Erika Coyes Travel

07/03/2025

Big Win for Trevello! 🚢🏆 I am so proud to be part of Trevello Travel Group and Virtuoso. Trevello has won the Virtuoso Canada Growth Award in Cruise! This achievement is a direct reflection of the passion, dedication, and collaboration within our advisor community. Very grateful for Trevello's leadership, and the collaboration with the industries best. Exciting win!

05/03/2025

Update: Luggage found (phew!!). Thank you everyone for your kind words. Two days without our suitcases was a great reminder to follow tips below ✈️🧳

Original Post: After sitting in the DWF airport for 8 hours due to weather cancellations and delays, we arrived to Miami, however our suitcases did not. Currently the airline does not know where they are.

We have no toiletries and the only clothes we have are the clothes we are wearing. Our cruise departs on Friday - fingers crossed they find our luggage.

As a Travel Agent, I often share travel tips.... unfortunately in this situation, I did not follow my own advice. Out flight was direct and less than 3 hours, so I didn't think it was a big deal. Lesson learned.

Thankfully our credit card includes some insurance to cover basics while we wait, so we are headed to Target. If our bag is not found we will have to do a full shop tomorrowow so we have clothes (covered by insurance).

Here's what I will do the next time I fly.... and every time I fly in the future.

✨ bring some essentials in a carry-on: toiletries, one change of clothes, and one bathing suit.

✨put an air tag in each piece of luggage

✨ dress in layers when flying, airports can get brutally cold with the extreme air conditioning, and planes can get very hot when they are full.

✨bring a refillable water bottle, all airports have great water stations - stay hydrated. Pack some healthy snacks in your carry-on.

Making sure you are comfortable and well nourished will give you resiliency to deal with frustrating situations. We witnessed lots of adults having temper tantrums at the airport. No one can control the weather, it's your job to control your behavior.

On the positive side - we are safe, and all of this can be worked out. Keeping a good attitude and making the most of the situation is key.

Happy travels!

28/02/2025

Attention ladies who love comedy & wine - how fun would this be?! 🍷 A perfect trip for friends, mother-daughters, or sisters. Uniworld's celebrity guest will be a hit, Rachel is hilarious! Departs August 24th. River cruising is such a wonderful way to explore Europe. Unpack once on your floating boutique hotel.

27/02/2025

Best way to island hop in French Polynesia? A small luxury ship! 🌺 Truly one of my best travel experiences. Excited to share my exclusive pricing for Paul Gauguin Cruises. Best price for a 7 night sailing in 2026, in a lead-in balcony room, starts at $6400 CAD / $4400 USD per person.

This cruise is truly all-inclusive: drinks, restaurants, wifi and gratuities. No need to purchase additional packages.

Only 343 guests onboard, and daily port stops. Food & service is 10/10.

This beautiful ship is currently being refurbished in dry dock, scheduled to be completed in March. I cant wait to see the upgrades (although, I already thought it was perfectly Polynesian).

If Bora Bora, Tahiti and Moorea are on your bucket list - I can't recommend this cruise line enough.

19/02/2025

Only 16 sleeps until we embark on our first sailing with Explora Journeys. This award winning cruise line was founded in 2021 and launched their first ship in the summer of 2023. With two ships in fleet, and plans for four more, Explora is making an impressive mark in the luxury cruise industry.

Our itinerary includes 8 nights on Explora I. All 461 suites have ocean terraces, and the impressive dinning options include 6 diverse restaurants, often said to be some of the best cuisine at sea. The intention of this European designed ship was to provide elevated and sophiaticated spaces that envoke the intimacy of a private yacht. The pictures look stunning, I am so excited to see it all in person.

I'll be sure to share many photos and videos, as well as a review. If you have any specific questions before we leave, please don't hesitate to reach out.

📸 Explora Journeys

31/01/2025

Important 🇲🇽 if you are staying in the Cancun area or the Mayan Riviera, you need to pay the Visitax before you go. This is a tourist tax. This tax was introduced a while go but hasn’t really been enforced. However, are now starting to check for confirmation at the Cancun airports. This is a mandatory tax for all visitors.

You pay online. There are many third party sites that pop up on a google search, but they charge high service fees. I’m sharing a link to the official website below, use this link to pay, and I recommend that you take a screen shot of your payment confirmation:

https://www.visitax.gob.mx/sitio/

08/01/2025

Headed to Europe? It’s always important to stay up to date on travel requirements. 🌎 Here’s an update on UK’s ETA and EU’s ETIAS.

As of today (January 8), Canadian citizens will need an Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) to visit or transit through the United Kingdom. The digital application process costs £10 ($18 CAD). Each authorization is valid for multiple trips over two years (or until the traveller’s passport expir...

04/01/2025

Sailing on an authentic tall ship is on my bucket list...

Star Clippers proudly carries on the tradition of the tall ships with three magnificent clippers combining all the modern comforts of today with the grace an...

31/12/2024

2024 Travel Recap ✨ Sailed with 4 fantastic cruise lines this year, each ship provided very different styles of cruising:

Regent Seven Seas Cruises
Princess
Cunard
Paul Gauguin Cruises

We also had the opportunity to tour & dine on one of Uniworld River Cruises’ elegant ships in Venice.

When we cruise, we always build a land component in, before or after we sail, allowing more time to explore a destination.

Not all of our travel has been cruising, we took our first coach tour, and even went on a motor bike trip.

