best laid plans of mice & men

7/1/2019

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“Be fearless in the pursuit of what sets your soul on fire.” – Jennifer Lee

Today is July 1, 2019

Best Laid Plans of Mice & Men

Lately, when I schedule an event or make a notation in my calendar, I feel like my "Things to Do" is more of a WISH LIST than a TO DO list! Life can be messy. Most of us juggle a lot of different things at the same time. Even though the simple solution is to stop juggling, it’s not always realistic. I think it's God's way of reminding us that we only THINK we're in control!

That's pretty much our past week in a nutshell: the hamster wheel we've been running on madly has thrown us totally off course: Our plan to begin our cross country trip tomorrow got way-laid by medical appointments. It's just a one week delay but oh my goodness! The logistics of that one little change have been quite the challenge. I've learned, as we've made this journey with Dan's cancer, that I can't "own" any plan -- that no matter what, something can and often does, come up that just takes precedence. It's been a great lesson in being flexible and patient!

Fortunately, the change has some upsides so we're just taking it in stride! We'll be heading west next week and, although we will miss the Rodeo in Prescott, AZ, we'll still have a nice visit there with my dad and brother, followed by a few days in San Antonio with our daughter and her family. And let's face it, the Rodeo's been going on for 132 years -- I think it's a good bet it will be around next year!

Sometimes, unexpected glitches when we're traveling create huge challenges . If you're strolling down the streets of Rome, or ziplining through the forests in Haiti, or kayaking in Alaska, and you have an accident or suddenly get sick, the logistics of handling this new scenario aren't as easy as simply delaying a trip for a week. And if you've booked your travel and something comes up that makes it necessary for you to delay your trip, that's another whole new challenge!

Which brings us to this week's feature article:

5 Reasons Why Travel Insurance Is a Smart Purchase

Picture yourself getting ready for your next big trip: if you're like me, you've made a list of everything you need to pack ... then you struggle to fit it all into your suitcase, so you have to start all over. Do I really need six pairs of shoes? Can I get away with only two bathing suits? Why EVER did I buy this huge sun hat in Cozumel during my last cruise? It will never fit into my suitcase. We sort, re-think and take out things that only looked good on our packing list. But there's one thing you simply can't leave home without: Travel Protection.

I'm often asked if Travel Protection (aka Travel Insurance) is worth the extra expense. And the best answer I can give is actually examples of travelers who have experienced the unexpected (tripped on the ladder at the ship's pool and broke a toe; fell during an excursion and needed medical attention; had a heart attack and had to be medivac'd home. Or what if, after you've booked your dream vacation, you or your companion get sick and have to cancel?). The minute we think we won't need it is, unfortunately, the minute we find we really DO need it!

Reason #1 Travel Insurance is a must -- or, can you afford to lose your vacation investment?

Let's pretend you've booked the number one item on your Bucket List,: a once-in-a-lifetime cruise to Alaska, followed by another week doing a land tour. You've saved for years and now your dream is just a plane ride to Seattle or Vancouver away. (I figured I'd use Paula's dream vacation -- see her review below!). The week before you depart on your big adventure, you fall and break your leg. The cruise line is very sympathetic when you call and explain why you simply can't go on this dream vacation with a broken leg. But guess what? You aren't getting your money back. They'll sadly remind you that their company policy clearly states that there are no refunds if you cancel within 14 days of departure.

Like I mentioned above, sometimes life gets messy. And if you declined Travel Insurance and something like this pops up, you're really in a pickle. But, had you purchased the very reasonably priced travel insurance with trip cancellation benefits, you'd be reimbursed for your prepaid, nonrefundable trip costs if you find it necessary to cancel for a covered reason (like the covered serious illness or injury of the insured person, a travel companion or a family member; the death of the insured traveler, traveling companion or a family member; a natural disaster or other event that renders your destination uninhabitable; etc.)

To continue reading this article, please visit our blog at: www.tdtravelpartners.com (If link doesn't work, try again later! Website is in the process of being uploaded and directed! Thanks for your patience!)

The Adventure of a Life Time!

So let me tell you about my trip to Alaska... It was amazing! I contacted Terie with T&D Travel Partners almost 2 years ago about booking a cruise to Alaska for Summer 2019. We decided together that a cruise plus land tour was the way to go. I left everything else in Terie's hands. We loved everything that she set up for us!

We started out on the cruise portion with Princess Cruise Lines in Vancouver, BC. The ports of call were Ketchikan, Juneau, and Skagway, with sea days through the Inside Passage, Glacier Bay, and College Fjords. So beautiful! All of the ports were amazing and we had fun everywhere we went. And OMG... the views!

The land portion started out at the port in Whittier, AK with a 5 hour train ride, which was very nice. We stayed in several Princess lodges in the middle of nowhere, which was so relaxing and gorgeous, and also a couple of nights in Fairbanks and Anchorage. One of the lodges even had a treehouse, which was very cool! Besides the rail, Terie also had some other things pre-booked for us... a Natural History Tour at Denali National Park, a Discovery Riverboat Tour and the Gold Dredge 8 Tour with gold panning in Fairbanks, and even a short visit at the North Pole.

This was a great trip, and another check on my bucket list! We will probably go again in the future, and I'll be sure to contact Terie and T&D Travel Partners for assistance in the planning. Thank you, Terie, for everything! It was great! - Paula Green

UPCOMING EVENTS

September 21^st – Southern Caribbean Cruise

September 30th - Key West Cruise

October 14th - Bahamas Cruise

October 28th - Spooky Halloween Cruise

November 14th - LIADO Fundraising Cruise (You don't have to be a member of LIADO to join us -- you can come, have fun and enjoy the group perks!)

February 8th, 2020 - Terie's Birthday Cruise

February 13, 2021 - Mardi Gras Party Cruise!!

Dragon's Breath Zip Line in Labadee, Haiti

Several years ago, Dan and I visited Labadee, Haiti and we spent the day on the beach. I was fascinated watching folks take on the Dragon's Breath Zip Line. I watched them soar down the mountain, across the ocean and land on the beach. With two bad knees (pre-double knee replacement surgery), I wasn't sure whether I could make the landing without falling flat on my face or, worse yet, need massive help detaching myself! By the time I figured I could handle it, it was too late to make the trek up the mountain. But it's remained a goal of mine: I WILL do that zip line one of these days!

Billed as the world's longest over-water zip-line at 2,630 feet (or about half a mile long), the Dragon's Breath Zip Line offers a spectacular view of the Royal Caribbean-owned peninsula on Labadee in Haiti.
(Video taken December 4, 2015.)

THIS WEEK'S CHALLENGE:

When you visit a Caribbean port-of-call, where are we most likely to find you? Share your choice on our T & D Travel Partners VIP Squad group page, to be entered into a drawing for a free weekend at an amazing resort!

Join the fun at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/TDTravelPartners/