November 9, 2024 • 52 mins
Can you imagine a world where your travel experience is completely transformed by technology? Join us as we uncover the latest trends in travel for 2025, from the serene beauty of off-the-beaten-path destinations to innovative advancements like American Airlines' touchless ID for A-advantage flyers. Together with my co-host Mark Faldmo, we explore how the post-pandemic world has reshaped travel behaviors, making unique destinations more appealing than ever. We also discuss the exciting travel news that promises to enhance your journey, including new flights to Italy and innovative airport processes.
Curious about airline loyalty programs and how they can maximize your travel perks? We'll guide you through the maze of programs, highlighting Air France and KLM's Flying Blue as the top contender. Our insights into recent changes in airline refund policies will prepare you for any flight disruptions, while our firsthand experience with Delta's Sky Club at Salt Lake Airport offers valuable tips for frequent flyers. Plus, we examine the potential impact of rising airfares and what that means for your travel plans.
Feeling adventurous? Explore the depths of the ocean with us as we share the thrilling discovery of a World War I shipwreck off the coast of Chile. Expedition cruises are rising in popularity and we discuss itineraries to remote gems like Easter Island. Reflecting on past Alaskan adventures, we share insights and challenges for future explorations, while teasing the upcoming Virgin Voyages itineraries. As a bonus, you'll hear some essential travel tips, like handling a lost passport, ensuring you're prepared for whatever your next trip throws your way.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Patrick Wiscombe (00:00):
Welcome to the Inside Travel Talk podcast and
radio show.
On today's show we're going tobe talking about Black Friday
vacation sales that are alreadystarting with big savings, the
best Christmas markets to visitand how to get a passport if
it's been lost or stolen whileyou're out of the country.
Let's start the show.
The Inside Travel Talk podcastand radio show presented by
(00:24):
BluePlanetVacations.
com contains travel deals,promotions and offers that may
be time sensitive.
All offers and information wereaccurate when the show aired.
Travel deals and offers changeconstantly and are capacity
controlled and subject to changewithout notice.
Show Voice (00:43):
Helping you plan your next vacation.
This is the inside travel talkpodcast and radio show presented
by blueplanetvacations.
com, America's best traveladvisors.
Call us now 801-649-3700801-649-3700 and check out the
podcast at insidetraveltalk.
(01:03):
com.
Here's Patrick Wiscombe andMark Faldmo.
Patrick Wiscombe (01:18):
It is time for another Inside Travel Talk
podcast and radio show AnotherInside Travel Talk podcast and
radio show.
My name is Patrick Wiscombe.
Mark Faldmo will join me herein just a second and, if you're
brand new to the show, thank youfor tuning us in and taking us
along wherever and howeveryou're accessing the show.
(01:38):
And if you're listening to uson Saturday and Sunday morning
here in Salt Lake City on 860KKAT, thank you for stopping
right here.
The entire purpose of this showis to help you plan and book
(02:01):
your next vacation and help youcreate memories for you book a
vacation yet then our job isvery simple, is to give you
ideas of where and when to go togo see this great planet of
ours.
You can get the podcast of thisshow at insidetraveltalk.
com or wherever you get yourpodcasts.
And, as I said, if you're inSalt Lake City, we're here every
(02:24):
Saturday and Sunday morningstarting at 11 am Mountain Time,
and we are presented byBluePlanetVacations.
com and my good friend, markFaldmo, the owner of
BluePlanetVacations.
com.
It's good to talk to you again.
It's good to be here and talktravel.
Before we come on the show, youand I always just kind of talk
about what we're going to talkabout a little bit, but in this
(02:45):
particular case, you and I weretalking about planning my next
vacation, a year from now.
Mark Faldmo (02:50):
Yep, You've got some good ones planned.
That one's going to be fun too.
Patrick Wiscombe (02:53):
Here in this first segment of the show we've
got the destination spotlightand Sharon sent you a text a
little bit earlier this week.
We'll get to her question.
I think it has something to dowith the European Christmas
markets.
It does.
Mark Faldmo (03:06):
Yeah, this is an exciting topic to talk about.
Patrick Wiscombe (03:08):
Yeah, you do like your Christmas markets.
But before we talk about that,let's get to the travel news
headlines.
There was a couple of reportsthat is predicting a big shift
in travel behavior in 2025.
Mark Faldmo (03:21):
Ever since the pandemic so basically probably
2022 and onward the trend hasbeen go big, spend big.
People doing bucket list tripslike African safaris, Egypt
going to Bali, these big bucketlist type trips.
This report is predicting thatin 2025, that sediment is going
to shift and there were twoseparate studies done by some
(03:45):
travel sites trying to predictkind of what the next best thing
is, and both reports came upwith about the same result 63%
of travelers said they were morelikely to visit an
off-the-beaten-path destination.
They wanted fewer crowds, morerelaxing and a less expensive
vacation than what they've donein the last few years.
Patrick Wiscombe (04:06):
So COVID drove us to go do the things that
we've always talked about, andnow we're regressing.
Let's be alone a little more.
Mark Faldmo (04:15):
Yeah, a little bit more relaxed, for instance that
would be.
Rather than, say, visitingJamaica and Nassau, people might
pick one of the smallerCaribbean islands to visit.
Or in Mexico, they may choose.
Rather than Cancun, they maychoose a place like going to
Isla Majeures, which is close toCancun but still a little bit
(04:35):
less busy.
In this report it says Cozumelfalls in that.
I think Cozumel is still prettybusy, but that's one that the
report named.
Rather than Mexico, you mightgo to Belize instead, just a
more, I'll say, gentle vacation.
Patrick Wiscombe (04:50):
Let's get away , but let's not kill ourselves.
Yes, American Airlines isadding flights to Italy for
summer 2025.
That's a new development.
Mark Faldmo (05:00):
Yeah, and we've kind of talked about Italy the
last few weeks.
United and Delta both addedflights to Italy.
Now American is adding flightsto Italy.
They're adding a new flightbetween Dallas and Venice,
between Chicago and Naples, sothat's the second time we've
mentioned an additional flightto Naples and they're boosting
(05:21):
flights from Miami andPhiladelphia to Rome.
So Italy looks like it's goingto be one of those high-demand
hot destinations next summer.
Patrick Wiscombe (05:30):
American is going to start offering what
they call touchless ID forA-advantage flyers.
Now, if I'm understanding thiscorrectly, this is basically
Delta's digital ID, but this isAmerican's version of digital ID
.
Yeah.
Mark Faldmo (05:47):
Of the big three airlines.
American is the last to get onboard with this.
Delta's had it for a while,United's had it for a few months
and American is starting to getinto this.
This works similar to what wetalked about.
I think it was actually lastweek with Delta that was
expanding the locations thatit's available at.
You need to be an AmericanAdvantage member, which is their
(06:10):
frequent flyer member, and youhave to have TSA free check in
order to qualify for this.
American has not yet revealedthe airports that this is going
to be at, but I'd assume it'sgoing to start at their main
hubs.
Dallas and Chicago probablywould be the two.
Do you think Miami will be inthere?
They're a big American hub.
Yeah, Miami will probably be inthere as well, and possibly one
(06:32):
of the New York area airports.
So it moves you quicker throughthe lines 60% faster compared
to just a regular pre-check.
I have experienced thesedigital ID lines with Delta and
it is really quite smooth andquick to get through.
Patrick Wiscombe (06:48):
In this first segment of the show, we always
have the destination of the weekand you received a text from
Sharon a little bit earlier thisweek, in fact.
Let me just give out the studioand the text number while we're
here, so people can get intouch with us.
It's 801-649-3700, area code801-649-3700.
(07:08):
That's where we got the text.
Sharon is asking if it's nottoo late to book a trip to a
European Christmas market.
Which Christmas markets are thebest to visit?
Mark Faldmo (07:19):
I've come up with a list of what I think are the
top 10.
Probably the best way to seeEuropean Christmas markets is on
a river cruise.
This way, you get to seemultiple Christmas markets.
However, if you're looking togo this year, it may be too late
to book a river cruise.
I did a quick look for thisyesterday and I found some very
(07:41):
limited availability.
So there was some, but it waspretty small.
There was some very limited.
You know.
Viking was all sold out, Amahad a couple of departures with
a few cabins.
So it might be too late to that, but there still is time to
book a last minute trip.
Several of these cities arewithin a, you know, one to three
hour train ride, so you coulddo two or three cities and see a
(08:03):
couple of Christmas markets,plus spend some additional time
there and you get to get on atrain and you get to get on a
train.
Patrick Wiscombe (08:11):
When do Christmas markets typically run?
Mark Faldmo (08:14):
Most cities' Christmas markets run from
mid-November to the end ofDecember.
There were a few I noticed thisyear that started the first
week of November and go intothat first week of January, but
most of them run at least fromabout the 15th of November to at
least Christmas Eve.
Patrick Wiscombe (08:34):
Okay, Basically a 45-day run there.
Mark Faldmo (08:36):
Yes.
Patrick Wiscombe (08:37):
Yeah, okay, all right, let's talk about your
favorite markets.
Let's just start at the top ofthe list.
Mark Faldmo (08:42):
Number one on my list is Nuremberg, Germany
markets.
Let's just start at the top ofthe list.
Number one on my list isNuremberg, Germany.
In Germany it's theChristkindlmarket and it's
located right in the old town ofNuremberg and this is one of
the world's oldest Christmasmarkets, or Christkindlmarket.
They've been doing it a longtime.
It dates back to the 16thcentury.
Oh wow, a couple of hundredyears that they've been doing
(09:06):
this Christmas market inNuremberg, Germany.
Patrick Wiscombe (09:09):
Just think about what you just said.
This has been going on for over400 years.
Ad Voice (09:14):
That's incredible.
Patrick Wiscombe (09:15):
Ever since we started doing this show.
One of your favorite placesthat you've mentioned is Prague.
I'm going to assume that that'son this list.
Mark Faldmo (09:23):
Yes, I would rank it as the number two Christmas
market and it's in the old townand right in the main square
which is Wenceslas Square therein Prague.
I love the food there the Pragueham is served out of the street
carts there and the I never cansay it right, but the
trindelnik, which is the chimneybread, it's dough rolled around
(09:48):
a rolling pin and then roastedover a fire.
I just love the setting ofPrague and that main square.
I think it makes for a greatChristmas market.
What's number three on yourlist?
Vienna, Austria.
And I actually have not been toVienna, Austria, in the
wintertime, but you have beenthere.
Actually have not been toVienna, Austria, in the
wintertime, but you have beenthere.
But I have been to Vienna.
(10:08):
The Christmas market again isin there, like most of these, in
the main square, city hall,which is quite an amazing
building in Vienna as thebackdrop.
One thing that's unique aboutVienna's Christmas market it has
reindeer rides, an ice skatingrink, it has a Ferris wheel and
an old-fashioned merry-go-round.
They have some of theinteresting Viennese food
(10:31):
sausages stuffed with cheese.
They have a vanilla crescentcookie.
That's one of the things that Ithink is fascinating about these
Christmas markets are the foodsthat only come out around
Christmas time.
Patrick Wiscombe (10:43):
Okay, what's your number?
Mark Faldmo (10:44):
four choice.
My number four choice isBudapest, Hungary.
Budapest is one of my favoriteEuropean cities to visit.
The Budapest one is set infront of the St Stephen's
Basilica, which is Hungary'slargest church, and this is the
one that runs into that firstweek of January.
So if you're there a little bitlater, you get to experience
(11:05):
the Christmas market a littlebit longer.
Number five this is a place Ihave not been to in the
wintertime again, but it'sStrasbourg, France.
Now Strasbourg, France, is oneof those fairy tale towns I can
just imagine, lightly coveredwith snow.
