Adventures by Amanda

11/11/2023

Exchange vows in Mexico's stunning landscapes. Adventures by Amanda tailors your wedding experience for an unforgettable start to forever.

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11/08/2023

Plan your dream Caribbean wedding with ease. Adventures by Amanda's expertise ensures your big day in the sun-kissed islands is flawless.

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11/03/2023

Celebrate your love in California's enchanting settings. Adventures by Amanda helps you find the perfect spot to rekindle your romance.

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10/31/2023

Make your love story a legend on Hawaii's scenic shores with Adventures by Amanda. Say 'I do' in paradise, creating lifelong memories.

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10/12/2023

Embark on a Hawaiian honeymoon of a lifetime! Our vacation packages are tailored to make your post-wedding bliss absolutely unforgettable. Let's make your Hawaii honeymoon dreams come true!

https://bit.ly/3ZR1dwY

10/11/2023

Planning a destination wedding in Mexico? Let us handle the details, so you can focus on creating lifelong memories. Trust us to make your special day as vibrant as the culture that surrounds you!

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10/10/2023

Picture yourself exchanging vows on a pristine Caribbean beach. Our seasoned Caribbean wedding planners will make it an unforgettable reality. Say 'yes' to a wedding in paradise!

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10/10/2023

Escape to tropical bliss with our Tahiti Honeymoon Packages! Indulge in luxury, soak up the sun, and create memories that will last a lifetime. Your dream honeymoon starts here.

https://bit.ly/3ZR1dwY

10/05/2023

Ending soon! Save on all-inclusive, luxury river
cruises for next year for a short while longer. Early Booking Savings have been extended through October 31, 2023, so book and pay in full soon to save 10% on select 2024 departures.

There's more!
This offer is combinable with our Bucket List Savings of $2,000-$3,000 per person on select longer itineraries.

Where do you want to cruise in 2024?

09/05/2023

Fall is here and it's time to layer up! No matter where we're exploring in the world, we love our favorite travel sweater.

09/01/2023

Honored to be a part of the Travel Tom team:

St. Lucia Piton Awards
Once again, Travel Tom is honored to be recognized for this year's Piton Awards. This is for the TOP 15 agents in the US that sell and support the wonderful island destination of St. Lucia.
We are thrilled and honored to be recognized for this important achievement. And are very grateful for our incredible team and our clients that support us and trust us in creating memorable experiences! Special thanks as well to the St. Lucia Tourism Authority, and ESPECIALLY to Hortensia Joseph and Richard Moss for all the support and assistance you have provided to us over the years!

08/31/2023

Ready for a Fall Vacation?

Take a break from every day life and explore the wonders of Fall. From taking in the gorgeous Fall colors to savoring the seasonal cuisine - now is the perfect time to plan your escape! 🍂 🍁 Ask us about our favorite Fall picks and let us get you there.

Travel Tom

08/24/2023

The Best & Easiest Way to Plan a Destination Birthday Party

Go Shawty, It’s Your Birthday…

Taking a trip to paradise for birthdays has really started to catch on—and we know why! There’s nothing quite like being able to devote a few days (or a whole week, no judgment) to your birthday in a destination where all you have to worry about is relaxing and unwinding. It’s such a fun thing to do, but where do you start? That’s what we’re here for today. Getting started is truly as easy as picking up the phone and connecting with our team. Although, we want to give you a few helpful tips to keep in mind as well. Let’s get you all prepped for the most unforgettable birthday celebration of your life!

Tip #1: It’s in the Deets

For starters, the best advice our team could offer you as you prepare for a destination birthday is: know what you want. Now, this breaks into different categories, so let us be more specific. As you think through, try to address items like:
What’s your vibe? Do you like more beachy environments? Should it be adults-only?
Do you want a pool party? This can look different at each resort.
Is beach yoga a must? This can make your days even more relaxing and is good to know as we start planning.
How many guests? It’s recommended that you have your full guest list ready so that it’s easier to hash out the definites versus the maybes versus the probable nots.
Which airports will your guests be flying out of? Is there one centralized airport the whole group could utilize?
What destination is convenient for the majority of guests?
With these prep questions, you can begin to narrow down dozens of options to cut back on the overwhelm of the planning process for your birthday trip. We promise, thinking about these details beforehand will be more helpful than you could imagine!

