July 12, 2025 • 53 mins
The Wishing Well's Terrie Dean discusses this week's travel news and Hot Deals!
Looking for a getaway that doesn't involve sticky humidity or scorching sidewalks? In this travel-packed episode, we journey to four stunning destinations where sweater weather rules even in summer: the majestic Canadian Rockies, the lush landscapes of Ireland, the dramatic ice-covered vistas of Iceland, and the wild beauty of Alaska. We dive into what makes each of these spots perfect for beating the heat — from glacier hiking and scenic train rides to coastal escapes and cool cultural gems.
Looking for a getaway that doesn't involve sticky humidity or scorching sidewalks? In this travel-packed episode, we journey to four stunning destinations where sweater weather rules even in summer: the majestic Canadian Rockies, the lush landscapes of Ireland, the dramatic ice-covered vistas of Iceland, and the wild beauty of Alaska. We dive into what makes each of these spots perfect for beating the heat — from glacier hiking and scenic train rides to coastal escapes and cool cultural gems.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
This is a Lifeless Ordinary. It's a travel show and
podcasts from your friends at the wishing Well two forty
three f Avenue in Harsmert and online at the wishing
Well dot this. The wishing Well is your ultimate luxury concierge,
travel agency and a Lifeless Ordinary is a travel show
and podcasts hosted by Terry Dean, bringing her over forty
years of experience in the travel industry to help guide
(00:21):
you to great experiences in your travel, whether it be
around the block, around the country, or around the world.
Let's bring in Terry Dean and say hello.
Speaker 2 (00:28):
Hello, Chris, how are you.
Speaker 1 (00:30):
You know what I'm doing? Really well?
Speaker 2 (00:31):
It's good.
Speaker 1 (00:32):
Good to see you.
Speaker 2 (00:33):
Good to see you. It's a weekend, it is.
Speaker 1 (00:35):
Do you have a nice fourth you know?
Speaker 2 (00:37):
I did. I actually took a day off. I had
what is called a staycation and I'm having a little
work done at my house, so kind of worked on
doing some painting and getting some curtains done, you know,
sprucing up place. But yeah, it was it was a
(00:58):
working freedom vacation. I used my freedom to work.
Speaker 1 (01:04):
There's nothing more American than collecting a paycheck.
Speaker 2 (01:07):
No, it's not.
Speaker 1 (01:09):
So we haven't talked in a couple of weeks. I
know there's got to be a lot of new travel
news to get caught up on.
Speaker 2 (01:15):
Yeah, we do, so let's get started. Something that I'm
sure everybody has probably heard by now is some of
the new changes that TSA is making as we go
through security lines.
Speaker 1 (01:28):
I am thrilled by this news.
Speaker 2 (01:30):
Me too. I am also very thrilled about that means
I can wear my pretty shoes at the airports now.
But big shift for travelers in the United States did
take place just this week with the end of an
onerous airport security rule. On July eighth, TSA officially said
(01:50):
it would no longer require travelers in the regular security
line to remove their shoes before proceeding through the body scanners.
Messengers celebrated the end of the policy, which many experts
had long seen as obsolete. I would agree with that. First,
the screening of shoes and a band can tell nothing, usually,
(02:13):
said Michael bole Boyd, who is president and CEO of
Boyd Group International, which is an airline analytics firm. He said, second,
today thousands of people in the pre check line don't
take off their shoes. The whole thing was a show
not security, and I agree with that. I think that's
probably a good way to put that. The rule change
(02:36):
is a major win for passenger convenience, but there are
plenty of other irksome outdated requirements that expert travelers are
eager to see also fall by the wayside, and those
most contentious policy after the shoes rule, what do you
think it is?
Speaker 1 (02:54):
Probably the liquids?
Speaker 2 (02:55):
Yes, sir, That stupid tsa three to one one rule
reques requirement which mandates that travelers must only have liquids
measuring three point four ounces or less in one quart
ziplock bags per person that roll.
Speaker 1 (03:13):
I want my bottle of water, amen, and I want
my shoes, Yes, exactly.
Speaker 2 (03:19):
Many US checkpoints today have more advanced scanners that use
computed tomography CT technology for a more detailed assessment than
traditional X rays, which essentially eliminates the need for a
liquid limit. You don't need to limit our liquids because
(03:40):
you can say.
Speaker 1 (03:41):
You know.
Speaker 2 (03:41):
All they should do is say is that water in
the bottle? You say yes, they go can we see
you take a sip of that? Please? I mean, wouldn't
that sort of automatically tell you that is something consumable,
not something to do harm with.
Speaker 1 (03:56):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (03:56):
Yeah, if it's liquid, you can drink it.
Speaker 1 (04:00):
My only concern about any of this when they back
off from some of the security stuff, which I just
want to say before I get too far into this.
I'm thrilled about, but I do worry. It's like, I know,
every time we give a little bit, the people out
there that are looking to do harm aren't going, well,
it's three point three ounces, They're not going to check.
(04:21):
They're always looking for a way around things. So that's
just it has always has me thinking, like, you know, we'll.
Speaker 2 (04:26):
Work and I mean, let's face it, rules were never
made for the good people, right, The rules are made
for the people who otherwise would break them in calls
have it. Yeah, But if we look even further ahead,
Chris TSA is already trialing technology for a self service
(04:48):
checkpoint at at least one US airport, and that is
Las Vegas, I believe it or not. Though they have
two lanes which are located at Las Vegas air they
use facial recognition and a series of screens to instruct
the traveler on how to proceed through the checkpoint. TSA
(05:08):
is collecting data on that pilot program to see if
it helps to streamline procedures for passengers, and all signs
are pointing to a future where air travel is more efficient,
tech driven, and passenger friendly without compromising safety.
Speaker 1 (05:24):
If it speeds up the line, I'm good with whatever
changes they're making.
Speaker 2 (05:27):
I am too. There's always, as you said, though, those
nefarious people who will look for the loopholes, and they'll
look for opportunities to thwart whatever kind of security measures
we have in place to make everybody safer, you know,
because there's an idiot out there every day. Wow, yeah,
(05:47):
more than one. There's also something else in the news
that I thought was worth sharing, and there's a new
number one travel destination in the United States. According to
Travel and Leisure. The United States is full of enticing
places to travel. We talked about some of those last week.
Remember some of the great little hidden gems where you
(06:10):
don't have to leave go all the way to Europe
to find some great places to go. Well, this sort
of is kind of hearkening back to that story that
we did the other week. And since twenty thirteen, one
city has reigned supreme as the number one travel destination
in America, according to Travel and Leisure World's best study
(06:33):
and that city was drum roll, any ideas, Orlando. Nope,
Orlando didn't even make the top ten.
Speaker 1 (06:41):
I only picked that because of Disney. My first thought
when you started howing about this was San Francisco or
San Diego.
Speaker 2 (06:47):
San Francisco is not on the list either. But the
world's best city, according to Travel and Leisure, and has
been since twenty thirteen, was Charleston, South Carolina. Really, they've
occupied that number one spot for more than a decade,
but the elegant coastal locale has now been dethroned.
Speaker 1 (07:08):
Okay, So who would dethrone a great place like Charleston,
South Carolina?
Speaker 2 (07:14):
Yeah? Who? Indeed?
Speaker 1 (07:15):
All right, just tell me?
Speaker 2 (07:17):
Okay. So just released latest World's Best Awards on Tuesday.
Santa Fe, New Mexico, unseated Charleston as the top city
in America. In fact, Charleston fell all the way down
to number three on the list this year. Santa Fe,
which regularly ranked in the top ten in past years,
(07:39):
one over readers for its cuisine, its natural beauty, and
those are just two of the reasons every trip exceeds
the last, with so many new things to discover, a
visitor to Santa Fe said Santa Fe offers a multilayer experience.
Another person called the city a true gem in America.
Speaker 1 (08:00):
So is this ranking by number of people who visit
the city or this is the one that they voted
as their favorite test.
Speaker 2 (08:07):
Traveling Leisure magazine is actually the one who compiled all
of the data. So these are their readers. These are
people who have actually visited these places and who have
reasons to say, we believe this is the number one city.
So you're interested in the list at all?
Speaker 3 (08:24):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (08:24):
Absolutely?
Speaker 2 (08:25):
Ten. Okay, let's start with number ten at the bottom
of the list, which still is not bad. You know,
the top ten places to go in America, I don't
think are terrible. Chicago, Illinois ranks number ten. Next on
the list is the home of the Biltmore Estates Asheville,
North Carolina. Beautiful place. Took my entire office there one year,
(08:45):
had a great time. Next on the list is New York,
New York. Okay, that makes sense for a whole lot
of reasons, but hello Broadway. Number seven on the list
is Greenville, South Carolina.
Speaker 1 (08:57):
Yeah, that makes sense.
Speaker 2 (08:58):
Number six Honolulu, Hawaii. Yeah, I put that way, I
would have made that probably number one, you know. Number
five surprised me. Number five Alexandria, Virginia. No, thank you, no,
I if you go to the historic parts, no thank you. Okay, yep.
Number four is Savannah, Georgia. I think that makes sense.
(09:21):
Whenever you see Charleston, you see Savannah kind of hand
in hand. And of course, then next on the list
is Charleston. And in between the number one and the
number three spot is a newcomer to the list this year,
which is New Orleans, Louisiana.
Speaker 1 (09:36):
Yeah, okay, yep.
Speaker 2 (09:37):
And then of course making the number one spot is
Santa Fe, New Mexico. So I thought that was a
very interesting list. Still says that the United States is
well worth seeing in at least ten different ways.
Speaker 1 (09:49):
And I think you could probably add another thirty cities
in towns to that list. They'll all be really great. Destiny,
I think so too.
Speaker 2 (09:56):
Yeah. I think if we even go by the list
that we had from our previous broadcast, I think it
was all of those cities, well we're seeing, And you know,
I would have liked to have had that on the
day when we said Happy Birthday, USA.
Speaker 1 (10:12):
We should do a show the top ten destinations in Virginia. Oh,
in Virginia, Just in Virgina. Okay, weekend get away kind
of things.
Speaker 2 (10:19):
Yeah, that would be interesting.
Speaker 1 (10:21):
I think we've got some great places around here, do
you tell maybe at least along the East coast exactly.
Speaker 2 (10:26):
Yeah, I mean there are great places to drive to usually.
And I have to say, this is a big birthday
month at the Wishing Well. We've got Paul Helmuth's birthday,
who is our Disney expert in resident We've got my
daughter Morgan, whose birthday is the sixteenth. My birthday is
the twenty fourth, and my business partner, Harry's is the
(10:47):
twenty eighth. So we've got great, big birthdays going on.
And usually every year, on my daughter's birthday or around that,
I call that her holiday, we go on the Morgan
Holiday somewhere we can drive to in Virginia and stay
for a weekend, maybe have a little pool time, little
girl time. It's great fun. Yeah. So you're right, there's
(11:09):
a lot of places around if you just look for them.
There's a lot of great places to find.
Speaker 1 (11:14):
My wife and I are looking for. Our anniversary is
in July, so a couple of weeks, so we're looking
for somewhere we can just drive for the day in company.
Speaker 2 (11:20):
That's great. So okay, so let's talk a little bit
about some more news when it comes to flying internationally.
