January 3, 2026 • 27 mins
Booking a Roman getaway in 2025 now comes with new rules—and real opportunities. We unpack the alphabet soup of Europe travel requirements so you know exactly what to apply for, when to apply, and how to breeze through the airport without surprise paperwork. Then we turn a classic Rome trip into a bigger story with five day trips that add history, scenery, and flavor: Tivoli’s gardens and Hadrian’s Villa, the quieter ruins of Ostia Antica, Orvieto’s dramatic cathedral and caves, Naples for pizza and Pompeii, and Tuscan calm in Cortona.
If you’re short on time, we’ve got you. We compare five to six night itineraries from trusted tour operators that deliver real depth without draining your PTO, plus a few river options that fit busy calendars. Cruise lovers get a strong value check: Norwegian’s Free at Sea Plus returns with premium drinks, bottled water, Starbucks, unlimited streaming Wi‑Fi, prepaid service charges, and dining discounts that can easily offset the upgrade. On the rivers, AMA Waterways pairs a 14-night Grand Danube with Smithsonian Journeys hosts—think curated lectures, overnight time in Budapest, and cultural context from Germany to Romania.
Dreaming bigger? We map the 115-night MSC world cruise, roundtrip Barcelona, featuring rare calls like Rapa Nui and the remote Pitcairn Islands, an overnight in Tahiti, the Panama and Suez Canals, and a sweep through Southeast Asia to the Mediterranean. To stack value on land, we highlight a Delta Vacations promotion offering up to $250 off and up to 10,000 bonus SkyMiles, with an extra agency bonus for Europe packages while space lasts.
Ready to turn plans into tickets? Subscribe for weekly smart travel intel, share this with your favorite travel buddy, and leave a quick review to help more explorers find the show. Your next great trip starts with one decision—where are you going first?
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, a
radio show coming up on today'sshow.
Mark and I will be talkingabout vacationing in Rome.
Awesome.
Europe's new travelauthorizations, the travel deal
of the week, which will help yousave up to $250, and you get up
to 10,000 bonus sky miles,NCL's free at sea amenity
(00:21):
package, and three cruise dealsof the week.
Let's start the show.
The Inside Travel Talk Podcastradio show presented by Blue
PlanetVacations.com containstravel deals, promotions, and
offers that are 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 (00:48):
Explore your world.
It's the Inside Travel TalkPodcast and Radio Show,
presented by Blue PlanetVacations.com.
Call or text the show now.
801-649-3700.
801-649-3700.
And check out the podcast atInside Traveltalk.com.
And now, here are your hosts,Patrick Wiscombe and Mark
(01:12):
Faldmo.
Patrick Wiscombe (01:24):
Live from Salt Lake City, Utah, this is the
Inside Travel Talk Podcast RadioShow.
Hello there.
I am Patrick Whisker alongsidemy co-host, friend, and owner of
BluePlanetVacations.com, MarkFaldmo.
He'll be here in just a moment.
The entire purpose of thisradio show and podcast is to
(01:45):
help you plan and book your nextvacation or give you ideas of
where you and your family, yourfriends, may want to go on
vacation next, and we arepresented, proudly presented, by
BluePlanetVacations.com.
And thank you for taking thetime to stop and listen.
This week we are talking aboutvacationing in Rome, Europe's
(02:06):
new travel authorizations.
It's the story that just keepsgiving, but we gotta keep you up
to date on all this stuff ifyou're headed to Europe.
We've got the travel deal ofthe week, which is gonna help
you save up to $250, and youmight just end up with up to
10,000 bonus Delta Sky Miles,NCL's free at sea amenity
(02:27):
package, the plus package, andwe've got three cruise deals.
Mark Faldmo, you are back fromI guess I should say Happy New
Year first, since it is the uhnew year.
Yeah.
Mark Faldmo (02:41):
And actually the start of season four of this
podcast.
Well, good for us.
Patrick Wiscombe (02:52):
Let's get right into the travel news
headlines.
This is the story that we havebeen talking about, what is now
the very start of the fourthseason of the podcast or radio
show.
I'm just gonna give you a wholebunch of acronyms here.
We've got the EES, the ETIAS,the ETA, the C O Ds, the BFDs,
the L S Ds, and the SOBs,please.
(03:13):
But let's start with the EESfirst, which is the entry exit
system.
Mark Faldmo (03:18):
I currently have three families in Rome right
now.
And I kept getting thisquestion what do we have to have
to enter Europe?
And they keep hearing aboutthese EES, ETIS, and ETAs.
So I decided on this to startthe new year, but we'll take a
little bit deeper dive than wehave in the past just to explain
(03:39):
what these are.
So EES is Europe's entry andexit system.
So the main purpose of that isto replace traditional passport
stamping.
So everything will beautomated.
It does take that biometricdata, fingerprints, photo on
your first entry, and then thesame thing on departure.
(04:00):
So that's how it'll keep trackof your entry and exit into
Europe.
And it started in October of2025.
It should be fully implementedby April.
Of course.
But we'll we will believe thatwhen we see it.
Patrick Wiscombe (04:15):
I feel like we've been talking about this
since season one.
Like literally one of the firstshows that we ever did.
Mark Faldmo (04:21):
Yeah, it it keeps getting delayed.
And the the rollout of the EES,so the entry and exit system
was pretty rocky um lastOctober.
Yes, and then there's theEuropean Travel Information and
Authorization System.
Okay, so this is E T I A S.
Okay.
What is that?
This is a travelpre-authorization.
(04:43):
So before flying, beforeboarding your flights to Europe,
you will have to pay this ETIASfee, have a printout with you
or on your phone to show it inorder to enter Europe.
So this is not a visa, but youdo have to apply before travel.
That is not launched yet.
(05:05):
They're gonna wait to launchthat until they get all of the
kinks worked out of the EES.
They're hoping it will launchin April.
Patrick Wiscombe (05:14):
So when we talk about the EES, the
entry-exit system, we're talkingabout when you go over the
border, basically.
Correct.
Okay.
So if you go from Rome to Ishould know my geography better
than that.
Whatever's next to Rome.
