​I love all things Disney, and souvenirs are no exception! Just the mention of the word and I envision myself browsing gift shops looking for the perfect item to bring home. However, while many trinkets call my name, I buy very few things at the parks. Instead, my favorite souvenirs are free ... or should I say, included.

You see, my favorite Disney souvenirs are character photos.

One very magical aspect of our trips to Disney is saying hello to Mickey and his pals. Over the years, we have met hundreds of friends, in many variations of costumes. In the process, we have created precious memories with conversations had, the antics that took place, and the mishaps that occurred. (Yes, Donald, we know you didn't mean to poke MJ in the eye!)

​​It's National Travel Agent Day! For me, that means many emails  from various suppliers, expressing gratitude for the work that I do. I am thankful to be part of such a dynamic industry, doing a job that I love and look forward to daily. I truly believe I have the best career in the world. However, as I reflect on my business, I realize that many people still don't really understand my role as a travel planner. As such, here are 5 things your travel agent wants you to know.

​1. My Services are Complimentary Yes, free. No charges, no service fees, no hidden costs. I have tried and tried again to make this known, telling anyone who will listen, posting it on social media, etc. Yet, not a week goes by when someone doesn't comment that they thought I charge a fee. Or, sometimes I'm in dialogue with a potential client and she asks me when I will be sending my bill. Friends, suppliers pay me to help you. I don't charge a cent.

​​While I have been privileged to explore many places, there is much more of the world that my heart longs to see. I venture to say I'm not alone. Most people I know have a list of places they'd like to visit, and experiences they'd like to have, but they aren't quite sure how to afford it. Today, I'd like to encourage you that it may be more doable than you think, by offering 10 simple ways to save for vacation. ​​These aren't magic money makers, but a way of looking at your life and refocusing your priorities.

​People could easily look at me and say, "Of course you can travel a lot, that's your JOB!" While that is true, it still requires resources, and a focused effort on my part to save what we need. My husband has a fabulous job, and I contribute with my business.  However, we live in San Jose, which Business Insider calculated to be the 6th most expensive place to live in the world.  Therefore, while we are financially stable by all definitions, we don't have excess cash to throw around. We make choices in our everyday lives which allow us to take some incredible trips. By sharing some of my strategies with you, I hope you'll be encouraged that you, too, can save up for that dream trip.

​Let's face it: as parents of little ones, a vacation sounds completely magical. An opportunity to get away from the normal routine and escape the responsibilities of home for a few days would be delightful.  The thought of it is enough to carry us through those sleepless nights or toddler tantrum episodes. That is, the THEORY of family travel sounds wonderful. Reality, however, may seem a bit daunting. After all, there's so much gear. And unpredictable schedules. And eating habits. And mood swings. Need I go on?

Today, I'd like to encourage you that enjoyable vacations ARE possible for parents with little ones. All it takes is some good decision making and adequate planning. To help set you in the right direction, I have a few helpful hints and tips to share.
Without further ado...how to travel with little ones and LIKE it:

Location, Location, Location
Yes, I recommend you choose one, and only one. (Two at the most, if you are feeling ambitious!) With so much gear to haul, and settling in to occur, you don't want to spend multiple days packing and unpacking.  That's more time spent working and less time enjoying your destination.

If you had asked me 12 years ago whether or not I am a "cruise type" I would have given a resounding "No!!" After all, I don't like crowds or feeling cooped up, and I get wretchedly seasick. Then, a good deal on a Disney Cruise enticed me to give it a try. Since then, I have been hooked, cruising a dozen times, becoming a travel agent, and passing the cruising bug on to fellow travelers.
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When sharing my passion for cruising, the question I get asked the most frequently is, "So, why do you like cruising so much?" A truly simple question, with many answers. In response, here are the top 10 reasons why I LOVE cruising...(in no particular order).

10. Seeing a variety of places, while only having to pack and unpack once. Packing isn't fun, and items never seem to fit back in a suitcase quite the same when moving from location to location. The fact that I can enjoy time in a fabulous destination, go have dinner and enjoy some evening entertainment, then wake up the next day in a completely different destination is irresistible.

​​I shared with you a little bit about my whale wishes in my last post. Given my enthusiasm, it may surprise you that we did not pre-book a whale watching excursion on our Alaskan cruise.

​While whale watching has been on my bucket list, we live one hour from Monterey Bay, and have plenty of opportunities for whale watching in our normal, every day lives. Therefore, as I perused excursion options, I felt it more important to get out to Mendenhall Glacier. After all, many clients go to see this wonder of nature, and I felt I should, too. However, not wanting to miss out on an adventure, we selected a river rafting trip that took us out to the glacier, then continued on exploring the beautiful areas around Juneau. I don’t really like water in the face, and I have a bit of a bad back, but the trip seemed to be the perfect fit. It wouldn’t be TOO rough for me, and I could suck up my dislike of water in order to experience The Last Frontier.

Soon it was time to start heading back to catch the cab, to get on the 2:45 ferry. Winding our way back through the baths, we were struck by how many people were there. With many places only allowing people to flow one way, it was a bit congested.  This made us thankful that we had experienced the setting before the crowds arrived. While the pictures are fabulous, they will never do the baths justice. If you ever have the opportunity, you really need to see them for yourself…they will not disappoint you!

​I have to say that my only regret of our entire Mediterranean Cruise has to do with Monte Carlo. Reading about the ultra-wealthy city, it did not seem like a place with much to see or explore. As a result, we did not get off of the ship until 9am , despite anchoring at 6. In hindsight, I wish we would have disembarked earlier.  We ended up falling in love with the beauty and tranquility of this tiny treasure.