It would just be a magicalexperience to be at the
(11:26):
Christmas market in Strasbourg,France.
Patrick Wiscombe (11:28):
But you have been to Strasbourg.
I have been to Strasbourg, justnot, just, not during Christmas
.
Just because we're short ontime, let's just uh by name.
Only you know city and country.
What are six through 10?
Mark Faldmo (11:40):
So six through 10 would be Tallinn, Estonia,
Number seven would be Cologne,Germany, number eight would be
Copenhagen, Denmark, number nineis Frankfurt, Germany, and
number 10 is Salzburg, Austria.
Patrick Wiscombe (11:55):
You just can't go wrong going to Europe.
What a magical time of year,going to magical places where
you just don't live.
And I guess that's the wholepurpose of travel is getting out
and seeing the world, exploringthe world, experiencing
different cultures.
Just see what it's like inother parts of the world.
That's why we love doing thisshow.
If you are interested intalking more about a river
(12:20):
cruise to see one of theChristmas markets, or you just
want to go to Europe, call Markin his office Monday through
Friday, Friday, normal businesshours 888-718-7717.
(12:40):
888-718-7717.
When we come back, more travelnews headlines.
And in segment number two, wealways, always, always have the
hot travel deal of the week.
We're going to help you save upto $650.
We'll tell you when we comeback where we're going.
That is next when the InsideTravel Talk podcast, our radio
show, continues Alongside MarkFaldmo.
My name is Patrick Wiscombe.
(13:01):
Thank you so much for listening.
We will be right back.
Show Voice (13:10):
If you have travel questions, they have the answers
.
You're listening to the InsideTravel Talk podcast and radio
show with Patrick Wiscombe andMark Faldmo, presented by
BluePlanetVacations.
com.
Call or text the show right now801-649-3700, 801-649-3700,
801-649-3700.
Ad Voice (13:39):
We'll be right back remarkable sites and cities To
set out on your own river cruisejourney.
Contact Blue Planet Vacationsat 888-718-7717 or
blueplanetvacations.
com.
Show Voice (13:59):
You're listening to the Inside Travel Talk podcast
and radio show presented byblueplanetVacations.
com, America's best traveladvisors.
Call or text the show now801-649-3700, 801-649-3700, and
check out the podcast atInsideTravelTalk.
com.
(14:19):
Here's Patrick and Mark.
Patrick Wiscombe (14:26):
You know, one of the favorite things that I do
all week long and I know that Ispeak for Mark when I say this
is we get to do this radio showfor listeners each and every
Saturday and Sunday morningsright here on 860 KKAT here in
Salt Lake City.
On 860 KKAT here in Salt LakeCity, and you can also pick up
(14:49):
the podcast of this show atinsidetraveltalk.
com.
We are on all of the majorpodcast platforms and I just
want to say thank you forallowing this to be part of your
Saturday and Sunday mornings.
This really is one of myfavorite times of the week
because we get to talk travel,we get to talk travel, we get to
talk about fun stuff.
It's so serious.
All week long we're justbombarded with serious stuff and
(15:12):
we need to take that stuffseriously.
But there's something soamazing and so relaxing about
travel.
It allows, if you really stopand think about it, it allows
your mind to expand and dream alittle bit, and that's why we do
this show is because we wantyou to get out and explore the
world and just see differentparts of the world, Because
(15:32):
sometimes we paint our world sosmall and it's just not Coming
up.
In this segment.
We've got the travel newsheadlines and we've also got the
hot travel deal of the week andwe're going to help you save up
to $650 off in this segment andwe're going to give you a few
options of how to take advantageof saving that money.
(15:52):
But first let's get to thequick hit travel news headlines.
There was a story I forgotwhere it came from, but
basically it said airlines arenow required to issue automatic
customer refunds.
What are the criteria to get anautomatic refund?
Mark Faldmo (16:08):
This is for canceled or severely delayed
flights.
So if your flight is canceled,or for a domestic flight, if
it's delayed more than threehours, or for an international
flight, if it's delayed morethan six hours, the airline is
responsible to give you back arefund in the form of payment
(16:29):
that you paid.
So it's not a future credit,it's just not a future credit.
In the past, the airlines wouldgive you a future credit rather
than refunding that, and sosome of the early versions of
this give you back a cash refund, but it's really.
If you paid by credit card,they refund you back by credit
card.
If you paid by cash, thenthey'll refund you back by cash.
(16:52):
Now airlines can still offer, ifyou want, a future credit for a
future flight, but they do haveto offer first a cash refund.
Now there are some pros andcons of this.
If you're going somewhere andyour flight is delayed or
canceled, if you opt for thatrefund, you then have to go to
another airline and buy anotherflight, which is probably
significantly more expensive onthe day of travel than what you
(17:14):
purchased.
Don't automatically always takethe refund.
Look at all of your optionsbefore you take a refund if it
meets these situations.
Patrick Wiscombe (17:24):
Okay, so three hours for domestic flights, six
hours for international flights.
Generally speaking, those arethe criteria.
That's correct.
One of the questions that I hadearlier was who has the best
loyalty program, and then I sawthis story Air France and KLM
have the world's best airlineloyalty program.
Have you ever been on AirFrance?
Mark Faldmo (17:46):
or KLM.
Yeah, I've flown both manytimes.
Air France was based in France,obviously, and KLM is based in
Amsterdam, but their frequentflyer program is called Flying
Blue and they have the sameownership.
So they're pretty much the sameairline, particularly when it
comes to the airline loyaltyprogram.
Particularly when it comes tothe airline loyalty program.
(18:06):
In this survey that they did,the second was Air Canada and
the third was the United MileagePlus program.
So how they ranked this was theease of earning miles, ease of
redeeming miles, availability ofusing miles on partner airlines
and the ease of booking.
So, taking that all intoaccount, air France KLM was
number one.
Air Canada was number two.
(18:27):
United's Mileage Plus wasnumber three.
Have you flown Air Canada?
I've flown on Air Canada onetime.
Your overall impression it's anairline.
The thing is, I would countmyself kind of spoiled by being
able to fly Delta so often.
Delta kind of looks atthemselves as a premium airline,
(18:47):
which I think they do have thatin their perks, although that
is why Delta was pretty far downthe list on this survey.
Delta typically has a littlebit higher redemption and
they've put a lot of their timeinto being more of a premium
airline, focusing on programslike the Sky Club, things like
that, which typically make a lotof those criteria that they
(19:10):
looked at just moved Delta downthe list to not being as good.
Patrick Wiscombe (19:14):
By the way, I really do like Salt Lake
Airports.
Delta Sky Club.
Mark Faldmo (19:19):
Fantastic, I do Amazing.
If you're looking at the NorthAmerican airlines, which would
include also Canada, the bestfrequent flyer programs came in
in this order Air Canada, United, American, Alaska, JetBlue were
the top five and then thesecond five Southwest Hawaiian
(19:40):
Delta, allegiant and Spirit.
Personally, I think I mightmove Southwest up a little bit.
I find Southwest redemptionrates to be very good, yeah,
although there's not as manyearning opportunities with
Southwest.
Patrick Wiscombe (19:53):
I saw a story that higher airfares are going
to make all-inclusive vacationsmore expensive.
First of all, let's just definequickly what an all-inclusive
vacation is.
So an all-inclusive?
Mark Faldmo (20:04):
vacation is where you choose a hotel that includes
all your meals, drinks,gratuities, non-motorized water,
sports.
All-inclusive are typically inplaces like Mexico and the
Caribbean, but getting to thosehotels that are all-inclusive is
becoming a little bit moreexpensive Because of the
airfares.
Because of the airfares.
Patrick Wiscombe (20:24):
We mentioned that.
What was it two or three weeksago that airfares are starting
to climb?
Mark Faldmo (20:30):
Yeah, and particularly to these places
like Mexico.
Delta Airlines, in their recentquarter three air range report,
recorded that quarter three hadan overcapacity to destinations
like Mexico and the Caribbean.
For instance, in July airlineshad about 6% more capacity
compared to the same time a yearearlier, and now the planes
(20:52):
aren't going out as full.
So a lot of airlines arestarting to cut back, which
cutting back capacity, cuttingback that availability, is going
to drive demand higher becausethere's fewer seats For instance
, spirit to these destinations,and Spirit has a few other
issues with that, but they'recutting 20% of their flights to
(21:13):
these destinations, so that's abig chunk out of the available
seats.
Patrick Wiscombe (21:18):
Always in segment number two of the show
is the hot travel deal of theweek.
Regardless of the destinationand Mark, you found a Funjet
sale where our listeners cansave up to $650 off already
discounted prices.
This is basically the BlackFriday sale for travel.
Let's give listeners thedetails.
Mark Faldmo (21:39):
I think this is interesting because these Black
Friday sales are now pretty muchthe whole month of November and
then this year I heard they'restarting a new thing called
Travel Tuesday, which is goingto be the Tuesday after
Thanksgiving.
They're going to have sales aswell.
This save up to $650 is goodfor pretty much any destination
(22:00):
worldwide On Funjet.
Most people would go to Hawaii,Mexico, the Caribbean or Europe
, but anywhere you can get avacation package this is valid
for.
So it's save up to $650 if youbook by December 5th.
So we have about a month ofthis promo code and it's valid
for travel February 1st toDecember 15th 2025.
(22:23):
And you have to pay in full atthe time of booking.
Patrick Wiscombe (22:26):
Let's talk about that for a second.
When you book vacations,generally speaking and maybe a
lot of listeners don't know thatso you're saying that all of
this has to be paid for at thetime of booking.
So you're going Correct, butwhat a lot of people don't know
is that you can reserve a spot,basically put some kind of
deposit down and then pay in thefuture.
(22:47):
That's not the case with whatwe're talking about, but I would
argue that most people thinkthey have to pay for everything
up front when they just need toput a deposit.
Mark Faldmo (22:55):
Yep.
So, depending on how theseall-inclusive work, you may have
to pay all of the airfareportion and then a small deposit
on the hotel portion, and thenyou can pay off the rest later.
Now they do have another promocode, that is just save up to
$300 that you don't have to payin full.
Oh really.
So the travel window is alittle bit better.
(23:15):
It's just anytime now throughDecember 15th of 2025.
So you could use this save 300,say in January, or that pay in
full one.
You have to start your travelin February and it does have a
three night minimum stay Save upto $300.
Patrick Wiscombe (23:31):
OK.
Is there anything else, then,that we need to discuss?
Mark Faldmo (23:34):
There's actually one more promotion that I'd like
to bring up, and this is aninteresting promotion.
It was worked out with anairline and a tourism board, so
this is save up to $100instantly on any flight plus
hotel vacation package to theDominican Republic.
Four-night stay is required,and this one you do have to fly
(23:54):
on Southwest Airlines.
I love Dominican Republic.
It's a great place to visit.
You know, if you stay at theright hotel, it's just a
fantastic vacation, or if you doit like you're doing it on a
shore excursion, there's somefascinating things to do in the
Dominican Republic.
Patrick Wiscombe (24:10):
Nicest people in the world, truly, yes, I
really enjoy breaking bread withthem.
Well, in this case, breakingrice and beans.
They have the best rice andbeans I've ever tasted in my
life.
That culture knows rice andbeans.
You should go to Costa Rica.
Mark Faldmo (24:26):
Oh, okay.
Patrick Wiscombe (24:29):
That will have to be a different cruise.
Then Take advantage of theseoffers.
Black Friday, let's just callit Black November.
Yes, take advantage of it,whether you pay in full or you
just put a deposit.
Call Mark in his office.
He is the best at bookingvacations and I'm not saying
(24:51):
that because I do the show,because he truly just books my
vacations as well.
Call him in his office Mondaythrough Friday 888-718-7717,
888-718-7717.
When we come back, we have gotthe cruise deal of the week
(25:13):
Princesses having their cybersale again.