That this is the uh the EES isthe border, and then the
European getting into Europe,it's the ETIAS, which is what
(05:34):
we're talking about right now.
Mark Faldmo (05:36):
Correct.
Um, although all Europe, so allEuropean countries are in the
same area, so all EU members.
So it won't be like going fromItaly to Spain.
It would be if you're comingfrom the US to Italy, okay.
And then you can travelanywhere in Europe with that.
Patrick Wiscombe (05:54):
Okay.
And that's the ETIAS.
Mark Faldmo (05:57):
Correct.
Patrick Wiscombe (05:57):
Okay, got it.
Mark Faldmo (05:58):
Yes.
And then that'll cost about $15per person, maybe a little bit
more than that.
And what confuses this all isthe UK is not part of the
European Union, and so they havetheir own ETA, which is already
into effect.
So if you're going to the UK,you already have to get the
essentially the same thing asthe ETIAS, but for the UK.
Patrick Wiscombe (06:22):
And you can help people with all of this.
Mark Faldmo (06:24):
We can help people with that.
So, you know, that's kind ofwhy I wanted to go over this
because I've had so muchconfusion.
Patrick Wiscombe (06:33):
I consider myself pretty plugged in when it
comes to travel.
I mean, obviously, you way morethan me, but even I'm just
going, what?
I am glad that we're talkingabout this.
Mark Faldmo (06:42):
We will keep you on track for all of this
information and things that youneed to enter different
countries.
Patrick Wiscombe (06:48):
There are no shortage of options for
travelers who have limitedvacation time.
Mark Faldmo (06:53):
This is an interesting trend.
There are several touroperators.
So Intrepid Vacations hasactually come up with five to
six night packages.
Talk river cruises has come upwith a six-day river cruise.
You say talk?
Talk.
Oh, talk.
Yeah, okay.
Tauc, uh-huh.
Uh, with a six-day river cruisewhere most of them are
(07:16):
eight-day.
We've talked about Globus,their escape tours, and which
are those shortened six-daytours that are mainly in the
off-season.
But what they've noticed isthere are a lot of people that
have the means to travel, butnot the time.
And so they've designedspecific versions of tours that
are shorter so people can stillexperience that and do it all in
(07:37):
less than a week.
And I think this is a reallygood option.
Some of those tours, uh, we aswe've talked about in the past,
those Globus and Cosmos Escapetours, those shorter tours, have
some pretty interestingitineraries like Morocco, which
was a six-day tour, I believe.
Really good price on that.
And what I think is interestingabout it is cruise lines have
(07:58):
gone the other way.
Cruise lines have found thatpeople want to spend more time
on cruise ships.
So they're adding more longercruises.
But a lot of these landoperators are seeing the need
for these shorter options.
So if you want to travel, butdon't think you have the time
for it, there are some optionsfor both river cruise and land
options.
Patrick Wiscombe (08:19):
A couple days ago, we received a travel
related question.
So if you do have travelrelated questions, let me give
you the studio number.
All of these text and calls goto Mark 801-649-3700.
801-649-3700 is how you get ahold of the show.
And Liz is asking a question.
(08:39):
She goes, I want to go to Rome.
I've been there before on acruise and have seen the basic
sites in Rome.
What day trips or sites wouldyou recommend?
Mark Faldmo (08:51):
There's lots of good places that you could do in
a day trip from Rome.
I actually have three familiesin Rome right now.
If you're visiting Rome, youdon't have to stay in the city
center the whole time.
There's some day trips that arefascinating, some cities to
visit.
And I've chosen five day tripsthat I think would be worth your
(09:13):
time if you're visiting Romeand want to get out of the city
center.
Patrick Wiscombe (09:18):
What is the first one then?
Mark Faldmo (09:19):
So the first one is Tivoli.
Tivoli is famous for Villa deState, is uh the name of it,
which is gardens and fountains,and it also has Hadrian's Villa,
which is one of the mostimpressive Roman ruins in Italy.
And it's an easy trip.
It's about an hour outside ofRome and just has history and
(09:40):
beauty.
When I visited there, I justremember walking through the
felt like the countryside,seeing Hadrian's Villa.
Very much worth the trip.
What's your second day trip?
The second is Ostia Antica, andit's an ancient port town with
well-preserved Roman ruins.
And these ruins actually rivalPompeii, but they're closer and
(10:01):
easier to get to from Rome.
So think of it as a quieter,less crowded alternative to
Pompeii.
You can walk ancient streets,explore ruins, and still be back
in Rome for dinner.
Patrick Wiscombe (10:11):
It sounds like a food commercial.
Hey, you can have fun all day,but you'll be back in time for
dinner.
Mark Faldmo (10:16):
Yep.
All right, what's your next daytrip?
And then the next one isOrvieto.
And this is one of my favoritehilltop towns.
It's a little bit further awayfrom Rome, but you can still do
it in a day.
And it's known for itscathedral.
So a hill town with a hugecathedral.
It also has underground caves,kind of small village, Italian
(10:40):
charm, is you know what I'd sayfor this.
It's scenic, walkable, packedwith character.
You should probably always whenin Italy try and visit a hill
town.
And this is one that's easy toget to from Rome.
Patrick Wiscombe (10:53):
Naples has to be part of this.
Mark Faldmo (10:55):
Has to be.
It is.
There are some tours that youcan get from Rome, and it's also
reachable by the high-speedtrain.
Naples, famous for Pompeii.
You probably would be able todo this, but you could also go
to Capri.
But what you do in Naples isjust schedule plenty of time for
lunch and go get pizza, thebirthplace of pizza.
And it's a very good pizza inNaples.
(11:16):
Just make sure you pick yourtoppings.
Don't let them bring you randompizza.
They had a tour group there.
And a couple of them got servedtuna pizzas, and they were very
happy.
Patrick Wiscombe (11:28):
All you had to say was tuna.
Mark Faldmo (11:30):
Tuna, yeah.
Patrick Wiscombe (11:31):
So that'd be disappointing.
Mark Faldmo (11:33):
But very good pizza in Naples.
And that's a longer tour.
You're probably 14 hours onthat tour to get to Naples, but
again, very much worth it.
