sunscreen;  National Park passport or national geographic books of Grand Canyon, if visiting National Parks; golf tees if golf trip,  Lei if gifting Hawaii or Tahiti, Bora Bora; etc.

3. Gift Certificate.

Click here for more inspiration and ideas for a travel inspired life.

                                                     Packing Light – especially on an itinerary where you will be moving and changing locations a good bit – cannot be underestimated. In fact, it can be the difference between an enjoyable vacation and a miserable one! You will never meet anyone who says “I wish I had packed heavier” when they return from a journey. Rick Steves, the Public TV European travel guru, only allows the members of his escorted tours to bring 1 carry-on size piece of luggage per person…even when the tour is 3 weeks long! Can’t be done? Yes it can…and it should! I’ve done it myself, in fact, I did that earlier today as I prepare to hop around the islands of Tahiti this week.

Admittedly, it does take a little more planning, but the advantages outweighed the disadvantages by a huge margin!

I'll let you know the advantages wihle traveling in Tahiti in future posts, but today I will share the benefits of traveling light in Europe, we would dress quickly in whatever outfit was clean and appropriate for the day. I started thinking of my wardrobe as my “travel uniform”. We were there to explore, enjoy and expand our horizons…not worry about what we were going to wear. Doing a little laundry along the way won’t kill anyone – in fact, it can be a real adventure!

1. We could move quickly from place to place….No worries about big suitcases and where we would fit our luggage on the train or bus or taxi. A lot of European hotels have no elevator, so lugging heavy bags up and down stairs can be a real bummer.

2. Having too much luggage “marks” you as a typical tourist. Con artists figure you’re helpless and you become a serious pickpocket or scam target.

3. We saved enough money in checked luggage fees to treat ourselves to some special “extras”. We also saved time by not having to wait around at luggage carousels in strange airports. We were off and starting our adventure while everyone else was standing around waiting for the bags to arrive.

4. Here are my suggestions for cutting back on the amount of “stuff” you think you need on your next trip:

 Spread out everything you think you might need across your bed. Pick up each item one at a time and ask yourself “Will I really use this enough to justify carrying it over the Swiss Alps?” (or wherever you are heading) When in doubt, leave it out!

 Don’t pack for the worst-case scenario…Pack for the best-case and buy yourself out of any jams along the way. Risk shivering for a day rather than taking a heavy jacket. Buy a cheap umbrella from one of the many street vendors who "miraculously" appear when the drops start to fall. If you think it “might come in handy”, it should stay home.

 Pack exactly the same whether you’re traveling for three weeks or three months. Rather than take a whole trip’s supply of toiletries, take enough to get started and replace them along the way. Believe it or not, Europeans use toothpaste, lotion, hair gel, soap and (sometimes) deodorant! It’s REALLY fun to go into a general store and stock up on local brands on the fly!

 Multi purpose items work best (3 shirts per one pair of paints, several dresses and swap up with sweaters, shoes that match several outfits, you get the picture.

 Invest in a good quality piece of luggage that fits your needs. Rick Steves offers a few options in his travel store at www.ricksteves.com/travelstore that are reasonably priced and come with or without wheels. If you are healthy enough to carry your bag, do it…suitcases on wheels don’t get along with cobblestone streets very well….

So weed out the unnecessary, pack your bag and go walk around the block a few times to get a good idea of what you will be dealing with. You will thank me later! Remember, in your travels, you’ll meet two kinds of tourists – those who pack light and those who wish they had!

                                                                                                                                                    

• Welcome cocktails and culinary treats
• Escorts you to your suite for check-in in the privacy of your suite and coordinates your luggage handling
• Provides you with resort and room orientation
•  Reviews your personal preferences communicated through your travel professional
• Supplies a cell phone to reach him during your stay
• Offers to unpack your luggage
• Press your first night's clothes complimentary

During Your Stay

• Butler makes your dinner reservations, cabana rentals, spa treatments and any other activities you have added to your stay.
• Reserves your chair at the beach or pool and serves your favorite drinks while you relax
• Serves your lunch at the beach or pool
• Confirms your room is serviced while you are away and ensures it is kept in perfect order
• Ensures your table is arranged at the restaurants of your choice and escorts you to your table with preferential seating, skipping all lines
• Per your request, arranges a perfect romantic dinner for two in the privacy of your suite or patio.  They can order from any resort restaurant menu for dining in-suite.
• Shine/clean shoes for dinner
• Tend to your wardrobe
• Collect and return all laundry
• Leaves amenities in your room between meals (per the preferences provided by your travel professional or things he hears you mention during your stay)
• Ensures your bed is turned down and that you have anything you need for the night.

Before your Departure

• Provides you with check out details
• Offers to pack for your departure
• Ensures your bags are brought to the departure area
• Escorts you to the butler lounge to process check out
• Escorts you to your transportation and bids you farewell (i promise you will want to take them home with you, I know I did)

• For the same price as an entry level butler suite at one resort, you can stay in one of the top butler suite at another
• The higher the category of room, the bigger the room and better the view (usually)
• Some rooms have a private plunge pool or tranquility outdoor tub

Loosen Up:  

They will make it abundantly clear that they are at your beck and call, but who can wrap their head around that, right?  Remember, this is his job and you are depriving him of what he loves to do.  Making the most of your butler experience may include asking him for your favorite drink while you are on the beach,  or saving your chair at beach or pool or reserving your table at your favorite restaurant, etc.  The more you allow him to get to know you and learn about him and his life on the island, the more you will enjoy your stay.  Imagine your surprise when you return from dinner to find this?   He mentioned that he heard you mention your feet hurt.  
What to Expect?