More Black Friday sale.
Black November sale.
We'll give you the details whenwe come back.
You are listening to the InsideTravel Talk podcast and radio
show.
Alongside, alongside MarkFaldmo, I am Patrick Wiscombe.
Thank you so much for listening.
We'll be right back.
Show Voice (25:35):
They've literally traveled millions of miles to
answer your travel-relatedquestions.
Yeah, they really have.
You're listening to the InsideTravel Talk podcast and radio
show presented byBluePlanetVacations.
com.
America's best travel advisors,Patrick and Mark, will be back
after these messages Presentedby BluePlanetVacations.
com.
America's best travel advisors,Patrick and Mark, will be back
(25:56):
after these messages.
Patrick Wiscombe (26:05):
Well, we're back Now that the radio station
disclaimer has been played.
Since we are a recorded show,let me welcome you back to the
Inside Travel Talk podcast andradio show coming up.
In the next 30 minutes, Markand I will be talking about the
Princess Cruises cyber sale, thebusiest travel days of the year
and what to do if your passportis lost or stolen while you're
(26:29):
on vacation.
Let's continue the show.
Show Voice (26:40):
Now back to the Inside Travel Talk podcast and
radio show presented byBluePlanetVacations.
com America's best traveladvisors.
Hit us up right now801-649-3700, 801-649-3700.
And check out the podcast atinsidetraveltalk.
com.
(27:01):
Here's Patrick and Mark.
Patrick Wiscombe (27:09):
That is your signal that it is the Just
Cruising segment right here onthe Inside Travel Talk podcast
and radio show.
My name is Patrick Wiscombe,Ahoy mateys Coming up in this
segment.
We've got the cruise deal ofthe week always in segment
number three of the show.
(27:30):
Or, if you're listening to uslive on the radio, in the bottom
deal of the week, always insegment number three of the show
.
Or if you're listening to uslive on the radio, in the bottom
half of the hour.
We're going to be talking aboutRoyal Caribbean's cruises to
Vanuatu.
That is not something we talkabout very often, but Royal
Caribbean man, they are slayingon their itineraries and we'll
(27:51):
also tell you where the PrincessCyber Sail on their itineraries
and we'll also tell you wherethe uh, the princess cyber sale
the itineraries well, maybe notthe itineraries specifically,
but we'll talk about the portsthat they're headed to during
the cyber sale, as always.
Thank you so much for allowingus to be part of your Saturday
and Sunday mornings mark.
Let's continue with the quickhit travel news headlines.
Let's just start with theVanuatu plans.
(28:13):
Royal Caribbean has revealedwhat those plans are.
Let's give listeners details.
Mark Faldmo (28:25):
Royal Caribbean has announced a beach club in
Vanuatu.
This is continuing cruise linetrends, particularly Royal
Caribbean trends, of having theprivate ports and beach clubs
that they're building.
I think it was last week, maybethe week before, about the
announcement of Perfect DayMexico.
Oh yeah, where they're buildingthat private port.
I think this is an interestingtrend.
The very first cruise line todo this was Norwegian, when they
(28:46):
started going to Great StirrupCay in the Bahamas, and then
other cruise lines have startedgetting their own island in the
Bahamas that they visited, butnow they're building these all
over the world.
Royal Caribbean has one inHaiti, which is a wonderful
place.
It has Dragon's Breath Zipline,which is probably one of the
most amazing ziplines.
It's really long.
Patrick Wiscombe (29:07):
Well, with a name like Dragon's Breath.
Mark Faldmo (29:09):
Dragon's Breath.
Yeah, Norwegian came back andbuilt one in Belize.
And now, just the last year,we've probably talked about
these private destinations orbeach clubs.
Probably every two or threeweeks someone is announcing a
new one.
This is kind of the first onethat is in the South Pacific
Islands.
Patrick Wiscombe (29:27):
If people don't know where Vanuatu is,
let's just geographically tellthem where it is.
Mark Faldmo (29:31):
Vanuatu is an island chain, kind of
north-northwest of Australia, soway south, way south, yeah, so
the cruises that would go herewould probably leave from
Australia New Zealand or they'dbe some type of repositioning
cruise going to Australia NewZealand area.
Patrick Wiscombe (29:51):
A seaborne submersible trip discovered a
century-old shipwreck.
I would do this in a second.
I would love to go under thewater.
I'm fascinated.
It's a whole other world underthere.
Mark Faldmo (30:05):
So, anyway, they found an old shipwreck.
You remember, a few weeks agowe talked about expedition
cruising and how fascinatingexpedition cruising and the
experiences that they offer.
Oh, yeah, well, Seabourn has,which is a luxury cruise line,
but they also have someexpedition ships, and one of
their expedition ships, onselect voyages, has a
(30:28):
submersible that you can do foran additional cost, and one of
their submersibles discovered aWorld War I shipwreck.
Oh wow, the ship actually wassunk in World War I off the
coast of Chile on November 19th1914.
So that is how long, 110 yearsago, almost exactly 110 years
(30:48):
ago from this, the airing ofthis show.
That is one of the fascinatingthings that you can do on these
expedition cruises that Seabournhas.
This wreck was located aboutfive miles off the coast and
about 95 meters of water.
Patrick Wiscombe (31:06):
While we're talking about shipwrecks, I
realized that that this is way,way closer to home was Lake Mead
.
As the lake receded, some ofthese old World War I, World War
II boats.
All of a sudden they wereappearing.
If you're going through thewreck, probably not so exciting,
but as an observer, I wouldlove to know the backstory of
why it wrecked.
Yes, the seaborne submersible.
Mark Faldmo (31:33):
I said I would do it, but I didn't ask you would
you do it?
Oh, I would do it.
I did a in Cozumel, I did there.
There are some actualsubmersible excursions
activities you can do.
They don't go quite as low asthis, but they do dive off of
that great reef in Cozumel tosee that and and so I would
absolutely do this.
And then you know, especiallygoing back to the Seabourn,
(31:54):
these expedition ships I woulddo them.
Some of the itineraries thatthis ship does is Easter Islands
, the Pitcairn Island Group,which, if you don't know, that's
where the crew of the Mutiny onthe Bounty fled to.
It's so remote that nobodyfound them there Goes to some
remote islands in Fiji.
So there are some fascinatingexpedition cruises that you can
(32:16):
do.
Patrick Wiscombe (32:23):
Virgin Voyages , which you are a fan of, virgin
the company.
They are planning an Alaskacruise on the ship Brilliant
Lady in 2026.
Mark Faldmo (32:27):
I think this is really interesting, particularly
for Alaska.
You know I've said many timeson this show I love Virgin
Voyages.
I've mentioned my wife has somefood allergies, has some issues
eating when we're on vacation.
The only vacation where we'venever had any issues at all is
on Virgin Voyages.
They do such a great job withfood allergies and just the
(32:52):
different type of eating stylesthat people have.
They've really catered to that.
They've announced they're goingto Alaska in 2026.
We talked about MSC last weekannounced they are also going to
Alaska and I think this isinteresting on the heels of some
of the other stories that we'vehad where places like Juneau
have limited the number of shipsin per day.
(33:13):
Now both of these MSC andVirgin are going to Juneau
standard seven-day rotation,like most cruise lines.
Virgin Voyages is going to doseven to 12-night itineraries
(33:36):
that depart from both Seattleand Vancouver.
Patrick Wiscombe (33:39):
So that's how they're going to slot them in
then.
Mark Faldmo (33:41):
Interesting.
They've probably had to dodifferent lengths to find days
where their ship can be incertain ports, but they've found
a way to do it.
You did Alaska about a year ago.
Patrick Wiscombe (33:51):
Yeah, it was.
Seven days is not enough inAlaska.
Mark Faldmo (33:55):
Yeah, I would much rather have a longer sailing and
see more of Alaska.
Yeah, agreed.
Patrick Wiscombe (34:01):
It was almost too short.
Yeah, you just don't get tiredof the scenery.
It's truly amazing.
If you've never been to Alaska,go.
It feels like Alaska isstarting to see a surge in other
ships coming into port.
Mark Faldmo (34:15):
Yeah, there are more cruise lines than ever
going to Alaska.
I never thought I would see MSCor Virgin Voyages in that
market because it is harder toget a slot, you know, especially
going into some of those placeslike Glacier Bay.
Some of these newer cruiselines can't do that.
Both MSC and Virgin, I think,go to Tracy Arm for their
(34:35):
glacier viewing.
So some of those places arestill a little bit more locked
out for new entrants.
But Virgin Voyages is going tosome new ports.
They're going to Prince Rupert,which is interesting.
Norwegian tried to go to PrinceRupert a few years ago but they
really didn't plan out.
The city itself didn't plan out, so they basically parked the
ship, dropped people off andthere was nothing to do.
(34:57):
But from what I hear they'vereally increased that
infrastructure to attract morecruise ships to Prince Rupert.
I did actually a fascinatingcannery tour when I was in
Prince Rupert, went out to oneof their salmon canning, which I
hate fish, I don't eat fish.
Patrick Wiscombe (35:18):
I don't either , and especially salmon.
Mark Faldmo (35:21):
Yeah, in fact, a couple of years ago on Alaska
cruise it was during COVID Iwent with one of my Norwegian
cruise sales reps in Kachikan.
They were from Canada and theycouldn't ship their fish back
during COVID, and so I came homewith like 35 salmon.
I gave them all away.
I didn't eat any of it.
Patrick Wiscombe (35:43):
I'm sorry but that's funny.
I went on a cannery tour, butyou know what?
I just don't like fish, but itwas fascinating to watch them.
Yeah, as promised, this segmentis always the cruise deal of
the week and let's talk aboutthe Princess Cyber Sail, where
they're going and some of theports Not the itineraries, just
some of the week.
And let's talk about theprincess cyber sale, where
they're going and some of theports not the itineraries, just
some of the places you can visitthis is an exciting sale.
Mark Faldmo (36:05):
It's up to 50 off cruise fares and this is a
worldwide sale.
So, anywhere they sail, 50 offdeposits and third and fourth
guests in the cabin sell forfree.
Wow, that's.
That's a promotion.
You do have to book by November25th.
They got about two weeks.
They have some pretty excitingitineraries Now.
(36:26):
Again, like I said, this is aworldwide sale, but some I'll
just quickly pull out what Ithink are six of the top
sailings that they have.
They have a seven-day WesternCaribbean November 9th of 2025,
that starts at $559 per person,so a year from now.
They have a seven-day InsidePassage, which is Alaska.
(36:47):
This is round-trip.
Vancouver on June 10th of 2025,starts at $929 per person.
Next one, I think, is probablyone of the best deals out there.
It's a seven-day Mediterranean,so it's France and Italy, on
March 4th 2025.
Starts at $949 per person An11-day Mexican Riviera cruise on
(37:09):
October 19th 2025.
Starts at $979.
So if you look at that one,that's less than $100 per person
per day.
12-day Panama Canal cruise, sothat would visit Costa Rica and
the Caribbean.
And that's less than $100 perperson per day.
12-day Panama Canal cruise.
So that would visit Costa Ricaand the Caribbean November 29th,
starting at $1189.
Patrick Wiscombe (37:26):
So we can go do the rice and beans.
Mark Faldmo (37:28):
Go do the rice and beans yeah.
Patrick Wiscombe (37:31):
By the way, I do want to do that.
The Panama Canal, that for mepersonally, that would be a
great cruise.
Mark Faldmo (37:35):
That's one of the great cruise experiences I've
had.
I love going through the PanamaCanal.
Patrick Wiscombe (37:41):
Okay, what?
Mark Faldmo (37:41):
else.
And then there's one moresailing on this sail 16-day
Iceland and Greenland, July 31st, and this one, also
surprisingly for being a Julydate, is right around that $100
per person per day starts at$1749.
