August 22, 2026 • 53 mins
Unlock one of the most powerful secrets in travel planning in this episode of A Life Less Ordinary as The Wishing Well's Terrie Dean and Harry Reif continue their Keys to a Great Vacation series with a discussion on the importance of travel connections.
Fresh from Virtuoso Travel Week in Las Vegas, they share how relationships with hotel owners, general managers, concierges, cruise executives, and tourism partners around the world create extraordinary experiences that go far beyond booking a flight and hotel.
From VIP welcomes in Milan and exclusive access in Paris to hidden gems in Spain, Antigua, New York, and Vermont, discover how the right travel advisor can turn an ordinary trip into a personalized, unforgettable journey.
Learn why luxury travel is less about spending more and more about gaining insider access, meaningful experiences, and personal connections that make every vacation exceptional.
Fresh from Virtuoso Travel Week in Las Vegas, they share how relationships with hotel owners, general managers, concierges, cruise executives, and tourism partners around the world create extraordinary experiences that go far beyond booking a flight and hotel.
From VIP welcomes in Milan and exclusive access in Paris to hidden gems in Spain, Antigua, New York, and Vermont, discover how the right travel advisor can turn an ordinary trip into a personalized, unforgettable journey.
Learn why luxury travel is less about spending more and more about gaining insider access, meaningful experiences, and personal connections that make every vacation exceptional.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
This is a Lifeless Ordinary, the travel showing podcast from
your friends at the wishing Well two forty three f
Avenue and Harrisonburg and online at the wishing Well Don
PiZZ The wishing Well is your ultimate luxury concierge, travel
agency and a lifeless Ordinary. It's a travel showing podcast
hosted by Terry Dean, bringing her over forty years of
experience in the travel industry to help guide you to
(00:21):
great experiences in your travel, whether it be around the block,
around the country, or around the world. Now let's bring
in Terry Dean and say hello.
Speaker 2 (00:29):
Chris, Hi, good morning. It's a great Saturday.
Speaker 1 (00:33):
Happy weekend, Terry.
Speaker 2 (00:34):
Yes, indeed, happy weekend to you as well.
Speaker 1 (00:37):
And Harry Rife joins us as he does many Saturdays.
It's good to see you, Harry.
Speaker 3 (00:42):
Good to see you too. And I'll say that every
weekend is a happy weekend.
Speaker 1 (00:46):
I agree, especially when we get to talk about our
favorite topic, which is travelravel.
Speaker 3 (00:52):
Yep.
Speaker 1 (00:53):
So what's new?
Speaker 2 (00:54):
Well, you know, I mean we have. I think we've
been having some fun here on the show, been enjoying
it anyway. And I know a lot of clients have
been calling and letting us know that they enjoy the show,
they've been enjoying our keys that we've been laying out
for folks as to how they can have a great vacation.
(01:14):
So I'm really happy, you know the I do have
to say, we want to extend an absolute humble thanks
to all of you who listen to us week after week,
Saturday after Saturday. We sure are proud that you sit
down with us on Saturday mornings and share the great
(01:36):
world of travel.
Speaker 3 (01:38):
And I want to say welcome to those of you
out there who are listening for the first time, well
the second time, or maybe even the third time, the
new people. We love having you join us. We love
reminding you that all the podcasts are out there. I know, Chris,
You've got you do the details on that better than
I do. But we love the fact that you come
(02:01):
and talk to us, you call us, and you refer
to some of the things that you've heard us talking about.
That's so exciting to know that we are hitting the
mark with topics that people are interested in.
Speaker 2 (02:14):
And speaking of the you know what's been going on. Chris,
Harry and I have just come back from Las Vegas,
where we attended the Virtuoso Week and we're going to
be talking about that a lot more in the show.
But I want to say it was a wonderful, productive
(02:34):
time and I wouldn't have it any other way. I mean,
these are the moments that make us better in this industry.
And because we're better, we hope then that that translates
to better trips, more fulfilling trips, more curated trips for
those who listen to us right here.
Speaker 1 (02:52):
So Vegas and August, that's a good time.
Speaker 3 (02:57):
Not really.
Speaker 2 (02:58):
It's to one hundred and fifteen outside and you could
probably almost hang meat inside.
Speaker 3 (03:06):
Thank god. It rained a couple of days while we
were out there, which is very very unusual.
Speaker 2 (03:11):
For yeahe or not. It rained in the desert.
Speaker 1 (03:13):
So Becca and I we got married in the end
of July and we went to Vegas for our honeymoon.
So it was the beginning of August. And my joke
has always been, but it's a dry heat, except except
for in August, as they're dealing with what is it,
they're monsoon season, when it's actually they actually do get
some rain and then the humidity picks up. I mean,
(03:36):
I love Vegas. I've never been to Vegas where I've
left and thought, well, that was a mistake. I've always
loved it. O man, maybe go in the fall.
Speaker 2 (03:46):
Very definitely go in the spring or in the fall,
that would be ideal. But I will tell you, I
have to share with you my favorite experience while I
was in Las Vegas this time, and it was a
brand new event for me. But it just so happens
to be an event that we can book four clients.
(04:07):
And I love that whenever I have these great experiences,
and I know that you can share in them too.
But this was a foody tour that ended with a
helicopter tour over the strip, and so we started at
the tour took us to three different Michelin starred restaurants.
(04:31):
One was Mexican, one was French, and one was African,
believe it or not. And these places were magnificent in
style and decorps and many of them. Of the three,
you had to have a minimum spend were you to
(04:51):
be mister John Smith right off the street who wanted
to utilize these private rooms that we were taken into.
Your minimum spend for drinks and ordures had to start
at five thousand dollars.
Speaker 3 (05:05):
To get the room that we were in yeah wow,
yeah wow.
Speaker 2 (05:10):
And then we walked These are restaurants that are normally
just blocked for weeks in advance, and they can have
sometimes as much as an hour to two hour wait
at the door, and when we arrived, they just walked
us right past the line and we went to our
(05:31):
private room where the chef came out and told us
all about what he was serving. It was an incredible experience.
But then we were chauffeured over to the helipad close
to the Las Vegas Airport, where we boarded a private
helicopter and toured the entire strip at night with all
(05:53):
the lights on. It was something to behold.
Speaker 3 (05:56):
It was amazing to see that new sphere that people
have been talking about in Las Vegas. Did it. They
didn't set up a special display for it but for us,
But it was pretty good nonetheless, and Terry said, we
flew over the strip. That's kind of true. Actually we
flew along the strip. We were flying so I could
(06:18):
look to my left and look to my right and
look into hotels. So that's the level we were at.
We were down that low. It was an amazing, exhilarating experience.
And they did it after they filled our little tummies
full of some tremendous food, but the food stayed because
(06:39):
the experience was so amazing. Wasn't spad at all.
Speaker 2 (06:42):
It was definitely experience I would highly recommend.
Speaker 1 (06:45):
I am very jealous.
Speaker 3 (06:46):
Yeah, that's a lifeless ordinary, Chris. It is truly is
a lifeless ordinary.
Speaker 1 (06:52):
If there are any people that I know that live
a lifeless ordinary as their life mantra, it's the two
of you.
Speaker 3 (07:00):
Thank you'all take that as a big compliment.
Speaker 1 (07:03):
Yeah, so you mentioned earlier that we were talking about
Keys to a Great Vacation. This has been a series
that we've been doing over the past few weeks, and Harry,
you did mention about being able to go and listen
to previous editions of our podcast A Lifeless Ordinary, And yes,
you can find those at the wishing Well dot biz.
(07:23):
In the upper right hand corner. You'll see the Hamburger menu.
You click on that, those are the three little lines
by the way. You click on that, it will open
up a menu. You'll see a link for a Lifeless
Ordinary and it's all searchable. So whatever the topic that
you would like more information about, or if you have
a show that you remember hearing in the past that
you'd like to go back and revisit. Just type in
(07:44):
a keyword there and it'll take you right to any
of the podcasts that relate, including the first three versions
or episodes of our series The Keys to a Great Vacation,
and the first of this series we talked about land
and how to build around a dream. Part two of
the Keys to a Great Vacation is when the hotel
(08:06):
is never just a hotel, and then last week we
talked about private membership. And this week, as we take
part four in, we're going to be talking about connections.
And it sounds like you guys have connections.
Speaker 2 (08:21):
We are we are and whether you're at the beginning
of the choice of an amazing landmark and you want
to build your travel memories around that, Chris, or maybe
you want to select one of the world's most unique
resort properties or private clubs that you talked about and
live like a celebrity, albeit on the down low, because
(08:43):
if you listen to that show, you know it's not
all about showing off your glitz, It's about experiences. Our
episodes of the real Keys to a Great Vacation, no
matter which direction is driving, you are all about you
doing you. You get to choose, you get to formulate
(09:05):
the recipe, you get to ultimately determine your own powerful,
memorable travel outcome, all with the element of choice. So
I want to add yet another key today to our toolbox.
And I'm going to call this connections, because I think
(09:28):
this is how it really fits into that big box
that we're trying to open called travel. With all of
these golden keys. And you know, Chris, it's getting easy
to have a dream. We all do, right, I mean,
everybody has a dream, but what we sometimes need help with,
(09:49):
quite frankly, are the mechanics of how to turn that
dream into a tangible experience. And I will tell you
for the at in most any case, no matter what
it is you're dreaming of, it's rare that people know
themselves how to put the puzzle puzzles pieces into place
(10:14):
so that they can curate that experience themselves. They need
an expert. And that really is part and parcel of
what we're talking about today when I say connections, making
those connections are indeed the priceless and the secret sauce
to turning your dream into a tangible vacation. So can
(10:38):
you put a dream together with an airline ticket and
a hotel reservation. Sure you can, you can certainly start there.
Nothing prevents you from doing that. That may even be
the start of your dream. But then what, how then
do you live the dream when you land? Where's the
(11:00):
magic spot? Not to be missed? When you get where
you're going? You don't speak the language, you can't read
a lot of the signs, you don't know where to
begin your journey when you land. So again, now what Well?
The answer to many, if not all, of these travel
(11:20):
intrepidations can be answered for you. So I'm going to
explain that. And I'm going to ask you, Chris. I mean,
when you have booked your own travel, you've done something
on your own. Isn't that pretty much the way you
do it? You buy the airline ticket, you get the
(11:41):
hotel reservation, and then I know a little bit about you.
I know you don't mind just sort of setting off
on your own. But doesn't that feel or have some
intrepidation to it for you?