I found some news because I actually have been looking
for the who has the best business class accommodations at
the least expensive price, and that's hard to find sometimes
these days. But not all business class travel comes with
(11:44):
an astronomical price tag. There's one airline in particular that
has found a sweet spot for offering a premium front
of plane product that's not too costly without skimping on
service and perks. I found this very interesting and quite frankly,
was surprised at this. But if you're planning to travel
internationally this year and you want to avoid getting trapped
(12:07):
in a cramped seat at the back of the plane
for eight hours or more, there is a global carrier
with an enticing front of the plane offering that won't
necessarily break the bank. Turkish Airlines is known not only
for their extensive network of flights from the US, but
also for their well priced business class, the highest class
(12:31):
it offers after phasing out first and if you remember
here on a life less ordinary, we've talked about the
different classes of service on an aircraft. I mean, we've
got multiple tiers of economy still, we've got economy, economy plus,
premium economy. I mean, yeah, it's tiring, you know that
we have so many different types of economy. What we
(12:52):
have is no leg room. That's what we have in
the economy. But then what the airlines did in order
to sort of tier the economy class, they sort of
did away entirely with business class. They lumped business and
first together. So now that's what they call it business first.
And so what happened was what used to be the
(13:15):
old business class is now what we refer to as
premium economy or economy plus, still kind of that same
extra leg room and a few extra perks. I will
tell you my business partner, Harry, and a group of
people that we just sent to Spain, Portugal and Rocco
really benefited from British airs premium economy class, which is
(13:41):
indeed what used to be the old business class. They
still had the premium drinks on board, they had the
nearly reclined seats, so I mean they did pretty well
in that they aren't priced however, as well as Turkish
airlines for example. So if Turkey is not your final destination, though,
(14:02):
the airline can still take you to a lot of
places through their homogeneous hub Istanbul, and you can go
all over. As a matter of fact, popular endpoints for
US travelers that are going on Turkish airlines include Athens, Cairo, Berlin,
really a lot of the Eastern Europe, and even Mumbai,
(14:23):
so you know they kind of cover the globe. Really.
Flyers have consistently given Turkish airlines high marks for their
business class product. In fact, in June, the carrier was
named best business Class in Europe by Skytracks and landed
in the top ten for best business class in the world.
(14:44):
Found this so hard to believe, ahead of Emirates and
Virgin Atlantic, I mean especially ahead of Emirates, I mean,
come on. Not surprisingly though, given the outstanding meals and selections,
it's also won the Skytracks prize for best onboard Catering
in Business Class worldwide for several years now in a row,
and it's hardly standing still. As a matter of fact,
(15:06):
Turkish is soon going to roll out their new business
class seats and it's adding perks for its front of
the plane passengers. For example, the carrier recently enhanced its
popular Istanbul layover program, which now offers business class customers
from the United States get this three complementary nights stay
at a five star hotel, up from the two nights
(15:30):
they used to give previously. So if you want to
layover in Istanbul, no problem. They'll put you up in
a five star hotel for three complementary nights if you
fly business class on them. So did a little looking
around Washington. Let's just say Washington Dulles to Amsterdam right
now on Turkish business class. The round trip airfare was
(15:52):
a meager twenty nine hundred dollars round trip. Pretty good
if you look at United Airlines Washington Dulles to Amsterdam
round trip in business class, want to take a guess
forty five hundred very close forty six hundred dollars. Yeah,
So I think you know, if you're looking at those
kind of comparisons, you want comfort, but you want to
(16:14):
save money. Don't throw out Turkish Airlines. They're one to
be reckoned with.
Speaker 1 (16:20):
So we got some hot deals.
Speaker 2 (16:21):
We do, we do? We do?
Speaker 1 (16:22):
We do?
Speaker 2 (16:23):
So a couple of them that flew across my desk
this week. I thought I would share Avalon Waterways one
that we've talked about here before. They have a great
little marriage going on with Globists International Vacations, and they
have a summer suite sales event going on where you
can get free air or you can save three thousand
(16:45):
dollars per couple on some of their select twenty twenty
six europe river cruises. So if you are interested in
a European river cruise and you want to get free
airfare or save three thou thousand dollars, whichever one of
those you want to choose, Avalon is a great choice.
I can tell you they are a premier product. We
(17:07):
love these guys. They are good partners to have and
they do a great job in the waterways of Europe.
Globis actually came out with a deal also and they
are inviting people to save five hundred dollars per person
on some of their remaining twenty twenty five or twenty
twenty six European escapes, and some of those that sounded
(17:31):
rather attractive to me, Chris is their Greek escape, which
is seven days from starting from only eight hundred and
forty nine dollars per person, which I think is pretty terrific.
They also have a Moroccan escape for seven days for
only six hundred and forty nine dollars. So Globis has
(17:51):
some great deals going on there. There's currently no expiration
on when you have to book that, but as you know,
deals come and go. I would say if any of
that is interesting to you, or if you have any
interest in a European destination. Of course I didn't cite
all of them, but if you have any interest in
a European vacation, we can look at Globis, see if
it's on sale and get you locked into a great deal.
(18:14):
The last one on my list of sales today is
coming to us from our friends at Royal Caribbean. They're
allowing people to take third and fourth guests, not just children.
So a lot of times when we see this third
and fourth guest, it's usually kids go free, you know.
So that's not the case with Royal Caribbean. Now until
(18:36):
July the fourteenth, that you're booking window. You can sail
anytime from September the first of this year until April
thirtieth of next year, and the third and fourth guest,
regardless of age, sales free.
Speaker 1 (18:52):
Wow.
Speaker 2 (18:53):
That's a pretty good deal. So you know, if you're
a family, family of four, this is great. Doesn't have
to be kids, maybe your grown children or you know
daughter and a husband or you know son and a wife. Whatever.
This is a great opportunity for you to get the
third and fourth guests for absolutely free.
Speaker 1 (19:12):
Or some friends and you split the cost. There you go,
Maybe you can do this cruise you've been wanting to
do exactly.
Speaker 2 (19:19):
Yeah, and you're right. Split the cost with some friends.
Now everybody sales for a lot cheap.
Speaker 1 (19:23):
Mm hmm, yeah, I like it.
Speaker 2 (19:25):
And Royal Caribbean is a great company. They do a
great job in the Caribbean, especially.
Speaker 1 (19:30):
So our show today, I'm excited to find out where
we're headed. Right you have entitled today's show Coolcations, Yes
I have, and we'll find out what that means and
where we're headed next. Here on the Lifeless ordinary Who would.
Speaker 3 (19:42):
Think of driving off to a new destination without guidance
from Google or Syria. Let the Wishing World guide your
next travel experience. Travel the world as you enjoy the
very best destinations and all they offer at the best prices.
Our mobile travel app keeps your vacation on track and
keeps you connected with our team of experts for help.
If you need it, call us at five four zero
(20:02):
nine zero eight two three three three, stop by two
forty three nef Avenue or visit us at the Wishingwell
dot bizz.
Speaker 1 (20:10):
Hey, welcome back to a Life Less Ordinary, your travel
shown podcast from your friends at the wishing Well. They're
on ne f Avenue in Harrisenberg online at the wishing
Well dot biz and you can give them a call
at five four oh nineh eight twenty three thirty three. Terry,
before I went to break, I mentioned our show today
is called Coolcations. It is where we headed. What are
we going cold places? Or are these vacations so cool?
(20:33):
They're hot? Well, yeah, so hot, they're cool to go.
Speaker 2 (20:37):
I like either way you say that, because whatever it is,
it's out of the heat. You know, that's exactly what
we're trying to do is is beat the heat. And
you know, for a lot of people, Chris, I'm one
of them. I don't do well in the heat. I
mean I don't enjoy it. It is not my happy place.
I actually can even many times get physically ill from
(20:59):
being out in stream heat and it's just draining. I mean,
you have no energy, and you know it's about time.
I think we started the conversation about cool caations. First
of all, I just like the sounds, you know. But
we've got a lot of locations globally that are experiencing
triple digit degree heat, right I don't know if you've
(21:22):
heard about that. It's been in the news, and it's
doing those times that a lot of families today, rather
than lean into that heat and humidity, they're going to
opt out and seek out a much more appealing weather
pattern and cooler temperatures. And I got my hand up,
yes please. Coolcations are a new kind of summer getaway.
(21:45):
They take you to the world's most refreshing destinations. We
need like Lipton iced tea sounds right there, that's what
we need, and maybe not so surprisingly, there's really a
lot of choices out there. Whether it's the the stillness
of a gentle morning in Iceland that's a coolcation, a
(22:05):
glacier walk in the Canadian Rockies there's another one which
as a matter of fact, we've got an entire group
heading to the Canadian Rockies. Harry's going to be leading
that group on July the twenty eighth, which is also
actually Harry's birthday, so you know we've got people who
love that. And by the way, that Canadian Rockies trip
(22:28):
sold out once we advertised that it was going to
be in the heat of the summer, people were like
all over that, Yes, we want to go. There's also
the dramatic fjord cruises out in the Viking Land. I
like to call it calcations off for all of that
magic of summer travel, whip up a heat, which I love.
(22:53):
And these are the places where you can grab your
light layers, you can leave that beach towel behind and
really just to dis cover the joys of all those
cool places to travel in summer. And I've had people
ask me before what exactly is a Caucasian well? Instead
of chasing sun and sand, a caucation, Chris is when
(23:15):
people opt for misty coastlines, maybe fresh mountain air, cooler temperatures.
Especially as record breaking summer heat waves become more common
in traditional summer vacation destinations, this travel style is on
the rise. Forbes magazine recently called it the coolest way
(23:36):
to travel to Europe this summer. And I got to
tell you, every year Virtuoso hosts our annual conference in
Las Vegas in August.
Speaker 1 (23:48):
Foolishness.
Speaker 2 (23:49):
And I have to tell you I for not just
reasons of weather, but I had to opt out because
of a situation with my mother this year. But on
a it didn't break my heart. You know, those temperatures
are just as I said. That's not my happy place,
that's not a vacation.
Speaker 1 (24:08):
And it's not a dry heat in August.
Speaker 2 (24:10):
I'm sorry they say it is, but you know, as
to any taxi driver in Las Vegas, he'll tell you
it's but it's a dry heat. Yeah, it doesn't work
for me. And let's just talk for a minute about
what kind of heat is being experienced around Europe right now.
Europe is currently experiencing a severe heat wave with soaring
(24:33):
temperatures exceeding one hundred and four wow in a lot
of areas and multiple countries, including France and Spain, Italy
and Greece. They are experiencing record breaking heat, with some
areas reaching Chris temperatures as high as one hundred and
fourteen degrees. And that will cook you, yeah, and slowly.
Speaker 1 (24:56):
And they don't have a over there.
Speaker 2 (24:57):
Not good anyway, it's it's not. It really isn't prevalent
in a lot of places. There are some hotels even
that just don't have it period, and they don't have
it in the public areas. They might have it in
your rooms, there might be room window air conditioners, but
not in the public areas. Now, the nicer hotels, the
four and five star hotels usually yes, they will. But
(25:20):
some of the other less branded hotels, the mom and pops,
maybe even the airbnbs. Be careful, folks, if you're booking
airbnbs and vrbos, perhaps no air that would not be
a fund vacation. But this heat wave is causing widespread alerts.
They're doing school closures over there. Even wildfires have broken out.
