Reflections and New Directions

The Wishing Well's Terrie Dean and Harry Reif discuss this week's travel news!

In this exciting episode, we dive into the travel highlights of 2024 and explore the innovations and emerging trends shaping the future of travel. Join us as we reflect on unforgettable journeys, groundbreaking technologies, and the evolving landscape of global travel.

Whether you're a seasoned traveler or planning your next adventure, this episode offers valuable insights and inspiration for your future travels.

Link form this episode: US Department of State

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
This is a Lifeless Ordinary. It's a travel show and
podcasts from your friends at the wishing Well two forty
three f Avenue and harrismerg and online at the wishing
Well dot This. The wishing Well is your ultimate luxury concierge,
travel agency and a Lifeless Ordinary is a travel show
and podcast hosted by Terry Dean, bringing her over forty
years of experience in the travel industry to help guide

(00:21):
you to great experiences in your travel, whether it be
around the block, around the country, or around the world.
Let's bring in Terry Dean and say, hello, Chris, how
long has it been. I didn't think it was as
long as you inform me. Would you say it's been
since Thanksgiving that you.

Speaker 2 (00:35):
And I have been I think it has been.

Speaker 1 (00:37):
I mean I've seen Harry around in between that period
of time. Yeah, speaking of which, we need to say
hi to Harry.

Speaker 2 (00:43):
Yeah, we do, Hi, Harry.

Speaker 1 (00:44):
Well, thanks for that, Terry, Harry, Rife, everybody. It is
really good. No, it's really good to see both of you.
It is. It's good to see you too.

Speaker 2 (00:54):
It was an enjoyable and elongated holiday, I'd say, but
I have to say I missed being here on a
lifeless ordinary. I missed our shows, I missed our news.
I missed you know, talking to you and talking to
our listeners about travel. That's always important to me.

Speaker 1 (01:11):
This is a good part of every week. It is.
It's a great part of my week. So I missed
you guys. Well, let me extend a belated Merry Christmas
and a happy New Year to you too, sir. It
feels so weird. It's only been two weeks since New Year,
and it feels like that was a year ago.

Speaker 2 (01:27):
Doesn't it, though, I mean, so much has happened. We
just said goodbye to one of our longest living presidents,
one hundred years old. How about that? What a legacy.
Jimmy Carter was certainly a good, good humanitarian and a
good person, a good man, and this nation was better

(01:48):
for having had him serve us and be our president.
So it was very sad to have to say final
goodbye to him. But all kinds of news has been
breaking out, and Chris, if it's okay with you and Harry,
I'm gonna go ahead and just jump right in. I

(02:08):
think the big news here is wildfires, and they continue
to ravage Los Angeles. Here's what travelers need to know though,
and how they can help. I mean, I really don't
want to be redundant and repeat the news that's on ABC, NBC, CBS, CBCNN,
and I mean, there's just no need. Everybody sees it.

(02:29):
We know what the devastation looks like. We've seen the pictures.
But there are all of these wildfires in case you've
been living under a rock that broke out on January
the seventh, There are four, actually, and those are the
Palisades Fire, the Eastern Fire, the Hearst Fire, and the
Sunset Fire. And actually that Sunset Fire has burned now

(02:51):
more than forty acres in the Hollywood Hills area just
north of Sunset Boulevard, And according to the Los Angeles
Fire Department, of evacuation orders are still in place for
all four of those fires, in addition to several others
burning in that region, and LA's Mayor's office is directing

(03:11):
residents to the city's Emergency Management Office for the latest
on evacuations. So questions we're getting at the wishing well,
Are Los Angeles airports open and are flights operating? As
for airports and travel to and from and through the area,
The largest airport in the region, which is Los Angeles

(03:31):
International Airport. LAX is on the western side of the city,
about twenty miles south of the Palisades Fire near the coast.
As of the time I was getting this news feed,
LAX reported that it does remain open and it's advising
passengers to check their flight status with their airline. Now

(03:53):
there are some other news that's been noted on this
They say it was easy to spot the two major
wildfires from airport window seats. Both the Eastern Fire and
Palisades Fire have essentially surrounded La Proper and on the
eastern side of the city Hollywood Burbank Airport, which is

(04:15):
coded b UR that's thirteen miles northwest of Palisades. They
issued a statement saying that weather conditions are impacting various
flight operations. More than half of the airport's departures have
been canceled due to the winds, and the airport currently
remains open, but an airport spokesperson said that it's at

(04:38):
the airline's discretion in terms of arriving and departing the airport.
They do ask that the departing passengers check the status
of their flights before they head out now. All major
US airlines have issued travel advisories and waivers for airports

(05:00):
and flights to and from the LA and Southern California airports,
including American, Delta, Jet Blue, Southwest, and United Airlines. So
if you are planning on being somebody who's flying in
or out of there, or have family members who are,
we are still kind of on the I guess the

(05:22):
outskirts of holiday travels. So there are some people who
could be effectively affected by this if they were on
the West Coast. Travelers looking on with concern can support
organizations that have jumped into action to assist firefighting efforts
and residents, but we have to be very mindful how
we do that. Now, Chris, after today's broadcast, I intend

(05:45):
to give you these links of how people can really
help the most. One of the things you can do
is really stay out of that area if you're not
somebody who has come to help and have been on
an organized mission. But FOREGNA Community Foundation, California Fire Association,
LA National Sorry, Los Angeles Regional Food Bank, all of

(06:09):
which are welcoming volunteers and donation links. I have those
and I'll give those to you to put at the
end of today's broadcast, if you want to.

Speaker 3 (06:20):
Say something real quick about travel waivers, Terry, so people
know what to do if they want to do a
travel waiver. I know we can't go into it very much,
but you can.

