by Jan Mauer | Oct 1, 2018 | European Travel, International Flights, Small Group Tours, Travel Tips
I am sometimes asked how to pack light – especially on an itinerary where you will be moving and changing locations frequently. The benefits of packing light cannot be underestimated. In fact, it can mean the difference between an enjoyable vacation and a miserable one! You will never meet anyone who says, “I wish I had packed heavier” when they return from a journey. Rick Steves, the European travel guru, only allows the members of his escorted tours to bring one carry-on piece of luggage per person…even when the tour is three weeks long! But can it really be done? Yes, and I recommend that you give it a try. I’ve done it myself, and schlepped all over Europe with my family, packing one carry-on each for a month. Why Do I Recommend Packing Light? You’ll be more relaxed, and find your trip more enjoyable, when packing one carry-on for your journey. 1. You can move quickly from place to place. You’ll have no worries about big suitcases and where you can fit your luggage on the train, bus or taxi. A lot of European hotels have no elevator, so lugging heavy bags up and down stairs can be quite a challenge. 2. Having too much luggage “marks” you as a typical tourist. Con artists figure you’re an unseasoned traveler, and you’re more likely to become the target of pick-pockets or scam artists, especially in big tourist cities. 3. You’ll save time and energy. Save time by not having to wait around at luggage carousels in strange airports. Instead, you can be off and starting your adventure while everyone... by Jan Mauer | Apr 13, 2018 | European Travel, International Flights, Ocean Cruises, River Cruises, Travel Tips
Planning for your dream vacation can be so exciting—choosing where you’re going to stay, what you’ll see, which shows you’ll take in, and imagining the amazing food you’ll eat. But what about all your travel documents? Are they in order? When you find yourself asking, “Which travel documents do I need for my international trip,” here’s the complete list of items, plus practical tips on how to keep these documents organized, safe, and accessible. Your passport is the most important travel document you possess. Your passport. This is the big one. Make sure it hasn’t expired and is will not expire within 6 months of your travel period. And don’t forget passports for your kid(s)! Any visas that can be acquired in advance, including those for countries you’ll only be traveling through. If you can’t get a visa in advance, bring the letter from the consulate stating that your visa will be granted upon your arrival (the UAE and Oman are two countries that don’t issue visas outside their countries, for example). A copy of the picture page of your passport, and extra passport photos. Your airline miles card A copy of your itinerary Originals and paper copies of your tickets (plane, train, bus, etc.) and confirmation numbers (hotel reservations, car rental, etc.) and all contact info for these companies. Travel insurance card and accompanying information Bring physical guidebooks, or save them to your Kindle. Guidebooks for the countries you are visiting and maps of your driving route — plus discreet city maps if you’ll be exploring a new city. Your international driver’s license if you plan to drive... by Jan Mauer | Mar 9, 2018 | International Flights, Luxury Travel, Romance Travel and Honeymoons, Travel Tips
This couple missed their flights – but not all was lost. Like a lot of dramatic stories, this one starts with a couple in love. They’d just gotten hitched and were set to depart the next morning on their dream honeymoon to Bali. With their travel agent, a colleague of mine, they had planned for six months to make sure this was the trip of a lifetime. A stunning blue lagoon in Bali. For these honeymooning clients, she had booked ten incredible nights divided between the beach and a culturally-rich main city, complete with a private driver, 5-star resorts, VIP access to special honeymoon perks, and exciting excursions. For the honeymooners, this was not only a dream trip that represented a ton of planning time; it also was a significant financial investment for which they had worked and saved for months. Imagine their agent’s shock when she got a call on the morning of their departure: they’d uncharacteristically overslept and missed their flights to Indonesia. People think that the perks of hiring a travel agent begin and end with the planning, but that’s not true at all. The real benefit of hiring an agent is something you discover when an emergency arises and you’ve got to figure out what the heck to do. This travel agent saved the day! Their travel agent immediately moved into action. Here’s what she did: 1. She re-booked them on different flights that would get them to Indonesia as soon as possible without costing them another small fortune. Instead of paying $6,000 for new flights on the same carriers and through the same destination,... by Jan Mauer | Jan 19, 2018 | International Flights, Luxury Travel, Travel Tips
