March 1, 2024 • 53 mins
The Wishing Well's Terrie Dean discusses this week's travel news and Hot Deals!
Do you love traveling but hate spending too much money? Do you dream of experiencing the finer things in life without sacrificing your savings? If so, this episode is for you.
Luxury for Less, Pursuing Your Dreams is the ultimate guide to finding the best deals, destinations, and experiences for your travel goals. Whether you want to soak up the sun, hit the slopes, or immerse yourself in a new culture, you can do it all in style and on a budget.
Terrie will share her secrets and stories on how to live the luxury life you deserve. Don't let money stop you from pursuing your dreams!
Link from today's episode: Department of State Do Not Travel areas
Do you love traveling but hate spending too much money? Do you dream of experiencing the finer things in life without sacrificing your savings? If so, this episode is for you.
Luxury for Less, Pursuing Your Dreams is the ultimate guide to finding the best deals, destinations, and experiences for your travel goals. Whether you want to soak up the sun, hit the slopes, or immerse yourself in a new culture, you can do it all in style and on a budget.
Terrie will share her secrets and stories on how to live the luxury life you deserve. Don't let money stop you from pursuing your dreams!
Link from today's episode: Department of State Do Not Travel areas
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
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(00:00):
This is a Lifeless Ordinary. It'sthe travel show and podcasts from your friends
at the wishing Well two forty threef Avenue in Harrisburg and online at the
wishing Well dot this. The wishingWell is your ultimate luxury concierge, travel
agency and a Lifeless Ordinary is atravel show and podcast hosted by Terry Dean,
bringing her over forty years of experiencein 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 theworld. Let's bring in Terry Dean.
Say hello, Chris, how areyou today? I am excellent. Thank
you for asking? What sadless fabulousweather is coming in? Is here?
I like this time of year,don't you though? I mean this is
(00:41):
spring and spring and fall are twoof my favorite times of the year.
But I especially like nice spring weatheron the weekends. It is nice.
I'm with you on the spring andfall, and I'm as you were saying
that, I'm like, which onedo I like better? I think I
like fall better because it's like therelief at the end of the torture of
(01:03):
summer. Because I hate summer.Yeah, I do too. Spring is
always nice though, because it feelslike, you know, it's the rebirth.
It's like the flowers are blooming andyou can start to you know,
keep the windows open and not yet, but yeah, start thinking about keeping
the windows open, wearing shorts andthings like that. And that's that's fun
too. I know you've been doinga little work around your house, so
you know how it feels when everythinggets fresh and newly painted and all that.
(01:26):
That's what spring feels like. Yeah, yeah, I'm so excited.
We've uh, we've been ordering allof this, all these tools we're gonna
build. We're gonna start building stuffaround the house. And so I've got
all these new tools out and thatI shouldn't say this now we're gonna get
robbed. I get all these newtools out and the ship and uh,
I'm just so excited to get startedout there, you know, cotton wooden
(01:49):
building projects and stuff. You know, what would be even better is the
day when we can actually order toolsand then just give them a command and
have them do the job. That'snot as fun though, I know,
but what a way to go.I'm okay with a dishwasher, I'm okay
with those little roombas, that willvacuum the house. But some things I
(02:09):
want to do myself because it justthere's a rewarding feeling when at the end
you go, I did that.Yeah, there is, there absolutely is.
And I think the difference is it'swhether or not it's the project you
want to do or the project youhave to do. That's exactly right.
I have a lot of boats,have a lot of both at my house.
Well, enough about my tools,let's get into what's going on this
(02:30):
week ago. Yeah, there's news. You know, there's news, and
really right at the beginning here ofwe're getting ready to go into spring break.
Uh huh. People are planning,and of course the weather helps when
that happens. You know, peopleare really excited about traveling. And I
can tell you our phones are NonStop. We have people walking in. It's
(02:52):
like a revolving door at the office, and I couldn't be happier. But
you know, what we don't needis anything to pour cold water on that.
But sadly, and you know,it's our responsibility here to a lifeless
ordiny, to let you know thegood, the bad and everything in between.
So the State Department has issued sometravel advisories that I really do feel
(03:14):
like I need to make folks awareof especially if Jamaica and the Bahamas are
on your list of places that you'regoing to be going over the next you
know, several months, and theymight be. But the State Department issued
a Level three travels advisory for Jamaicalast month. And just so you know,
(03:36):
there's several different levels. I thinkwe talked about that here one episode
when we talked on a Lifeless Ordinaryabout the State Department's warnings that they issue.
They go all the way up toa level four, and in this
particular instance, the State Department issueda level three for Jamaica, asking Americans
(03:58):
to quote unquote reconsider travel to Jamaicadue to crime and medical services. Now,
a level three, that's exactly whatit is, reconsider travel. A
level four is do not travel.So we're at a level three to Jamaica.
That's pretty serious. Violent crimes likehome invasions, they've got armed robberies,
(04:21):
sexual assaults, homicides are common whenthat is the level that we're talking
about, so you do have tobe on your guard. The State Department
also issued a level two to theBahamas, and just so you know,
a level two is akin to whatwe're seeing in even state side right now
(04:46):
concerning issues in Los Angeles, areasof Texas, some areas of Florida,
and really if we look at whathappened in Kansas City just after the Super
Bowl, that have also elevated thelevel of concern in that city. So
in the Bahamas, we're seeing asimilar level to what we see here in
(05:06):
the United States. But there's acouple of things that you should do and
what you should know about traveling.While the State Department has urged US travelers
to avoid these certain areas, italso shared a list of best practices if
you're still planning to visit these islands. Do not attempt to bring firearms or
(05:30):
ammunition. I think that's a commonsense one really. And avoid walking or
driving at night in these areas ifyou're there. Stay on the areas that
you have the resort areas where you'resaying, many of those are gated and
so that's a much more safe area. Avoid public buses, avoid secluded places
(05:53):
or putting yourself in those situations.Don't physically resist in robbery attempt you could
be in putting yourself in jeopardy.Let them have what they want and then
perhaps they'll go away. Be awareof your surroundings, keep a very low
profile. This one's very important.You want to enroll in this Smart Traveler
(06:14):
Enrollment program. The acronym for thatis step step there. If you enroll
your trip in that, you're goingto receive alerts and it's going to make
it a lot easier to locate youin this event of an emergency. You
want to follow the State Department onFacebook and Twitter and review the country security
(06:35):
reports for any country that you're goingto. That's just good common sense.
Now, if you do decide totravel to any any place that's on the
State Department's list and they have awarning up, especially those that do not
travel. There is a website thatI really would like for us to add
(06:56):
to the information. For people whoare listening to our show today, you
can always go to the Wishing Wellafter this show airs and you can find
links to this as long as you'relooking on the Life Less Ordinary, that's
where you're gonna find it. Butit's the travel dot State dot gov and
it's a full length there. I'mgoing to ask Chris to post that at
(07:17):
the bottom of the information on thisso that you'll have that and what to
know about the Bahamas. That advisorywas actually issued on January the twenty sixth
and urged travelers just to exercise increasedcaution should they decide to visit there and
in Nassau. You know, justpractice increased vigilance in certain areas. Be
(07:42):
aware again of your surroundings. Andalso watercraft might be poorly maintained and some
operations might not have safety certifications.You want to be aware of that.
This is something that's been reported tothe State Department, So just be aware.
So why would you want to actuallygo there when there's those kind of
advisories in effect. Well, manytimes, Chris, people have already made
(08:07):
their plans. They may have madethese plans a year in advance. Some
people do. They may not havebought the proper trip protection insurance that would
have allowed them to get out ofa trip like this, and so they
feel compelled in some form or fashionto go. They also might be the
(08:28):
kind of people who just go,you know what, I'm just as safe
there as anywhere. That may ormay not be true, but there are
some people who do many times throwcaution to the wind, and that's why
we use this show as a platformto inform you. Yeah, I will
put that link at the in thedescription for today's show. You can find
(08:50):
it on the wishing Well dot biz. Up in the upper right hand corner,
you'll see a link for a LifeLess Ordinary, or you can search
on the iHeartRadio app where we postall the episodes as well. Exactly,
So thank you for that. Now, big news. Now, you know,
we know Texas. If there's news, there's big news in Texas.
They do it big in Texas.But I got to tell you something.
There's someplace that's finally overshadowed Texas,and it is Dubai. There is nothing
(09:18):
that happens in Dubai that's not big. And this is big. I mean,
this is big news. A littlemore than ten years ago, Chris,
in about October of twenty thirteen,the first commercial passenger flight ever to
touch down in Dubai made its entrance. Now, think about that, that's
(09:39):
just ten years ago. That goesby in a flash. But Dubai has
promised that they are going to buildthe world's largest and busiest airport. And
they're not kidding. They're not messingaround. When it's finished, it's going
(10:00):
to be able to handle more thanone hundred and sixty million passengers per year
as well as twelve million tons offreight. Now, to put that in
perspective, that's about sixty three millionmore travelers than the world's current busiest airport,
which is Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International.They handled in twenty twenty two,
(10:28):
nearly one hundred million more than Dubaiat that time. Let's not forget it's
already the world's busiest airport outside ofthe US and Dubai's main international gateway.
But they're going to make it biggerthan even they have now. However,
a decade and a pandemic after thatinitial passenger flight and a full thirteen years
(10:50):
since it's first opened for cargo operations, Dubai's newest airport is still very much
a work in progress. But bigpromises are coming. So what's been happening
with those ambitious plans? Well,and when might we see a timeline or
new designs. This airport is goingto be the centerpiece of a much larger
(11:13):
scheme. It's called Dubai South,and they've envisioned the creation of a whole
new city. I mean, thisis not going to be just an airport,
folks. This is going to belike Dubai's second city, yes,
you would say, And they buildlike islands just so my god. They're
in the shape of palm trees,and this speed at which they can build
(11:33):
is literally staggering to me. Imean, I have never seen any kind
of architectural technology like what I haveseen in these renditions of this. It's
unbelievable, absolutely unbelievable. The entirenew district, of which some pieces are
already starting to take shape, willhave eight neighborhoods, each allocated to a
(11:54):
specific industry or activity, with amix of residential and commercial areas as well,
and with the airport at the heartof this action, it's going to
form a complete aerotropolis they're calling it, including the recently announced nine hundred and
fifty million dollar Emirates Engineering Center that'sgoing to play a prominent role in this
(12:20):
vision. And the real turning pointis going to come the day local giant
Emirates and its smaller partner, FlyDubai relocate to the new airport from their
current home in Dubai International. Thismove has been long in the cards,
but has no known time frame yet, But you want to talk about big.