Speaker 2 (06:28):
Yes, So just briefly what that is. The airlines put
out a code for people who have flights that are affected.
That code can go in to reissued airline tickets and
or canceled tickets that waive all of the ordinary penalties
that would go into a flight change or cancelation.

Speaker 1 (06:49):
So the links that you mentioned, I will put those
in the description. If you're listening live right now, you
can head to the wishing Well dot biz. On the
up right hand corner. You see a link for a
lifeless Ordinary in today's episode, you'll find all the links
that Terry just mentioned. If you're listening to the podcast,
you see the links right there. Yeah.

Speaker 2 (07:07):
Thanks so much, Chris, and your efforts to help you
get those links in there so appreciated. And for anybody
who wants to donate. These people have lost everything. I
was looking at some pictures of that my heart just ached.
I've never seen anything quite like that where the ground
is simply just bear bare of any wood, any structure, anything.

(07:31):
It's just literally been leveled from this fire.

Speaker 1 (07:35):
And it's happening so fast. It is. My wife has
a friend who was on a job in LA. They
had put them up in an Airbnb and her boss
is pounding on the door at three o'clock in the
morning saying get out. The house was gone. The next morning. Oh,
it was unreal. The pictures are crazy.

Speaker 2 (07:53):
Yeah, at one hundred ninety one hundred mile an hour winds,
you have no chance. I mean, it's a fire, hurricane
it is. That's exactly what it is. And our hearts
do go out to the folks there. Turning to the
other storms that are going on, the winter storm, they
actually gave this one a name, Chris called Cora. She's

(08:14):
sitting right over top of the southwest US and she
has certainly made her presence known, and airlines have already
also started issuing travel advisories for areas impacted by Winter
Storm Cora and waving change fees also for people who
have been in this path. On Friday, that storm moved

(08:36):
from Oklahoma and Texas to Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia,
and North Carolina and upstate South Carolina, and you know
through here as well. So by some time today that
storm is going to be leaving the eastern portion of
the nation, though region doesn't typically get snow storms of
this magnitude, and many places are ill prepared. I think

(09:00):
that's putting it mildly to manage winter weather of this kind,
especially people in the South. You know, we're we just
don't see it that much, and so we run like
crazy when we see it. But closures are expected, and
schools have been out all week long, you know, except
in the city. And how the winter storm is impacting

(09:21):
flights well. On the morning of January the ninth, flight
Aware reported six hundred and fifty four delays and over
twelve hundred cancelations to and out of the United States.
Dallas Fort Worth is reporting five hundred and nineteen canceled
departures and four hundred and fifty nine canceled arrivals, so

(09:44):
Dallas was hard hit. Hartsfield Jackson International Airport in Atlanta,
the busiest airport in the nation, is currently reporting a
handful of cancelations but has delayed over twenty eight departures
and twenty four rivals. Now those traveling to or from
airports in Dallas, Fort Worth, Little Rock, Birmingham, Nashville, Atlanta, Charlotte.

(10:08):
That's a hub for us, so pay attention over the
next two days, should continue to check weather reports and
prepare for expected delays or potential cancelations, because folks, we're
in January, this is wintertime and weather does have an impact.
So a couple of big things that are going on

(10:30):
in the news right now. As always, we've talked about
this before, Chris, just about anything and everything that impacts
the world hits and has some impact within the travel industry.

Speaker 1 (10:42):
It just does.

Speaker 2 (10:43):
So we see these ripple effects. No matter what's happening,
we seem to be affected by that.

Speaker 1 (10:49):
I think as you're talking about the storm as it
hits the South, even if we don't see snow here,
we're being impacted at least through air travel.

Speaker 3 (10:58):
Yeah, every flight, every flight's coming from somewhere, and it
may be coming very likely from across the country. So
if you're not in an area that's impacted, your flight
is very likely to have been impacted. You were talking
about our break earlier. I lived a life less ordinary
and was out on the West coast, so I experienced
delays going out of over four hours and coming back

(11:22):
of over two hours coming back from the West coast.
And it was not because the weather was bad where
I was. It was because the weather was bad where
the planes that I was waiting for were coming from.
In one case, they flew a plane from Boise all
the way to Charlottesville to take the place of another one.
You've got planes, you've got crews, the logistics are immense,

(11:44):
and airlines have things very tightly scheduled, So any little
glitch in the system just has repercussions through the entire system.
That's not to mention the fact that, you know, airports
like Dallas where they had snow this week, or Atlanta
to where they may be getting snow today, don't have
the ice, you know, de icing equipment, and the pilots

(12:06):
won't you know, try and fly the planes unless they
know they're entirely safe. So some of that we respect,
a miss thank you. When those kinds of delays occur,
you can't grumble. You just got to recognize that's mother
nature at work.

Speaker 2 (12:19):
Yeah, And I'll tell you, you know, on the days when
businesses cancel because of the weather and the wishing well
doors may not be opened. But I can tell you
very quite frankly and very honestly that Harry and I
on Monday, which was the day of this week that
was most impacted by the snow that we were getting,

(12:41):
Harry and I both were on the phones protecting some
of our travelers who were actually flying that day.

Speaker 3 (12:47):
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (12:48):
Yeah, So we can only protect people.

Speaker 3 (12:50):
This is really important when you talk about protection and waivers.
Lots of time we've talked about, you know, booking airlines.

Speaker 1 (12:56):
We can only.

