September 13, 2024 • 53 mins
The Wishing Well's Terrie Dean and Harry Reif discuss this week's travel news and Hot Deals!
In this episode, we dive into the vibrant and resilient spirit of the Caribbean, exploring some of the best destinations to visit during hurricane season. Join us as we uncover the hidden gems and safe havens of Barbados, the ABC Islands (Aruba, Bonaire, and Curaçao), and Grenada.
Discover why Barbados, with its eastern location and protective reefs, remains a top choice for travelers seeking sun and safety. We’ll also take you on a journey through the ABC Islands, where the arid climate and southern position offer a tranquil escape from the stormy season. Lastly, we’ll explore the lush landscapes and rich culture of Grenada, known for its hurricane-resistant infrastructure and welcoming locals.
Whether you’re an adventurous traveler or simply looking for a serene getaway, this episode is packed with tips, insights, and stories to help you plan your perfect Caribbean vacation during hurricane season.
In this episode, we dive into the vibrant and resilient spirit of the Caribbean, exploring some of the best destinations to visit during hurricane season. Join us as we uncover the hidden gems and safe havens of Barbados, the ABC Islands (Aruba, Bonaire, and Curaçao), and Grenada.
Discover why Barbados, with its eastern location and protective reefs, remains a top choice for travelers seeking sun and safety. We’ll also take you on a journey through the ABC Islands, where the arid climate and southern position offer a tranquil escape from the stormy season. Lastly, we’ll explore the lush landscapes and rich culture of Grenada, known for its hurricane-resistant infrastructure and welcoming locals.
Whether you’re an adventurous traveler or simply looking for a serene getaway, this episode is packed with tips, insights, and stories to help you plan your perfect Caribbean vacation during hurricane season.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
This is a Lifeless Ordinary. It's a travel show and
podcasts from your friends at the wishing Well two forty
three f Avenue in Harsimerg 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
(00:20):
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. Say hello, hey, Chris, how
are you spectacular? Thank you for asking it. Hello, Harry,
Good morning Chris. It is good to see you, and
we have had a wonderful week of travel. Mm hm.
I haven't gone anywhere, but I know there's been a
(00:42):
lot of exciting news.
Speaker 2 (00:43):
Every week is a good week in travels. That's my philosophy,
that's my story, and I'm sticking to it. Well, then
I want to share some of those great stories with us. Yeah,
we've got a little bit of news that has come
across the lines this week. Herey, I'm going to ask
you to deliver the news and then We're going to
head right into a very tomely show for you today.
Speaker 3 (01:04):
Well, let's start with this. How many times have we
talked about real ID? Chris?
Speaker 1 (01:08):
Many we talked about last week?
Speaker 3 (01:09):
Okay, Well we're going to talk about it again this
week because we keep saying it's going to be implemented
in May of twenty twenty five, and maybe it will.
But one of the items in this week's news is
the United States government has decided yet again that we
may delay it and implementation may be delayed till twenty
twenty seven. If you can believe that, okay. And the
(01:33):
reason for that is many people have not gotten real
IDs yet. They say that only fifty six percent of
state IDs are real ID compliance. So they're worried that
there'll be a big backup at TSA, So rather than
go through the security benefits, they're going to maybe delay
it again. How's that?
Speaker 1 (01:54):
I have so many thoughts right now, Harry. I believe
that I can believe why are we delaying things because
people can't hop on the stick and get it done.
Speaker 3 (02:03):
I don't have any idea.
Speaker 1 (02:04):
Let them stand in line. I got my real idea.
I'm not going to be one waiting for me too.
Let's go.
Speaker 3 (02:08):
The good news is if you have a passport, you
don't need real ID, So there you go. Second thing
in the news, the aviation industry. It's just been rocking
and rolling this week. They're a little bit strike happy.
If you haven't heard, there's news at Boeing. This week,
thirty three thousand aircraft assembly workers walked off the job
at Boeing. And the good news for travelers is this
(02:31):
is not going to have any immediate effect on commercial flights.
What it is delaying is the building of some of
the new planes. And the machinists who are making somewhere
around seventy five thousand dollars a year believe that they
are due arrays, so they are on strike. Air Canada.
Air Canada's got some unhappy pilots also, and we got
(02:54):
to wait and see. But perhaps this coming week the
pilots of Air Canada will be on strike. So we'll
be worrying about that, and Terry and I will be
readjusting flights, I guess.
Speaker 2 (03:06):
Terry, I'm sure we will probably be helping some people
who are affected by that.
Speaker 3 (03:10):
Yeah, it occurs, So there you go. United Airlines, we
talked about them a little bit last week. Chris. Remember,
no updates, no news. They're still kind of hanging in there.
They might go on strike. They're not in their mandatory
thirty day cooling off period yet. But our eyes are
on United Airlines because they are a very major carrier.
So there's some things to worry about. Good news R at
(03:32):
American Airlines. Okay, American Airlines flight attendants have ratified a
new agreement and that contract dispute has ended, so we're
in great shape there. One of the things I learned
reading about that maybe you knew this, I did not.
Did you know that flight attendants don't get paid until
the flight starts rolling. All that time they spend saying hey,
(03:53):
welcome aboard. You know, would you like a tidi wipe
or you know, little cleanser or something that it's not
counted as work hours. It starts when they roll the plane.
Speaker 1 (04:05):
So like when there was one time I sat on
the tarmac for I think it was four hours.
Speaker 3 (04:11):
When you're in the tarmac, yes, when you're at the gate, no, okay,
let's say shut that door. That's why they're anxious to
shut the door.
Speaker 1 (04:18):
That makes more sense because I thought they were very
nice for those four hours. If they weren't kid yes.
Speaker 3 (04:22):
So under new contract they will be paid for the
time when passengers are boarding plane. So that's a big,
big thing for American airlines flight attends, and I think
that's very fair. So that's the piece of good news
as it relates to the airlines being a little strike
happy this week. Third thing I wanted to talk about
it's in the news and everybody's aware of, is Hurricane
(04:45):
France scene. Hurricane France scene has been active this week
and earlier this week there were over three thousand flight delays.
The good news is those delays are a lot less
over the last couple days, and as we're moving ahead,
we're not seeing as many. That storm is weakening. It's
still affecting travelers and we're seeing big delays at the
(05:07):
major airports. Atlanta, O'Hare, Denver and Charlotte of course are
being affected by these delays. But the things we were
worried about with Hurricane fran Scene, as far as it's
effect on travel, not too bad. Cruises Port of New
Orleans was closed for a little while and that affected
a couple cruise ships, But again things are coming back
(05:29):
to normal and the ships are resuming their normal routes
through the Caribbean. That's my news.
Speaker 2 (05:36):
That's great, and that's actually Harry, thank you for that today,
by the way. But that's actually a great segue into
what I call the meat and potatoes of our show.
Speaker 1 (05:46):
Today. We're going to talk a.
Speaker 2 (05:47):
Lot about what you can do with your travel plans
to sort of work around hurricanes, because I have a
lot of folks, a lot of clients who come into
the office and many times, especially this time of year,
pretty on queue, they'll come in and say, I want
to go somewhere. I've got some time left, got some
(06:08):
vacation days, but I don't want to fly right into
a hurricane or get myself into a bad situation. Is
that possible, Well, the answers yes, that answer is very possible. Now,
as far as the effects under the roof at the
Wishing Well that we've seen from any of the most
recent hurricanes, the very worst that I can say is
(06:28):
that we've sat on hold for unprecedented amounts of time
since COVID, I would say, And hurricanes are always good
for backups everywhere, So if we're trying to get through
to tour operators, airlines or whatever. You can bet we're
going to have some time on hold for the calls
that we need to make and folks we need to help.
(06:51):
But hurricanes can wreak havoc on countries in the Atlantic
and the Pacific Oceans as far as.
Speaker 3 (07:00):
Several miles inland.
Speaker 2 (07:01):
We know that, and this includes destinations in the Caribbean, Mexico,
the US. For heaven's sake, Hawaii is a target many times. Yes, absolutely, Florida.
We were talking about. Harry mentioned cruises that would even
go out of New Orleans. I mean, there's hardly anything
that happens weather wise that in some way, some form
(07:24):
and some shape doesn't affect or have an effect on
the travel system of some kind. So hurricane season, that's
what people want to know. Well, when is it and
when should I be aware to plan and steer around
that that occurs? Chris, between June and November that is
the bullseye of hurricane season, and that means that for
(07:47):
about half of the year, actually you might have to
worry about a hurricane interrupting your travels. The operative word
here being might. Okay, it's not necessarily absolutely going to
but it certainly might. So if you are planning travel
between June and November, you should be aware that that's
(08:07):
the riskier time in the year to go. Doesn't mean
you can't plan a tropical vacation. We're going to talk
a lot about that today, or even cruise during that time.
Your best islands to visit though during a hurricane season
is really the topic, the hot topic I want to
focus on today because I'm going to talk to you
(08:28):
about what those islands are, why people choose them, and Chris,
we're even going to talk about some pricing for all
of these islands. The show today is called Storm Dodgers
to the Rescue.
Speaker 1 (08:40):
And we'll get into that next Here on a life
less Ordinary, protect.
Speaker 3 (08:43):
Your vacation investment with guidance from a travel professional. The
wishing Well knows travel and help you avoid pitfalls that
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 biz or call us
at five four zero nine zero eight two three three three.
(09:05):
That's five four zero nine zero eight two three three three.
The washing Well really does make dreams come.
Speaker 1 (09:11):
True and welcome back to a life less ordinary. The
travel showing podcasts from your friends at the wishing Well.
You can find them at two forty three and f
Avenue in Harrisonburg, online at the wishing Well dot biz,
or pick up the phone and give him a call.
They'd love to talk to you. Five four h nine
oh eight twenty three thirty three. So right before the break,
Terry we mentioned our show is called Storm Dodgers to
(09:32):
the Rescue. We're going to talk about how you can
travel during hurricane season without all the.
Speaker 2 (09:39):
Risk, without all the risk, and that's actually a very
good way to put it in. When we left to
go on break, I has said it doesn't mean you
can't plan a tropical vacation during the months between June
and November. To the contrary, as a matter of fact,
and I think people are going to be pleasantly surprised
with some of the information that we're going to go
(10:00):
over today because the prices I'm even going to give
you today are timely. As a note worthy is that
all of the prices that I'm going to quote you
today are for travel that takes place over October the
nineteenth to the twenty sixth. Okay, for example, just apples
to apples, that's the date that we're using, and that's
(10:23):
a week long So that's a week long vacation in
the month of October. And these are some of the
islands that you can travel to that would in essence
help you avoid an otherwise chaotic hurricane season. Okay, So
in twenty seventeen, you might remember Hurricanes Maria and Irma
(10:46):
actually devastated the Caribbean islands, including Dominica, Puerto Rico, and
Saint Martin. And I can remember that very well because Harry,
we were in the throes of planning a group trip
to Saint Martin just about that time. Yet other islands
were untouched by those storms, namely those, and this is important, folks,
(11:08):
those that fall outside of what we call the hurricane belt,
and those include what are known as the ABC Islands,
that is Aruba, bonn Air, and Cursel. There's also other
islands that you can visit with some confidence. We're going
to talk about those two during hurricane season, but I
(11:29):
want to start with some of these so that we
can talk and maybe get through a lot of them
for those who are listening with baited ears, going Yes, Terry,
I want to know where can I go? I want
to go in October. So where the number one island
just mentioned? One of them is Aruba, And I want
(11:50):
to talk to you about why tourists really love Aruba.