Tip #2: The Best Way to Plan

Get. Started. Early. Just like with anything else in life, things just go better when there is ample time to plan and work out all the nitty-gritty details. The same goes for your destination birthday party. Give yourself a good head start (typically 9-12 months for best results, remember flights aren’t released until 331 days prior to the return date of the trip) to make sure that you can get exactly what you want for your celebration. This head start not only gives you peace of mind but can also save time and budget as deals are better when they are booked farther in advance. Your guests will thank you for being considerate of their finances and is always a friendly move! The longer everyone has to budget, save, and prepare for the trip, the fewer barriers that’ll pop up.
Take it from us, the sooner the better with your destination birthday. With more time, we can offer more options that match your preferences!

Tip #3: The Easiest Way to Plan

Sometimes, to get the best results, you need the right tool or resource to bring everything together. When it comes to your destination birthday party, your best tool is us—and we mean it! The easiest way to plan is by streamlining the whole process through our team of travel experts who have been there, done that. That means sending every one of your guests our way to accommodate their planning process as well. When you let us do the planning, your travel group gets to sit back and relax and pick their options for accommodations. Our team is also happy to help and support your group with unique and personalized ways to capture all the hype before, during, and after your trip!

So, tapping into our team for not only yourself, but also your guest list, is the easiest way to get the planning started and completed in the most efficient way possible. We can’t wait to meet everyone!

All Birthdays Are Eligible
Hey, it doesn’t matter if it’s your 21st birthday or your 65th birthday…all birthdays are worth celebrating in paradise. It doesn’t have to be a big milestone birthday to benefit from our planning support. All that matters is that you want to make this year special—and our team is here to make it happen.

TIME TO PLAN THE BEST BIRTHDAY EVER!

03/18/2023

10/19/2022

10/03/2022

The three and FOUR bedroom apartments Marival Distinct Luxury Residences had my jaw on the floor! Special thanks to Armando, Nuit, and "B" for your amazing hospitality! 😲🥰

10/03/2022

Thank you SO much to Marival Armony for hosting us on the first half of our Puerto Vallarta FAM! Armony is a chic, laid-back and lush adults-only property. One of the best beachside pools I've ever seen 😎🥰

09/07/2022

The Best Time to Book Your Trip
…is NOW!

You Know How—But When?
It’s no secret that vacations can be quite an undertaking as far as preparation goes. From passports to accommodations, even down to what you are going to eat every day. By now, we’re sure you know we can do all the planning essentials for you, but we thought it’d be helpful if you knew when to start planning. So, kick back, read on, and grab some vacay inspo with our team. There’s no time like the present to start planning your next unforgettable getaway.

The Early Bird Gets the…BEST Vacation!
This should not come as a surprise, but, just like a lot of things in life, when a vacation is planned with adequate time in advance, things just tend to go smoother. So, our first recommendation for when to start planning is…DON’T WAIT! Time is of the essence here, as the earlier you book, the better deals you have access to. Earlier planning with our team also means a wider variety in choice of accommodations such as room choices, VIP packages, and various promotional offers from hotels and other lodging. This gives you wider freedom of choice and flexibility as your vacation date approaches! P.S: With the right insurance- if the price drops, you’ll receive the difference.

Your Time is Valuable
Solo travelers and families or larger group travelers all need to do some sort of preparation outside of the actual vacation planning to get ready for their trip. This is where the next perks of planning ‘sooner rather than later’ come in. A quicker start to the planning process means more time for things like getting your wardrobe together (what a perfect time for some new clothes) and making arrangements for your kids or pets (depending on the type of trip). You can also take this extra time to set up a fun online countdown to vacation day and brag about your upcoming trip to your friends …. OR invite them, we’ll help them plan too!

Myth: Busted
Welcome to 2022: the year where everyone wants to escape. We all know the idea of supply and demand. As demand goes up, supply goes down—and that’s shortly followed by steep price increases. This has completely changed the way of last-minute deals, which leads to our next reason why planning earlier makes a difference: the better deals are now available earlier rather than later. That’s right. All the best deals are now, most of the time, on the front end of planning. So, it doesn’t hurt to plan at least 3-6 months in advance and sooner if you want the best prices available and the most options when choosing your accommodations. Again, don’t wait until the last minute, this myth has been officially busted!

A friendly reminder: If you're looking outside of the United States for your next retreat, get your passport ASAP. Even if you haven’t started planning yet, it’s better safe than sorry when it comes to this essential form of identification. We have some more information on that—check it out!

You’re Ready to Go
Consider yourself officially ‘in-the-know’ when it comes to when to start planning your next vacation. Explore our services, get inspired, and then bring your dream vacation to life with our travel team. We have the perfect place in mind!

Let’s Get to Planning

09/07/2022

Vacation Must-Knows: Assured & Insured
Do you really need trip insurance?

