Turas Travels

25/12/2024

Merry Christmas!!

Have a fabulous Holiday season and happy travels in 2025!

23/12/2024

Ireland is long well known for it's lush green landscapes, stone cottages and friendly locals. However, Ireland's history dates back to prehistoric times and the landscape is dotted with ruins of the New Stone Age era.

Every winter solstice something magical happens one of the most fascinating neolithic era built monuments in Ireland, Newgrange. Regarded as a portal tomb, the rising sun takes a journey through the passage hall and straight into the main burial chamber for around 17 minutes. Any other time of the year this area remains dark. Each year they do a lottery style draw for visitors to witness the sunrise at the Solstice.

One of my first road trips when I lived in Ireland was to Newgrange. My visit there propelled me into the Anthropology field of study with my senior thesis on the Dolmen portal tombs of Ireland. Ireland is a magical place, the Neolithic era is proof of this! Standing amongst the ancient stones in the middle of a farmed field is just awe inspiring. It truly takes your breath away. I had never seen a monolith up close and I could never properly describe the feeling of the weathered stones that still remain after thousands of years, 3200BC!

At around an hours drive Northeast of Dublin, Newgrange is a nice little day trip out of the city. Over the years the National Heritage society of Ireland has built a nice visitors center at Newgrange and they offer guided tours of the sites. There are several neolithic & other historic sites in this area and all are worth the time to visit. Nervous about driving in Ireland? Turas Travels can arrange for a private driver to take you on your day trip!

11/12/2024

Give the gift of travel!!! I will help you put together a specialized gift box with destination specific items to make your gift extra special! Text/call/email for more info and ideas!!

Winter & Spring travel deals are still available!! It’s -10° this morning…let’s plan your warm weather escape!!!

03/12/2024

Travel Tuesday!! I think all Tuesday's should be travel Tuesdays but today is extra special talk about some expensive destinations that have some affordable options, right now! Did you guys know I'm also a specialist in Scandinavia?? I've traveled to all the main countries of Scandinavia, most of them several times.

Norway is one of my favorites and one of a kind. First of all, it's HUGE. You'd need a couple of months to explore all the good stuff. Secondly, it isn't budget friendly destination. Norway is expensive, but not out of reach with some pre-planning. The coastal voyage is one of my absolute favorites for staying within a budget and seeing all the good parts of Norway!

The Hurtigruten has been sailing the coastal shores of Norway continually since 1893! What was initially a postal route, the ships also delivered food, medical supplies and people! Today, Hurtigruten still offers port to port sailing options for locals and still delivers the mail on some routes. At any give time during the calendar year, 7 ships are sailing up and down the coast of Norway. One of the best ways to see a huge piece of Norway is with the coastal cruise offered by Hurtigruten, and right now there are some amazing discounts up to 50% off!!!

There are numerous options for the coastal voyage. The 7-day sailing starts in Bergen and sails north, disembarking at Kirkenes. The 6-day sailing does the reverse route. Or, see all 34 port stops and take the 12-day round trip coastal voyage! Unlike larger ocean vessels, Hurtigruten ships are smaller and have a very Nordic vibe on board. Meals are included on your sailing & there are plenty of amazing shore excursions to choose from! Let's get you to Norway!

29/11/2024

Some Black Friday-Small Business Saturday-Cyber Monday-Travel Tuesday specials!!!!

River Cruises!!! There are some Summer 2025/2026 BOGO options, 30% off second passenger options...along with cabin upgrades & some included free airfare out of major airports!

If you've ever wanted to see picturesque Netherlands, the Castles of Germany, and the amazing mountains of Switzerland...the river cruise option is for you! A floating luxury hotel! Meals, drinks and shore excursions are all included when you book a river cruise!

Let's talk about this amazing option to see some off the beaten path destinations via River!

26/11/2024

Black Friday Special!

Ok, hear me out. The coastal cruise to Alaska is NOT like a Caribbean open ocean beachy cruise. If you are in the group who "hates" the idea of a cruise, this is not a regular cruise. You hug the rugged coastline, the whole time. Bring your binoculars, so you can have coffee on your balcony and look for bears on the shoreline!

You can take the 7 day cruise out of Seattle, no need for a passport on this sailing. You can also fly to Anchorage and take a 10, 12, 14 day adventure that includes time in the mountains and a train ride. The options are boundless! This is a great option for multi-generational family groups! There is plenty to do on board, lots of options for shore excursions and tons of great restaurants for everyone!!