Patrick Wiscombe (11:43):
And what's your final day trip?
Mark Faldmo (11:46):
The final trip is to visit Tuscany, which is not
too far from Rome.
The city there would beCortana.
Fans of Under the Tuscan Sunwill recognize it instantly.
Cortana is that classic Tuscanytown with rolling hills,
postcard perfect views, anotherwalkable city.
So any of these five options,do two or three, or do all of
(12:09):
them if you have the time.
Very good options for visitingoutside of Rome.
Patrick Wiscombe (12:14):
There is something special about Rome.
Mark Faldmo (12:16):
Yes, there definitely is.
Patrick Wiscombe (12:18):
All right, let's get to the travel deal of
the week.
Which is Delta Vacations saveup to $250.
Plus, you might get up to$10,000 bonus Sky Miles.
What are the details on thisone, Mark?
Mark Faldmo (12:35):
This is a worldwide promotion.
Anywhere Delta Vacations hasvacation packages too.
Up to $250 off.
And that's a tier discountbased on the overall cost of the
trip.
And then same with the bonussky miles, up to 10,000 bonus
sky miles.
But right now, Blue PlanetVacations is gonna throw in a
(12:56):
bonus at $50 off per person.
So for the first two on avacation package to Europe.
Patrick Wiscombe (13:03):
So this is good for all Delta Vacations
locations, not just Rome, likewe've been talking about.
Mark Faldmo (13:10):
Correct.
Yes.
Good to Hawaii, Mexico, Europe,Asia, everywhere Delta
Vacations goes.
Patrick Wiscombe (13:15):
And of course, Rome.
Mark Faldmo (13:16):
Correct.
Patrick Wiscombe (13:22):
Take advantage of that one.
Call Mark in the office.
Get the conversation started.
Get your deposit to hold yourspot.
888-718-7717-888-718-7717.
And he will also post all ofthis information on
BluePlanetVacations.com and alsothe contact information is
(13:44):
there.
When we come back, it is timefor the infamous Just Cruising
segment, the part of the showthat has made us famous around
the country and around theworld.
We've got three cruise deals inthis upcoming segment.
Plus, we're also going to betalking about NCL's free at sea
(14:04):
plus.
It's not just free at Steve, itis plus.
It's even better.
We'll talk about that next whenthe Inside Travel Talk podcast
or radio show continues.
Alongside Mark Faldmo, my nameis Patrick Wiscombe.
Thank you so much forlistening.
Happy New Year! We'll be backin about 60 seconds.
Stay right there.
Show Voice (14:28):
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 rightnow.
801-649-3700.
801-649-3700.
(14:49):
We'll be right back.
This segment of Inside TravelTalk is sponsored by El Dorado
Spa Resorts.
Escape to Cancun's RivieraMayer with authentic,
all-inclusive luxury at an ElDorado Spa Resort.
To book your romantic beachgetaway, contact Blue Planet
(15:10):
Vacations at 888-718-7717 orBlue Planet Vacations.com.
Now, back to the Insight TravelTalk Podcast and Radio Show.
Presented by Blue PlanetVacations.com.
(15:31):
America's best travel advisors.
Call or text the show rightnow.
801-649-3700.
801-649-3700.
And check out the podcast atInsideTravel Talk.com.
Here's Patrick Wiscombe andMark Faldmo.
Patrick Wiscombe (16:28):
It is time for the Infamous Just Cruising
segment.
This is the segment of the showthat has made us famous around
the country and around theworld.
And to all boarding the radioshow and podcast right now, let
me just say ahoy, mateys.
Ahoy.
It is time to talk some cruisenews headlines.
(16:50):
And we've also got three cruisedeals of the week.
Let's jump right back into NCLbringing back their popular Free
at C Plus amenity package.
So there's free at C, and thenthere's Free at C Plus.
Have I got that right?
That's right.
Mark Faldmo (17:06):
So Free at C is their normal promotion that
comes with the purchase of yourcabin.
So it has beverage package,some dining, a couple of
amenities that's included in thestandard free at sea.
But now they've brought backfree at sea plus, which includes
enhanced premium beveragepackage.
(17:28):
So unlimited Starbucks drinks,energy drinks, fresh juices,
premium wines, top shelfliquors, bottled water, and then
one thing that is important onthis, the free at C Plus also
includes unlimited open bar atGreat Stirrup K.
That's fun.
It is, yeah.
And now you can get it with anopen bar.
Patrick Wiscombe (17:49):
I always find it kind of funny when the
premium beverage packages, hey,you know, you get all this
stuff, but you get water too.
Yes.
What else is included withthat?
Mark Faldmo (18:01):
Unlimited streaming high speed Wi-Fi.
Patrick Wiscombe (18:04):
Oh, okay.
So you can watch shows then onyour device.
Mark Faldmo (18:09):
And the standard package is a throttled uh
version of the internet.
So this is just a high speed50% discount on additional
specialty dining reservations.
So the free at sea comes with,depending on the length of your
cruise, anywhere from one tothree.
But then you get 50% if youwant to eat additional nights.
And then here's the one that Ilike prepaid daily service
(18:32):
charge in the plus package.
So that's a value on aseven-day cruise, about $120 per
person.
Patrick Wiscombe (18:38):
Yeah, these are the gratuities, right?
The service charges.
Correct.
Okay.
There's some real value inthat.
Yeah.
Mark Faldmo (18:44):
And so the free at C Plus upgrade is about $50 per
person per day, probably for theunlimited Wi-Fi.
I mean you'll probably pay thatoff in the cost of Wi-Fi on a
cruise ship.
So if you want the upgradedamenities, Wi-Fi service charge,
uh, the free at C Plus is agood option on Norwegian.
Patrick Wiscombe (19:08):
Let's talk about the Grand River cruise for
what is being called CuriousTravelers.
This is on AMA Waterways.
Mark Faldmo (19:15):
We've talked a lot about AMA waterways, but it's
also part of their Smithsonianjourneys.
So the Grand Danube is a 14-dayDanube cruise, basically from
Vilshofen, Germany, to Bucharestin Romania.