Speaker 3 (12:57):
Protect the people whose flights we have booked. The airlines
will not because of privacy concerns and you know, ownership issues,
they will not let us help you unless we have
booked that flight for you. So that's one of the
advantages of having a travel agency and an agents working
for you is because we have access to a couple

(13:19):
more phone numbers than you do, we have access to
a couple more systems than most people do, and we
also have some expertise that most people don't have when
it comes time to rebook those flights. So the people
that we were protecting as we saw things coming, we
were already you know, changing their flights, you know, as
the airlines. We're issuing the waivers instead of waiting, you know,

(13:43):
having our passengers wait at the airport and get the
notice that their flight was canceled and then calling.

Speaker 1 (13:48):
Us asking to be rebooked.

Speaker 3 (13:50):
We were very proactive about that, and I know people
appreciate that.

Speaker 2 (13:55):
Yeah, And I know, you know, in watching the news
reports that I saw on the night news, and you know,
different feeds heard from testimonials of people, and they interviewed
people who were in the airport's stuck for hours, if
not days as a result of the storm. Now that's
not to say here and I have any particular magic wand,

(14:16):
but I can tell you this, our passengers didn't wait.

Speaker 1 (14:19):
We have magic dust.

Speaker 3 (14:20):
We may not have a magic wand, but we have
some magic dust, and sometimes the dust works, not.

Speaker 2 (14:24):
Always, and our passengers at most waited a few hours.
So you know, we're happy to sort of sprinkle in
those reports too, of good news in the midst of
all these things that are going on. One other piece
of news before we get to our travel sales that
I want to point to today, and that is a
travel advisory update. Caution has been urged for popular Central

(14:48):
American destinations. The US State Department has updated its travel
advisories and warnings issued for Guatemala and Belize. Now, I
always like to mention these on the air here on
a lifeless ordinary because people go different places, and this
is a prime time for people to seek out warm

(15:10):
weather destinations. Guatemala and Belize are among some of the
most wanted to go to places you know right now
because it's off the beaten path. Number one, the pricing
is very attractive, but certain things about it are not so.
What the updated travel advisory means for travelers is it

(15:31):
serves as a crucial information for those planning trips to
Guatemala and Belize. While they don't outright prohibit travel, the
State Department urges visitors to be aware of the risks
and take necessary precautions. And for those still planning to
visit these countries, it's recommended to stay informed about the

(15:52):
current situation in your specific destination. You should absolutely enroll
in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program ACRONYM for that is
step step to receive some updates and make locating you
in an emergency much easier. You should follow the guidance
of your local authorities there and respect any restrictions that

(16:14):
they have in place. You should maintain a high level
of situational awareness, especially in the urban areas and tourist
spots of Guatemala and Belize, and use reputable transportation services
and avoid traveling alone, particularly at night. It's worth noting
that despite these warnings, and I want to say this

(16:36):
because I think some level of common sense should be
involved here, a lot of travels do continue to visit
Guatemala and Belize without incident. This is only pertaining to
certain areas. I want to be clear about that. However,
staying informed and prepared can significantly enhance your safety and

(16:57):
enjoyment of your trip. And as always, you want to
check for the most up to date information from the
US State Department, even with the wishing well other reliable sources,
before and during your travel. That's advisable to ensure that
you have a safe and enjoyable experience in those beautiful
Central American countries.

Speaker 3 (17:16):
And then my website that you want to look at
is state dot gov exactly dot gov.

Speaker 2 (17:23):
So UH, those are, you know, some of the more
urgent things I think of a news worthy UH information
feed for our listeners today.

Speaker 1 (17:36):
You mentioned when you were talking about believe that people
are looking for warm places to go, especially this time
of year. It's like, all right, we survived our holidays,
now let's get out of the country and go do
something warm. Exactly. I'm sure we've got some hot deals
that will get us to those destinations we do.

Speaker 2 (17:52):
I have to mention this before I turned that over
to Harry real quick. I did a cruise actually the
first week of Dec. I wanted to mention this real
quickly because it seems like it's been so long since
I've seen you. I did a fabulous celebrity cruise to
the Caribbean, and I thought I was going to be smart,
you know, it was going to go someplace that was warm.

(18:12):
The ports on my itinerary included Grand Cayman, Cosummel, Mexico,
which I, believe it or not, I had never been to.
I've been to Mexico many many times, but Cosmeo sort
of eluded me. And then the final stop on the
itinerary was Bemony in the Bahamas. I want to tell
you this, Chris, that was the weak that temperatures really

(18:33):
plummeted here in the valley. I think you all were
having If I'm not mistaken teen weather. I remember, Yeah, well,
I was happy to say I was on the beach
enjoying seventy something, but it was windy and too cold
to get in the water.

Speaker 1 (18:50):
I don't want to interrupt you, but Harry, how are
you doing? I was here with you, brother. She's being
abusive right now.

Speaker 2 (19:02):
It was very nice, though, And what I'll say is
that that's a great.

Speaker 1 (19:06):
Time to go. I mean, it sounds like it. Yeah,
it is, so.

Speaker 2 (19:08):
I know a lot of people are looking to escape
the winter weather. I enjoyed it myself, I'm happy to say.
And we've got some great, great deals.

Speaker 1 (19:17):
Terry getting aside. I am jealous of you. I'm thrilled
for you at the same time. And next time you
can take Harry and me along, as you know, we'll go.
I'm jealous too, Chris.

Speaker 3 (19:29):
I went on my trip and I endured rain in Portland, Oregon.

Speaker 1 (19:33):
But you know, I kind of expect there. I kind
of expected it. Yeah, that should be expected anytime you're
going to the Northwest.

Speaker 3 (19:41):
But how many times have we talked about family and
family motivated travel? Guess what? Family made it all worthwhile.
There's nothing like grandkids to make a Grandpa, Smile.