(12:41):
This is going to make big,big international news when this comes to
fruition and all the planes will bemade of solid gold. Can you believe
what they have vending machines where youcan buy bars of gold as you walk
down the street. I mean it'sto I mean it just my mind is
blown here as I continue to seethe activity and the growth, and really,
(13:05):
can I say this the vulgarity ofDubai. I mean it is just
unbelievable, but so intriguing, right, it is so intriguing. I mean
with direct NonStop flights being there atour disposal hear from the United States.
I gotta tell you, I'm curious. Yeah i'd go, yeah, me
too. And is that? Yes? It is so It's unbelievable, and
(13:28):
I don't think it's going to belong before that is even overshadowed by yet
a bigger skyscraper. Yeah, okay, look forward to it. I know,
I love it. I mean,this is the kind of stuff in
the travel industry that just excites me. You know, because just when we
think we've seen it all, nowe haven't. I mean, yes,
(13:50):
things are going to constantly change andyou know, the center of attraction will
always be sort of floating around theplanet into something new and more exciting.
You know, we thought Vegas wasdone. They know it's not, even
if they reinvent themselves the sphere,you know, out of nowhere. So
yeah, so I'm excited about that. I'm excited to see where it goes,
(14:11):
and I want to actually keep myeye on the progress of that.
Other news though, something you know, just a little bit tamer, a
little bit smaller, but still alot of excitement is associated with when the
peak bloom season is going to bein Washington, d C. For the
abundant cherry blossoms. It's always exciting. My wife, Becka and I were
(14:33):
going to go to that last year. It was one of those saturdays where
like, let's go, it's right, and then you know, you're like,
do we really want to drive downtownto all this? And we got
busy doing something else and we bothregretted not going. Yeah, it's a
busy time for sure. But oneyear I took my entire staff that was
our office outing for the year.We went up to the cherry blossom Festival
(14:54):
and all the activities and stayed inWashington d C, had some fabulous food
and really just had a most entertainingweekend with my staff. I loved it.
But the National Park Service is assuringeverybody that spring is on the horizon
with this announcement, and with itwill come the anticipated annual blooming of the
(15:16):
Washington DC's cherry blossoms, which areset to peak sooner than you might think.
They've managed. The National Park Servicehas managed to come up with an
informed forecast. I don't know howthey do this, but they're predicting that
twenty twenty four's peak bloom will occurbetween you ready to get your pencils,
(15:37):
March the twenty third and March thetwenty sixth. That's a three day win,
we say. I know, now, I don't have times on that.
It's not like eleven point fifty ninea m you know, but I
think that's interesting. I thought,you know, just a three day window
there. And they've defined the cherrytrees peak blooming period as the window in
(15:58):
which seventy percent or more of thecherry trees surrounding the tidal basin have opened
their buds and gracing Washington d Cwith those fluffy, light pink blossoms.
It's a much anticipated yearly event thatsees the nation's capital blanketed in a virtual
sea of these delicate, light pinkpetals. The city's title title basin is
(16:22):
home to more than three thousand cherrytrees, and they make for beautiful photos.
Oh my gosh. And they alsowent on to say Chris that despite
the fluctuations in weather patterns, thepeak bloom time in Washington, d C.
Has remained relatively consistent over the pasttwo decades, typically occurring between late
(16:42):
March and early April in both twentytwenty two and twenty twenty three. But
now I thought. When I readthis, I went, I thought they
were either earlier or later last yearthan we had thought because of a change
in our weather patterns. Didn't itget real warm and the cherry blossoms came
out and then they weren't there forthe anticipated blossom sea. But according to
(17:07):
this article, I'm wrong, They'reright. But this year's peak bloom aligns
perfectly with the city's annual Cherry BlossomFestival, which is scheduled to take place
from March twentieth to April fourteenth.Hmm. Perfectly timed, perfectly timed.
Yeah, that three day window justhappens the fall in that week of the
(17:29):
festival. Yeah. Smart, it'sa good time now in Washington, DC,
no matter when you go up duringthat time. But again, if
you got your crayons, March twentiethto April fourteenth, write it down.
You know. One of the thingsI regret is we live in such a
beautiful part of the country, beautifulpart of the world, and it's like,
you know, when you watch theTimes Square on New Year's Eve,
(17:49):
You're like, I don't know ifI'm to go. I did do the
Macy Thanksgiving Parade, one of thosethings where you're like, I've got to
watch it on TV. This isso close. We have no reason.
So we kind of take it forgranted, you know, all of these
wonderful things that are within a closedrive to us. Sometimes we really do.
We take it for granted. Whenthe rest of the world will flock
(18:10):
to that, we as I'm goingto say, locals might just pass it
by because, eh, you know, do we really want to go?
I actually do. I'd like tosee it again. It was wonderful when
I went before, and I wouldgladly go again. We should record our
show on the title basin all forthat, Let's do an on location A
Lifeless Ordinary sounds good to me,and if you would like to do that,
(18:32):
just call Chris. Here's the note. Let's move on to some hot
deals, Terry. Yeah, wedo have some sales going on. We
are in leap year. You knowit was it was February twenty nine,
just a couple of days ago,and as a result, everybody in the
tour industry is looking for reasons tocreate sales. So I've got some we
(18:53):
do. We are calling these theleap year savings. You're going to get
twenty percent off of European and summerdepartures right now, and that's huge because
if you have been looking at summerfairs for Europe right now, even twenty
percent is a huge savings. I'vegot these to Italy, Spain and Portugal,
(19:14):
Greece, Ireland, England and Scotland, Croatia, France, you know,
the usual suspects. I've even gota great deal on a six day
Essential ire Iceland. Not Ireland Iceland. It's only for a May first departure,
but including air, this six dayEssential Iceland trip only fourteen fifty seven
(19:37):
per person. And then I alsolooked into some other deals that we've got.
These sounded really interesting to me.I thought i'd share them with you
today. Again, they are veryspecific in nature based on the departure date.
But a nine day Southeastern US withNashville and the Smoky Mountains someplace that
I'm going to head to in Mayactually departure date of May the twenty first
(20:02):
only nineteen sixty three per person.That's a savings of twenty three percent over
what that trip normally costs. Andif you're interested in Italy, Switzerland,
Austria and Slovenia, a thirteen daytrip with a departure date of May eleventh,
only thirty seven hundred dollars per person. And this one I love.
(20:22):
Got to throw this in nine dayClassic Hawaii. May the twenty first is
your departure date with air included onlytwenty seven thirty seven for that nine day
trip. Again, I want toremind you we've got the six day Essential
Iceland that May first date for fourteenfifty seven and eight day Canyon Lands Arches
(20:45):
and Maysaverde and the National Parks.May twentieth is a departure date for that
perfect weather, including your airfare onlynineteen ten per person, and that's fully
I score all of these by theway that I'm mentioning to your fully escorted
tours. And we can go tothe wishing Well Domp business get more information
absolutely or call us. Where areat five to four zho nine eight two
(21:08):
three three three? So what's yourshow about today? We're going to have
some fun. This is I'm titlingthis luxury for less, pursuing your dreams.
And I thought that since a lotof people are planning right now,
what they're doing is they're paying thepeak prices. But there's a way to
(21:29):
have luxury for less. I loveto visit that sometimes here on the show,
because not everybody knows the art ofdoing that. So I want to
be able to share with people todaysome of the tricks of the trade how
you can get luxury for less.We will pursue our dreams. Coming up
in thirty seconds here on the LifeLess Ordinary. Protect your vacation investment with
guidance from a travel professional. Thewishing Well knows travel and helps you avoid
(21:52):
pitfalls. They can spoil your hardearned vacation. We'll plan your trip and
have your back as you travel thiswithout support or so called convenience fees.
We're on the web at though Wishingwelldot diiz or call us at five four
zero nine zero eight two three threethree. That's five four zero nine zero
eight two three three three. Thewishing Well really does make dreams come true
(22:15):
and welcome back to a life lessordinary the travel show and podcast from your
friends at the wishing Well. Oneof those friends is Terry Dean. Terry
joins us every Saturday morning at thistime we have a nice cup of coffee
and talk travel and today's show weare going to be talking about luxury for
less, pursuing your dreams. That'sa nice show, you know, That's
(22:36):
that's a nice thing to even thinkabout. So I'll ask you, Chris,
where is the place that you haveoften dreamed about going but thought I
probably can't go there because it's unattainablebecause it's unaffordable. Wow. Maybe maybe
(22:57):
Italy. Yeah, that's what's ona lot of people's bucket list. I
know I really want to go toLondon just because I'm a royal nerd,
but I think that's probably obtainable.I'd love to go to Germany because that's
where my family's from. But Ican't imagine there's anything there that's tourist thieves,
think from where my family's from.So yeah, I would say maybe
(23:19):
maybe Italy, maybe Hawaii. Yeah, oh, Tokyo. Oh there you
go. I bet that's expensive stuffgoing on in there there this year,
because we talked about that just lastweek. The Olympics. Well that's in
Paris. I'm sorry Paris. Yeah, but Paris would be a good place
too. But yeah, I've gotplaces, yeah, I mean, but
(23:45):
my point here, I think isthat most people write destinations off because they
hear or they explore what the pricesare at the wrong time. And they
could, in fact go if theyjust knew what the magic wand was an
African safari. There you go.That seems unobtainable. Now that's mine too,
(24:10):
Yeah, but it is very attainablereally. Yeah. And what we're
about to do is enter into oneof the busiest travel seasons I will tell
you we have ever seen at theWishing Well since twenty nineteen pre pandemic.
It's unbelievable what we're seeing right nowand where people are going. And since
I know, based on the businessthat's been funneling through the wishing well that
(24:34):
everybody is looking for the unique.They're looking for culturally diverse, romantic,
food focused and good lord of coursebragworthy. We know that. So today
here on a life less ordinary,I want to troddle out to around the
globe just a little bit from We'regoing to say, from Australia to Panama,
(24:57):
and I'm going to share with youexactly where you can get the most
bang for your buck. And Iwant to say it's not isolated to just
these places we're going to talk about, because we're going to talk about quite
a few. But the same yardstickor measuring stick that we use to go
is this affordable or not can beapplied to most any destination, Chris,
(25:18):
even the ones that you just mentioned. You know so, because we know
from our clientele that they're looking forvalue and how to get the very most
from their budgets, no matter howbig or economically strapped you might be.