So this is both the upper andlower Danube, but it also comes
with the special Smithsonianhosts and Smithsonian curated
(19:38):
tours that they do.
That'd be fun.
Some of the ports, Vilshoffen,Linz, Austria, where you can
take a an excursion to Salzburgwhere Mozart's birth house was
to Vienna in Austria.
We've the last few weeks.
I think we've talked twiceabout Vienna.
Yeah.
Love Vienna.
And then Bratislava inSlovakia.
Then Budapest at Overnights inBudapest, so you have two full
(20:02):
days in Budapest.
Patrick Wiscombe (20:04):
Ooh, that would be terrific.
Mark Faldmo (20:05):
And then goes to Mohawks in Hungary.
And then Vukovar in Hungary,Belgrade, Serbia, and then Viden
in Bulgaria.
This was one of my favoritestops when I did this.
There's some old ruins there.
And then Raus in Bulgaria, andthen ends in Bucharest, Romania.
I think doing that full Danube,both upper and lower, is the
(20:28):
perfect river cruise.
And on Alma waterways, you cansave up to $2,000 on these
Smithsonian journeys.
Patrick Wiscombe (20:35):
Alma doesn't really discount their stuff, so
if they're dropping the price onthis, I'm just telling everyone
right now, take advantage ofit.
Mark Faldmo (20:42):
Yeah.
So for this particularitinerary, there are about 12
departures from May to Octoberthat do this.
Munich is basically uh whereyou'd fly into and ends in
Bucharest or vice versa.
Patrick Wiscombe (20:58):
MSC now has their world cruise.
Is this 2028?
Okay, so that's out here atleast two years.
Two years away.
Okay, so 115 days, it is nowavailable to book.
And if you are a Voyager clubmember, you get five percent off
plus triple point credits.
What are the specific details?
(21:18):
Where are we going?
Mark Faldmo (21:19):
There the highlight, I think, is the
115-day world cruise.
Yeah, you're right.
You know, and you know, we'vetalked about a couple of times,
I think, in the last few weeks,why cruise lines put their
itineraries out so early.
And it's because thesespecialty cruises really sell
out, and so they want to put itout there so that people that
really want to do it have thetime to plan and do it.
(21:42):
So, you know, this 115-nightworld cruise starts at about
$19,000 per person for a thirdof a year to have your food and
drinks and entertainment andeverywhere you visit.
Yeah, that's a pretty gooddeal.
Yeah, it is.
We've talked about some worldcruises before, but what I think
(22:02):
is best about world cruises isthe itinerary.
They all go to differentplaces, they all take different
routes.
This one is round tripBarcelona.
Um, you could also do a roundtrip Marseille in France if you
wanted.
Starting in Barcelona, it goesto Tenerife, then across the
Atlantic, does some ports in theCaribbean, including Ocean K
(22:24):
MSC Reserve.
Patrick Wiscombe (22:25):
Of course.
Mark Faldmo (22:26):
I love that place.
I do.
Patrick Wiscombe (22:28):
Ocean Key is awesome.
Mark Faldmo (22:29):
It's good, yeah.
And then uh Porto Limon inCosta Rica, then does a Panama
Canal cruise, then goes down,has a port in Ecuador, two ports
in Peru, one port in Chile, andthen I think probably the best
port on this whole itinerary arethe next two ports after it
(22:51):
leaves Chile.
It goes to Rapanui.
South Pacific is South Pacific,and then goes to Pitcarn
Islands in the South Pacific.
Pitcarn Islands is where thecrew of the Mutiny on the Bounty
fled to because it's so remote.
They didn't think anyone wouldfind them there.
So most of the people living onthe island are ancestors of the
(23:12):
Mutiny on the Bounty um people.
That is probably one of themost beautiful islands in the
world.
Pitcarn.
Personally, I've not beenthere.
I've seen some pictures, andpeople have related that to me.
So, you know, those two ports,Pitcarn and Rapanui, are two
that I want to get to.
And then it goes to spendsovernight in uh Papiete, Tahiti,
(23:34):
then sells to Tonga, then acouple of ports in New Zealand,
a couple of ports in Australia,then sells to Indonesia, goes to
Vietnam, a couple actually acouple ports with an overnight
in Helong Bay, which isbasically Hanoi.
Helong Bay is wow.
And then to Thailand, then toCambodia, then to Singapore,
(23:58):
Malaysia, Mumbai in India, andthen Dubai, Oman, Jordan, Egypt,
Alexandria in Egypt, so throughthe Suez Canal, and then
Alexandria, and then back toRome, Genoa, Italy, and back to
either Marseille or Barcelona.
So that's your round the worldcruise on MSC.
Patrick Wiscombe (24:21):
What ship is that on?
Mark Faldmo (24:22):
That is on the MSC Magnifica.
Patrick Wiscombe (24:25):
And I think if memory serves, didn't they just
refurbish that one as well?
I think they did.
Yeah, I was like, I think theydid.
Mark Faldmo (24:32):
Yeah, that's one of the recently renovated ships.
Probably why they're putting iton this round the world,
although it'll be two yearsolder at that point.
But it was just renovated.
Patrick Wiscombe (24:44):
What an adventure.
What a tremendous time to bealive.
If you really stop and thinkabout it, you're in the middle
of nowhere and you can stillcommunicate.
You can do what you do here athome, but you're out seeing the
world.
What an amazing time to bealive.
Hop on a plane, go wherever youwant.
(25:06):
Awesome.
Take advantage of that offer.
Call Mark.
Get the conversation started.
Just get the deposit down tohold your spot.
888-718-7717-888-718-7717.
And you can get the contactinformation and all this
information onBluePlanetVacations.com.
(25:28):
You can listen to thisaward-nominated podcast, a radio
show, each and every Saturdayand Sunday morning right here on
this very radio station thatyou're listening to right now in
all radio stations around thecountry starting at 11 a.m.
local time.
And you can stream the show,listen to the show while you're
(25:51):
on the World Cruise by going toInside Traveltalk.com.
All podcast platform links forthis show can be found on said
website, inside travel talk.com.
All right, we've done our job.