Speaker 1 (19:52):
Harry, get us caught up on the hot deals.

Speaker 3 (19:55):
Yeah, I want to talk about actually, this whole month,
we have entered what in the travel industry we call
wave season. And it's not wave goodbye, but it's waved
like oceans and cruises. Okay, So this whole period January
through March, we call wave season, and that's where the
cruise lines offer their best discounts, their biggest promotions. It's

(20:19):
like Black Friday in the cruise industry, if that makes sense.

Speaker 2 (20:23):
So, except it's for three months long.

Speaker 3 (20:25):
Except it's three months long, which is thank god it's
three months long, because I.

Speaker 1 (20:30):
Don't think I could handle it to day.

Speaker 3 (20:31):
We have been just knocked down busy this past week
as people are calling in because they know it's wave season.
And important thing to think about when you consider wave
season is that's not just for travel January through March.
That's for booking travel in January through March. So if

(20:53):
you think about this three month window and you think
about traveling the cruise industry for the whole year, people
are booking for that time period. So it doesn't make
much sense to wait until the second or third week
of March. Because what's happened is all of these special
inventory sale prices are sold out. Sure you can get
the regular prices, but you're not going to get those

(21:16):
sale prices.

Speaker 2 (21:17):
And I think it's good to note that this is
typically the time when we call that wave season. And
I think, here you've got some maybe some information you're
going to share as to why it's actually called wave season.
But the interesting thing is this is the time period
when cruise lines, river cruises, anything to do with on

(21:39):
the water travel drops their prices to usually the lowest
of any time during the season, or they have great
offers that are better than anytime during the season. So
you don't want to wait until inventory is depleted because
by then there won't be any reason for you to
be shopping. Those deals will be gone. Yeah, kind of

(22:00):
tell us what wave? How that came about?

Speaker 3 (22:02):
Well, it's it's kind of metaphorically. It represents that influx
of deals, a wave of deals that come in during
this time and promotions and promotions range anywhere from you know,
buy one, get one free. Kids are sailing for ninety
nine dollars on cruises, you get free packages, you get upgrades,

(22:22):
sometimes you get one suite upgrade. Sometimes you get one
room upgrade, one room level upgrade, you get free beverages.
I'm talking adult beverages. Terry's over there just rocking and
rolling adult beverage packages for everybody. Wi Fi things like that.
So they kind of open up the doors and let

(22:42):
it all come out in a big wave during wave seasons.
So you're going to see all of those things, special
promotions some of the new ships that are out there.
And this is not always the case, but we have
seen a lot of these promotions Chris coming out for
their brand new ships. These cruise lines want to book

(23:04):
their business for the year so that they can report
to their owners, stockholders, etc. That they are doing very
very well for twenty twenty five and they want bragging
rights to say they're doing better than anybody else. So
we take advantage of that. Now.

Speaker 2 (23:18):
I will tell you I have had some clients who
have booked previously prior to the wave sales and have
said to me, Terry, what happens. I booked my crews
three months ago, and now the rates have dropped. Am
I entitled to that savings? The answer is absolutely yes.

Speaker 1 (23:35):
If you ask yes, And that's our job is to
help you make that ask, and.

Speaker 2 (23:39):
I will tell you it would be very difficult for
me to go back and call everybody who has booked
and say, oh, we should really be checking your prices.
So if you are one of those people who have booked,
even if you haven't booked with the Wishing, Well, call
your cruise line back, Call whoever you book this back, Yeah,
call your travel advisor and just say would you mind

(24:00):
checking to see if the new pricing would be something
that would benefit me? Because if it does, you're entitled
to that and that's real money.

Speaker 1 (24:09):
Absolutely.

Speaker 3 (24:10):
So I want to talk about a couple of things
also during wave season that are great deals. And we've
talked about these before. We've got our group cruises, and
I want to mention these again. We've got a cruise
in May. It's talking about new ships. Norwegian Cruise Line
brand spanking new ship called the Aqua. We're cruising in
May on the Aqua. Paul's got that one that's going

(24:33):
down to the Caribbean. And then when he gets done
at the Caribbean, he's going to stop at a place
that's just a little north of the Caribbean in Orlando, Florida.
The place with the mouse, and he's got some extensions
available there that you can add on a Disney trip
at the end of your Caribbean cruise. So if you
want to kind of ease yourself back into winter, you

(24:55):
can do that.

Speaker 1 (24:55):
And then he kind to put you up in a
like a Caribbean themed hotel.

Speaker 3 (24:59):
Absolutely geting us up at the Caribbean Beach Hotel, and
that add on is fantastic. And the neat thing about
that is it's a two day add on, I believe,
and most people would not ordinarily travel to Orlando for
a two day visit to Disney, but Paul's put together
a package that's that two day package that kind of

(25:20):
lets you get in there and get that quick taste
to Disney, or if you're a parent and you want
to be able to say to your kids, yeah, I
took you to Disney. Okay, either way, this is a
great add on to that fantastic trip. And then another
trip a little more adult oriented in June. We have space.

(25:40):
I think you do still have some space on this trip.
We're we're going to Spain, Portugal and Morocco. There are
two cabins left and this is a special deal that
we made with the cruise line when we were visiting
with them last summer. And wow, what a smart move
that was, because if you look at the price of
these cabins, they have increased significantly even during wave season.

(26:04):
We have two cabins left on that trip to Spain,
Portugal and Morocco in June.

Speaker 1 (26:11):
Chris call the wishing well at five four Oho nine
oh eight twenty three thirty three.