(25:41):
And here's a more detailed breakdown. Let's talk about these
record breaking temperatures. Spain and England have experienced their hottest
June on record, with Portugal also experiencing a record high
temperature for June. According to Weather Services. The heat has
led to the closure of tourist sites. Eiffel Tower Summit
(26:01):
shut down the other week they weren't letting anybody in,
and the Acropolis in Greece also shut down due to
the extreme heat. Wildfires have erupted in several countries, including
Turkey and Greece, forcing evacuations and disrupting infrastructure. And then,
(26:22):
of course, like I said, there's the health concerns. Health
officials are warning of the potentials for heat stroke and
other heat related illnesses, with some countries reporting heat related deaths. Now,
we think it's hot here, but it really can't compare
to those life threatening temperatures in Europe. And I don't
say that to scare people away from Europe, because there
(26:44):
are some very viable places to go that are on
my list. Today we're going to talk about them, places
where you can go to beat the heat and still
enjoy that fabulous European experience. Now, you know, we talk,
as I said on a previous show, about where you
can go some cities that are available to you to
(27:06):
travel to that aren't Europe but feel like you are
in Europe. I have to point immediately to one that
comes to my top of mind, and that is because
it was such a great trip for me and my family.
We went to Montreal and Quebec City. I mean an
hour's plane ride from Washington Dulles and you are landed
in France, I mean, it's so iconic. You see the
(27:30):
patisseries all around, people speak French, the whole landscape in
Montreal lends itself to a very French vibe. And then
of course Quebec City, So I mean, you really and
it's cool. I mean July and August in Montreal and
Quebec it's bliss, absolute bliss. But why take a caolcation. Well,
(27:54):
you've got high temperatures that are warm but never oppressive.
When we point to these places that are coolcation areas,
you've got caulcation destinations that allow you to enjoy all
of those iconic sites and museums and places that you
want to see, but you're just not in the dead
of the scorching heat. From start to finish. Everything is
(28:17):
just wonderful when the weather is exceptional. I think that's true.
When people are actually able to go on a vacation
and the weather's great, the whole destination looks different. I
had some folks recently who sadly went on a trip
to Alaska was one of their bucket list trips, and they,
I don't know, they just picked the week when Alaska
(28:40):
was having torrential rains rained almost everywhere they went on
every port and what should have been just a fabulous
bucket list once in a lifetime trip that came back
sort of feeling like wah wah, you know, but Alaska's
still wonderful. The weather just didn't cooperate, you know.
Speaker 1 (28:58):
I remember we did a a sh show about Alaska traveling.
One of the things you said was pack a raincoat.
Speaker 2 (29:04):
Yes. Absolutely, in ketcha Can, especially in Alaska, it's one
of the rainiest cities in all of the world. It
rains three hundred and twenty days out of the years
in catch a can and you're lucky if you catch
it on a dry day. I just happened to when
I was there, it was beautiful and sunny, but that's
not the norm, you know. But the thing is, as
(29:25):
agents and travel professionals, we can never guarantee you great weather,
and that's the sad part about it. We can't guarantee that,
but we can point you toward it. And you said
expectations exactly exactly. But the other reason to take a
calcasi is there a few crowds in those areas compared
to warm weather hot spots, because that's where everybody goes.
(29:48):
They love their bathing suits, they love the beach, they
love the heat. Not me, but the hottest months back
home are often a great time to get away. Not
only will you be met with milder temp, but you're
going to also find those fewer crowds and a lot
of those cool weather destinations. Local tourism is generally lower
in the late summer, and it's the end of vacation
(30:10):
time for a lot of locals and school breaks those
are over, so caucations might be trending, but they're still
flying a bit under the radar, which means fewer travelers
and more authentic experiences on your trip. The other reason
to take a caulcation is you've got longer daylight hours.
Longer days are one of the best perks of summer
(30:33):
in cool northern places. Parts of Scandinavian Iceland actually see
up to twenty four hours of daylight in the summer,
and even Ireland experiences sixteen to eighteen hours of sun.
The extra hours of daylight in June let you comfortably
explore and discover local hangouts, So if you're wondering how
(30:53):
to get a good night's sleep with all that sun,
rest assured. Most hotels in those areas do have curtains,
you'd have to yeah, you absolutely do. So are you
ready to dive in and take a look at some
of these destinations.
Speaker 1 (31:07):
I'm excited about this.
Speaker 2 (31:08):
Yeah, yeah, So one of the first ones on the list,
I'd have to say is one that again I mentioned this.
My business partner, Harry, is getting ready to take thirty
two of his best and closest friends and some of
his family actually are joining him on the Canadian Rockies
by train. This is the bamp Lake Louise and Vancouver trip.
(31:29):
And while the Canadian Rockies are kind of a glittering,
frosty wonderland for a lot of the year, they burst
into color in the summer, which is why we chose
to go there. Everything comes alive. You've got summer's mild,
warm temperatures, and when you join one of the Canadian
Rockies by train trips, you are going to be met
(31:52):
with turquoise glacier lakes. You've got those soaring emerald peaks
of fragrant wildflowers are just all over the meadows, and
the air stays crisp and fresh, not heavy and humid
like what we've been having here. So I'm so Enviously,
these folks that are going to be going, it's perfect
for afternoons spent kind of strolling along those storybook mountain towns,
(32:16):
maybe rafting down some glacier fed rivers. Imagine leaving one
hundred and five degree heat and looking forward to cooler
temperatures in Calgary. I'd be all about that on this
trip though, probably going to also visit the Rodeo and
the Olympic grounds, begin to enjoy some beautiful scenery that
continues for that entire trip, and they'll explore Canadian rocky Mountains.
(32:41):
They're going to take in those jewel colored lakes and
snowy summits of bamp National Park. And just when you
think the scenery couldn't get any more spectacular, or you're
going to climb on board the Rocky Mountain near train.
That is the highlight of this upcoming tour. Yes, and
they are all about it because they're going to have
(33:02):
really white glove service. They're in the gold leaf section,
so they'll be given getting It doesn't get any better
than gold leaf. As a matter of fact, those tiers
on the Rocky Mountaineer is gold, silver, and bronze. My guys,
they're all in gold Leaf. Of course they traveled with
the Wishing Wheel. What else would they hit.
Speaker 1 (33:20):
We talk about the Rocky Mountaineer a lot on the show. Yes,
if you've never experienced this firsthand, which many of us haven't.
If you haven't seen it, go on YouTube and just
search for Rocky Mountaineer. There are a lot of great
videos of people who are they videotaped their trips and
just look at the scenery. Oh yeah, become very jealous,
(33:44):
and then call the Wishing Well and book your trip
for the Rocky Mountaineer because it's amazing. Yes, sites that
you didn't even realize were possible.
Speaker 2 (33:52):
Absolutely, And if you're really adventurous and you want to
do a little surfing, you can harken back to some
of the older a Lifeless Ordinary broadcast. We actually did
an interview with one of the Rocky Mountaineer representatives once
upon a time that would be about a year ago
this same time. And if you want to hear firsthand
(34:14):
what exactly the trip is that everybody's going to be
experiencing coming up here on July the twenty eighth, please
please please go back and listen to that. You will
not be sorry. And again I just say, this is
one of the coolest trips. Literally, I think that people
are going to be able to experience.
Speaker 1 (34:33):
I don't know where else we're heading in the show today,
but you started off with what I feel like would
be my number one. Yeah, because I don't like the beach,
I don't like water, I don't like the heat. This
is everything that I love, beautiful scenerysolutely mountains, just getting
to experience culture and another part of the world. And
(34:54):
I love to take my camera and take pictures. And
they've got a viewing platform. You can go out and
stop at some of the places, usually because you're waiting
for another train to pass, yes, and you can just
get pictures. I mean, think about eagles flying in the
air and waterfall.
Speaker 2 (35:09):
And you know. One of the things that I think
is really pretty indicative of these Canadian Rockies trips is
the number of wildlife that people come back reporting having seen,
Unlike sometimes trips to Alaska, which can be a little
disappointing in that arena because wildlife can be somewhat sparse
(35:30):
in Alaska. They've found places to hide, and let's face it,
Alaska's gotten a lot busier, you know, and a lot
more touristy, so the animals look for a place to
shelter away from all the tours, so sometimes it's not
as easy to see them as we would like to.
This represents a great opportunity for people to see a
(35:51):
lot of that wildlife and really get up close with nature.
I think it's fabulous. Next, we want to head to
another one of my favorite destinations. I have a saying
about this place, Ireland.
Speaker 3 (36:05):
Ah.
Speaker 1 (36:06):
Yes, I love your saying.
Speaker 2 (36:08):
If you're good when you die, you go to Ireland.
Speaker 1 (36:11):
Yep, yep.
Speaker 2 (36:12):
And everything about that is so true to me. I
went several years ago, and I can tell you Ireland
does not disappoint. It is enchanting. It's everything you think
you know. Lucky Charms is the cereal you want to
eat for the rest of your life when you come
back from Ireland.
Speaker 1 (36:31):
People in Ireland might not agree with that, say they.
Speaker 2 (36:33):
Probably don't, but you know everything about Ireland. I'm sure
I must have some Irish blood in my ancestry somewhere.
Because Chris, I immediately got off the plane and felt like,
all of a sudden, I thought, I'm home. I've just
come home, And it was that great, great feeling and
(36:55):
I can tell you at the time of the year
when I went, it was in April, so it was
sort of shoulder season, what we call shoulder season, a
little bit cooler at night, warmer in the day. It
was still beautiful. But there's no better place to be
in July and August than Ireland. It's just so magnificent
with its cool, beautiful mornings. They've got those rolling hills
(37:20):
that are just evergreen pubs that invite you to stay
a while, no matter how sunny the weather is. Beyond
the interior walls. Ireland is the ultimate coolcation destination. And
during the summer in Ireland, all the greenery and the
landscapes are at their finest and their prettiest. I don't
know that it ever gets brown in Ireland though, I
(37:40):
mean they call it the Emerald Isle for a reason.
Everything seems to always be green there, but the temperature
is still relatively cool but comfortable as opposed to here.
It's just a great time of a year to get away.
Most of us live hectic lives, and I don't know
anywhere better to decompress. The weather there is just one
of the many reasons not to miss summer in Ireland,
(38:03):
and it's just fabulous to visit these iconic sites like
the Cliffs of More and Saint Patrick's Cathedral. You pass
through the flourishing countryside, explore those cobblestone streets in Dublin
and other areas in Ireland, and maybe even enjoy a
day on a working sheep farm, especially nice if the
(38:23):
newborns are part of that experience. I know many clients
that have gone that I've sent have actually been invited
to participate in the sheep sharing that they do on
these farms. And I mean that doesn't sound too exciting
if you already work on a farm and that's your life.
But if you've been mostly a city dweller and you
(38:43):
have an opportunity to do that and otherwise you would
be on hot over one hundred degree pavement, it sounds
like joy to me. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (38:52):
I would line up to be able to share a
sheep and then watch them make yarn out of it
and nit me a wool sweater.
Speaker 2 (39:00):
Absolutely, And on a guided tour of Ireland, you're going
to roam daily through some of these cities, maybe even
enjoy a little pub culture, and you're going to be
diving into the country's past and I couldn't forget about
its natural wonders. You're going to see the heavy hitters
from the Rocky Burrun to the Cliffs of More over
the course of one week, and if you aren't quite
(39:22):
ready to stow your carry ons, you might even want
to tack on an extra couple of days over to London,
which is just a short hop away for this cooler
destination and to experience a lot of the things I've suggested.
I would highly recommend a company that we use, one
of our fabulous tour operator partners, Brendan Tours. We love
(39:44):
these guys and I choose Brendan Tours for their Ireland
trips due to their focus on authentic, personalized experiences, their
local expertise, a lot of handcrafted itineraries, they put things
together in a more customized type way. I love that
they emphasize connecting with the culture, heritage and the people
(40:05):
of Ireland. They offer a lot of unique opportunities just
beyond your typical tourist sites. I mean, for crime out Loud.
Their logo is a shamrock, so I mean these people
are all about Ireland. Brendan Tours originated their company in Ireland.
