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Luxury Traveling Without Luxury Spending

High-end vacations are pricey enough for travelers to carry the weight of paying extra for a little bit more of the lavishness. That’s where travel agents come into play and help you get that great steal.

 

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     Michelle Higgins of The New York Times is proof of this slightly overlooked hack when she visited the Grand Canyon in August with her nine-year-old daughter. She booked a two-night stay at the Enchantment Resort in Sedona, Arizona. Upon arrival, her $299-a-night double queen room reservation was upgraded to a two-bedroom, two-bath suite with a kitchenette, a fireplace, and dual balconies facing the Boynton Canyon.

      Apart from those, she was informed by the receptionist that their daily breakfast could be taken either in the room or at the hotel restaurant. Moments later, a golf cart serviced them to their spacious suite where a service attendant arrived with a fruit and cheese platter and a personalized welcome note. Such VIP treatment wasn’t due to Higgins being a famed personality but to her old-fashioned way of booking – with a travel agent.

 

 

     When most travelers have turned to independent booking as it credits flexibility, control, and cost-cutting by booking through websites, luxury travelers with a minimum spending of $300 a night could use a travel adviser/agent for better deals, specifically ones from large consortia like American Express, Signature Travel Network, or Virtuoso for their longstanding partnerships with travel companies. Senior Vice President of Preferred Partnerships for Signature Travel Network Phil Cappelli claimed, “We buy a considerable amount from the travel providers and are able to secure additional benefits for guests.” Perks referred to can include airport transfers, complimentary breakfasts, late checkouts, spa treatments, and room upgrades, among others. When using a travel agent, the aforementioned extras come at no additional cost.

 

   

       For American Express Platinum card members, long as they book through American Express Travel, they are given access to the benefits (which vary by card level) whether they talk to an agent; book online; or through the app. Same goes for Virtuoso.com and Signature Travel Network with shipboard credits and exclusive, personalized perks offered to users.

 

     The relationship these travel agents have with tourism services (e.g. hotels, cruise lines) is a two-way street; as the agents drive up sales to reap benefits for their clients, they also receive commissions. To lower the risk of encountering a travel agent who’d prioritize his/her incentives before your experience, it’s recommended to respectfully ask how he/she is compensated. 

 

     Going back to Higgins’ experience, with thorough research prior to consulting Beth Washington at McCabe World Travel, a Virtuoso member, she was able to stumble upon the cheapest, nonrefundable rate of Enchantment worth $623.38 and an option offering flexible cancellation worth $718.76 for two nights. Virtuoso’s rate was the same as the latter, incorporating daily breakfast (a $30 credit per person, per day) and $100 credit for spa or golf. Since Higgins’ daughter wasn’t eligible for spa sessions because of her age and golf wasn’t really their thing, the Virtuoso adviser offered the credit to be applied to food and beverage instead.

 

 

   In lieu of going through the hassle of planning a complex vacation by yourself, travel agents are relied on by tourism sectors like cruise lines, aware that purchasing a cruise experience involves multiple choices like room categories, restaurants, and land excursions.

 

     To get the most out of your luxury vacation whilst keeping your savings at bay, below are the three mentioned travel adviser consortia and their perks that come with booking through one of their members:

 

American Express Platinum Card Members

 

     Perks inclusive of early check-in and room upgrades when available; complimentary daily breakfast for up to two guests; $100-valued “unique amenities”; guaranteed late check out at 4pm; and five times the usual number of AmEx points or the ability to use Pay with Points on prepaid stays at Fine Hotels and Resorts Properties on AmexTravel.com could help you save about $550 at 1,100 hotels worldwide on a two-night stay.

 

Virtuoso

 

     Similar to AmEx’s benefits, Virtuoso also offers complimentary meals and Wi-Fi services and depends on the hotel’s availability for upgrades, early check-ins, and late checkouts. Additional perks may include complimentary airport transfers, spa treatments, and other meals – all with estimated savings of more than $500 per stay, available at 1,400 hotels in 100 countries.

 

Signature Travel Network

 

     With up to $500 savings on a two to five-night stay in luxury hotels, you can get complimentary full breakfasts, food and beverage credits, spa treatments, airport transfers, room upgrades, early check-ins, and late check-outs, varying by hotel.

 


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Destinations

Find Out This Little Known Hack for Easier Air Travel

No need for forms to file a claim. Travel insurance companies can instantly send you money while you wait for your delayed flight.

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     People don’t like paperwork, especially when it comes to travel-related documents. This hack for easier air travel is going to eliminate the hassle of filling out forms and other tedious processes. Flying is going to be much less stressful. 

 

     Just think of this – when you experience a delay in your flight, the travel insurance company is simply going to send you a text message that you’ll be receiving $100 for the inconvenience. No paperwork, no lines, and no hassle. 

 

     This advancement in the way travel insurance work is because of two companies, the Berkshire-Hathaway Travel Protection and the Allianz Global Assistance. These companies are using new technology where they can track your flight. And then if anything comes up, they can automatically file a travel insurance claim for you. 

 

 

     Since very few people know about this new advancement in travel insurance, it is definitely a hack that you should keep a note of. If you go through the traditional route of travel insurance, you’re going to wait for weeks before you will be compensated. 

 

     With automatic claims, it is going to be what the term suggests. You won’t have to fill out forms to file your claim. You don’t even have to file your claim at all. It’s going to be the insurance company who will do those things for you. 

 

Automatic Claims: How They Work

 

     Automatic claims mean that you don’t have to wait for a disruption in your flight to happen so you can file your claim. The travel insurance company will be the one to monitor the flights. If ever there’s a delay, the insurance company will be offering you a fixed amount. You don’t have to do anything from your end. 