Speaker 3 (11:52):
Oh?
Speaker 1 (11:53):
Yeah, yeah? And I will say, just because in the
past that's the way I have traveled. I did that
because I didn't know any better.
Speaker 2 (12:01):
Right now you do?
Speaker 1 (12:03):
Now, I do, and I will tell you I will
never travel that way again. Yeah, because yeah, I you know,
I can think of a couple of big trips that
I did where I just went, well, we'll see what happens.
And I had fun. I did have a good time,
but I didn't know what I didn't know. And now
that I do know what, you know what could have
(12:24):
been If I would have had somebody like the Wishing Well,
you know, Terry Dean and Harry Rife sitting down with
me and learning a little bit about my hopes and dreams,
I think I would have had even more amazing time.
Speaker 2 (12:38):
Yeah, and there you have it. I mean, that's the
voice of experience. And I know I told you. We
spent a good bit of time this past week at
the Virtuoso Travel Week in Las Vegas, and really heat aside.
I just came back from what was probably one of
the most important weeks of the entire year for us
in the travel industry, and Chris, I know, some body
(13:00):
listening out there this morning is probably saying, well, Terry,
isn't that just wonderful you went to Las Vegas? So
why in the world should I care? Well, I think
that's a fair question. But here's what you should know
and why you should care. I spent that time, Chris,
actually sitting face to face with more than a hundred hoteliers,
(13:25):
general managers, crews, executives, tour operators, and travel partners from
all around the world. And we don't do that just
to collect business cards. We do it to build relationships
because those relationships can ultimately change the way you travel
(13:49):
and the way we help you travel. So what does
that actually mean? Well, I want to give you an example, Chris,
because I think this is what clearly paints the picture
of what actually you were even trying to say. I
want you to imagine that you've just landed in let's
say Milan, Italy, and you've been flying all night, you're tired,
(14:14):
you're in a foreign country, maybe it's your first trip
to Italy, and you get out of your transfer car
and you walk into this beautiful hotel in the heart
of Milan and the general manager is standing there waiting
for you, and he says, welcome, We've been expecting you.
(14:37):
Chris Carmichael, A little bit like mister Rourke on Fantasy Island.
You remember that show.
Speaker 3 (14:42):
I do.
Speaker 2 (14:44):
Yeah, So mister Rourke actually exists. We know him. He's
going to greet our clients when they get to Milan.
But I want you to think about how differently that
trip just started.
Speaker 1 (14:56):
Weep.
Speaker 2 (14:59):
Yeah, I'm sure it did. But here's the deal. You're
no longer simply somebody who booked room for one to
two at this Milan hotel. They know who you are.
Maybe your room isn't quite ready yet because you've arrived
a little earlier than check in, but that's not a problem.
(15:20):
They're gonna take you into the dining room. They're going
to invite you to have breakfast, get you settled in
and comfortable, And while you're eating, the concierge walks over
and says, excuse me, Chris, we're so glad you're here.
Let me tell you about a few places in Milan
that I think you're gonna love while you're here. That's
not necessarily going to be the places on every top
(15:43):
ten list. Maybe it's gonna be the little restaurant around
the corner where all the locals go. Maybe it's gonna
be a neighborhood you wouldn't have thought to explore had
you not had that greeting. Maybe it's knowing when to
visit aticular attraction, so you aren't standing in a line
(16:03):
for two hours. And yes, in this particular case, there
was even access to the hotel's complementary Bentley.
Speaker 1 (16:14):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (16:15):
Yeah, now we're traveling. But here's what I want people
to understand that that isn't really about the Bentley. That
whole story, that's not about the Bentley. The Bentley's fun.
Of course it's fun. But the important part I want
you to hear in that story and I want you
to remember and those of you listening, please know this.
(16:37):
All of that is for me to say to you.
It's the recognition that you're going to get when you
walk in. And that's what makes the difference. That it's
knowing that somebody on the other side of the world,
somebody important, knew you were coming and we were actually
(16:57):
able to make that happened for you.
Speaker 3 (17:01):
And what's especially interesting about this scenario that Terry's talking
about is we're really we like to think we're really
good at the wishing well. We like to think that
we'll send you to the right places. We like to
think that we'll get you in, you know, to the
head of the line and at attractions, things like that,
but as good as we are, we can't be as
(17:24):
good as the general manager or the concierge in a
local hotel that's really truly got your best interests at
heart and is on the ground locally, those folks have
an advantage over even us.
Speaker 1 (17:40):
Chris, it really sounds like that between the wishing well
and the general manager of that hotel or the concierge,
you guys are a team that are looking out for me,
because it neither none of this happens if only one
of you is looking out for me.
Speaker 2 (17:56):
Right, It's a well oiled machine, is what I like
to say, because because without us, they don't have the clients,
and without them, our clients don't have an experience. And
we need each other, and we feed off of each other,
and that enthusiasm affects our customers and the travelers and
(18:17):
their customers and patrons, and Chris, there's something else travelers
don't always realize. And I want to make this point too.
Two people can stay at exactly the same hotel on
the exact same dates and have two completely different experiences.
One person booked a room. The other person arrived as
(18:42):
a recognized guest. They arrived as a guest from the
Wishing Well, and there's a difference. Yes, Harry, you're right.
Maybe there's a note, a handwritten note waiting in the room.
Maybe there's breakfast included that otherwise this hotel doesn't offer.
(19:03):
Maybe there's a hotel credit that says enjoy yourself at
the spa. Maybe there's an upgrade availability that will take
you from a standard room to something superior or deluxe.
And maybe somebody knew it was your anniversary before you
arrived and dared to help you celebrate that right inside
(19:26):
that property. And maybe the concierge already knew that you
loved great Italian food, but you don't like touristy restaurants
that everybody else goes to. So they knew that because
we told them that, and they're going to recommend only
the best local spots for you. Those little touches individually
(19:49):
might not sound enormous, but you put them all together,
and that's what makes a trip feel special. And that's
one of the things we work very hard to create
for our travelers at the Wishing Well. And that is
exactly why Harry and I took hours out of the
(20:10):
day in the last week and a half to sit
down with these general managers and hoteliers and tour operators
and cruise lin hosts and everybody who works with us
alongside in the travel industry to make things better for you.
Speaker 3 (20:26):
And you didn't mention, Terry. We not only met all
that list of people that you talked about, we also
met folks who owned the properties, families that owned some
of these hotels you're talking about, you know, hotels with
you know, twenty five thirty five rooms in you mentioned
Milan cities across Italy, cities across Spain, cities across Germany.
(20:52):
We met one gentleman whose wife was the general manager
of the hotel and he was the on site guy
that coordinated all the logistics. So a husband and wife team.
And that's why this show today is titled Connections. Are
we starting to make that real clear? Chris? Yeah? And connections? Connections?
Speaker 1 (21:12):
And when you talk about this, you know, I just
keep sort of having these moments where I think, Man,
I want to know these people. I want to be
able to go experience these places, and they're I mean,
I don't know, I'm pretty persuasive. I might be able
to get on to pick up the phone and talk
to me, but not as easily as you can. They
know your name.
Speaker 2 (21:32):
I want to tell you, it was pretty humbling, honestly,
if I'm being one hundred percent honest, I was very
humbled because there were some meetings like Harry alluded to,
where we were sitting across from a hotel owner who
did not look at all like they probably owned this
(21:53):
five star, beautiful, immassive hotel property resort, and in the
exchange of business information, who are you versus who are you?
I would often ask are you the owner? Are you
the general manager? And many times when they said yes,
(22:15):
I'm the owner of this property. I mean, that was
a moment for me. It was like, man, I'm not
even worthy to sit here with some of these people
who are who own these properties that I get to
send people to. And it was great. I mean, so
(22:35):
when I tell you that I spent more than a
week in Vegas with over one hundred travel partners, this
is what we're talking about. And I sat across from
the table from people representing extraordinary hotels and travel experiences
all over the world, and Chris, I wasn't asking how
much does your hotel cost? I wanted to know what
(22:59):
can you do for my travelers? What happens when I
send somebody to you celebrating a fortieth anniversary? What can
you arrange for the family taking their children to Europe
for the first time? And what can you do for
my honeymoon couple? And by the way, what about the
couple who's nervous about visiting a foreign country in the
first place? What can you show them that they can't
(23:21):
find by googling the top ten things to do? That's
the conversation. That's the one we had, and that's why
those meetings matter so much.
Speaker 1 (23:32):
Our show today's entitled The Keys to a Great Vacation.
This is part four of our series and we are
talking about connections. Terry Dan and Harry Rife have those
connections and they want to connect you with those people
as well. We are going to continue this conversation when
we come back here on a life less ordinary.
Speaker 3 (23:51):
Who would think of driving off to a new destination
without guidance from Google to Syria? It's not the Wishing
World guide your next travel experience. Travel the world is
you enjoy the very best destinations and all they offer
at the best prices. Our mobile travel app keeps your
vacation on track. It keeps you connected with our team
of experts for help. If you need it, call us
(24:11):
at five four zero nine zero eight two three three three, stop,
buy two forty three and nef Avenue, or visit us
at the Wishingwell dot.
Speaker 1 (24:20):
Biz and welcome back to a Lifeless Ordinary, the travel
show and podcast from your friends at the Wishing Well.
You can find them on f Avenue and Harrisonburg, also
online at the Wishingwell dot biz or give a call
five four oh nine oh eight twenty three thirty three
and they would love to talk to you because they've
got connections. They want to put you in touch with
(24:43):
the people who are going to make your vacation or
your holiday, your getaway absolutely unforgettable. Our show today is
entitled The Keys to a Great Vacation. This is part
four of our series. If you'd like to listen to
the first three episodes in this series, head to the
Wishing Weld dot biz. You can find a link in
(25:04):
the Emperor right hand corner for past episodes, or you
can listen on the iHeartRadio app or wherever you listen
to your podcast. All right, Terry, I'm excited. You know
the people who are gonna make this happen for my
dream getaway. What's the next step.
Speaker 2 (25:21):
Yeah, so I think Chris, we've kind of gotten this
idea that VIP travel means what private jets, presidential suites
and maybe spending an outrageous amount of money. And it can.
I mean that's certainly possible. It can. And if that's
your thing, trust me, we can talk. I'd love to
(25:43):
talk to you. But that is not how After all
this time, we've spent on a lifeless ordinary from the
very beginning, and we've talked about what it is. This
is not how I define luxury. Okay, luxury is personal. Personal.