Ask your travel professional what to expect.  Think about how much you hate to pack and unpack, take advantage of his offer.  I usually recommend that you unpack a few personal items and leave the rest for him to unpack while you are exploring the resort.  Or another idea would be to pack your personal items in a carry on which you unpack and ask the butler to unpack the other bags when they arrive.   Here's a little hint, my butler unpacked and packed WAY better than I did.

Remember, the only way they know what you want is if you speak up.  

Nothing makes you feel more special than a personal note on your pillow from your butlers reminding you "Love is All You Need".

True VIP Travel Experience is  . . . anything you want is at the press of a button.  

It's OK to so No.  Butler service is not for everyone and that is okay.  For those that are not comfortable with the idea, the concierge service at Club Sandals may be the right fit for you.  Club Sandals is a quiet lounge offering snacks and drinks and free wifi, tvs and even kindles to borrow.

As you know Sandals has a strict no tipping rule.  However, butlers and spa attendants are the only Sandals employees that are able to accept tips from guests.  If your butler does an outstanding job enhancing your stay, consider leaving them a tip to show your gratitude.  If you aren't sure how to tip them, ask your travel professional. 

So is butler service worth every penny?  For me it is, but you are the only one that can decide for yourself.  The one thing I tell my clients is if you aren't afraid to use your butler service, it is worth every single penny and much, much more!!  In my very humble opinion, once you try the butler service, its almost impossible to go back!

• Travel insurance is insurance to give us peace of mind financially and otherwise in stressful and unexpected challenges.  Would you purchase a ring, car, etc without insuring it?  So why would you risk not insuring your dream vacation experience or bucket list trip? 
• Your vacation time and dollars are precious, coverage may include both costs incurred before your trip like non-refundable event, air or hotel stays, and during your trip, including travel interruption and medical expenses.  
• Depending on coverage elected, coverage may include health benefits,  luggage delayed (buy new outfit), medical evacuation or simply sharing helpful concierge information.
  
• It's a lifeline, they are there for you when your travel consultant may be sleeping, 24/7/365 hotline assistance.  They speak many languages and are an extension of our helping hands when you need real-time help in emergency situations, including medical evacuation and pre-trip assistance.
  
• Cost is minimal compared to risk.

• No one WANTS to cancel their long awaited vacation of a lifetime, but sometimes due to circumstances beyond your control, trip cancellation becomes necessary (50% of the trips, in fact).  Cancellation before you go for covered reasons, based on coverage chosen are entitled to 100% reimbursement, including non-refundable trip payments and deposits.
• Interruption while you are traveling (you or family member).  You may think the airlines are required to put you in a room if your flight is canceled or delayed.  When they are at fault, they may offer assistance, but they aren't required to.  What if your family member at home is injured or becomes very ill while you are traveling and cases you to end your trip prematurely?
  
• Lost, damaged or stolen baggage?  This too happens more than you think.  What if you arrive at your destination with no luggage?    This is just one small benefit of travel insurance.
• Medical coverage while traveling (medical insurance rarely provides coverage while traveling internationally). Most people are completely surprised by this.
• Medical evacuation is very complex, however, if you purchased this coverage with Allianz travel insurance that becomes much easier.  Travelers in need will be assigned a case manager to assist you and may coordinate with doctors and nurses of University of Virginia that may work with translators, etc during the emergency.  Depending on need, they will arrange to get you to the nearest medical facility, then work on getting you back to U.S. to the best medical facility.  If you are hospitalized, they may bring family member to you to have support while you are away.   If you do not have third party travel insurance, you will not be picked up unless you pay $20,000 up front (right in middle of medical emergency).  This may cost from $90,000-and up.  This happens more frequently than you can imagine.

• Cruise lines specialize in cruises, suppliers specialize in their resorts or destinations, leave the insurance to the insurance experts.   Third party insurers protect the interest of the insured, not the supplier.
• Insurance offered by your credit card may cover some benefits of travel insurance IF you use that card for each travel expense, but it will not give you the medical coverage/evacuation which is where the cost skyrockets.

• You can purchase up until day before travel, however for the best coverage it should be purchased the insurance on the day (within days) of purchase.
• Insurance cost is based on age of traveler and cost of trip. 
  
• Even if traveling within the United States, it is still important because you will be out of your insurance network and even minor emergency room visits may cost well above what you would pay for insurance premium.
• What if you booked your trip online before you learned about us at VIP Travel Experience, Click here to contact us and we can still assist you in purchasing your travel insurance even if your trip is already booked.  If you have particular concerns about your situation, we are happy to add Allianz support on the line with us.

5.  There is an APP FOR THAT

• Travel Smart app is a great reference for hospitals, translation for first aid terms.  Flight stats, not all countries use 911.  All inclusive app to get really great travel information.  The Travel Smart app is free to download on your smart phone. 

We love doing business with businesses that invest in students! Check out Allianz Scholar Trips.  Six grand prize students ages 14 and above will be awarded $2,500 toward their study or volunteer abroad trip that submit an entry before November 10, 2016.  Click here for more information on Scholar Trips.