Life List Travel

11/23/2024

Wow, it's been an amazing couple of weeks! Since last week, I've booked a Viking Scandinavia ocean cruise, a Collette tour for a family of four to London & Paris, a day trip to Paris from London for another couple, a Virgin Voyages Caribbean cruise for a special birthday lady, and an amazing Tauck Christmas Market river cruise on the Danube for two couples! I've also been researching villas on the French Riviera and Amalfi Coast for a wonderful lady who wants to spend an entire month there next summer with her children and grandchildren! Oh, and I worked on a trip to Japan for a family of five.

This made for a busy schedule on my part, but y'all know I love making people's travel dreams come true ❤, so it's definitely worth it!

There are some great Black Friday offers coming out already for travel, and I'll try to highlight a few of those over the next week.

11/15/2024

🚢 Flash Savings Alert! ​ 🚢
Dreaming of a luxury river cruise getaway in 2025? ​ Now's your chance to save 30% on select 2025 Uniworld River Cruise departures.

Explore breathtaking destinations, indulge in VIP experiences, savor fine wines, and relish sumptuous cuisine—all while enjoying ever-changing views right outside your window. ​

You can take advantage of this incredible offer when I book your river cruise between now and November 22nd on some of their guest-favorite itineraries:
🌟 Enchanting Danube
🌟 Castles Along the Rhine ​
🌟 Remarkable Rhine & Historic Holland​
🌟 Tulips & Windmills ​
🌟 Brilliant Bordeaux
🌟 Burgundy & Provence​
🌟 Grand Italia
🌟 Milan, Venice & the Jewels of Veneto ​
🌟 Venice & the Jewels of Veneto
🌟 Splendors of Egypt & the Nile

Contact me for pricing or additional information!

11/14/2024

Imagine setting sail along Norway’s winter coast in search of the northern lights. Read more about this traveler’s journey and get inspired for your own aurora adventure!

https://www.virtuoso.com/advisor/wendtipt60152/travel/articles/thrill-of-the-chase-my-quest-to-catch-the-northern-lights

Image: Matt Dutile

11/07/2024

Avant-garde tapas, rich churros, and all the arroz you can dream of—here’s your guide to savoring Madrid, one bite at a time.

https://www.virtuoso.com/advisor/wendtipt60152/travel/articles/where-and-when-to-eat-in-madrid

Image: Madrid Destino

10/26/2024

Nothing like starting the day with a stunning sunrise over the Rhine River! My clients shared this breathtaking view from their recent Paris to the Swiss Alps river cruise. Imagine waking up to these colors as you sail through charming towns and scenic landscapes!

I’m here when you’re ready to make memories like these and plan your next adventure!

10/24/2024

I'm excited to report that I recently completed an in-depth training program with TAUCK, thus attaining elite status among the luxury tour/river cruise company's worldwide network of travel advisors and joining the exclusive ranks of the 1% of travel professionals who have successfully completed the program!

Feeling the wanderlust? ✈️ Click https://inspires.to/experiences/the-tauck-difference-43433 for exclusive travel insights from Tauck!

As a Tauck Certified Advisor, I am here to share my expertise on Tauck and their award-winning land and cruise journeys across the globe.

10/22/2024

I’m sitting in ORD waiting for my flight back to Chattanooga after a quick weekend trip to visit with my cousins. Debbie hosted me and my cousin Teresa at her house in Glen Ellyn, which is a quaint little village that looks like the perfect location for a Hallmark movie!

Saturday we visited a French Market in Geneva and a Halloween festival in Woodstock, which is the town where Groundhog Day was filmed. The drive was beautiful with the fall colors. Yesterday we took the train into the city for (can you believe it?) my very first visit to Chicago! We walked on the Navy Pier, rode the ferris wheel, walked the Magnificent Mile, and ate some excellent Chicago deep dish pizza 🍕! Last night we had chicken cocktails with friends of Debbie’s while we did some porch sittin’. The weather couldn’t have been more perfect the entire weekend!

10/17/2024

Hike New Zealand’s latest Great Walk: the Hump Ridge Track. This three-day, 38-mile loop on the South Island visits Tuatapere, Mussel Beach, Port Craig, and more.

https://www.virtuoso.com/advisor/wendtipt60152/travel/articles/new-zealand-great-walks-hump-ridge-track

Image: Jen Judge

10/14/2024

Day 9 - This morning we visited Nuremberg where we stopped at Zeppelin Field, the former N**i party rally grounds. It was eerie to stand in the spot where Hi**er once made his propaganda speeches. This is the famous grandstand where U.S. troops blew up the sw****ka at the top of the grandstand to signal to the entire world that Hi**er and the N**is were defeated.

