Twomey. Her son would not have been born, nor would her grandchildren.
Did you ever wonder how your life would be different if you had made even one decision differently? Well, maybe that's a subject for my next blog.
Be thankful. Watch The Secret. Read The Power of Now. And look for my book in a few months - 15 Seconds to World Peace.
About a year ago, my friend, Nancy, asked me to go to a meeting with her to learn about how to travel for pennies on the dollar. Wouldn't you know? It was another one of those direct marketing schemes - or so I thought. After listening to the various speakers, I was mildly interested. Then, one by one, people started standing and telling about all the great travel packages that had gotten just because they bought the company's travel manual and acquired their own travel website. A bunch of them had just come back from the Dominican Republic. My friend talked about going to Las Vegas and getting a $159 room for $59. Then the hotel upgraded her to a suite!
So guess what? I joined. Now, I'm making money doing what I love. Next week I'm going to Colorado (got a heck of a deal on the air fare). I'll be visiting Eagle, Denver, Boulder, and a bedroom community called Broomfield where my brother and sister-in-law live.
My most recent trip was to Baltimore with my 14 year old granddaughter, Hillary, to see my 91 year old father. He's begging us to come again this summer, and I guess we will.
What I really want to do, though, is find one of those fabulous "agent only" trips (which sometimes allow me to bring a guest). These are trips that hotels and resorts offer so that we agents can get familiar with the places and then market them to our clients. The one I want to take is going to Paris, France. It includes round-trip airfare from either Boston (BOS) or New York (JFK) to Paris, transfers, accommodations at the Hotel Bredant, four continental breakfasts, one fine dinner, city tour, night cruise on the Seine and an escort to show the places of interest. And the price: $599! All I have to do is get some of my family trips out of the way, and I'm off!
Other trips I'll take this year? Seattle, to see a friend who moved. Salt Lake City to visit a cousin. Maybe Sebring, Ohio, to look at a piece of investment property.
My favorite trip? I went to London with a group of friends for seven days. Then, when everyone else went home, I rented a car and drove (on the "wrong" side of the road) around the British Isles for nearly two weeks. Whoa! Those roadways are something else. I was going 80 in the "slow" lane and people were honking at me to either speed up or get off the road. I ran over the curb a couple of times until I learned to make a left turn at a corner.
Ireland was the best! It really IS the Emerald Isle. I stayed with a marvelous family in their home, which was also a bed and breakfast. Twomey was their name. They cooked for me and their kids, a boy and a girl, danced Irish fold dances. They sang for me, and begged me to sing American fold tunes. Did I know any? Not really. I ended up singing "Down in the Valley" and "Old Dan Tucker" and "My Darling Clementine" - songs I learned in high school choir. The 80 year old grandmother, May, had lots of stories to tell about how she had come to the United States in the 1920's as a young woman. She was hired to be a nanny for a well-to-do family. When the stock market crashed, the family couldn't afford to keep her, and sent her home to County Cork. If she had stayed here, she wouldn't have married Mr. Twomey. Her son would not have been born, nor would her grandchildren.
Did you ever wonder how your life would be different if you had made even one decision differently? Well, maybe that's a subject for my next blog.
Be thankful. Watch The Secret. Read The Power of Now. And look for my book in a few months - 15 Seconds to World Peace.
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