Black Friday specials: Reduced deposits, BOGO fares & cabin credit up to $100! Don't want to go next summer? That's fine, you can book as far in advance as 2026 and take some time to make payments on this once in a life time adventure! Let's chat about your trip to Alaska!!

22/11/2024

It's that time of year again when adventure meets savings! Whether you've been dreaming of exploring new destinations, a relaxing beach getaway, or diving into thrilling experiences, the travel deals of Black Friday and Cyber Monday (and super secret Travel Tuesday!) are here to make your dreams a reality.
From discounted flights to incredible hotel offers, jaw-dropping tour packages, heavily discounted cruises, added amenities & Bogo fares!!! These limited-time deals are your golden ticket to unforgettable journeys, and I can help you find the perfect deal for you! Here are some pics of some of my favorite destinations with big Black Friday sales!

Next week when you are gathered around that turkey table and you need some questions answered, please reach out to me! I'm here, for you 🤩

21/11/2024

Winter is here!!! UGH!!! Who needs (wants!) an end of January getaway option to this beach?!?!

This dream could be yours!! For a family of 4, departing out of Fargo and flying to Cancun, staying at an all-inclusive resort complete with a water park for the kids, pool side umbrella drinks and direct beach access...did I mention this also includes your transfers to and from the airport??!!! $875 per person in a family suite. 🤩

A small deposit will secure your reservations for your winter escape plan.

Let's make this happen!! Call/Text/DM/Email me today!!

08/11/2024

Kids to the Caribbean!!! There are some amazing resort options that give the kids plenty of activities and action without ditching all the great stuff Mom & Dad appreciate on a vacation! Nickelodeon resorts is a luxury option with fun kid choices! Direct flights out of Minneapolis to both Cancun and Dominican Republic!

❄️❄️Let's talk about your spring break getaway❄️❄️

This is "Nickelodeon Hotel & Resort Punta Cana" by Delta Vacations on Vimeo, the home for high quality videos and the people who love them.

06/11/2024

Did you know??
Turas: Noun, from Old Irish (Gaelige). Translates to Journey.

The roots of Turas Travels starts with all the time I spent in and around all parts of Ireland! It was only fitting to use Turas as the business name...Life is but a Journey!

Spring is my favorite time to visit Ireland. The trees are green, the bulb flowers are blooming everywhere, the weather is better and less jam packed touristy places! Minneapolis does have a direct flight option to Dublin! Flights right now are around $300 per person rate...let's get you over to Ireland!

11/09/2024

Remembering the wonderful city of New York today, and always.

10/09/2024

Let's talk fee's.

One of the biggest sources of misinformation about travel agents is fee's. Some agents charge them for planning your vacations. Some charge a flat fee, some charge a fee for a group, and some just add a fee and don't tell you! (Older agents do this, this is how they were taught!)

One thing I wanted to do when I went into business for myself was NOT charge fee's for my expertise. I've been doing this for 22 years and know a thing or two about all things travel related. MOST people can plan their own trips. Some times it's fun, sometimes it's exciting and sometimes it's a huge pain but needs to get done. This is where I decided I'd fit in. To alleviate the hurdles of planning. I don't pad pricing, whatever you're seeing online is the pricing I can get, sometimes I can get it better because of insider discounts, better software options etc. Think of me as your personal assistant for all things travel related. Need a hotel for a weekend getaway? Call me. Need a week long cruise to the Caribbean? Call me. Need to drag a group of 20 somewhere awesome? Call me. Need a complicated trip to Germany? Call me. Need a private driver around Europe? Also, call me! This is what I'm here for.

Some vacations can take over a week to plan before putting any money down on a package. How do I get paid for that? Well, I don't. I am hoping you'll like what I'm presenting you with and after we do the booking the resort, the cruise company, the hotel will pay me a commission for sending you there. THEY pay ME, not you. The commission amounts are already built into hotel/resort/cruise pricing so either the company is keeping it as revenue or they are paying it out to a travel agent. I will never charge a ticketing fee for booking your flights. I won't charge a planning fee. I won't add a percentage onto your package. I pride myself on being available to my clients 7 days a week and outside of typical office hours. I'm here for YOU!!!!