They like it for a lot of reasons, including the beaches.
You've got year round sunshine there, and activities. Aruba's got
those beautiful white sand beaches. They're considered, actually, Chris, some
of the most beautiful in the world, next to Hawaii.
They've got the warm gin blue colored water is what
(12:12):
some of my clients have come back and said, that's
the color. I wonder if that's just because they've gone
to all inclusives.
Speaker 1 (12:17):
I don't know.
Speaker 2 (12:18):
It's ideal for swimming there. Even if it is gin,
it's good for swimming, sunbathing, and you've got beach combing there.
They've got year round sunshine in Aruba. Aruba's location just
outside the hurricane belt means that it's got year round sunshine.
The average year round temperature is a balmy eighty two
(12:39):
degrees and we've had some of that lately. And let
me tell you something. That's my happy place. Okay, My
ideal temperature is seventy seven degrees for anybody who cares,
but eighty two sounds okay to me as well. You've
got snorkeling and scuba diving in Aruba. Those clear waters
just make it a top destination for snorkeling and sk uba.
(13:00):
You can see tropical fish and sea turtles in almost
seven foot deep water, so I mean it's clear, just crystal,
crystal clear. Also, this is interesting. A lot of folks
don't know this about Aruba, unlike many of the other
Caribbean islands that are tropical in nature. I mean, often
(13:21):
enough said this here on the show before, I say
to people, close your eyes and tell me what you
see when you think about the destination you're visiting, if
it's a tropical vacation. Nobody ever has said I close
my eyes and I see the desert. That's not what
they say, however, That's exactly what you get in Aruba.
Rather than being very tropical in nature, Aruba's landscape is
(13:44):
very desert like. There are probably more cacti in Aruba
than there are palm trees, and a lot of people
don't know that. You can also explore the Dutch history
of Orangstead, which is the capital. You can visit the resort,
sort and casinos, so Aruba is really active with casinos.
(14:05):
It's the second most active Big Players destination other than
Las Vegas in the French Riviera, Aruba comes in at
one of the top three.
Speaker 1 (14:15):
Interesting.
Speaker 2 (14:16):
There's also the national parks there you can hike. And
also keep in mind that Aruba is also a port
cruise port destination. So what does it look like if
you want to go to Aruba price wise? So I
did this a little exercise and prepared for our show
today by giving you some prices. And I want to
just give a disclaimer right out of the box. Prices
(14:38):
are always subject to change unless you've made a deposit
and or have booked and given your name exactly as
appears on your passport and your dates of birth. All
this is is just a quote, and it's really strictly
for the purposes of today's show to give you some ideas. Okay,
So what I did first is also all of these
packages have airfare from Washington, DC, unless I tell you otherwise. Okay,
(15:04):
this one is from Washington. October the nineteenth is your
departure date. October the twenty six is your return. And
for those of you who are looking for a really
luxurious type vacation, I focused my attention on the one
the only Ritz Carlton in arub It's one of the finest,
most luxurious hotel properties there. It is not all inclusive,
(15:26):
I just want to give that disclaimer. But with an
ocean front king bedded room that has a nice little
living room area, you've got your wireless internet, and you
have coffee maker and teamaker in the room, you've got
a total package price for two people again at the Ritz.
And keep in mind the flight from Washington to Aruba
(15:50):
on a direct NonStop flight. By the way, there's more
luxury there for you you're welcome, is about six hours. Okay,
So with that in mind, a coach class ticket and
accommodations at the Ritz for seven nights only fifty five
eighty nine per couple.
Speaker 1 (16:08):
Wow.
Speaker 2 (16:08):
Not bad for October travel. But now I happen to
think when I was doing this, well, what if we're
talking about people though, who don't have as deep a budget.
Maybe they've already vacationed at least once somewhere this year,
or they've saved up all year long and they didn't
save up five thousand dollars. They want to stay somewhere else.
Got another deal for you, same direct NonStop flights, but
(16:30):
flipping the coin, we can go over to the DV Aruba.
And actually I would probably lessen the nights to about
five nights to get the all inclusive experience here because
that will and does always cost more. You've got ten
dining options at this location, eight bars, and the rate
comes in at only forty three forty two, and that's
(16:53):
for five nights on the same direct NonStop flights. So
two great fantastic value propositions for travel to Aruba. If
you were doing that in high season, that same trip
in January or February. First of all, the RITZ would
probably run you per couple about eight to nine thousand dollars,
(17:15):
and the DV would probably run you about seven thousand dollars.
So that's the difference we're talking about in so far
as if you can travel now. So these are all
very important pieces of information to know. I kind of
feel like a school teacher today. You know, it's like,
let me teach you how to travel cheaper, okay, but luxurious.
(17:35):
You know, I don't like the word cheap, because travel
is never cheap, because it's always a valuable experience. I
don't care where you go. So what I probably should
have said better is that these are the ways you
can do it and get the most value out of
the money you're spending for the trips that you're taking.
The next destination that I want to flip to is Barbados. Now,
(17:58):
there's really five great reasons to choose Barbados if you're
going to go on vacation there. It's undoubtedly home to
some of the most beautiful beaches.
Speaker 3 (18:06):
In the world.
Speaker 2 (18:07):
As an island, Barbados is completely surrounded by water, and
the beaches there that are featured you just everybody really
needs to see these beaches. They're absolutely stunningly gorgeous. There's
something for everybody there. The food is incredible. Barbados is
often referred to as the culinary capital of the Caribbean,
(18:29):
and by the way, it's also the birthplace of rum
and the world's longest running distillery is in Barbados.
Speaker 1 (18:38):
In the world.
Speaker 2 (18:38):
Okay, but here you can experience everything from street food
to fine dining and it's all just great. You can
make a stop at a rum shop for fish cakes,
hammer cheese cutters, or venture out to some of the
top restaurants for the best fish dishes on the island
(18:59):
with side dishes and their local most impressive side dish
is something called macaroni pie. I know if you like
macaroni at all and cheese, it's a home run for
a nice place out for dinner. Reservations at the Crane
Resort is probably tops on the list where you can
experience a lot of Barbadian delicacies there, just don't forget
(19:23):
to wash it all down with some local rum and
then the people. You know. The people in Barbados are
always said to be one of the highlights of a
trip there. The locals are beautiful people who make you
feel right at home and ensure that you're going to
enjoy your stay on the island. But then there's never
a dull moment in Barbados. So the last and final
reason people go is for the activities. It's always something
(19:44):
fun to do. You've got underwater caves there, you can
go on a boat trip to explore the country's reefs
and swim with the fish and the turtles. Other fun
activities include island safari tours, glass bottomed boat tours, the
boat yard tours of Saint Nicholas Abbey, or you've got
Mount Gay and a lot, just a lot of others,
(20:06):
and you want to be sure to check out the
nightlife in Saint Lawrence Gap. And then what's not to
love about the weather there. The temperature there is usually
about eighty five degrees with a steady, cooling tropical breeze.
As I said, the whole island is surrounded by water,
so you've always got those beautiful breezes blowing across. Trade
(20:26):
in the cold winter temperatures for sunshine and warmth and
Barbados anytime, you will not be disappointed. So now what
we want to do is take a look at what
does it cost to go to Barbados again, same dates
we're using, folks, October nineteenth to the twenty sixth, but
this time for those who are looking for that elevated,
(20:48):
more luxurious experience. I kind of went all out on
this one. I added first class to the price that
we're going to be quoting, because it is again a
much longer trip than you would normally experience if you're
just going to say Cancun or Puntacana. Those flights are
pretty short in length comparatively, but if you're going to Barbados, Aruba,
(21:11):
those can you know? Those are going to take you
some hours, almost as long as it takes you to
get to Europe.
Speaker 3 (21:15):
That's the way my mother always wants me to fly exactly.
It's not with me anymore, but that's what she always said, said, Harry,
you gotta go first class.
Speaker 2 (21:23):
Yes you know, and if you can and your budget
will allow. I think it's a really fine idea. The
property that I chose for the luxurious experience is going
to take us to the Wyndham Grand Barbados, sam Lord's Castle,
which is an all inclusive. It is a five star experience.
(21:44):
I have seen this property before. It is absolutely stunning.
It has gone undergone major renovations and she is ready.
Let me tell you to roll out the red carpet
for you. As I mentioned, it's an all inclusive. You
have a King Betted Ocean View room again with first
(22:04):
class air round trip in October. Total package price only
sixty four hundred dollars per.
Speaker 1 (22:11):
Couple for that one.
Speaker 3 (22:12):
And I'll tell you what I actually thought.
Speaker 2 (22:16):
Okay, what would it look like in Barbados for those
folks who maybe don't necessarily want to go for the
first class, they don't want to add that attic expense,
and perhaps they want to stay at a property that's
more value priced. Let me tell you this, folks, because
it's October and it's hurricane season and everything is on sale.
(22:37):
The difference between this package that I just gave you,
the luxury package versus what it would be on the
value based package is only three hundred dollars difference total
per couple. That's only one hundred and fifty dollars difference.
Go first class, folks, go first class.
Speaker 3 (22:53):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (22:53):
So that's two islands now that I've taken you to
that are you know, so literally hurricane safe. I think
those are two properties that to islands I'm sorry that
you could go to and feel good about going, even
in hurricane season, effectively dodging the hurricanes. The next island
(23:15):
we want to go to today is called Bonnair. It's one
of the ABC islands. We talked about that earlier, and
what sets Bonnair apart, well, again, it's one of those
ABC islands. It's known as the former Netherland Antilles. If
you've ever heard of people talk about the Netherland Antilles
in the Caribbean. This is what they're talking about. The
(23:36):
island is renowned for diving enthusiasts, and anybody I have
ever booked who wanted to go to Bonnair, that is
entirely what they wanted to go for, Just like the
Grand Caymans. People want to go because they're dive enthusiasts,
that's what they want to do. And because bonn Air
is kind of modest in size, it really has kind
(23:58):
of a small town vibe that's sort of cool. It's
very quaint, it's very colorful too, and the island is
independent now but it's still a municipality of the Netherlands.
A lot of Dutch people transients actually live here, making
up about fifteen percent of Bonnair's population, and the distinct
(24:20):
Dutch influence can be felt in Bonair's culture, architecture, and governance.
Now this really as I started looking at this and
some of the information about Bonair, it really reminds me
an awful lot of Cursl that's the other island, and
we're going to talk about that one next. But I
do want to spend some time talking about Bonnair because
(24:42):
it is so interesting. The island restaurants they offer really
some great food, nice beach clubs quite near one another.
And the island still has a very large rural area
in both the north and the south, with a lot
of authentic villages of desolate nature. They've got salt flats
(25:02):
there and impressive national park which covers about twenty percent
of the island. So again, this is what drives people
to bonn Air. Are these people who are looking for
an experience in nature as well as the sand and
the sun. Now, most that choose to go to bon Air, Chris,
they do it for that unique nature kind of bird watching,
(25:27):
blue water, marine life, that whole relaxing vibe. That's what
they love, that's what they want to go for. But
what I love most about bonn Air are the many
sustainable initiatives and commitment to the environment that they have
and marine conservation. The entire coastline right now is protected
as part of the bonn Air National Marine Park that
(25:47):
was established in nineteen seventy nine, and that's a long time.
