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TUSCANY ITALY

Tuscany

Richard and I are off to Italy next week and we are so ready to go (well, except I haven’t started packing at all yet). But we cannot wait to be back in our favorite country together this time. While thinking about my blog for this week, I thought it should be about Italy in some fashion. I am actually returning to Italy in November too for a wine/luxury hotel conference, and we are staying in Barga, which is an area of Tuscany Italy I haven’t been to before.

ETIAS VISA WAIVER

Visa Waiver

Travel has come back with a bang! Since the pandemic hit, I think we all forgot about the visa that was to be implemented in 2022 for Americans to visit Europe. So I thought this week’s blog would be on this topic. ETIAS visa waiver stands for European Travel Information and Authorization System.

LONDON HIGHLIGHTS

I thought this week might be a good time for a blog on London Highlights with the Queen’s passing recently. From a travel perspective it was either a great time – or – based on your opinion, a bad time to be in London. The crowds were massive with 5 mile long queues to visit the queen in state. British Airways reported that 15% of all flights were for the funeral. May she rest in peace after such an amazingly long and respected reign.

ROAD TRIP TIPS

So how do you survive a road trip with your family while not going crazy? This is a very good question, and not an easy thing to do by the way. Long road trips are wonderful for creating new memories with your family, but they can test your patience to be sure. I am going to outline a few road trip tips to make your next car ride more enjoyable and memorable.

TIPS TO STAY COOL

This has been one hot summer, am I right? I hear from many clients all over the continental USA as well as my clients traveling to other countries, that it is just HOT. This lead me to think maybe a few tips for how to stay cool while traveling the remainder of this summer might be useful. So, here are tips to stay cool while traveling for the rest of the summer.

WORLD’S HAPPIEST COUNTRY: FINLAND

If I asked you to picture the happiest place on earth, many of you would picture the same thing. You would think that the happiest country in the world is full of sunshine, tropical weather, and beaches, but if you’ve been to Finland you know different.
Every year the United Nations publishes a World Happiness Report. In this, Finland and its neighboring Nordic countries are consistently listed within the top 10 slots. That led to my learning that Finland is not only the number one happiest country in the world (Helliwell et al.), but they’ve been on top for four years in a row! Here are some interesting things about the world’s happiest country. Conclusion, world’s happiest country: Finland.

PRACTICE TRAVEL SELF CARE

We can all acknowledge and appreciate the allure of traveling. Travel provides an escape from our everyday routines and systems. It also can provide immense comfort, relaxation, and enjoyment when approached in the right way. To practice self care while traveling is vital when you want your vacations and trips to last past your departure date. Here are some practical ways to practice self care while on your next adventure.

PASSPORT CONTROL MADE EASY

Passport Control

Worried about Passport inspection lines? Well stress no more. The U.S Customs and Border Protection now has a new free phone application called “Mobile Passport Control (MPC) ” which can be downloaded from the Apple App store and Google Play and is currently available for eligible travelers to use upon arrival at MPC approved sites. Hence, passport control made easy.

EUPHORIA OF EUROPEAN FESTIVALS

One thing Europeans do, and do big, is festivals. From traditional festivals featuring rituals and generational customs, to music and dance festivals with worldwide performers, there’s usually a festival for everything and everyone. Here’s a glimpse into some. Can you feel the euphoria of European festivals?

PRIVATE JET CHARTERS:

Private jet

Dealing with flights and transfers can be a pretty stressful part of any trip. Airline delays and cancellations only serve to make them even more nail-biting, especially if you don’t know what’s going on and how to handle it. Here are a few suggestions that can make managing airline delays and cancellations much easier to deal with.