Really, I've not been toGreenland.
I've been to Iceland severaltimes, as we've talked about,
(38:01):
but I'd love to do one of thesecruises that goes to Greenland.
Patrick Wiscombe (38:05):
So let's recap that 50% off the normal cruise
fare.
Third and fourth guests go free.
And what was the other thingthat you mentioned?
The other one is 50% offdeposit.
That is a sale.
Seriously, as someone whocruises a lot and you've been on
over 150 cruises is that one ofthe best deals you've ever seen
(38:26):
?
Mark Faldmo (38:26):
That is that's a really good sale and then again
a lot of those prices wementioned I think are tremendous
.
Patrick Wiscombe (38:32):
Wow, all right , take advantage of that offer.
Princess's Cyber cyber salecall mark in his office.
That is the cruise deal of theweek.
That is a phenomenal offer888-718-7717, 888-718-7717.
(38:54):
And you can also go toblueplanetvacations.
com.
Seriously, if you've wanted totry cruising or you want to go
to blueplanetvacations.
com Seriously, if you've wantedto try cruising, or you want to
go to one of these places, justgo.
Phenomenal value on that oneand a great price.
When we come back, we've gotMark's travel tips.
We've got some additionaltravel news headlines that we
(39:16):
need to get to, and if you aretraveling for the holidays,
we're going to tell you how toget the best fare and when not
to travel.
That is next when the InsideTravel Talk podcast and radio
show continues.
I'm Patrick Wiscombe, he isMark Faldmo.
We'll be right back.
Show Voice (39:36):
Explore your world.
You're listening to the InsideTravel Talk podcast and radio
show presented byBluePlanetVacations.
com, America's best traveladvisors.
Call or text the show now801-649-3700, 801-649-3700.
Ad Voice (40:13):
We'll be right back El Dorado Spa Resort To book your
romantic beach getaway.
Contact Blue Planet Vacationsat 888-718-7717 or
blueplanetvacations.
com.
Patrick Wiscombe (40:25):
The Inside Travel Talk podcast and radio
show presented byblueplanetvacations.
com contains travel deals,promotions and offers that may
be time sensitive.
All offers and information wereaccurate when the show aired.
Travel deals and offers changeconstantly and are capacity
controlled and subject to changewithout notice.
Show Voice (40:50):
They'll help you plan and book your next vacation
.
Yeah, really, you're listeningto the Inside Travel Talk
podcast and radio show presentedby BluePlanetVacations.
com, America's best traveladvisors.
Call or text the show now801-649-3700, 801-649-3700.
(41:12):
And now here's Patrick Wiscombeand Mark Faldmo and Mark Faldmo
.
Patrick Wiscombe (41:25):
Serving travelers around the world.
You have found the right radioshow If you are interested in
travel or if you need ideas ofwhere to go.
You have absolutely found theright radio show and podcast.
Alongside Mark Faldmo, my nameis Patrick Wiscombe Thank you so
much for allowing us to be partof your Saturday and Sunday
(41:47):
mornings or if you arepodcasting the show later,
insidetraveltalk.
com is where you find thepodcast, and we are on all of
the major podcast platformsComing up in this segment, the
final segment of this week'sshow.
We've got the travel newsheadlines and we are going to
(42:09):
talk about the busiest days ofthe year to travel that,
according to TSA.
We're going to do our best tosave you some money.
You might be kind of hosed atthis point, but you don't have
to travel on the busiest day ofthe year, so we're going to help
you navigate that, and we'realso going to talk about how to
get a new passport if you loseyours while you're out traveling
(42:33):
or it's stolen.
We'll tell you how to getaround that whole mess.
That would be a mess if youlose your passport.
Mark.
I think we should helplisteners navigate the busiest
travel days of the year.
According to TSA.
When is the busiest days of theyear to travel?
Mark Faldmo (42:51):
This report is the 15 busiest travel days in the
past 12 months.
There are some days on herethat I would not have considered
, and actually the busiest dayis here that I would not have
considered, and actually thebusiest day is not one I would
have even thought of.
So in the past 12 months, thebusiest day was July 7th 2024.
By far more passengers, byalmost 300,000 passengers,
(43:11):
compared to the next closest day, which was June 23rd 2024.
Patrick Wiscombe (43:16):
Really.
Mark Faldmo (43:17):
And then July 18th and then May 24th and June 24th
round out the top five busiestdays in the past 12 months.
That is genuinely surprising.
Yeah, that's surprising forthose summer months.
I guess there's one May 24th.
There is around Memorial Day.
I'm surprised that somethingaround Labor Day did not pop up
(43:37):
there.
November 26th of 2023 did showup in the past 12 months, but
that was clear down.
That was number 14 on the list.
Patrick Wiscombe (43:47):
I'm just looking at the calendar.
July 4th was a Thursday, soeveryone stayed through the
weekend and then they traveledon Sunday.
Ad Voice (43:53):
So, yeah, okay, I can buy that.
Patrick Wiscombe (43:56):
A passenger on an American Airlines flight
from Phoenix to Los Angelesattempted to steal an upgraded
seat, meaning probably ComfortPlus or First Class, and it
created quite a stir.
Mark Faldmo (44:09):
This goes back to some of our discussions on
airplane etiquette and some ofthese I'll say, tiktok hacks
that people are putting outthere.
That really don't work and youreally shouldn't try.
And so what this person did wasbooked her mother in an aisle
seat and upgraded like ComfortPlus and then booked herself
back in coach.
(44:29):
And then when she got on theplane, she sat next to her
mother and asked the person whowas seated in seat 8D, which is
an aisle seat, to change back torow 35B, which is a middle seat
, and, as you can imagine, thatdid not go over well in this
case, especially trying to go upto an upgraded seat from a
(44:51):
regular coach seat to a premiumcoach seat.
No one's going to trade forthat and that person paid a lot
more money for that seat in mostcases.
Just be cordial.
If you do want a seat, you canlightly ask someone if they'll
change, but don't just sit in itand expect that it's yours.
Patrick Wiscombe (45:09):
There's a new rule at one international
airport that you have max threeminutes, which actually I
thought was kind of long.
Three minutes for farewells,say your goodbyes in three
minutes, or less.
Mark Faldmo (45:22):
This is an airport in New Zealand.
I think it's interesting.
They have a sign that says kissand goodbye, no kisses above
three minutes.
And that is a problem atairports Cars kind of lingering
long, loading and unloading.
They are kind of making lightof that by kind of making it
(45:43):
funny no kisses above threeminutes.
But they really are trying tokeep the traffic moving through
there because especially at busytimes that front of the airport
can be a mess.
It's pretty chaotic and canalso be dangerous if cars don't
find a place to park.
So that's one way they'retrying to move that along.
Patrick Wiscombe (46:01):
One thing that is a big deal when you're on
vacation is if you lose yourpassport or it's stolen.
Let's tell listeners what to doif they lose or their passport
is stolen.
Mark Faldmo (46:15):
The first thing to help with this is make sure
you're prepared before you leavehome.
On the State Department'swebpage, which is travel.
state.
gov, they have a traveler'schecklist.
You can also find this if yougo to blueplanetvacations.
com and click on our resourcestab.
This checklist is there, and sohere is.
(46:35):
We'll first give the traveler'schecklist and then we'll say
how to get a new passport ifyours is lost or stolen while
you're traveling.
So the first thing is makecopies of all of your travel
documents.
Leave a copy with a trustedfriend or relative, carry the
other copy separate from youroriginal documents.
You should have a copy with afriend or family member at home,
(46:56):
a copy in your bag and thenyour original, which is not in
that same bag as the photocopy.
You can also take a photographof your travel documents.
Have one on your phone.
I personally have a securefolder on my phone that's
encrypted, that has a copy ofpassport, driver's license and
any important information that Imay need while traveling.
(47:19):
I hadn't even thought about thatthe next thing is to check your
passport expiration date.
A lot of people don't eventhink of this.
The passport should expire atleast six months after your
return date, so you should havea validity at least six months
after you come back.
A lot of countries, just out ofexperience, say they won't
admit you into a country if yourpassport is not valid at least
(47:41):
six months.
Patrick Wiscombe (47:42):
I would have never thought of that one.
Mark Faldmo (47:44):
My passport, for instance, is expiring a year
from now, so I'm going to startgetting it renewed here this
year.
Patrick Wiscombe (47:51):
Let's talk about that.
Where do you go personally?
Mark Faldmo (47:55):
to renew your passport.
Well, now the State Departmentpassport renewal page.
It's a real simple processonline nowadays.
Show Voice (48:01):
So, travelstategov.
Mark Faldmo (48:03):
Yeah, then click on the passports.
No, you don't even have to goget a passport photo at a
passport place anymore.
They now allow you, as long asit meets the requirements, to
take it with your own phone.
I just want to quickly mentiontwo things.
One is travel insurance.
The State Department urges thatyou have travel insurance.
(48:23):
The government will not pay foryour medical needs outside of
the country, so make sure youhave travel insurance that
includes medical benefits.
The next thing they recommendis enrolling in the STEP program
, the Smart Travel EnrollmentProgram, and this is something
where you list your contactinformation, where you're
(48:44):
staying, where you'll be, so ifanything happens in that country
, they know where you are andhelp with any needed evacuations
.
Patrick Wiscombe (48:51):
One last question before we take off
where do you go to get apassport?
Mark Faldmo (48:55):
So there are a few steps.
The first step is if yourpassport is lost, the first
thing you need to do is locatethe nearest embassy or consulate
and to that.
Step two is to report yourpassport to the embassy or
consulate with a phone call.
If you're able to go to theconsulate in person, that's even
better.
Sometimes it's a little harderto do that.
(49:16):
Step three is that embassy orconsulate will give you advice
on what the next steps to do are.
They will ask you to send in acopy of your passport, which is
why we talked about that firstthing on the traveler's list to
do have a copy.
If you have a copy of it, ifyou have your driver's license,
or again a copy of your driver'slicense.
(49:37):
That'll make it a lot easier.
There are two forms that youneed to fill out to get a
replacement passport like that,and then they'll either issue a
replacement passport or alimited validity passport which
will get you home If you dobelieve your passport is stolen.
There's one additional step,which is to make sure and report
that to the local policeauthority to have a police
(50:00):
report to help with that.
It can take a day or two to getyour replacement passport.
Oh, this was a long time ago.
I've had several customers ontrips with me that have lost
their passport and we just droveto the embassy and they
replaced it right there.
I think it's a little bitharder to just show up and get
(50:22):
it done, but they will help youwith it and again, if you can,
it's best to show up to theembassy or consulate in person
to help with that.
Patrick Wiscombe (50:31):
Those are great tips.
Talk about something you don'tthink of, but when you need it,
you really need it.
Yes, wow, okay, but when youneed it, you really need it.
Yes, wow, okay.
You know what?
We could probably just recordthis segment and play it over
and over.
You know, play once a year justto help people.
(50:51):
Maybe we should just post thison the website what to do if
your passport is stolen or lost.
Well, that's going to do it forthis week's edition of the
Inside Travel Talk podcast andradio show.
If you would like to book anyof the vacations that we've
talked about, call Mark in hisoffice, Monday through Friday
888-718 7717.
(51:14):
888-718 7717.
Or you can just go toblueplanetvacation.
com.
You can listen to this showagain tomorrow morning on 860
KKAT, Sunday morning at 11 amMountain Time, and if you want
or need to listen to the showagain, you can download and
(51:35):
subscribe to the podcast atinsidetraveltalk.
com.
We're on all of the majorpodcast platforms.
And while you're at it, may Iask you to subscribe and leave
us a five-star review, becauseit really does help us get
traction with the podcastplatforms and with listeners.
Well, that's it.