Sometimes it's just having somebody to know your name. That
(26:05):
can be what makes a luxurious experience for somebody. Sometimes
it's arriving at your hotel at nine o'clock in the
morning after an overnight flight and somebody says, don't worry,
we got you. And that actually happened to me at
the Four Seasons in Nashville, Tennessee. I will never forget
that young lady as long as I live. She was
(26:25):
a godsend when I had had to get up at
four o'clock in the morning only to think my room
was not going to be ready till three o'clock. She said, girl,
I got you, and they put me in a room
right away so I could take a nap before my meetings.
I love the four Seasons. I will be forever in
her debt. But sometimes it's actually just getting a room
(26:47):
with a beautiful view instead of staring at the air
conditioning equipment on the lower level. And sometimes it's having
breakfast included every morning so you're not pulling your credit
card out before you've ever even had coffee. Might be
the concierge getting you into that restaurant you couldn't get
into yourself. And sometimes it's having somebody to call when
(27:11):
something doesn't go according to plan. And I'm going to
tell you, by my definition, that is luxury. It's not
necessarily about spending more money. It's about getting more value
from the money you're spending. And don't we all want that?
I mean, isn't that what everybody wants?
Speaker 3 (27:32):
Oh?
Speaker 2 (27:33):
Yeah, I mean I think that just makes sense.
Speaker 3 (27:36):
Hit it on the hit the nail on the head, Terry.
When you talk about spending, you know, we all think
rock stars, and you know the kinds of rooms they get,
the kind of transportation they get. And we talk about
that a lot in the show, and maybe maybe we
talk about it too much sometimes, because what you're talking
about now is, in fact the definition of luck. Luxury
(28:01):
means not having to worry. Things are covered, things are
taken care of, and people are being thoughtful about you.
They're happy to see you there, they're happy to share
what they have, and they don't show up with an attitude.
They show up with a really great attitude, okay, one
(28:22):
that says you're here, We're happy you're here, and they
treat you as a friend, they treat you as a
known entity. I think that's what you were talking about earlier,
Chris too. And that's the reason that we go to
places like Vegas for these meetings, and we do it
once a year, and they're tedious, they can be hellish
with the temperatures and things. But when we walk away
(28:43):
from them, we do walk away with some really valuable context,
some really valuable names, and some really valuable tools so
we can use on behalf of our travelers.
Speaker 2 (28:54):
And I hope right now a lot of people are
sitting there at home this morning, going, well, don't keep
us in suspense. Who the heck did you all talk
to anyway? Who were these people? Who were the properties?
Where were they? What can you tell us about some
of the experiences that you shared with these individuals. So
(29:15):
this morning, when we were preparing for the show, I said, Harry,
why don't you take some of the notes that we
took while we were in Las Vegas and share with
our listeners who some of these properties were or the
experiences were, and kind of pull the curtain back a
little bit. You get to be the Wizard of Oz
this morning and let people see a little bit of
(29:37):
what we experienced.
Speaker 3 (29:38):
Well, I'm going to start by talking about the person
that I talked about a little bit earlier, and that
was the fellow with the German tourism hosting agency. His
name is Sasha and his wife is a manager one
of the well known Munich hotels. And we met with
him because he was trying to talk about his serviss
(30:00):
all the things they can do from when you when
you come into an airport, and particularly some of the
airports in Germany. I'm thinking about Frankfurt in particular, one
of the toughest airports uh to navigate if you're not familiar,
because it's huge. It's it's like going into a LaGuardia
or an O'Hare airport, Chris. It's just a lot of
(30:22):
things going on, and everything's written in German. They have
some English underneath, but you got to look for it.
His company helps people navigate through that. But his wife's
the manager that of that well known Munich hotel, and
I know the next time I send somebody to Germany,
I'm going to very seriously consider using him to help
(30:44):
with some of the logistics and using her hotel, because
that'll tie the two together. Both of them are indebted
to us because we met both of them at this conference.
They met, you know, indirectly, we met his wife through him,
but they're both going to be indebted to us to
make sure our people have a wonderful time if you're
(31:07):
going someplace, that's a great thing. We met somebody else
that was a person that really was interested in biking.
It's a company called back Roads that we work. We
have some contacts there and I got to ask a
lot of the questions. When I think of back roads
and back roads adventures. People listening may may have used
(31:29):
them or have seen them on the internet. They do
some tremendous athletic kinds of adventures, things that I wish
I could do, but I couldn't have the time to
do some of those early on in my career, and
now I do. And I got to ask them some questions.
I got to ask them specifically, what about people that are,
(31:49):
you know, not twenty years old, thirty years old, who
do like to bike, but maybe we might need a
little bit of assistance He says, oh yeah. He talked
about the things that they have available for electric bikes.
They talk about how they have different kinds of hiking
and camping expeditions where they are specially geared to people
(32:11):
who may have dietary kinds of restrictions or constraints that
I didn't think that these companies could serve those kind
of people, but we learned about that and now we
have the great people that can help us with that.
And that's true whether you're thinking about going biking around
the coast of Croatia or biking around and looking at
(32:34):
some of the castles and the beaches in Portugal. So
having those kind of people is very very important to us.
I know, we're on the radio, there's a lot of
people out there who probably listen to Austin City Limits. Right,
are you in Austin City Limits?
Speaker 1 (32:52):
Person, Chris, Not to upset the country music fans.
Speaker 3 (32:56):
No, okay, South that listen to Austin.
Speaker 1 (33:01):
I know it's been on and it's a very long time.
It's really good.
Speaker 3 (33:05):
It's been on forever. And when you think about, you know,
shows like that, and you want to think about, maybe, wow,
what if I could get tickets? I know, I want
to get tickets to some of the live you know
shows that broadcasts in the United States out and Los Angeles,
up in New York, places like that. I don't have
(33:26):
a direct person at Austin City Limits. But what we
did meet this week or this last week is the
lady who runs the hotel that's next to where they
film Austin City Limits. And she told us something that
we didn't know. What she told us was, yeah, I
can help you get tickets to Austin City Limits because
(33:48):
the same person that owns the hotel also owns the
theater right next door where they film Austin City Limits.
So those are the kinds of connections that I'm talking about,
you know, one to get in and see people like
Willie Nelson, Garth Brooks, Loretta lynn Lya love it. You know,
the Kings of Leon. She's got the way to get
(34:09):
you in for those those kinds of tickets. I think
those are really fantastic kinds of connections that we made
last week. I also made connections with somebody that introduced
me to a new place. I've heard of the Basque
region of Spain, but I never heard of a city
(34:30):
called bill Boo, bill Bao. If you're listening is is
you've heard of it? You should have been with me.
You would have would have made me sound a lot
more intelligent. It's one of those hot new destinations. It's
becoming a magnet for travelers because they offer something really
(34:51):
rare in Europe. They've got this cutting edge culture and
this deep, deep, an ancient identity, so it feels though
really modern and timeless at the same time. I didn't
know that there was a Guggenheim museum in Bilba. Oh
you probably knew that too, right, Chris.
Speaker 1 (35:11):
I didn't know that.
Speaker 3 (35:12):
Now, Yeah, there's a Guggenheim museum there. Like everybody knows
the Guggenheim, you wouldn't expect to find it in a
small Spanish town. But you also are a little bit
dum concerned sometimes when you send somebody to a small
small town, because you have to answer the question, what
(35:32):
are they going to do when they're there. Sure you
can sit on the beaches, Sure you can, you know,
admire a couple of castles. But having the Gugenheim Museum
there opened a whole new set of doors, and we
have a contact there that cannot only inform us about
something like that, but you can also make arrangements to
get us in and get those private tours, that guided
(35:54):
tours with a docent inside of a region like that.
She talked about some of the other things that we
would do in a small area like that, because that's
a question that I always asks, you know, why would
somebody want to go to this place. She introduced us
to a lot of things. Not only is the food
different from what you'll find in the rest of Spain.
(36:16):
They don't have just tapis like they do in the
other parts of Spain, but they have their own variety
of that. It's called it pinchell. Pinchell small breads with
meats on them. They put them together with they hold
it on top with a toothpick, so you go to
Spain expecting to get tapas. Now if you go to
(36:38):
this region, you're gonna eat pinchell and a lot of
other things. We were talking about the sports. They have
different sports that I've never heard of, and actually she
got me very interesting. I'd love to go in and
see some of this small, unknown, relatively new, attractive, you know,
(36:59):
touristic region. They're in Spain, and the best part of
it for summer travelers where it's located. You get a
destination that's on the Atlantic Ocean, and it's where the
people in Spain, the cities like Barcelona where they are
going now because with the changes in the temperature worldwide temperatures,
especially in the middle of summer, they are right on
(37:21):
the edge and they get the same kind of breezes
off the ocean that we get in the United States
on the Pacific Coast. Our new friend with the best
tourism board will connect us with the hotels and the
local culture in this region. Those are the kinds of
things that Ferry's talking about. They've seen go ahead. I
(37:46):
was to say.
Speaker 1 (37:46):
They also have the largest covered food market in Europe.
Speaker 3 (37:51):
Now, you know that's a place that you and I
will be right.
Speaker 1 (37:54):
Absolutely, me too. We will lose track of time for
a day while we're.
Speaker 3 (38:00):
Lock arms and we'll go through the food market. Yes,
we'll explore every corner there. One of the other things
I found that was very interesting. Paris is a big
attraction year round. Everybody wants to go to Paris. As
a matter of fact, when we were in Vegas, we
saw the Eiffel Tower, remember that. Yeah, Terry and I
(38:21):
were looking out the window at the Blagio.
Speaker 1 (38:23):
I don't think that's the real one though, Harry.
Speaker 3 (38:25):
Yeah, we figured that out, and we know that we
know where the real one is.
Speaker 1 (38:29):
And the Statue of Liberty there wasn't the real one either.
Speaker 3 (38:33):
It's not. Oh man, what about the Coney Island roller coaster?
Speaker 1 (38:38):
That's real?