They're still located there, so we love to use them,
and they, as I said, have the authentic Irish experiences
(40:28):
with local gods. They employ the most passionate local experts
in Ireland who provide insider knowledge and stories about Ireland,
many of their own, which is always makes for a
great trip if you have those real life experiences that
you can add to somebody's experience themselves, and they share
those gems and cultural insights. They have those unique experiences too,
(40:52):
offer opportunities to engage really with Irish traditions like music
sessions and crafts and cuisine. They will take you to
Bunratty Castle where you'll be able to enjoy a night
of the Irish dancing and a real authentic medieval type banquet,
(41:14):
which is really great. All of those experiences, and they
even will take you sometimes if they have someone who's
recording to an authentic Irish recording studio where someone might
be recording some Irish limericks and tunes and all that,
so you'll be able to see that and get a
first hand look at what that all looks like when
(41:35):
it comes together. So those are the authentic experiences offered
by a tour company like Brendan, and that's why I'm
pleased and proud to use them and bring my clients
to those experiences.
Speaker 1 (41:46):
Our show today is entitled Coolcations, as we find cool
destinations to escape the summer heat heat. We've been to
the Rockies, Canadian Rockies. We just talked about Ireland. We
got to take a quick break and then we'll come
back and we're going to find more cool destinations here
on a lifeless ordinary.
Speaker 3 (42:03):
Who would think of driving off to a new destination
without guidance from Google or Syria's not. The Wishing World
guide your next travel experience.
Speaker 1 (42:11):
Travel the world as you enjoy the very.
Speaker 3 (42:13):
Best destinations and all they offer at the best prices.
Our mobile travel app keeps your vacation on track and
keeps you connected with our team of experts.
Speaker 1 (42:21):
For help.
Speaker 2 (42:21):
If you need it, call us at five four zero nine.
Speaker 1 (42:24):
Zero eight two three three.
Speaker 3 (42:26):
Three stop buy two forty three nap Avenue, or visit
us at the Wishingwell dot.
Speaker 1 (42:31):
Biz and welcome back to you a life less ordinary.
Our show today is entitled Coolcations. We're talking about cool
destinations to escape Virginia's summer heat terry. We have talked
about Canada. We went on the Rocky Mountaineers through Calgary
and the Rocky Mountains. We talked about Ireland. Love Ireland.
Tell us what you're saying about Ireland again?
Speaker 2 (42:53):
If you're good when you go to Ireland.
Speaker 1 (42:55):
I love that. Now, where are we headed next?
Speaker 2 (42:58):
Yep, So a very popular Coolcasian destinations really come into
vogue in the last five years, do in part to
a direct NonStop flight from Washington Dulles and because it's
a much less investment of time than going to Alaska.
I am talking about Iceland, of of course. Now, if
(43:20):
you've ever wished you could press pause on a perfect
travel day and make it linger just a little bit longer,
you are in luck because in the summer months, Iceland
gets about eighteen to twenty four hours of daylight, which
means extra time to look at those beautiful waterfalls, which
are so iconic and indicative of the sites that you'll
(43:44):
see in Iceland. That's what people go for, the explore
volcanic landscapes and actually soak in some geothermal lagoons without
the blazing heat that has many of us looking for
shade and air conditioning came and you know, the one
thing about summer that really kills me is that I
(44:05):
do look for air conditioning, but that means I can't
go outside. And I love the outdoors, I really do,
but I love it on my terms, you know. And
Iceland creates the ability to do that.
Speaker 1 (44:20):
So I am right right on the same page as
you when it comes to summer. Something I do not
like the heat. Yeah, it's the humidity that gets me.
I don't mind when it's eighty five degrees if there's
no humidity. Yeah, what we've done. We got one of
those industrial fans and put it on the back deck
and we sit about six feet from the fan. And
that's the only way I can be an outside.
Speaker 2 (44:38):
And those misting fans are even better. Yeah, those are great.
Speaker 1 (44:42):
They have those in Vegas when you're walking down the sidewalk.
Speaker 2 (44:44):
Not good for hair, but they really are pretty good.
Speaker 1 (44:47):
I don't need any of that though.
Speaker 2 (44:48):
If you're in Greenland, you do not not Iceland or Iceland.
I'm sorry, yep, not in Iceland there. Why do they
name them this way?
Speaker 1 (44:58):
Iceland is green and Greenland icy.
Speaker 2 (45:02):
Somebody messed up, didn't they? Somebody messed up. But the
midnight sun makes summer one of the best times to
visit Iceland and it's one of the most requested must
visit landmarks and that is the Blue Lagoon that is
there now to really experience this entire destination, I'm going
(45:22):
to recommend the eleven Day kaleida Scope to ice Iceland
from our great partners at Gate one Travel, and the
reason is because it's one of those few escorted, fully
escorted tours to Iceland that allow you to really navigate
around the entire land mass of Iceland. A lot of
(45:45):
other tours do Iceland, but they only tour either the
southernmost or the northernmost area of Iceland. This particular tour
with Gate one Travel enables you to travel around the
entire land mass in that eleven days. They call it
the eleven Day Kaleidoscope. What's also great about this tour
(46:08):
is that most all of your meals are included. And
if you've done any research on Iceland at all, thinking
that maybe this was a destination that you had some
interest in, let me tell you it is outrageously expensive
when it comes to food. For the price of this
Gate one Travel trip that's an eleven day Kaleidoscope that
(46:30):
include your air and your meals and everything. The price
is right. It's priced absolutely perfectly for budget minded travelers
who are interested in decent accommodations, clean accommodations, well located
in good walking distance. And the bonus feature here with
Iceland is it's also a great place to catch the
(46:53):
Northern Lights. So all of those things combined, cool weather
temperatures in the summer heat eat, the chance to see
the Northern lights, and a very affordable prospect of being
able to get there and experience it puts it on
my list of the top places to go for a
cool caation. Now, we talked about this one a lot,
(47:16):
and I would think this would probably be one of
the first things that comes to people's mind, and that
is Alaska, the National Parks Area, d Nali, the Yukon.
And for this trip, I would highly recommend a company
that has been one of my go tos for many,
many years. I always say to my clients they basically
own the state of Alaska, and that is Holland America
(47:39):
Cruise Line. They have everything, They've got the cruise tour,
which is what people flock to Alaska to do and
when everybody else wants to flock to packed coastlines and
crowded beaches. I'll tell you what heads somewhere where soul
stirring scenery and there's plenty of room to stretch out.
And that's Alaska. Every thing about Alaska's big. There's big skies,
(48:03):
open land, big mountains, many open waterways, the animals, and
some of the loveliest wildflowers ever. Alaska is really blessed
with beautiful, beautiful sunny skies on just about every amazing
experience except in catcha Can. We talked about that, but
(48:24):
it's a rare treat, really, and Holland America's itineraries are
really pretty perfect. You can learn so much every day
of the tour. For a lot of travelers, a trip
like this isn't just a vacation. It's sort of a reset.
Whether you're into wildlife, watching scenic train rides, or just
breathing the clean mountain air. There is no shortage of
(48:45):
ways to feel refreshed and inspired. And one of my
favorite cruise tour itineraries offered by Holland America is one
called the Ten Days Signature de Nali Cruise Tour. It
includes a wonderful travel experience aboard the McKinley Explorer, which
is the double decker domed luxury site seeing train wholly
(49:07):
owned by Holland America Cruise Lines. One of the highlights
of the trip, I believe. The other, of course, is
the fact that you can see not one, not two,
but three wonderful glaciers Hubbard Glacier, Glacier Bay, and the
granddaddy of them all, Mendenhall Glacier, located in Alaska's capital
of Juno. You can definitely say, after a cruise tour
(49:28):
with Holland America like this one, that you've really seen
Alaska and you probably won't even break a sweat.
Speaker 1 (49:36):
I like that.
Speaker 2 (49:36):
Yeah, I love this one. The last one on my list, Chris,
I don't want to run out of time, but I
know there's several others I would love to have talked about.
If you're interested in more of these, just give me
a call. But Scandinavia, we can't really say coolcations without
mentioning them, the capitals and the Fjords. Viking Cruise Line
has really got this one in the bag. They have
(49:59):
some thing called Viking Homeland's Tour, and if you like
the idea of summer getaways, by the water, but don't
want to deal with sand again sticking to your legs.
This is crisp coastal breezes, sparkling fjords, charming waterfront towns.
It is everything. Think scenic boat rides, long daylight hours,
and cool walkable cities where you can breathe easy and
(50:23):
explore on your own. And this is the tour called
Highlights of Vikings Homeland Crews. I mean, this is it.
The fifteen day Viking Homelands Crews. Highlights include exploring Scandinavian,
the Balktic Sea, overnights in key cities like Stockholm, Oslo, Bergen.
You're going to visit historic sites in Tallinn and Ganst,
(50:47):
and experienced the scenic fjords in Norway. The itinerary also
features a visit to Berlin, which offers you kind of
a little taste of Germany while you're there. Just a
fabulous it, lots of scenic beauty, the fjord exploration and
really Viking Ocean is perhaps the top of my recommendations
(51:08):
for this itinerary. After all, it's where they began their experience,
and their very first cruising experience was begun by Viking
right there, so lots of great places to go to
beat the summer heat. I mean, just thinking about it
makes me feel better. Mm hm.
Speaker 1 (51:24):
You know, out of the list that we talked about today,
what's number one on your list?
Speaker 2 (51:29):
The number one on my list probably would have to
be Ireland. It captured my soul. I mean, Ireland is
a place where I feel like I must have roots.
It felt like I must have been there sometime someplace before.
Speaker 1 (51:44):
That's how I felt when I moved here. Did you
really I did. I immediately felt like this was home.
And I found out after I moved here, many years
after I was here, that my family actually was from
Shenandoah County.
Speaker 2 (51:55):
Oh my goodness.
Speaker 1 (51:56):
I mean we're talking one hundred and some years ago.
Speaker 2 (51:59):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (51:59):
I'd actually never heard of the Shenandoah Valley before I
moved here. I was young and didn't pay attention to
a lot of stuff. Yeah, I didn't even know. I
came here and immediately it was like, this is home.
This feels like family. So I bet I feel that
way if I went to Ireland or Scotland or something.
Speaker 2 (52:16):
Asking me to pick my favorite place is pretty difficult, because, honestly,
every time I travel Chris it's my favorite. Yeah, you know,
every time I go, I go, oh, well, this must
be my favorite. Now this is my favorite.
Speaker 1 (52:28):
I think the Canada would be mine. Of Canada off
this list, I would really like to do the Montreal trip.
That sounds like that is sweet.
Speaker 2 (52:38):
Yeah, it's a sweet deal, a sweet place to go. Yeah,
lots of great experiences. So I mean, I really invite
people as you're listening, if you're listening to A Lifeless
Ordinary with us this morning. First of all, thank you.
I enjoy the comments from folks who come in the
office and say, you know, I listened to you on
that show every Saturday. That show, by the way, folks,
(52:59):
is called A life Less Ordinary. We come to you
every Saturday morning at ten o'clock. We are delighted to
bring you the world of travel because it is my
first love and I want to share it with you
so so much. We invite you to visit us at
the Wishing Well. We are located at two forty three
nef Avenue in the Valley Center. You can call us anytime.
(53:20):
We love to hear you beautiful voice at five four
oh nine oh eight two three three three, or look
us up on the web. We are at the Wishingwell
dot biz.