That really says a lot about bonn Air's commitment to
this early early on, you know, we talk about nineteen
seventy nine is like that was yesterday. But let me
tell you that's about when I got into the travel industry,
and that was forty five years ago. So this makes
it a very popular place for scuba diving and snorkeling
(26:10):
with some of the most pristine coral reefs in all
of the Caribbean. So let's talk about what it would
cost to go there again, same dates. I'll repeat that again,
October nineteenth to the twenty sixth. This time I left
it in economy class. We do have no direct NonStop
(26:32):
flights into bon Air. You do have to connect, and
that connection is usually going to be in Florida or Atlanta.
For the purposes of this quote, I picked Atlanta, so
you kind of know you're going to be flying on
Delta Airlines. The best place to stay on bonn Air
is called the Bellefonte, and that's a luxury ocean front hotel.
(26:53):
While it is not all inclusive, what it is is
surrounded by and includes its own top notch five star
restaurants around there. So instead of having an all inclusive
where you know every meal that you have, every drink
that you partake in is going to be on property,
(27:13):
this one's not. This one you can selectively go around
in bon Air and eat like the locals and I
love that, you know. But again, a seven night package
here at one of the best places on the island
only fifty five seventy two per couple. And there's just
such a landscape of things to do in bon Air
(27:35):
if you want, I'm going to let Harry tell you
about some of the ideal things that there are to
do in bon Air.
Speaker 3 (27:42):
Well, if you're not already a diver, bon Air is
really an excellent place to go to learn to dive.
You can pursue your certification there, the patty certification, and
they have guided dives, they have diving schools. That's a
great place to go for this one of the things
that I've not done but I want to do.
Speaker 1 (27:59):
Chris, maybe you can join me for this. And have
you ever done paddle boarding? Now I'm afraid of water.
Speaker 3 (28:07):
We'll give you a life vest.
Speaker 2 (28:09):
I'll be the guy the floats on your arm like
my daughter used to wear when shoes in the pool.
Speaker 1 (28:14):
I'm gonna be the guy in the boat that comes
to get you when you tire out from all of
this water. Fun.
Speaker 3 (28:19):
Fine, fine, fine, if you do it right, you won't
get in the water when you're paddle boarding, you stay
on top. But for you, what we're gonna do. We're
gonna put you on one of those beautiful catamaranses.
Speaker 1 (28:30):
Now we're talking.
Speaker 3 (28:31):
Yeah, they've got cruises where you can go out and
get something to eat while you're cruising. I like that idea.
I do that during the day. I guess the sail
and dive is off your list, right, probably okay, but
we can get you out in the evening. How about
a sunset cruise set catamaran cruise. They have kayaking there
and water's not quite as deep there, so you probably
(28:54):
be okay. Kayaking is available through the beautiful mangroves. Are
you a fisherman?
Speaker 1 (28:59):
I have fished once or twice in my life and
enjoyed it.
Speaker 3 (29:03):
Okay, So if you go paddle boarding, I might go
fishing with. You can go and do some deep sea
fishing and lots of other water sports too. Water skiing
is a blast, parasailing, windsurfing, and if you want to
stay on land, how about some nice horseback riding. I've
never that would be fun. I would love to go
(29:24):
horseback riding on the beach. Yeah, okay, you.
Speaker 1 (29:26):
Know what I love about this, Harry. What's that you
came to me with an idea, let's go into the water.
I said, that's not really my thing. And you've found
enough activities to make me want to go to a
place that's known for would you say, scuba diving.
Speaker 3 (29:41):
It's known for scuba diving. Yeah, and so I'm ready,
all right, we've we're going to keep you pretty much
on top of the water, and you're going to have
a great time. So those are some of the things
that I would clearly.
Speaker 2 (29:53):
Absolutely and you're right, Chris, who would have thought on
an island so small as boney Or that you could
find all of these really adventurous things to do, both
above and below the water.
Speaker 1 (30:05):
I think it's important you talk about this all the time,
that when you do decide where you want to go
to escape the ordinary life, that there's something to do
for everybody in your group.
Speaker 2 (30:16):
There is, there is, and all people have to do
many times, Chris, when they come into our office, when
they sit down and they counsel with us, is let
us know things like you just did you go, I'm
afraid of the water. Well, that's not a problem if
you're in one of the most beautiful places on the planet.
There are many other things that we can find for
(30:36):
you to do, and we will to make that an
extraordinary experience for you as well, because maybe you're traveling
with somebody who does love the beach, the sand and
the sun.
Speaker 1 (30:45):
You know, my wife loves the water. Yeah, one of
the most difficult things is when she wants to go
to the pool and I'm like, I'll sit on the
side and it's like I play on my phone while
she's in the pool because I just can't do it.
But she loves it.
Speaker 2 (30:59):
That just means both of you are enjoying your vacation
exactly the way you intended for it to be.
Speaker 3 (31:03):
And there's a little compromise there. When you go out
on a catamaran cruise, I know you like to visit
a nice restaurant along with me, Beca may want to
take that ride in the catamaran. What if we go
on the catamaran and we have a nice meal. So,
as Terry said, that's part of the interview process and
a lot of times, Terry, you talk about all inclusives.
(31:24):
They are great for a lot of reasons, but when
you also offer a trip like this that's got a
lot of independent activities that you can pick and choose from.
You can kind of build your own ala carte menu
of what you're going to do on your vacation, and
that's another great way for people to travel. Pick the
things that you want to do, will help you find
(31:46):
those things on your individual vacation.
Speaker 1 (31:49):
Yeap.
Speaker 2 (31:51):
The next island that we want to make our way
to is the one that I mentioned previously, and that's
also one of the ABC islans. This is the c
of the ABC, which is Cursow. And what makes Cursw
so attractive a choice for vacationers, Well, I'll tell you
it's got over thirty six beaches. It's got some of
the most calm waters for swimming and snorkeling in the Caribbean.
(32:14):
Beaches are kind of set in coves surrounded by volcanic cliffs,
which makes it ever so much more beautiful. And they've
got this rich culture also kind of infused with the Dutch,
West Indian, African and Latin America. Basically we call Cursel
the mutt of the Caribbean. That's what it's known by
(32:39):
many people. Cursow also offers a lot of activities for
all interests. I said, there's diving, there's jet skiing, beach hopping,
historical sites there curse How is rich in history, especially
the historic town of Willielmsod, the Queen Emma Pontoon Bridge
and the colorful Scade. All of those areas are beautiful
(33:03):
areas historic nature that you'll find in Currosou. And of
course there's the natural beauty. Cursol has just breath taking landscapes,
turquoise waters. That's those stunning coral reefs that make it
so so interesting and so wonderful to be there. Now
again for travel to Currosou during the same dates, I'll
(33:26):
remind you October the nineteenth through the twenty sixth. Those
are our fabulous dates that we picked for all of
these trips. For this one again, because it's a long flight,
the budget I thought would hold a premium economy flight,
and the difference between first class and premium economy people
ask me this all the time. Anymore, we've now got economy,
(33:48):
premium economy, business slash first class. Our first class has
is not called necessarily first class anymore. It's business class.
And then there's premium economy and there's economy. So what's
the difference, Well, economy and then there's basic economy. Basic
economy you get nothing. The air that you breathe pretty
(34:10):
much is you pay for that. It's a car exactly. Yeah,
But basically you do not get to have seat assignments,
you don't get to carry a bag on, and anything
that you get while you're on the flight is extra.
So be very careful about that if in fact, you
are one of those, and I don't recommend it that
book your own travel. These days, you have to be
(34:30):
very careful that you don't just push the purchase button
if you haven't checked to see what class of service
you're flying in, because if you're in basic economy, you
may or may not be sitting with the person that
you're traveling with or the couple of people you're traveling with.
Then there's economy class. Economy. Class is going to give
you that bump up that does allow you to get
(34:51):
seat assignments, It will allow you to check a bag,
though your bag is not free necessarily, and it will
allow you to do a carry on anything else on
the plane, like snacks that you want to buy, boxed
lunches i e. Or dinners, those are going to be extra,
but snacks like pretzels and soft drinks and water, tea
(35:11):
and coffee are included. Then there's premium economy. Premium economy
is what regular travelers would have known as the old
business class. In premium economy, in many cases, you're going
to board first. You're going to be more upfront in
the seating section of the plane, though not in first class.
(35:33):
You also, in some cases not all, do receive alcoholic
beverages in premium economy. Class depends on the length of
the flight and where you're going and what airline it is,
but you do have a much more You've got much
more leg room in premium economy, and you do get
the first use of the overhead binds.
Speaker 3 (35:54):
It's an elevated experience of the plane economy.
Speaker 2 (35:57):
And then we go to what is called business slash first.
That's one and the same thing, folks. There's not a
first class and a business class these days. It's either
business or first on flights, and I think it goes
without saying what those are. Usually in first class, if
it's an overnight flight, you're going to get those wonderful
lay flat seats. You're going to get all your drinks,
(36:19):
alcoholic beverages are included. In many cases, you get access
to the first class lounges at the airports. So those
are the differences, and that's sort of the quick reader's
digest version of all that. But I know that might
be a question in people's minds, Terry, why are you
telling us about all these different classes of service to
fly to the Caribbean, Because it matters, you know, it
matters how long you're on that plane. And a lot
(36:41):
of people these days do suffer with some physical ailments.
They want to know they're going to be comfortable on
a long flight, especially so for this one, for curis
how I did point you toward a premium economy purchase.
These again are not direct NonStop flights. You would have
a connection in Atlanta with this one. Again, this is
(37:01):
going to put us on Delta Airlines and staying at
the Renaissance wind Creek Currissout Resort. This is a Marriotte property,
by the way, and it is all inclusive. It is
a five star resort hotel and it does include already
in the rate bicycle rentals. You get downtown street art
(37:23):
walking tour with your entrance into the hotel property. You've
got mixology classes, blackjack classes, you get a lot complementary
Wi Fi and of course a complementary welcome drink. The
all inclusive packages does include your unlimited premium brand of
beverages and of course all of your meals, a casino
(37:46):
free play coupon of about ten dollars per person. Hopefully
you'll come back with ten times that. Maybe not, but
with the air in premium economy and for seven nights
at a beautiful hotel like the Renaissance wind Creek, sixty
four seventeen per couple, and that's a bargain at that
particular property. If you know anything about chrisau tends to
(38:08):
be one of the more pricier of the Caribbean islands.
And we're going to take a quick break Chris, but
when we come back, we're going to talk about one
of my personal favorite islands. It's otherwise known as the
Spice Island.
Speaker 1 (38:21):
Ooh, I have some guesses. We'll figure that out next.
Here on a life less ordinary, who would think.
Speaker 3 (38:26):
Of driving off to a new destination without guidance from
Google or Syria? Let the Wishing World guide your next
travel experience. Travel the world as you enjoy the very
best destinations and all they offer at the best prices.
Our mobile travel app keeps your vacation on track and
keeps you connected with our team of experts for help.
