I am an independent travel planner affiliated with MEI-Travel & Mouse Fan Travel.
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Recently, I had the opportunity to check a big item off my bucket list! My husband and I spent a night at the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise in a lake view king room. Falling asleep and waking up with a view of Lake Louise was magical, and staying on site gave us easy access to both Lake Louise and Lake Moraine. This is a gorgeous location, and pictures don’t do it justice. What’s on your bucket list? Lake Louise and Lake Moraine should be!😍🇨🇦😍
Summer travel season has started, and I am so excited for my clients who are currently in Paris, Venice, Hawaii, Mexico, and Yellowstone. I especially enjoy helping clients visit places I love. Stay tuned for more exciting locations as my clients travel the world during the summer months!
Norwegian Travel Lesson: Notice my excitement about this local purchase. I was very thirsty and thought some Norwegian spring water would be quite refreshing. Alas, I didn’t notice the labels “Gas” and “No Gas” and was very surprised when I took a big gulp of fizzy, sparkling water. 🤮 Thankfully, I can wholeheartedly recommend the Smash candy bar, but be forewarned about the “gas” if you prefer still water!😊 (This actually applies to water in many European countries.)
London is lovely, but it is also nice to take some time to explore some of the many villages that dot the English countryside. My daughter-in-law and I enjoyed Bibury, Burton-on-the-Water, and Burford, but there are many more. It does take a couple of hours each way to visit from London, so keep that in mind depending on the preferences of your group. Two members of our traveling party chose to stay in London to visit Wimbledon and to see a soccer game, and those were the perfect choices for them!
London is such a lovely city! I usually enjoy natural settings more than urban, but London has my heart! There are so many parks and trees, and the architecture has such charm. As a lover of Jane Austen, Downton Abbey, Harry Potter, and The Crown, I appreciate the feeling of familiarity and thinking I could run into any one of my favorite characters. If you haven’t visited London, be sure it is on your must-see list!
My Ocean Terrace Suite on Explora I was wonderful, but if you are looking for larger accommodations, those are available as well. The Penthouses and Residences offer separate spaces for living and sleeping, and the outdoor amenities can’t be beat!
Signature Travel Network will be hosting an online event on May 2 featuring Explora Journeys. If you would like to attend, please let me know. I am excited about Explora (I’ve already booked my next Journey), and I would love for you to see what the excitement is all about!
I’ve mentioned before that I am really bad at relaxing, but last week on my journey with Explora, I felt like I was enjoying a six-night restorative spa experience. The overall vibe of the ship was peaceful and serene. There were so many places to connect with the water, which is always a calming influence for me. From beautiful pools and hot tubs to outdoor fitness experiences (pickleball, anyone?), I loved the opportunity to breathe in the salt air and hear the sound of the waves. Explora Journeys is truly focused on the ocean state of mind!
Confession: I am not an adventurous eater, but I will sometimes take risks on a cruise since I am not paying for individual items. On Explora I, I surprised myself by trying caviar, which was served with fingerling potatoes and Normandy butter. It was delicious!
As with all other aspects of the cruise, the food experience was elevated. Instead of a main dining room, there were four specialty dining options. My favorite was Marble & Co, the steakhouse, but all were amazing.
Even the Emporium Marketplace, the buffet-style option on board, delighted us all with made from scratch breads and pastas, fresh fruits, salads, and items like sushi and oysters (to be honest, I was not a guest delighted by sushi and oysters, but many were🤣)!
And to top it off, the dessert selections and the Gelateria and Creperie kept my sweet tooth satisfied.
If you hesitate to cruise because you expect mass produced food selections, the chefs on board Explora will treat you to high quality cuisine that is both lovely and delicious!
Over the next week or two, I will be posting more specific information about Explora Journeys, a new luxury cruise experience. I thoroughly enjoyed my sailing and can’t wait to share!
All staterooms are oceanfront, and my Ocean Grand Terrace Suite did not disappoint! From the heated marble floors in the bathroom to the coffee/tea station, comfort and luxury abound!
Stay tuned for other suite types, which I will share soon. And if you are interested in learning even more, please message me so that I can invite you to an exclusive online event with Explora Journeys hosted by the Signature Travel Network!
Victoria is a lovely place to visit! Whether you enjoy Butchart Gardens, tea at the Empress, or a stroll around the city, you are sure to have a beautiful day!
On a journey with Explora, you will visit some off-the-beaten-path locations. For us, the town of Astoria, Oregon was a delightful stop. We enjoyed everything from the natural beauty to the local coffee shops to the fun film locations (Gen Xers will remember Goonies, Short Circuit, and Kindergarten Cop). We loved the opportunity to visit such a charming location!
Welcome Aboard Explora I! Explora Journeys is a new, family-owned cruise line, offering an elevated experience that is more like a relaxing boutique hotel than a cruise line. All staterooms are oceanfront and filled with thoughtful details like heated marble floors in the bathroom and walk-in closets. Stayed tuned for more this week as I enjoy this Journey on Explora I!
We are already well into 2024, but I want to take the time to thank all of my wonderful clients for making 2023 a great year. Not only did I have the opportunity to assist with your amazing vacations, I reached Platinum Producer level in the MEI-Travel Star Club. Thanks to all of you for trusting with me your personal memories and also for referring me to your fiends and family. That is a high honor, and I am truly grateful. I look forward to assisting with your plans in 2024 and beyond!!!
Take time for a getaway! After four days of warm sunshine aboard Celebrity Silhouette, my husband and I are refreshed and relaxed (kind of—I am VERY bad at relaxing 🤣). We are headed back to reality but highly recommend a dose of vitamin sea during these cold winter days!
