[Music] hi everybody Welcome to travel Trends 2024 explained I'm LZ West and today with the help of four Travel Experts we're here to help inspire you for that next getaway we're going to be exploring travel Trends Great Destinations for Group Travel the latest in cruising vacations and tips for planning a successful trip once you have that destination in mind and we're going to begin with one of our own Travel Experts Antonia Wyatt is a longtime magazine journalist she's also the deputy editor of Zumer magazine and that's where she's responsible for the always inspiring Travel section and the accompanying mapped digital travel Hub thanks so much for being with us uh Anton I have to tell you I'm very excited to be talking about travel the idea of authenticity in travel and people I guess looking for a little bit more grit or reality and less of the you know U making it all shiny yeah on vacation that's it not just the kind of all-inclusive One-Stop shop but just getting more of a sense of place I think people are really seeking that and I think that there are there are kind of several ways to approach it and one is through food actually but you know kind of are you eating more locally are you getting more local Cuisine um through the tour guide that's leading you for instance when I was in Peru we had um an indigenous tour guide and he really could fill us in on the country and what what it was about and he had spoke both language Keta and Spanish and so we were able to access the country a bit more um and it's and it's looking for companies that work with locals so instead of just going and getting a kind of big band experience you go and you you're they're they're bringing in locals to help you enjoy your experience there so I would say that that's a way to approach it and are there parts of the world that are embracing this more than others if I were to look at the map and say that's the kind of experience I want I want to be immersed in a really authentic experience while I travel that's a really interesting question I don't think it's parts of the world I think it's tour operators or um working with travel advisers or travel agents who who make that their mission so I think that's the way you look at it instead you know there are things and there are immersive experiences you know people who want to learn a language there's um something called fluens and they take you to bogatar Mexico City and it's very high-end and you spend a week learning Spanish in the morning but they also then take you all around the sites and a friend of mine did it she went to the best restaurant Mexico City with them and found it an amazing way to navigate um being in Mexico and and have a fun time so yeah something like that because it's not hard work it's just Incorporated it's just taking entertainment and enjoyment to another level absolutely right yeah it is it really is I'm glad you've mentioned food more than once because you know there are a lot of Foodies you know uh some people like to cook it some people like to eat it I really like to eat it but you know cooking in authentic situations is that is that something else that's U oh definitely like I I'm finding that a lot of places offer um ways to make local Cuisine or learn about it so whether you're learning how to make a mole in Mexico or you're in Italy and you're learning how to you know marinate the way they do or the way they squeeze the lemon on the steak afterwards or make pasta there are ways that you can learn to cook but also I mean whenever you go somewhere people ask what are you going to eat what did you eat what did you do it's so much part of travel and so I think it's if you if you've got a choice you're thinking well I'm going to go for a Beach vacation but I love food well then I think you go I think I'll choose Mexico over the Caribbean because Mexico hasn't such an authentic food culture or if you're going skiing you might think well I'll do the Alps versus the Rockies because then I might go to the dollar you know go to Italy and eat beautiful pastas or go up into France and have Divine cheeses while I ski these are things we should think about well I find like I just plan the meals and then put the other stuff in between it's really just where are we going to go next and what are we going to have when it comes to dining out uh what do you recommend people do to sort of find authentic places uh good value for your money yeah so authentic I think is is really a key word here and I think what you look at is is the restaurant using local ingredients um where are they coming from because that automatically kind of Clues you in that they care about the cuisine and then I also have little tricks like I don't like menus that are too big I think if it's overexpansion it's never the best sign and of course you ask friends I'm asked all the time I'm you know I'm from London so I'm going to London where should I eat and you do want to talk to friends who've already been and if you don't have the friends you use websites and things like eer for cities I find is very handy but you have to do a little research and then leave a little bit chance stumble across a place like that's always fun askar local that's true I love get when I land somewhere and then you know meeting a couple of people who live there and asking them where do I go because sometimes you find out about the places that aren't super popular because maybe they're a little off the beaten truck people don't know about it aren't blogging about it that's it and it might just suit the way you're feeling that day you know so I always think just like with travel like if you want to be spontaneous you plan the first a few things and then you allow spont spontaneity in between so okay I'm going to I'm going to ask you for more information on that because I feel like I've got people I've traveled with who everything has to be booked and then the flip side is my husband who just saying said you know when the plane lands everything is just going to happen naturally but how much should we pre-plan when we book when we you know stage a trip well I think it's your comfort level but but my my feeling is you always I let's say you're going for a week like I did to Mexico last year I wrote about Tulum where you me Z I went to Tulum in zuma and I was slightly dreading it because I went to Tulum first backpacking when I was 22 and there were three hotels there so it's changed a lot so what I did I asked a friend who's local what the good restaurants were I read up on it and then I booked three of the six nights that I was there I booked a restaurant and so that I knew certain things were in the books and then the rest I just led to CH left to chance and how is feeling that day one day we didn't want to go out at all so we just lay in the hotel room so I think that's that's my Approach you know you had um mentioned the word indigenous and that you had an indigenous guide I want to ask you about indigenous Le Tours um reconnecting with nature and land uh local ingredients we're seeing an emergence of this in Canada can you speak more to that yeah absolutely um I actually just wrote about a new creditation in Canada it's called the original original and it is created by the indigenous tourism Association here and what's cool about it is it is a certification that means it's an authentic indigenous experience and and I think that so many Canadians want to get to know their land and and see it Through The Eyes of First Nations and understand that Association and relationship with the land but how do you know your experience is going to be authentic well this is one of the ways and and what they have if you go to their website is amazing indigenous tourism and and what they have there you can go and do eoin therapy you can go and Float