January 2024 Newsletter
Happenings
Did you know that approximately 40% of marriage proposals happen during Engagement Season? Engagement Season is from Thanksgiving to Valentine’s Day. We are getting ready to hit the final stretch to finish off the busy engagement season.
I would guess about 75% of my bookings were honeymoons the past three months. Most of my honeymoons are all-inclusive resorts in the Caribbean/Mexico, island hopping in Hawaii or the French Polynesian, and European adventures. I've even had a few New Zealand and Costa Rica requests.
I love planning honeymoons of all shapes and sizes. I always like to get to know the couple before recommending a location or resort to ensure we have the right fit to match the budget.
All-inclusive resorts are scattered around the Caribbean. Cancun, Mexico, Jamaica, and the Dominican Republic are great destination for short flight times, resorts of all types, and can fit a range of budgets.
Many of my clients want a little more excitement and uniqueness with their all-inclusive resort and choose destinations like St Lucia, Barbados, Antigua, and Curaçao.
My European honeymoon clients are loving Italy, Greece, and Switzerland. Europe is a great destination when you have more than a week to dedicate to your honeymoon. There are so many places and sites to see in Europe. The possibilities are endless.
If you know someone that recently got engaged and ready to start planning their honeymoon, please give them my contact information. Let them know to mention your name as I often like to reward those who refer others.
-Anne
V&V Travel Info
Do you follow us on Facebook? Have you shared our Facebook page with friends? This is the main social media page I use for my business. I share travel agent facts, travel tips, client trips, personal photos and videos, and new blog posts.
I also post about about my travels. In just a few weeks I am heading to St Lucia. I will be staying at Sandals Grande St Lucia and Sandals Regency La Toc. Both are my most booked Sandals resorts and I can't wait to experience them for myself.
While in St Lucia I will be taking the ferry to my resort, taking a land and sea excursion to learn about the island, and meeting with the St Lucia Tourism board with a visit to a few other resorts on the island. It's a tough job, but someone has to do it.
Follow along on Facebook!
Trip Requests
Here are some of the 2024, and 2025 trip requests I worked on this past month:
Alaska Land and Sea Tour - The mother of a client reached out about planning an Alaska land and cruise tour for her group of friends. I met with the group to go over a few options with the group and they selected a 14 day Holland America Land and Cruise Tour. They will be starting in Fairbanks, AK, visiting Denali, taking the McKinley Explorer Train to Anchorage, AK, before cruising to Glacier Bay, Juneau, Ketchikan, and Skagway. This is a one in a lifetime trip. Their group is going to make so many memories.
10 Year Anniversary Cruise - An existing client reached out with a request for a cruise for their 10th anniversary. I narrowed down a few options that worked around their dates and thought might be a good fit based on their wants and needs. They are setting sail on the Celebrity Beyond visiting Cozumel, Mexico; George Town, Grand Cayman; and Bimini, Bahamas. They are going to have a great time.
St Lucia Honeymoon - A new client reached out about planning their upcoming honeymoon. There were having a tough time deciding between two fabulous Sandals resorts in St Lucia. We came up with an itinerary that allows them to stay at both resorts. They will be staying at Sandals Halcyon for the first few nights before moving to Sandals Regency La Toc to end their honeymoon. They are also splurging for the Sunset Bluff Butler Villa Suite to end their trip in paradise.
Italian Adventure - A referred client reached out to me requesting assistance finding the right guided tour for her and her husband. She had a list of things she wanted to do and see and we were able to find a tour that checked off many of the boxes. We added on a extra night in Rome to make sure they were able to get the full Colosseum Underground Tour experience.
Machu Picchu Tour - One of my clients on the rescheduled Egypt tour still wanted to travel. She has been talking about Peru for years but it never worked out. She is finally going to visit this New World Wonder. I can't wait to hear all about it when she returns.
My Groups
II love hosting group trips. Here is where I am heading in the coming year(s). Which one do you want to join me on?
April 2024 - Iguassu and Brazil- SOLD OUT- Travel from the tango palaces of Buenos Aires to the samba pulse of Rio de Janeiro and discover spectacular wilderness in between.
October 2024 - Mediterranean Cruise SOLD OUT- 10 day cruise on Norwegians newest ship the Viva. Visit Greece, Turkey, Italy, and France. Start the cruise in Athens, Greece and end in Rome, Italy. This is an outstanding itinerary.
December 2025- Europe Christmas Markets- 7-night European Christmas Markets River Cruise on the AmaMagna December 14-21, 2025. Reserve your spot on this cruise here.
Rescheduling - Egypt and Jordan - Two tours back to back. New Details will be provided at a later date.
Potential Trips TBD:
Panama Canal Cruise and Costa Rica - Spring 2025
England and Scotland - Summer 2025
African Safari - Summer 2026
If you are interested in joining me on one or all of these trips, please reply to this email.