It might surprise you a bit,but the world can become more affordable because
(25:41):
it's connected by air travel. Internationalvacations are increasingly affordable, but you have
to know where to look and whento buy. That's the key now,
typically, if you're hoping to savemoney, and who isn't, you should
plan your trip a destinations off season. It's probably one of the best first
(26:04):
tips I could give you. Asa bonus, you're bound to have a
better travel experience when you don't haveto jostle your way through crowds to get
to the top attractions. Now,I will tell you only because of how
I have to work at the WishingWell, many of my vacations sadly are
(26:25):
centered over a holiday, the fourthof July, Memorial Day week, that
kind of thing. And you knowwhy I do that is because we're already
closed one of those days, andso I'm not inconveniencing my clients by taking
too much extra time on a holidaytime when they want to go somewhere,
So I have to work around that. As a bonus, you're bound to
(26:48):
have a better travel experience when youdon't have to be around those crowds.
You know that if you go offseason, the crowds are going to be
lighter, you're going to get betterattention, you're going to have more of
a pleasant time without that. Butaside from all that, whether you're dreaming
of vacation as far from the USas Australia or as close as Toronto,
(27:11):
the actual cost could surprise you ina good way. So I want you
to know I compiled a list ofseveral international destinations where your dollar is going
to go the farthest, plus whento book for the cheapest airfare and accommodations.
Now full disclosure, I don't promisethat this strategy is going to work
every single time, because you neverknow what's going on at a place.
(27:34):
You know, Like we mentioned Paris, you know might be off season there
during some times of but you gotthe Olympics. You never know when some
event is going to skew that thosemargins. But if you take a few
notes today, my hope is thatwhen you do get around to getting ready
(27:55):
to begin planning your dream vacation,you might just remember a few of these
tips that I'm going to share withyou today. Now, I want to
jump right into some of these chrissbecause I've got a lot of territory to
cover and I don't want to leaveany of them out and I don't want
to run out of time. Sothe first one on my list is Toronto.
(28:15):
I love Toronto. I'm not surewhen people think of dream destinations that
Toronto automatically comes to mind. Butit is, however beautiful. I've been
there a number of times. It'sjust north of the US border, so
a passport is definitely required. Thisis definitely an international destination. But Toronto's
a busy, growing city. They'rejust bursting with culture, a diverse culinary
(28:41):
scene, so great food and activitiesthat cater to a range of age groups
and interests. Now The Wishing Wellmakes trips to Toronto nearly every year because
one of our most popular trips tois to Toronto and Niagara Falls. We
sort of combine those in a grouptrip without fail, year after year we
(29:02):
fill it up. And fun fact, Toronto is often mistaken for the Canadian
capital. It is sometimes known asHollywood North for its wealth of celebrity residents.
And this is a city that justgives and gives and keeps on giving.
Foodies are going to want to makestops in Little Italy, one of
(29:23):
the several China towns, and LittlePortugal for some great food that you can
find those culinary experiences infused from Italy, from Portugal, from China, all
in Toronto, which is great touristscan also be inclined to catch a hockey
game. I would love to dothat in Toronto. Sample some craft beer,
(29:48):
take a trip to the famous Seaand Tower to get some remarkable views
of the city. So great thingsand great reasons to visit Toronto Now if
you're committed to go again, butyou're looking for the best possible value,
it's good to know that Toronto's lowseason runs from October to March, with
(30:10):
the exception being December. Because ofholiday travel, Toronto attracts a lot of
people around holiday time. The cheapestflights and I looked this up before we
got on the air today so thatI could be kind of fair with the
quotes that we're giving. The cheapestflights can be found for around four hundred
dollars round trip from Washington Dulles inOctober, and a direct flight from Marshington
(30:34):
Dulls to Toronto good News only takesabout an hour and a half. So
really, as I've told you before, and I think I talked about my
trip to Montreal last year, anhour and a half and you're really in
sort of a European cultural experience,and all an hour and a half away.
Who can beat that hotels in downtownToronto are less expensive also during these
(31:00):
off season times, and if you'rebrave enough to visit Toronto in January and
February, that's when you're going toget the best deals on the hotel.
You can actually land a five starHotel Chris in the heart of downtown Toronto
for only about four hundred dollars pernight, And if you don't need anything
quite that posh, you can landa four star downtown hotel for only about
(31:21):
one hundred and seventy eight dollars anight. That's the difference, and compare
comparatively, hotels are the most expensivefrom June to September, when those same
five star hotels can go for anaverage of about five hundred and seventy dollars
up to seven hundred dollars per night. So really traveling in the off season
does save you some money. You'relooking at metropolitan areas like Toronto. The
(31:48):
fees for downtown areas are still alwaysgoing to be a bit high, but
if you don't mind, and likeI said, you don't need a posh
hotel, you can really land somethingpretty terrific for about one hundred and seventy
it is good, and still you'regoing to have a similar experience. You're
going to see the same sites.They really don't uproot the major landmarks and
(32:09):
Toronto and replace them with something betterin the summertime. They're still there in
the wintertime, and that gives youa great new perspective on how to afford
a great trip to Toronto. Nextthing we're going to do is head over
to Europe in a place called grandEst France, and that's Est. This
(32:30):
is an area of France that reallydoesn't come up very often, but oh
it should, it really should.It's an area formerly known as Alsace,
now officially part of the larger grandEst region, and it's beloved by French
travelers. They know it and theylove it. It really doesn't attract nearly
(32:52):
as many visitors as Paris or theCote de Jour, but you really need
to know that, especially if whatyou're seeking is more an exciting France,
you might not be as happy withthis area. You might want to go
to Paris or Cot de Jour.But Kaiserberg, once featured on the TV
(33:16):
program that was out as the French'sFavorite Village, exemplifies a lot of the
characteristics that have endeared Alsace to locals. It's got architecture that dates back to
the thirteenth century, world renowned winesellers, and really that's one of the
most attracting features for visitors of thisarea is the wine. Plus they have
(33:39):
a very hearty alsasan cuisine. It'sreally indicative only to its own region there.
So if you're looking for something moreexciting, and that's what France means
to you, this is probably notthe area you want to visit because it's
a little quieter, a little lessbusy, but it's beautiful. For the
(34:00):
very best value, you're going toconsider flying into Strasbourg, which is going
to be the capital of grand Est, in February or March for the best
prices. Flights from Washington Dullest roundtrip can be found for a round nine
hundred dollars round trip during off season, and you can stay in a five
(34:21):
star hotel for as low as onehundred and ninety five dollars here per night,
as opposed to what we saw inToronto in the off season. The
cheaper months for accommodations in grand Estare October, January, and February,
and still like I said, ifyou don't mind the cold weather or even
tepid weather, I would say inOctober, that's a grand time to go.
(34:44):
It's also interesting to note that Octoberis one of the better times to
go because of a harvest season forthe vineyards, so that's a great time
to go if you're interested in that, and it's still considered off season,
so great time to make France apart of your itinerary. Another one that's
(35:07):
on a lot of people's bucket lists. But I get this all the time.
I can't go Terry because it reallyjust is unaffordable. I've got some
folks right now that are interested ingoing to this particular destination because their daughter's
graduating from high school and this isher dream trip. She wants to go
to Australia. And it's a beautiful, beautiful area. I mean, Australia
(35:31):
is just beautiful. But Brisbane,Australia, unknown to a lot of people,
is one of the best places tochoose to go into instead of Auckland,
instead of Sydney, because it ismore affordable. The capital of Queensland,
on Australia's East Coast arguably the country'sdesign capital. You can drop by
(35:53):
the Queensland Art Gallery there and theGallery of Modern Art or the Institute of
Modern Art. To get a senseof what they call Asian Pan Pacific art.
You can go shopping in the FortitudeValley area there. You're going to
be able to pick up some piecesfrom local and even international designers. So
it's very eclectic area, a bigmix of art worshipers, you know,
(36:17):
really and you've got great artists fromaround that region that sort of culminate in
that area to show you some ofthe best art that really Australia has to
offer. And of course because it'sAustralia, it's easy to get in touch
with the local wildlife. All youhave to do is visit the Lone Pine
Koala Sanctuary first. I think oneof the first international type of animals that
(36:42):
I fell in love with as akid was the koala, and I just
thought they were so cute. Justabout twenty minutes from the city, you
can hang out with more than onehundred critters. They're not just koalas either.
But in general, Australia doesn't actuallyfit the bill of bucket travel for
Americans, considering the absolute lowest airfarefrom Washington to Auckland, even in off
(37:05):
season, is about fifteen hundred dollars. However, relative to other Australian destinations,
this waterfront city is one of themore affordable entry points, and the
cheapest month to book a flight toBrisbane is September, which of course is
the first month of spring. Inthe Southern Hemisphere, four and five star
(37:27):
hotel stays average in about the onehundred and ninety five dollar range from April
through July. You know why,because it's winter there. It's our summer
but their winter. So if youreally want to travel during our vacation months
and you don't mind Australia's winter season, that's a good time to go because
it's off season. And the clientsthat I'm talking about that want to take
(37:49):
their daughter for graduation are looking totravel in June and July. Found a
great fare for them the other day. Now, getting to Lost Angelus is
going to be key there, butthat can be done pretty inexpensively. But
I found rates for them from LosAngeles to Auckland round trip during that time
(38:09):
that they want to go June Julyfor only five hundred and fifty five dollars
round trip on Fiji Air. Wow, yep, So it can be done.
You can do this on a budget. You just have to know where
to look, when to look,and when to buy. And then we
found the connecting flights from Dulles toLos Angeles that ranged anywhere from three ninety
(38:31):
eight up to five hundred dollars.Of course an economy class, but still
anytime you can get airfare right nowto Australia, which is halfway around the
world, folks, for under twothousand dollars, that's a great deal.
Now, you would not be ableto do that in high season, their
high season, which is going tobe our winter travel, their summer.
(38:53):
You wouldn't be able to do thatthen, I don't think, But I
thought, you know, a fivehundred and fifty five dollars fare from Los
Angeles to Auckland, that's the stealof a deal, and on air Fiji.
Not bad. The next place we'regoing to head to is Panama City,
Panama. Now I have to tellyou, Chris, that Panama was
(39:15):
the very first international trip that Iever took in my little young life.
And it was the very first beachwhen I was in Panama that I stuck
my toe in ever, I waseighteen years old before I actually ever saw
a beach, a real beach andsaw the ocean. So Panama is forever
(39:37):
endeared to me. It really is. And you can meander through Panama's city's
old quarter where they've got these Spanishstyle houses lined cobblestone streets. You can
actually eat your way through Panamanian cuisine. And I thought about you when I
was actually creating my notes for today'sshow, Chris, because I know how
(39:58):
much you like and appreciate international cuisine. I mean, I just like food.