Speaker 2 (26:15):
Now, I wanted to also say that in addition, all
of the cruise lines and I mean all all all
of them are participating in wave season. They are giving
as much as four category upgrades free airfares. There's all
kinds of free perks during wave season. So if cruising
is a part of your future travel plans, if it's

(26:38):
something maybe you've never even thought about, but now you're
thinking maybe I would like to try that, let me
just tease you with this little bit because this is
a big selling point for cruises. You can unpack your
clothing one time, visit up to five places in a
single week without ever having to pack and unpack again.

(27:02):
That cruise ship is your transportation around some of the
most exotic ports in the Caribbean. It's just a fabulous
way to go. Your meals are all included, and they're
not just uh you know, this.

Speaker 1 (27:14):
Isn't fast food dinner meals. These are nice.

Speaker 2 (27:17):
Exactly, these are gourmet meals worthy of Instagram. So you
know you've got those fabulous moments there. Entertainment usually on
board unless you're doing a river cruise. If you are
doing a river cruise, know this. The river cruise is
the means to an end. It's the deliverable transportation to

(27:38):
all of the great ports in Europe that you can
get to without again having to pack and unpack at
port after port. So all of the greatest reasons in
the world right now to secure your cruise booking with
the Wishing Well and again we're located at two forty
three nef Avenue in the Valley Center in Harsonburg, Virginia,
or you can call us at five four to ZHO

(27:59):
nine oh eight three three three.

Speaker 1 (28:01):
So, if I recall last year, the first podcast episode
we did of the year, we looked back at twenty
twenty three and looked forward into twenty twenty four, So
I think this might be something similar. Our show today
is called Reflections and New Directions, right, is that what
we're gonna do. That's exactly what we're gonna do. And
it's been quite a year and it's going to be

(28:21):
quite a year to come. Well, let's dig into that
coming up next here on a Life Less Ordinary.

Speaker 3 (28:26):
Protect your vacation investment with guidance from a travel professional.
The wishing Well knows travel and help you avoid pitfalls
they can spoil your hard earned vacation. We'll plan your
trip and have your back as you travel. All of
this without support or so called convenience fees. We're on
the web at the wishing Well dot viz, or call
us at five four zero nine zero eight two three

(28:48):
three three as five four zero nine zero eight two
three three three. The wishing Well really does make dreams
come true.

Speaker 1 (28:55):
Yeah, welcome back to a Lifeless Ordinary. This is your
travel show and podcast from your friends at the wishing Well.
You can find them on f Avenue and Harrisonburg online
at the wishing Well dot biz, or give them a
called five four nine oh eight twenty three thirty three.
Our show today is entitled Reflections and New Directions and Terry,
we're going to look back at twenty four and get

(29:18):
really excited about some new destinations for twenty twenty five.

Speaker 2 (29:21):
I think so, and I'm going to apologize in advance
if we sound a bit like a roadrunner on the
remainder of what is left of probably not even a
half an hour of our show, but there's a lot.
I mean, when you start looking at reflecting on an
entire year that's passed, especially the year like we had,
and you start to look at the crystal ball for

(29:44):
the year in front of you and try to encapsulate
that into less than thirty minutes. It's a tough job,
you know, But I'm going to get through this as
much as I can. Obviously, we want to share as
much with you as we can throw that crystal ball
out there and see how closely we land to what

(30:04):
we think are some of the things that people are
going to be looking for in twenty twenty five. But
I think we could all agree Chris that twenty twenty
four was a banner year for the travel industry, and Harry,
I think you'd agree with me. Based on what we
saw at the Wishing Well. It was really kind of
marked by resurgence and innovation after years of fluctuating fortunes.

(30:27):
Though we didn't really speak much about COVID, or use
the word pandemic on a daily basis anymore. We watched
the world continue to emerge really from the shadows of
the pandemic, and travelers were eager to kind of jump in,
reclaim their freedom and explore, and good Lord, explore they did,

(30:48):
did they not?

Speaker 1 (30:49):
I think they certainly did.

Speaker 3 (30:51):
They. We thought at first that this was just, you know,
a post COVID reaction, but I think it's a new mindset.
I think that the travelers have gotten the mindset that
they want to see the world, not just part of it,
not just a piece of it, not eventually, but they
want to see the world now. And we've seen that
last year, and we have already seen it in the

(31:12):
first week or so of this year.

Speaker 2 (31:15):
And the tourism industry responded, and I think they responded
very well with resilience and creativity. They were capitalizing on
that pent up demand and the new trends and those
emerging trends that we saw in twenty twenty four reflected
sort of the shifting priorities that we saw travelers have,

(31:36):
technology advancements, kind of a heightened awareness of sustainability that
was really important this year, and it became a really
big focus, and those trends not only shaped the experiences
of travelers, but it also influenced how the industry itself
adapted to meet those new demands. Now, revenge travel became

(31:59):
really what I call mainstream that pent up desire to
explore the world after years of the restrictions that we
had because of COVID. That fueled a whole new wave
of what we called revenge travel, and that trend saw
individuals take longer, more extravagant trips, which they continue to

(32:21):
often to bucket list destinations, and travelers prioritize their experiences
over material goods, opting for luxury accommodations, more curated tours,
personalized itineraries, things that were really more customized towards exactly
what they exactly. And that's what I think made a

(32:44):
show like a Lifeless Ordinary so important. And while why
people started to really tune into this show is because
we sort of were the voice of exactly what they
were looking for, and we hope we continue to be.
But that was one of the things that we saw
in twenty twenty four. We also saw slow travel take hold. Now,

(33:07):
what is that in response to climate concerns and a
desire for deeper connections. Slow travel gained momentum. So rather
than rushing through multiple destinations like we were given to
do in the past, travelers chose to spend extended periods
of time in fewer places. Now I'm going to give

(33:27):
an example. We did that, and we did it very well,
and I loved it. When we took a trip to Madrid.
What we did was we found headquarters in Madrid, we
honkered down there, and we sort of took our day
trips right from Madrid. Made one of the most exciting
and simplistic travel experiences become the most noteworthy.