Speaker 1 (53:30):
This has been a life Less Ordinary the travel show
from your friends at the wishing Well at two forty
three nef Avenue in Harrisonburg. If you have any questions
on topics discussed today, please reach out to the wishing
Well online at the wishing Well dop biz or five
four oh nine oh eight twenty three thirty three. Past
episodes are available on the iHeartRadio app. And We'll see
again next Saturday morning at ten for a Life Less
(53:52):
Ordinary from the wishing Well
This is a Lifeless Ordinary. It's a travel show and
podcasts from your friends at the wishing Well two forty
three f Avenue in Harsmert and online at the wishing
Well dot this. The wishing Well is your ultimate luxury concierge,
travel agency and a Lifeless Ordinary is a travel show
and podcasts hosted by Terry Dean, bringing her over forty
years of experience in the travel industry to help guide
(00:21):
you to great experiences in your travel, whether it be
around the block, around the country, or around the world.
Let's bring in Terry Dean and say hello.
Speaker 2 (00:28):
Hello, Chris, how are you.
Speaker 1 (00:30):
You know what I'm doing? Really well?
Speaker 2 (00:31):
It's good.
Speaker 1 (00:32):
Good to see you.
Speaker 2 (00:33):
Good to see you. It's a weekend, it is.
Speaker 1 (00:35):
Do you have a nice fourth you know?
Speaker 2 (00:37):
I did. I actually took a day off. I had
what is called a staycation and I'm having a little
work done at my house, so kind of worked on
doing some painting and getting some curtains done, you know,
sprucing up place. But yeah, it was it was a
(00:58):
working freedom vacation. I used my freedom to work.
Speaker 1 (01:04):
There's nothing more American than collecting a paycheck.
Speaker 2 (01:07):
No, it's not.
Speaker 1 (01:09):
So we haven't talked in a couple of weeks. I
know there's got to be a lot of new travel
news to get caught up on.
Speaker 2 (01:15):
Yeah, we do, so let's get started. Something that I'm
sure everybody has probably heard by now is some of
the new changes that TSA is making as we go
through security lines.
Speaker 1 (01:28):
I am thrilled by this news.
Speaker 2 (01:30):
Me too. I am also very thrilled about that means
I can wear my pretty shoes at the airports now.
But big shift for travelers in the United States did
take place just this week with the end of an
onerous airport security rule. On July eighth, TSA officially said
(01:50):
it would no longer require travelers in the regular security
line to remove their shoes before proceeding through the body scanners.
Messengers celebrated the end of the policy, which many experts
had long seen as obsolete. I would agree with that. First,
the screening of shoes and a band can tell nothing, usually,
(02:13):
said Michael bole Boyd, who is president and CEO of
Boyd Group International, which is an airline analytics firm. He said, second,
today thousands of people in the pre check line don't
take off their shoes. The whole thing was a show
not security, and I agree with that. I think that's
probably a good way to put that. The rule change
(02:36):
is a major win for passenger convenience, but there are
plenty of other irksome outdated requirements that expert travelers are
eager to see also fall by the wayside, and those
most contentious policy after the shoes rule, what do you
think it is?
Speaker 1 (02:54):
Probably the liquids?
Speaker 2 (02:55):
Yes, sir, That stupid tsa three to one one rule
reques requirement which mandates that travelers must only have liquids
measuring three point four ounces or less in one quart
ziplock bags per person that roll.
Speaker 1 (03:13):
I want my bottle of water, amen, and I want
my shoes, Yes, exactly.
Speaker 2 (03:19):
Many US checkpoints today have more advanced scanners that use
computed tomography CT technology for a more detailed assessment than
traditional X rays, which essentially eliminates the need for a
liquid limit. You don't need to limit our liquids because
(03:40):
you can say.
Speaker 1 (03:41):
You know.
Speaker 2 (03:41):
All they should do is say is that water in
the bottle? You say yes, they go can we see
you take a sip of that? Please? I mean, wouldn't
that sort of automatically tell you that is something consumable,
not something to do harm with.
Speaker 1 (03:56):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (03:56):
Yeah, if it's liquid, you can drink it.
Speaker 1 (04:00):
My only concern about any of this when they back
off from some of the security stuff, which I just
want to say before I get too far into this.
I'm thrilled about, but I do worry. It's like, I know,
every time we give a little bit, the people out
there that are looking to do harm aren't going, well,
it's three point three ounces, They're not going to check.
(04:21):
They're always looking for a way around things. So that's
just it has always has me thinking, like, you know, we'll.
Speaker 2 (04:26):
Work and I mean, let's face it, rules were never
made for the good people, right, The rules are made
for the people who otherwise would break them in calls
have it. Yeah, But if we look even further ahead,
Chris TSA is already trialing technology for a self service
(04:48):
checkpoint at at least one US airport, and that is
Las Vegas, I believe it or not. Though they have
two lanes which are located at Las Vegas air they
use facial recognition and a series of screens to instruct
the traveler on how to proceed through the checkpoint. TSA
(05:08):
is collecting data on that pilot program to see if
it helps to streamline procedures for passengers, and all signs
are pointing to a future where air travel is more efficient,
tech driven, and passenger friendly without compromising safety.
Speaker 1 (05:24):
If it speeds up the line, I'm good with whatever
changes they're making.
Speaker 2 (05:27):
I am too. There's always, as you said, though, those
nefarious people who will look for the loopholes, and they'll
look for opportunities to thwart whatever kind of security measures
we have in place to make everybody safer, you know,
because there's an idiot out there every day. Wow, yeah,
(05:47):
more than one. There's also something else in the news
that I thought was worth sharing, and there's a new
number one travel destination in the United States. According to
Travel and Leisure. The United States is full of enticing
places to travel. We talked about some of those last week.
Remember some of the great little hidden gems where you
(06:10):
don't have to leave go all the way to Europe
to find some great places to go. Well, this sort
of is kind of hearkening back to that story that
we did the other week. And since twenty thirteen, one
city has reigned supreme as the number one travel destination
in America, according to Travel and Leisure World's best study
(06:33):
and that city was drum roll, any ideas, Orlando. Nope,
Orlando didn't even make the top ten.
Speaker 1 (06:41):
I only picked that because of Disney. My first thought
when you started howing about this was San Francisco or
San Diego.
Speaker 2 (06:47):
San Francisco is not on the list either. But the
world's best city, according to Travel and Leisure, and has
been since twenty thirteen, was Charleston, South Carolina. Really, they've
occupied that number one spot for more than a decade,
but the elegant coastal locale has now been dethroned.
Speaker 1 (07:08):
Okay, So who would dethrone a great place like Charleston,
South Carolina?
Speaker 2 (07:14):
Yeah? Who? Indeed?
Speaker 1 (07:15):
All right, just tell me?
Speaker 2 (07:17):
Okay. So just released latest World's Best Awards on Tuesday.
Santa Fe, New Mexico, unseated Charleston as the top city
in America. In fact, Charleston fell all the way down
to number three on the list this year. Santa Fe,
which regularly ranked in the top ten in past years,
(07:39):
one over readers for its cuisine, its natural beauty, and
those are just two of the reasons every trip exceeds
the last, with so many new things to discover, a
visitor to Santa Fe said Santa Fe offers a multilayer experience.
Another person called the city a true gem in America.
Speaker 1 (08:00):
So is this ranking by number of people who visit
the city or this is the one that they voted
as their favorite test.
Speaker 2 (08:07):
Traveling Leisure magazine is actually the one who compiled all
of the data. So these are their readers. These are
people who have actually visited these places and who have
reasons to say, we believe this is the number one city.
So you're interested in the list at all?
Speaker 3 (08:24):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (08:24):
Absolutely?
Speaker 2 (08:25):
Ten. Okay, let's start with number ten at the bottom
of the list, which still is not bad. You know,
the top ten places to go in America, I don't
think are terrible. Chicago, Illinois ranks number ten. Next on
the list is the home of the Biltmore Estates Asheville,
North Carolina. Beautiful place. Took my entire office there one year,
(08:45):
had a great time. Next on the list is New York,
New York. Okay, that makes sense for a whole lot
of reasons, but hello Broadway. Number seven on the list
is Greenville, South Carolina.
Speaker 1 (08:57):
Yeah, that makes sense.
Speaker 2 (08:58):
Number six Honolulu, Hawaii. Yeah, I put that way, I
would have made that probably number one, you know. Number
five surprised me. Number five Alexandria, Virginia. No, thank you, no,
I if you go to the historic parts, no thank you. Okay, yep.
Number four is Savannah, Georgia. I think that makes sense.
(09:21):
Whenever you see Charleston, you see Savannah kind of hand
in hand. And of course, then next on the list
is Charleston. And in between the number one and the
number three spot is a newcomer to the list this year,
which is New Orleans, Louisiana.
Speaker 1 (09:36):
Yeah, okay, yep.
Speaker 2 (09:37):
And then of course making the number one spot is
Santa Fe, New Mexico. So I thought that was a
very interesting list. Still says that the United States is
well worth seeing in at least ten different ways.
Speaker 1 (09:49):
And I think you could probably add another thirty cities
in towns to that list. They'll all be really great. Destiny,
I think so too.
Speaker 2 (09:56):
Yeah. I think if we even go by the list
that we had from our previous broadcast, I think it
was all of those cities, well we're seeing, And you know,
I would have liked to have had that on the
day when we said Happy Birthday, USA.
Speaker 1 (10:12):
We should do a show the top ten destinations in Virginia. Oh,
in Virginia, Just in Virgina. Okay, weekend get away kind
of things.
Speaker 2 (10:19):
Yeah, that would be interesting.
Speaker 1 (10:21):
I think we've got some great places around here, do
you tell maybe at least along the East coast exactly.
Speaker 2 (10:26):
Yeah, I mean there are great places to drive to usually.
And I have to say, this is a big birthday
month at the Wishing Well. We've got Paul Helmuth's birthday,
who is our Disney expert in resident We've got my
daughter Morgan, whose birthday is the sixteenth. My birthday is
the twenty fourth, and my business partner, Harry's is the
(10:47):
twenty eighth. So we've got great, big birthdays going on.
And usually every year, on my daughter's birthday or around that,
I call that her holiday, we go on the Morgan
Holiday somewhere we can drive to in Virginia and stay
for a weekend, maybe have a little pool time, little
girl time. It's great fun. Yeah. So you're right, there's
(11:09):
a lot of places around if you just look for them.
There's a lot of great places to find.
Speaker 1 (11:14):
My wife and I are looking for. Our anniversary is
in July, so a couple of weeks, so we're looking
for somewhere we can just drive for the day in company.
Speaker 2 (11:20):
That's great. So okay, so let's talk a little bit
about some more news when it comes to flying internationally.
I found some news because I actually have been looking
for the who has the best business class accommodations at
the least expensive price, and that's hard to find sometimes
these days. But not all business class travel comes with
(11:44):
an astronomical price tag. There's one airline in particular that
has found a sweet spot for offering a premium front
of plane product that's not too costly without skimping on
service and perks. I found this very interesting and quite frankly,
was surprised at this. But if you're planning to travel
internationally this year and you want to avoid getting trapped
(12:07):
in a cramped seat at the back of the plane
for eight hours or more, there is a global carrier
with an enticing front of the plane offering that won't
necessarily break the bank. Turkish Airlines is known not only
for their extensive network of flights from the US, but
also for their well priced business class, the highest class
(12:31):
it offers after phasing out first and if you remember
here on a life less ordinary, we've talked about the
different classes of service on an aircraft. I mean, we've
got multiple tiers of economy still, we've got economy, economy plus,
premium economy. I mean, yeah, it's tiring, you know that
we have so many different types of economy. What we
(12:52):
have is no leg room. That's what we have in
the economy. But then what the airlines did in order
to sort of tier the economy class, they sort of
did away entirely with business class. They lumped business and
first together. So now that's what they call it business first.
