Archive for Perfect Vacation
Caldwell Travel Fun Cruise 2012
Caldwell Travel Fun Cruise 2012
Join Caldwell Travel, your Indianapolis Travel Agency, on Carnival Liberty’s FUN CRUISE, September 15-22 through the Eastern Caribbean!
Cruise sailing from Miami, Florida!
Ports will include Half Moon Cay (Bahamas), St. Thomas US Virgin Islands, San Juan (Puerto Rico) and Grand Turk.
The Liberty was built in 2005, has 1,487 staterooms and a capacity for 2,974 passengers.
Secure Your Reservation for ONLY $50.
Interior cabins are $524.00 plus taxes, Ocean View cabins are $634.00 plus taxes, Balcony cabins are $851.00 plus taxes – All per person rates based on 2 per cabin. Limited number of cabins available. Dates are September 15th through September 22nd.
Price includes:
Fine Dining, Casual Dining, 24 hour Complimentary Stateroom Service, and a Variety of Clubs & Lounges.
Carnival Liberty offers:
Full Casino, Live Music, Stage Shows, Luxury Spa & More!!
To Book or Receive More Information:
Contact Marty at Caldwell Travel – (317) 885-9855
Or complete the form below.
Mexican Riviera Destination Wedding and Honeymoon
We just had two very happy clients return home to Indianapolis from a fabulous destination wedding and honeymoon at the Secrets Maroma Beach Riviera Cancun resort on the beach in Mexico. Chris and Stephanie had this to say about their experiences:
“My husband and I had a FABULOUS time on our trip to Secrets Maroma Beach resort in Mexico that you booked for us! We had a little trouble with delayed flights and luggage due to storms in Chicago, but I called Jack there at Caldwell Travel and he took care of having our resort notified of our late arrival for us! He said you were on vacation so I hope you were having a great time too! We got married while we were there. The weather was beautiful, the wedding was just what we wanted and the resort had the best food and service I have ever had!! We went horseback riding, visited Tulum, snorkeled and shopped in Playa del Carmen while we were there!”
About the Secrets Maroma Beach Riviera Cancun resort: A mere 30 miles south of Cancun, this all-suite hideaway is surrounded by soft white sand, turquoise waters, vibrant coral reefs and adventurous attractions. Retreat to first-class luxury where serenity is a state of being. At Secrets Maroma Beach Riviera Cancun, ocean view suites, gourmet cuisine and pure white sands are natural. Experience the ultimate in pampering at this Unlimited-Luxury®, adults-only paradise offering countless indulgences, delicious gourmet fare, breathtaking views and superlative entertainment.
Interested in booking your own Mexican Riviera beach vacation, destination wedding or honeymoon flying round trip out of Indianapolis? Relax, we’ll handle the details. Call us at 317-885-9855 or contact us today to get started on booking your Mexican Riviera beach honeymoon, vacation or destination wedding.
St Andrew’s And Much More – Golfing In Scotland
We recently arranged for a pair of avid golfers to go on a dream vacation to the home of golf – Scotland! They had a fantastic time taking in the sites and golf courses of Scotland. They sent us the photograph above, taken at the “Home of Golf” – the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews, where they played a round of golf.
In an email from our clients they told us that “Kingsbarn was especially enjoyable and quite scenic.” Only seven miles from St Andrews, Kingsbarn was a must-see (and must-play) for them. They enjoyed golfing while looking out over the North Sea.
Whether you’re looking to golf in Scotland, view a nearby castle, trace your heritage or simply sample the local whiskys, Scotland is an excellent vacation destination. We can arrange for your flights in and out of Indianapolis, hotels near St Andrews (or in downtown Edinburgh if you prefer), castle tours and even schedule tee times on lush green Scottish golf courses. Relax, we’ll handle the details. Call us at 317-885-9855 or contact us today to get started on booking your Scotland golf get away.
Spring Break in Beaches Negril with the Dolphins
Beaches Negril is a world class resort located on the Caribbean island of Jamaica. We recently had some clients spend a wonderful vacation enjoying the 7 mile long beach and six specialty restaurants. Oh, and the youngest member of their group made some new friends while swimming with the dolphins. If you’re looking to swim with dolphins, or just kick back and relax in the Caribbean, please contact us today to plan your dream vacation.