 

 

     Apart from flight delays, insurance companies also provide benefits for damaged or lost luggage. The amount will depend on your policy. What is only required from you is for you to verify the damage or the loss. The payment will come almost immediately. You can say that it is indeed an instant claim. 

 

Benefits of Travel Insurance Auto-Claims

 

  • It is automated and therefore easier. As mentioned earlier, you are not required to do anything so you can file your claim. You only have to ensure that the travel insurance company is aware of your flight information before departure. 
  • You will definitely get better service. In cases where there’s a delay in your flight, getting a text message that you will receive $100 will at least make you feel a bit better. 

 

 

  • Money comes in an instant. Imagine never needing to wait for a check to arrive. The travel insurance company will send the money instantly. While waiting for your flight, you can use the money to shop a bit or have a few relaxing drinks. 

 

     You may wonder why this automatic claim from travel insurance companies is not well-known. Since automatic claims are still building their momentum, it is easy for people to be suspicious of it. They think that instant payments are just too good to be true. But when you study this automatic claim closely, it has plenty of benefits. 


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Elizabeth Holmes Costumes Are All The Rage

  We might never recognize if Holmes is the factor behind our troubles obtaining a black turtleneck, yet Silicon Valley’s Instagram-popular bad guy is probably contributing to the shortage.

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     Certainly, Steve Jobs as well as Dwayne “the Rock” Johnson are seasonal Halloween hits. However, are black, lengthy sleeve turtlenecks this year’s hit costume because of disgraced technology business owner, Elizabeth Holmes?

   She recorded the creativity of funders with her blood-testing startup, Theranos, valuing at $9 billion before the Securities and Exchange Payment billed her with fraudulence in March 2018.

 

 

Theranos

     Holmes’ Palo Alto firm promised to transform healthcare by needing just a pinprick of blood to run thousands of examinations, however, it had problems with accuracy and reliability. There have been publications about Holmes, two docudramas, and a motion picture including Jennifer Lawrence as the technology fraudster is anticipated for release in the following year.

 

     Fascination with Holmes is expected to continue, as well as with her exposure in pop-culture – her trademark appearance just gets more well-known on Halloween. With her notorious insurance claims regarding transforming healthcare with a decrease of blood, it is simple and uncomplicated to finish the Holmes look for Halloween– wear a black turtleneck.

 

That Turtleneck, Though

 

     Refinery29, a digital media electrical outlet, has actually written a guide on just how to clothe like Holmes this Halloween. Some blog writers have even guessed that Holmes, “inspired by … her ravenous lust for human ????,” is akin to a “vampire.”

 

 

      Sticking around on dressing guides, various links to turtlenecks were marketed online. In the San Francisco Bay area, specifically, the black turtleneck was sold out in a 40-mile circle. Risking a black turtleneck days before Halloween, without an Amazon Prime account, is probably risking the opportunity.

 

To Be Or Not To Be, A Bloodsucker

 

 

    We might never recognize if Holmes is the factor behind our troubles obtaining a black turtleneck, yet Silicon Valley’s Instagram-popular bad guy is probably contributing to the shortage.


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The Tasty Traveling Trends Of 2019

 Let us see what’s most likely to be fashionable in the next year by observing the largest traveling fads of 2019.

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     Traveling trends are consistently producing terrific buzz for travelers. Patterns from very early 2019 up until this time, as observed by travel industries, are noticing changes from long, large, and pure vacation purposes to short and mixed vacation objectives. Let us see what’s most likely to be fashionable in the next year by observing the largest traveling fads of 2019.

Tiny Vacations

     In going with short holidays, the location needs to be conveniently accessed for a short vacation. It’s paramount to select the purposeful, time-saving activities – the remarkable ones. It could be a short family members vacation or solo trip.

Stroll touring is most advised during this sort of holiday. Native foods, gallery expeditions, and scenic strolls are the most pleasing activities you can do. There are numerous “walkable” cities in the world where you can enjoy these meaningful activities such as Kowloon in Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia, London, England, and numerous others.

Wellness-oriented Tours

     With the ease of access to health information online, wellness-conscious visitors always associate tourism with health. As reported by the International Wellness Institute, wellness tourism is growing rapidly and has actually produced even more destinations with wellness orientations. One valid example is the existence of hot springs around the globe. These are thought to have healing abilities and were created by the existing hotels – however, with a new clientele in mind.

 

     The wellness locations most tourists chose include nature, specific weather conditions, peaceful destinations, day spas, culture, yoga exercise, and exterior health and fitness activities. These wellness destinations will certainly not just ease you physically but also emotionally. There are numerous places worldwide that supply solutions like these, such as  Hawaii, Italy, Bali, Arizona, as well as many more.

Bleisure Trips

     This holiday incorporates business with leisure. The majority of those who take a trip for their organization offer themselves many opportunities to take pleasure in tourism after organizational duties. Many tourists in bleisure journeys, search for the closest visitor destination to discover considering that they have just limited location and time choices. Moreover, they are not traveling for a getaway; rather searching for possibilities near the place they check-in. The most joyful activities to do throughout these vacations are days at the shopping center, memento searching and walking tours. Yet you can still increase the fun as long as your schedule permits. Beaches, riders, and golf courses are the next best tasks to do.

 

Social Media-inspired Holidays

     In today’s electronic age, selecting holiday destinations is more than likely, social media-inspired. Attractive pictures of lovely locations are published on social media as well as internet sites that permit first-timers to have first experience with the prospective destination. When visited, tourists might refer the destination to pals. Since pictures on social networks systems are mainly artistic, there are more real-life cosmetically artistic locations that you can choose from such as in Rome, Italy, Paris, France, Berlin, as well as Germany.

 

     Staying on par with these four large traveling trends will certainly maintain your itinerary. This will even make your traveling trip a lot more successful and greatly more satisfying.


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