Speaker 3 (38:39):
Okay. Anyhow, we met We met a lady there and
have a new contact. That's part of a age old
department store. This is a seven hundred and fifty thousand
square foot department store in the heart of Paris called
the Gallery Lafayette, and it's a fashion house. Lots of
(39:04):
other offers and services in there. This particular store dates
back to eighteen ninety four, and that's really interesting. The
building is fantastic. The architecture is fantastic. But our new
friend Fabian, she grants our visitors to Paris a special
(39:25):
access to a VIP shopping experience. And I'm not the
biggest shopper I know, Terry was. I think you were
a little more excited about this than I was. But
it's a shopping experience that includes you go into this
department store and they have a special lounge for our visitors,
a special lounge when you go into a department store,
(39:46):
and that lounge is stocked with refreshments, snacks. If you
happen to show up on Friday afternoon, you'll be invited
to a private fashion show. You'll be guarded, you'll be
supplied any day you go in there. If you want
a personal shopper, if you do some shopping in this
department store, who wants to move all their purchases back
(40:09):
to the hotel while you're out in the middle of
sight seeing in Paris, Chris, that doesn't sound exciting, does it.
Speaker 1 (40:15):
No, I want somebody to do that for me.
Speaker 3 (40:17):
Well they do, they do. They'll deliver it free to
your hotel. And not only that, but one of the
things in Europe they have something called EVAT tax, the
value added tax that's refundable and you go through a
process and you can get that back. It's as much
as twelve percent of your purchase. Well, that's a big
(40:39):
hassle to have to go through. So what do you
think this place will do for you?
Speaker 1 (40:43):
They take care of it for you.
Speaker 3 (40:44):
They take care of that. You sit down at a
desk before you leave. They take the receipts that you've
accumulated from your purchases, and they process your refund for
you while you're wandering around shopping. They had food and
beverage in the lounge, but they also have food tasting bars.
(41:05):
I wouldn't compare to Costco, but I think much more elegant.
But they have food tasting bars throughout the store that's
offering different French delicacies there and produce and products from
around the world. You might want to stop and have
a little coffee or refreshment, so they have cafes and
(41:25):
bars throughout the store. But if you're part of this
special group, you might choose to visit the rooftop bar
because from the rooftop bar, that's where you're going to
get the exclusive ability to look around while you're sipping
your coffee or your bottle of French wine, and you
might see the Eiffel Tower, Montparnasse Tower, the Opera House,
(41:51):
anything like that in Paris. And if you're in Paris,
why wouldn't you want to see those things while you're
in a big shopping store. Another great connection. The next
time you go to Paris, be sure to let us
help you with that will get you that pass so
that you can have all those wonderful, wonderful experiences.
Speaker 2 (42:11):
And I love these. I mean these are real people
offering our clients real experiences and real personal.
Speaker 3 (42:22):
You know.
Speaker 2 (42:22):
Connection. That's the word. I mean, that's the word of today.
Shows that is the connection. There was one more that
kind of struck me that I really had to mention today,
and that's from a property called Curtain Bluff Resort in Antigua.
And I got to tell you the gentleman there that
we met, man by the name of Robert Sherman. He
(42:45):
was probably as rough as any old cobb you ever
wanted to meet in your life. I mean, he could
just as well have been somebody here from the valley
who was sitting on the front porch of an old
country store. But he was the owner of Curtain Bluff.
He buddy, he had some stories to tell. Let me
tell you. And what he said to me was very enlightening.
(43:09):
First of all, the man loves what he does. He
loves this property. He loves it so much. He lives
on property as he's home there. And he goes, yeah,
you know, Darry, you want to send somebody to Curtain Bluff, which,
by the way, I need to tell you is a
five star Michelin starred restaurant resort property. So as rough
(43:30):
as a cob as he was. This property certainly didn't
align with his personality, though it did align with the
Virtuoso products. But he said, yeah, you want to send
me somebody. He goes, I live right on property. You
tell me they're a VIP to you. I'll invite him
right into my home, sit down with my best bottle
(43:50):
of bourbon, and we will have ourselves a conversation. And
I thought, who does that? You know? I know this
guy now, I know if I called him and said, hey, Robert,
remember me, I was in Las Vegas with you at
the virtue OsO week. I do have a client. I
want to have some real VIP treatment. I know you're
(44:12):
gonna like them if you don't mind. If that bourbon
offer is still good, you know I'm going to take
you up on that. But those are the kind of
things that we're talking about. And here's the interesting thing.
It's been easier to book travel yourself online for many
years now. And you can sit down on your sofa
tonight and you can book a flight to Paris. You
(44:33):
can reserve a hotel, you can buy a tour. You
absolutely can do that. But the internet can make a reservation,
it can't create a relationship, and relationships still matter enormously
in travel. If I know the general manager, if our
(44:54):
agency has a relationship with that hotel, if they're part
of our Virtuo is So network, and they know we're
trusting them with one of our clients, that reservation might
suddenly carry a little more meaning than what you did online.
Not because we're asking anybody to treat anybody unfairly. We're
(45:17):
just simply saying, hey, this traveler matters to us, please
please take good care of them. And there's something wonderfully
old fashioned about that in this very digital world, don't
you think. I mean, I can't imagine losing the personal
touch in this travel industry, that is what for forty
(45:38):
eight years I have loved with all my heart is
that personal connection. So honestly, the next time you're planning
a vacation, don't just ask how much is the room?
I want you to ask what kind of experience do
I want? Do I need transportation and a place to sleep?
(46:01):
Sometimes it's exactly what you need. But if this is
your honeymoon, your anniversary, your first trip to Europe, the
family trip you've been saving for, maybe it's the one
that you talked about at your last family reunion. Maybe
it's that bucket list journey you've dreamed about for ten years.
Maybe you're going to want something just a little bit
(46:23):
more than an airline ticket and a hotel accommodation. Maybe
you want somebody waiting on the other side when you
get off the plane on the tarmac, who already knows
you're coming. And that's why we spent a very long,
very hot week in Las Vegas, Because while our clients
might never meet all of those people I have, and
(46:44):
when I call them and I say I've got some
really special travelers coming your way, I want them to
know exactly who's calling. Because at the Wishing Well. We
don't want to just get you somewhere. We want to
make sure that when you arrive, everybody is glad to
see you there, and that really now we've started to
(47:08):
redefine I think luxury is and what the VIP treatment
really is.
Speaker 1 (47:13):
I love this topic today. We have just got a
couple of minutes left. When we come back, I want
to sort of wrap up what the entire series of
the Keys to a Great Vacation have been, and we'll
talk a little bit more about connection, talking a little
bit more about who you met while you were in
Las Vegas over the past week and a half. And
(47:36):
I just really look forward to the next few minutes
as we talk about the Keys to a great vacation
here on a life less ordinary.
Speaker 3 (47:44):
Who would think of driving off to a new destination
without guidance from Google or Syria? It's not 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 track and keep you connected with our team of experts.
For help, if you need it, call us at five
(48:04):
four zero nine zero eight two, three, three three, stop
by two forty three nef Avenue or visit us at
the Wishingwell dot bizz.
Speaker 1 (48:13):
And welcome back to a lifeless sordinary. Every Saturday morning
we talked travel and this Saturday no different. We're here
with Terry Dean and Harry Rife from the wishing Well.
They're on ne f Avenue and Harrisonburg. Also online. You
can find them at the wishing Well dot fizz or
get him a call it five four h nine oh
eight twenty three thirty three. When we started this episode today,
(48:35):
by the way, it's called the Keys to a Great Vacation,
and we're talking about connections. It's one of the golden
keys that a few weeks ago Terry Sischy was going
to lay out on the table for us. And so
as we continue to talk about connections. We started off
the show by talking about how the two of you
went to Las Vegas and you spent your week meeting
(48:56):
with general managers and owners of hotels and resorts and
different establishments. And my thought was, Oh, we're going to
be talking about all the hotels in Las Vegas. That's
who I thought you were meeting with. And we have
spent our whole show talking about you met with an
owner of a hotel and a husband and wife team
(49:17):
in Germany, and you talked about Italy, and we've talked
about I don't remember where we went with the guy
who's going to invite me into his house and we're
going to have bourbon Antigo Antigua? Is that where you said?
And so I'm curious, do we have any locations people
that you met here local or you know when I
(49:39):
say local, in the States, that you've established those relationships
with as well.
Speaker 3 (49:44):
Most certainly New York City is a great location in
the United States. We spent time with the general manager
of the Waldo for a story just reopened after an
extensive and I think one of the most expensive hotel
remodels in history they opened, and one of the things
(50:05):
that he shared with us he said, you know, when
a tennis season hits, we convert one of our ballrooms
into a tennis court. Can you imagine interesting Waldorf Festoria
and having the ballroom be a tennis court. And not
only that, Chris, but they bring in some of the
(50:27):
top players from the tournaments. And if your hotel guest,
they have stands set up there, so you can watch
them practice for the tournament while you're staying at the
Waldorfest story before you go across the street to Central
Park and take a carriage ride, or go downtown and
enjoy dinner or whatever you're going to be doing in
(50:49):
New York City. We've got that kind of connection at home.
That's the kind of thing you're asking about.
Speaker 1 (50:54):
Yeah, that's perfect.
Speaker 3 (50:56):
Well, let me give you another one that we met.
There was amazing Metafello from upstate or upstate Vermont. They
have a resort there where couples can go. It's an
all inclusive resort, and by that I mean all all inclusive,
not just food and beverage, but every bit of entertainment
(51:18):
that you can want. They operate across country skiing operation
in the summertime or excuse me, in a winter time.
And also maybe you want to go downhill skiing. This
is a small resort, kind of a very intimate kind
of place with only three hundred acres, but they wanted
(51:40):
to have skiing and they have hills in Vermont, so
they said, we'll do downhill skiing and they bring you
up and down the hills in a little four wheel
drive vehicle and you have skiing, and of course if
you're in Vermont, this kind of place has the connections.
So you don't have to bring your cross country skis,
you don't have to bring your downhill skis. They supply
(52:02):
the skis, they supply the masks, they supply everything. Or
if you're there in the summertime, maybe you want to
go out and do a breakfast in the in the
woods on one of the trails. They'll provide those kinds
of things for you. These are the kinds of experiences.
These are the kinds of connections that I think make
travel just truly magnificent. And if you have the right connections,
(52:25):
you have access, you have the keys to get into
these kinds of properties, this kind of service.
Speaker 1 (52:32):
So I wish I had the connections you have, but
I think I kind of do because I know you, Uh.
Speaker 3 (52:39):
You do, so everybody listening, And the same truth for
everybody listening. All you got to do is call and
ask us, you know, to get you into these places.
We're delighted to do that, Chris, That's what we do.
Speaker 1 (52:53):
So that's perfect. Tell me the telephone number, Tell me
how we can find more information about all the connections.
You have to elevate our next luxury travel experience.