Speaker 3 (33:51):
It was really what I'd call instead of slow travel,
I would say another word, it's immersive travel exactly. We
showed up in a city and we didn't just want
to see the museums. We wanted to see the cuisine.
We wanted to learn how to cook the cuisine. So
we really got in deep. Rather than just spun by

(34:13):
everything at seventy miles an hour, which is the American
way to do it traditionally, we took our time and
we really enjoyed it, and I think when we got
home we were less stressed too.

Speaker 2 (34:23):
And I actually think that approach sort of emphasizes quality
over quantity. It encourages travelers to immerse themselves, as you said, Harry,
in the local culture and traditions, and it reduces their
environmental impact. The other thing that we saw in twenty
twenty four is more of an echo conscious tourism. Sustainability.

(34:46):
I mentioned that was at the forefront of traveling twenty
twenty four. I remember when we went to the Virtuoso
annual meeting this year in Las Vegas. It was everywhere
all of the tour operators were talking about eco tourism
and sustain ability and your impact as a traveler. How
do you impact a destination when you arrived there, What

(35:07):
kind of footprint do you leave? Do you leave it
better than you found it or a different way? So
you know, sustainability is very important. They sought out accommodations
and tour operators with strong environmental credentials. We saw this
coming a lot from our millennial crowd. You know, these
are the folks that are really sort of focused on that.

(35:29):
Along with the gen zers, carbon offset programs, renewable energy initiatives,
plastic free policies became very significant. I told you. I
took a cruise first week of December when I got
to Cosmo. Guess what, They're not using plastic bags anymore.
And as a matter of fact, if you want one,
you buy one, and you buy a biodegradable bag, not

(35:51):
anything plastic. So we're seeing that movement internationally and I'm
surprised that we've not seen it more here in the
United States. You can still go to grocery stores here
in the United States and get plastic bags. That's surprising.
The rest of the world is watching us going You
guys need to get with it, you know. The other
thing is to work from anywhere lifestyle that we saw

(36:14):
happening in twenty twenty four with remote work that became
permanent fixtures for a lot of professionals. The workcation. We
talked about that a lot here, Chris. Remember we did
some shows about workcations and the long stay options for
people who wanted to work but stay away from home,
have a vacation while you're working. Boy, that sounds great

(36:36):
in theory, you know, and I think for the most
part for a lot of people that did work. You
had people going to Bali in Lisbon, in Mexico City
and those became a hubs for digital nomads. We called
them Countries offered digital nomad visas, experiencing a surge in
applications and individuals combining work and leisure just seamlessly. It

(37:01):
was great. The other thing was the tech driven travel experience.
Technology in twenty twenty four played an integral role in
enhancing the travel experience and then came a powered platforms.
They offered hyper personalized recommendations from Hidden Gem attractions to

(37:23):
Taylor Dining experiences. So AI continues to be something that
we're seeing on the forefront for twenty twenty five that
is going to grow. I promise you we use it
actually even at the Wishing Well, so much so that
I'm surprised at how effective it helps us do our

(37:43):
jobs and how much more effective we've become because of it.

Speaker 3 (37:47):
It certainly has, and the things that are going on
in technology, from the personal on their cell phone travel
itineraries where they stay in touch with us as well
as see their tripping front of them, those have become
very popular. We use those now for virtually every trip
that we do. We send our travelers out with their

(38:08):
whole trip on their telephone and intelligent phone and they
can communicate back and forth, and AI is really taken hold.
One of the things I wanted to talk about Terry
is some of the things that's happening in the industry,
particularly the hotel industry. They have taken tremendous advantage of
AI and they are now using it to help them.

(38:32):
I guess they're taking a play a page out of
the airline's playbook, and they are using it to upsell amenities, perks,
things like that. Marriott's a big player in that. Wyndham
Hotel has generated at the numbers I saw, they're generating
fifteen hundred dollars a month extra per property selling pre

(38:54):
rival services, whether that's you know, luggage, luggage handling, holiday
in the Internet HG group, they've up their nightly revenue
from up selling better rooms and amenities. You want that
quiet corner room. They know who you are, they know
what you like, they know you might be willing to
pay a little bit extra for that. They're going to
upsell you. So you're going to see a lot more

(39:16):
of that in the hotel industry. And they also are
trying to find out more about you. So if they
know you'd like to travel with a pet. They have
a pet friendly room. They're going to try and sell
you pet sitting services, dog walking services, anything they can do.
E bike offerings. If they know that you're somebody that

(39:36):
likes the gym, they might try and sell you an
e bike offering. So they're getting very very intelligent about that,
and for the most part, I think that's good.

Speaker 1 (39:45):
But we have to see where that goes here.

Speaker 2 (39:47):
Yeah, biometrics is a word that actually came into its
own in twenty twenty four in the travel industry. You
wouldn't think that, but biometrics started to be a big
player in check ins at hotels, contactless payments, smart luggage
tag tracking, also streamline journey. So there's a lot of

(40:09):
things that began to sort of massage the newest things
that we're going to see in twenty twenty five. In
twenty twenty four, you're.

Speaker 3 (40:17):
Going to see biometrics and airport check ins. They're pilot
TSA is piloting that right now, Chris, you and I
spoke before the holidays about that on one of our
news items. They're piloting that at some of the airports,
so that instead of you having to present all of
your identification papers.

