Festival at 15000' and Travel Expectations

Two interesting articles in this weekend's NY Times.  The first is on the Qoyllur Rit’i — the Snow Star Festival, held outside of Cusco, Peru. Elevation 15000.' Part Catholic, part earth-based spirituality. Dancing, commemorations, candle-lighting, arts, crafts, sheer beauty, and fervor. Sounds like my kind of festival, though the elevation gives me considerable pause.  http://travel.nytimes.com/2012/05/13/travel/celebrating-the-snow-star-festival-in-the-peruvian-andes.html?nl=travel&emc=edit_tl_20120512 

The second article focuses on a mother-daughter spring break vacation to south Florida. Wrong place to stay, no clear expectations on what to do and when, costly, and anything but connecting one-on-one. Points to doing your own research on lodging, talking with your traveling companion (even if family) before you go re expectations and objectives, and taking recommendations from friends with a grain of salt.  Makes for a good read and food for thought - especially when traveling with teens and 20-somethings!
http://travel.nytimes.com/2012/05/13/travel/a-mother-daughter-spring-break-on-fisher-island-florida.html?nl=travel&emc=edit_tl_20120512

The Importance of Travel Planning

After a three week hiatus journeying through Holland and Croatia, I'm back in the blogosphere.  I'll be sharing some of my travel and, hopefully, photography, insights with you in the coming weeks.  In the meantime, I direct your attention to an article in today's New York Times on "Planning the Perfect Vacation."  Its generally very high-level, but certainly re-iterates my personal view that the "planning" part is critical in translating into a great travel experience. The article includes the results of an Netherlands study showing that a majority of vacationers were happiest in planning the vacation!  I've certainly noticed this is many a trip I've taken.  While the trip itself was everything I could have hoped for, the anticipation was even better.  The mind works in funny ways, sometimes!  OK, usually.

http://travel.nytimes.com/2011/07/24/travel/planning-the-perfect-vacation.html?nl=travel&emc=tda3

Which also leads me to an upcoming book that I've written on the Vacation Planning process.  Should be available by the end of summer and will provide a much greater level of detail on how to plan for and budget for your next great adventure.  Stay tuned for details.

Video on Coaching, Spring Break and Websites

I'm making my TV and YouTube debut today!  I was fortunately enough to be interviewed by the wonderful folks at Bainbridge Island Television (BITV for short) about travel planning and coaching.  We discussed spring break travel opportunities, some great websites to check out, and what travel coaching is all about.  And its already on YouTube!  It will also be broadcast on BITV channels 12 and 22 at various times over the next 2 weeks as part of their weekly newscast and is archived on their website: http://www.bitv.org/.  Check it out!  And, as always, Journey On!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G9EE3NSJqe0

Incentives to Travel

I came upon several great quotes yesterday as I searched the web and looked at the day's "tweets."  Maybe they will provide an additional incentive for YOU to travel!

"Full day today: eat, wander, take photos, eat, massage, nap, wander, eat, beer, sleep."  (by Johnnyvagabond as quoted by David Lee via Twitter 3/9/10)

"Procrastinators put off pleasurable things as well as the un-pleasurable, according to marketing professor Susann Chiu at UCLA Anderson’s School of Management who cites the outstanding hundreds of millions of frequent flier miles that we let expire or unused vacation time collected each year." (from http://yoursabbatical.com/)

I've known folks who have let their vacation time lapse, not because of overwork or tons of pending deadlines but because their work was their life.  Time to expand your horizons and see the world  - or at least your hammock!  An ideal candidate for travel coaching!  Contact me at chuck@chuckkirchner.com.