Yeah, I'm not too picky.It doesn't have to be from the
States, but I mean, ifit's good, good eats, I'm ready.
And I know that you would probablybe adventurous if you did that,
to some degree, not as adventurousas I'd like to be. Yeah,
(40:19):
So like sushi. It took meyears to try that, and I still
only eat salmon and tuna. Okay, but at least you're there. You
know, you made a stride thatwas good. But if I went to
Tokyo, I'd feel like I haveto try something more adventurous. Why go
if not? Yeah? Yeah,And you know one of the I don't
want to divert too much here fromPanama, but I do digress a little
bit. San Juan, Puerto Ricoone of my favorite destinations of all time.
(40:45):
They have a dish there. It'sit's it's their national dish. It's
called mafungo. Oh you've talked aboutthis, Oh my gosh, And I
was a little hesitant. I won'tlie. Just from the name alone sort
of put me off a little bit. Didn't sound American, you know,
And I thought, do I dare? Do I want to try this?
(41:06):
Chris, I am so glad Idid it was It has become one of
my favorite things. And I promiseyou the first thing I would ever do
if I went back to San Juananytime soon would be to find a big
plate of mafungo somewhere and just drownmyself in it. It's fabulous. So
when we go to Panama, whatkind of food are we going to get?
We're going to get things like yuccaand plantains and impanadas, chicken stew
(41:31):
and fish soup. Those are amongthe most loved dishes there. And that
doesn't sound like anything that would backyou up too much, does it.
I mean, I would try it. Yeah, and then top it all
off with a tour of the city'sthriving cocktail scene. You've got the rainforest
(41:52):
there, easily accessible from Panama City. If you're eager to swap the urban
jungle for the real jungle, Iwould highly encourage you to do that.
The rainforest is pretty and credible.Now, another great area that you just
have to make a part of yourvisit to Panama are the San Bloss Islands.
Those were islands that were part ofmy trip and my experience in Panama.
(42:15):
I am forever grateful that they were. This is a place not like
anything you have ever seen before unlessyou've opened a National geographic magazine, and
I remember, I think that's probablywhere I developed my love for travel.
My parents subscribed to national geographic magazineswhen we were kids at home in school
(42:36):
because they thought it would help uswith our work, our school work,
and they did. But this wassomething that I remembered seeing in the national
geographic magazines. It's a very uncivilizedChildren rarely attend schools here in the San
Bloss Islands, and the primary meansof income for them is crafts sold to
(42:58):
the occasional tourist visitors. That comeand visit, but it is in its
own way just enchanting. I cantell you that even though Panama is located
in the northern Hemisphere, it's seasonsalso not unlike Australia. They only have
two, and they're exactly opposite ofthe US. Winter for them is the
(43:22):
wet season. It lasts from aroundMay to December and summer. Their dry
season lasts from December to May.And it's cheaper to go during their wet
season, i e. The winterseason when the climate is the least comfortable.
And I can tell you that firsthand, it is rainy, it is
(43:42):
humid, it is yucky in thatwet season. But if you don't mind
that, if you can get pastthat, it's also the least expensive.
This is a destination that I wouldhighly recommend seeing by way of an escorted
tour. That way you don't missanything. The wishing Well just happens to
support escorted tours that include twelve dayCosta Rica Panama Combo tour from only thirty
(44:07):
nine hundred dollars per person. Thatincludes your round trip air from Washington.
That's twelve days Chris, including CostaRica. Now we're right there in that
Central Latin America area where Costa Ricais. We've got Guatemala, you've got
Panama. So it's a perfect combotrip for twelve days including air for thirty
(44:30):
nine hundred dollars. Are you kiddingme? That's fully escorted with most of
all of your meals and a tourguide. You're going to miss nothing and
have the time of your life andsome yucca, get some yuck. I
know you can always count on youto really put a little spice in this
show. So thank you for that. I've had. I've had both of
(44:52):
these. There used to be aplace in Harrisburg that served that kind of
cuisine and I was adventurous and triedit. It really was. That's my
thing, wasn't you're saying no,But I tried it. Yeah, which
is good. Hey, we needto sneak a break in real quick,
and then let's come back and we'lltalk more about luxury for less, pursuing
our dreams here on a life lessordinary. Protect your vacation investment with guidance
(45:12):
from a travel professional. The wishingWell knows travel and help you avoid pitfalls
they can spoil your hard earned vacation. We'll plan your trip and have you
back as you travel. All ofthis without support or so called convenience fees.
We're on the web at tho wishingWell dot biz or call us at
five four zero nine zero eight twothree three three. That's five four zero
(45:34):
nine zero eight two thirty three three. The washing Well really does make dreams
come true. Welcome back to youa life less ordinary, the travel showing
podcast from your friends at the wishingWell. Today's show is called Luxury for
Less Pursuing your dreams, and that'swhat we've been doing for the last best
part of an hour. We're almostout of time. We've got maybe eight
minutes left, Terry to talk aboutsome more luxurious dreams coming true. I
(46:00):
guess on a budget and destinations.Yeah, and the last one on my
list, Chris, I actually Ithink I saved the best for last is
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. Well, that sounds nice, Oh my gosh.
I mean, I can imagine anytime of year would be fabulous,
but that Saint Vincent and the Grenadineswere the last of the British colonies in
(46:23):
the Caribbean to gain their independence.That only happened in nineteen seventy nine,
So that's been fairly late in ouryou know, pretty much in our existence.
It's been in our lifetime. I'llshown you the map because I was
seven years old when it happened.Yeah, exactly. Yeah, could be
(46:45):
a reason why these islands have kindof lagged behind other big players in drawing
tours. Now. The upside ofthat, however, is that the lack
of crowds at beaches and on thetrails that go through their lush rainforest to
the dormant volcanoes are still navigable mostall times of the year. But Saint
(47:07):
Vincent and the Grenadines, known fortheir natural beauty, they have this cultural
attraction black sand beaches, and alot of people don't know that that's because
of the volcanic activity that formed theislands. You do have much like you
do in Hawaii. You've got blacksand beaches in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines,
(47:29):
and you also have something else that'svery coveted. Are the all inclusive
resorts. Oh yeah, people lovethat, do you know, because again
we talk about that here on theshow a lot. I always say convenience
equals luxury, and if you gosomewhere where there is an all inclusive resort
that to many people in their mind, equals luxury. Now, the islands
(47:53):
are also known for their thatched roofcottages. That's also very Caribbean, you
know. To me, and ifI see pictures, I don't care where
they are, or photographs of thatchedroofed cottages on the beach, that's the
Caribbean. Its screams Caribbean to me. Those turquoise waters, beautiful, beautiful
(48:15):
blue turquoise waters. And then youalso have an equal number of white sand
beaches on these islands. Saint Vincentand the Grenadine's main economy are tourism and
agriculture. You've got banana production there, that's insane. A lot of our
bananas that we have here are creditedto them. Country's most popular foods there
(48:39):
include what you might think the usualsuspects, seafood. I was thinking,
jerk chicken, You've got well,you've got seafood. You've got fish cakes,
grilled fish, fish soup, andfried dumplings. Those are kind of
the go tos there in Saint Vincentand the Grenadine. And the best time
(49:00):
to visit actually depends on what you'relooking for this one's sort of a different
one. May to June and November. Those are shoulder months. They've got
fewer crowds there, as we've seena lot of people start to flock there.
Those are going to be the lightermonths for travel, Comfortable temperatures and
lower hotel rates. That's May toJune, and then again in November now
(49:22):
December to April. That's peak season, warm dry Caribbean temperatures as you might
expect July to October hurricane seasons.Still there also fewer crowds, lower hotel
prices. But you roll in thedice just a little bit. I mean,
you have a story to tell whenyou come back. Indeed you do
(49:43):
if you come back. And UScitizens, just so you know, you
do need a valid US passport andproof of departure from this area to travel
to and from Saint Vincent and theGrenadines, and as visitors, you're going
to fly into Saint Vincent's Argyle InternationalAirport. It's open only since twenty seventeen.
(50:06):
Hard for me to believe, becauseit feels like I've sold this area
forever, but not so. Theairport's only been open there since twenty seventeen
and ferry over to some of thesmaller islands in the Grenadines. The route
is run several times a day fromKingstown. So all in all, we've
got some great places on the globethat we've taken a look at today,
(50:29):
with great ways to be able tolower the price and the cost to go,
but still be able Chris, toenjoy some fabulous luxury if you do
go. So out of all thelocations we talked about today, the one
that really piqued my interest was,and I'm not going to pronounce it,
the grand oh grandest grand test inFrance. Yes, because it sounded like
(50:52):
a hug. Yeah, because youdescribed it. Yeah, oh, this
feels cozy. And you know,if you're going in the in the what
you said October or Jah and youknow, as we talked about Paris last
week, because we were talking specificallyabout the Olympics, this is really the
other side of that coin. Whata great combination if you could to go
(51:14):
to Paris for some of the Olympicsand then get completely out of that area
to go into this area that usedto be Alsace, which is Grand ass
So where in France is that downlike the southeast of France. Yes,
okay, that's down where my family'sfrom. I should go visit. You
should. Yeah, absolutely, That'sprobably why I felt like a hug.
(51:36):
Yeah. Out of that list.Where are there any locations you haven't been
to? No? Actually, well, Australia. I have not actually visited
Australia, and a lot of thatis because I bore very easily in a
flight that long. I'm not surehow I'd do on that, but certainly
Australia wouldn't be boring, but theflight over has been what's sort of backed
(51:59):
me up a little bit. Ineed to get there, though I should.
Is there any way that you coulddo like a Asian vacation down to
Australia. Actually thought about going toHawaii first and then possibly going around that
way. That would be probably away to go. But most all of
these other places I have been tolove them, love to share them.
(52:22):
Panama actually, as I was preparingmy notes, I remembered what a favorite
place it was for me and willalways be my very first international trip.
And I love that you have theknowledge in the background, the experience to
find us these affordable vacations, luxuriouslocations at a price that we can afford,
(52:44):
exactly exactly. I really don't thinkthere's any place on the globe anymore
that's unattainable if you go at theright time, know when to go,
and who to call, and maybeeven you don't know that they exist until
you talk to the right person.Right exactly, Well, how do we
get in touch with you? Wewant to take advantage of any of the
great deals you talked about or someof these luxurious locations. The wishing Well
(53:05):
always has great deals for you,Chris, and we're easy to find.
