September 2024

9/6/2024

Greetings Friends,

I hope you are enjoying September so far. There are likely many new readers here, as I've had more new travelers booking vacations over the past few months than in recent history. If you're new - welcome! This is an almost monthly newsletter I send out that gives updates about what is happening in my life, along with some travel updates.

Our family had a busy summer, but we made sure to take the time to stop and relax and enjoy the nice weather.

A big highlight included spending time watching Sarah swim. She made new friends, enjoyed practices and meets, and overall can't wait to continue swimming this fall.

Peter didn't slow down at all for the summer. He continued his journey with swim lessons where we saw some major improvements. And he tried t-ball. True to form, he had the whole team cracking up by the second practice.

We spent a week in Michigan and Upstate New York visiting family. In Michigan, we went to the beaches on Lake Michigan, which were beautiful. We also visited Meijer Gardens and the Grand Rapids Children's Museum.

The kids enjoyed the lounge life in Baltimore on the way to Albany. LIfe's tough when dad's a travel agent.

The kids loved meeting their new cousin in New York. Peter has become interested in the Revolutionary War (totally normal for a 5-year-old, right?!), and we visited the Saratoga Battlefield. The weather was beautiful, and one day went to Grafton Lakes State Park. The kids also turned an old potting shed into an ice cream stand with the help of their grandparents. I volunteered to be the ice cream scooper.

Sarah's Girl Scout Troop planned an overnight at the local Girl Scout summer camp. Sandy attended with her. Both mom and daughter had a fun time. Sandy built the fire for s'mores, utilizing her old camp counselor skills. She described it as "like riding a bike". At the end of the summer, Sarah moved up from Daisey's to Brownie's at a nice ceremony.

And last, but certainly not least, I saw six concerts throughout the summer. This included my favorite band, Phish, four times. Sandy and I saw Vampire Weekend on a night with torrential rain in Milwaukee. We had a great time.

From the travel side of things, as the summer progressed, more and more of you booked trips. And you are taking my advice and trying to book early. Thank you! This being said - I've already had situations where flights next spring break have sold out. And my European specialist said that Europe next spring/summer is already filling up. Long story short - don't wait until the last minute.

There are many of you heading out this autumn, with the majority going on cruises. I like to say that cruising tends to move in waves (no pun intended). Sometimes it's more popular than other times. Right now is a time when there seems to be more demand.

I'm happy to help you explore options for your next cruise or vacation. Feel free to reach out any time.

Have a great weekend,

Brian

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See previous monthly emails here.

July 2024

9/6/2024

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Hello Friends,

I hope you had a nice June, and July has started well. June began with both kids finishing up their school year. Sarah wrapped up first grade, and Peter completed 4K. In the fall he'll be starting Kindergarten, and I can't help but think with both kids in elementary school that one phase of parenthood is over. Sandy also finished up her thirteenth year as a school librarian. I'm incredibly proud of all of them!

From the sports side, Peter's soccer team finished their spring season, and I can say the kids and parents all had a great time. I saw so much progress over the 10 weeks, I never imagined it could be so rewarding. Peter also started T-Ball this month. So far he's loving it.

Sarah started her swim meets in June. She's improving her times, and most importantly, having fun. I've been volunteering at the home meets, and cheering her on.

We stayed close to home and went to a Madison Mallards baseball game. The kids had a blast, with games, dancing with mascots, and of course - ice cream in the plastic helmet.

At the end of the month, we visited friends in Chicago for the weekend. While the moms had a spa day, the dads took the kids to an indoor rock climbing park. Sarah had no fear and immediately took to climbing up the walls with an intensity I was not expecting. Peter was more hesitant to climb. He made it about a quarter of the way up, then wanted to come down. Both kids loved doing the bumper cars and playing laser tag.

It's time for one of my semi-annual reminders to check your passport. I haven't been taking my own advice, and sure enough, Peter's just expired in June. We don't have any international trips planned in the coming months, but we still plan to get it renewed.

Even though more people are traveling to Europe in the spring and fall, summer is still the main season to travel to Europe. I have clients visiting England, Wales (go Wrexham!), Italy, and Greece in the next month alone. If you think you'd like to visit Europe in the summer of 2025, it's not too early to begin planning.

In terms of what is on the horizon for me - we have some summer travel plans to visit family. I'll be back in the Cancun/Riviera Maya area in September.

Similar to last summer, I'm going to take off sending out an update in August. I'll pick back up in September.

Have a great weekend,

Brian

Contact Today

See previous monthly emails here.

September 2024

Greetings Friends,

July 2024

Hello Friends,

From your
travel advisor

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September 2024

Greetings Friends,

July 2024

Hello Friends,

From yourtravel advisor

Archives

Categories

Connect

From your
travel advisor