Now it's your turn.
(51:57):
Get out and explore the worldwhile you can, because you never
know what curveballs life isgoing to throw at you.
Today is a good day for a goodday.
Live your life deliberately,live your life intentionally and
remember what you're notchanging, you're choosing.
Thanks for listening.
Have a great week.
(52:18):
We'll talk to you next Saturdayand Sunday mornings.
Show Voice (52:22):
That's it.
That's the end of the showYou've been listening to the
Inside Travel Talk podcast andradio show with Patrick Wiscombe
and Mark Faldmo, presented byBluePlanetVacations.
com.
Book your adventure right now.
Call 888-718-7717.
That's 888-718-7717.
(52:53):
Thanks for listening.
Have a great week.
Welcome to the Inside Travel Talk podcast and
radio show.
On today's show we're going tobe talking about Black Friday
vacation sales that are alreadystarting with big savings, the
best Christmas markets to visitand how to get a passport if
it's been lost or stolen whileyou're out of the country.
Let's start the show.
The Inside Travel Talk podcastand radio show presented by
(00:24):
BluePlanetVacations.
com contains travel deals,promotions and offers that may
be time sensitive.
All offers and information wereaccurate when the show aired.
Travel deals and offers changeconstantly and are capacity
controlled and subject to changewithout notice.
Show Voice (00:43):
Helping you plan your next vacation.
This is the inside travel talkpodcast and radio show presented
by blueplanetvacations.
com, America's best traveladvisors.
Call us now 801-649-3700801-649-3700 and check out the
podcast at insidetraveltalk.
(01:03):
com.
Here's Patrick Wiscombe andMark Faldmo.
Patrick Wiscombe (01:18):
It is time for another Inside Travel Talk
podcast and radio show AnotherInside Travel Talk podcast and
radio show.
My name is Patrick Wiscombe.
Mark Faldmo will join me herein just a second and, if you're
brand new to the show, thank youfor tuning us in and taking us
along wherever and howeveryou're accessing the show.
(01:38):
And if you're listening to uson Saturday and Sunday morning
here in Salt Lake City on 860KKAT, thank you for stopping
right here.
The entire purpose of this showis to help you plan and book
(02:01):
your next vacation and help youcreate memories for you book a
vacation yet then our job isvery simple, is to give you
ideas of where and when to go togo see this great planet of
ours.
You can get the podcast of thisshow at insidetraveltalk.
com or wherever you get yourpodcasts.
And, as I said, if you're inSalt Lake City, we're here every
(02:24):
Saturday and Sunday morningstarting at 11 am Mountain Time,
and we are presented byBluePlanetVacations.
com and my good friend, markFaldmo, the owner of
BluePlanetVacations.
com.
It's good to talk to you again.
It's good to be here and talktravel.
Before we come on the show, youand I always just kind of talk
about what we're going to talkabout a little bit, but in this
(02:45):
particular case, you and I weretalking about planning my next
vacation, a year from now.
Mark Faldmo (02:50):
Yep, You've got some good ones planned.
That one's going to be fun too.
Patrick Wiscombe (02:53):
Here in this first segment of the show we've
got the destination spotlightand Sharon sent you a text a
little bit earlier this week.
We'll get to her question.
I think it has something to dowith the European Christmas
markets.
It does.
Mark Faldmo (03:06):
Yeah, this is an exciting topic to talk about.
Patrick Wiscombe (03:08):
Yeah, you do like your Christmas markets.
But before we talk about that,let's get to the travel news
headlines.
There was a couple of reportsthat is predicting a big shift
in travel behavior in 2025.
Mark Faldmo (03:21):
Ever since the pandemic so basically probably
2022 and onward the trend hasbeen go big, spend big.
People doing bucket list tripslike African safaris, Egypt
going to Bali, these big bucketlist type trips.
This report is predicting thatin 2025, that sediment is going
to shift and there were twoseparate studies done by some
(03:45):
travel sites trying to predictkind of what the next best thing
is, and both reports came upwith about the same result 63%
of travelers said they were morelikely to visit an
off-the-beaten-path destination.
They wanted fewer crowds, morerelaxing and a less expensive
vacation than what they've donein the last few years.
Patrick Wiscombe (04:06):
So COVID drove us to go do the things that
we've always talked about, andnow we're regressing.
Let's be alone a little more.
Mark Faldmo (04:15):
Yeah, a little bit more relaxed, for instance that
would be.
Rather than, say, visitingJamaica and Nassau, people might
pick one of the smallerCaribbean islands to visit.
Or in Mexico, they may choose.
Rather than Cancun, they maychoose a place like going to
Isla Majeures, which is close toCancun but still a little bit
(04:35):
less busy.
In this report it says Cozumelfalls in that.
I think Cozumel is still prettybusy, but that's one that the
report named.
Rather than Mexico, you mightgo to Belize instead, just a
more, I'll say, gentle vacation.
Patrick Wiscombe (04:50):
Let's get away , but let's not kill ourselves.
Yes, American Airlines isadding flights to Italy for
summer 2025.
That's a new development.
Mark Faldmo (05:00):
Yeah, and we've kind of talked about Italy the
last few weeks.
United and Delta both addedflights to Italy.
Now American is adding flightsto Italy.
They're adding a new flightbetween Dallas and Venice,
between Chicago and Naples, sothat's the second time we've
mentioned an additional flightto Naples and they're boosting
(05:21):
flights from Miami andPhiladelphia to Rome.
So Italy looks like it's goingto be one of those high-demand
hot destinations next summer.
Patrick Wiscombe (05:30):
American is going to start offering what
they call touchless ID forA-advantage flyers.
Now, if I'm understanding thiscorrectly, this is basically
Delta's digital ID, but this isAmerican's version of digital ID
.
Yeah.
Mark Faldmo (05:47):
Of the big three airlines.
American is the last to get onboard with this.
Delta's had it for a while,United's had it for a few months
and American is starting to getinto this.
This works similar to what wetalked about.
I think it was actually lastweek with Delta that was
expanding the locations thatit's available at.
You need to be an AmericanAdvantage member, which is their
(06:10):
frequent flyer member, and youhave to have TSA free check in
order to qualify for this.
American has not yet revealedthe airports that this is going
to be at, but I'd assume it'sgoing to start at their main
hubs.
Dallas and Chicago probablywould be the two.
Do you think Miami will be inthere?
They're a big American hub.
Yeah, Miami will probably be inthere as well, and possibly one
(06:32):
of the New York area airports.
So it moves you quicker throughthe lines 60% faster compared
to just a regular pre-check.
I have experienced thesedigital ID lines with Delta and
it is really quite smooth andquick to get through.
Patrick Wiscombe (06:48):
In this first segment of the show, we always
have the destination of the weekand you received a text from
Sharon a little bit earlier thisweek, in fact.
Let me just give out the studioand the text number while we're
here, so people can get intouch with us.
It's 801-649-3700, area code801-649-3700.
(07:08):
That's where we got the text.
Sharon is asking if it's nottoo late to book a trip to a
European Christmas market.
Which Christmas markets are thebest to visit?
Mark Faldmo (07:19):
I've come up with a list of what I think are the
top 10.
Probably the best way to seeEuropean Christmas markets is on
a river cruise.
This way, you get to seemultiple Christmas markets.
However, if you're looking togo this year, it may be too late
to book a river cruise.
I did a quick look for thisyesterday and I found some very
(07:41):
limited availability.
So there was some, but it waspretty small.
There was some very limited.
You know.
Viking was all sold out, Amahad a couple of departures with
a few cabins.
So it might be too late to that, but there still is time to
book a last minute trip.
Several of these cities arewithin a, you know, one to three
hour train ride, so you coulddo two or three cities and see a
(08:03):
couple of Christmas markets,plus spend some additional time
there and you get to get on atrain and you get to get on a
train.
Patrick Wiscombe (08:11):
When do Christmas markets typically run?
Mark Faldmo (08:14):
Most cities' Christmas markets run from
mid-November to the end ofDecember.
There were a few I noticed thisyear that started the first
week of November and go intothat first week of January, but
most of them run at least fromabout the 15th of November to at
least Christmas Eve.
Patrick Wiscombe (08:34):
Okay, Basically a 45-day run there.
Mark Faldmo (08:36):
Yes.
Patrick Wiscombe (08:37):
Yeah, okay, all right, let's talk about your
favorite markets.
Let's just start at the top ofthe list.
Mark Faldmo (08:42):
Number one on my list is Nuremberg, Germany
markets.
Let's just start at the top ofthe list.
Number one on my list isNuremberg, Germany.
In Germany it's theChristkindlmarket and it's
located right in the old town ofNuremberg and this is one of
the world's oldest Christmasmarkets, or Christkindlmarket.
They've been doing it a longtime.
It dates back to the 16thcentury.
Oh wow, a couple of hundredyears that they've been doing
(09:06):
this Christmas market inNuremberg, Germany.
Patrick Wiscombe (09:09):
Just think about what you just said.
This has been going on for over400 years.
Ad Voice (09:14):
That's incredible.
Patrick Wiscombe (09:15):
Ever since we started doing this show.
One of your favorite placesthat you've mentioned is Prague.
I'm going to assume that that'son this list.
Mark Faldmo (09:23):
Yes, I would rank it as the number two Christmas
market and it's in the old townand right in the main square
which is Wenceslas Square therein Prague.
I love the food there the Pragueham is served out of the street
carts there and the I never cansay it right, but the
trindelnik, which is the chimneybread, it's dough rolled around
(09:48):
a rolling pin and then roastedover a fire.
I just love the setting ofPrague and that main square.
I think it makes for a greatChristmas market.
What's number three on yourlist?
Vienna, Austria.
And I actually have not been toVienna, Austria, in the
wintertime, but you have beenthere.
Actually have not been toVienna, Austria, in the
wintertime, but you have beenthere.
But I have been to Vienna.
(10:08):
The Christmas market again isin there, like most of these, in
the main square, city hall,which is quite an amazing
building in Vienna as thebackdrop.
One thing that's unique aboutVienna's Christmas market it has
reindeer rides, an ice skatingrink, it has a Ferris wheel and
an old-fashioned merry-go-round.
They have some of theinteresting Viennese food
(10:31):
sausages stuffed with cheese.
They have a vanilla crescentcookie.
That's one of the things that Ithink is fascinating about these
Christmas markets are the foodsthat only come out around
Christmas time.
Patrick Wiscombe (10:43):
Okay, what's your number?
Mark Faldmo (10:44):
four choice.
My number four choice isBudapest, Hungary.
Budapest is one of my favoriteEuropean cities to visit.
The Budapest one is set infront of the St Stephen's
Basilica, which is Hungary'slargest church, and this is the
one that runs into that firstweek of January.
So if you're there a little bitlater, you get to experience
(11:05):
the Christmas market a littlebit longer.
Number five this is a place Ihave not been to in the
wintertime again, but it'sStrasbourg, France.
Now Strasbourg, France, is oneof those fairy tale towns I can
just imagine, lightly coveredwith snow.
It would just be a magicalexperience to be at the
(11:26):
Christmas market in Strasbourg,France.
Patrick Wiscombe (11:28):
But you have been to Strasbourg.
I have been to Strasbourg, justnot, just, not during Christmas
.
Just because we're short ontime, let's just uh by name.
Only you know city and country.
What are six through 10?
Mark Faldmo (11:40):
So six through 10 would be Tallinn, Estonia,
Number seven would be Cologne,Germany, number eight would be
Copenhagen, Denmark, number nineis Frankfurt, Germany, and
number 10 is Salzburg, Austria.
Patrick Wiscombe (11:55):
You just can't go wrong going to Europe.
What a magical time of year,going to magical places where
you just don't live.
And I guess that's the wholepurpose of travel is getting out
and seeing the world, exploringthe world, experiencing
different cultures.