The sun is setting on 2023! This was a momentous year for my family as my son Andrew married his beautiful bride Abby on August 5th and my daughter Emily graduated high school and started college. We celebrated these events with cruises and land vacations to places like Alaska, Mexico, London, and Paris! I hope your vacation memories from 2023 will always remind you of special times spent with family and friends, and I hope you are already thinking about 2024 and beyond. Whether you are dreaming of a European river cruise, a Caribbean getaway, or bucket list destination like Australia or Antarctica, I am excited to be your teammate in the planning process!
HAPPY 2024!
May your experiences this holiday season be your treasured memories of the future. Merry Christmas!!!
I confess I don’t like gravy, but I’m still a fan of pouring the gratitude on thick, and I am thankful for each and every one of you!
I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving Day filled with gratefulness and love (and food, but I’ll pass on the gravy). 😊
I confess I don’t like gravy, but I’m still a fan of pouring the gratitude on thick, and I am thankful for each and every one of you!
I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving Day filled with gratefulness and love (and food, but I’ll pass on the gravy). 😊
Wishing all a very happy Thanksgiving! We hope you enjoy your day with family and friends, with gratitude for the year behind and hope for the year ahead, from all of us at MEI & Mouse Fan Travel!
My chickens have flown the coop, and I am now an empty nester! To be honest, I don’t love how quiet my house is, so for those of you who will be empty nesters in the coming years, I highly recommend a vacation to help you ease into this new life stage!
My husband and I joined his sister and her husband, as well as my mother-in-law for a fantastic Alaskan cruise. It was our second visit to Alaska, and we loved it just as much as our first experience.
I hope for many more vacations with my kids in the future, but setting out with new travel companions is wonderful as well!
It’s difficult to believe, but summer break is drawing to a close for most students in the south. I am so glad that I have been able to help clients vacation in amazing destinations like Greece, Italy, Hawaii, the Caribbean, Alaska, Paris, London, and more!
My own daughter and I celebrated her high school graduation with a Mom/Daughter trip to London and Paris. We had an amazing time!
Some of our favorite sites in London included the Portobello Market in Notting Hill, the Tower of London and Tower Bridge, Windsor Castle, Westminster Abbey, and the Harry Potter Studios Tour. We also enjoyed seeing three shows in London’s West End. We loved London so much that we are already looking forward to a return visit.
Summer break is fading, and college is on the horizon, but we have these amazing memories together to cherish!
Aren’t vacations the best?!?
This summer is an exciting one for my family! My daughter graduated from high school and heads to college in August. My son is working an internship now and is getting married (also in August)! With all these life events, we couldn’t find a time for all four of us to go on a trip together. But, that’s ok! Going on vacation with only one of your kids is an amazing opportunity; so my husband and son enjoyed a western Caribbean cruise in May, and my daughter and I celebrated her graduation in London and Paris in June. I’ll have more to share about London/Paris, but for now, I encourage you to soak up the time together in any way or combination possible. What special times to remember!
Next year will bring exciting changes to our family, so we closed out 2022 with time together on the Norwegian Joy along the Pacific coast. We enjoyed relaxing meals, took advantage of the fun amenities on board, experienced an amazing whale watching excursion in Cabo San Lucas, and zipped our way through Ensenada. I hope you made wonderful memories with your family this holiday season, and I hope that the new year brings amazing adventures. Here’s to 2023!
Over the last month or so, I have shared a few of my favorite travel days, and I have a new addition to the list! This past week, I explored the southwest with my MIL and SIL. On Wednesday we visited Lower and Upper Antelope Canyons. WOW! Special thanks to our guide Daron at Lower Antelope (Ken’s Tours) and Tia at Upper Antelope (Adventurous Antelope Canyon) who helped us take these amazing shots. The entire experience was breathtaking at every turn. Be sure to put a stop in Page, Arizona on your bucket list. You will not be disappointed!
I’ve been posting about some of my favorite travel days, but with our Alaskan cruise vacation in 2013, there’s no way to pick one day! Summer is Alaska season, and if this is on your bucket list, start planning now for summer 2023! Alaska is majestic and definitely does not disappoint!
On our recent Eastern Med cruise, our day in Montenegro claimed its spot on my favorite travel memories list. I love hiking, and the natural beauty, historic ruins, and personal encounters made this hike a favorite.
We left from Kotor and hiked up the mountainside with a stop at the home of the only family still living on the mountain. They offered drinks and cheese, and the man of the house enthusiastically asked for picture with us so we could show it to President Biden. 🤷🏼♀️🤣
We made our way through a village abandoned during WWII and through a hole in the ancient wall to the fort high above the old town and water.
It was a travel day to treasure!
Summer travel season is in full swing, and I love seeing so many memories being made! One of my clients, who is already dreaming for 2023, recently asked about my top travel memories, so I thought I’d take the time to share them.
With any vacation, some family members will like certain activities more than others, but our family canyoneering adventure ranks high on all our lists. This excursion forced us out of our comfort zones and is one of our most memorable travel days ever! Have you been canyoneering?
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Covid disrupted my dreams, but "Norway for me in 2023" is my new motto! Who wants to experience the moving landscapes of Norway? This is Geirangerfjord. Its deep blue water is surrounded by snow-covered peaks, wild waterfalls, and lush, green vegetation. Beautiful!
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I am an independent travel planner affiliated with MEI-Travel & Mouse Fan Travel. I enjoy creating customized vacation plans that offer amazing experiences now and lifelong memories to cherish. I provide concierge-level service with no fees, and I would love to help you design the vacation of your dreams!