Breathtaking Beauty
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Once tendering ashore,  we oohed and aahed as we passed dozens of beautiful yachts. From the ship, they didn't look so big compared to the Ruby Princess. However, once we were standing next to them we realized how large some of them were. As we ventured through the harbor area, we spied the Palace atop the hill, our first destination. Beginning our trek up the steps built into the mountain, we were transported away to a whole different world. The views were beautiful, with greenery, the harbor and the buildings of Monaco creating a beautiful scene.

We had a reservation to enter the Accademia and view the statue of David at noon.  However, Euan thought that perhaps he could get us in a little early, so we went there next. The line was hideously long, so we were thankful once again to be in the special line for tour guides. Euan went in to get our tickets, and within 10 minutes we were inside the building. (A couple eating dinner near us this evening said that they went and there was a 4 hour wait, so they skipped it. Wow!)

My hubby and I are not art aficionados, but try to see the big, well known pieces when we travel. Therefore, we skimmed the galleries in the Accademia,  checking out a few pieces here and there as they appealed to us. I must admit that it was inspiring to see Michelangelo’s unfinished servants. They are figures that are half carved out of stone, incomplete and with excess marble remaining. They really spoke to me about the amazing process creating a sculpture is. If I tried to do it, I would start with a huge block and end up with something the size of a pea, never able to get it quite right.

I have to say that nothing prepared me for the reality of seeing the statue of David before me. When we turned the corner,  saw the huge likeness above the crowd, the light shining down from the skylight overhead, it was breathtaking. You see, in pictures and books, there is just nothing to show the perspective of how large it is. Also, when we got up close to the statue, the amount of detail was amazing. To see veins in his hands, and dimples in his elbows, there is the sense that Michelangelo brought David to life in stone. He is incredibly realistic and beautiful.

In fact, David so incredible, that everything else in the museum paled in comparison. We strolled through a few of the galleries, but could not take our minds off the beauty of David. Before we left, we lingered a little longer to just reflect on and enjoy this incredible piece of art. No trip to Florence is complete without visiting David in the Accademia.

The all clear was given to depart the ship in Mykonos at 11:50 am, and we were some of the first people off of the ship.  We hopped onto the complimentary shuttle waiting to take us the 1.2 miles into town. I had read that you could walk it, but I wouldn’t personally recommend doing so, as there is no sidewalk and the roads are narrow. Instead, our shuttle dropped us off 3 minutes later at the edge of Chora town.

​​We walked along the water to the shops lining the street, the vendors ready to sell us their goods. This included fishermen with their catches of fresh octopus. We cut back into the side alleys of the town, meandering among the white buildings with blue shutters and doors. It is a virtual maze off of the main street, a place to just roam in no particular direction and see where one comes out. We especially enjoyed the simple beauty of the various tiny churches scattered throughout the town. So different than the magnificent cathedrals and basilicas seen earlier on our voyage, but equally beautiful. ​No wonder they are a hallmark of Mykonos' beauty!

​​Today brought us to Istanbul, our first “Do it yourself” port. We disembarked the ship at 8 am and intended on catching the tram up to the Sultanahmet area. However, the crowds and congestion were unnerving so we opted to take a taxi instead. That was our first adventure of the day. Our taxi driver was very nice, but caused us to catch our breath a few times as we skirted past trucks and oncoming cars. I’m so glad he lived up to the city’s reputation of crazy driving, and even more glad that we arrived in one piece.

The wake up call at 6 am was a little tough to take this morning. However, the excitement of our journey to Ephesus eased the pain a bit. The Ruby Princess pulled in to port at 6:57 am, right on schedule, and we promptly disembarked to greet our tour guide from Hello Ephesus. We immediately took a liking to Bulent, aka Bill, as he was funny, knowledgeable, and looked remarkably like John Locke. (A character from my favorite TV show of all time, LOST.)

As we drove out to the ruins, about 25 minutes away, Bill filled us in on the history of Turkey and all that we would be seeing out in Ephesus. It was fascinating to hear his account of the many civilizations and cultures that have shaped his country over the centuries. I noticed the countryside as we drove, feeling very much at home amid the citrus trees and farmland of the region.

​​After 2 days at sea, we docked in the port of Piraeus at 8:55 this morning. We disembarked shortly thereafter and met up with our tour mates in the port arrival hall. We located our driver outside, and were a wee bit concerned as he was not too personable. However, shortly thereafter, our guide, Voula, arrived and kicked things into gear. She was a small woman, with a huge passion for her country and it’s history. The whole drive in to Athens she narrated the history of Greece in general, and Athens in particular. It was like a whole history lesson for dummies, in just 30 minutes. Amazing!

​Today we set out for our last adventure in Venice….a visit to St. Mark’s Square and Doge's Palace. We wandered the back streets for about 45 minutes, again oohing and ahhing over the window displays we passed. Then, as we turned a corner, we knew we were in St. Mark’s Square by the mass of people we encountered. Talk about a sea of humanity!

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Exquisite, Enthralling Doge's Palace

We wove through to get to our first destination, Doge’s Palace, where we checked in about 20 minutes early for our “Secret Itineraries” Tour. Tickets in hand, we entered the courtyard, and took a step back in time to Venice’s great past. We marveled at the architecture, and took the few minutes before our tour to take some lovely group shots in the majestic setting.

​I must start my post about Venice with a confession: I have never  held Italy in high regard. Why not? Well, when I was 13, I went to Europe with a marching band.  We spent 17 days on a whirlwind tour of 8 different countries. When it came to Italy, I only remembered some rude men looking me up and down, saying “Ah, American”.  Apparently that made a strong impression on me, as it overshadowed all other memories of that country. Now, today, 23 years later, I have finally changed my mind.