Just see what it's like inother parts of the world.
That's why we love doing thisshow.
If you are interested intalking more about a river
(12:20):
cruise to see one of theChristmas markets, or you just
want to go to Europe, call Markin his office Monday through
Friday, Friday, normal businesshours 888-718-7717.
(12:40):
888-718-7717.
When we come back, more travelnews headlines.
And in segment number two, wealways, always, always have the
hot travel deal of the week.
We're going to help you save upto $650.
We'll tell you when we comeback where we're going.
That is next when the InsideTravel Talk podcast, our radio
show, continues Alongside MarkFaldmo.
My name is Patrick Wiscombe.
(13:01):
Thank you so much for listening.
We will be right back.
Show Voice (13:10):
If you have travel questions, they have the answers
.
You're listening to the InsideTravel Talk podcast and radio
show with Patrick Wiscombe andMark Faldmo, presented by
BluePlanetVacations.
com.
Call or text the show right now801-649-3700, 801-649-3700,
801-649-3700.
Ad Voice (13:39):
We'll be right back remarkable sites and cities To
set out on your own river cruisejourney.
Contact Blue Planet Vacationsat 888-718-7717 or
blueplanetvacations.
com.
Show Voice (13:59):
You're listening to the Inside Travel Talk podcast
and radio show presented byblueplanetVacations.
com, America's best traveladvisors.
Call or text the show now801-649-3700, 801-649-3700, and
check out the podcast atInsideTravelTalk.
com.
(14:19):
Here's Patrick and Mark.
Patrick Wiscombe (14:26):
You know, one of the favorite things that I do
all week long and I know that Ispeak for Mark when I say this
is we get to do this radio showfor listeners each and every
Saturday and Sunday morningsright here on 860 KKAT here in
Salt Lake City.
On 860 KKAT here in Salt LakeCity, and you can also pick up
(14:49):
the podcast of this show atinsidetraveltalk.
com.
We are on all of the majorpodcast platforms and I just
want to say thank you forallowing this to be part of your
Saturday and Sunday mornings.
This really is one of myfavorite times of the week
because we get to talk travel,we get to talk travel, we get to
talk about fun stuff.
It's so serious.
All week long we're justbombarded with serious stuff and
(15:12):
we need to take that stuffseriously.
But there's something soamazing and so relaxing about
travel.
It allows, if you really stopand think about it, it allows
your mind to expand and dream alittle bit, and that's why we do
this show is because we wantyou to get out and explore the
world and just see differentparts of the world, Because
(15:32):
sometimes we paint our world sosmall and it's just not Coming
up.
In this segment.
We've got the travel newsheadlines and we've also got the
hot travel deal of the week andwe're going to help you save up
to $650 off in this segment andwe're going to give you a few
options of how to take advantageof saving that money.
(15:52):
But first let's get to thequick hit travel news headlines.
There was a story I forgotwhere it came from, but
basically it said airlines arenow required to issue automatic
customer refunds.
What are the criteria to get anautomatic refund?
Mark Faldmo (16:08):
This is for canceled or severely delayed
flights.
So if your flight is canceled,or for a domestic flight, if
it's delayed more than threehours, or for an international
flight, if it's delayed morethan six hours, the airline is
responsible to give you back arefund in the form of payment
(16:29):
that you paid.
So it's not a future credit,it's just not a future credit.
In the past, the airlines wouldgive you a future credit rather
than refunding that, and sosome of the early versions of
this give you back a cash refund, but it's really.
If you paid by credit card,they refund you back by credit
card.
If you paid by cash, thenthey'll refund you back by cash.
(16:52):
Now airlines can still offer, ifyou want, a future credit for a
future flight, but they do haveto offer first a cash refund.
Now there are some pros andcons of this.
If you're going somewhere andyour flight is delayed or
canceled, if you opt for thatrefund, you then have to go to
another airline and buy anotherflight, which is probably
significantly more expensive onthe day of travel than what you
(17:14):
purchased.
Don't automatically always takethe refund.
Look at all of your optionsbefore you take a refund if it
meets these situations.
Patrick Wiscombe (17:24):
Okay, so three hours for domestic flights, six
hours for international flights.
Generally speaking, those arethe criteria.
That's correct.
One of the questions that I hadearlier was who has the best
loyalty program, and then I sawthis story Air France and KLM
have the world's best airlineloyalty program.
Have you ever been on AirFrance?
Mark Faldmo (17:46):
or KLM.
Yeah, I've flown both manytimes.
Air France was based in France,obviously, and KLM is based in
Amsterdam, but their frequentflyer program is called Flying
Blue and they have the sameownership.
So they're pretty much the sameairline, particularly when it
comes to the airline loyaltyprogram.
Particularly when it comes tothe airline loyalty program.
(18:06):
In this survey that they did,the second was Air Canada and
the third was the United MileagePlus program.
So how they ranked this was theease of earning miles, ease of
redeeming miles, availability ofusing miles on partner airlines
and the ease of booking.
So, taking that all intoaccount, air France KLM was
number one.
Air Canada was number two.
(18:27):
United's Mileage Plus wasnumber three.
Have you flown Air Canada?
I've flown on Air Canada onetime.
Your overall impression it's anairline.
The thing is, I would countmyself kind of spoiled by being
able to fly Delta so often.
Delta kind of looks atthemselves as a premium airline,
(18:47):
which I think they do have thatin their perks, although that
is why Delta was pretty far downthe list on this survey.
Delta typically has a littlebit higher redemption and
they've put a lot of their timeinto being more of a premium
airline, focusing on programslike the Sky Club, things like
that, which typically make a lotof those criteria that they
(19:10):
looked at just moved Delta downthe list to not being as good.
Patrick Wiscombe (19:14):
By the way, I really do like Salt Lake
Airports.
Delta Sky Club.
Mark Faldmo (19:19):
Fantastic, I do Amazing.
If you're looking at the NorthAmerican airlines, which would
include also Canada, the bestfrequent flyer programs came in
in this order Air Canada, United, American, Alaska, JetBlue were
the top five and then thesecond five Southwest Hawaiian
(19:40):
Delta, allegiant and Spirit.
Personally, I think I mightmove Southwest up a little bit.
I find Southwest redemptionrates to be very good, yeah,
although there's not as manyearning opportunities with
Southwest.
Patrick Wiscombe (19:53):
I saw a story that higher airfares are going
to make all-inclusive vacationsmore expensive.
First of all, let's just definequickly what an all-inclusive
vacation is.
So an all-inclusive?
Mark Faldmo (20:04):
vacation is where you choose a hotel that includes
all your meals, drinks,gratuities, non-motorized water,
sports.
All-inclusive are typically inplaces like Mexico and the
Caribbean, but getting to thosehotels that are all-inclusive is
becoming a little bit moreexpensive Because of the
airfares.
Because of the airfares.
Patrick Wiscombe (20:24):
We mentioned that.
What was it two or three weeksago that airfares are starting
to climb?
Mark Faldmo (20:30):
Yeah, and particularly to these places
like Mexico.
Delta Airlines, in their recentquarter three air range report,
recorded that quarter three hadan overcapacity to destinations
like Mexico and the Caribbean.
For instance, in July airlineshad about 6% more capacity
compared to the same time a yearearlier, and now the planes
(20:52):
aren't going out as full.
So a lot of airlines arestarting to cut back, which
cutting back capacity, cuttingback that availability, is going
to drive demand higher becausethere's fewer seats For instance
, spirit to these destinations,and Spirit has a few other
issues with that, but they'recutting 20% of their flights to
(21:13):
these destinations, so that's abig chunk out of the available
seats.
Patrick Wiscombe (21:18):
Always in segment number two of the show
is the hot travel deal of theweek.
Regardless of the destinationand Mark, you found a Funjet
sale where our listeners cansave up to $650 off already
discounted prices.
This is basically the BlackFriday sale for travel.
Let's give listeners thedetails.
Mark Faldmo (21:39):
I think this is interesting because these Black
Friday sales are now pretty muchthe whole month of November and
then this year I heard they'restarting a new thing called
Travel Tuesday, which is goingto be the Tuesday after
Thanksgiving.
They're going to have sales aswell.
This save up to $650 is goodfor pretty much any destination
(22:00):
worldwide On Funjet.
Most people would go to Hawaii,Mexico, the Caribbean or Europe
, but anywhere you can get avacation package this is valid
for.
So it's save up to $650 if youbook by December 5th.
So we have about a month ofthis promo code and it's valid
for travel February 1st toDecember 15th 2025.
(22:23):
And you have to pay in full atthe time of booking.
Patrick Wiscombe (22:26):
Let's talk about that for a second.
When you book vacations,generally speaking and maybe a
lot of listeners don't know thatso you're saying that all of
this has to be paid for at thetime of booking.
So you're going Correct, butwhat a lot of people don't know
is that you can reserve a spot,basically put some kind of
deposit down and then pay in thefuture.
(22:47):
That's not the case with whatwe're talking about, but I would
argue that most people thinkthey have to pay for everything
up front when they just need toput a deposit.
Mark Faldmo (22:55):
Yep.
So, depending on how theseall-inclusive work, you may have
to pay all of the airfareportion and then a small deposit
on the hotel portion, and thenyou can pay off the rest later.
Now they do have another promocode, that is just save up to
$300 that you don't have to payin full.
Oh really.
So the travel window is alittle bit better.
(23:15):
It's just anytime now throughDecember 15th of 2025.
So you could use this save 300,say in January, or that pay in
full one.
You have to start your travelin February and it does have a
three night minimum stay Save upto $300.
Patrick Wiscombe (23:31):
OK.
Is there anything else, then,that we need to discuss?
Mark Faldmo (23:34):
There's actually one more promotion that I'd like
to bring up, and this is aninteresting promotion.
It was worked out with anairline and a tourism board, so
this is save up to $100instantly on any flight plus
hotel vacation package to theDominican Republic.
Four-night stay is required,and this one you do have to fly
(23:54):
on Southwest Airlines.
I love Dominican Republic.
It's a great place to visit.
You know, if you stay at theright hotel, it's just a
fantastic vacation, or if you doit like you're doing it on a
shore excursion, there's somefascinating things to do in the
Dominican Republic.
Patrick Wiscombe (24:10):
Nicest people in the world, truly, yes, I
really enjoy breaking bread withthem.
Well, in this case, breakingrice and beans.
They have the best rice andbeans I've ever tasted in my
life.
That culture knows rice andbeans.
You should go to Costa Rica.
Mark Faldmo (24:26):
Oh, okay.
Patrick Wiscombe (24:29):
That will have to be a different cruise.
Then Take advantage of theseoffers.
Black Friday, let's just callit Black November.
Yes, take advantage of it,whether you pay in full or you
just put a deposit.
Call Mark in his office.
He is the best at bookingvacations and I'm not saying
(24:51):
that because I do the show,because he truly just books my
vacations as well.
Call him in his office Mondaythrough Friday 888-718-7717,
888-718-7717.
When we come back, we have gotthe cruise deal of the week
(25:13):
Princesses having their cybersale again.
More Black Friday sale.
Black November sale.
We'll give you the details whenwe come back.
You are listening to the InsideTravel Talk podcast and radio
show.
Alongside, alongside MarkFaldmo, I am Patrick Wiscombe.
Thank you so much for listening.
We'll be right back.
Show Voice (25:35):
They've literally traveled millions of miles to
answer your travel-relatedquestions.
Yeah, they really have.
You're listening to the InsideTravel Talk podcast and radio
show presented byBluePlanetVacations.
com.
America's best travel advisors,Patrick and Mark, will be back
after these messages Presentedby BluePlanetVacations.
com.
America's best travel advisors,Patrick and Mark, will be back
(25:56):
after these messages.
