​Are you ready to take the road trip that you have always talked about and book a vacation by yourself or with the family to explore the great outdoors? While it’s likely there are plenty of options for camping and other socially distanced outdoor activities near you, let us suggest hitting the road in a fancy wagon (or for those not stuck in the past, your car) and head west to Utah. What’s in Utah, you may ask? Most may be familiar with Salt Lake City, but there is a wider variety of sights and attractions within the Beehive state to keep you and your family occupied.

Wishing you all a very safe and happy Fourth of July!

This is the first in a new monthly collaboration with Erin Bose from Scout and Cellar. Scout & Cellar Clean-Crafted Wine sources organic, biodynamic, and vegan wines from small family-owned vineyards around the world that are producing wines naturally – without the use of added chemicals or excess intervention. Erin and I are going to talk about wine, vineyards, travel, and destinations. We will have some virtual wine tastings from some of our favorite regions and talk travel with my favorite river cruise line, AMA Waterways. Have a look at some of the great wines that Scout and Cellar sources here. 

The wine country of California offers so many great options for the exploration of vineyards, luxurious stays, and fine dining.  This week we explore the area of Healdsburg, CA, in Sonoma County.   Healdsburg is about an hour's drive north of the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco.  This charming town in the heart of Sonoma County and offers first-class wineries and some great options for dining.  The town is also known for its thriving artist community and has many art studios and shops to find a favorite keepsake of your stay here.  

Being a travel advisor in this Covid-19 world is more important than at any other time in history.  We, like many other businesses, must pivot and change the way we do business that best benefits our clients.  Innovation, knowledge, and service will be the critical components as we move forward to serve our clients.  
​
I have always been a lifetime learner and enjoy learning about new destinations, preferred suppliers, and best practices in my business.  Now, as we get closer to travel in our world, knowledge is the key to being there for our clients. There is so much information out there on change in flight schedules, travel restrictions due to Covid-19, country restrictions, and new requirements to travel to that destination. Finding the information is not always the easiest, even for the expert in travel.  Not only are the requirements and restrictions changing daily, locating the actuate information is crucial.  I have access to many resources to get the information my clients need, and sorting through all of the details is the best way I can help my clients. 
​ 

Many people dream of a National Park vacation, and five unique parks in the United States are not as well known as the famous Grand Canyon and Zion and Bryce National Parks.  When you explore these parks, you will feel like you have traveled to another country (or planet).  

White Sands National Monument, New Mexico

If you ever thought of going to a huge sand dune and exploring, here is a great option.  White Sands is the largest dune field in the world and encompasses 275 square miles in the desert.  The area is also known as the Tularosa Basin and has been attracting visitors for hundreds of years.  There is so much history in this park from the first settlers searching for shelter and explorers mining for salt and gypsum. The military also used the Basin after the bombing of Pearl Harbor for scientific research.  One fun activity to do here is sledding down the dunes. 
​

​Since traveling this year may look a little different from what you thought it would have looked like last fall and winter when you were planning your summer getaways, I wanted to share with you some more wonderful resorts along the east coast that you can drive to or take a short flight.  
​

Now that stay at home order has been lifted in Massachusetts, and some businesses are beginning to open, most everyone is thinking of getting out of the house and have a change of scenery. 
​
If a road trip is in your revamped vacation plans this summer, there are some great options within driving distance.  This will be the first in a series of spotlights on United States resorts that may be a great option to travel to since we do not yet know when we can travel overseas.  

​This week is a big week as we, as a world, start to open back up and move forward.  There is a lot of information about each country, state, and city and how each tries to come back.  As each destination opens, the world watches to see how they fair, was there a spike in cases, did they shut down again and do they think they are moving at the right speed.  I have found several country reopenings that I want to share with you. 

As some of the states and cities begin to open back up, we are learning more about how the hoteliers and airlines are moving forward to help keep the travelers and guests safe now and once we get back to travel. 
​  
Many of the major hotels around the world will all adopt new cleaning protocols so the guest will feel comfortable staying at their properties.  Marriott Corporation being the largest hotel chain in the world, has set new procedures at its hotels.   

“Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the assessment that something else is more important than fear.” ~ Franklin D. Roosevelt

The last several weeks have been difficult. With far too much time on our hands right now, it can be tough to keep our spirits afloat, surrounded by so much unknown and challenging news, isolated in our homes.

But I collect heroes.  In times like ours, I turn to them for a bit of courage.

​As we make our way around the beautiful country of Italy, we venture north to Venice in the Veneto region.  Venice is considered a city of the sea not just on the sea, and April 25th is St. Mark’s Day, which is the anniversary of the founding of Venice.   

​The ancient Romans sure knew how to build their empire and city, and we are so lucky to be still able to explore their history since many of the structures they built are still in the beautiful city of Rome.  As we continue on the journey as we all do our part to stay at home, I wanted to share with you many of the virtual tours you can take in the capital of Italy, Rome. 

​For anyone who has been to Florence, Italy, you know what a beautiful city it is to explore. Whether your interests are in art and history, food and wine, or shopping, there is so much to see. We all miss traveling and for now the best place to be is in the safety of our homes, but there will come a time in the near future when the city of Florence will be open again for us to explore. Here is a little travel inspiration for you to explore Florence in the comfort of your home.

​In its current state, the world we live in can feel like a scary place. Every ounce of normalcy in our day-to-day lives has been uprooted, and many of us fear to leave our own homes for essential items, let alone for travel. And while the days of social distancing and extended school closures may not be over yet, there will come a time when things will go back to normal.

There will be many things that we’ll get back in our lives, and the ability to move around freely and begin traveling again is certainly one of them. Travel can be a great way to reconnect and bring families back together after weeks of panic, uncertainty and separation. ​

​Since we are all in a time where we are staying at home and sheltering in place, does it seem an odd time to be discussing travel? I understand why travel is not top of mind for you or anyone else right now. But with the time lots of us have on our hands, I want to spend a few minutes explaining why travel is pretty high on the list of things we might contemplate for a few moments.
​
Firstly, some of our best memories are of travel. The vacations we took as children with our parents, the trips we have experienced with our own families and friends.