Now it's your turn to get outand travel the world while you
can because you never know whatcurveballs life is going to
throw at you.
Live your life deliberately,live your life intentionally,
(26:15):
and a genuine, sincere thank youfor listening each and every
week.
We don't have a show, we don'thave a business without you.
Thank you so much.
Make it a great week, and wewill talk to you next weekend.
Show Voice (26:32):
That's it.
That's the end of the show.
You've been listening to theInside Travel Talk Podcast and
Radio Show with Patrick Wiscombeand Mark Faldmo.
Presented by Blue PlanetVacations.com.
Book your adventure right now.
Call 888-718-7717.
That's 888-718-7717.
(26:54):
Thanks for listening.
Have a great week.
Travel Ex is known for theiraward winning customer service
and high claims paid rate.
Contact Blue Planet Vacationsat 888 718 7717 or Blue Planet
(27:19):
Vacations.com for moreinformation.
Welcome to the Inside Travel Talk Podcast, a
radio show coming up on today'sshow.
Mark and I will be talkingabout vacationing in Rome.
Awesome.
Europe's new travelauthorizations, the travel deal
of the week, which will help yousave up to $250, and you get up
to 10,000 bonus sky miles,NCL's free at sea amenity
(00:21):
package, and three cruise dealsof the week.
Let's start the show.
The Inside Travel Talk Podcastradio show presented by Blue
PlanetVacations.com containstravel deals, promotions, and
offers that are 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 (00:48):
Explore your world.
It's the Inside Travel TalkPodcast and Radio Show,
presented by Blue PlanetVacations.com.
Call or text the show now.
801-649-3700.
801-649-3700.
And check out the podcast atInside Traveltalk.com.
And now, here are your hosts,Patrick Wiscombe and Mark
(01:12):
Faldmo.
Patrick Wiscombe (01:24):
Live from Salt Lake City, Utah, this is the
Inside Travel Talk Podcast RadioShow.
Hello there.
I am Patrick Whisker alongsidemy co-host, friend, and owner of
BluePlanetVacations.com, MarkFaldmo.
He'll be here in just a moment.
The entire purpose of thisradio show and podcast is to
(01:45):
help you plan and book your nextvacation or give you ideas of
where you and your family, yourfriends, may want to go on
vacation next, and we arepresented, proudly presented, by
BluePlanetVacations.com.
And thank you for taking thetime to stop and listen.
This week we are talking aboutvacationing in Rome, Europe's
(02:06):
new travel authorizations.
It's the story that just keepsgiving, but we gotta keep you up
to date on all this stuff ifyou're headed to Europe.
We've got the travel deal ofthe week, which is gonna help
you save up to $250, and youmight just end up with up to
10,000 bonus Delta Sky Miles,NCL's free at sea amenity
(02:27):
package, the plus package, andwe've got three cruise deals.
Mark Faldmo, you are back fromI guess I should say Happy New
Year first, since it is the uhnew year.
Yeah.
Mark Faldmo (02:41):
And actually the start of season four of this
podcast.
Well, good for us.
Patrick Wiscombe (02:52):
Let's get right into the travel news
headlines.
This is the story that we havebeen talking about, what is now
the very start of the fourthseason of the podcast or radio
show.
I'm just gonna give you a wholebunch of acronyms here.
We've got the EES, the ETIAS,the ETA, the C O Ds, the BFDs,
the L S Ds, and the SOBs,please.
(03:13):
But let's start with the EESfirst, which is the entry exit
system.
Mark Faldmo (03:18):
I currently have three families in Rome right
now.
And I kept getting thisquestion what do we have to have
to enter Europe?
And they keep hearing aboutthese EES, ETIS, and ETAs.
So I decided on this to startthe new year, but we'll take a
little bit deeper dive than wehave in the past just to explain
(03:39):
what these are.
So EES is Europe's entry andexit system.
So the main purpose of that isto replace traditional passport
stamping.
So everything will beautomated.
It does take that biometricdata, fingerprints, photo on
your first entry, and then thesame thing on departure.
(04:00):
So that's how it'll keep trackof your entry and exit into
Europe.
And it started in October of2025.
It should be fully implementedby April.
Of course.
But we'll we will believe thatwhen we see it.
Patrick Wiscombe (04:15):
I feel like we've been talking about this
since season one.
Like literally one of the firstshows that we ever did.
Mark Faldmo (04:21):
Yeah, it it keeps getting delayed.
And the the rollout of the EES,so the entry and exit system
was pretty rocky um lastOctober.
Yes, and then there's theEuropean Travel Information and
Authorization System.
Okay, so this is E T I A S.
Okay.
What is that?
This is a travelpre-authorization.
(04:43):
So before flying, beforeboarding your flights to Europe,
you will have to pay this ETIASfee, have a printout with you
or on your phone to show it inorder to enter Europe.
So this is not a visa, but youdo have to apply before travel.
That is not launched yet.
(05:05):
They're gonna wait to launchthat until they get all of the
kinks worked out of the EES.
They're hoping it will launchin April.
Patrick Wiscombe (05:14):
So when we talk about the EES, the
entry-exit system, we're talkingabout when you go over the
border, basically.
Correct.
Okay.
So if you go from Rome to Ishould know my geography better
than that.
Whatever's next to Rome.
That this is the uh the EES isthe border, and then the
European getting into Europe,it's the ETIAS, which is what
(05:34):
we're talking about right now.
Mark Faldmo (05:36):
Correct.
Um, although all Europe, so allEuropean countries are in the
same area, so all EU members.
So it won't be like going fromItaly to Spain.
It would be if you're comingfrom the US to Italy, okay.
And then you can travelanywhere in Europe with that.
Patrick Wiscombe (05:54):
Okay.
And that's the ETIAS.
Mark Faldmo (05:57):
Correct.
Patrick Wiscombe (05:57):
Okay, got it.
Mark Faldmo (05:58):
Yes.
And then that'll cost about $15per person, maybe a little bit
more than that.
And what confuses this all isthe UK is not part of the
European Union, and so they havetheir own ETA, which is already
into effect.
So if you're going to the UK,you already have to get the
essentially the same thing asthe ETIAS, but for the UK.