If you need it, call us at five four zero
in nine zero eight two three three three stop buy
(38:49):
two forty threep avenue or visit us at the wishing
Well dot biz.
Speaker 1 (38:54):
And welcome back to a life less ordinary. Every Saturday morning,
at this time we sit down with our friends Terry
Dean and Harry Wright from the wishing Well. They're located
on that f avenue in Harrisonburg online at the wishing
Well dopiz, where you can give them a call at
five to four to zero nine oh a twenty three
p thirty three. And before we went to our break,
we talked about some locations we can go to during
(39:17):
hurricane season and for the most part feel the safe
that we're not going to encounter a hurricane while we're there.
Talked about Barbados and the ABC Islands, and you mentioned
something about when we got back, we talked about the
Spice Island.
Speaker 2 (39:31):
I know, and this, Chris, happens to be. As I said,
one of my favorites. It's known as the Spice Island
because it's a top producer of spices, including nutmeg, may, cinnamon, cloves,
and allspice. The name of this island is Grenada, and
she is quite a beauty. One of the things that's
(39:54):
so striking when you fly to Grenada is the minute
you get all supplying, there's this aroma that wafts into
your face from the you know, from the breeze that
smells ever so much like cumen and cinnamon. So you
immediately have that sense that all of those spices and
(40:16):
nutmeg are kind of wafting in the air.
Speaker 1 (40:19):
It's nice. It smells like a pumpkin pie or all right.
Speaker 2 (40:22):
Now, you know, it's kind of mixed with that, but
in a very tropical way. You know, it's wonderful. And
the Grenada's nutmeg symbol is featured actually on its national flag.
Uh the island. Spices are used in a lot of ways.
They're including in ice cream, of course, rum cocktails, and
(40:44):
we use it, you know, to flavor baked goods and
drinks and meats and everything. One of the best, by
the way, this is a sidebar, but one of the
best meat tender risers I have found to use is nutmeg,
and if you haven't tried that on steaks, I encourage you.
Speaker 1 (41:00):
Not a lot.
Speaker 2 (41:00):
You don't want to douse it, but nutmeg makes a
great steak tenderizer. Grenada is also known as the Caribbean
Capital of Chocolate and man or man who doesn't like chocolate?
Speaker 3 (41:13):
I love chocola I do too.
Speaker 2 (41:14):
The House of Chocolate in Saint George actually explores Grenada's
history with coca and sells chocolate products. And yes, it
is delicious. It's a small island. It's located between the
Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean, just north of Trinidad
and Tobago. It's got a rugged interior with a lot
(41:35):
of rainforests and waterfalls. It could really put you in
the mind of Costa Rica in many ways. But it's
got these coastlines with protected bays and beaches. So really
again a very a conscious island of sustainability and protection
of marine and wildlife. So we love that about Grenada.
(42:00):
I was looking at Grenada. This is what I'll tell
you is that if you are looking for a luxurious,
five star experience, they do not disappoint. Now, unlike some
of the other features that I talk to you about
where you could kind of get in in that very
average vacationing price right now, I would say between five
and six thousand dollars for a week long vacation. That's
(42:22):
typically what we see. That's what the average vacation price
is now for a family of two or a couple.
Grenada is going to blow your mind because it's a
bit more than that if you want that truly all
inclusive and luxurious experience. First of all, what I did
(42:43):
was because it's very difficult to get to with just
one connection. First of all, there are no direct flights
into Grenada from any of our immediate areas of flight path.
So I did opt to take this pricing out of Richmond,
where you do only have one connection, and that's in Miami.
So the air on this is with American Airlines. The
(43:06):
place that I chose for the luxurious part of the experience,
if you have it and it's in your budget, in
your wheelhouse at all, is a beautiful place called Spice
Island Beach Resort. It is an all inclusive and it
is absolutely stunningly amazing. It's got all the things that
(43:26):
I talked about, with all the other all inclusives, all
of your meals, of course, your drinks, non motorized water
sports are included there at this property. But in addition
to that, it's really akin to staying in a dream.
It's a dream of a resort. It's almost unreal the
(43:46):
service levels. You have your own private pool right outside
your door, and it's yours. It's just your pool. It's
not everybody else's shared pool, it's just your pool. And
the total package price for this experience comes in at
a cool thirteen thousand, two hundred and sixty three dollars.
And like I said, if that's in your wheelhouse and
you can afford, that worth every penny. But I knew
(44:09):
our listeners today still who are looking for that life
less ordinary, might not be able to fall into that category,
but they might still be intrigued by Grenada. I know
I would be the property that I could choose to
put you in here still with air out of Richmond
is the Royal Grenada, which is an autograph hotel. It
(44:30):
also is all inclusive, but it comes in at about
less than half the price fifty two fifty per couple,
and this gives you an entire week in Grenada. All
inclusive with all of your meals, again everything included. It
is an autograph hotel and it's a Royalton, so in
my book, that makes it very extraordinary hotel property. Now
(44:52):
there's a lot of other things that you can do
during hurricane season that you might be surprised about. I've
asked Harry to enlighten you about the next things that
you might consider during hurricane season.
Speaker 3 (45:07):
So it's not as crazy as you might think to
book a cruise during hurricane season. In addition to cruises
within the Southern Caribbean places that you were talking to
about being very careful which place is to select a course.
But there are some other destinations that you might not
traditionally have been thinking of. One of my favorites always Alaska.
It's not too late in the season to consider Alaska.
(45:30):
Another one great place to go any time of the year.
Consider a Hawaiian cruise a great cruise. You fly to
Hawaii and you cruise around the islands, one of our
most popular cruises. And then there's the Mediterranean, someplace I
was earlier this summer. We had talked about that all
three great cruising destinations, and especially now that school has begun.
(45:54):
This is a great time if you're able to get away,
to get on a cruise because they're a little bit
less crowded, and you'll also find a lot of adults
only on these cruises. Even if they're not restricted to
adults only, that's who you're going to find on those cruises.
One of the things that you've spent a lot of
time talking about this morning, Terry is being careful during
(46:16):
hurricane season. One of the things that I think is
worth mentioning today as well is travel insurance. We always
talk about travel insurance, but travel insurance is one of
the great things that protects you against the unexpected during
hurricane season. It's not expected or guaranteed that you're going
to have a hurricane, but travel insurance protects you in
(46:40):
the event that your vacation gets severely disrupted because of
a hurricane or an impending hurricane. The cruise ships will
reroute and move around to adjust. That's one of the
reasons I like them. They have onboard weather systems, so
they know a lot more than the average person about
what to do, so they can avoid them. But if
(47:01):
you get into that bad situation, travel insurance protects against
the weather, and it also protects against all of the
traditional things that we want travel insurance for any health problems,
illnesses that might occur while you're on board, or just
a physical accident you trip and spring your ankle, hurt
your leg, and those kinds of things are very very important.
(47:24):
Anything else about insurance that I missed, Harry.
Speaker 2 (47:27):
Not about insurance, but the one thing I did want
to point out, Harry, because you did mention the idea
that cruising is also a very viable opportunity for people
to consider during the hurricane season, as he mentioned Alaska,
Hawaii and the Mediterranean. What I do want people to
know who are listening to us today is that this
is the ideal time if you're looking for a deal,
(47:48):
because a lot of these cruise lines, a lot of
the cruise companies are offering sale faars right now that
would blow your mind. For example, Regent Cruise Lines one
of the ones that we've used for several groups. You
may remember it was the one that we used for
the Tassy Pipprit group Room to Athens. Well right now
they almost never offer first class airfare on their cruises,
(48:11):
but right on domestic cruises, I should say the international
ones they do, but for domestic cruises i e. Alaska,
Caribbean and New England they don't. But right now, during
this particular time, which is what we call off season,
they're offering free first class air for that too. So
(48:32):
if you're somebody who really hasn't planned to go to
Alaska because you dreaded the flight over in economy class,
right now would be a perfect time to book that
because first class is entirely free. There are still other
cruise lines like Holland America that's offering some great deals
to Alaska, third and fourth passengers cruise for free plus
(48:55):
seventy five percent off for the second passenger. So those
are the kind of deals that are sitting out there
just waiting for you to take advantage of that and
book your next cruise. It doesn't necessarily mean you have
to cruise now, but if you buy now, you're entitled
to that savings. The Mediterranean is one that never seems
(49:15):
to die down in people's interests. They love going to
the Mediterranean. Anything that has to do with Italy, Greece
and Turkey, and right now Croatia and Slovenia. The cruise
lines are adding a lot of those stops to the
Mediterranean cruises. So we're seeing a lot of powerful interest
in people who want to explore those regions because they're
(49:36):
new and people want to get there and see that
and be a part of that first before it gets
overrun with tourists. And I can highly recommend that some
of the great cruise lines that go there are Oceana
celebrity cruise lines. And again, all of these guys are
out there right now offering some great, great savings if
you're interested in them.
Speaker 3 (49:56):
And there are even some savings that have come across
our desks this week that are what they call private
sales that are available only through agencies like the wishing Well.
Not every travel agency, but agencies like the wishing Well.
Some private sales, some great prices. You mentioned Regent I
saw sales that are offering thirty forty percent discounts off
(50:20):
their basic fairs. Just phenomenal. And as you mentioned before,
some of our favorite cruise lines are the names that
you mentioned. Region is at the top of mind Chris
Luxury from day one till the day that you go home,
you go home with clean clothes on Region is always
one of my favorite things to think about, just a
(50:41):
great way to travel and have that elevated kind of
experience and to do what we set out to do today,
and that's talking about how to dodge the storm.
Speaker 2 (50:51):
So we talked a lot about the islands that you
want to go to. That was really the focus of
the show today. The islands that Chris, you would probably
want to avoid during hurricane season or booking them only
because they are almost always in the bullseye. And that's
going to be places like Bermuda, San Juan, Puerto Rico, Mexico.
(51:15):
You know, the Cancun, rivier Maya area, Jamaica. Those are
going to be places where you know they somehow, some
reason with the trade winds that come through there, even Puntakana.
These are targeted areas that perhaps if it were me
and as your advisor, you come in and you want
to plan a nice vacation to someplace tropical, those would
(51:38):
probably be the islands I would steer you around.
Speaker 1 (51:42):
But they're still great travel destinations other times of the year.
Speaker 2 (51:46):
They are absolutely and we can always with a little
bit of council and once we get to know you
a little better. That's one of the greatest thrills of
my job. Is getting to know my clients on a
more personal level, finding out what they like to do.
We'll sit down with you and we'll match you up
to the right destination, not every place, not every one
(52:08):
size fits all.
Speaker 1 (52:09):
We've talked many times here in the show about, you know,
how do I get the most out of my dollar?
And this sounds like an amazing way to get to
some amazing destinations for prices that you just couldn't get
any other time of the year.
Speaker 2 (52:26):
It is, and we've danced around this subject a lot
and many times here on the show, but we've never
really attached prices to it like we have today. And
I think a lot of times when people want to
make educated decisions and they can leave like next month,
let's give them some reason to be able to put
that on their calendar.
Speaker 1 (52:44):
I'd like you to work up a travel plane where
I get to hit all of those islands that we
talked about you're on. We'll do the ABC and Barbados
islands all in one trip, and Grenada and Grenada, yes,
four letters at a time. We'll call the AA the
Alphabet Travel Plan or something.