Patrick Wiscombe (26:05):
Well, we're back Now that the radio station
disclaimer has been played.
Since we are a recorded show,let me welcome you back to the
Inside Travel Talk podcast andradio show coming up.
In the next 30 minutes, Markand I will be talking about the
Princess Cruises cyber sale, thebusiest travel days of the year
and what to do if your passportis lost or stolen while you're
(26:29):
on vacation.
Let's continue the show.
Show Voice (26:40):
Now back to the Inside Travel Talk podcast and
radio show presented byBluePlanetVacations.
com America's best traveladvisors.
Hit us up right now801-649-3700, 801-649-3700.
And check out the podcast atinsidetraveltalk.
com.
(27:01):
Here's Patrick and Mark.
Patrick Wiscombe (27:09):
That is your signal that it is the Just
Cruising segment right here onthe Inside Travel Talk podcast
and radio show.
My name is Patrick Wiscombe,Ahoy mateys Coming up in this
segment.
We've got the cruise deal ofthe week always in segment
number three of the show.
(27:30):
Or, if you're listening to uslive on the radio, in the bottom
deal of the week, always insegment number three of the show
.
Or if you're listening to uslive on the radio, in the bottom
half of the hour.
We're going to be talking aboutRoyal Caribbean's cruises to
Vanuatu.
That is not something we talkabout very often, but Royal
Caribbean man, they are slayingon their itineraries and we'll
(27:51):
also tell you where the PrincessCyber Sail on their itineraries
and we'll also tell you wherethe uh, the princess cyber sale
the itineraries well, maybe notthe itineraries specifically,
but we'll talk about the portsthat they're headed to during
the cyber sale, as always.
Thank you so much for allowingus to be part of your Saturday
and Sunday mornings mark.
Let's continue with the quickhit travel news headlines.
Let's just start with theVanuatu plans.
(28:13):
Royal Caribbean has revealedwhat those plans are.
Let's give listeners details.
Mark Faldmo (28:25):
Royal Caribbean has announced a beach club in
Vanuatu.
This is continuing cruise linetrends, particularly Royal
Caribbean trends, of having theprivate ports and beach clubs
that they're building.
I think it was last week, maybethe week before, about the
announcement of Perfect DayMexico.
Oh yeah, where they're buildingthat private port.
I think this is an interestingtrend.
The very first cruise line todo this was Norwegian, when they
(28:46):
started going to Great StirrupCay in the Bahamas, and then
other cruise lines have startedgetting their own island in the
Bahamas that they visited, butnow they're building these all
over the world.
Royal Caribbean has one inHaiti, which is a wonderful
place.
It has Dragon's Breath Zipline,which is probably one of the
most amazing ziplines.
It's really long.
Patrick Wiscombe (29:07):
Well, with a name like Dragon's Breath.
Mark Faldmo (29:09):
Dragon's Breath.
Yeah, Norwegian came back andbuilt one in Belize.
And now, just the last year,we've probably talked about
these private destinations orbeach clubs.
Probably every two or threeweeks someone is announcing a
new one.
This is kind of the first onethat is in the South Pacific
Islands.
Patrick Wiscombe (29:27):
If people don't know where Vanuatu is,
let's just geographically tellthem where it is.
Mark Faldmo (29:31):
Vanuatu is an island chain, kind of
north-northwest of Australia, soway south, way south, yeah, so
the cruises that would go herewould probably leave from
Australia New Zealand or they'dbe some type of repositioning
cruise going to Australia NewZealand area.
Patrick Wiscombe (29:51):
A seaborne submersible trip discovered a
century-old shipwreck.
I would do this in a second.
I would love to go under thewater.
I'm fascinated.
It's a whole other world underthere.
Mark Faldmo (30:05):
So, anyway, they found an old shipwreck.
You remember, a few weeks agowe talked about expedition
cruising and how fascinatingexpedition cruising and the
experiences that they offer.
Oh, yeah, well, Seabourn has,which is a luxury cruise line,
but they also have someexpedition ships, and one of
their expedition ships, onselect voyages, has a
(30:28):
submersible that you can do foran additional cost, and one of
their submersibles discovered aWorld War I shipwreck.
Oh wow, the ship actually wassunk in World War I off the
coast of Chile on November 19th1914.
So that is how long, 110 yearsago, almost exactly 110 years
(30:48):
ago from this, the airing ofthis show.
That is one of the fascinatingthings that you can do on these
expedition cruises that Seabournhas.
This wreck was located aboutfive miles off the coast and
about 95 meters of water.
Patrick Wiscombe (31:06):
While we're talking about shipwrecks, I
realized that that this is way,way closer to home was Lake Mead
.
As the lake receded, some ofthese old World War I, World War
II boats.
All of a sudden they wereappearing.
If you're going through thewreck, probably not so exciting,
but as an observer, I wouldlove to know the backstory of
why it wrecked.
Yes, the seaborne submersible.
Mark Faldmo (31:33):
I said I would do it, but I didn't ask you would
you do it?
Oh, I would do it.
I did a in Cozumel, I did there.
There are some actualsubmersible excursions
activities you can do.
They don't go quite as low asthis, but they do dive off of
that great reef in Cozumel tosee that and and so I would
absolutely do this.
And then you know, especiallygoing back to the Seabourn,
(31:54):
these expedition ships I woulddo them.
Some of the itineraries thatthis ship does is Easter Islands
, the Pitcairn Island Group,which, if you don't know, that's
where the crew of the Mutiny onthe Bounty fled to.
It's so remote that nobodyfound them there Goes to some
remote islands in Fiji.
So there are some fascinatingexpedition cruises that you can
(32:16):
do.
Patrick Wiscombe (32:23):
Virgin Voyages , which you are a fan of, virgin
the company.
They are planning an Alaskacruise on the ship Brilliant
Lady in 2026.
Mark Faldmo (32:27):
I think this is really interesting, particularly
for Alaska.
You know I've said many timeson this show I love Virgin
Voyages.
I've mentioned my wife has somefood allergies, has some issues
eating when we're on vacation.
The only vacation where we'venever had any issues at all is
on Virgin Voyages.
They do such a great job withfood allergies and just the
(32:52):
different type of eating stylesthat people have.
They've really catered to that.
They've announced they're goingto Alaska in 2026.
We talked about MSC last weekannounced they are also going to
Alaska and I think this isinteresting on the heels of some
of the other stories that we'vehad where places like Juneau
have limited the number of shipsin per day.
(33:13):
Now both of these MSC andVirgin are going to Juneau
standard seven-day rotation,like most cruise lines.
Virgin Voyages is going to doseven to 12-night itineraries
(33:36):
that depart from both Seattleand Vancouver.
Patrick Wiscombe (33:39):
So that's how they're going to slot them in
then.
Mark Faldmo (33:41):
Interesting.
They've probably had to dodifferent lengths to find days
where their ship can be incertain ports, but they've found
a way to do it.
You did Alaska about a year ago.
Patrick Wiscombe (33:51):
Yeah, it was.
Seven days is not enough inAlaska.
Mark Faldmo (33:55):
Yeah, I would much rather have a longer sailing and
see more of Alaska.
Yeah, agreed.
Patrick Wiscombe (34:01):
It was almost too short.
Yeah, you just don't get tiredof the scenery.
It's truly amazing.
If you've never been to Alaska,go.
It feels like Alaska isstarting to see a surge in other
ships coming into port.
Mark Faldmo (34:15):
Yeah, there are more cruise lines than ever
going to Alaska.
I never thought I would see MSCor Virgin Voyages in that
market because it is harder toget a slot, you know, especially
going into some of those placeslike Glacier Bay.
Some of these newer cruiselines can't do that.
Both MSC and Virgin, I think,go to Tracy Arm for their
(34:35):
glacier viewing.
So some of those places arestill a little bit more locked
out for new entrants.
But Virgin Voyages is going tosome new ports.
They're going to Prince Rupert,which is interesting.
Norwegian tried to go to PrinceRupert a few years ago but they
really didn't plan out.
The city itself didn't plan out, so they basically parked the
ship, dropped people off andthere was nothing to do.
(34:57):
But from what I hear they'vereally increased that
infrastructure to attract morecruise ships to Prince Rupert.
I did actually a fascinatingcannery tour when I was in
Prince Rupert, went out to oneof their salmon canning, which I
hate fish, I don't eat fish.
Patrick Wiscombe (35:18):
I don't either , and especially salmon.
Mark Faldmo (35:21):
Yeah, in fact, a couple of years ago on Alaska
cruise it was during COVID Iwent with one of my Norwegian
cruise sales reps in Kachikan.
They were from Canada and theycouldn't ship their fish back
during COVID, and so I came homewith like 35 salmon.
I gave them all away.
I didn't eat any of it.
Patrick Wiscombe (35:43):
I'm sorry but that's funny.
I went on a cannery tour, butyou know what?
I just don't like fish, but itwas fascinating to watch them.
Yeah, as promised, this segmentis always the cruise deal of
the week and let's talk aboutthe Princess Cyber Sail, where
they're going and some of theports Not the itineraries, just
some of the week.
And let's talk about theprincess cyber sale, where
they're going and some of theports not the itineraries, just
some of the places you can visitthis is an exciting sale.
Mark Faldmo (36:05):
It's up to 50 off cruise fares and this is a
worldwide sale.
So, anywhere they sail, 50 offdeposits and third and fourth
guests in the cabin sell forfree.
Wow, that's.
That's a promotion.
You do have to book by November25th.
They got about two weeks.
They have some pretty excitingitineraries Now.
(36:26):
Again, like I said, this is aworldwide sale, but some I'll
just quickly pull out what Ithink are six of the top
sailings that they have.
They have a seven-day WesternCaribbean November 9th of 2025,
that starts at $559 per person,so a year from now.
They have a seven-day InsidePassage, which is Alaska.
(36:47):
This is round-trip.
Vancouver on June 10th of 2025,starts at $929 per person.
Next one, I think, is probablyone of the best deals out there.
It's a seven-day Mediterranean,so it's France and Italy, on
March 4th 2025.
Starts at $949 per person An11-day Mexican Riviera cruise on
(37:09):
October 19th 2025.
Starts at $979.
So if you look at that one,that's less than $100 per person
per day.
12-day Panama Canal cruise, sothat would visit Costa Rica and
the Caribbean.
And that's less than $100 perperson per day.
12-day Panama Canal cruise.
So that would visit Costa Ricaand the Caribbean November 29th,
starting at $1189.
Patrick Wiscombe (37:26):
So we can go do the rice and beans.
Mark Faldmo (37:28):
Go do the rice and beans yeah.
Patrick Wiscombe (37:31):
By the way, I do want to do that.
The Panama Canal, that for mepersonally, that would be a
great cruise.
Mark Faldmo (37:35):
That's one of the great cruise experiences I've
had.
I love going through the PanamaCanal.
Patrick Wiscombe (37:41):
Okay, what?
Mark Faldmo (37:41):
else.
And then there's one moresailing on this sail 16-day
Iceland and Greenland, July 31st, and this one, also
surprisingly for being a Julydate, is right around that $100
per person per day starts at$1749.
Really, I've not been toGreenland.
I've been to Iceland severaltimes, as we've talked about,
(38:01):
but I'd love to do one of thesecruises that goes to Greenland.
Patrick Wiscombe (38:05):
So let's recap that 50% off the normal cruise
fare.
Third and fourth guests go free.
And what was the other thingthat you mentioned?
The other one is 50% offdeposit.
That is a sale.
Seriously, as someone whocruises a lot and you've been on
over 150 cruises is that one ofthe best deals you've ever seen
(38:26):
?
Mark Faldmo (38:26):
That is that's a really good sale and then again
a lot of those prices wementioned I think are tremendous
.
