November is almost half over…how did that happen? It has been almost a month since I returned from my first Virtuoso Voyages Hosting experience. Where has time gone?
I had lots of catching up to do when I returned from Barcelona. Taking care of clients, paperwork and organizing for 2020. WOW 2020! That just seems crazy! But it is a fact and I am on a roll trying to prepare. What better way to prepare than attending the year end 4th quarter webinars for Virtuoso Voyages and Culinary Travel and by going to a live Destination Specialist Training Event? Getting that last little bit of knowledge to share with your clients is always a great thing!
I have been a part of Virtuoso Voyages for 2 years and plan to join again in 2020. This is a wonderful community for Travel Advisors that love to cruise and planning cruises for their clients. We get up-to-date information from our Supplier Partners like what ships are getting a sprucing up or when the newest ship in their fleet will debut. In 2019 many of our amazing cruise line partners added culinary aspects like cooking classes, farm-to-table shore excursions with the onboard chefs and extensive wine and craft beer tasting opportunities. This is awesome because it crosses over into my Culinary Travel interests. The 2 go hand in hand very nicely!
Joining the Culinary Travel community this year was amazing! And as with Virtuoso Voyages, I plan to join the Culinary community in 2020. This is becoming a big part of the travel industry and keeps growing every year. What this community does is help Travel Advisors learn to sell travel for culinary purposes. For instance, planning a day-by-day journey for clients to cook, eat and drink their way around Tuscany. Or through Paris or Barcelona. Many of our amazing supplier partners specialize in these areas and offer many customizable tour packages just for culinary experiences. I learned today that the HOT destinations in early 2020 for culinary travel will be Lima, Peru; Cape Town, South Africa and Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam. Let’s start planning your vacation to one of these great cities today!
When I was in Rome a in October, I took a cooking class in the countryside. It was the highlight of my trip! We went with the chef to buy the fresh ingredients and then all of us took a different part in preparing our meal. It was wonderful and I want to do it again! Everywhere I go! Read all about it CLICK HERE
In December, I will be sailing on Crystal Symphony as their Virtuoso Voyages Host. I am super excited for many reasons. I loved hosting on Seabourn Odyssey. We had a great group under the program and I truly enjoyed everyone of them. On Crystal, I will be hosting with my husband and it will be over the Christmas and New Year Holidays. This should be super amazing on a luxury cruise! Crystal Symphony has 3 fantastic Specialty Dining venues onboard as well. Umi Uma and Sushi Bar with Nobu-trained chefs showcasing Japanese food, Prego the Italian Restaurant and Silk Kitchen & Bar serving Chinese comfort food. (Here again is my Culinary Travel partner slipping in…) And we are sailing roundtrip from San Diego to the Hawaiian Islands. I have always wanted to go to Hawaii for Christmas. Now I can combine my love of cruising, great culinary experiences and my love of Hawaii together! So excited!
Lastly, I attend a GREAT Destination Specialist Training last week for Asia, Africa & The Antipodes. I met with Tourism Boards, Airlines and Tourism Suppliers from Australia, New Zealand, Tahiti, Taiwan, Hong Kong, South Africa, Zimbabwe and Kenya. I learned what’s new for 2020 and I am ready to share it with all of you! After meeting with my Asia, Africa and Antipodean friends, I have much to share. No matter what your travel interests are for 2020, remember the fun is in the planning, so, call Infinity Travelaz and let the fun begin! We are looking forward to working with you to make 2020 a year to remember!