Patrick Wiscombe (06:22):
And you can help people with all of this.
Mark Faldmo (06:24):
We can help people with that.
So, you know, that's kind ofwhy I wanted to go over this
because I've had so muchconfusion.
Patrick Wiscombe (06:33):
I consider myself pretty plugged in when it
comes to travel.
I mean, obviously, you way morethan me, but even I'm just
going, what?
I am glad that we're talkingabout this.
Mark Faldmo (06:42):
We will keep you on track for all of this
information and things that youneed to enter different
countries.
Patrick Wiscombe (06:48):
There are no shortage of options for
travelers who have limitedvacation time.
Mark Faldmo (06:53):
This is an interesting trend.
There are several touroperators.
So Intrepid Vacations hasactually come up with five to
six night packages.
Talk river cruises has come upwith a six-day river cruise.
You say talk?
Talk.
Oh, talk.
Yeah, okay.
Tauc, uh-huh.
Uh, with a six-day river cruisewhere most of them are
(07:16):
eight-day.
We've talked about Globus,their escape tours, and which
are those shortened six-daytours that are mainly in the
off-season.
But what they've noticed isthere are a lot of people that
have the means to travel, butnot the time.
And so they've designedspecific versions of tours that
are shorter so people can stillexperience that and do it all in
(07:37):
less than a week.
And I think this is a reallygood option.
Some of those tours, uh, we aswe've talked about in the past,
those Globus and Cosmos Escapetours, those shorter tours, have
some pretty interestingitineraries like Morocco, which
was a six-day tour, I believe.
Really good price on that.
And what I think is interestingabout it is cruise lines have
(07:58):
gone the other way.
Cruise lines have found thatpeople want to spend more time
on cruise ships.
So they're adding more longercruises.
But a lot of these landoperators are seeing the need
for these shorter options.
So if you want to travel, butdon't think you have the time
for it, there are some optionsfor both river cruise and land
options.
Patrick Wiscombe (08:19):
A couple days ago, we received a travel
related question.
So if you do have travelrelated questions, let me give
you the studio number.
All of these text and calls goto Mark 801-649-3700.
801-649-3700 is how you get ahold of the show.
And Liz is asking a question.
(08:39):
She goes, I want to go to Rome.
I've been there before on acruise and have seen the basic
sites in Rome.
What day trips or sites wouldyou recommend?
Mark Faldmo (08:51):
There's lots of good places that you could do in
a day trip from Rome.
I actually have three familiesin Rome right now.
If you're visiting Rome, youdon't have to stay in the city
center the whole time.
There's some day trips that arefascinating, some cities to
visit.
And I've chosen five day tripsthat I think would be worth your
(09:13):
time if you're visiting Romeand want to get out of the city
center.
Patrick Wiscombe (09:18):
What is the first one then?
Mark Faldmo (09:19):
So the first one is Tivoli.
Tivoli is famous for Villa deState, is uh the name of it,
which is gardens and fountains,and it also has Hadrian's Villa,
which is one of the mostimpressive Roman ruins in Italy.
And it's an easy trip.
It's about an hour outside ofRome and just has history and
(09:40):
beauty.
When I visited there, I justremember walking through the
felt like the countryside,seeing Hadrian's Villa.
Very much worth the trip.
What's your second day trip?
The second is Ostia Antica, andit's an ancient port town with
well-preserved Roman ruins.
And these ruins actually rivalPompeii, but they're closer and
(10:01):
easier to get to from Rome.
So think of it as a quieter,less crowded alternative to
Pompeii.
You can walk ancient streets,explore ruins, and still be back
in Rome for dinner.
Patrick Wiscombe (10:11):
It sounds like a food commercial.
Hey, you can have fun all day,but you'll be back in time for
dinner.
Mark Faldmo (10:16):
Yep.
All right, what's your next daytrip?
And then the next one isOrvieto.
And this is one of my favoritehilltop towns.
It's a little bit further awayfrom Rome, but you can still do
it in a day.
And it's known for itscathedral.
So a hill town with a hugecathedral.
It also has underground caves,kind of small village, Italian
(10:40):
charm, is you know what I'd sayfor this.
It's scenic, walkable, packedwith character.
You should probably always whenin Italy try and visit a hill
town.
And this is one that's easy toget to from Rome.
Patrick Wiscombe (10:53):
Naples has to be part of this.
Mark Faldmo (10:55):
Has to be.
It is.
There are some tours that youcan get from Rome, and it's also
reachable by the high-speedtrain.
Naples, famous for Pompeii.
You probably would be able todo this, but you could also go
to Capri.
But what you do in Naples isjust schedule plenty of time for
lunch and go get pizza, thebirthplace of pizza.
And it's a very good pizza inNaples.
(11:16):
Just make sure you pick yourtoppings.
Don't let them bring you randompizza.
They had a tour group there.
And a couple of them got servedtuna pizzas, and they were very
happy.
Patrick Wiscombe (11:28):
All you had to say was tuna.
Mark Faldmo (11:30):
Tuna, yeah.
Patrick Wiscombe (11:31):
So that'd be disappointing.
Mark Faldmo (11:33):
But very good pizza in Naples.
And that's a longer tour.
You're probably 14 hours onthat tour to get to Naples, but
again, very much worth it.
Patrick Wiscombe (11:43):
And what's your final day trip?
Mark Faldmo (11:46):
The final trip is to visit Tuscany, which is not
too far from Rome.
The city there would beCortana.
Fans of Under the Tuscan Sunwill recognize it instantly.
Cortana is that classic Tuscanytown with rolling hills,
postcard perfect views, anotherwalkable city.
So any of these five options,do two or three, or do all of
(12:09):
them if you have the time.
Very good options for visitingoutside of Rome.
Patrick Wiscombe (12:14):
There is something special about Rome.
Mark Faldmo (12:16):
Yes, there definitely is.
Patrick Wiscombe (12:18):
All right, let's get to the travel deal of
the week.
Which is Delta Vacations saveup to $250.
Plus, you might get up to$10,000 bonus Sky Miles.
What are the details on thisone, Mark?