Speaker 3 (53:03):
Here you go.
Speaker 1 (53:03):
I don't think that sounds like I can afford that
we've only got a couple of seconds left. Terry, how
do we get in touch with you if you want
to book one of these wonderful travel adventures.
Speaker 2 (53:11):
We're located conveniently in Harsonburg, Virginia, in the Valley Center
at two forty three NEF Avenue. You can find us
on the web where at the Wishingwell dot biz or
phonus at five four oh nine oh eight to three
three three.
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 NEP Avenue in Harrisonburg. If you have any questions
on topics discussed today, please reach out to the wishing
Well online at the wishing Well top biz or five
four oh nine eight twenty three thirty three. Past episodes
are available on the iHeartRadio app. And we'll see again
next Saturday morning at ten for a life less Ordinary
(53:47):
from the wishing Well
This is a Lifeless Ordinary. It's a travel show and
podcasts from your friends at the wishing Well two forty
three f Avenue in Harsimerg 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
(00:20):
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. Say hello, hey, Chris, how
are you spectacular? Thank you for asking it. Hello, Harry,
Good morning Chris. It is good to see you, and
we have had a wonderful week of travel. Mm hm.
I haven't gone anywhere, but I know there's been a
(00:42):
lot of exciting news.
Speaker 2 (00:43):
Every week is a good week in travels. That's my philosophy,
that's my story, and I'm sticking to it. Well, then
I want to share some of those great stories with us. Yeah,
we've got a little bit of news that has come
across the lines this week. Herey, I'm going to ask
you to deliver the news and then We're going to
head right into a very tomely show for you today.
Speaker 3 (01:04):
Well, let's start with this. How many times have we
talked about real ID? Chris?
Speaker 1 (01:08):
Many we talked about last week?
Speaker 3 (01:09):
Okay, Well we're going to talk about it again this
week because we keep saying it's going to be implemented
in May of twenty twenty five, and maybe it will.
But one of the items in this week's news is
the United States government has decided yet again that we
may delay it and implementation may be delayed till twenty
twenty seven. If you can believe that, okay. And the
(01:33):
reason for that is many people have not gotten real
IDs yet. They say that only fifty six percent of
state IDs are real ID compliance. So they're worried that
there'll be a big backup at TSA, So rather than
go through the security benefits, they're going to maybe delay
it again. How's that?
Speaker 1 (01:54):
I have so many thoughts right now, Harry. I believe
that I can believe why are we delaying things because
people can't hop on the stick and get it done.
Speaker 3 (02:03):
I don't have any idea.
Speaker 1 (02:04):
Let them stand in line. I got my real idea.
I'm not going to be one waiting for me too.
Let's go.
Speaker 3 (02:08):
The good news is if you have a passport, you
don't need real ID, So there you go. Second thing
in the news, the aviation industry. It's just been rocking
and rolling this week. They're a little bit strike happy.
If you haven't heard, there's news at Boeing. This week,
thirty three thousand aircraft assembly workers walked off the job
at Boeing. And the good news for travelers is this
(02:31):
is not going to have any immediate effect on commercial flights.
What it is delaying is the building of some of
the new planes. And the machinists who are making somewhere
around seventy five thousand dollars a year believe that they
are due arrays, so they are on strike. Air Canada.
Air Canada's got some unhappy pilots also, and we got
(02:54):
to wait and see. But perhaps this coming week the
pilots of Air Canada will be on strike. So we'll
be worrying about that, and Terry and I will be
readjusting flights, I guess.
Speaker 2 (03:06):
Terry, I'm sure we will probably be helping some people
who are affected by that.
Speaker 3 (03:10):
Yeah, it occurs, So there you go. United Airlines, we
talked about them a little bit last week. Chris. Remember,
no updates, no news. They're still kind of hanging in there.
They might go on strike. They're not in their mandatory
thirty day cooling off period yet. But our eyes are
on United Airlines because they are a very major carrier.
So there's some things to worry about. Good news R at
(03:32):
American Airlines. Okay, American Airlines flight attendants have ratified a
new agreement and that contract dispute has ended, so we're
in great shape there. One of the things I learned
reading about that maybe you knew this, I did not.
Did you know that flight attendants don't get paid until
the flight starts rolling. All that time they spend saying hey,
(03:53):
welcome aboard. You know, would you like a tidi wipe
or you know, little cleanser or something that it's not
counted as work hours. It starts when they roll the plane.
Speaker 1 (04:05):
So like when there was one time I sat on
the tarmac for I think it was four hours.
Speaker 3 (04:11):
When you're in the tarmac, yes, when you're at the gate, no, okay,
let's say shut that door. That's why they're anxious to
shut the door.
Speaker 1 (04:18):
That makes more sense because I thought they were very
nice for those four hours. If they weren't kid yes.
Speaker 3 (04:22):
So under new contract they will be paid for the
time when passengers are boarding plane. So that's a big,
big thing for American airlines flight attends, and I think
that's very fair. So that's the piece of good news
as it relates to the airlines being a little strike
happy this week. Third thing I wanted to talk about
it's in the news and everybody's aware of, is Hurricane
(04:45):
France scene. Hurricane France scene has been active this week
and earlier this week there were over three thousand flight delays.
The good news is those delays are a lot less
over the last couple days, and as we're moving ahead,
we're not seeing as many. That storm is weakening. It's
still affecting travelers and we're seeing big delays at the
(05:07):
major airports. Atlanta, O'Hare, Denver and Charlotte of course are
being affected by these delays. But the things we were
worried about with Hurricane fran Scene, as far as it's
effect on travel, not too bad. Cruises Port of New
Orleans was closed for a little while and that affected
a couple cruise ships, But again things are coming back
(05:29):
to normal and the ships are resuming their normal routes
through the Caribbean. That's my news.
Speaker 2 (05:36):
That's great, and that's actually Harry, thank you for that today,
by the way. But that's actually a great segue into
what I call the meat and potatoes of our show.
Speaker 1 (05:46):
Today. We're going to talk a.
Speaker 2 (05:47):
Lot about what you can do with your travel plans
to sort of work around hurricanes, because I have a
lot of folks, a lot of clients who come into
the office and many times, especially this time of year,
pretty on queue, they'll come in and say, I want
to go somewhere. I've got some time left, got some
(06:08):
vacation days, but I don't want to fly right into
a hurricane or get myself into a bad situation. Is
that possible, Well, the answers yes, that answer is very possible. Now,
as far as the effects under the roof at the
Wishing Well that we've seen from any of the most
recent hurricanes, the very worst that I can say is
(06:28):
that we've sat on hold for unprecedented amounts of time
since COVID, I would say, And hurricanes are always good
for backups everywhere, So if we're trying to get through
to tour operators, airlines or whatever. You can bet we're
going to have some time on hold for the calls
that we need to make and folks we need to help.
(06:51):
But hurricanes can wreak havoc on countries in the Atlantic
and the Pacific Oceans as far as.
Speaker 3 (07:00):
Several miles inland.
Speaker 2 (07:01):
We know that, and this includes destinations in the Caribbean, Mexico,
the US. For heaven's sake, Hawaii is a target many times. Yes, absolutely, Florida.
We were talking about. Harry mentioned cruises that would even
go out of New Orleans. I mean, there's hardly anything
that happens weather wise that in some way, some form
(07:24):
and some shape doesn't affect or have an effect on
the travel system of some kind. So hurricane season, that's
what people want to know. Well, when is it and
when should I be aware to plan and steer around
that that occurs? Chris, between June and November that is
the bullseye of hurricane season, and that means that for
(07:47):
about half of the year, actually you might have to
worry about a hurricane interrupting your travels. The operative word
here being might. Okay, it's not necessarily absolutely going to
but it certainly might. So if you are planning travel
between June and November, you should be aware that that's
(08:07):
the riskier time in the year to go. Doesn't mean
you can't plan a tropical vacation. We're going to talk
a lot about that today, or even cruise during that time.
Your best islands to visit though during a hurricane season
is really the topic, the hot topic I want to
focus on today because I'm going to talk to you
(08:28):
about what those islands are, why people choose them, and Chris,
we're even going to talk about some pricing for all
of these islands. The show today is called Storm Dodgers
to the Rescue.
Speaker 1 (08:40):
And we'll get into that next Here on a life
less Ordinary, protect.
Speaker 3 (08:43):
Your vacation investment with guidance from a travel professional. The
wishing Well knows travel and help you avoid pitfalls that
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 biz or call us
at five four zero nine zero eight two three three three.
(09:05):
That's five four zero nine zero eight two three three three.
The washing Well really does make dreams come.
Speaker 1 (09:11):
True and welcome back to a life less ordinary. The
travel showing podcasts from your friends at the wishing Well.
You can find them at two forty three and f
Avenue in Harrisonburg, online at the wishing Well dot biz,
or pick up the phone and give him a call.
They'd love to talk to you. Five four h nine
oh eight twenty three thirty three. So right before the break,
Terry we mentioned our show is called Storm Dodgers to
(09:32):
the Rescue. We're going to talk about how you can
travel during hurricane season without all the.
Speaker 2 (09:39):
Risk, without all the risk, and that's actually a very
good way to put it in. When we left to
go on break, I has said it doesn't mean you
can't plan a tropical vacation during the months between June
and November. To the contrary, as a matter of fact,
and I think people are going to be pleasantly surprised
with some of the information that we're going to go
(10:00):
over today because the prices I'm even going to give
you today are timely. As a note worthy is that
all of the prices that I'm going to quote you
today are for travel that takes place over October the
nineteenth to the twenty sixth. Okay, for example, just apples
to apples, that's the date that we're using, and that's
(10:23):
a week long So that's a week long vacation in
the month of October. And these are some of the
islands that you can travel to that would in essence
help you avoid an otherwise chaotic hurricane season. Okay, So
in twenty seventeen, you might remember Hurricanes Maria and Irma
(10:46):
actually devastated the Caribbean islands, including Dominica, Puerto Rico, and
Saint Martin. And I can remember that very well because Harry,
we were in the throes of planning a group trip
to Saint Martin just about that time. Yet other islands
were untouched by those storms, namely those, and this is important, folks,
(11:08):
those that fall outside of what we call the hurricane belt,
and those include what are known as the ABC Islands,
that is Aruba, bonn Air, and Cursel. There's also other
islands that you can visit with some confidence. We're going
to talk about those two during hurricane season, but I
(11:29):
want to start with some of these so that we
can talk and maybe get through a lot of them
for those who are listening with baited ears, going Yes, Terry,
I want to know where can I go? I want
to go in October. So where the number one island
just mentioned? One of them is Aruba, And I want
(11:50):
to talk to you about why tourists really love Aruba.
They like it for a lot of reasons, including the beaches.
You've got year round sunshine there, and activities. Aruba's got
those beautiful white sand beaches. They're considered, actually, Chris, some
of the most beautiful in the world, next to Hawaii.
They've got the warm gin blue colored water is what
(12:12):
some of my clients have come back and said, that's
the color. I wonder if that's just because they've gone
to all inclusives.
Speaker 1 (12:17):
I don't know.
Speaker 2 (12:18):
It's ideal for swimming there. Even if it is gin,
it's good for swimming, sunbathing, and you've got beach combing there.