We're located at two forty three nephAvenue in the Valley Center in Heresonburg,
Virginia. They can call us atfive four h nine oh eight two three
three three or look us up onthe web. We're at the Wishingwell dot
biz. This has been a lifeless ordinary the travel show from your friends
(53:25):
at the wishing Well at two fortythree Nep Avenue in Harrisonburg. If you
have any questions on topics discussed today, please reach out to The wishing Well
online at the Wishingwell dop biz orfive four oh nine oh eight twenty three
thirty three. Past episodes are availableon the iHeartRadio app and we'll see again
next Saturday morning at ten for alife less ordinary. From the wishing Well
This is a Lifeless Ordinary. It'sthe travel show and podcasts from your friends
at the wishing Well two forty threef Avenue in Harrisburg and online at the
wishing Well dot this. The wishingWell is your ultimate luxury concierge, travel
agency and a Lifeless Ordinary is atravel show and podcast hosted by Terry Dean,
bringing her over forty years of experiencein 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 theworld. Let's bring in Terry Dean.
Say hello, Chris, how areyou today? I am excellent. Thank
you for asking? What sadless fabulousweather is coming in? Is here?
I like this time of year,don't you though? I mean this is
(00:41):
spring and spring and fall are twoof my favorite times of the year.
But I especially like nice spring weatheron the weekends. It is nice.
I'm with you on the spring andfall, and I'm as you were saying
that, I'm like, which onedo I like better? I think I
like fall better because it's like therelief at the end of the torture of
(01:03):
summer. Because I hate summer.Yeah, I do too. Spring is
always nice though, because it feelslike, you know, it's the rebirth.
It's like the flowers are blooming andyou can start to you know,
keep the windows open and not yet, but yeah, start thinking about keeping
the windows open, wearing shorts andthings like that. And that's that's fun
too. I know you've been doinga little work around your house, so
you know how it feels when everythinggets fresh and newly painted and all that.
(01:26):
That's what spring feels like. Yeah, yeah, I'm so excited.
We've uh, we've been ordering allof this, all these tools we're gonna
build. We're gonna start building stuffaround the house. And so I've got
all these new tools out and thatI shouldn't say this now we're gonna get
robbed. I get all these newtools out and the ship and uh,
I'm just so excited to get startedout there, you know, cotton wooden
(01:49):
building projects and stuff. You know, what would be even better is the
day when we can actually order toolsand then just give them a command and
have them do the job. That'snot as fun though, I know,
but what a way to go.I'm okay with a dishwasher, I'm okay
with those little roombas, that willvacuum the house. But some things I
(02:09):
want to do myself because it justthere's a rewarding feeling when at the end
you go, I did that.Yeah, there is, there absolutely is.
And I think the difference is it'swhether or not it's the project you
want to do or the project youhave to do. That's exactly right.
I have a lot of boats,have a lot of both at my house.
Well, enough about my tools,let's get into what's going on this
(02:30):
week ago. Yeah, there's news. You know, there's news, and
really right at the beginning here ofwe're getting ready to go into spring break.
Uh huh. People are planning,and of course the weather helps when
that happens. You know, peopleare really excited about traveling. And I
can tell you our phones are NonStop. We have people walking in. It's
(02:52):
like a revolving door at the office, and I couldn't be happier. But
you know, what we don't needis anything to pour cold water on that.
But sadly, and you know,it's our responsibility here to a lifeless
ordiny, to let you know thegood, the bad and everything in between.
So the State Department has issued sometravel advisories that I really do feel
(03:14):
like I need to make folks awareof especially if Jamaica and the Bahamas are
on your list of places that you'regoing to be going over the next you
know, several months, and theymight be. But the State Department issued
a Level three travels advisory for Jamaicalast month. And just so you know,
(03:36):
there's several different levels. I thinkwe talked about that here one episode
when we talked on a Lifeless Ordinaryabout the State Department's warnings that they issue.
They go all the way up toa level four, and in this
particular instance, the State Department issueda level three for Jamaica, asking Americans
(03:58):
to quote unquote reconsider travel to Jamaicadue to crime and medical services. Now,
a level three, that's exactly whatit is, reconsider travel. A
level four is do not travel.So we're at a level three to Jamaica.
That's pretty serious. Violent crimes likehome invasions, they've got armed robberies,
(04:21):
sexual assaults, homicides are common whenthat is the level that we're talking
about, so you do have tobe on your guard. The State Department
also issued a level two to theBahamas, and just so you know,
a level two is akin to whatwe're seeing in even state side right now
(04:46):
concerning issues in Los Angeles, areasof Texas, some areas of Florida,
and really if we look at whathappened in Kansas City just after the Super
Bowl, that have also elevated thelevel of concern in that city. So
in the Bahamas, we're seeing asimilar level to what we see here in
(05:06):
the United States. But there's acouple of things that you should do and
what you should know about traveling.While the State Department has urged US travelers
to avoid these certain areas, italso shared a list of best practices if
you're still planning to visit these islands. Do not attempt to bring firearms or
(05:30):
ammunition. I think that's a commonsense one really. And avoid walking or
driving at night in these areas ifyou're there. Stay on the areas that
you have the resort areas where you'resaying, many of those are gated and
so that's a much more safe area. Avoid public buses, avoid secluded places
(05:53):
or putting yourself in those situations.Don't physically resist in robbery attempt you could
be in putting yourself in jeopardy.Let them have what they want and then
perhaps they'll go away. Be awareof your surroundings, keep a very low
profile. This one's very important.You want to enroll in this Smart Traveler
(06:14):
Enrollment program. The acronym for thatis step step there. If you enroll
your trip in that, you're goingto receive alerts and it's going to make
it a lot easier to locate youin this event of an emergency. You
want to follow the State Department onFacebook and Twitter and review the country security
(06:35):
reports for any country that you're goingto. That's just good common sense.
Now, if you do decide totravel to any any place that's on the
State Department's list and they have awarning up, especially those that do not
travel. There is a website thatI really would like for us to add
(06:56):
to the information. For people whoare listening to our show today, you
can always go to the Wishing Wellafter this show airs and you can find
links to this as long as you'relooking on the Life Less Ordinary, that's
where you're gonna find it. Butit's the travel dot State dot gov and
it's a full length there. I'mgoing to ask Chris to post that at
(07:17):
the bottom of the information on thisso that you'll have that and what to
know about the Bahamas. That advisorywas actually issued on January the twenty sixth
and urged travelers just to exercise increasedcaution should they decide to visit there and
in Nassau. You know, justpractice increased vigilance in certain areas. Be
(07:42):
aware again of your surroundings. Andalso watercraft might be poorly maintained and some
operations might not have safety certifications.You want to be aware of that.
This is something that's been reported tothe State Department, So just be aware.
So why would you want to actuallygo there when there's those kind of
advisories in effect. Well, manytimes, Chris, people have already made
(08:07):
their plans. They may have madethese plans a year in advance. Some
people do. They may not havebought the proper trip protection insurance that would
have allowed them to get out ofa trip like this, and so they
feel compelled in some form or fashionto go. They also might be the
(08:28):
kind of people who just go,you know what, I'm just as safe
there as anywhere. That may ormay not be true, but there are
some people who do many times throwcaution to the wind, and that's why
we use this show as a platformto inform you. Yeah, I will
put that link at the in thedescription for today's show. You can find
(08:50):
it on the wishing Well dot biz. Up in the upper right hand corner,
you'll see a link for a LifeLess Ordinary, or you can search
on the iHeartRadio app where we postall the episodes as well. Exactly,
So thank you for that. Now, big news. Now, you know,
we know Texas. If there's news, there's big news in Texas.
They do it big in Texas.But I got to tell you something.
There's someplace that's finally overshadowed Texas,and it is Dubai. There is nothing
(09:18):
that happens in Dubai that's not big. And this is big. I mean,
this is big news. A littlemore than ten years ago, Chris,
in about October of twenty thirteen,the first commercial passenger flight ever to
touch down in Dubai made its entrance. Now, think about that, that's
(09:39):
just ten years ago. That goesby in a flash. But Dubai has
promised that they are going to buildthe world's largest and busiest airport. And
they're not kidding. They're not messingaround. When it's finished, it's going
(10:00):
to be able to handle more thanone hundred and sixty million passengers per year
as well as twelve million tons offreight. Now, to put that in
perspective, that's about sixty three millionmore travelers than the world's current busiest airport,
which is Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International.They handled in twenty twenty two,
(10:28):
nearly one hundred million more than Dubaiat that time. Let's not forget it's
already the world's busiest airport outside ofthe US and Dubai's main international gateway.
But they're going to make it biggerthan even they have now. However,
a decade and a pandemic after thatinitial passenger flight and a full thirteen years
(10:50):
since it's first opened for cargo operations, Dubai's newest airport is still very much
a work in progress. But bigpromises are coming. So what's been happening
with those ambitious plans? Well,and when might we see a timeline or
new designs. This airport is goingto be the centerpiece of a much larger
(11:13):
scheme. It's called Dubai South,and they've envisioned the creation of a whole
new city. I mean, thisis not going to be just an airport,
folks. This is going to belike Dubai's second city, yes,
you would say, And they buildlike islands just so my god. They're
in the shape of palm trees,and this speed at which they can build
(11:33):
is literally staggering to me. Imean, I have never seen any kind
of architectural technology like what I haveseen in these renditions of this. It's
unbelievable, absolutely unbelievable. The entirenew district, of which some pieces are
already starting to take shape, willhave eight neighborhoods, each allocated to a
(11:54):
specific industry or activity, with amix of residential and commercial areas as well,
and with the airport at the heartof this action, it's going to
form a complete aerotropolis they're calling it, including the recently announced nine hundred and
fifty million dollar Emirates Engineering Center that'sgoing to play a prominent role in this
(12:20):
vision. And the real turning pointis going to come the day local giant
Emirates and its smaller partner, FlyDubai relocate to the new airport from their
current home in Dubai International. Thismove has been long in the cards,
but has no known time frame yet, But you want to talk about big.
(12:41):
This is going to make big,big international news when this comes to
fruition and all the planes will bemade of solid gold. Can you believe
what they have vending machines where youcan buy bars of gold as you walk
down the street. I mean it'sto I mean it just my mind is
blown here as I continue to seethe activity and the growth, and really,
(13:05):
can I say this the vulgarity ofDubai. I mean it is just
unbelievable, but so intriguing, right, it is so intriguing. I mean
with direct NonStop flights being there atour disposal hear from the United States.
