It has been awhile since I sat down to write my travel blog and a few reasons for the lapse has been due to surgeries. Yes, I had two of them in a 8 month period so my travel wings were clipped for a bit. I did manage to travel a little bit between the two surgeries though. I took my family to Disneyland before my son started his freshman year in college. In September, I assisted my host agency, Fred’s Travel World, with a very large group on a Mediterranean cruise from Rome. It was nice to sail with Royal Caribbean again and of course get my feet back in Europe. You all know how much I love international travel.
My 2025 started off with recovery from my second surgery. After getting discharged from my doctor, my husband and I snuck off to Disney World to try out some of the new options offered to guests, such as, the new multi-pass, Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, Roundup Rodeo BBQ restaurant, and dining plans. This was my first time to try out the dining plan during one of my visits. Also, we rode the Liberty Square Riverboat, Rockin Roller Coaster featuring Aerosmith, and watched Muppet Vision 3D before these rides were reimagined.
In a few weeks, I am headed to the Dominican Republic, with a travel agent friend of mine, to do some resort tours. I am very excited about this trip because I have never been to the Dominican Republic as a land guest, always a sea guest. We are already scheduled for a whole day worth of resort tours. We are also doing a split stay while there, this means we will stay at one resort for a few nights then transfer to a different resort for the remaining days. Please check out my Facebook page for pictures of this upcoming trip.
The month of May will usher in my first group trip offered with Collette and my first personal trip with this wonderful company. My group and I are headed to the Tulip Time Festival and Mackinac Island. We will be staying at the Grand Mackinac Hotel for a few days during this trip. I will add Michigan to my “states visited” list, which leaves me only needing to visit West Virginia. I am still amazed I toured all around West Virginia and never crossed the state lines!
My family surprised me with the opportunity to either do a family cruise or travel to Scotland for my B-I-G 5-0 birthday. We voted as a family and we selected to do London, York, and Edinburgh in July. I am so excited to be able to travel with my entire family and 2 dear friends. Our group of 7 will be exploring some amazing sites on this trip. As an agent, this trip will be a learning opportunity for me. I have no doubt I could plan this vacation for a client, but I love having firsthand knowledge of a destination to add to the planning process. Edinburgh has always been a bucket list trip for me and I cannot wait to share it with my family and friends.
I thought my bucket list trip to Edinburgh would be the last trip for me in 2025, but turns out I was wrong. LOL! My mom’s dear friend reached out to me with a desire to visit Vietnam and Thailand, but she was having trouble finding someone to go with her. Long story short, I volunteered my mom and I to go with her on this amazing vacation. We will actually be in Laos on my birthday! The trip we are taking is called the “Kingdoms of Southeast Asia” and it is offered with Collette. We will visit Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, and Vietnam! Excitedly, I am visiting a new continent, Asia! I promise I will take lots of notes during this journey because a few of you have reached out to me about Thailand in the past.
My host agency announced their official retirement during our Mediterranean cruise back in September 2024. With that being said, they decided to no longer plan group vacations for the general population. Just to stay active, they are planning 1 to 2 trips a year for their church family only. I decided that 2026 would be my year to learn and plan group travel to help feel the gap left from their retirement decision. The tour company I selected to use to help me step into the realm of group travel was Collette. They are Fred’s Travel World and Blue Marble Travel’s preferred vendor because they offer amazing itineraries, have a wonderful cancellation policy, and unparalleled customer support. I am offering travelers a smorgasbord of vacations to choose from and I hope you will come join me on one or all of them!
Fred’s Travel World has been offering group vacations for over 20 years. I have some big shoes to fill, but I am willing to give it a try. Feedback is always an important part of the learning and growing process. I would love to hear some suggestions on destinations you would love to see offered in 2027. Please note that organizing group trips takes at least a year in advance to plan. If you are interested in going to your destination sooner, I can always plan a vacation just for you at any time, as long as your travel dates are available.
Here is the list of vacations I am offering in 2026 with sign-up/informational links highlighted:
1. Iceland’s Magical Northern Lights is first on the list. The travel dates are Feb 3-9, 2026. I currently have 40 seats left on this trip. My mom and I will be on this trip.
A deposit of $698 per person is due upon reservation. Reservations are made on a first come, first served basis. Reservations made after the seat reduction date of July 28, 2025 are based upon availability. Final payment due by November 05, 2025. Deposits are refundable up
until August 04, 2025.
2. Peru: Machu Picchu and Lake Titicaca are second on the list. The travel dates are March 29-April 7, 2026. I have 13 seats left on this tour. My husband, mom, and I will be on this trip. We have also scheduled the Amazon cruise following the tour.
A deposit of $698 per person is due upon reservation. Reservations are made on a first come, first served basis. Reservations made after the seat reduction date of August 22, 2025 are based upon availability. Final payment due by December 29, 2025. Deposits are refundable up
until August 29, 2025.
3. Shades of Ireland is next on the list. The travel dates are May 8-17, 2026. I have 32 seats available on this tour. I will be on this one as well and I figure my mom will be joining me.
A deposit of $698 per person is due upon reservation. Reservations are made on a first come, first served basis. Reservations made after the seat reduction date of November 02, 2025 are based upon availability. Final payment due by February 08, 2026. Deposits are refundable up until November 09, 2025.
4. Who wants to go to the Christmas Markets? I am on the list to hold some spots in December 2026. I know it will be the markets in Germany, Austria, Budapest, and Prague. I will get the details out as soon as I am approved for the seats and date.
If you are interested in more information about the trip to Iceland and Peru, my wonderful Collette regional manager is graciously hosting a ZOOM meeting for me on Thursday, March 20, 2025 at 5:30-6:30 pm. I hope you will join me.
The meeting URL is as follows:
As always, I thank all of you for the continued support of my business. I look forward to the learning and growth in store for me this year and next. It is exciting to explore new avenues and the wonders of this phenomenal planet of ours.
Happy travels,
Amy
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