A Good Plan ALWAYS Includes a Backup Plan
Have you ever been trying to run an errand and no matter how hard you try to do it, something gets in the way? Well, when it’s something simple like an errand, you can easily adapt and work through things, right? What would you do if something went awry while you were on vacation? What if you were in another country?

Don’t start panicking just yet though—there’s a way to protect yourself, your family, and your vacation if any unexpected obstacles present themselves. If you couldn’t guess from the title, we’re talking about trip insurance and what to consider when you have to make the decision to get it or not.

Expect the Unexpected
We want to highlight the three most important reasons that we usually say ‘yes’ to trip insurance. We’ll break each one down more but, here’s the quick list to start:

Trip Cancellation
Medical Emergencies
Travel Barriers—from Flight to Arrival

As we dive into these reasons deeper, remember it’s always important to consider trip insurance and with the help of our travel team, you can discover the options for your next vacation! Here we go.

Reason #1: Trip Cancellation
Life can throw all sorts of curves into even the best-made plans. So, this is our first reason to consider trip insurance—to be reimbursed for trip costs that have already been paid, which can likely be non-refundable. Oftentimes, trip cancellation coverage extends out to family emergencies and other reasons for cancellation…and can sometimes reimburse up to the full cost of the trip. Be sure to always check covered reasons to see if it aligns with your needs for insurance.

A good example to think about is this: your family is getting all excited about the upcoming trip, counting down the days, planning, and packing. But, two days before the departure, an unexpected emergency pops up that needs your attention and it looks like it’s going to extend into the departure day and could cancel the whole vacation. In this type of moment, trip insurance shines through and can be a saving grace should you have to cancel. Life happens and we can’t predict everything, but this is a great example to think about when you consider trip insurance!

Reason #2: Medical Emergencies on Vacation
There is nothing like finally getting to your destination and kicking back and relaxing with the family or your favorite person. If the kids are with you on the trip, medical emergencies can pop up in all shapes and sizes. From accidents and illness to other unexpected mishaps, the risk is always there and this is where the second reason for trip insurance presents itself.

Take a quick look at your health insurance policy. Does it cover out-of-country hospital visits? Most don’t. Well, trip insurance can take that worry away by covering and reimbursing for unexpected hospital visits, accidents, costs related to unexpected illnesses, and in some cases, medevac expenses. Of course, no one wants this to happen during vacation, but in this case, it’s better safe than sorry! Extra Pro-Tip: Medicare does not extend out-of-country coverage.

Reason #3: Travel Barriers—from Flight to Travel
Everyone wants a smooth trip. In fact, we’re the experts at planning smooth trips. Sometimes though, things are simply out of our control. Such as luggage handling, flight delays, and unexpected barriers in airports or upon arrival. We first suggest always having a travel agent to back you up; however, trip insurance can come in handy here, too!

When you choose to insure your trip, you can get reimbursement for lost or stolen luggage, lodging, meals, and rebooking fees. This means your time is not wasted if these unfortunate events happen. Even flight delay costs to you like meals and lodging are often available for coverage if you choose the right plan. This will give you that sense of security even if things go nice and as smoothly as planned!

So, Trip Insurance: Yes Or No?
The answer is—YES! Trip insurance offers you the assurance that if something does go wrong, you don’t stand to be in the hole for it. Our team always encourages trip insurance, but we also encourage you to do your own research and see if the coverage fits your needs and budget. As always, we’re ready to plan your trip and connect you with more information about covering yourself and your family as you travel to paradise!

CONNECT WITH OUR TEAM

*We are not licensed to interpret policies or advice on claims. Always read through your coverage and contact the insurance company with specific questions.

09/07/2022

Things to NEVER Forget When You Travel

A Trip to Remember
There are a lot of reasons to remember a good trip—the quality beach time you get with your loved ones, the wonderful cuisine, the memorable adventures. We want to make sure you remember your vacation for all the good things by giving you some essential items to remember BEFORE your big trip so that you have plenty of room for all the memories you are going to make. You can focus on remembering these things while we focus on the rest of the planning.

Essential #1: Driver’s License & Passport
It almost feels like a movie when we hear this story: Travelers wake up the day of their trip and hit the road for the airport. They arrive and begin to check-in only to discover that someone has forgotten their passport or identification required for the trip. It can be a gut-wrenching moment, but here’s how to avoid it:

Consider an all-in-one identification holder, this can help you consciously think about that item.
Review all your parties’ required identification the night before and assure everyone has what they need, pack into an accessible part of luggage that night, the front zipper, or pocket of the suitcase.
The morning of departure: do another check before leaving the house, this will give you the extra chance to not forget anything.

