Walking the Walk - I'm Going On Vacation
I don’t just talk the talk I walk the walk! In less than 48-hours, Sue and I are going on our vacation, not a familiarization tour, travel conference, educational junket, speaking engagement or as tour escorts for a group. We are actually NOT planning to “combine business with pleasure” but are taking a real, sit in the sun, do it all, do nothing, read a book, scuba-diving make some bubbles, go to the spa, zip lining, take a tour, have some fun, sleep late, be a tourist, forget about the parents, kids, pets, get out of town, non tax deductible vacation!
Big deal you say, “You’re a travel agent and you can travel for free.” Not so Virginia, while I’m certain there is a Santa Clause, contrary to popular belief, there are precious few free travel opportunities even for us agents of travel!
Every vacation has a purpose and this vacation is to celebrate one of those “landmark” birthdays for my wife, the one that qualifies you for AARP membership, so we are doing if up right! We will start with a limo ride to Boston, my wife knows that is the only way to tear me out of the office on time, overnight at the Boston Airport Hilton and catch an early flight the next morning to the Caribbean island of Barbados for a two night “pre-vacation vacation” at the Barbados Hilton. We then board our luxury floating resort, The Sea Princess, and spend the next 14 days cruising the southern Caribbean to explore 12 sun drenched tropical islands. Sue and I scuba dive, so we actually plan to do most of our island exploration from under the water… making bubbles really makes us happy!
Yes, we love to cruise! We love the seemingly unlimited choice of activities the ship offers, we love the variety of entertainment from big band dancing (we have been taking Rumba lessons) to Vegas style shows, comedians, hypnotists, jugglers and much, much more. We love the world-class spa (Massage and pedicure booked…check!) and of course the gourmet dining with top notch service and a great wine list. We also really love waking up each morning to discover a new and exciting destination has miraculously arrived at outside our door and is our “playground for the day” just down the ship’s gangway! We like the all-inclusive aspect of cruising and knowing how much lodging, meals, entertainment and travel between the ports of call is going to cost before we go. And a cruise is a great vacation value, I don’t know of any other vacation you buy today that you pay about the same price now as you did thirty years ago.
I will keep this short, I need to finish (actually start) packing, wrap up a few loose ends at the office and leave final instructions for the house sitter, dog sitter and office staff. The next time I write I’ll be poolside working on my tan as our ship cruises the sparkling blue waters of the Caribbean Sea. Picture this; a happy couple, side by side, with really big smiles on their face banking fond vacation memories to draw on as needed until the next well deserved vacation! That’s us walking the walk; could it be you too?
Walter Guptill, along with and his wife Sue, own and operate Cruise Planners, a full service, America Express Travel Services agency in Nobleboro, Maine. To follow their Caribbean Cruise Vacation visit www.FunTimesAtSea.com/blog. Comments regarding the content of this column can be sent to wguptill@cruiseplanners.com.
Categories: Travel Columns by Walter