Postcard from Africa
We had another happy client send us a note and some photographs from her recent trip to Africa. She spent two weeks in Tanzania and Rwanda, climbing Mt Kilimanjaro and enjoying a safari. She had this to say about her experiences:
I want to thank Kim and the Caldwell Travel family. Kim was very nice and helpful. She made a trip of a lifetime come true. … You really have changed my life through this trip. Thanks once again. I will always remember it! – Heather
Some of Heather’s highlights from her African trip include:
A family of elephants in the Serengeti National Park (photograph above).
Seeing a giraffe in the early morning in the Serengeti National Park.
A lion in the Serengeti National Park enjoying a nice lunch (see photograph below).
Elephants walking around in the Ngorongoro Crater.
Gorillas in Rwanda. There was one gorilla that was about 450 pounds.
Wildebeest and zebra out in their native habitat in the Serengeti National Park.
Looking to take the trip of a lifetime in Africa? Caldwell Travel has all the tools to plan your African safari adventure. Call us today at 317-885-9855 or send us an email.
Don’t Forfeit the Vacation Days
Did you know? Over-Worked Americans Give Up Average of 459 Million Vacation Days Each Year
According to a RISMEDIA article from September 2010, Over-worked, over-tired and stressed-out workers have one more thing to worry about – how many vacation days they could potentially be losing this year. And if the President of the United States, who enjoyed a respite on Martha’s Vineyard, can still find time, then shouldn’t everyone?
The fact that people are not using all of their vacation days is well documented and the statistics are staggering. According to data released in a 2009 vacation study, U.S. adults who only receive an average of 13 vacation days per year typically leave three days unused. When considering that the U.S. Bureau of Labor & Statistics has recorded approximately 153 million employed Americans, this means that each year an average of 459 million vacation days are going unused in the United States.
Based on these overwhelming facts, it’s not surprising that the Travel Industry is encouraging consumers to use their hard-earned vacation days and reminding them that even The President – a person with arguably one of the hardest jobs in America – needs to get away every now and then.
“Vacations are not a luxury, they’re a necessity,” says John de Graaf, Executive Director of Take Back Your Time, a nonprofit organization that studies issues related to overwork. “Men who take them are 32% less likely to suffer from heart disease than those who don’t. For women, it’s 50%. And women who don’t take vacations are more than twice as likely to suffer from depression. Pass them by at your peril.”
Championing a “cruise them, don’t lose them” message, Royal Caribbean is giving vacation-deprived consumers encouragement to leave their desks behind in favor of some much needed rest and relaxation. The cruise line has recently launched a compelling video – Vacation Daze – showcasing the irony of letting vacation days expire and the absurdity of this unfortunate reality. The video can be seen below. For solutions and a variety of cruise options to fit all schedules, contact Caldwell Travel!
“The average American spends 261 days commuting, filling out time sheets and wondering what’s for dinner. As Labor Day marks the end of summer, we wanted to shine a spotlight on this perennial issue and also remind people to take a much needed and hard-earned break, even if it’s just for a couple of days,” states Betsy O’Rourke, SVP Marketing, Royal Caribbean International.
A recent travel industry survey suggests that close to half (45%) of working Americans let hard-earned time-away go to waste in 2009; furthermore, three-quarters (78%) anticipate leaving as many as 10 vacation days on the table in 2010. Why the annual commitment to all work and no play? Most confess that coordinating schedules with family and friends is too difficult (51%) or they are not able to afford a “real vacation” (40%); others admit it is less about personal situations and more about work-life being too busy to enjoy time away (47%). While consumers express pessimism towards the possibility of a work escape, adults who choose to go on vacation feel reconnected with the family (53%), more productive and positive about their jobs (34%), as well as the health benefits of being rested and rejuvenated.
When you’d like to book your next vacation – whether to a Caribbean Island, historic sites in Europe, across the United States or aboard a cruise – contact Caldwell Travel. We can help you with the details, making the planning simple and assisting you in utilizing your vacation days to the fullest!
Fun Cruise 2011
Caldwell Travel Fun Cruise 2011
Join Caldwell Travel, your Indianapolis Travel Agency, on Carnival Victory’s FUN CRUISE, September 18-25 through the Southern Caribbean!
Cruise sailing from San Juan, Puerto Rico with NEW ports of call.
Ports will include St. Thomas US Virgin Islands, Barbados, St. Lucia, St. Kitts and St. Maarten.
The Victory was built in 2000, has 1,379 staterooms and a capcity for 2,758 passengers.
Secure Your Reservation for ONLY $50.