A couple months ago, I wrote a post with tricks for handling airport security lines. Here I’d like to expand on one of those tips. 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. Find out how to skip TSA security and immigration lines for good. 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 you pass that phase of the application, you are granted a Global Entry ID. In a nutshell, this is how it works: At airports, program participants proceed to Global Entry kiosks, present their machine-readable passport or U.S. permanent resident card, place their fingertips on the scanner for fingerprint verification, and make a customs declaration. The kiosk issues the traveler a transaction receipt and directs the traveler to baggage claim and the exit. (www.globalentry.gov) In addition, people who are approved via the Global Entry program can also participate in TSA Pre-Check, which allows people to skip regular TSA security lines at participating airports and go through an expedited line — without having to remove shoes or other clothing items, open laptops, or do any of the other things that take up time in line. Global Entry, and the accompanying TSA Pre-Check, are a good fit for your flying needs... by Jan Mauer | Jan 12, 2018 | African Safari, European Travel, International Flights, Luxury Destinations, Luxury Travel, Ocean Cruises, River Cruises, Romance Travel and Honeymoons, Small Group Tours, South Pacific Tahiti, Travel Adventures, Travel Tips
Historically, January is a great time to plan a trip. In fact, it’s typically the busiest month of the year for travel professionals. This is because families and friends get together over the holidays and discuss their travel dreams for the upcoming year. Have you thought about your travel plans for the year yet? I’m here to help you weed through your choices and save you hours of time researching on the Internet. If I haven’t been there myself, I know someone who has. Further, I have direct lines to people who can add value and extra amenities, thereby elevating your trip from something special to something truly extraordinary. We are trained to cut through the slick advertising and fake reviews so that your dream vacation doesn’t descend into a nightmare. After all, there is a good reason why the people in those Booking.com commercials always look so relieved when they walk into a nice hotel room! Don’t leave something so important to chance. With my family on a dive trip in Cozumel in 2013. It is proven that travel builds and strengthens family bonds in ways that nothing else can. I can tell you first-hand that experiencing a foreign country with your children, whether they are adults or still in primary school, is worth more than any lessons they’ll glean from school. My son and I still reminisce about our amazing family ski vacations in Crested Butte, Colorado and scuba dive trips in Cozumel, Mexico that have made lasting memories. The most important thing is my child will remember those stories and hopefully share them with his own... by Jan Mauer | Dec 13, 2017 | International Flights, Luxury Travel, Romance Travel and Honeymoons
Christmas is nearly upon us, and now the pressure is high to wrap up (pun intended) all of our gift shopping. If you’re reading this post, it’s likely because you or someone you love is passionate about world travel. So just in time for the holidays, here is my list of seven smart, fun, and downright useful gift ideas for the traveler in your life. And go ahead – grab an item or two for your next trip, as well! The Trtl Travel Pillow is scientifically proven to provide the head and neck support that our bodies need for restful sleep. 1) Trtl Travel Pillow The super-soft fleece, sturdy neck support, and compact design of the Trtl Travel Pillow combine to make it one of my favorite sleep-promoting systems on a long flight. It’s half the size of a typical travel pillow, and scientifically proven to provide the head and neck support that our bodies need for restful sleep. These noise-canceling headphones live up to their name, and are comfortable for hours of continuous wear. 2) AKG Noise Canceling Headphones Easily one of the best travel inventions ever, the AKG Noise Canceling Headphones live up to their name. And if you’ve ever endured an overnight flight or train ride with a screaming baby or loudly-talking conversationalist nearby, you know how blissful it is to hear the sound of silence when you’re trying to get some sleep. Comfortable for hours of continuous wear, these headphones also have excellent sound capacity when you choose to plug in for music or a movie on your smartphone. Never get tangled in overlapping headphone... 