Do these things and you’ll be saving yourself a rescheduled flight and A LOT of time and money.

Essential #2: Chargers & Tech
This one is straightforward but remembering can actually keep you safer and save you some money while on vacation. Some travelers like to purchase specific on-the-road chargers for their devices to help them never forget to bring one…often these “travel chargers” are left packed in luggage between trips! Chargers are one thing, but what about your kid’s favorite tech? Like their iPad or phone? It’s a great idea to pack these up the night before your trip—you can thank us later.

Remembering your devices and chargers is great for your comfort, but like we said, it’s also great for your wallet! Wherever you’re traveling to, accessories like phone chargers and other items may not be readily available. You might have to travel to a nearby town or city to find what you need to keep your devices running—ultimately, incurring extra cost and time when you should be relaxing! Don’t get stranded with no power on your trip, get a specific travel charger to always have handy.

Essential #3: Sunscreen
We’re not going to sit here and reiterate the dangers of sunburn. But we will just say that a bad burn can turn a glorious vacation into a not-so-fun one. You are going to want to protect yourself from the sun—whether it’s the beach, city, cruise, etc., the sun will be there. A pro-tip from our team is to secure a few different types of sunscreen: shoot for a lotion-based screen with higher SPF, a lighter spray tanning oil with medium SPF, and also a kid-friendly sunscreen for your younger travelers. This gives everyone their own bottle AND less chance of forgetting this essential item…because no one wants to go shopping for sunscreen once you’ve landed at your destination. Not to mention, the cost of sunscreen is typically much higher in-destination. While you’re at it, throw some extra sunglasses into your luggage, too!

Essential #4: Cash & Credit Cards
When it comes to preparing finances for your trip (especially if you are going out of country) follow these steps:

Start by connecting with your credit card company by phone or email to notify them of your intention to travel out of the country. This will stop any blocks from popping up on your card as you travel.
Connect with any other banking institutions—notify them of your travel plans so that your cards are available for use at your destination.
Grab a small amount of cash (that amount is truly up to you but please remember flying with large amounts of physical cash can produce barriers to your travel). We suggest small bills like 5s and 1s.
If you plan on traveling abroad, be mindful as you’re withdrawing cash from the bank, as you’ll most likely run into foreign transaction fees if you go to withdraw money in a different country.

Make sure to think about any scenario that might come up where you may need cash on hand. This can be for things like tolls or to back you up if something happens to your credit cards. It’s also a good idea to have credit cards and cash spread out between the adults of the family or travel group…in case one is lost or stolen you can still access funds.

Essential #5: Carry-On & Medication
Let’s talk about your carry-on really quick. This is your to-go bag (but we also call it your BACK UP bag) for your flight. In your carry-on, you will want to pack things that can make a tough situation easier should one arise (flight delays and lost luggage at airports can be a doozy). Therefore, in your carry-on you should pack:

2-3 days worth of clothes (lost luggage, flight delays, etc.)
One pair of extra shoes or sandals
Any tech (chargers, phones, tablets, etc.)
A book or entertainment for the plane
Medications

That last item there, medications, is one some people overlook. You can bring your essential medication in your carry-on, and it should be packed up the night before. A pill box or organizer is a great idea to save space in your carry-on while you pack away your medication bottles in your luggage. We recommend you give yourself a week’s worth of supplies just in case something happens!

You’re Ready
As it turns out…we’re ready, too! Pack your bags with the essentials and connect with our team today. Our travel advisors will make sure you don’t forget the important things on your trip…so that all you must do is jump in a plane, land in paradise, and make A TON of memories! You can’t start vacation until you start planning—click below to get started!

Travel with the Best

07/21/2022

For that special trip, wake up with the Tahoe mountains and beach at your window, overlooking this championship golf course. Ask us how!

06/16/2022

Happy- but tired- clients arrived in Bali and got to their first night's hotel, - Nusa Dua Beach Hotel & Spa, Bali . We arranged for a special arrival for them since they're celebrating a birthday. Happy early birthday, Michelle!

06/13/2022

Calling luxury adventure seekers: See multiple destinations in Europe while only unpacking once by taking a luxury, boutique river cruise. Amp it up by embarking on a mystery cruise! Did we mention they're offering $5K off reservations for 2022? Message us for info: [email protected] 916-213-8338

06/13/2022

We're on Whatsapp- message us! 😎

09/22/2021

Just had my quarterly update meeting with our tourism official in Hawaii and they are finally opening back up with fewer restrictions. BUT there are some small changes to some of the classic, must-see sites that you should know about when planning your next trip. Don't worry- we've got your back. Let's chat about your wishlist and make it happen!