Speaker 2 (53:05):
Absolutely chrispher the Keys to a Great Vacation. You're gonna
call us at five four oh nine oh eight two
three three three. You can find us at two forty
three f Avenue located in Harsonburg, Virginia, or look us
up on the web. We are at the Wishingwell dot biz.
Speaker 1 (53:22):
This has been a life less ordinary. The travel show
and podcasts from your friends at the wishing Well. They're
at two forty three f Avenue in Harrisonburg. If you
have any questions on topics discussed today, please reach out
to the wishing Well online at the Wishingwell dot biz
or call five four oh nine oh eight twenty three
thirty three. Past episodes are available on the iHeartRadio Lab
(53:44):
and we'll see you again next Saturday morning at ten
for a life less Ordinary from the wishing Well
This is a Lifeless Ordinary, the travel showing podcast from
your friends at the wishing Well two forty three f
Avenue and Harrisonburg and online at the wishing Well Don
PiZZ The wishing Well is your ultimate luxury concierge, travel
agency and a lifeless Ordinary. It's a travel showing podcast
hosted by Terry Dean, bringing her over forty years of
experience in the travel industry to help guide you to
(00:21):
great experiences in your travel, whether it be around the block,
around the country, or around the world. Now let's bring
in Terry Dean and say hello.
Speaker 2 (00:29):
Chris, Hi, good morning. It's a great Saturday.
Speaker 1 (00:33):
Happy weekend, Terry.
Speaker 2 (00:34):
Yes, indeed, happy weekend to you as well.
Speaker 1 (00:37):
And Harry Rife joins us as he does many Saturdays.
It's good to see you, Harry.
Speaker 3 (00:42):
Good to see you too. And I'll say that every
weekend is a happy weekend.
Speaker 1 (00:46):
I agree, especially when we get to talk about our
favorite topic, which is travelravel.
Speaker 3 (00:52):
Yep.
Speaker 1 (00:53):
So what's new?
Speaker 2 (00:54):
Well, you know, I mean we have. I think we've
been having some fun here on the show, been enjoying
it anyway. And I know a lot of clients have
been calling and letting us know that they enjoy the show,
they've been enjoying our keys that we've been laying out
for folks as to how they can have a great vacation.
(01:14):
So I'm really happy, you know the I do have
to say, we want to extend an absolute humble thanks
to all of you who listen to us week after week,
Saturday after Saturday. We sure are proud that you sit
down with us on Saturday mornings and share the great
(01:36):
world of travel.
Speaker 3 (01:38):
And I want to say welcome to those of you
out there who are listening for the first time, well
the second time, or maybe even the third time, the
new people. We love having you join us. We love
reminding you that all the podcasts are out there. I know, Chris,
You've got you do the details on that better than
I do. But we love the fact that you come
(02:01):
and talk to us, you call us, and you refer
to some of the things that you've heard us talking about.
That's so exciting to know that we are hitting the
mark with topics that people are interested in.
Speaker 2 (02:14):
And speaking of the you know what's been going on. Chris,
Harry and I have just come back from Las Vegas,
where we attended the Virtuoso Week and we're going to
be talking about that a lot more in the show.
But I want to say it was a wonderful, productive
(02:34):
time and I wouldn't have it any other way. I mean,
these are the moments that make us better in this industry.
And because we're better, we hope then that that translates
to better trips, more fulfilling trips, more curated trips for
those who listen to us right here.
Speaker 1 (02:52):
So Vegas and August, that's a good time.
Speaker 3 (02:57):
Not really.
Speaker 2 (02:58):
It's to one hundred and fifteen outside and you could
probably almost hang meat inside.
Speaker 3 (03:06):
Thank god. It rained a couple of days while we
were out there, which is very very unusual.
Speaker 2 (03:11):
For yeahe or not. It rained in the desert.
Speaker 1 (03:13):
So Becca and I we got married in the end
of July and we went to Vegas for our honeymoon.
So it was the beginning of August. And my joke
has always been, but it's a dry heat, except except
for in August, as they're dealing with what is it,
they're monsoon season, when it's actually they actually do get
some rain and then the humidity picks up. I mean,
(03:36):
I love Vegas. I've never been to Vegas where I've
left and thought, well, that was a mistake. I've always
loved it. O man, maybe go in the fall.
Speaker 2 (03:46):
Very definitely go in the spring or in the fall,
that would be ideal. But I will tell you, I
have to share with you my favorite experience while I
was in Las Vegas this time, and it was a
brand new event for me. But it just so happens
to be an event that we can book four clients.
(04:07):
And I love that whenever I have these great experiences,
and I know that you can share in them too.
But this was a foody tour that ended with a
helicopter tour over the strip, and so we started at
the tour took us to three different Michelin starred restaurants.
(04:31):
One was Mexican, one was French, and one was African,
believe it or not. And these places were magnificent in
style and decorps and many of them. Of the three,
you had to have a minimum spend were you to
(04:51):
be mister John Smith right off the street who wanted
to utilize these private rooms that we were taken into.
Your minimum spend for drinks and ordures had to start
at five thousand dollars.
Speaker 3 (05:05):
To get the room that we were in yeah wow,
yeah wow.
Speaker 2 (05:10):
And then we walked These are restaurants that are normally
just blocked for weeks in advance, and they can have
sometimes as much as an hour to two hour wait
at the door, and when we arrived, they just walked
us right past the line and we went to our
(05:31):
private room where the chef came out and told us
all about what he was serving. It was an incredible experience.
But then we were chauffeured over to the helipad close
to the Las Vegas Airport, where we boarded a private
helicopter and toured the entire strip at night with all
(05:53):
the lights on. It was something to behold.
Speaker 3 (05:56):
It was amazing to see that new sphere that people
have been talking about in Las Vegas. Did it. They
didn't set up a special display for it but for us,
But it was pretty good nonetheless, and Terry said, we
flew over the strip. That's kind of true. Actually we
flew along the strip. We were flying so I could
(06:18):
look to my left and look to my right and
look into hotels. So that's the level we were at.
We were down that low. It was an amazing, exhilarating experience.
And they did it after they filled our little tummies
full of some tremendous food, but the food stayed because
(06:39):
the experience was so amazing. Wasn't spad at all.
Speaker 2 (06:42):
It was definitely experience I would highly recommend.
Speaker 1 (06:45):
I am very jealous.
Speaker 3 (06:46):
Yeah, that's a lifeless ordinary, Chris. It is truly is
a lifeless ordinary.
Speaker 1 (06:52):
If there are any people that I know that live
a lifeless ordinary as their life mantra, it's the two
of you.
Speaker 3 (07:00):
Thank you'all take that as a big compliment.
Speaker 1 (07:03):
Yeah, so you mentioned earlier that we were talking about
Keys to a Great Vacation. This has been a series
that we've been doing over the past few weeks, and Harry,
you did mention about being able to go and listen
to previous editions of our podcast A Lifeless Ordinary, And yes,
you can find those at the wishing Well dot biz.
(07:23):
In the upper right hand corner. You'll see the Hamburger menu.
You click on that, those are the three little lines
by the way. You click on that, it will open
up a menu. You'll see a link for a Lifeless
Ordinary and it's all searchable. So whatever the topic that
you would like more information about, or if you have
a show that you remember hearing in the past that
you'd like to go back and revisit. Just type in
(07:44):
a keyword there and it'll take you right to any
of the podcasts that relate, including the first three versions
or episodes of our series The Keys to a Great Vacation,
and the first of this series we talked about land
and how to build around a dream. Part two of
the Keys to a Great Vacation is when the hotel
(08:06):
is never just a hotel, and then last week we
talked about private membership. And this week, as we take
part four in, we're going to be talking about connections.
And it sounds like you guys have connections.
Speaker 2 (08:21):
We are we are and whether you're at the beginning
of the choice of an amazing landmark and you want
to build your travel memories around that, Chris, or maybe
you want to select one of the world's most unique
resort properties or private clubs that you talked about and
live like a celebrity, albeit on the down low, because
(08:43):
if you listen to that show, you know it's not
all about showing off your glitz, It's about experiences. Our
episodes of the real Keys to a Great Vacation, no
matter which direction is driving, you are all about you
doing you. You get to choose, you get to formulate
(09:05):
the recipe, you get to ultimately determine your own powerful,
memorable travel outcome, all with the element of choice. So
I want to add yet another key today to our toolbox.
And I'm going to call this connections, because I think
(09:28):
this is how it really fits into that big box
that we're trying to open called travel. With all of
these golden keys. And you know, Chris, it's getting easy
to have a dream. We all do, right, I mean,
everybody has a dream, but what we sometimes need help with,
(09:49):
quite frankly, are the mechanics of how to turn that
dream into a tangible experience. And I will tell you
for the at in most any case, no matter what
it is you're dreaming of, it's rare that people know
themselves how to put the puzzle puzzles pieces into place
(10:14):
so that they can curate that experience themselves. They need
an expert. And that really is part and parcel of
what we're talking about today when I say connections, making
those connections are indeed the priceless and the secret sauce
to turning your dream into a tangible vacation. So can
(10:38):
you put a dream together with an airline ticket and
a hotel reservation. Sure you can, you can certainly start there.
Nothing prevents you from doing that. That may even be
the start of your dream. But then what, how then
do you live the dream when you land? Where's the
(11:00):
magic spot? Not to be missed? When you get where
you're going? You don't speak the language, you can't read
a lot of the signs, you don't know where to
begin your journey when you land. So again, now what Well?
The answer to many, if not all, of these travel
(11:20):
intrepidations can be answered for you. So I'm going to
explain that. And I'm going to ask you, Chris. I mean,
when you have booked your own travel, you've done something
on your own. Isn't that pretty much the way you
do it? You buy the airline ticket, you get the
(11:41):
hotel reservation, and then I know a little bit about you.
I know you don't mind just sort of setting off
on your own. But doesn't that feel or have some
intrepidation to it for you?
Speaker 3 (11:52):
Oh?
Speaker 1 (11:53):
Yeah, yeah? And I will say, just because in the
past that's the way I have traveled. I did that
because I didn't know any better.
Speaker 2 (12:01):
Right now you do?
Speaker 1 (12:03):
Now, I do, and I will tell you I will
never travel that way again. Yeah, because yeah, I you know,
I can think of a couple of big trips that
I did where I just went, well, we'll see what happens.
And I had fun. I did have a good time,
but I didn't know what I didn't know. And now
that I do know what, you know what could have
(12:24):
been If I would have had somebody like the Wishing Well,
you know, Terry Dean and Harry Rife sitting down with
me and learning a little bit about my hopes and dreams,
I think I would have had even more amazing time.