Oceanview cabin $569.00 plus taxes and Balcony cabins $697.00 plus taxes – All per person rates based on 2 per cabin.
Price includes:
Fine Dining, Casual Dining, 24hr Complimentary Stateroom Service, and a Variety of Clubs & Lounges.
Carnival Victory offers:
Full Casino, Live Music, Stage Shows, Luxury Spa & More!!
To Book or Receive More Information:
Contact Marty at Caldwell Travel – (317) 885-9855
Or complete the form below.
San Marino: A Tiny Country Surrounded By Italy
Caldwell Travel’s own Mary Caldwell recently traveled to San Marino, a tiny independent nation sitting on a mountain in the north east of Italy. San Marino is the fifth smallest country in the world and is only 24 square miles in total. But what San Marino lacks in size it makes up for with great history and sites to visit.
Some Mary’s highlights from her trip to San Marino:
Old Town: City of San Marino – the capital city has many great sites of interest, including the Piazza della Libertà (for its great views of the surrounding valley) and Palazzo Pubblico (see the Guardia di Roca do a changing of the guard ceremony every hour on the half hour).
Basilica del Santo – Marinus, the founder of San Marino, was a Christian stone cutter from the Dalmation Coast. He took refuge from the Roman Emperor Diocletian atop Mount Titano in the early 4th century. Along with a small band of followers, he built a chapel from which grew the present republic.
Shopping - There is no VAT (Value Added Tax) in San Marino, so often the price of souvenirs is lower than in surrounding Italian areas. In addition to luxury goods and souvenirs, there are also a good amount of stamp and coin sellers, as San Marino mints their own commemorative coins and stamps.
San Leo – A nearby medieval village is home to the Church of Pieve, first constructed in the 9th century. Also worth a visit is La Rocca, a fortress that dates back to the late 1500s.
The Ferrari Museum – The Maranello Rosso Museum is a collection of twenty-five vintage Ferraris in pristine condition. The jewel of the collection is a 1962 250 GTO, considered by many to be Enzo Ferrari’s masterpiece.
To book your very own trip to stunning San Marino, call us at (317) 885-9855. If you’d like to learn more about San Marino and Italian vacation destinations, you can head over to our contact page to send us an email.
Considering Booking Directly?
Dear client:
I hope and trust that you will book your next vacation with our firm. But we know there are alternatives out there, and we know you are receiving mailings and seeing ads that often urge you to book directly with a travel supplier online.
We enjoy an open and honest relationship with our clients. So I would like to share some straight talk with you about using toll-free numbers or websites to book your vacation directly with the provider.
The best-kept secret in the travel industry is that those who book direct are paying for something they are not receiving: the services of a professional travel consultant.
I realize you are being told that it is easy to book your cruise, tour or airline tickets online. You can do it yourself. Just trust the supplier to take care of everything and have your credit card within easy reach.
Be thrilled that you live in a time when you can just click and travel. It’s all so easy, isn’t it? Turn over your credit card number and personal information to someone in a cubicle in a reservations factory or, better still, to outsourced labor working out of a call center overseas. Now your credit card information is in Bangladesh, and your vacation will be expertly planned and delivered.
So why use my services?
Well, the first thing you need to know (the industry’s best-kept secret) is that you are going to pay my fee or commission when you book directly because it is always — not sometimes, always — built into the price of any brochure program. It’s the way the industry prices.
Tour operators and cruise lines, even top-grade hotels, love direct bookings because a portion of the travel agent’s commission that is built in to every program simply goes into their pockets. They believe that it costs them far less to maintain order-takers in a reservations center.
One hotel chain, years ago, was actually using prisoners on work release to handle phone reservations. Most telephone res agents who work for cruise lines are commissioned salespeople with little knowledge of the industry. Their goal is simple: Try to get a direct booking, earn their smaller commission, and let the company pocket the rest of the total commission built into the fare.
So when you book something directly, you are making a sucker bet that the person on the other end of the line has your best interests at heart, will look out for further discounts and apply them to your record and will be there for you in an emergency.
Imagine what happens when you make a direct booking. Your credit card information is stored, and you receive a computer-generated invoice. That’s it. You are now a travel statistic. The computer software that is now your “agent” will notify you when final payment is due, and you will receive final documents.
Of course, you will not receive any of the amenities available through our office, so you might actually be missing out on pricing incentives and advantages.