I gotta tell you, I'm curious. Yeah i'd go, yeah, me
too. And is that? Yes? It is so It's unbelievable, and
(13:28):
I don't think it's going to belong before that is even overshadowed by yet
a bigger skyscraper. Yeah, okay, look forward to it. I know,
I love it. I mean,this is the kind of stuff in
the travel industry that just excites me. You know, because just when we
think we've seen it all, nowe haven't. I mean, yes,
(13:50):
things are going to constantly change andyou know, the center of attraction will
always be sort of floating around theplanet into something new and more exciting.
You know, we thought Vegas wasdone. They know it's not, even
if they reinvent themselves the sphere,you know, out of nowhere. So
yeah, so I'm excited about that. I'm excited to see where it goes,
(14:11):
and I want to actually keep myeye on the progress of that.
Other news though, something you know, just a little bit tamer, a
little bit smaller, but still alot of excitement is associated with when the
peak bloom season is going to bein Washington, d C. For the
abundant cherry blossoms. It's always exciting. My wife, Becka and I were
(14:33):
going to go to that last year. It was one of those saturdays where
like, let's go, it's right, and then you know, you're like,
do we really want to drive downtownto all this? And we got
busy doing something else and we bothregretted not going. Yeah, it's a
busy time for sure. But oneyear I took my entire staff that was
our office outing for the year.We went up to the cherry blossom Festival
(14:54):
and all the activities and stayed inWashington d C, had some fabulous food
and really just had a most entertainingweekend with my staff. I loved it.
But the National Park Service is assuringeverybody that spring is on the horizon
with this announcement, and with itwill come the anticipated annual blooming of the
(15:16):
Washington DC's cherry blossoms, which areset to peak sooner than you might think.
They've managed. The National Park Servicehas managed to come up with an
informed forecast. I don't know howthey do this, but they're predicting that
twenty twenty four's peak bloom will occurbetween you ready to get your pencils,
(15:37):
March the twenty third and March thetwenty sixth. That's a three day win,
we say. I know, now, I don't have times on that.
It's not like eleven point fifty ninea m you know, but I
think that's interesting. I thought,you know, just a three day window
there. And they've defined the cherrytrees peak blooming period as the window in
(15:58):
which seventy percent or more of thecherry trees surrounding the tidal basin have opened
their buds and gracing Washington d Cwith those fluffy, light pink blossoms.
It's a much anticipated yearly event thatsees the nation's capital blanketed in a virtual
sea of these delicate, light pinkpetals. The city's title title basin is
(16:22):
home to more than three thousand cherrytrees, and they make for beautiful photos.
Oh my gosh. And they alsowent on to say Chris that despite
the fluctuations in weather patterns, thepeak bloom time in Washington, d C.
Has remained relatively consistent over the pasttwo decades, typically occurring between late
(16:42):
March and early April in both twentytwenty two and twenty twenty three. But
now I thought. When I readthis, I went, I thought they
were either earlier or later last yearthan we had thought because of a change
in our weather patterns. Didn't itget real warm and the cherry blossoms came
out and then they weren't there forthe anticipated blossom sea. But according to
(17:07):
this article, I'm wrong, They'reright. But this year's peak bloom aligns
perfectly with the city's annual Cherry BlossomFestival, which is scheduled to take place
from March twentieth to April fourteenth.Hmm. Perfectly timed, perfectly timed.
Yeah, that three day window justhappens the fall in that week of the
(17:29):
festival. Yeah. Smart, it'sa good time now in Washington, DC,
no matter when you go up duringthat time. But again, if
you got your crayons, March twentiethto April fourteenth, write it down.
You know. One of the thingsI regret is we live in such a
beautiful part of the country, beautifulpart of the world, and it's like,
you know, when you watch theTimes Square on New Year's Eve,
(17:49):
You're like, I don't know ifI'm to go. I did do the
Macy Thanksgiving Parade, one of thosethings where you're like, I've got to
watch it on TV. This isso close. We have no reason.
So we kind of take it forgranted, you know, all of these
wonderful things that are within a closedrive to us. Sometimes we really do.
We take it for granted. Whenthe rest of the world will flock
(18:10):
to that, we as I'm goingto say, locals might just pass it
by because, eh, you know, do we really want to go?
I actually do. I'd like tosee it again. It was wonderful when
I went before, and I wouldgladly go again. We should record our
show on the title basin all forthat, Let's do an on location A
Lifeless Ordinary sounds good to me,and if you would like to do that,
(18:32):
just call Chris. Here's the note. Let's move on to some hot
deals, Terry. Yeah, wedo have some sales going on. We
are in leap year. You knowit was it was February twenty nine,
just a couple of days ago,and as a result, everybody in the
tour industry is looking for reasons tocreate sales. So I've got some we
(18:53):
do. We are calling these theleap year savings. You're going to get
twenty percent off of European and summerdepartures right now, and that's huge because
if you have been looking at summerfairs for Europe right now, even twenty
percent is a huge savings. I'vegot these to Italy, Spain and Portugal,
(19:14):
Greece, Ireland, England and Scotland, Croatia, France, you know,
the usual suspects. I've even gota great deal on a six day
Essential ire Iceland. Not Ireland Iceland. It's only for a May first departure,
but including air, this six dayEssential Iceland trip only fourteen fifty seven
(19:37):
per person. And then I alsolooked into some other deals that we've got.
These sounded really interesting to me.I thought i'd share them with you
today. Again, they are veryspecific in nature based on the departure date.
But a nine day Southeastern US withNashville and the Smoky Mountains someplace that
I'm going to head to in Mayactually departure date of May the twenty first
(20:02):
only nineteen sixty three per person.That's a savings of twenty three percent over
what that trip normally costs. Andif you're interested in Italy, Switzerland,
Austria and Slovenia, a thirteen daytrip with a departure date of May eleventh,
only thirty seven hundred dollars per person. And this one I love.
(20:22):
Got to throw this in nine dayClassic Hawaii. May the twenty first is
your departure date with air included onlytwenty seven thirty seven for that nine day
trip. Again, I want toremind you we've got the six day Essential
Iceland that May first date for fourteenfifty seven and eight day Canyon Lands Arches
(20:45):
and Maysaverde and the National Parks.May twentieth is a departure date for that
perfect weather, including your airfare onlynineteen ten per person, and that's fully
I score all of these by theway that I'm mentioning to your fully escorted
tours. And we can go tothe wishing Well Domp business get more information
absolutely or call us. Where areat five to four zho nine eight two
(21:08):
three three three? So what's yourshow about today? We're going to have
some fun. This is I'm titlingthis luxury for less, pursuing your dreams.
And I thought that since a lotof people are planning right now,
what they're doing is they're paying thepeak prices. But there's a way to
(21:29):
have luxury for less. I loveto visit that sometimes here on the show,
because not everybody knows the art ofdoing that. So I want to
be able to share with people todaysome of the tricks of the trade how
you can get luxury for less.We will pursue our dreams. Coming up
in thirty seconds here on the LifeLess Ordinary. Protect your vacation investment with
guidance from a travel professional. Thewishing Well knows travel and helps you avoid
(21:52):
pitfalls. They can spoil your hardearned vacation. We'll plan your trip and
have your back as you travel thiswithout support or so called convenience fees.
We're on the web at though Wishingwelldot diiz or call us at five four
zero nine zero eight two three threethree. That's five four zero nine zero
eight two three three three. Thewishing Well really does make dreams come true
(22:15):
and welcome back to a life lessordinary the travel show and podcast from your
friends at the wishing Well. Oneof those friends is Terry Dean. Terry
joins us every Saturday morning at thistime we have a nice cup of coffee
and talk travel and today's show weare going to be talking about luxury for
less, pursuing your dreams. That'sa nice show, you know, That's
(22:36):
that's a nice thing to even thinkabout. So I'll ask you, Chris,
where is the place that you haveoften dreamed about going but thought I
probably can't go there because it's unattainablebecause it's unaffordable. Wow. Maybe maybe
(22:57):
Italy. Yeah, that's what's ona lot of people's bucket list. I
know I really want to go toLondon just because I'm a royal nerd,
but I think that's probably obtainable.I'd love to go to Germany because that's
where my family's from. But Ican't imagine there's anything there that's tourist thieves,
think from where my family's from.So yeah, I would say maybe
(23:19):
maybe Italy, maybe Hawaii. Yeah, oh, Tokyo. Oh there you
go. I bet that's expensive stuffgoing on in there there this year,
because we talked about that just lastweek. The Olympics. Well that's in
Paris. I'm sorry Paris. Yeah, but Paris would be a good place
too. But yeah, I've gotplaces, yeah, I mean, but
(23:45):
my point here, I think isthat most people write destinations off because they
hear or they explore what the pricesare at the wrong time. And they
could, in fact go if theyjust knew what the magic wand was an
African safari. There you go.That seems unobtainable. Now that's mine too,
(24:10):
Yeah, but it is very attainablereally. Yeah. And what we're
about to do is enter into oneof the busiest travel seasons I will tell
you we have ever seen at theWishing Well since twenty nineteen pre pandemic.
It's unbelievable what we're seeing right nowand where people are going. And since
I know, based on the businessthat's been funneling through the wishing well that
(24:34):
everybody is looking for the unique.They're looking for culturally diverse, romantic,
food focused and good lord of coursebragworthy. We know that. So today
here on a life less ordinary,I want to troddle out to around the
globe just a little bit from We'regoing to say, from Australia to Panama,
(24:57):
and I'm going to share with youexactly where you can get the most
bang for your buck. And Iwant to say it's not isolated to just
these places we're going to talk about, because we're going to talk about quite
a few. But the same yardstickor measuring stick that we use to go
is this affordable or not can beapplied to most any destination, Chris,
(25:18):
even the ones that you just mentioned. You know so, because we know
from our clientele that they're looking forvalue and how to get the very most
from their budgets, no matter howbig or economically strapped you might be.
It might surprise you a bit,but the world can become more affordable because
(25:41):
it's connected by air travel. Internationalvacations are increasingly affordable, but you have
to know where to look and whento buy. That's the key now,
typically, if you're hoping to savemoney, and who isn't, you should
plan your trip a destinations off season. It's probably one of the best first
(26:04):
tips I could give you. Asa bonus, you're bound to have a
better travel experience when you don't haveto jostle your way through crowds to get
to the top attractions. Now,I will tell you only because of how
I have to work at the WishingWell, many of my vacations sadly are
(26:25):
centered over a holiday, the fourthof July, Memorial Day week, that
kind of thing. And you knowwhy I do that is because we're already
closed one of those days, andso I'm not inconveniencing my clients by taking
too much extra time on a holidaytime when they want to go somewhere,
So I have to work around that. As a bonus, you're bound to
(26:48):
have a better travel experience when youdon't have to be around those crowds.