Speaker 2 (12:38):
Yeah, and there you have it. I mean, that's the
voice of experience. And I know I told you. We
spent a good bit of time this past week at
the Virtuoso Travel Week in Las Vegas, and really heat aside.
I just came back from what was probably one of
the most important weeks of the entire year for us
in the travel industry, and Chris, I know, some body
(13:00):
listening out there this morning is probably saying, well, Terry,
isn't that just wonderful you went to Las Vegas? So
why in the world should I care? Well, I think
that's a fair question. But here's what you should know
and why you should care. I spent that time, Chris,
actually sitting face to face with more than a hundred hoteliers,
(13:25):
general managers, crews, executives, tour operators, and travel partners from
all around the world. And we don't do that just
to collect business cards. We do it to build relationships
because those relationships can ultimately change the way you travel
(13:49):
and the way we help you travel. So what does
that actually mean? Well, I want to give you an example, Chris,
because I think this is what clearly paints the picture
of what actually you were even trying to say. I
want you to imagine that you've just landed in let's
say Milan, Italy, and you've been flying all night, you're tired,
(14:14):
you're in a foreign country, maybe it's your first trip
to Italy, and you get out of your transfer car
and you walk into this beautiful hotel in the heart
of Milan and the general manager is standing there waiting
for you, and he says, welcome, We've been expecting you.
(14:37):
Chris Carmichael, A little bit like mister Rourke on Fantasy Island.
You remember that show.
Speaker 3 (14:42):
I do.
Speaker 2 (14:44):
Yeah, So mister Rourke actually exists. We know him. He's
going to greet our clients when they get to Milan.
But I want you to think about how differently that
trip just started.
Speaker 1 (14:56):
Weep.
Speaker 2 (14:59):
Yeah, I'm sure it did. But here's the deal. You're
no longer simply somebody who booked room for one to
two at this Milan hotel. They know who you are.
Maybe your room isn't quite ready yet because you've arrived
a little earlier than check in, but that's not a problem.
(15:20):
They're gonna take you into the dining room. They're going
to invite you to have breakfast, get you settled in
and comfortable, And while you're eating, the concierge walks over
and says, excuse me, Chris, we're so glad you're here.
Let me tell you about a few places in Milan
that I think you're gonna love while you're here. That's
not necessarily going to be the places on every top
(15:43):
ten list. Maybe it's gonna be the little restaurant around
the corner where all the locals go. Maybe it's gonna
be a neighborhood you wouldn't have thought to explore had
you not had that greeting. Maybe it's knowing when to
visit aticular attraction, so you aren't standing in a line
(16:03):
for two hours. And yes, in this particular case, there
was even access to the hotel's complementary Bentley.
Speaker 1 (16:14):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (16:15):
Yeah, now we're traveling. But here's what I want people
to understand that that isn't really about the Bentley. That
whole story, that's not about the Bentley. The Bentley's fun.
Of course it's fun. But the important part I want
you to hear in that story and I want you
to remember and those of you listening, please know this.
(16:37):
All of that is for me to say to you.
It's the recognition that you're going to get when you
walk in. And that's what makes the difference. That it's
knowing that somebody on the other side of the world,
somebody important, knew you were coming and we were actually
(16:57):
able to make that happened for you.
Speaker 3 (17:01):
And what's especially interesting about this scenario that Terry's talking
about is we're really we like to think we're really
good at the wishing well. We like to think that
we'll send you to the right places. We like to
think that we'll get you in, you know, to the
head of the line and at attractions, things like that,
but as good as we are, we can't be as
(17:24):
good as the general manager or the concierge in a
local hotel that's really truly got your best interests at
heart and is on the ground locally, those folks have
an advantage over even us.
Speaker 1 (17:40):
Chris, it really sounds like that between the wishing well
and the general manager of that hotel or the concierge,
you guys are a team that are looking out for me,
because it neither none of this happens if only one
of you is looking out for me.
Speaker 2 (17:56):
Right, It's a well oiled machine, is what I like
to say, because because without us, they don't have the clients,
and without them, our clients don't have an experience. And
we need each other, and we feed off of each other,
and that enthusiasm affects our customers and the travelers and
(18:17):
their customers and patrons, and Chris, there's something else travelers
don't always realize. And I want to make this point too.
Two people can stay at exactly the same hotel on
the exact same dates and have two completely different experiences.
One person booked a room. The other person arrived as
(18:42):
a recognized guest. They arrived as a guest from the
Wishing Well, and there's a difference. Yes, Harry, you're right.
Maybe there's a note, a handwritten note waiting in the room.
Maybe there's breakfast included that otherwise this hotel doesn't offer.
(19:03):
Maybe there's a hotel credit that says enjoy yourself at
the spa. Maybe there's an upgrade availability that will take
you from a standard room to something superior or deluxe.
And maybe somebody knew it was your anniversary before you
arrived and dared to help you celebrate that right inside
(19:26):
that property. And maybe the concierge already knew that you
loved great Italian food, but you don't like touristy restaurants
that everybody else goes to. So they knew that because
we told them that, and they're going to recommend only
the best local spots for you. Those little touches individually
(19:49):
might not sound enormous, but you put them all together,
and that's what makes a trip feel special. And that's
one of the things we work very hard to create
for our travelers at the Wishing Well. And that is
exactly why Harry and I took hours out of the
(20:10):
day in the last week and a half to sit
down with these general managers and hoteliers and tour operators
and cruise lin hosts and everybody who works with us
alongside in the travel industry to make things better for you.
Speaker 3 (20:26):
And you didn't mention, Terry. We not only met all
that list of people that you talked about, we also
met folks who owned the properties, families that owned some
of these hotels you're talking about, you know, hotels with
you know, twenty five thirty five rooms in you mentioned
Milan cities across Italy, cities across Spain, cities across Germany.
(20:52):
We met one gentleman whose wife was the general manager
of the hotel and he was the on site guy
that coordinated all the logistics. So a husband and wife team.
And that's why this show today is titled Connections. Are
we starting to make that real clear? Chris? Yeah? And connections? Connections?
Speaker 1 (21:12):
And when you talk about this, you know, I just
keep sort of having these moments where I think, Man,
I want to know these people. I want to be
able to go experience these places, and they're I mean,
I don't know, I'm pretty persuasive. I might be able
to get on to pick up the phone and talk
to me, but not as easily as you can. They
know your name.
Speaker 2 (21:32):
I want to tell you, it was pretty humbling, honestly,
if I'm being one hundred percent honest, I was very
humbled because there were some meetings like Harry alluded to,
where we were sitting across from a hotel owner who
did not look at all like they probably owned this
(21:53):
five star, beautiful, immassive hotel property resort, and in the
exchange of business information, who are you versus who are you?
I would often ask are you the owner? Are you
the general manager? And many times when they said yes,
(22:15):
I'm the owner of this property. I mean, that was
a moment for me. It was like, man, I'm not
even worthy to sit here with some of these people
who are who own these properties that I get to
send people to. And it was great. I mean, so
(22:35):
when I tell you that I spent more than a
week in Vegas with over one hundred travel partners, this
is what we're talking about. And I sat across from
the table from people representing extraordinary hotels and travel experiences
all over the world, and Chris, I wasn't asking how
much does your hotel cost? I wanted to know what
(22:59):
can you do for my travelers? What happens when I
send somebody to you celebrating a fortieth anniversary? What can
you arrange for the family taking their children to Europe
for the first time? And what can you do for
my honeymoon couple? And by the way, what about the
couple who's nervous about visiting a foreign country in the
first place? What can you show them that they can't
(23:21):
find by googling the top ten things to do? That's
the conversation. That's the one we had, and that's why
those meetings matter so much.
Speaker 1 (23:32):
Our show today's entitled The Keys to a Great Vacation.
This is part four of our series and we are
talking about connections. Terry Dan and Harry Rife have those
connections and they want to connect you with those people
as well. We are going to continue this conversation when
we come back here on a life less ordinary.
Speaker 3 (23:51):
Who would think of driving off to a new destination
without guidance from Google to Syria? It's not the Wishing
World guide your next travel experience. Travel the world is
you enjoy the very best destinations and all they offer
at the best prices. Our mobile travel app keeps your
vacation on track. It keeps you connected with our team
of experts for help. If you need it, call us
(24:11):
at five four zero nine zero eight two three three three, stop,
buy two forty three and nef Avenue, or visit us
at the Wishingwell dot.
Speaker 1 (24:20):
Biz and welcome back to a Lifeless Ordinary, the travel
show and podcast from your friends at the Wishing Well.
You can find them on f Avenue and Harrisonburg, also
online at the Wishingwell dot biz or give a call
five four oh nine oh eight twenty three thirty three
and they would love to talk to you because they've
got connections. They want to put you in touch with
(24:43):
the people who are going to make your vacation or
your holiday, your getaway absolutely unforgettable. Our show today is
entitled The Keys to a Great Vacation. This is part
four of our series. If you'd like to listen to
the first three episodes in this series, head to the
Wishing Weld dot biz. You can find a link in
(25:04):
the Emperor right hand corner for past episodes, or you
can listen on the iHeartRadio app or wherever you listen
to your podcast. All right, Terry, I'm excited. You know
the people who are gonna make this happen for my
dream getaway. What's the next step.
Speaker 2 (25:21):
Yeah, so I think Chris, we've kind of gotten this
idea that VIP travel means what private jets, presidential suites
and maybe spending an outrageous amount of money. And it can.
I mean that's certainly possible. It can. And if that's
your thing, trust me, we can talk. I'd love to
(25:43):
talk to you. But that is not how After all
this time, we've spent on a lifeless ordinary from the
very beginning, and we've talked about what it is. This
is not how I define luxury. Okay, luxury is personal. Personal.
Sometimes it's just having somebody to know your name. That
(26:05):
can be what makes a luxurious experience for somebody. Sometimes
it's arriving at your hotel at nine o'clock in the
morning after an overnight flight and somebody says, don't worry,
we got you. And that actually happened to me at
the Four Seasons in Nashville, Tennessee. I will never forget
that young lady as long as I live. She was
(26:25):
a godsend when I had had to get up at
four o'clock in the morning only to think my room
was not going to be ready till three o'clock. She said, girl,
I got you, and they put me in a room
right away so I could take a nap before my meetings.