And so what happened was what used to be the
(13:15):
old business class is now what we refer to as
premium economy or economy plus, still kind of that same
extra leg room and a few extra perks. I will
tell you my business partner, Harry, and a group of
people that we just sent to Spain, Portugal and Rocco
really benefited from British airs premium economy class, which is
(13:41):
indeed what used to be the old business class. They
still had the premium drinks on board, they had the
nearly reclined seats, so I mean they did pretty well
in that they aren't priced however, as well as Turkish
airlines for example. So if Turkey is not your final destination, though,
(14:02):
the airline can still take you to a lot of
places through their homogeneous hub Istanbul, and you can go
all over. As a matter of fact, popular endpoints for
US travelers that are going on Turkish airlines include Athens, Cairo, Berlin,
really a lot of the Eastern Europe, and even Mumbai,
(14:23):
so you know they kind of cover the globe. Really.
Flyers have consistently given Turkish airlines high marks for their
business class product. In fact, in June, the carrier was
named best business Class in Europe by Skytracks and landed
in the top ten for best business class in the world.
(14:44):
Found this so hard to believe, ahead of Emirates and
Virgin Atlantic, I mean especially ahead of Emirates, I mean,
come on. Not surprisingly though, given the outstanding meals and selections,
it's also won the Skytracks prize for best onboard Catering
in Business Class worldwide for several years now in a row,
and it's hardly standing still. As a matter of fact,
(15:06):
Turkish is soon going to roll out their new business
class seats and it's adding perks for its front of
the plane passengers. For example, the carrier recently enhanced its
popular Istanbul layover program, which now offers business class customers
from the United States get this three complementary nights stay
at a five star hotel, up from the two nights
(15:30):
they used to give previously. So if you want to
layover in Istanbul, no problem. They'll put you up in
a five star hotel for three complementary nights if you
fly business class on them. So did a little looking
around Washington. Let's just say Washington Dulles to Amsterdam right
now on Turkish business class. The round trip airfare was
(15:52):
a meager twenty nine hundred dollars round trip. Pretty good
if you look at United Airlines Washington Dulles to Amsterdam
round trip in business class, want to take a guess
forty five hundred very close forty six hundred dollars. Yeah,
So I think you know, if you're looking at those
kind of comparisons, you want comfort, but you want to
(16:14):
save money. Don't throw out Turkish Airlines. They're one to
be reckoned with.
Speaker 1 (16:20):
So we got some hot deals.
Speaker 2 (16:21):
We do, we do? We do?
Speaker 1 (16:22):
We do?
Speaker 2 (16:23):
So a couple of them that flew across my desk
this week. I thought I would share Avalon Waterways one
that we've talked about here before. They have a great
little marriage going on with Globists International Vacations, and they
have a summer suite sales event going on where you
can get free air or you can save three thousand
(16:45):
dollars per couple on some of their select twenty twenty
six europe river cruises. So if you are interested in
a European river cruise and you want to get free
airfare or save three thou thousand dollars, whichever one of
those you want to choose, Avalon is a great choice.
I can tell you they are a premier product. We
(17:07):
love these guys. They are good partners to have and
they do a great job in the waterways of Europe.
Globis actually came out with a deal also and they
are inviting people to save five hundred dollars per person
on some of their remaining twenty twenty five or twenty
twenty six European escapes, and some of those that sounded
(17:31):
rather attractive to me, Chris is their Greek escape, which
is seven days from starting from only eight hundred and
forty nine dollars per person, which I think is pretty terrific.
They also have a Moroccan escape for seven days for
only six hundred and forty nine dollars. So Globis has
(17:51):
some great deals going on there. There's currently no expiration
on when you have to book that, but as you know,
deals come and go. I would say if any of
that is interesting to you, or if you have any
interest in a European destination. Of course I didn't cite
all of them, but if you have any interest in
a European vacation, we can look at Globis, see if
it's on sale and get you locked into a great deal.
(18:14):
The last one on my list of sales today is
coming to us from our friends at Royal Caribbean. They're
allowing people to take third and fourth guests, not just children.
So a lot of times when we see this third
and fourth guest, it's usually kids go free, you know.
So that's not the case with Royal Caribbean. Now until
(18:36):
July the fourteenth, that you're booking window. You can sail
anytime from September the first of this year until April
thirtieth of next year, and the third and fourth guest,
regardless of age, sales free.
Speaker 1 (18:52):
Wow.
Speaker 2 (18:53):
That's a pretty good deal. So you know, if you're
a family, family of four, this is great. Doesn't have
to be kids, maybe your grown children or you know
daughter and a husband or you know son and a wife. Whatever.
This is a great opportunity for you to get the
third and fourth guests for absolutely free.
Speaker 1 (19:12):
Or some friends and you split the cost. There you go,
Maybe you can do this cruise you've been wanting to
do exactly.
Speaker 2 (19:19):
Yeah, and you're right. Split the cost with some friends.
Now everybody sales for a lot cheap.
Speaker 1 (19:23):
Mm hmm, yeah, I like it.
Speaker 2 (19:25):
And Royal Caribbean is a great company. They do a
great job in the Caribbean, especially.
Speaker 1 (19:30):
So our show today, I'm excited to find out where
we're headed. Right you have entitled today's show Coolcations, Yes
I have, and we'll find out what that means and
where we're headed next. Here on the Lifeless ordinary Who would.
Speaker 3 (19:42):
Think of driving off to a new destination without guidance
from Google or Syria. Let the Wishing World guide your
next travel experience. Travel the world as you enjoy the
very best destinations and all they offer at the best prices.
Our mobile travel app keeps your vacation on track and
keeps you connected with our team of experts for help.
If you need it, call us at five four zero
(20:02):
nine zero eight two three three three, stop by two
forty three nef Avenue or visit us at the Wishingwell
dot bizz.
Speaker 1 (20:10):
Hey, welcome back to a Life Less Ordinary, your travel
shown podcast from your friends at the wishing Well. They're
on ne f Avenue in Harrisenberg online at the wishing
Well dot biz and you can give them a call
at five four oh nineh eight twenty three thirty three. Terry,
before I went to break, I mentioned our show today
is called Coolcations. It is where we headed. What are
we going cold places? Or are these vacations so cool?
(20:33):
They're hot? Well, yeah, so hot, they're cool to go.
Speaker 2 (20:37):
I like either way you say that, because whatever it is,
it's out of the heat. You know, that's exactly what
we're trying to do is is beat the heat. And
you know, for a lot of people, Chris, I'm one
of them. I don't do well in the heat. I
mean I don't enjoy it. It is not my happy place.
I actually can even many times get physically ill from
(20:59):
being out in stream heat and it's just draining. I mean,
you have no energy, and you know it's about time.
I think we started the conversation about cool caations. First
of all, I just like the sounds, you know. But
we've got a lot of locations globally that are experiencing
triple digit degree heat, right I don't know if you've
(21:22):
heard about that. It's been in the news, and it's
doing those times that a lot of families today, rather
than lean into that heat and humidity, they're going to
opt out and seek out a much more appealing weather
pattern and cooler temperatures. And I got my hand up,
yes please. Coolcations are a new kind of summer getaway.
(21:45):
They take you to the world's most refreshing destinations. We
need like Lipton iced tea sounds right there, that's what
we need, and maybe not so surprisingly, there's really a
lot of choices out there. Whether it's the the stillness
of a gentle morning in Iceland that's a coolcation, a
(22:05):
glacier walk in the Canadian Rockies there's another one which
as a matter of fact, we've got an entire group
heading to the Canadian Rockies. Harry's going to be leading
that group on July the twenty eighth, which is also
actually Harry's birthday, so you know we've got people who
love that. And by the way, that Canadian Rockies trip
(22:28):
sold out once we advertised that it was going to
be in the heat of the summer, people were like
all over that, Yes, we want to go. There's also
the dramatic fjord cruises out in the Viking Land. I
like to call it calcations off for all of that
magic of summer travel, whip up a heat, which I love.
(22:53):
And these are the places where you can grab your
light layers, you can leave that beach towel behind and
really just to dis cover the joys of all those
cool places to travel in summer. And I've had people
ask me before what exactly is a Caucasian well? Instead
of chasing sun and sand, a caucation, Chris is when
(23:15):
people opt for misty coastlines, maybe fresh mountain air, cooler temperatures.
Especially as record breaking summer heat waves become more common
in traditional summer vacation destinations, this travel style is on
the rise. Forbes magazine recently called it the coolest way
(23:36):
to travel to Europe this summer. And I got to
tell you, every year Virtuoso hosts our annual conference in
Las Vegas in August.
Speaker 1 (23:48):
Foolishness.
Speaker 2 (23:49):
And I have to tell you I for not just
reasons of weather, but I had to opt out because
of a situation with my mother this year. But on
a it didn't break my heart. You know, those temperatures
are just as I said. That's not my happy place,
that's not a vacation.
Speaker 1 (24:08):
And it's not a dry heat in August.
Speaker 2 (24:10):
I'm sorry they say it is, but you know, as
to any taxi driver in Las Vegas, he'll tell you
it's but it's a dry heat. Yeah, it doesn't work
for me. And let's just talk for a minute about
what kind of heat is being experienced around Europe right now.
Europe is currently experiencing a severe heat wave with soaring
(24:33):
temperatures exceeding one hundred and four wow in a lot
of areas and multiple countries, including France and Spain, Italy
and Greece. They are experiencing record breaking heat, with some
areas reaching Chris temperatures as high as one hundred and
fourteen degrees. And that will cook you, yeah, and slowly.
Speaker 1 (24:56):
And they don't have a over there.
Speaker 2 (24:57):
Not good anyway, it's it's not. It really isn't prevalent
in a lot of places. There are some hotels even
that just don't have it period, and they don't have
it in the public areas. They might have it in
your rooms, there might be room window air conditioners, but
not in the public areas. Now, the nicer hotels, the
four and five star hotels usually yes, they will. But
(25:20):
some of the other less branded hotels, the mom and pops,
maybe even the airbnbs. Be careful, folks, if you're booking
airbnbs and vrbos, perhaps no air that would not be
a fund vacation. But this heat wave is causing widespread alerts.
They're doing school closures over there. Even wildfires have broken out.
(25:41):
And here's a more detailed breakdown. Let's talk about these
record breaking temperatures. Spain and England have experienced their hottest
June on record, with Portugal also experiencing a record high
temperature for June. According to Weather Services. The heat has
led to the closure of tourist sites. Eiffel Tower Summit
(26:01):
shut down the other week they weren't letting anybody in,
and the Acropolis in Greece also shut down due to
the extreme heat. Wildfires have erupted in several countries, including
Turkey and Greece, forcing evacuations and disrupting infrastructure. And then,
(26:22):
of course, like I said, there's the health concerns. Health
officials are warning of the potentials for heat stroke and
other heat related illnesses, with some countries reporting heat related deaths. Now,
we think it's hot here, but it really can't compare
to those life threatening temperatures in Europe. And I don't
say that to scare people away from Europe, because there
(26:44):
are some very viable places to go that are on
my list. Today we're going to talk about them, places
where you can go to beat the heat and still
enjoy that fabulous European experience. Now, you know, we talk,
as I said on a previous show, about where you
can go some cities that are available to you to
(27:06):
travel to that aren't Europe but feel like you are
in Europe. I have to point immediately to one that
comes to my top of mind, and that is because
it was such a great trip for me and my family.