You know that if you go offseason, the crowds are going to be
lighter, you're going to get betterattention, you're going to have more of
a pleasant time without that. Butaside from all that, whether you're dreaming
of vacation as far from the USas Australia or as close as Toronto,
(27:11):
the actual cost could surprise you ina good way. So I want you
to know I compiled a list ofseveral international destinations where your dollar is going
to go the farthest, plus whento book for the cheapest airfare and accommodations.
Now full disclosure, I don't promisethat this strategy is going to work
every single time, because you neverknow what's going on at a place.
(27:34):
You know, Like we mentioned Paris, you know might be off season there
during some times of but you gotthe Olympics. You never know when some
event is going to skew that thosemargins. But if you take a few
notes today, my hope is thatwhen you do get around to getting ready
(27:55):
to begin planning your dream vacation,you might just remember a few of these
tips that I'm going to share withyou today. Now, I want to
jump right into some of these chrissbecause I've got a lot of territory to
cover and I don't want to leaveany of them out and I don't want
to run out of time. Sothe first one on my list is Toronto.
(28:15):
I love Toronto. I'm not surewhen people think of dream destinations that
Toronto automatically comes to mind. Butit is, however beautiful. I've been
there a number of times. It'sjust north of the US border, so
a passport is definitely required. Thisis definitely an international destination. But Toronto's
a busy, growing city. They'rejust bursting with culture, a diverse culinary
(28:41):
scene, so great food and activitiesthat cater to a range of age groups
and interests. Now The Wishing Wellmakes trips to Toronto nearly every year because
one of our most popular trips tois to Toronto and Niagara Falls. We
sort of combine those in a grouptrip without fail, year after year we
(29:02):
fill it up. And fun fact, Toronto is often mistaken for the Canadian
capital. It is sometimes known asHollywood North for its wealth of celebrity residents.
And this is a city that justgives and gives and keeps on giving.
Foodies are going to want to makestops in Little Italy, one of
(29:23):
the several China towns, and LittlePortugal for some great food that you can
find those culinary experiences infused from Italy, from Portugal, from China, all
in Toronto, which is great touristscan also be inclined to catch a hockey
game. I would love to dothat in Toronto. Sample some craft beer,
(29:48):
take a trip to the famous Seaand Tower to get some remarkable views
of the city. So great thingsand great reasons to visit Toronto Now if
you're committed to go again, butyou're looking for the best possible value,
it's good to know that Toronto's lowseason runs from October to March, with
(30:10):
the exception being December. Because ofholiday travel, Toronto attracts a lot of
people around holiday time. The cheapestflights and I looked this up before we
got on the air today so thatI could be kind of fair with the
quotes that we're giving. The cheapestflights can be found for around four hundred
dollars round trip from Washington Dulles inOctober, and a direct flight from Marshington
(30:34):
Dulls to Toronto good News only takesabout an hour and a half. So
really, as I've told you before, and I think I talked about my
trip to Montreal last year, anhour and a half and you're really in
sort of a European cultural experience,and all an hour and a half away.
Who can beat that hotels in downtownToronto are less expensive also during these
(31:00):
off season times, and if you'rebrave enough to visit Toronto in January and
February, that's when you're going toget the best deals on the hotel.
You can actually land a five starHotel Chris in the heart of downtown Toronto
for only about four hundred dollars pernight, And if you don't need anything
quite that posh, you can landa four star downtown hotel for only about
(31:21):
one hundred and seventy eight dollars anight. That's the difference, and compare
comparatively, hotels are the most expensivefrom June to September, when those same
five star hotels can go for anaverage of about five hundred and seventy dollars
up to seven hundred dollars per night. So really traveling in the off season
does save you some money. You'relooking at metropolitan areas like Toronto. The
(31:48):
fees for downtown areas are still alwaysgoing to be a bit high, but
if you don't mind, and likeI said, you don't need a posh
hotel, you can really land somethingpretty terrific for about one hundred and seventy
it is good, and still you'regoing to have a similar experience. You're
going to see the same sites.They really don't uproot the major landmarks and
(32:09):
Toronto and replace them with something betterin the summertime. They're still there in
the wintertime, and that gives youa great new perspective on how to afford
a great trip to Toronto. Nextthing we're going to do is head over
to Europe in a place called grandEst France, and that's Est. This
(32:30):
is an area of France that reallydoesn't come up very often, but oh
it should, it really should.It's an area formerly known as Alsace,
now officially part of the larger grandEst region, and it's beloved by French
travelers. They know it and theylove it. It really doesn't attract nearly
(32:52):
as many visitors as Paris or theCote de Jour, but you really need
to know that, especially if whatyou're seeking is more an exciting France,
you might not be as happy withthis area. You might want to go
to Paris or Cot de Jour.But Kaiserberg, once featured on the TV
(33:16):
program that was out as the French'sFavorite Village, exemplifies a lot of the
characteristics that have endeared Alsace to locals. It's got architecture that dates back to
the thirteenth century, world renowned winesellers, and really that's one of the
most attracting features for visitors of thisarea is the wine. Plus they have
(33:39):
a very hearty alsasan cuisine. It'sreally indicative only to its own region there.
So if you're looking for something moreexciting, and that's what France means
to you, this is probably notthe area you want to visit because it's
a little quieter, a little lessbusy, but it's beautiful. For the
(34:00):
very best value, you're going toconsider flying into Strasbourg, which is going
to be the capital of grand Est, in February or March for the best
prices. Flights from Washington Dullest roundtrip can be found for a round nine
hundred dollars round trip during off season, and you can stay in a five
(34:21):
star hotel for as low as onehundred and ninety five dollars here per night,
as opposed to what we saw inToronto in the off season. The
cheaper months for accommodations in grand Estare October, January, and February,
and still like I said, ifyou don't mind the cold weather or even
tepid weather, I would say inOctober, that's a grand time to go.
(34:44):
It's also interesting to note that Octoberis one of the better times to
go because of a harvest season forthe vineyards, so that's a great time
to go if you're interested in that, and it's still considered off season,
so great time to make France apart of your itinerary. Another one that's
(35:07):
on a lot of people's bucket lists. But I get this all the time.
I can't go Terry because it reallyjust is unaffordable. I've got some
folks right now that are interested ingoing to this particular destination because their daughter's
graduating from high school and this isher dream trip. She wants to go
to Australia. And it's a beautiful, beautiful area. I mean, Australia
(35:31):
is just beautiful. But Brisbane,Australia, unknown to a lot of people,
is one of the best places tochoose to go into instead of Auckland,
instead of Sydney, because it ismore affordable. The capital of Queensland,
on Australia's East Coast arguably the country'sdesign capital. You can drop by
(35:53):
the Queensland Art Gallery there and theGallery of Modern Art or the Institute of
Modern Art. To get a senseof what they call Asian Pan Pacific art.
You can go shopping in the FortitudeValley area there. You're going to
be able to pick up some piecesfrom local and even international designers. So
it's very eclectic area, a bigmix of art worshipers, you know,
(36:17):
really and you've got great artists fromaround that region that sort of culminate in
that area to show you some ofthe best art that really Australia has to
offer. And of course because it'sAustralia, it's easy to get in touch
with the local wildlife. All youhave to do is visit the Lone Pine
Koala Sanctuary first. I think oneof the first international type of animals that
(36:42):
I fell in love with as akid was the koala, and I just
thought they were so cute. Justabout twenty minutes from the city, you
can hang out with more than onehundred critters. They're not just koalas either.
But in general, Australia doesn't actuallyfit the bill of bucket travel for
Americans, considering the absolute lowest airfarefrom Washington to Auckland, even in off
(37:05):
season, is about fifteen hundred dollars. However, relative to other Australian destinations,
this waterfront city is one of themore affordable entry points, and the
cheapest month to book a flight toBrisbane is September, which of course is
the first month of spring. Inthe Southern Hemisphere, four and five star
(37:27):
hotel stays average in about the onehundred and ninety five dollar range from April
through July. You know why,because it's winter there. It's our summer
but their winter. So if youreally want to travel during our vacation months
and you don't mind Australia's winter season, that's a good time to go because
it's off season. And the clientsthat I'm talking about that want to take
(37:49):
their daughter for graduation are looking totravel in June and July. Found a
great fare for them the other day. Now, getting to Lost Angelus is
going to be key there, butthat can be done pretty inexpensively. But
I found rates for them from LosAngeles to Auckland round trip during that time
(38:09):
that they want to go June Julyfor only five hundred and fifty five dollars
round trip on Fiji Air. Wow, yep, So it can be done.
You can do this on a budget. You just have to know where
to look, when to look,and when to buy. And then we
found the connecting flights from Dulles toLos Angeles that ranged anywhere from three ninety
(38:31):
eight up to five hundred dollars.Of course an economy class, but still
anytime you can get airfare right nowto Australia, which is halfway around the
world, folks, for under twothousand dollars, that's a great deal.
Now, you would not be ableto do that in high season, their
high season, which is going tobe our winter travel, their summer.
(38:53):
You wouldn't be able to do thatthen, I don't think, But I
thought, you know, a fivehundred and fifty five dollars fare from Los
Angeles to Auckland, that's the stealof a deal, and on air Fiji.
Not bad. The next place we'regoing to head to is Panama City,
Panama. Now I have to tellyou, Chris, that Panama was
(39:15):
the very first international trip that Iever took in my little young life.
And it was the very first beachwhen I was in Panama that I stuck
my toe in ever, I waseighteen years old before I actually ever saw
a beach, a real beach andsaw the ocean. So Panama is forever
(39:37):
endeared to me. It really is. And you can meander through Panama's city's
old quarter where they've got these Spanishstyle houses lined cobblestone streets. You can
actually eat your way through Panamanian cuisine. And I thought about you when I
was actually creating my notes for today'sshow, Chris, because I know how
(39:58):
much you like and appreciate international cuisine. I mean, I just like food.
Yeah, I'm not too picky.It doesn't have to be from the
States, but I mean, ifit's good, good eats, I'm ready.
And I know that you would probablybe adventurous if you did that,
to some degree, not as adventurousas I'd like to be. Yeah,
(40:19):
So like sushi. It took meyears to try that, and I still
only eat salmon and tuna. Okay, but at least you're there. You
know, you made a stride thatwas good. But if I went to
Tokyo, I'd feel like I haveto try something more adventurous. Why go
if not? Yeah? Yeah,And you know one of the I don't
want to divert too much here fromPanama, but I do digress a little
bit. San Juan, Puerto Ricoone of my favorite destinations of all time.