I love the four Seasons. I will be forever in
her debt. But sometimes it's actually just getting a room
(26:47):
with a beautiful view instead of staring at the air
conditioning equipment on the lower level. And sometimes it's having
breakfast included every morning so you're not pulling your credit
card out before you've ever even had coffee. Might be
the concierge getting you into that restaurant you couldn't get
into yourself. And sometimes it's having somebody to call when
(27:11):
something doesn't go according to plan. And I'm going to
tell you, by my definition, that is luxury. It's not
necessarily about spending more money. It's about getting more value
from the money you're spending. And don't we all want that?
I mean, isn't that what everybody wants?
Speaker 3 (27:32):
Oh?
Speaker 2 (27:33):
Yeah, I mean I think that just makes sense.
Speaker 3 (27:36):
Hit it on the hit the nail on the head, Terry.
When you talk about spending, you know, we all think
rock stars, and you know the kinds of rooms they get,
the kind of transportation they get. And we talk about
that a lot in the show, and maybe maybe we
talk about it too much sometimes, because what you're talking
about now is, in fact the definition of luck. Luxury
(28:01):
means not having to worry. Things are covered, things are
taken care of, and people are being thoughtful about you.
They're happy to see you there, they're happy to share
what they have, and they don't show up with an attitude.
They show up with a really great attitude, okay, one
(28:22):
that says you're here, We're happy you're here, and they
treat you as a friend, they treat you as a
known entity. I think that's what you were talking about earlier,
Chris too. And that's the reason that we go to
places like Vegas for these meetings, and we do it
once a year, and they're tedious, they can be hellish
with the temperatures and things. But when we walk away
(28:43):
from them, we do walk away with some really valuable context,
some really valuable names, and some really valuable tools so
we can use on behalf of our travelers.
Speaker 2 (28:54):
And I hope right now a lot of people are
sitting there at home this morning, going, well, don't keep
us in suspense. Who the heck did you all talk
to anyway? Who were these people? Who were the properties?
Where were they? What can you tell us about some
of the experiences that you shared with these individuals. So
(29:15):
this morning, when we were preparing for the show, I said, Harry,
why don't you take some of the notes that we
took while we were in Las Vegas and share with
our listeners who some of these properties were or the
experiences were, and kind of pull the curtain back a
little bit. You get to be the Wizard of Oz
this morning and let people see a little bit of
(29:37):
what we experienced.
Speaker 3 (29:38):
Well, I'm going to start by talking about the person
that I talked about a little bit earlier, and that
was the fellow with the German tourism hosting agency. His
name is Sasha and his wife is a manager one
of the well known Munich hotels. And we met with
him because he was trying to talk about his serviss
(30:00):
all the things they can do from when you when
you come into an airport, and particularly some of the
airports in Germany. I'm thinking about Frankfurt in particular, one
of the toughest airports uh to navigate if you're not familiar,
because it's huge. It's it's like going into a LaGuardia
or an O'Hare airport, Chris. It's just a lot of
(30:22):
things going on, and everything's written in German. They have
some English underneath, but you got to look for it.
His company helps people navigate through that. But his wife's
the manager that of that well known Munich hotel, and
I know the next time I send somebody to Germany,
I'm going to very seriously consider using him to help
(30:44):
with some of the logistics and using her hotel, because
that'll tie the two together. Both of them are indebted
to us because we met both of them at this conference.
They met, you know, indirectly, we met his wife through him,
but they're both going to be indebted to us to
make sure our people have a wonderful time if you're
(31:07):
going someplace, that's a great thing. We met somebody else
that was a person that really was interested in biking.
It's a company called back Roads that we work. We
have some contacts there and I got to ask a
lot of the questions. When I think of back roads
and back roads adventures. People listening may may have used
(31:29):
them or have seen them on the internet. They do
some tremendous athletic kinds of adventures, things that I wish
I could do, but I couldn't have the time to
do some of those early on in my career, and
now I do. And I got to ask them some questions.
I got to ask them specifically, what about people that are,
(31:49):
you know, not twenty years old, thirty years old, who
do like to bike, but maybe we might need a
little bit of assistance He says, oh yeah. He talked
about the things that they have available for electric bikes.
They talk about how they have different kinds of hiking
and camping expeditions where they are specially geared to people
(32:11):
who may have dietary kinds of restrictions or constraints that
I didn't think that these companies could serve those kind
of people, but we learned about that and now we
have the great people that can help us with that.
And that's true whether you're thinking about going biking around
the coast of Croatia or biking around and looking at
(32:34):
some of the castles and the beaches in Portugal. So
having those kind of people is very very important to us.
I know, we're on the radio, there's a lot of
people out there who probably listen to Austin City Limits. Right,
are you in Austin City Limits?
Speaker 1 (32:52):
Person, Chris, Not to upset the country music fans.
Speaker 3 (32:56):
No, okay, South that listen to Austin.
Speaker 1 (33:01):
I know it's been on and it's a very long time.
It's really good.
Speaker 3 (33:05):
It's been on forever. And when you think about, you know,
shows like that, and you want to think about, maybe, wow,
what if I could get tickets? I know, I want
to get tickets to some of the live you know
shows that broadcasts in the United States out and Los Angeles,
up in New York, places like that. I don't have
(33:26):
a direct person at Austin City Limits. But what we
did meet this week or this last week is the
lady who runs the hotel that's next to where they
film Austin City Limits. And she told us something that
we didn't know. What she told us was, yeah, I
can help you get tickets to Austin City Limits because
(33:48):
the same person that owns the hotel also owns the
theater right next door where they film Austin City Limits.
So those are the kinds of connections that I'm talking about,
you know, one to get in and see people like
Willie Nelson, Garth Brooks, Loretta lynn Lya love it. You know,
the Kings of Leon. She's got the way to get
(34:09):
you in for those those kinds of tickets. I think
those are really fantastic kinds of connections that we made
last week. I also made connections with somebody that introduced
me to a new place. I've heard of the Basque
region of Spain, but I never heard of a city
(34:30):
called bill Boo, bill Bao. If you're listening is is
you've heard of it? You should have been with me.
You would have would have made me sound a lot
more intelligent. It's one of those hot new destinations. It's
becoming a magnet for travelers because they offer something really
(34:51):
rare in Europe. They've got this cutting edge culture and
this deep, deep, an ancient identity, so it feels though
really modern and timeless at the same time. I didn't
know that there was a Guggenheim museum in Bilba. Oh
you probably knew that too, right, Chris.
Speaker 1 (35:11):
I didn't know that.
Speaker 3 (35:12):
Now, Yeah, there's a Guggenheim museum there. Like everybody knows
the Guggenheim, you wouldn't expect to find it in a
small Spanish town. But you also are a little bit
dum concerned sometimes when you send somebody to a small
small town, because you have to answer the question, what
(35:32):
are they going to do when they're there. Sure you
can sit on the beaches, Sure you can, you know,
admire a couple of castles. But having the Gugenheim Museum
there opened a whole new set of doors, and we
have a contact there that cannot only inform us about
something like that, but you can also make arrangements to
get us in and get those private tours, that guided
(35:54):
tours with a docent inside of a region like that.
She talked about some of the other things that we
would do in a small area like that, because that's
a question that I always asks, you know, why would
somebody want to go to this place. She introduced us
to a lot of things. Not only is the food
different from what you'll find in the rest of Spain.
(36:16):
They don't have just tapis like they do in the
other parts of Spain, but they have their own variety
of that. It's called it pinchell. Pinchell small breads with
meats on them. They put them together with they hold
it on top with a toothpick, so you go to
Spain expecting to get tapas. Now if you go to
(36:38):
this region, you're gonna eat pinchell and a lot of
other things. We were talking about the sports. They have
different sports that I've never heard of, and actually she
got me very interesting. I'd love to go in and
see some of this small, unknown, relatively new, attractive, you know,
(36:59):
touristic region. They're in Spain, and the best part of
it for summer travelers where it's located. You get a
destination that's on the Atlantic Ocean, and it's where the
people in Spain, the cities like Barcelona where they are
going now because with the changes in the temperature worldwide temperatures,
especially in the middle of summer, they are right on
(37:21):
the edge and they get the same kind of breezes
off the ocean that we get in the United States
on the Pacific Coast. Our new friend with the best
tourism board will connect us with the hotels and the
local culture in this region. Those are the kinds of
things that Ferry's talking about. They've seen go ahead. I
(37:46):
was to say.
Speaker 1 (37:46):
They also have the largest covered food market in Europe.
Speaker 3 (37:51):
Now, you know that's a place that you and I
will be right.
Speaker 1 (37:54):
Absolutely, me too. We will lose track of time for
a day while we're.
Speaker 3 (38:00):
Lock arms and we'll go through the food market. Yes,
we'll explore every corner there. One of the other things
I found that was very interesting. Paris is a big
attraction year round. Everybody wants to go to Paris. As
a matter of fact, when we were in Vegas, we
saw the Eiffel Tower, remember that. Yeah, Terry and I
(38:21):
were looking out the window at the Blagio.
Speaker 1 (38:23):
I don't think that's the real one though, Harry.
Speaker 3 (38:25):
Yeah, we figured that out, and we know that we
know where the real one is.
Speaker 1 (38:29):
And the Statue of Liberty there wasn't the real one either.
Speaker 3 (38:33):
It's not. Oh man, what about the Coney Island roller coaster?
Speaker 1 (38:38):
That's real?
Speaker 3 (38:39):
Okay. Anyhow, we met We met a lady there and
have a new contact. That's part of a age old
department store. This is a seven hundred and fifty thousand
square foot department store in the heart of Paris called
the Gallery Lafayette, and it's a fashion house. Lots of
(39:04):
other offers and services in there. This particular store dates
back to eighteen ninety four, and that's really interesting. The
building is fantastic. The architecture is fantastic. But our new
friend Fabian, she grants our visitors to Paris a special
(39:25):
access to a VIP shopping experience. And I'm not the
biggest shopper I know, Terry was. I think you were
a little more excited about this than I was. But
it's a shopping experience that includes you go into this
department store and they have a special lounge for our visitors,
a special lounge when you go into a department store,
(39:46):
and that lounge is stocked with refreshments, snacks. If you
happen to show up on Friday afternoon, you'll be invited
to a private fashion show. You'll be guarded, you'll be
supplied any day you go in there. If you want
a personal shopper, if you do some shopping in this
department store, who wants to move all their purchases back
(40:09):
to the hotel while you're out in the middle of
sight seeing in Paris, Chris, that doesn't sound exciting, does it.
Speaker 1 (40:15):
No, I want somebody to do that for me.