We went to Montreal and Quebec City. I mean an
hour's plane ride from Washington Dulles and you are landed
in France, I mean, it's so iconic. You see the
(27:30):
patisseries all around, people speak French, the whole landscape in
Montreal lends itself to a very French vibe. And then
of course Quebec City, So I mean, you really and
it's cool. I mean July and August in Montreal and
Quebec it's bliss, absolute bliss. But why take a caolcation. Well,
(27:54):
you've got high temperatures that are warm but never oppressive.
When we point to these places that are coolcation areas,
you've got caulcation destinations that allow you to enjoy all
of those iconic sites and museums and places that you
want to see, but you're just not in the dead
of the scorching heat. From start to finish. Everything is
(28:17):
just wonderful when the weather is exceptional. I think that's true.
When people are actually able to go on a vacation
and the weather's great, the whole destination looks different. I
had some folks recently who sadly went on a trip
to Alaska was one of their bucket list trips, and they,
I don't know, they just picked the week when Alaska
(28:40):
was having torrential rains rained almost everywhere they went on
every port and what should have been just a fabulous
bucket list once in a lifetime trip that came back
sort of feeling like wah wah, you know, but Alaska's
still wonderful. The weather just didn't cooperate, you know.
Speaker 1 (28:58):
I remember we did a a sh show about Alaska traveling.
One of the things you said was pack a raincoat.
Speaker 2 (29:04):
Yes. Absolutely, in ketcha Can, especially in Alaska, it's one
of the rainiest cities in all of the world. It
rains three hundred and twenty days out of the years
in catch a can and you're lucky if you catch
it on a dry day. I just happened to when
I was there, it was beautiful and sunny, but that's
not the norm, you know. But the thing is, as
(29:25):
agents and travel professionals, we can never guarantee you great weather,
and that's the sad part about it. We can't guarantee that,
but we can point you toward it. And you said
expectations exactly exactly. But the other reason to take a
calcasi is there a few crowds in those areas compared
to warm weather hot spots, because that's where everybody goes.
(29:48):
They love their bathing suits, they love the beach, they
love the heat. Not me, but the hottest months back
home are often a great time to get away. Not
only will you be met with milder temp, but you're
going to also find those fewer crowds and a lot
of those cool weather destinations. Local tourism is generally lower
in the late summer, and it's the end of vacation
(30:10):
time for a lot of locals and school breaks those
are over, so caucations might be trending, but they're still
flying a bit under the radar, which means fewer travelers
and more authentic experiences on your trip. The other reason
to take a caulcation is you've got longer daylight hours.
Longer days are one of the best perks of summer
(30:33):
in cool northern places. Parts of Scandinavian Iceland actually see
up to twenty four hours of daylight in the summer,
and even Ireland experiences sixteen to eighteen hours of sun.
The extra hours of daylight in June let you comfortably
explore and discover local hangouts, So if you're wondering how
(30:53):
to get a good night's sleep with all that sun,
rest assured. Most hotels in those areas do have curtains,
you'd have to yeah, you absolutely do. So are you
ready to dive in and take a look at some
of these destinations.
Speaker 1 (31:07):
I'm excited about this.
Speaker 2 (31:08):
Yeah, yeah, So one of the first ones on the list,
I'd have to say is one that again I mentioned this.
My business partner, Harry, is getting ready to take thirty
two of his best and closest friends and some of
his family actually are joining him on the Canadian Rockies
by train. This is the bamp Lake Louise and Vancouver trip.
(31:29):
And while the Canadian Rockies are kind of a glittering,
frosty wonderland for a lot of the year, they burst
into color in the summer, which is why we chose
to go there. Everything comes alive. You've got summer's mild,
warm temperatures, and when you join one of the Canadian
Rockies by train trips, you are going to be met
(31:52):
with turquoise glacier lakes. You've got those soaring emerald peaks
of fragrant wildflowers are just all over the meadows, and
the air stays crisp and fresh, not heavy and humid
like what we've been having here. So I'm so Enviously,
these folks that are going to be going, it's perfect
for afternoons spent kind of strolling along those storybook mountain towns,
(32:16):
maybe rafting down some glacier fed rivers. Imagine leaving one
hundred and five degree heat and looking forward to cooler
temperatures in Calgary. I'd be all about that on this
trip though, probably going to also visit the Rodeo and
the Olympic grounds, begin to enjoy some beautiful scenery that
continues for that entire trip, and they'll explore Canadian rocky Mountains.
(32:41):
They're going to take in those jewel colored lakes and
snowy summits of bamp National Park. And just when you
think the scenery couldn't get any more spectacular, or you're
going to climb on board the Rocky Mountain near train.
That is the highlight of this upcoming tour. Yes, and
they are all about it because they're going to have
(33:02):
really white glove service. They're in the gold leaf section,
so they'll be given getting It doesn't get any better
than gold leaf. As a matter of fact, those tiers
on the Rocky Mountaineer is gold, silver, and bronze. My guys,
they're all in gold Leaf. Of course they traveled with
the Wishing Wheel. What else would they hit.
Speaker 1 (33:20):
We talk about the Rocky Mountaineer a lot on the show. Yes,
if you've never experienced this firsthand, which many of us haven't.
If you haven't seen it, go on YouTube and just
search for Rocky Mountaineer. There are a lot of great
videos of people who are they videotaped their trips and
just look at the scenery. Oh yeah, become very jealous,
(33:44):
and then call the Wishing Well and book your trip
for the Rocky Mountaineer because it's amazing. Yes, sites that
you didn't even realize were possible.
Speaker 2 (33:52):
Absolutely, And if you're really adventurous and you want to
do a little surfing, you can harken back to some
of the older a Lifeless Ordinary broadcast. We actually did
an interview with one of the Rocky Mountaineer representatives once
upon a time that would be about a year ago
this same time. And if you want to hear firsthand
(34:14):
what exactly the trip is that everybody's going to be
experiencing coming up here on July the twenty eighth, please
please please go back and listen to that. You will
not be sorry. And again I just say, this is
one of the coolest trips. Literally, I think that people
are going to be able to experience.
Speaker 1 (34:33):
I don't know where else we're heading in the show today,
but you started off with what I feel like would
be my number one. Yeah, because I don't like the beach,
I don't like water, I don't like the heat. This
is everything that I love, beautiful scenerysolutely mountains, just getting
to experience culture and another part of the world. And
(34:54):
I love to take my camera and take pictures. And
they've got a viewing platform. You can go out and
stop at some of the places, usually because you're waiting
for another train to pass, yes, and you can just
get pictures. I mean, think about eagles flying in the
air and waterfall.
Speaker 2 (35:09):
And you know. One of the things that I think
is really pretty indicative of these Canadian Rockies trips is
the number of wildlife that people come back reporting having seen,
Unlike sometimes trips to Alaska, which can be a little
disappointing in that arena because wildlife can be somewhat sparse
(35:30):
in Alaska. They've found places to hide, and let's face it,
Alaska's gotten a lot busier, you know, and a lot
more touristy, so the animals look for a place to
shelter away from all the tours, so sometimes it's not
as easy to see them as we would like to.
This represents a great opportunity for people to see a
(35:51):
lot of that wildlife and really get up close with nature.
I think it's fabulous. Next, we want to head to
another one of my favorite destinations. I have a saying
about this place, Ireland.
Speaker 3 (36:05):
Ah.
Speaker 1 (36:06):
Yes, I love your saying.
Speaker 2 (36:08):
If you're good when you die, you go to Ireland.
Speaker 1 (36:11):
Yep, yep.
Speaker 2 (36:12):
And everything about that is so true to me. I
went several years ago, and I can tell you Ireland
does not disappoint. It is enchanting. It's everything you think
you know. Lucky Charms is the cereal you want to
eat for the rest of your life when you come
back from Ireland.
Speaker 1 (36:31):
People in Ireland might not agree with that, say they.
Speaker 2 (36:33):
Probably don't, but you know everything about Ireland. I'm sure
I must have some Irish blood in my ancestry somewhere.
Because Chris, I immediately got off the plane and felt like,
all of a sudden, I thought, I'm home. I've just
come home, And it was that great, great feeling and
(36:55):
I can tell you at the time of the year
when I went, it was in April, so it was
sort of shoulder season, what we call shoulder season, a
little bit cooler at night, warmer in the day. It
was still beautiful. But there's no better place to be
in July and August than Ireland. It's just so magnificent
with its cool, beautiful mornings. They've got those rolling hills
(37:20):
that are just evergreen pubs that invite you to stay
a while, no matter how sunny the weather is. Beyond
the interior walls. Ireland is the ultimate coolcation destination. And
during the summer in Ireland, all the greenery and the
landscapes are at their finest and their prettiest. I don't
know that it ever gets brown in Ireland though, I
(37:40):
mean they call it the Emerald Isle for a reason.
Everything seems to always be green there, but the temperature
is still relatively cool but comfortable as opposed to here.
It's just a great time of a year to get away.
Most of us live hectic lives, and I don't know
anywhere better to decompress. The weather there is just one
of the many reasons not to miss summer in Ireland,
(38:03):
and it's just fabulous to visit these iconic sites like
the Cliffs of More and Saint Patrick's Cathedral. You pass
through the flourishing countryside, explore those cobblestone streets in Dublin
and other areas in Ireland, and maybe even enjoy a
day on a working sheep farm, especially nice if the
(38:23):
newborns are part of that experience. I know many clients
that have gone that I've sent have actually been invited
to participate in the sheep sharing that they do on
these farms. And I mean that doesn't sound too exciting
if you already work on a farm and that's your life.
But if you've been mostly a city dweller and you
(38:43):
have an opportunity to do that and otherwise you would
be on hot over one hundred degree pavement, it sounds
like joy to me. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (38:52):
I would line up to be able to share a
sheep and then watch them make yarn out of it
and nit me a wool sweater.
Speaker 2 (39:00):
Absolutely, And on a guided tour of Ireland, you're going
to roam daily through some of these cities, maybe even
enjoy a little pub culture, and you're going to be
diving into the country's past and I couldn't forget about
its natural wonders. You're going to see the heavy hitters
from the Rocky Burrun to the Cliffs of More over
the course of one week, and if you aren't quite
(39:22):
ready to stow your carry ons, you might even want
to tack on an extra couple of days over to London,
which is just a short hop away for this cooler
destination and to experience a lot of the things I've suggested.
I would highly recommend a company that we use, one
of our fabulous tour operator partners, Brendan Tours. We love
(39:44):
these guys and I choose Brendan Tours for their Ireland
trips due to their focus on authentic, personalized experiences, their
local expertise, a lot of handcrafted itineraries, they put things
together in a more customized type way. I love that
they emphasize connecting with the culture, heritage and the people
(40:05):
of Ireland. They offer a lot of unique opportunities just
beyond your typical tourist sites. I mean, for crime out Loud.
Their logo is a shamrock, so I mean these people
are all about Ireland. Brendan Tours originated their company in Ireland.
They're still located there, so we love to use them,
and they, as I said, have the authentic Irish experiences
(40:28):
with local gods. They employ the most passionate local experts
in Ireland who provide insider knowledge and stories about Ireland,
many of their own, which is always makes for a
great trip if you have those real life experiences that
you can add to somebody's experience themselves, and they share
those gems and cultural insights. They have those unique experiences too,
(40:52):
offer opportunities to engage really with Irish traditions like music
sessions and crafts and cuisine. They will take you to
Bunratty Castle where you'll be able to enjoy a night
of the Irish dancing and a real authentic medieval type banquet,
(41:14):
which is really great. All of those experiences, and they
even will take you sometimes if they have someone who's
recording to an authentic Irish recording studio where someone might
be recording some Irish limericks and tunes and all that,
so you'll be able to see that and get a
first hand look at what that all looks like when
(41:35):
it comes together. So those are the authentic experiences offered
by a tour company like Brendan, and that's why I'm
pleased and proud to use them and bring my clients
to those experiences.