They've got year round sunshine in Aruba. Aruba's location just
outside the hurricane belt means that it's got year round sunshine.
The average year round temperature is a balmy eighty two
(12:39):
degrees and we've had some of that lately. And let
me tell you something. That's my happy place. Okay, My
ideal temperature is seventy seven degrees for anybody who cares,
but eighty two sounds okay to me as well. You've
got snorkeling and scuba diving in Aruba. Those clear waters
just make it a top destination for snorkeling and sk uba.
(13:00):
You can see tropical fish and sea turtles in almost
seven foot deep water, so I mean it's clear, just crystal,
crystal clear. Also, this is interesting. A lot of folks
don't know this about Aruba, unlike many of the other
Caribbean islands that are tropical in nature. I mean, often
(13:21):
enough said this here on the show before, I say
to people, close your eyes and tell me what you
see when you think about the destination you're visiting, if
it's a tropical vacation. Nobody ever has said I close
my eyes and I see the desert. That's not what
they say, however, That's exactly what you get in Aruba.
Rather than being very tropical in nature, Aruba's landscape is
(13:44):
very desert like. There are probably more cacti in Aruba
than there are palm trees, and a lot of people
don't know that. You can also explore the Dutch history
of Orangstead, which is the capital. You can visit the resort,
sort and casinos, so Aruba is really active with casinos.
(14:05):
It's the second most active Big Players destination other than
Las Vegas in the French Riviera, Aruba comes in at
one of the top three.
Speaker 1 (14:15):
Interesting.
Speaker 2 (14:16):
There's also the national parks there you can hike. And
also keep in mind that Aruba is also a port
cruise port destination. So what does it look like if
you want to go to Aruba price wise? So I
did this a little exercise and prepared for our show
today by giving you some prices. And I want to
just give a disclaimer right out of the box. Prices
(14:38):
are always subject to change unless you've made a deposit
and or have booked and given your name exactly as
appears on your passport and your dates of birth. All
this is is just a quote, and it's really strictly
for the purposes of today's show to give you some ideas. Okay,
So what I did first is also all of these
packages have airfare from Washington, DC, unless I tell you otherwise. Okay,
(15:04):
this one is from Washington. October the nineteenth is your
departure date. October the twenty six is your return. And
for those of you who are looking for a really
luxurious type vacation, I focused my attention on the one
the only Ritz Carlton in arub It's one of the finest,
most luxurious hotel properties there. It is not all inclusive,
(15:26):
I just want to give that disclaimer. But with an
ocean front king bedded room that has a nice little
living room area, you've got your wireless internet, and you
have coffee maker and teamaker in the room, you've got
a total package price for two people again at the Ritz.
And keep in mind the flight from Washington to Aruba
(15:50):
on a direct NonStop flight. By the way, there's more
luxury there for you you're welcome, is about six hours. Okay,
So with that in mind, a coach class ticket and
accommodations at the Ritz for seven nights only fifty five
eighty nine per couple.
Speaker 1 (16:08):
Wow.
Speaker 2 (16:08):
Not bad for October travel. But now I happen to
think when I was doing this, well, what if we're
talking about people though, who don't have as deep a budget.
Maybe they've already vacationed at least once somewhere this year,
or they've saved up all year long and they didn't
save up five thousand dollars. They want to stay somewhere else.
Got another deal for you, same direct NonStop flights, but
(16:30):
flipping the coin, we can go over to the DV Aruba.
And actually I would probably lessen the nights to about
five nights to get the all inclusive experience here because
that will and does always cost more. You've got ten
dining options at this location, eight bars, and the rate
comes in at only forty three forty two, and that's
(16:53):
for five nights on the same direct NonStop flights. So
two great fantastic value propositions for travel to Aruba. If
you were doing that in high season, that same trip
in January or February. First of all, the RITZ would
probably run you per couple about eight to nine thousand dollars,
(17:15):
and the DV would probably run you about seven thousand dollars.
So that's the difference we're talking about in so far
as if you can travel now. So these are all
very important pieces of information to know. I kind of
feel like a school teacher today. You know, it's like,
let me teach you how to travel cheaper, okay, but luxurious.
(17:35):
You know, I don't like the word cheap, because travel
is never cheap, because it's always a valuable experience. I
don't care where you go. So what I probably should
have said better is that these are the ways you
can do it and get the most value out of
the money you're spending for the trips that you're taking.
The next destination that I want to flip to is Barbados. Now,
(17:58):
there's really five great reasons to choose Barbados if you're
going to go on vacation there. It's undoubtedly home to
some of the most beautiful beaches.
Speaker 3 (18:06):
In the world.
Speaker 2 (18:07):
As an island, Barbados is completely surrounded by water, and
the beaches there that are featured you just everybody really
needs to see these beaches. They're absolutely stunningly gorgeous. There's
something for everybody there. The food is incredible. Barbados is
often referred to as the culinary capital of the Caribbean,
(18:29):
and by the way, it's also the birthplace of rum
and the world's longest running distillery is in Barbados.
Speaker 1 (18:38):
In the world.
Speaker 2 (18:38):
Okay, but here you can experience everything from street food
to fine dining and it's all just great. You can
make a stop at a rum shop for fish cakes,
hammer cheese cutters, or venture out to some of the
top restaurants for the best fish dishes on the island
(18:59):
with side dishes and their local most impressive side dish
is something called macaroni pie. I know if you like
macaroni at all and cheese, it's a home run for
a nice place out for dinner. Reservations at the Crane
Resort is probably tops on the list where you can
experience a lot of Barbadian delicacies there, just don't forget
(19:23):
to wash it all down with some local rum and
then the people. You know. The people in Barbados are
always said to be one of the highlights of a
trip there. The locals are beautiful people who make you
feel right at home and ensure that you're going to
enjoy your stay on the island. But then there's never
a dull moment in Barbados. So the last and final
reason people go is for the activities. It's always something
(19:44):
fun to do. You've got underwater caves there, you can
go on a boat trip to explore the country's reefs
and swim with the fish and the turtles. Other fun
activities include island safari tours, glass bottomed boat tours, the
boat yard tours of Saint Nicholas Abbey, or you've got
Mount Gay and a lot, just a lot of others,
(20:06):
and you want to be sure to check out the
nightlife in Saint Lawrence Gap. And then what's not to
love about the weather there. The temperature there is usually
about eighty five degrees with a steady, cooling tropical breeze.
As I said, the whole island is surrounded by water,
so you've always got those beautiful breezes blowing across. Trade
(20:26):
in the cold winter temperatures for sunshine and warmth and
Barbados anytime, you will not be disappointed. So now what
we want to do is take a look at what
does it cost to go to Barbados again, same dates
we're using, folks, October nineteenth to the twenty sixth, but
this time for those who are looking for that elevated,
(20:48):
more luxurious experience. I kind of went all out on
this one. I added first class to the price that
we're going to be quoting, because it is again a
much longer trip than you would normally experience if you're
just going to say Cancun or Puntacana. Those flights are
pretty short in length comparatively, but if you're going to Barbados, Aruba,
(21:11):
those can you know? Those are going to take you
some hours, almost as long as it takes you to
get to Europe.
Speaker 3 (21:15):
That's the way my mother always wants me to fly exactly.
It's not with me anymore, but that's what she always said, said, Harry,
you gotta go first class.
Speaker 2 (21:23):
Yes you know, and if you can and your budget
will allow. I think it's a really fine idea. The
property that I chose for the luxurious experience is going
to take us to the Wyndham Grand Barbados, sam Lord's Castle,
which is an all inclusive. It is a five star experience.
(21:44):
I have seen this property before. It is absolutely stunning.
It has gone undergone major renovations and she is ready.
Let me tell you to roll out the red carpet
for you. As I mentioned, it's an all inclusive. You
have a King Betted Ocean View room again with first
(22:04):
class air round trip in October. Total package price only
sixty four hundred dollars per.
Speaker 1 (22:11):
Couple for that one.
Speaker 3 (22:12):
And I'll tell you what I actually thought.
Speaker 2 (22:16):
Okay, what would it look like in Barbados for those
folks who maybe don't necessarily want to go for the
first class, they don't want to add that attic expense,
and perhaps they want to stay at a property that's
more value priced. Let me tell you this, folks, because
it's October and it's hurricane season and everything is on sale.
(22:37):
The difference between this package that I just gave you,
the luxury package versus what it would be on the
value based package is only three hundred dollars difference total
per couple. That's only one hundred and fifty dollars difference.
Go first class, folks, go first class.
Speaker 3 (22:53):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (22:53):
So that's two islands now that I've taken you to
that are you know, so literally hurricane safe. I think
those are two properties that to islands I'm sorry that
you could go to and feel good about going, even
in hurricane season, effectively dodging the hurricanes. The next island
(23:15):
we want to go to today is called Bonnair. It's one
of the ABC islands. We talked about that earlier, and
what sets Bonnair apart, well, again, it's one of those
ABC islands. It's known as the former Netherland Antilles. If
you've ever heard of people talk about the Netherland Antilles
in the Caribbean. This is what they're talking about. The
(23:36):
island is renowned for diving enthusiasts, and anybody I have
ever booked who wanted to go to Bonnair, that is
entirely what they wanted to go for, Just like the
Grand Caymans. People want to go because they're dive enthusiasts,
that's what they want to do. And because bonn Air
is kind of modest in size, it really has kind
(23:58):
of a small town vibe that's sort of cool. It's
very quaint, it's very colorful too, and the island is
independent now but it's still a municipality of the Netherlands.
A lot of Dutch people transients actually live here, making
up about fifteen percent of Bonnair's population, and the distinct
(24:20):
Dutch influence can be felt in Bonair's culture, architecture, and governance.
Now this really as I started looking at this and
some of the information about Bonair, it really reminds me
an awful lot of Cursl that's the other island, and
we're going to talk about that one next. But I
do want to spend some time talking about Bonnair because
(24:42):
it is so interesting. The island restaurants they offer really
some great food, nice beach clubs quite near one another.
And the island still has a very large rural area
in both the north and the south, with a lot
of authentic villages of desolate nature. They've got salt flats
(25:02):
there and impressive national park which covers about twenty percent
of the island. So again, this is what drives people
to bonn Air. Are these people who are looking for
an experience in nature as well as the sand and
the sun. Now, most that choose to go to bon Air, Chris,
they do it for that unique nature kind of bird watching,
(25:27):
blue water, marine life, that whole relaxing vibe. That's what
they love, that's what they want to go for. But
what I love most about bonn Air are the many
sustainable initiatives and commitment to the environment that they have
and marine conservation. The entire coastline right now is protected
as part of the bonn Air National Marine Park that
(25:47):
was established in nineteen seventy nine, and that's a long time.
That really says a lot about bonn Air's commitment to
this early early on, you know, we talk about nineteen
seventy nine is like that was yesterday. But let me
tell you that's about when I got into the travel industry,
and that was forty five years ago. So this makes
it a very popular place for scuba diving and snorkeling
(26:10):
with some of the most pristine coral reefs in all
of the Caribbean. So let's talk about what it would
cost to go there again, same dates. I'll repeat that again,
October nineteenth to the twenty sixth. This time I left
it in economy class. We do have no direct NonStop
(26:32):
flights into bon Air. You do have to connect, and
that connection is usually going to be in Florida or Atlanta.