Speaker 3 (40:17):
Well they do, they do. They'll deliver it free to
your hotel. And not only that, but one of the
things in Europe they have something called EVAT tax, the
value added tax that's refundable and you go through a
process and you can get that back. It's as much
as twelve percent of your purchase. Well, that's a big
(40:39):
hassle to have to go through. So what do you
think this place will do for you?
Speaker 1 (40:43):
They take care of it for you.
Speaker 3 (40:44):
They take care of that. You sit down at a
desk before you leave. They take the receipts that you've
accumulated from your purchases, and they process your refund for
you while you're wandering around shopping. They had food and
beverage in the lounge, but they also have food tasting bars.
(41:05):
I wouldn't compare to Costco, but I think much more elegant.
But they have food tasting bars throughout the store that's
offering different French delicacies there and produce and products from
around the world. You might want to stop and have
a little coffee or refreshment, so they have cafes and
(41:25):
bars throughout the store. But if you're part of this
special group, you might choose to visit the rooftop bar
because from the rooftop bar, that's where you're going to
get the exclusive ability to look around while you're sipping
your coffee or your bottle of French wine, and you
might see the Eiffel Tower, Montparnasse Tower, the Opera House,
(41:51):
anything like that in Paris. And if you're in Paris,
why wouldn't you want to see those things while you're
in a big shopping store. Another great connection. The next
time you go to Paris, be sure to let us
help you with that will get you that pass so
that you can have all those wonderful, wonderful experiences.
Speaker 2 (42:11):
And I love these. I mean these are real people
offering our clients real experiences and real personal.
Speaker 3 (42:22):
You know.
Speaker 2 (42:22):
Connection. That's the word. I mean, that's the word of today.
Shows that is the connection. There was one more that
kind of struck me that I really had to mention today,
and that's from a property called Curtain Bluff Resort in Antigua.
And I got to tell you the gentleman there that
we met, man by the name of Robert Sherman. He
(42:45):
was probably as rough as any old cobb you ever
wanted to meet in your life. I mean, he could
just as well have been somebody here from the valley
who was sitting on the front porch of an old
country store. But he was the owner of Curtain Bluff.
He buddy, he had some stories to tell. Let me
tell you. And what he said to me was very enlightening.
(43:09):
First of all, the man loves what he does. He
loves this property. He loves it so much. He lives
on property as he's home there. And he goes, yeah,
you know, Darry, you want to send somebody to Curtain Bluff, which,
by the way, I need to tell you is a
five star Michelin starred restaurant resort property. So as rough
(43:30):
as a cob as he was. This property certainly didn't
align with his personality, though it did align with the
Virtuoso products. But he said, yeah, you want to send
me somebody. He goes, I live right on property. You
tell me they're a VIP to you. I'll invite him
right into my home, sit down with my best bottle
(43:50):
of bourbon, and we will have ourselves a conversation. And
I thought, who does that? You know? I know this
guy now, I know if I called him and said, hey, Robert,
remember me, I was in Las Vegas with you at
the virtue OsO week. I do have a client. I
want to have some real VIP treatment. I know you're
(44:12):
gonna like them if you don't mind. If that bourbon
offer is still good, you know I'm going to take
you up on that. But those are the kind of
things that we're talking about. And here's the interesting thing.
It's been easier to book travel yourself online for many
years now. And you can sit down on your sofa
tonight and you can book a flight to Paris. You
(44:33):
can reserve a hotel, you can buy a tour. You
absolutely can do that. But the internet can make a reservation,
it can't create a relationship, and relationships still matter enormously
in travel. If I know the general manager, if our
(44:54):
agency has a relationship with that hotel, if they're part
of our Virtuo is So network, and they know we're
trusting them with one of our clients, that reservation might
suddenly carry a little more meaning than what you did online.
Not because we're asking anybody to treat anybody unfairly. We're
(45:17):
just simply saying, hey, this traveler matters to us, please
please take good care of them. And there's something wonderfully
old fashioned about that in this very digital world, don't
you think. I mean, I can't imagine losing the personal
touch in this travel industry, that is what for forty
(45:38):
eight years I have loved with all my heart is
that personal connection. So honestly, the next time you're planning
a vacation, don't just ask how much is the room?
I want you to ask what kind of experience do
I want? Do I need transportation and a place to sleep?
(46:01):
Sometimes it's exactly what you need. But if this is
your honeymoon, your anniversary, your first trip to Europe, the
family trip you've been saving for, maybe it's the one
that you talked about at your last family reunion. Maybe
it's that bucket list journey you've dreamed about for ten years.
Maybe you're going to want something just a little bit
(46:23):
more than an airline ticket and a hotel accommodation. Maybe
you want somebody waiting on the other side when you
get off the plane on the tarmac, who already knows
you're coming. And that's why we spent a very long,
very hot week in Las Vegas, Because while our clients
might never meet all of those people I have, and
(46:44):
when I call them and I say I've got some
really special travelers coming your way, I want them to
know exactly who's calling. Because at the Wishing Well. We
don't want to just get you somewhere. We want to
make sure that when you arrive, everybody is glad to
see you there, and that really now we've started to
(47:08):
redefine I think luxury is and what the VIP treatment
really is.
Speaker 1 (47:13):
I love this topic today. We have just got a
couple of minutes left. When we come back, I want
to sort of wrap up what the entire series of
the Keys to a Great Vacation have been, and we'll
talk a little bit more about connection, talking a little
bit more about who you met while you were in
Las Vegas over the past week and a half. And
(47:36):
I just really look forward to the next few minutes
as we talk about the Keys to a great vacation
here on a life less ordinary.
Speaker 3 (47:44):
Who would think of driving off to a new destination
without guidance from Google or Syria? It's not 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 track and keep you connected with our team of experts.
For help, if you need it, call us at five
(48:04):
four zero nine zero eight two, three, three three, stop
by two forty three nef Avenue or visit us at
the Wishingwell dot bizz.
Speaker 1 (48:13):
And welcome back to a lifeless sordinary. Every Saturday morning
we talked travel and this Saturday no different. We're here
with Terry Dean and Harry Rife from the wishing Well.
They're on ne f Avenue and Harrisonburg. Also online. You
can find them at the wishing Well dot fizz or
get him a call it five four h nine oh
eight twenty three thirty three. When we started this episode today,
(48:35):
by the way, it's called the Keys to a Great Vacation,
and we're talking about connections. It's one of the golden
keys that a few weeks ago Terry Sischy was going
to lay out on the table for us. And so
as we continue to talk about connections. We started off
the show by talking about how the two of you
went to Las Vegas and you spent your week meeting
(48:56):
with general managers and owners of hotels and resorts and
different establishments. And my thought was, Oh, we're going to
be talking about all the hotels in Las Vegas. That's
who I thought you were meeting with. And we have
spent our whole show talking about you met with an
owner of a hotel and a husband and wife team
(49:17):
in Germany, and you talked about Italy, and we've talked
about I don't remember where we went with the guy
who's going to invite me into his house and we're
going to have bourbon Antigo Antigua? Is that where you said?
And so I'm curious, do we have any locations people
that you met here local or you know when I
(49:39):
say local, in the States, that you've established those relationships
with as well.
Speaker 3 (49:44):
Most certainly New York City is a great location in
the United States. We spent time with the general manager
of the Waldo for a story just reopened after an
extensive and I think one of the most expensive hotel
remodels in history they opened, and one of the things
(50:05):
that he shared with us he said, you know, when
a tennis season hits, we convert one of our ballrooms
into a tennis court. Can you imagine interesting Waldorf Festoria
and having the ballroom be a tennis court. And not
only that, Chris, but they bring in some of the
(50:27):
top players from the tournaments. And if your hotel guest,
they have stands set up there, so you can watch
them practice for the tournament while you're staying at the
Waldorfest story before you go across the street to Central
Park and take a carriage ride, or go downtown and
enjoy dinner or whatever you're going to be doing in
(50:49):
New York City. We've got that kind of connection at home.
That's the kind of thing you're asking about.
Speaker 1 (50:54):
Yeah, that's perfect.
Speaker 3 (50:56):
Well, let me give you another one that we met.
There was amazing Metafello from upstate or upstate Vermont. They
have a resort there where couples can go. It's an
all inclusive resort, and by that I mean all all inclusive,
not just food and beverage, but every bit of entertainment
(51:18):
that you can want. They operate across country skiing operation
in the summertime or excuse me, in a winter time.
And also maybe you want to go downhill skiing. This
is a small resort, kind of a very intimate kind
of place with only three hundred acres, but they wanted
(51:40):
to have skiing and they have hills in Vermont, so
they said, we'll do downhill skiing and they bring you
up and down the hills in a little four wheel
drive vehicle and you have skiing, and of course if
you're in Vermont, this kind of place has the connections.
So you don't have to bring your cross country skis,
you don't have to bring your downhill skis. They supply
(52:02):
the skis, they supply the masks, they supply everything. Or
if you're there in the summertime, maybe you want to
go out and do a breakfast in the in the
woods on one of the trails. They'll provide those kinds
of things for you. These are the kinds of experiences.
These are the kinds of connections that I think make
travel just truly magnificent. And if you have the right connections,
(52:25):
you have access, you have the keys to get into
these kinds of properties, this kind of service.
Speaker 1 (52:32):
So I wish I had the connections you have, but
I think I kind of do because I know you, Uh.
Speaker 3 (52:39):
You do, so everybody listening, And the same truth for
everybody listening. All you got to do is call and
ask us, you know, to get you into these places.
We're delighted to do that, Chris, That's what we do.
Speaker 1 (52:53):
So that's perfect. Tell me the telephone number, Tell me
how we can find more information about all the connections.
You have to elevate our next luxury travel experience.
Speaker 2 (53:05):
Absolutely chrispher the Keys to a Great Vacation. You're gonna
call us at five four oh nine oh eight two
three three three. You can find us at two forty
three f Avenue located in Harsonburg, Virginia, or look us
up on the web. We are at the Wishingwell dot biz.
Speaker 1 (53:22):
This has been a life less ordinary. The travel show
and podcasts from your friends at the wishing Well. They're
at two forty three f Avenue in Harrisonburg. If you
have any questions on topics discussed today, please reach out
to the wishing Well online at the Wishingwell dot biz
or call five four oh nine oh eight twenty three
thirty three. Past episodes are available on the iHeartRadio Lab
(53:44):
and we'll see you again next Saturday morning at ten
for a life less Ordinary from the wishing Well
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