Speaker 1 (40:33):
You're just going to look into.

Speaker 3 (40:34):
The camera and they say, hey, Chris, how's it going,
how's the kids? Where's your wife? Is that a different
wife we saw you with last time? You know, they
can answer all the whole questions you may want to answer.

Speaker 1 (40:45):
It's another podcast.

Speaker 3 (40:47):
Biometrics is here, folks, and it's going to make our
life easier. May make it a little scarier too. And
in case Chris's wife is listening, that was just an example.

Speaker 1 (40:59):
She knows how to find Harry. I know, all right.
So these are some of the reflections from twenty twenty four.
We need to get in some new directions for twenty
twenty five, and I want to get into that next
here on the Lifeless ordinary.

Speaker 3 (41:11):
Who would think of driving off to a new destination
without guidance from Google or Siri? Let the Wishing Weld
guide your next travel experience. Travel the world as you
enjoy the very best destinations and all they offer at
the best prices. Our mobile travel app keeps your vacation
on track and keeps you connected with our team of experts.

Speaker 1 (41:29):
For help, if you need it.

Speaker 3 (41:30):
Call us at five four zero nine zero eight two
three three three stop Buy two forty three Nap Avenue
or visit us at the Wishingwell dot biz.

Speaker 1 (41:40):
I love this time. Every Saturday morning we get together
with our friends from the wishing Well here on a
lifeless ordinary Terry Dean, Harry Rife. Our show today is
called Reflections and New Directions. By the way, if you
want to get in touch with either Harry or Terry,
you can call them at five four zero nine oh
eight twenty three thirty three. That's our personal phone number.

(42:01):
They'll talk to you anytime that the business is open exactly.
So we're working our way into new directions in our
show today.

Speaker 2 (42:08):
We are, and I think it's interesting to look at
what to expect in twenty twenty five. Certainly twenty twenty
four laid some bricks for us. You know, we're not
in Kansas anymore, Dorothy. We're headed into oz and so
there are some things that are going to change and
we'll never be able to look back again. I mean,
whoever thought that we'd ever be talking about chatbots and

(42:31):
biometrics in the travel industry. I know that's something that
in my forty five years I never envisioned. But here
we are, and as we look ahead to twenty twenty five,
there are a lot of trends and developments that still
promise to reshape the travel landscape even further. If you
can believe that I'm ready for it. That's exciting to me.

(42:53):
After forty five years. I have never bored in this
industry never, I think. That's why I love it so much,
why I've stayed so long in it, why I've never
looked anywhere else, is because this fits me. You know,
I love excitement, I don't mind change, and the industry
has been so good to me in that way. Now,
we saw and talked about before. In twenty twenty four,

(43:15):
we had that rise of work from anywhere lifestyles. That's
going to continue, and that's going to continue to fuel
demand for extended stays in remote destinations, probably all except
for federal government workers who have been ordered back to work.
But you know, there are going to be some people
who still like that nomad, digital nomad kind of lifestyle.

(43:37):
Those are going to be those no mad visas are
going to be introduced by several countries, and they're going
to be likely to gain traction because more and more
professionals are going to seek to combine work and travel.
Because it's fun, you know, and really we hear statistically
that people are very productive when they are able to
expand their minds and their geographic locations. So I think

(44:00):
that's great. Sustainability is going to remain a central theme.
I can't imagine that it wouldn't, with travelers prioritizing echo
friendly options and businesses adopting more and more ambitious what
we call green initiatives. Carbon neutral flights that's going to
come into play, electric vehicle tours and plastic free resorts

(44:23):
are expected to become mainstream. The integration of AI is
only going to deepen in twenty twenty five, and predictive
analytics are going to help travelers avoid disruptions by forecasting
weather patterns and crowd levels, while some immersive technologies like
augmented reality is going to enhance on site experiences. Got

(44:47):
virtual reality that's also set to evolve, offering some individuals
the chance to sort of test drive destinations before they
even commit to a trip. Now, I will tell you
that already started. I use that myself at my desk
for some people. If they've given me a destination I've

(45:08):
not been to or haven't done much research on. That's
exactly what I do. I go to virtual travel and
find out about it. It's great on the documentation front,
compliance with real ID the ETAs that we've talked about
here and the ETAs, those are all going to become
the norm streamlining travel but requiring greater awareness and preparation. Finally,

(45:34):
climate challenges are going to remain a critical concern. Destinations
vulnerable to extreme weather are going to need to adapt quickly.
Travelers are going to play a role by supporting sustainable
tourism and avoiding some high risk areas during peak seasons.
So what I also wanted to do, Chris, as I
was preparing this crystal ball look at twenty twenty five

(45:57):
was I wanted to sort of cast a line out
there and look at what some of the major events
are in twenty twenty five that we know about right
now that I know people are going to be planning
travel around for their vacations, maybe for specific travel. We
talked before on this show about how people already use

(46:18):
certain events concerts, for example, They'll hear that Billy Joel
is going to be performing somewhere and they'll plan an
entire trip around that. We've got clients who will plan
travel outside this country internationally based on where Coldplay is
going to be well for twenty twenty five, there's a
lot of things that are going to go on that

(46:39):
I think are also going to cast that line and
real people in as well. Paris twenty twenty five World
Expo that's one of them much anticipated World Expo is
going to return to Paris, showcasing innovative solutions and global
collaborations in technology, again, sustainability and culture. This is a

(47:00):
six month event, so it's not just a day, not
just a week, not just a weekend. You've got six
months that you can get to Paris and that's expected
to draw millions of visitors to the French capital. We've
also got the one hundred and fiftieth anniversary of Yellowstone
National Park. That's the first national park in the United States,