For the purposes of this quote, I picked Atlanta, so
you kind of know you're going to be flying on
Delta Airlines. The best place to stay on bonn Air
is called the Bellefonte, and that's a luxury ocean front hotel.
(26:53):
While it is not all inclusive, what it is is
surrounded by and includes its own top notch five star
restaurants around there. So instead of having an all inclusive
where you know every meal that you have, every drink
that you partake in is going to be on property,
(27:13):
this one's not. This one you can selectively go around
in bon Air and eat like the locals and I
love that, you know. But again, a seven night package
here at one of the best places on the island
only fifty five seventy two per couple. And there's just
such a landscape of things to do in bon Air
(27:35):
if you want, I'm going to let Harry tell you
about some of the ideal things that there are to
do in bon Air.
Speaker 3 (27:42):
Well, if you're not already a diver, bon Air is
really an excellent place to go to learn to dive.
You can pursue your certification there, the patty certification, and
they have guided dives, they have diving schools. That's a
great place to go for this one of the things
that I've not done but I want to do.
Speaker 1 (27:59):
Chris, maybe you can join me for this. And have
you ever done paddle boarding? Now I'm afraid of water.
Speaker 3 (28:07):
We'll give you a life vest.
Speaker 2 (28:09):
I'll be the guy the floats on your arm like
my daughter used to wear when shoes in the pool.
Speaker 1 (28:14):
I'm gonna be the guy in the boat that comes
to get you when you tire out from all of
this water. Fun.
Speaker 3 (28:19):
Fine, fine, fine, if you do it right, you won't
get in the water when you're paddle boarding, you stay
on top. But for you, what we're gonna do. We're
gonna put you on one of those beautiful catamaranses.
Speaker 1 (28:30):
Now we're talking.
Speaker 3 (28:31):
Yeah, they've got cruises where you can go out and
get something to eat while you're cruising. I like that idea.
I do that during the day. I guess the sail
and dive is off your list, right, probably okay, but
we can get you out in the evening. How about
a sunset cruise set catamaran cruise. They have kayaking there
and water's not quite as deep there, so you probably
(28:54):
be okay. Kayaking is available through the beautiful mangroves. Are
you a fisherman?
Speaker 1 (28:59):
I have fished once or twice in my life and
enjoyed it.
Speaker 3 (29:03):
Okay, So if you go paddle boarding, I might go
fishing with. You can go and do some deep sea
fishing and lots of other water sports too. Water skiing
is a blast, parasailing, windsurfing, and if you want to
stay on land, how about some nice horseback riding. I've
never that would be fun. I would love to go
(29:24):
horseback riding on the beach. Yeah, okay, you.
Speaker 1 (29:26):
Know what I love about this, Harry. What's that you
came to me with an idea, let's go into the water.
I said, that's not really my thing. And you've found
enough activities to make me want to go to a
place that's known for would you say, scuba diving.
Speaker 3 (29:41):
It's known for scuba diving. Yeah, and so I'm ready,
all right, we've we're going to keep you pretty much
on top of the water, and you're going to have
a great time. So those are some of the things
that I would clearly.
Speaker 2 (29:53):
Absolutely and you're right, Chris, who would have thought on
an island so small as boney Or that you could
find all of these really adventurous things to do, both
above and below the water.
Speaker 1 (30:05):
I think it's important you talk about this all the time,
that when you do decide where you want to go
to escape the ordinary life, that there's something to do
for everybody in your group.
Speaker 2 (30:16):
There is, there is, and all people have to do
many times, Chris, when they come into our office, when
they sit down and they counsel with us, is let
us know things like you just did you go, I'm
afraid of the water. Well, that's not a problem if
you're in one of the most beautiful places on the planet.
There are many other things that we can find for
(30:36):
you to do, and we will to make that an
extraordinary experience for you as well, because maybe you're traveling
with somebody who does love the beach, the sand and
the sun.
Speaker 1 (30:45):
You know, my wife loves the water. Yeah, one of
the most difficult things is when she wants to go
to the pool and I'm like, I'll sit on the
side and it's like I play on my phone while
she's in the pool because I just can't do it.
But she loves it.
Speaker 2 (30:59):
That just means both of you are enjoying your vacation
exactly the way you intended for it to be.
Speaker 3 (31:03):
And there's a little compromise there. When you go out
on a catamaran cruise, I know you like to visit
a nice restaurant along with me, Beca may want to
take that ride in the catamaran. What if we go
on the catamaran and we have a nice meal. So,
as Terry said, that's part of the interview process and
a lot of times, Terry, you talk about all inclusives.
(31:24):
They are great for a lot of reasons, but when
you also offer a trip like this that's got a
lot of independent activities that you can pick and choose from.
You can kind of build your own ala carte menu
of what you're going to do on your vacation, and
that's another great way for people to travel. Pick the
things that you want to do, will help you find
(31:46):
those things on your individual vacation.
Speaker 1 (31:49):
Yeap.
Speaker 2 (31:51):
The next island that we want to make our way
to is the one that I mentioned previously, and that's
also one of the ABC islans. This is the c
of the ABC, which is Cursow. And what makes Cursw
so attractive a choice for vacationers, Well, I'll tell you
it's got over thirty six beaches. It's got some of
the most calm waters for swimming and snorkeling in the Caribbean.
(32:14):
Beaches are kind of set in coves surrounded by volcanic cliffs,
which makes it ever so much more beautiful. And they've
got this rich culture also kind of infused with the Dutch,
West Indian, African and Latin America. Basically we call Cursel
the mutt of the Caribbean. That's what it's known by
(32:39):
many people. Cursow also offers a lot of activities for
all interests. I said, there's diving, there's jet skiing, beach hopping,
historical sites there curse How is rich in history, especially
the historic town of Willielmsod, the Queen Emma Pontoon Bridge
and the colorful Scade. All of those areas are beautiful
(33:03):
areas historic nature that you'll find in Currosou. And of
course there's the natural beauty. Cursol has just breath taking landscapes,
turquoise waters. That's those stunning coral reefs that make it
so so interesting and so wonderful to be there. Now
again for travel to Currosou during the same dates, I'll
(33:26):
remind you October the nineteenth through the twenty sixth. Those
are our fabulous dates that we picked for all of
these trips. For this one again, because it's a long flight,
the budget I thought would hold a premium economy flight,
and the difference between first class and premium economy people
ask me this all the time. Anymore, we've now got economy,
(33:48):
premium economy, business slash first class. Our first class has
is not called necessarily first class anymore. It's business class.
And then there's premium economy and there's economy. So what's
the difference, Well, economy and then there's basic economy. Basic
economy you get nothing. The air that you breathe pretty
(34:10):
much is you pay for that. It's a car exactly. Yeah,
But basically you do not get to have seat assignments,
you don't get to carry a bag on, and anything
that you get while you're on the flight is extra.
So be very careful about that if in fact, you
are one of those, and I don't recommend it that
book your own travel. These days, you have to be
(34:30):
very careful that you don't just push the purchase button
if you haven't checked to see what class of service
you're flying in, because if you're in basic economy, you
may or may not be sitting with the person that
you're traveling with or the couple of people you're traveling with.
Then there's economy class. Economy. Class is going to give
you that bump up that does allow you to get
(34:51):
seat assignments, It will allow you to check a bag,
though your bag is not free necessarily, and it will
allow you to do a carry on anything else on
the plane, like snacks that you want to buy, boxed
lunches i e. Or dinners, those are going to be extra,
but snacks like pretzels and soft drinks and water, tea
(35:11):
and coffee are included. Then there's premium economy. Premium economy
is what regular travelers would have known as the old
business class. In premium economy, in many cases, you're going
to board first. You're going to be more upfront in
the seating section of the plane, though not in first class.
(35:33):
You also, in some cases not all, do receive alcoholic
beverages in premium economy. Class depends on the length of
the flight and where you're going and what airline it is,
but you do have a much more You've got much
more leg room in premium economy, and you do get
the first use of the overhead binds.
Speaker 3 (35:54):
It's an elevated experience of the plane economy.
Speaker 2 (35:57):
And then we go to what is called business slash first.
That's one and the same thing, folks. There's not a
first class and a business class these days. It's either
business or first on flights, and I think it goes
without saying what those are. Usually in first class, if
it's an overnight flight, you're going to get those wonderful
lay flat seats. You're going to get all your drinks,
(36:19):
alcoholic beverages are included. In many cases, you get access
to the first class lounges at the airports. So those
are the differences, and that's sort of the quick reader's
digest version of all that. But I know that might
be a question in people's minds, Terry, why are you
telling us about all these different classes of service to
fly to the Caribbean, Because it matters, you know, it
matters how long you're on that plane. And a lot
(36:41):
of people these days do suffer with some physical ailments.
They want to know they're going to be comfortable on
a long flight, especially so for this one, for curis
how I did point you toward a premium economy purchase.
These again are not direct NonStop flights. You would have
a connection in Atlanta with this one. Again, this is
(37:01):
going to put us on Delta Airlines and staying at
the Renaissance wind Creek Currissout Resort. This is a Marriotte property,
by the way, and it is all inclusive. It is
a five star resort hotel and it does include already
in the rate bicycle rentals. You get downtown street art
(37:23):
walking tour with your entrance into the hotel property. You've
got mixology classes, blackjack classes, you get a lot complementary
Wi Fi and of course a complementary welcome drink. The
all inclusive packages does include your unlimited premium brand of
beverages and of course all of your meals, a casino
(37:46):
free play coupon of about ten dollars per person. Hopefully
you'll come back with ten times that. Maybe not, but
with the air in premium economy and for seven nights
at a beautiful hotel like the Renaissance wind Creek, sixty
four seventeen per couple, and that's a bargain at that
particular property. If you know anything about chrisau tends to
(38:08):
be one of the more pricier of the Caribbean islands.
And we're going to take a quick break Chris, but
when we come back, we're going to talk about one
of my personal favorite islands. It's otherwise known as the
Spice Island.
Speaker 1 (38:21):
Ooh, I have some guesses. We'll figure that out next.
Here on a life less ordinary, who would think.
Speaker 3 (38:26):
Of driving off to a new destination without guidance from
Google or Syria? Let the Wishing World guide your next
travel experience. Travel the world as you enjoy the very
best destinations and all they offer at the best prices.
Our mobile travel app keeps your vacation on track and
keeps you connected with our team of experts for help.
If you need it, call us at five four zero
in nine zero eight two three three three stop buy
(38:49):
two forty threep avenue or visit us at the wishing
Well dot biz.
Speaker 1 (38:54):
And welcome back to a life less ordinary. Every Saturday morning,
at this time we sit down with our friends Terry
Dean and Harry Wright from the wishing Well. They're located
on that f avenue in Harrisonburg online at the wishing
Well dopiz, where you can give them a call at
five to four to zero nine oh a twenty three
p thirty three. And before we went to our break,
we talked about some locations we can go to during
(39:17):
hurricane season and for the most part feel the safe
that we're not going to encounter a hurricane while we're there.
Talked about Barbados and the ABC Islands, and you mentioned
something about when we got back, we talked about the
Spice Island.