Let me state it as clearly as I can: With the exception of certain airline and hotel websites that run occasional online “sales,” you will never receive preferred pricing on any online site.
If a tour operator or cruise line did not give us pricing that was equal to or better than what they offer on their site, no reputable travel consultant would ever again sell their product. It just never happens. You can always count on the fact that our pricing will be as good or better than any tour or cruise prices you see on direct booking sites.
But frankly, I don’t want you to book with us because it is always a better value than booking directly. There are other, more important reasons that have little to do with price.
There is not enough space to list all of the things we provide to our valued clients that are never provided when you book directly with a cruise line or tour operator. But here are just a few to keep in mind:
We are going to compare what competitive companies offer. We are going to advise you on the very best product to meet your needs. We can point out the advantages and disadvantages of several options. Booking directly puts you in touch with a single-product sales person. That is all you get.
We provide special documentation and advice about ports, sightseeing options and even restaurants. We know the best times to do your itinerary, and we might have affiliated offices abroad that can make your vacation truly memorable.
One of the most important things we can do is analyze your travel insurance needs. If you book direct, you get no options, no discussion. You are offered only whatever the site happens to be selling. We offer a universe of options, and that often saves you money.
Suppose something goes wrong? Suppose someone gets sick, and you need help getting home in a hurry? Suppose your vacation experience was unsatisfactory? Who is your advocate if you are dealing directly with the company operating the program? You have none.
Perhaps the most important single thing that we do is give you an honest, unbiased view of both the upside and downside of the vacation option you are considering. Book direct and you get none of that. Everything about the product will be painted in glowing terms. Everything will smell like a strawberry.
Finally, a personal note.
When I go to sleep at night, I am generally aware of where my clients are traveling and what current conditions they are likely to encounter. I worry about my clients. I think about their welfare, and I think about ways that I can enhance their experiences abroad.
I am fairly certain that the direct booking tied up somewhere in a supplier’s software booking program is incapable of showing a “booking statistic” much empathy.
Visiting Athens, Greece
Mondays on the Move with Kate is a travel series following the adventures of Caldwell Travel’s Kate Godfrey as she explores the world and shares her experiences. This month Kate is in Athens, Greece, exploring the wonders of this ancient city.
Greetings from Athens, Greece! The temperatures are in the 60’s (Fahrenheit) and the weather is fantastic, featuring plenty of sunshine! Being February, this is greatly appreciated and has made walking around the streets of Athens that much more enjoyable. I’ve been eating at outdoor restaurants (pita, Greek salad, fresh seafood, olives, feta cheese). Everything has been delicious! Don’t worry – I have also enjoyed an abundance of shopping opportunities. And of course, I’ve been visiting museums and archaeological sites. The best so far has been the Parthenon, which is a truly wonderful structure. Massive marble columns stand 45 feet high gleaming in the steady Greek sun. Over 2,500 years of history impose itself upon you, complete with characters from Greek mythology staring back at you in relief. Plus there are other incredible buildings that are included in the Acropolis complex: Propylaea, Erechtheum, and Theater of Dionysus. The Parthenon and Acropolis complex are truly incredible sites and should not be missed when visiting Greece.
I’ve also spent a fair amount of time exploring the neighborhoods in downtown Athens. Plaka and Anafiotika are two of my favorites. Plaka is full of charming restaurants and good souvenir shopping; and, Anafiotika (pictured above) is right at the foot of the Acropolis and looks to be a slice right out of a Greek Isle. It’s very hilly and fully of tiny winding streets with beautiful homes and great views of surrounding Athens. I also recommend climbing Filopappou Hill for a stunning view of the Acropolis, Parthenon and the city of Athens.
A trip to Athens would not be complete without a visit to a few world class museums. So far I have visited the new Acropolis Museum (pictured above), which is an incredible collection of statues and artifacts from the Greek Bronze Age up through Roman times and Byzantine Greece. The museum has only been open for 18 months and has already garnered a lot of rave reviews. If you come to visit, I highly recommend staying to eat a meal at the outdoor restaurant overlooking the Acropolis.
The rest of my Athens itinerary is a busy one: I have plans to visit the Benaki Museum and the National Archaeological Museum, as well as several churches, the Roman Agora, the Ancient Agora, Temple of Zeus, the National Gardens, and much much more.
If you’d like to plan a visit to Athens, Greece, or anywhere in Greece, please get in touch with us today. Let Caldwell Travel make your dream Greek vacation a reality!