Speaker 1 (41:46):
Our show today is entitled Coolcations, as we find cool
destinations to escape the summer heat heat. We've been to
the Rockies, Canadian Rockies. We just talked about Ireland. We
got to take a quick break and then we'll come
back and we're going to find more cool destinations here
on a lifeless ordinary.
Speaker 3 (42:03):
Who would think of driving off to a new destination
without guidance from Google or Syria's not. The Wishing World
guide your next travel experience.
Speaker 1 (42:11):
Travel the world as you enjoy the very.
Speaker 3 (42:13):
Best destinations and all they offer at the best prices.
Our mobile travel app keeps your vacation on track and
keeps you connected with our team of experts.
Speaker 1 (42:21):
For help.
Speaker 2 (42:21):
If you need it, call us at five four zero nine.
Speaker 1 (42:24):
Zero eight two three three.
Speaker 3 (42:26):
Three stop buy two forty three nap Avenue, or visit
us at the Wishingwell dot.
Speaker 1 (42:31):
Biz and welcome back to you a life less ordinary.
Our show today is entitled Coolcations. We're talking about cool
destinations to escape Virginia's summer heat terry. We have talked
about Canada. We went on the Rocky Mountaineers through Calgary
and the Rocky Mountains. We talked about Ireland. Love Ireland.
Tell us what you're saying about Ireland again?
Speaker 2 (42:53):
If you're good when you go to Ireland.
Speaker 1 (42:55):
I love that. Now, where are we headed next?
Speaker 2 (42:58):
Yep, So a very popular Coolcasian destinations really come into
vogue in the last five years, do in part to
a direct NonStop flight from Washington Dulles and because it's
a much less investment of time than going to Alaska.
I am talking about Iceland, of of course. Now, if
(43:20):
you've ever wished you could press pause on a perfect
travel day and make it linger just a little bit longer,
you are in luck because in the summer months, Iceland
gets about eighteen to twenty four hours of daylight, which
means extra time to look at those beautiful waterfalls, which
are so iconic and indicative of the sites that you'll
(43:44):
see in Iceland. That's what people go for, the explore
volcanic landscapes and actually soak in some geothermal lagoons without
the blazing heat that has many of us looking for
shade and air conditioning came and you know, the one
thing about summer that really kills me is that I
(44:05):
do look for air conditioning, but that means I can't
go outside. And I love the outdoors, I really do,
but I love it on my terms, you know. And
Iceland creates the ability to do that.
Speaker 1 (44:20):
So I am right right on the same page as
you when it comes to summer. Something I do not
like the heat. Yeah, it's the humidity that gets me.
I don't mind when it's eighty five degrees if there's
no humidity. Yeah, what we've done. We got one of
those industrial fans and put it on the back deck
and we sit about six feet from the fan. And
that's the only way I can be an outside.
Speaker 2 (44:38):
And those misting fans are even better. Yeah, those are great.
Speaker 1 (44:42):
They have those in Vegas when you're walking down the sidewalk.
Speaker 2 (44:44):
Not good for hair, but they really are pretty good.
Speaker 1 (44:47):
I don't need any of that though.
Speaker 2 (44:48):
If you're in Greenland, you do not not Iceland or Iceland.
I'm sorry, yep, not in Iceland there. Why do they
name them this way?
Speaker 1 (44:58):
Iceland is green and Greenland icy.
Speaker 2 (45:02):
Somebody messed up, didn't they? Somebody messed up. But the
midnight sun makes summer one of the best times to
visit Iceland and it's one of the most requested must
visit landmarks and that is the Blue Lagoon that is
there now to really experience this entire destination, I'm going
(45:22):
to recommend the eleven Day kaleida Scope to ice Iceland
from our great partners at Gate one Travel, and the
reason is because it's one of those few escorted, fully
escorted tours to Iceland that allow you to really navigate
around the entire land mass of Iceland. A lot of
(45:45):
other tours do Iceland, but they only tour either the
southernmost or the northernmost area of Iceland. This particular tour
with Gate one Travel enables you to travel around the
entire land mass in that eleven days. They call it
the eleven Day Kaleidoscope. What's also great about this tour
(46:08):
is that most all of your meals are included. And
if you've done any research on Iceland at all, thinking
that maybe this was a destination that you had some
interest in, let me tell you it is outrageously expensive
when it comes to food. For the price of this
Gate one Travel trip that's an eleven day Kaleidoscope that
(46:30):
include your air and your meals and everything. The price
is right. It's priced absolutely perfectly for budget minded travelers
who are interested in decent accommodations, clean accommodations, well located
in good walking distance. And the bonus feature here with
Iceland is it's also a great place to catch the
(46:53):
Northern Lights. So all of those things combined, cool weather
temperatures in the summer heat eat, the chance to see
the Northern lights, and a very affordable prospect of being
able to get there and experience it puts it on
my list of the top places to go for a
cool caation. Now, we talked about this one a lot,
(47:16):
and I would think this would probably be one of
the first things that comes to people's mind, and that
is Alaska, the National Parks Area, d Nali, the Yukon.
And for this trip, I would highly recommend a company
that has been one of my go tos for many,
many years. I always say to my clients they basically
own the state of Alaska, and that is Holland America
(47:39):
Cruise Line. They have everything, They've got the cruise tour,
which is what people flock to Alaska to do and
when everybody else wants to flock to packed coastlines and
crowded beaches. I'll tell you what heads somewhere where soul
stirring scenery and there's plenty of room to stretch out.
And that's Alaska. Every thing about Alaska's big. There's big skies,
(48:03):
open land, big mountains, many open waterways, the animals, and
some of the loveliest wildflowers ever. Alaska is really blessed
with beautiful, beautiful sunny skies on just about every amazing
experience except in catcha Can. We talked about that, but
(48:24):
it's a rare treat, really, and Holland America's itineraries are
really pretty perfect. You can learn so much every day
of the tour. For a lot of travelers, a trip
like this isn't just a vacation. It's sort of a reset.
Whether you're into wildlife, watching scenic train rides, or just
breathing the clean mountain air. There is no shortage of
(48:45):
ways to feel refreshed and inspired. And one of my
favorite cruise tour itineraries offered by Holland America is one
called the Ten Days Signature de Nali Cruise Tour. It
includes a wonderful travel experience aboard the McKinley Explorer, which
is the double decker domed luxury site seeing train wholly
(49:07):
owned by Holland America Cruise Lines. One of the highlights
of the trip, I believe. The other, of course, is
the fact that you can see not one, not two,
but three wonderful glaciers Hubbard Glacier, Glacier Bay, and the
granddaddy of them all, Mendenhall Glacier, located in Alaska's capital
of Juno. You can definitely say, after a cruise tour
(49:28):
with Holland America like this one, that you've really seen
Alaska and you probably won't even break a sweat.
Speaker 1 (49:36):
I like that.
Speaker 2 (49:36):
Yeah, I love this one. The last one on my list, Chris,
I don't want to run out of time, but I
know there's several others I would love to have talked about.
If you're interested in more of these, just give me
a call. But Scandinavia, we can't really say coolcations without
mentioning them, the capitals and the Fjords. Viking Cruise Line
has really got this one in the bag. They have
(49:59):
some thing called Viking Homeland's Tour, and if you like
the idea of summer getaways, by the water, but don't
want to deal with sand again sticking to your legs.
This is crisp coastal breezes, sparkling fjords, charming waterfront towns.
It is everything. Think scenic boat rides, long daylight hours,
and cool walkable cities where you can breathe easy and
(50:23):
explore on your own. And this is the tour called
Highlights of Vikings Homeland Crews. I mean, this is it.
The fifteen day Viking Homelands Crews. Highlights include exploring Scandinavian,
the Balktic Sea, overnights in key cities like Stockholm, Oslo, Bergen.
You're going to visit historic sites in Tallinn and Ganst,
(50:47):
and experienced the scenic fjords in Norway. The itinerary also
features a visit to Berlin, which offers you kind of
a little taste of Germany while you're there. Just a
fabulous it, lots of scenic beauty, the fjord exploration and
really Viking Ocean is perhaps the top of my recommendations
(51:08):
for this itinerary. After all, it's where they began their experience,
and their very first cruising experience was begun by Viking
right there, so lots of great places to go to
beat the summer heat. I mean, just thinking about it
makes me feel better. Mm hm.
Speaker 1 (51:24):
You know, out of the list that we talked about today,
what's number one on your list?
Speaker 2 (51:29):
The number one on my list probably would have to
be Ireland. It captured my soul. I mean, Ireland is
a place where I feel like I must have roots.
It felt like I must have been there sometime someplace before.
Speaker 1 (51:44):
That's how I felt when I moved here. Did you
really I did. I immediately felt like this was home.
And I found out after I moved here, many years
after I was here, that my family actually was from
Shenandoah County.
Speaker 2 (51:55):
Oh my goodness.
Speaker 1 (51:56):
I mean we're talking one hundred and some years ago.
Speaker 2 (51:59):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (51:59):
I'd actually never heard of the Shenandoah Valley before I
moved here. I was young and didn't pay attention to
a lot of stuff. Yeah, I didn't even know. I
came here and immediately it was like, this is home.
This feels like family. So I bet I feel that
way if I went to Ireland or Scotland or something.
Speaker 2 (52:16):
Asking me to pick my favorite place is pretty difficult, because, honestly,
every time I travel Chris it's my favorite. Yeah, you know,
every time I go, I go, oh, well, this must
be my favorite. Now this is my favorite.
Speaker 1 (52:28):
I think the Canada would be mine. Of Canada off
this list, I would really like to do the Montreal trip.
That sounds like that is sweet.
Speaker 2 (52:38):
Yeah, it's a sweet deal, a sweet place to go. Yeah,
lots of great experiences. So I mean, I really invite
people as you're listening, if you're listening to A Lifeless
Ordinary with us this morning. First of all, thank you.
I enjoy the comments from folks who come in the
office and say, you know, I listened to you on
that show every Saturday. That show, by the way, folks,
(52:59):
is called A life Less Ordinary. We come to you
every Saturday morning at ten o'clock. We are delighted to
bring you the world of travel because it is my
first love and I want to share it with you
so so much. We invite you to visit us at
the Wishing Well. We are located at two forty three
nef Avenue in the Valley Center. You can call us anytime.
(53:20):
We love to hear you beautiful voice at five four
oh nine oh eight two three three three, or look
us up on the web. We are at the Wishingwell
dot biz.
Speaker 1 (53:30):
This has been a life Less Ordinary the travel show
from your friends at the wishing Well at two forty
three nef Avenue in Harrisonburg. If you have any questions
on topics discussed today, please reach out to the wishing
Well online at the wishing Well dop biz or five
four oh nine oh eight twenty three thirty three. Past
episodes are available on the iHeartRadio app. And We'll see
again next Saturday morning at ten for a Life Less
(53:52):
Ordinary from the wishing Well
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang
Ding dong! Join your culture consultants, Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang, on an unforgettable journey into the beating heart of CULTURE. Alongside sizzling special guests, they GET INTO the hottest pop-culture moments of the day and the formative cultural experiences that turned them into Culturistas. Produced by the Big Money Players Network and iHeartRadio.