(47:20):
and it's going to celebrate it's Sesqui centennial with special
events there, exhibitions, guided tours. It's an ideal year for
nature lovers to explore the park's iconic geysers, wildlife and
landscape there. We've also got always Octoberfest in Munich that's

(47:40):
a crowd favorite. They've got the event in twenty twenty
five is expected to be larger than ever, with extended
celebrations this year and highlighting Bavarian culture. In twenty twenty five,
We've also got the Solar Eclipse, a rare toe total
solar eclipse is going to pass over parts of North America,

(48:03):
including Mexico, the US, and Canada, and destinations along that
path of totality such as Texas and Moset Lawn are
gearing up for a huge surge in visitors. We've also
got Milan's Design Week. They're celebrating their status as the
global design hub and they're going to spotlight cutting edge architecture,

(48:28):
fashion and art. We've got the Tokyo Cherry Blossom Festival
that's going to be happening in twenty twenty five, set
to offer even more immersive experiences there. The Rugby World
Cup in twenty twenty five, that's going to be huge
carnival in Rio de Janeiro that's going to be the
world famous returning with music and color, making Rio a

(48:50):
top destination for festival enthusiasts. And one of the ones
that I'm completely excited about and glad to hear that
is going to be celebrated is the Jubilee in Rome,
Italy that marks twenty five years. This has done every
twenty five years. It features masses, pilgrimages and blessings, offering

(49:11):
a chance for spiritual renewal. Pilgrims from around the globe
are expected to visit the Vatican and rooms Basilica's, so
that's going to be something if you are planning to
go to Italy or Europe, you're going to want to
know about those things. There's a couple of things, Harry
that I thought were very interesting in some of the
travel statistics that we learned from twenty twenty four. I

(49:34):
think is going to also be impactful in twenty twenty five.
Share that with us as sure.

Speaker 3 (49:39):
And one of the most exciting things about working with
Terry the Wishingwell is her ability to look ahead Chris
into this crystal ball. She's just so accurate. So I've
been listening intently to what she has to say today.
But to add to that, there are some professional organizations
that do surveys around the world. They go to the
United States, the UK, Germany, China, India, and this past

(50:00):
December of twenty twenty four, they asked people to rank
where they plan to spend their discretionary money in twenty
twenty five. Okay, so a month ago they asked people
how they're going to spend their discretionary money, and they
gave them a couple choices. They said, you can spend
it on electronics and gadgets, something all of us love,

(50:20):
home improvements, jewelry, dining in entertainment, fashion, accessories, wellness and
fitness or travel. What do you think was the number
one category in the United States, Chris?

Speaker 1 (50:31):
Travel? You got it.

Speaker 3 (50:32):
What do you think was a number one category in
the United Kingdom?

Speaker 1 (50:36):
Travel? What do you think was a number one category
in China? Travel?

Speaker 3 (50:41):
And still if I asked you about Germany, what do
you think was the number one category travel?

Speaker 1 (50:46):
In India? Travel? Well, you're exactly right, Chris, that was.

Speaker 3 (50:50):
The number one choice of people in all of these
countries of how they're going to spend their money in
twenty twenty five. That coincides so well with what Terry's
been talking about with the forecast, as she's looking ahead,
with what we've been seeing in our office at the
Wishing Well in Harrisonburg, Virginia, and it bodes well for

(51:10):
twenty twenty five. I think the things that we talked
about today. With Wave months coming up January through March,
this is a good time to look ahead. If you
don't want to take a cruise, think about what you
might want to do in twenty twenty five and let
us know. Let us give you the benefit of that expertise,
that knowledge, and the forecasts that we've seen that we

(51:33):
follow to let you know what the possibilities are for
twenty twenty five.

Speaker 2 (51:39):
I've got some closing thoughts on our show today, and
that is the year twenty twenty four really underscored travels enduring,
allure and resilience. And as we move into twenty twenty five,
you guys, the industry stands at a crossroads. It's driven
by innovation, sustainability, and a commitment to creating some meaningful

(52:01):
experiences for people who grab that ring now. Whether you're
planning your next big adventure or simply just dreaming of
distant horizons, the future of travel really promises excitement, transformation,
and endless possibilities. I can tell you this after forty

(52:21):
five years, I said it again. This has been the
best career path for me. But it's been more than that.
It's been what I have lived I have enjoyed watching
the world evolve around this industry that has been my work,
my life's work, and I'm so happy to share it

(52:42):
with my friends, people that I love. My business partner,
Harry has been phenomenal to work with through twenty twenty four.
So looking forward, Chris, to more time with you here
on a lifeless Ordinary, of course, and the places we
can take this show.

Speaker 3 (52:59):
So, if you're a soul traveler, an adventure traveler, an
ecological traveler, someone who wants to travel with their family,
whatever it is, we ask you give us a chance, give.

Speaker 1 (53:09):
Us a call.

Speaker 3 (53:10):
We're at two forty three Neph Avenue in Harrisonburg. You
can find us on the web at the Wishingwell dot biz.
Will make your wishes come true, or you can come
visit us at two forty three Neph Avenue.

Speaker 1 (53:25):
This has been a life less Ordinary, the travel show
from your friends at the wishing Well at two forty
three Neph Avenue in Harrisonburg. If you have any questions
on topics discussed today, please reach out to the wishing
Well online at the Wishingwell dot biz or five four
oh nine oh eight twenty three thirty three. Past episodes
are available on the iHeartRadio app. And we'll see you
again next Saturday morning at ten for a life less ordinary.

(53:47):
From the wishing Well