Countries visited in 2024:

Portugal
Mexico
Italy
Malta
Croatia
French Polynesia (Tahiti, Moorea, Bora Bora)
United States

Grateful for each adventure, as this year has provided invaluable experience and an abundance of professional development.

Thank you to all of you who have trusted me with your travels, and thank you to those that I will be working with in 2025.

Happy New Year!

23/12/2024

Reflecting on this past year, I am especially grateful for the relationships in my life. Family, friends, clients, industry partners & colleagues - you have made this year unforgettable! Thank you ✨ May this Christmas bring you all that you wish for. Looking forward to more adventures in 2025!

20/12/2024

Who’s dreaming of Christmas Markets in Europe? A river cruise on the Rhine or Danube will bring you to the heart of the action. The sights, sounds, and smells create a magical festive experience. Traditional food and drink, live music, lights, and shopping all bring history and culture together during this magical season.

Fantastic promotions coming January 2nd, including complimentary land packages with select itineraries.

📸 AmaWaterways

18/12/2024

Explora Journeys launched in 2023 with the vision of transforming luxury cruises in to ocean journeys. With two stunning ships in fleet, and another one on the way, Explora’s expansion has demonstrated substantial success. An all-inclusive cruise, timeless elegance, with elevated culinary & wellness experiences.

Explora is top of our list for 2025, we will be sailing in March.

It’s an excellent time to book, Explora Journeys is running a Unique Oceans Offer until February 28th.

17/12/2024

It’s been a busy holiday season, helping people find their perfect cruise vacation. So many choices! Wondering what people are booking? Here’s the last four cruises that were booked for clients:

Scenic River Cruise - Bordeaux 🇫🇷🍷

A Mediterranean cruise on Princess’ newest ship, Sun Princess 🇮🇹🇬🇷🇪🇸 Italy, Greece & Spain.

Paul Gauguin Cruise - small ship sailing French Polynesia: Bora Bora, Moorea and Tahiti 🇵🇫

Holland America - Western Caribbean Islands🌴

Each cruise company, ship design, passenger demographics, and itinerary is unique. Working with a cruise expert ensures you’re reviewing your best options, with the best value.

Need some travel inspiration? Reach out!

12/12/2024

Making memories, that’s what it’s all about. Celebrating a milestone birthday in style! Thank you for your kind words Kathy, it truly was a pleasure to help you plan your big trip. I’m so happy you loved your first cruise!

08/12/2024

This fantastic couple had an incredible adventure. Thank you J & S for the kind review. It’s always great to work with you!

03/12/2024

What a trip! November 23-30, 7 night sailing with Paul Gauguin Cruises. I partnered with my friend and colleague Tricia, together we hosted 60 guests onboard this stunning ship! As a Travel Agent and business owner, it brings me so much joy to see people having fun…. and fun was had!

Tricia and I started working on this trip two years ago… it was hard to believe time went by so quickly. We kicked off the week with a private cocktail party on the sun deck, while the colours of the sunset danced across the ocean. It was another ‘pinch me’ moment. Looking around at all the happy people was a bit surreal. My heart was bursting with gratitude. I truly love working with all of my clients, this trip felt extra special because I had the opportunity to see them experience their bucketlist destination.

Many people have been curious about our cruise experience with Paul Gauguin. Here’s some highlights:

Award winning small luxury ship, feels very spacious with only 330 guests onboard.

The service is absolutely outstanding with a crew-to-guest ratio of 1:1.5 In addition to the energetic, warm & friendly crew, there are a group of local Tahitians called Les Gauguin & Les Gauguines who serve as local hosts, entertainers & storytellers, sharing the authentic rich cultural heritage of the islands.

Designed specifically for French Polynesia, Paul Gauguin visits islands that aren’t available to bigger ships. Daily port stops each day brought new adventures. We spent time on the islands of Tahiti, Huahine, Taha’a, Moorea and Bora Bora. On this cruise, you can disembark the ship and explore on your own or you can take one of the many optional excursions. Paul Gauguin even has a private island (I’ll share more about our port stops in another post).

Truly an all-inclusive experience with unlimited drinks, food, and wifi. Gratuities are also included.

3 restaurants for dinner, as well as options for breakfast & lunch. You can also enjoy complimentary room service. Food was fantastic!

The massages at the spa were heavenly. The gym was small, but worked will enough to squeeze in some work outs.

Although a small ship does not have all of the entertainment options that a larger ship offers, there was always fun to be found at the piano bar, or at the theatre for local performances or the disco. One of our favourite evenings during our week was Polynesian night, everyone dressed up and enjoyed traditional music, food & activities. Local performers came onboard to perform traditional dancing.

After great days of exploring, our favourite place to sit and have a pre-dinner cocktail was the pool deck - the views looked like a postcard!

We stayed in a Category D balcony cabin, it was well laid out with excellent storage. There are also higher room categories available with more space, larger terraces and even personal butlers.

One of our favourite parts about a cruise is only having to unpack once. We had a fantastic time exploring the week before we started our cruise, but there was lots of unpacking & repacking and we had lug our bags around on the ferries when we explored different places. Once we boarded the ship, we were pampered! It was such a treat to hand over our luggage, we even had laundry services available to press our wrinkly clothes.

This cruise was a 10/10 ⭐️ If French Polynesia is on your bucket list, a cruise with Paul Gauguin will provide luxury, value and ease to explore.

As a cruise expert affiliated with Virtuoso, I have strategic partnerships with various cruise lines, including Paul Gauguin, which provides me access to exclusive pricing & amenities.

I’m here to help you plan your next cruise vacation.

www.erikacoyes.com
[email protected]