Patrick Wiscombe (38:32):
Wow, all right , take advantage of that offer.
Princess's Cyber cyber salecall mark in his office.
That is the cruise deal of theweek.
That is a phenomenal offer888-718-7717, 888-718-7717.
(38:54):
And you can also go toblueplanetvacations.
com.
Seriously, if you've wanted totry cruising or you want to go
to blueplanetvacations.
com Seriously, if you've wantedto try cruising, or you want to
go to one of these places, justgo.
Phenomenal value on that oneand a great price.
When we come back, we've gotMark's travel tips.
We've got some additionaltravel news headlines that we
(39:16):
need to get to, and if you aretraveling for the holidays,
we're going to tell you how toget the best fare and when not
to travel.
That is next when the InsideTravel Talk podcast and radio
show continues.
I'm Patrick Wiscombe, he isMark Faldmo.
We'll be right back.
Show Voice (39:36):
Explore your world.
You're listening to the InsideTravel Talk podcast and radio
show presented byBluePlanetVacations.
com, America's best traveladvisors.
Call or text the show now801-649-3700, 801-649-3700.
Ad Voice (40:13):
We'll be right back El Dorado Spa Resort To book your
romantic beach getaway.
Contact Blue Planet Vacationsat 888-718-7717 or
blueplanetvacations.
com.
Patrick Wiscombe (40:25):
The Inside Travel Talk podcast and radio
show presented byblueplanetvacations.
com contains travel deals,promotions and offers that may
be time sensitive.
All offers and information wereaccurate when the show aired.
Travel deals and offers changeconstantly and are capacity
controlled and subject to changewithout notice.
Show Voice (40:50):
They'll help you plan and book your next vacation
.
Yeah, really, you're listeningto the Inside Travel Talk
podcast and radio show presentedby BluePlanetVacations.
com, America's best traveladvisors.
Call or text the show now801-649-3700, 801-649-3700.
(41:12):
And now here's Patrick Wiscombeand Mark Faldmo and Mark Faldmo
.
Patrick Wiscombe (41:25):
Serving travelers around the world.
You have found the right radioshow If you are interested in
travel or if you need ideas ofwhere to go.
You have absolutely found theright radio show and podcast.
Alongside Mark Faldmo, my nameis Patrick Wiscombe Thank you so
much for allowing us to be partof your Saturday and Sunday
(41:47):
mornings or if you arepodcasting the show later,
insidetraveltalk.
com is where you find thepodcast, and we are on all of
the major podcast platformsComing up in this segment, the
final segment of this week'sshow.
We've got the travel newsheadlines and we are going to
(42:09):
talk about the busiest days ofthe year to travel that,
according to TSA.
We're going to do our best tosave you some money.
You might be kind of hosed atthis point, but you don't have
to travel on the busiest day ofthe year, so we're going to help
you navigate that, and we'realso going to talk about how to
get a new passport if you loseyours while you're out traveling
(42:33):
or it's stolen.
We'll tell you how to getaround that whole mess.
That would be a mess if youlose your passport.
Mark.
I think we should helplisteners navigate the busiest
travel days of the year.
According to TSA.
When is the busiest days of theyear to travel?
Mark Faldmo (42:51):
This report is the 15 busiest travel days in the
past 12 months.
There are some days on herethat I would not have considered
, and actually the busiest dayis here that I would not have
considered, and actually thebusiest day is not one I would
have even thought of.
So in the past 12 months, thebusiest day was July 7th 2024.
By far more passengers, byalmost 300,000 passengers,
(43:11):
compared to the next closest day, which was June 23rd 2024.
Patrick Wiscombe (43:16):
Really.
Mark Faldmo (43:17):
And then July 18th and then May 24th and June 24th
round out the top five busiestdays in the past 12 months.
That is genuinely surprising.
Yeah, that's surprising forthose summer months.
I guess there's one May 24th.
There is around Memorial Day.
I'm surprised that somethingaround Labor Day did not pop up
(43:37):
there.
November 26th of 2023 did showup in the past 12 months, but
that was clear down.
That was number 14 on the list.
Patrick Wiscombe (43:47):
I'm just looking at the calendar.
July 4th was a Thursday, soeveryone stayed through the
weekend and then they traveledon Sunday.
Ad Voice (43:53):
So, yeah, okay, I can buy that.
Patrick Wiscombe (43:56):
A passenger on an American Airlines flight
from Phoenix to Los Angelesattempted to steal an upgraded
seat, meaning probably ComfortPlus or First Class, and it
created quite a stir.
Mark Faldmo (44:09):
This goes back to some of our discussions on
airplane etiquette and some ofthese I'll say, tiktok hacks
that people are putting outthere.
That really don't work and youreally shouldn't try.
And so what this person did wasbooked her mother in an aisle
seat and upgraded like ComfortPlus and then booked herself
back in coach.
(44:29):
And then when she got on theplane, she sat next to her
mother and asked the person whowas seated in seat 8D, which is
an aisle seat, to change back torow 35B, which is a middle seat
, and, as you can imagine, thatdid not go over well in this
case, especially trying to go upto an upgraded seat from a
(44:51):
regular coach seat to a premiumcoach seat.
No one's going to trade forthat and that person paid a lot
more money for that seat in mostcases.
Just be cordial.
If you do want a seat, you canlightly ask someone if they'll
change, but don't just sit in itand expect that it's yours.
Patrick Wiscombe (45:09):
There's a new rule at one international
airport that you have max threeminutes, which actually I
thought was kind of long.
Three minutes for farewells,say your goodbyes in three
minutes, or less.
Mark Faldmo (45:22):
This is an airport in New Zealand.
I think it's interesting.
They have a sign that says kissand goodbye, no kisses above
three minutes.
And that is a problem atairports Cars kind of lingering
long, loading and unloading.
They are kind of making lightof that by kind of making it
(45:43):
funny no kisses above threeminutes.
But they really are trying tokeep the traffic moving through
there because especially at busytimes that front of the airport
can be a mess.
It's pretty chaotic and canalso be dangerous if cars don't
find a place to park.
So that's one way they'retrying to move that along.
Patrick Wiscombe (46:01):
One thing that is a big deal when you're on
vacation is if you lose yourpassport or it's stolen.
Let's tell listeners what to doif they lose or their passport
is stolen.
Mark Faldmo (46:15):
The first thing to help with this is make sure
you're prepared before you leavehome.
On the State Department'swebpage, which is travel.
state.
gov, they have a traveler'schecklist.
You can also find this if yougo to blueplanetvacations.
com and click on our resourcestab.
This checklist is there, and sohere is.
(46:35):
We'll first give the traveler'schecklist and then we'll say
how to get a new passport ifyours is lost or stolen while
you're traveling.
So the first thing is makecopies of all of your travel
documents.
Leave a copy with a trustedfriend or relative, carry the
other copy separate from youroriginal documents.
You should have a copy with afriend or family member at home,
(46:56):
a copy in your bag and thenyour original, which is not in
that same bag as the photocopy.
You can also take a photographof your travel documents.
Have one on your phone.
I personally have a securefolder on my phone that's
encrypted, that has a copy ofpassport, driver's license and
any important information that Imay need while traveling.
(47:19):
I hadn't even thought about thatthe next thing is to check your
passport expiration date.
A lot of people don't eventhink of this.
The passport should expire atleast six months after your
return date, so you should havea validity at least six months
after you come back.
A lot of countries, just out ofexperience, say they won't
admit you into a country if yourpassport is not valid at least
(47:41):
six months.
Patrick Wiscombe (47:42):
I would have never thought of that one.
Mark Faldmo (47:44):
My passport, for instance, is expiring a year
from now, so I'm going to startgetting it renewed here this
year.
Patrick Wiscombe (47:51):
Let's talk about that.
Where do you go personally?
Mark Faldmo (47:55):
to renew your passport.
Well, now the State Departmentpassport renewal page.
It's a real simple processonline nowadays.
Show Voice (48:01):
So, travelstategov.
Mark Faldmo (48:03):
Yeah, then click on the passports.
No, you don't even have to goget a passport photo at a
passport place anymore.
They now allow you, as long asit meets the requirements, to
take it with your own phone.
I just want to quickly mentiontwo things.
One is travel insurance.
The State Department urges thatyou have travel insurance.
(48:23):
The government will not pay foryour medical needs outside of
the country, so make sure youhave travel insurance that
includes medical benefits.
The next thing they recommendis enrolling in the STEP program
, the Smart Travel EnrollmentProgram, and this is something
where you list your contactinformation, where you're
(48:44):
staying, where you'll be, so ifanything happens in that country
, they know where you are andhelp with any needed evacuations
.
Patrick Wiscombe (48:51):
One last question before we take off
where do you go to get apassport?
Mark Faldmo (48:55):
So there are a few steps.
The first step is if yourpassport is lost, the first
thing you need to do is locatethe nearest embassy or consulate
and to that.
Step two is to report yourpassport to the embassy or
consulate with a phone call.
If you're able to go to theconsulate in person, that's even
better.
Sometimes it's a little harderto do that.
(49:16):
Step three is that embassy orconsulate will give you advice
on what the next steps to do are.
They will ask you to send in acopy of your passport, which is
why we talked about that firstthing on the traveler's list to
do have a copy.
If you have a copy of it, ifyou have your driver's license,
or again a copy of your driver'slicense.
(49:37):
That'll make it a lot easier.
There are two forms that youneed to fill out to get a
replacement passport like that,and then they'll either issue a
replacement passport or alimited validity passport which
will get you home If you dobelieve your passport is stolen.
There's one additional step,which is to make sure and report
that to the local policeauthority to have a police
(50:00):
report to help with that.
It can take a day or two to getyour replacement passport.
Oh, this was a long time ago.
I've had several customers ontrips with me that have lost
their passport and we just droveto the embassy and they
replaced it right there.
I think it's a little bitharder to just show up and get
(50:22):
it done, but they will help youwith it and again, if you can,
it's best to show up to theembassy or consulate in person
to help with that.
Patrick Wiscombe (50:31):
Those are great tips.
Talk about something you don'tthink of, but when you need it,
you really need it.
Yes, wow, okay, but when youneed it, you really need it.
Yes, wow, okay.
You know what?
We could probably just recordthis segment and play it over
and over.
You know, play once a year justto help people.
(50:51):
Maybe we should just post thison the website what to do if
your passport is stolen or lost.
Well, that's going to do it forthis week's edition of the
Inside Travel Talk podcast andradio show.
If you would like to book anyof the vacations that we've
talked about, call Mark in hisoffice, Monday through Friday
888-718 7717.
(51:14):
888-718 7717.
Or you can just go toblueplanetvacation.
com.
You can listen to this showagain tomorrow morning on 860
KKAT, Sunday morning at 11 amMountain Time, and if you want
or need to listen to the showagain, you can download and
(51:35):
subscribe to the podcast atinsidetraveltalk.
com.
We're on all of the majorpodcast platforms.
And while you're at it, may Iask you to subscribe and leave
us a five-star review, becauseit really does help us get
traction with the podcastplatforms and with listeners.
Well, that's it.
Now it's your turn.
(51:57):
Get out and explore the worldwhile you can, because you never
know what curveballs life isgoing to throw at you.
Today is a good day for a goodday.
Live your life deliberately,live your life intentionally and
remember what you're notchanging, you're choosing.
Thanks for listening.
Have a great week.
(52:18):
We'll talk to you next Saturdayand Sunday mornings.
Show Voice (52:22):
That's it.
That's the end of the showYou've been listening to the
Inside Travel Talk podcast andradio show with Patrick Wiscombe
and Mark Faldmo, presented byBluePlanetVacations.
com.
Book your adventure right now.
Call 888-718-7717.
That's 888-718-7717.
(52:53):
Thanks for listening.
Have a great week.
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