Mark Faldmo (12:35):
This is a worldwide promotion.
Anywhere Delta Vacations hasvacation packages too.
Up to $250 off.
And that's a tier discountbased on the overall cost of the
trip.
And then same with the bonussky miles, up to 10,000 bonus
sky miles.
But right now, Blue PlanetVacations is gonna throw in a
(12:56):
bonus at $50 off per person.
So for the first two on avacation package to Europe.
Patrick Wiscombe (13:03):
So this is good for all Delta Vacations
locations, not just Rome, likewe've been talking about.
Mark Faldmo (13:10):
Correct.
Yes.
Good to Hawaii, Mexico, Europe,Asia, everywhere Delta
Vacations goes.
Patrick Wiscombe (13:15):
And of course, Rome.
Mark Faldmo (13:16):
Correct.
Patrick Wiscombe (13:22):
Take advantage of that one.
Call Mark in the office.
Get the conversation started.
Get your deposit to hold yourspot.
888-718-7717-888-718-7717.
And he will also post all ofthis information on
BluePlanetVacations.com and alsothe contact information is
(13:44):
there.
When we come back, it is timefor the infamous Just Cruising
segment, the part of the showthat has made us famous around
the country and around theworld.
We've got three cruise deals inthis upcoming segment.
Plus, we're also going to betalking about NCL's free at sea
(14:04):
plus.
It's not just free at Steve, itis plus.
It's even better.
We'll talk about that next whenthe Inside Travel Talk podcast
or radio show continues.
Alongside Mark Faldmo, my nameis Patrick Wiscombe.
Thank you so much forlistening.
Happy New Year! We'll be backin about 60 seconds.
Stay right there.
Show Voice (14:28):
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 rightnow.
801-649-3700.
801-649-3700.
(14:49):
We'll be right back.
This segment of Inside TravelTalk is sponsored by El Dorado
Spa Resorts.
Escape to Cancun's RivieraMayer with authentic,
all-inclusive luxury at an ElDorado Spa Resort.
To book your romantic beachgetaway, contact Blue Planet
(15:10):
Vacations at 888-718-7717 orBlue Planet Vacations.com.
Now, back to the Insight TravelTalk Podcast and Radio Show.
Presented by Blue PlanetVacations.com.
(15:31):
America's best travel advisors.
Call or text the show rightnow.
801-649-3700.
801-649-3700.
And check out the podcast atInsideTravel Talk.com.
Here's Patrick Wiscombe andMark Faldmo.
Patrick Wiscombe (16:28):
It is time for the Infamous Just Cruising
segment.
This is the segment of the showthat has made us famous around
the country and around theworld.
And to all boarding the radioshow and podcast right now, let
me just say ahoy, mateys.
Ahoy.
It is time to talk some cruisenews headlines.
(16:50):
And we've also got three cruisedeals of the week.
Let's jump right back into NCLbringing back their popular Free
at C Plus amenity package.
So there's free at C, and thenthere's Free at C Plus.
Have I got that right?
That's right.
Mark Faldmo (17:06):
So Free at C is their normal promotion that
comes with the purchase of yourcabin.
So it has beverage package,some dining, a couple of
amenities that's included in thestandard free at sea.
But now they've brought backfree at sea plus, which includes
enhanced premium beveragepackage.
(17:28):
So unlimited Starbucks drinks,energy drinks, fresh juices,
premium wines, top shelfliquors, bottled water, and then
one thing that is important onthis, the free at C Plus also
includes unlimited open bar atGreat Stirrup K.
That's fun.
It is, yeah.
And now you can get it with anopen bar.
Patrick Wiscombe (17:49):
I always find it kind of funny when the
premium beverage packages, hey,you know, you get all this
stuff, but you get water too.
Yes.
What else is included withthat?
Mark Faldmo (18:01):
Unlimited streaming high speed Wi-Fi.
Patrick Wiscombe (18:04):
Oh, okay.
So you can watch shows then onyour device.
Mark Faldmo (18:09):
And the standard package is a throttled uh
version of the internet.
So this is just a high speed50% discount on additional
specialty dining reservations.
So the free at sea comes with,depending on the length of your
cruise, anywhere from one tothree.
But then you get 50% if youwant to eat additional nights.
And then here's the one that Ilike prepaid daily service
(18:32):
charge in the plus package.
So that's a value on aseven-day cruise, about $120 per
person.
Patrick Wiscombe (18:38):
Yeah, these are the gratuities, right?
The service charges.
Correct.
Okay.
There's some real value inthat.
Yeah.
Mark Faldmo (18:44):
And so the free at C Plus upgrade is about $50 per
person per day, probably for theunlimited Wi-Fi.
I mean you'll probably pay thatoff in the cost of Wi-Fi on a
cruise ship.
So if you want the upgradedamenities, Wi-Fi service charge,
uh, the free at C Plus is agood option on Norwegian.
Patrick Wiscombe (19:08):
Let's talk about the Grand River cruise for
what is being called CuriousTravelers.
This is on AMA Waterways.
Mark Faldmo (19:15):
We've talked a lot about AMA waterways, but it's
also part of their Smithsonianjourneys.
So the Grand Danube is a 14-dayDanube cruise, basically from
Vilshofen, Germany, to Bucharestin Romania.
So this is both the upper andlower Danube, but it also comes
with the special Smithsonianhosts and Smithsonian curated
(19:38):
tours that they do.
That'd be fun.
Some of the ports, Vilshoffen,Linz, Austria, where you can
take a an excursion to Salzburgwhere Mozart's birth house was
to Vienna in Austria.
We've the last few weeks.
I think we've talked twiceabout Vienna.
Yeah.
Love Vienna.
And then Bratislava inSlovakia.
Then Budapest at Overnights inBudapest, so you have two full
(20:02):
days in Budapest.
Patrick Wiscombe (20:04):
Ooh, that would be terrific.
Mark Faldmo (20:05):
And then goes to Mohawks in Hungary.
And then Vukovar in Hungary,Belgrade, Serbia, and then Viden
in Bulgaria.
This was one of my favoritestops when I did this.
There's some old ruins there.