We continued to the walled Old Town, where we were guided through the historic underground tunnels that were cut into the rock starting in 1380. Their main purpose was beer storage for local breweries, but in the 1940s they were also used as air raid bunkers. We even had a beer tasting along the way. At the end of the tour we were treated to gingerbread cookies before we returned to the ship for a TAUCK Bavarian lunch onboard.

10/13/2024

Last night was the TAUCK 5-course Chef’s Signature Dinner. The food was delicious, the presentation was beautiful, and tuxedo napkins were too cute.

10/13/2024

Day 8 - I started the day with a relaxing massage onboard before having brunch. We had a choice between two excursions and we chose the walking tour of Bamberg, Germany. After the tour, we returned to the ship where we were treated to English-style afternoon tea. We also had a special little gift from TAUCK in our “mailbox” when we returned to our stateroom!

10/12/2024

Day 7 - Today was my favorite day of the cruise so far! We docked in Wurzburg, Germany this morning and had a choice between two excursions - one was a tour of the Residenz Palace in Wurzburg, and the other was a trip to the well-preserved medieval town of Rothenburg for a walking tour and then free time. I’ve wanted to visit Rothenburg for several years, and as you can see from the photos, this fairytale town did not disappoint! It’s part of the Romantic Road through southern Germany, and it’s one of only four towns in Germany that still has completely intact walls surrounding it.

In the town is the Criminal Museum, which contains various medieval punishment and torture devices. Interestingly, the museum houses the original Child Catcher Carriage from the movie Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, as the carriage was made in Rothenburg for the movie in the 60s.

Because we had free time after the walking tour to grab lunch on our own, our cruise director came through the motorcoach before we arrived in Rothenburg and gave each one of us 25 euros in cash for our lunch, plus coins for two stops at a public restroom that requires payment…..that’s the TAUCK difference!

10/11/2024

Day 6 (cont.) - After lunch, we had a choice of three different excursions, and we chose to tour an historic paper mill that opened in 1807. It was very interesting to see how much work went into making a single piece of paper 100% by hand. It really made me think about the worth of a printed book back in the 1800s after seeing the time and effort required just to make the paper.

TAUCK

10/11/2024

Day 6 - This morning we docked in Wertheim, Germany where Tauck took us ashore to enjoy a Bavarian barbecue. The food was absolutely delicious! Lunch also included entertainment by a local family of musicians who played a fun variety of songs as we ate. The beer and wine were free-flowing, so everyone joined in on some of the songs….and there may or may not have been some yodeling involved 😂!

TAUCK

10/10/2024

One of the many things I’m loving about this Tauck cruise that differs from most other river cruise lines…ALL drinks are included, ALL the time! It’s not just during meals, or during happy hour before meals. And that includes any top shelf liquor or wine they have onboard. Want them to open a bottle of V***e Clicquot champagne??….all you need do is ask!

TAUCK

10/10/2024

In the center of Frankfurt’s old town square is a memorial on the exact spot where, in 1933, N**i sympathizers burned over 25,000 books by authors, scientists, and publicists they deemed “un-German”. The memorial includes a quote by German-Jewish writer, Heinrich Heine. In English it translates to: “It was just the beginning. Where they burn books, they will ultimately burn people too.”

10/10/2024

Day 5 - Today we were docked in Frankfurt, Germany. It was my first time visiting the city and I’m officially a fan ❤️! Our excursion was a walking tour called A Taste of Frankfurt, where we saw the ornately gabled half-timbered houses lining picturesque streets. Along the way we got a taste of some local culinary products before finishing the tour by the Old Town Square. We even got to sample Apfelwein, which is a local drink similar to hard cider. We then had free time to explore the city on our own before returning to the ship for lunch.

TAUCK

10/09/2024

Day 4 finished off with a special dinner from Tauck (they always have unexpected surprises like this for guests on every river cruise or land tour). We were taken to Kronberg Castle for an elegant 3-course dinner with live classical music! The food and wine were absolutely delicious! This famous castle was built by the daughter of Queen Victoria of England.

TAUCK