Speaker 2 (39:31):
I know, and this, Chris, happens to be. As I said,
one of my favorites. It's known as the Spice Island
because it's a top producer of spices, including nutmeg, may, cinnamon, cloves,
and allspice. The name of this island is Grenada, and
she is quite a beauty. One of the things that's
(39:54):
so striking when you fly to Grenada is the minute
you get all supplying, there's this aroma that wafts into
your face from the you know, from the breeze that
smells ever so much like cumen and cinnamon. So you
immediately have that sense that all of those spices and
(40:16):
nutmeg are kind of wafting in the air.
Speaker 1 (40:19):
It's nice. It smells like a pumpkin pie or all right.
Speaker 2 (40:22):
Now, you know, it's kind of mixed with that, but
in a very tropical way. You know, it's wonderful. And
the Grenada's nutmeg symbol is featured actually on its national flag.
Uh the island. Spices are used in a lot of ways.
They're including in ice cream, of course, rum cocktails, and
(40:44):
we use it, you know, to flavor baked goods and
drinks and meats and everything. One of the best, by
the way, this is a sidebar, but one of the
best meat tender risers I have found to use is nutmeg,
and if you haven't tried that on steaks, I encourage you.
Speaker 1 (41:00):
Not a lot.
Speaker 2 (41:00):
You don't want to douse it, but nutmeg makes a
great steak tenderizer. Grenada is also known as the Caribbean
Capital of Chocolate and man or man who doesn't like chocolate?
Speaker 3 (41:13):
I love chocola I do too.
Speaker 2 (41:14):
The House of Chocolate in Saint George actually explores Grenada's
history with coca and sells chocolate products. And yes, it
is delicious. It's a small island. It's located between the
Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean, just north of Trinidad
and Tobago. It's got a rugged interior with a lot
(41:35):
of rainforests and waterfalls. It could really put you in
the mind of Costa Rica in many ways. But it's
got these coastlines with protected bays and beaches. So really
again a very a conscious island of sustainability and protection
of marine and wildlife. So we love that about Grenada.
(42:00):
I was looking at Grenada. This is what I'll tell
you is that if you are looking for a luxurious,
five star experience, they do not disappoint. Now, unlike some
of the other features that I talk to you about
where you could kind of get in in that very
average vacationing price right now, I would say between five
and six thousand dollars for a week long vacation. That's
(42:22):
typically what we see. That's what the average vacation price
is now for a family of two or a couple.
Grenada is going to blow your mind because it's a
bit more than that if you want that truly all
inclusive and luxurious experience. First of all, what I did
(42:43):
was because it's very difficult to get to with just
one connection. First of all, there are no direct flights
into Grenada from any of our immediate areas of flight path.
So I did opt to take this pricing out of Richmond,
where you do only have one connection, and that's in Miami.
So the air on this is with American Airlines. The
(43:06):
place that I chose for the luxurious part of the experience,
if you have it and it's in your budget, in
your wheelhouse at all, is a beautiful place called Spice
Island Beach Resort. It is an all inclusive and it
is absolutely stunningly amazing. It's got all the things that
(43:26):
I talked about, with all the other all inclusives, all
of your meals, of course, your drinks, non motorized water
sports are included there at this property. But in addition
to that, it's really akin to staying in a dream.
It's a dream of a resort. It's almost unreal the
(43:46):
service levels. You have your own private pool right outside
your door, and it's yours. It's just your pool. It's
not everybody else's shared pool, it's just your pool. And
the total package price for this experience comes in at
a cool thirteen thousand, two hundred and sixty three dollars.
And like I said, if that's in your wheelhouse and
you can afford, that worth every penny. But I knew
(44:09):
our listeners today still who are looking for that life
less ordinary, might not be able to fall into that category,
but they might still be intrigued by Grenada. I know
I would be the property that I could choose to
put you in here still with air out of Richmond
is the Royal Grenada, which is an autograph hotel. It
(44:30):
also is all inclusive, but it comes in at about
less than half the price fifty two fifty per couple,
and this gives you an entire week in Grenada. All
inclusive with all of your meals, again everything included. It
is an autograph hotel and it's a Royalton, so in
my book, that makes it very extraordinary hotel property. Now
(44:52):
there's a lot of other things that you can do
during hurricane season that you might be surprised about. I've
asked Harry to enlighten you about the next things that
you might consider during hurricane season.
Speaker 3 (45:07):
So it's not as crazy as you might think to
book a cruise during hurricane season. In addition to cruises
within the Southern Caribbean places that you were talking to
about being very careful which place is to select a course.
But there are some other destinations that you might not
traditionally have been thinking of. One of my favorites always Alaska.
It's not too late in the season to consider Alaska.
(45:30):
Another one great place to go any time of the year.
Consider a Hawaiian cruise a great cruise. You fly to
Hawaii and you cruise around the islands, one of our
most popular cruises. And then there's the Mediterranean, someplace I
was earlier this summer. We had talked about that all
three great cruising destinations, and especially now that school has begun.
(45:54):
This is a great time if you're able to get away,
to get on a cruise because they're a little bit
less crowded, and you'll also find a lot of adults
only on these cruises. Even if they're not restricted to
adults only, that's who you're going to find on those cruises.
One of the things that you've spent a lot of
time talking about this morning, Terry is being careful during
(46:16):
hurricane season. One of the things that I think is
worth mentioning today as well is travel insurance. We always
talk about travel insurance, but travel insurance is one of
the great things that protects you against the unexpected during
hurricane season. It's not expected or guaranteed that you're going
to have a hurricane, but travel insurance protects you in
(46:40):
the event that your vacation gets severely disrupted because of
a hurricane or an impending hurricane. The cruise ships will
reroute and move around to adjust. That's one of the
reasons I like them. They have onboard weather systems, so
they know a lot more than the average person about
what to do, so they can avoid them. But if
(47:01):
you get into that bad situation, travel insurance protects against
the weather, and it also protects against all of the
traditional things that we want travel insurance for any health problems,
illnesses that might occur while you're on board, or just
a physical accident you trip and spring your ankle, hurt
your leg, and those kinds of things are very very important.
(47:24):
Anything else about insurance that I missed, Harry.
Speaker 2 (47:27):
Not about insurance, but the one thing I did want
to point out, Harry, because you did mention the idea
that cruising is also a very viable opportunity for people
to consider during the hurricane season, as he mentioned Alaska,
Hawaii and the Mediterranean. What I do want people to
know who are listening to us today is that this
is the ideal time if you're looking for a deal,
(47:48):
because a lot of these cruise lines, a lot of
the cruise companies are offering sale faars right now that
would blow your mind. For example, Regent Cruise Lines one
of the ones that we've used for several groups. You
may remember it was the one that we used for
the Tassy Pipprit group Room to Athens. Well right now
they almost never offer first class airfare on their cruises,
(48:11):
but right on domestic cruises, I should say the international
ones they do, but for domestic cruises i e. Alaska,
Caribbean and New England they don't. But right now, during
this particular time, which is what we call off season,
they're offering free first class air for that too. So
(48:32):
if you're somebody who really hasn't planned to go to
Alaska because you dreaded the flight over in economy class,
right now would be a perfect time to book that
because first class is entirely free. There are still other
cruise lines like Holland America that's offering some great deals
to Alaska, third and fourth passengers cruise for free plus
(48:55):
seventy five percent off for the second passenger. So those
are the kind of deals that are sitting out there
just waiting for you to take advantage of that and
book your next cruise. It doesn't necessarily mean you have
to cruise now, but if you buy now, you're entitled
to that savings. The Mediterranean is one that never seems
(49:15):
to die down in people's interests. They love going to
the Mediterranean. Anything that has to do with Italy, Greece
and Turkey, and right now Croatia and Slovenia. The cruise
lines are adding a lot of those stops to the
Mediterranean cruises. So we're seeing a lot of powerful interest
in people who want to explore those regions because they're
(49:36):
new and people want to get there and see that
and be a part of that first before it gets
overrun with tourists. And I can highly recommend that some
of the great cruise lines that go there are Oceana
celebrity cruise lines. And again, all of these guys are
out there right now offering some great, great savings if
you're interested in them.
Speaker 3 (49:56):
And there are even some savings that have come across
our desks this week that are what they call private
sales that are available only through agencies like the wishing Well.
Not every travel agency, but agencies like the wishing Well.
Some private sales, some great prices. You mentioned Regent I
saw sales that are offering thirty forty percent discounts off
(50:20):
their basic fairs. Just phenomenal. And as you mentioned before,
some of our favorite cruise lines are the names that
you mentioned. Region is at the top of mind Chris
Luxury from day one till the day that you go home,
you go home with clean clothes on Region is always
one of my favorite things to think about, just a
(50:41):
great way to travel and have that elevated kind of
experience and to do what we set out to do today,
and that's talking about how to dodge the storm.
Speaker 2 (50:51):
So we talked a lot about the islands that you
want to go to. That was really the focus of
the show today. The islands that Chris, you would probably
want to avoid during hurricane season or booking them only
because they are almost always in the bullseye. And that's
going to be places like Bermuda, San Juan, Puerto Rico, Mexico.
(51:15):
You know, the Cancun, rivier Maya area, Jamaica. Those are
going to be places where you know they somehow, some
reason with the trade winds that come through there, even Puntakana.
These are targeted areas that perhaps if it were me
and as your advisor, you come in and you want
to plan a nice vacation to someplace tropical, those would
(51:38):
probably be the islands I would steer you around.
Speaker 1 (51:42):
But they're still great travel destinations other times of the year.
Speaker 2 (51:46):
They are absolutely and we can always with a little
bit of council and once we get to know you
a little better. That's one of the greatest thrills of
my job. Is getting to know my clients on a
more personal level, finding out what they like to do.
We'll sit down with you and we'll match you up
to the right destination, not every place, not every one
(52:08):
size fits all.
Speaker 1 (52:09):
We've talked many times here in the show about, you know,
how do I get the most out of my dollar?
And this sounds like an amazing way to get to
some amazing destinations for prices that you just couldn't get
any other time of the year.
Speaker 2 (52:26):
It is, and we've danced around this subject a lot
and many times here on the show, but we've never
really attached prices to it like we have today. And
I think a lot of times when people want to
make educated decisions and they can leave like next month,
let's give them some reason to be able to put
that on their calendar.
Speaker 1 (52:44):
I'd like you to work up a travel plane where
I get to hit all of those islands that we
talked about you're on. We'll do the ABC and Barbados
islands all in one trip, and Grenada and Grenada, yes,
four letters at a time. We'll call the AA the
Alphabet Travel Plan or something.
Speaker 3 (53:03):
Here you go.
Speaker 1 (53:03):
I don't think that sounds like I can afford that
we've only got a couple of seconds left. Terry, how
do we get in touch with you if you want
to book one of these wonderful travel adventures.
Speaker 2 (53:11):
We're located conveniently in Harsonburg, Virginia, in the Valley Center
at two forty three NEF Avenue. You can find us
on the web where at the Wishingwell dot biz or
phonus at five four oh nine oh eight to three
three three.
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 NEP Avenue in Harrisonburg. If you have any questions
on topics discussed today, please reach out to the wishing
Well online at the wishing Well top biz or five
four oh nine eight twenty three thirty three. Past episodes
are available on the iHeartRadio app. And we'll see again
next Saturday morning at ten for a life less Ordinary
(53:47):
from the wishing Well
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