And then Raus in Bulgaria, andthen ends in Bucharest, Romania.
I think doing that full Danube,both upper and lower, is the
(20:28):
perfect river cruise.
And on Alma waterways, you cansave up to $2,000 on these
Smithsonian journeys.
Patrick Wiscombe (20:35):
Alma doesn't really discount their stuff, so
if they're dropping the price onthis, I'm just telling everyone
right now, take advantage ofit.
Mark Faldmo (20:42):
Yeah.
So for this particularitinerary, there are about 12
departures from May to Octoberthat do this.
Munich is basically uh whereyou'd fly into and ends in
Bucharest or vice versa.
Patrick Wiscombe (20:58):
MSC now has their world cruise.
Is this 2028?
Okay, so that's out here atleast two years.
Two years away.
Okay, so 115 days, it is nowavailable to book.
And if you are a Voyager clubmember, you get five percent off
plus triple point credits.
What are the specific details?
(21:18):
Where are we going?
Mark Faldmo (21:19):
There the highlight, I think, is the
115-day world cruise.
Yeah, you're right.
You know, and you know, we'vetalked about a couple of times,
I think, in the last few weeks,why cruise lines put their
itineraries out so early.
And it's because thesespecialty cruises really sell
out, and so they want to put itout there so that people that
really want to do it have thetime to plan and do it.
(21:42):
So, you know, this 115-nightworld cruise starts at about
$19,000 per person for a thirdof a year to have your food and
drinks and entertainment andeverywhere you visit.
Yeah, that's a pretty gooddeal.
Yeah, it is.
We've talked about some worldcruises before, but what I think
(22:02):
is best about world cruises isthe itinerary.
They all go to differentplaces, they all take different
routes.
This one is round tripBarcelona.
Um, you could also do a roundtrip Marseille in France if you
wanted.
Starting in Barcelona, it goesto Tenerife, then across the
Atlantic, does some ports in theCaribbean, including Ocean K
(22:24):
MSC Reserve.
Patrick Wiscombe (22:25):
Of course.
Mark Faldmo (22:26):
I love that place.
I do.
Patrick Wiscombe (22:28):
Ocean Key is awesome.
Mark Faldmo (22:29):
It's good, yeah.
And then uh Porto Limon inCosta Rica, then does a Panama
Canal cruise, then goes down,has a port in Ecuador, two ports
in Peru, one port in Chile, andthen I think probably the best
port on this whole itinerary arethe next two ports after it
(22:51):
leaves Chile.
It goes to Rapanui.
South Pacific is South Pacific,and then goes to Pitcarn
Islands in the South Pacific.
Pitcarn Islands is where thecrew of the Mutiny on the Bounty
fled to because it's so remote.
They didn't think anyone wouldfind them there.
So most of the people living onthe island are ancestors of the
(23:12):
Mutiny on the Bounty um people.
That is probably one of themost beautiful islands in the
world.
Pitcarn.
Personally, I've not beenthere.
I've seen some pictures, andpeople have related that to me.
So, you know, those two ports,Pitcarn and Rapanui, are two
that I want to get to.
And then it goes to spendsovernight in uh Papiete, Tahiti,
(23:34):
then sells to Tonga, then acouple of ports in New Zealand,
a couple of ports in Australia,then sells to Indonesia, goes to
Vietnam, a couple actually acouple ports with an overnight
in Helong Bay, which isbasically Hanoi.
Helong Bay is wow.
And then to Thailand, then toCambodia, then to Singapore,
(23:58):
Malaysia, Mumbai in India, andthen Dubai, Oman, Jordan, Egypt,
Alexandria in Egypt, so throughthe Suez Canal, and then
Alexandria, and then back toRome, Genoa, Italy, and back to
either Marseille or Barcelona.
So that's your round the worldcruise on MSC.
Patrick Wiscombe (24:21):
What ship is that on?
Mark Faldmo (24:22):
That is on the MSC Magnifica.
Patrick Wiscombe (24:25):
And I think if memory serves, didn't they just
refurbish that one as well?
I think they did.
Yeah, I was like, I think theydid.
Mark Faldmo (24:32):
Yeah, that's one of the recently renovated ships.
Probably why they're putting iton this round the world,
although it'll be two yearsolder at that point.
But it was just renovated.
Patrick Wiscombe (24:44):
What an adventure.
What a tremendous time to bealive.
If you really stop and thinkabout it, you're in the middle
of nowhere and you can stillcommunicate.
You can do what you do here athome, but you're out seeing the
world.
What an amazing time to bealive.
Hop on a plane, go wherever youwant.
(25:06):
Awesome.
Take advantage of that offer.
Call Mark.
Get the conversation started.
Just get the deposit down tohold your spot.
888-718-7717-888-718-7717.
And you can get the contactinformation and all this
information onBluePlanetVacations.com.
(25:28):
You can listen to thisaward-nominated podcast, a radio
show, each and every Saturdayand Sunday morning right here on
this very radio station thatyou're listening to right now in
all radio stations around thecountry starting at 11 a.m.
local time.
And you can stream the show,listen to the show while you're
(25:51):
on the World Cruise by going toInside Traveltalk.com.
All podcast platform links forthis show can be found on said
website, inside travel talk.com.
All right, we've done our job.
Now it's your turn to get outand travel the world while you
can because you never know whatcurveballs life is going to
throw at you.
Live your life deliberately,live your life intentionally,
(26:15):
and a genuine, sincere thank youfor listening each and every
week.
We don't have a show, we don'thave a business without you.
Thank you so much.
Make it a great week, and wewill talk to you next weekend.
Show Voice (26:32):
That's it.
That's the end of the show.
You've been listening to theInside Travel Talk Podcast and
Radio Show with Patrick Wiscombeand Mark Faldmo.
Presented by Blue PlanetVacations.com.
Book your adventure right now.
Call 888-718-7717.
That's 888-718-7717.
(26:54):
Thanks for listening.
Have a great week.
Travel Ex is known for theiraward winning customer service
and high claims paid rate.
Contact Blue Planet Vacationsat 888 718 7717 or Blue Planet
(27:19):
Vacations.com for moreinformation.
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