(40:45):
They have a dish there. It'sit's it's their national dish. It's
called mafungo. Oh you've talked aboutthis, Oh my gosh, And I
was a little hesitant. I won'tlie. Just from the name alone sort
of put me off a little bit. Didn't sound American, you know,
And I thought, do I dare? Do I want to try this?
(41:06):
Chris, I am so glad Idid it was It has become one of
my favorite things. And I promiseyou the first thing I would ever do
if I went back to San Juananytime soon would be to find a big
plate of mafungo somewhere and just drownmyself in it. It's fabulous. So
when we go to Panama, whatkind of food are we going to get?
We're going to get things like yuccaand plantains and impanadas, chicken stew
(41:31):
and fish soup. Those are amongthe most loved dishes there. And that
doesn't sound like anything that would backyou up too much, does it.
I mean, I would try it. Yeah, and then top it all
off with a tour of the city'sthriving cocktail scene. You've got the rainforest
(41:52):
there, easily accessible from Panama City. If you're eager to swap the urban
jungle for the real jungle, Iwould highly encourage you to do that.
The rainforest is pretty and credible.Now, another great area that you just
have to make a part of yourvisit to Panama are the San Bloss Islands.
Those were islands that were part ofmy trip and my experience in Panama.
(42:15):
I am forever grateful that they were. This is a place not like
anything you have ever seen before unlessyou've opened a National geographic magazine, and
I remember, I think that's probablywhere I developed my love for travel.
My parents subscribed to national geographic magazineswhen we were kids at home in school
(42:36):
because they thought it would help uswith our work, our school work,
and they did. But this wassomething that I remembered seeing in the national
geographic magazines. It's a very uncivilizedChildren rarely attend schools here in the San
Bloss Islands, and the primary meansof income for them is crafts sold to
(42:58):
the occasional tourist visitors. That comeand visit, but it is in its
own way just enchanting. I cantell you that even though Panama is located
in the northern Hemisphere, it's seasonsalso not unlike Australia. They only have
two, and they're exactly opposite ofthe US. Winter for them is the
(43:22):
wet season. It lasts from aroundMay to December and summer. Their dry
season lasts from December to May.And it's cheaper to go during their wet
season, i e. The winterseason when the climate is the least comfortable.
And I can tell you that firsthand, it is rainy, it is
(43:42):
humid, it is yucky in thatwet season. But if you don't mind
that, if you can get pastthat, it's also the least expensive.
This is a destination that I wouldhighly recommend seeing by way of an escorted
tour. That way you don't missanything. The wishing Well just happens to
support escorted tours that include twelve dayCosta Rica Panama Combo tour from only thirty
(44:07):
nine hundred dollars per person. Thatincludes your round trip air from Washington.
That's twelve days Chris, including CostaRica. Now we're right there in that
Central Latin America area where Costa Ricais. We've got Guatemala, you've got
Panama. So it's a perfect combotrip for twelve days including air for thirty
(44:30):
nine hundred dollars. Are you kiddingme? That's fully escorted with most of
all of your meals and a tourguide. You're going to miss nothing and
have the time of your life andsome yucca, get some yuck. I
know you can always count on youto really put a little spice in this
show. So thank you for that. I've had. I've had both of
(44:52):
these. There used to be aplace in Harrisburg that served that kind of
cuisine and I was adventurous and triedit. It really was. That's my
thing, wasn't you're saying no,But I tried it. Yeah, which
is good. Hey, we needto sneak a break in real quick,
and then let's come back and we'lltalk more about luxury for less, pursuing
our dreams here on a life lessordinary. Protect your vacation investment with guidance
(45:12):
from a travel professional. The wishingWell knows travel and help you avoid pitfalls
they can spoil your hard earned vacation. We'll plan your trip and have you
back as you travel. All ofthis without support or so called convenience fees.
We're on the web at tho wishingWell dot biz or call us at
five four zero nine zero eight twothree three three. That's five four zero
(45:34):
nine zero eight two thirty three three. The washing Well really does make dreams
come true. Welcome back to youa life less ordinary, the travel showing
podcast from your friends at the wishingWell. Today's show is called Luxury for
Less Pursuing your dreams, and that'swhat we've been doing for the last best
part of an hour. We're almostout of time. We've got maybe eight
minutes left, Terry to talk aboutsome more luxurious dreams coming true. I
(46:00):
guess on a budget and destinations.Yeah, and the last one on my
list, Chris, I actually Ithink I saved the best for last is
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. Well, that sounds nice, Oh my gosh.
I mean, I can imagine anytime of year would be fabulous,
but that Saint Vincent and the Grenadineswere the last of the British colonies in
(46:23):
the Caribbean to gain their independence.That only happened in nineteen seventy nine,
So that's been fairly late in ouryou know, pretty much in our existence.
It's been in our lifetime. I'llshown you the map because I was
seven years old when it happened.Yeah, exactly. Yeah, could be
(46:45):
a reason why these islands have kindof lagged behind other big players in drawing
tours. Now. The upside ofthat, however, is that the lack
of crowds at beaches and on thetrails that go through their lush rainforest to
the dormant volcanoes are still navigable mostall times of the year. But Saint
(47:07):
Vincent and the Grenadines, known fortheir natural beauty, they have this cultural
attraction black sand beaches, and alot of people don't know that that's because
of the volcanic activity that formed theislands. You do have much like you
do in Hawaii. You've got blacksand beaches in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines,
(47:29):
and you also have something else that'svery coveted. Are the all inclusive
resorts. Oh yeah, people lovethat, do you know, because again
we talk about that here on theshow a lot. I always say convenience
equals luxury, and if you gosomewhere where there is an all inclusive resort
that to many people in their mind, equals luxury. Now, the islands
(47:53):
are also known for their thatched roofcottages. That's also very Caribbean, you
know. To me, and ifI see pictures, I don't care where
they are, or photographs of thatchedroofed cottages on the beach, that's the
Caribbean. Its screams Caribbean to me. Those turquoise waters, beautiful, beautiful
(48:15):
blue turquoise waters. And then youalso have an equal number of white sand
beaches on these islands. Saint Vincentand the Grenadine's main economy are tourism and
agriculture. You've got banana production there, that's insane. A lot of our
bananas that we have here are creditedto them. Country's most popular foods there
(48:39):
include what you might think the usualsuspects, seafood. I was thinking,
jerk chicken, You've got well,you've got seafood. You've got fish cakes,
grilled fish, fish soup, andfried dumplings. Those are kind of
the go tos there in Saint Vincentand the Grenadine. And the best time
(49:00):
to visit actually depends on what you'relooking for this one's sort of a different
one. May to June and November. Those are shoulder months. They've got
fewer crowds there, as we've seena lot of people start to flock there.
Those are going to be the lightermonths for travel, Comfortable temperatures and
lower hotel rates. That's May toJune, and then again in November now
(49:22):
December to April. That's peak season, warm dry Caribbean temperatures as you might
expect July to October hurricane seasons.Still there also fewer crowds, lower hotel
prices. But you roll in thedice just a little bit. I mean,
you have a story to tell whenyou come back. Indeed you do
(49:43):
if you come back. And UScitizens, just so you know, you
do need a valid US passport andproof of departure from this area to travel
to and from Saint Vincent and theGrenadines, and as visitors, you're going
to fly into Saint Vincent's Argyle InternationalAirport. It's open only since twenty seventeen.
(50:06):
Hard for me to believe, becauseit feels like I've sold this area
forever, but not so. Theairport's only been open there since twenty seventeen
and ferry over to some of thesmaller islands in the Grenadines. The route
is run several times a day fromKingstown. So all in all, we've
got some great places on the globethat we've taken a look at today,
(50:29):
with great ways to be able tolower the price and the cost to go,
but still be able Chris, toenjoy some fabulous luxury if you do
go. So out of all thelocations we talked about today, the one
that really piqued my interest was,and I'm not going to pronounce it,
the grand oh grandest grand test inFrance. Yes, because it sounded like
(50:52):
a hug. Yeah, because youdescribed it. Yeah, oh, this
feels cozy. And you know,if you're going in the in the what
you said October or Jah and youknow, as we talked about Paris last
week, because we were talking specificallyabout the Olympics, this is really the
other side of that coin. Whata great combination if you could to go
(51:14):
to Paris for some of the Olympicsand then get completely out of that area
to go into this area that usedto be Alsace, which is Grand ass
So where in France is that downlike the southeast of France. Yes,
okay, that's down where my family'sfrom. I should go visit. You
should. Yeah, absolutely, That'sprobably why I felt like a hug.
(51:36):
Yeah. Out of that list.Where are there any locations you haven't been
to? No? Actually, well, Australia. I have not actually visited
Australia, and a lot of thatis because I bore very easily in a
flight that long. I'm not surehow I'd do on that, but certainly
Australia wouldn't be boring, but theflight over has been what's sort of backed
(51:59):
me up a little bit. Ineed to get there, though I should.
Is there any way that you coulddo like a Asian vacation down to
Australia. Actually thought about going toHawaii first and then possibly going around that
way. That would be probably away to go. But most all of
these other places I have been tolove them, love to share them.
(52:22):
Panama actually, as I was preparingmy notes, I remembered what a favorite
place it was for me and willalways be my very first international trip.
And I love that you have theknowledge in the background, the experience to
find us these affordable vacations, luxuriouslocations at a price that we can afford,
(52:44):
exactly exactly. I really don't thinkthere's any place on the globe anymore
that's unattainable if you go at theright time, know when to go,
and who to call, and maybeeven you don't know that they exist until
you talk to the right person.Right exactly, Well, how do we
get in touch with you? Wewant to take advantage of any of the
great deals you talked about or someof these luxurious locations. The wishing Well
(53:05):
always has great deals for you,Chris, and we're easy to find.
We're located at two forty three nephAvenue in the Valley Center in Heresonburg,
Virginia. They can call us atfive four h nine oh eight two three
three three or look us up onthe web. We're at the Wishingwell dot
biz. This has been a lifeless ordinary the travel show from your friends
(53:25):
at the wishing Well at two fortythree Nep Avenue in Harrisonburg. If you
have any questions on topics discussed today, please reach out to The wishing Well
online at the Wishingwell dop biz orfive four oh nine oh eight twenty three
thirty three. Past episodes are availableon the iHeartRadio app and we'll see again
next Saturday morning at ten for alife less ordinary. From the wishing Well
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