like sleep in a floating cabin in the BC Wilderness you can go on a walk from bamp with an IND indigenous guide through the woods and learn about all the plants and so the experiences that are opening up here are incredible and I think Canadians are excited to see it this way see our country this way and it'll be nice to actually vacation in our own country and not feel like you have to necessarily leave there's a lot of benefits to traveling in Canada are uh I finally last thing I want to ask you is about sustainability what makes a trip because it's something we're you know top of mind what makes a trip a sustainable vacation I'm going to answer in a really naughty way which is nothing but okay but there are more but there are ways to approach it you cannot have a truly sustainable trip but you can ask certain questions about your travel so if you're going if you're going to take a plane well then you have to think okay which is it a big enough journey to take it and if I'm taking this plane what can I do once I get there to make it more sustainable so once let's say you're going to France fly to Paris and then there are fabulous trains that you can take everywhere so you don't need to do that little extra flight to nce or to London or you can take a train there there is small things too you know does the hotel generally if they care about sustainability they're going to make sure that they're refilling the shampoo bottles in the room that um there's you know they don't wash the towels every day but don't let yourself be greenwashed like do a little further if it really matters do you investigate a little further go onto the website see if they're a b Corp which means they really have rigorous sustainable um kind of standards and then also look at their employment like we just featured this stunning hotel in the desert in Jordan in a biosphere called fenan ecolodge and everything there is sustainable from who they employ everyone's local um to the fact that it's solar powered and at night it's all candles made by locals um and everything they do is about giving back to the community as well and I think that's a very important part of sustainable you know leave less of leave a great a better imprint so make sure your money is going back into the community so when I was in Peru and In the Jungle the place I stayed in catara the money went back into sustaining the rainforest and you want that and and helping locals be employed and not work inlegal gold mining yeah I you know what it's an important topic and I think a lot of people uh would love to do something more meaningful when it comes to traveling so thank you so very much for being with us that's Antonio Wyatt you can read all about and and go back to back issues of Zumer magazine the Travel section to to find out more about what we talked about but thank you so much for being with us thank you so much Liz all right now let's talk about Group Travel so popular with our audience and here to help us with that is Natalya Vargas uh Natalia is not only an avid traveler who's visited 40 countries she's also the sales and marketing coordinator for senior Discovery tours Natalia brings a wealth of firsthand experience a whole lot of enthusiasm to the topic of travel thanks so much for being us with us today Natalia thank you for having me it's a pleasure to be here all right so you've been to 40 countries I am not going to put you on the spot and say list them all but I do want to know what you look for in travel personally of course and I look for convenience so convenience of the flights of the transportation uh the location of the hotels but most importantly I look for the cultural experiences is so interacting with the locals tasting that local flavor making new friends uh whether it be with locals or other Travelers that are experiencing the same thing so my priority is always learn about the culture and try to immerse myself in it sounds wonderful and we're going to talk about all things to do with uh group tours senior Discovery tours has been doing this for what like 50 years I think so I'm sure things have changed in that time what's changed the most so we have noticed that a lot of our clients they are more active and More Adventurous now uh myself as a tour manager I've had clients on tours that I have to keep up with them and not the other way around they're so active and so adventurous and they're more Wellness conscious um and healthier overall that we've noticed and this is due to their lifestyle choices so the name of our company has changed throughout the years to reflect that and the last name change that we had was in 2015 and we added the word Discovery to to the name of the company senior Discovery tours and that is to reflect that desire for exploration that our clients have and for adventure to discover the world wonderful that makes sense trying to keep up wearing your tennis shoes I bet all the time right that's right uh okay so I know you've got eight different tour types four different levels so you really have something for everyone how do you determine those different uh levels and how do I know what's right for me absolutely and we do have those different um activity levels to allow for flexibility to uh tailor to everyone's preference and the pace that they like to travel at so I'll go over the four different activity levels that we have uh but I will say for all of our tours every client they need to be able to get on an Al the coach um independently without assistant um and so we start with the Leisure tours these are a relaxed Bas type of tour and uh we're walking on and off for up to one hour and but you're on your feet that entire time and the the there are about maybe one flight of stairs that you'll have to navigate without railing sometimes and without assistance so these tours are leisurely we call them a relaxed pace then we move on to are moderate tours and we're going into a bit more active so a bit longer walks the walks are up to two hours when you're on your feet and you're walking on not so much even ground like the Leisure tours it's more it could be maybe cobblestones maybe some hills um and at least two flight of stairs that you have to navigate without railing sometimes so the walks start to get a bit more challenging and for those of us that like to track our steps and how many kilometers we walk every day uh in terms of kilometers for these tours would be we're talking about 3 to 5 kilometers at the end of the day so overall we'd be looking about 3 to 5 kilom for the moderate tours then we move on to the active tours which as the term suggests these tours are active and we're getting into longer touring days longer walks as well so we're looking at walks between two and 3 hours you're on your feet that entire time and you're walking again on uneven grounds cobblestones Hills stairs and at the end of the day your device will say anywhere from 5 to 7 kilometers that you walked and then we have our energetic tours which are require a lot of energy and very good Mobility uh these tours are at more than three hours uh of the walks so longer walks and more more activity the walks are more rugged terrain so it's very it can be challenging this is only for the very fit and active Travelers and so they do require great mobility and in terms of kilometers at the end of the day it could be anywhere from 5 kilometers up to 13 so very very active even difficult you know for someone like like me yeah I'd have to go to one and my husband would have to do a different one but that would be okay right absolutely uh what do you get when you book one of these tours well our tours are very inclusive basically what is required from the client is pick a tour get excited and pack your bags and get ready to go love it we do the rest we do all the planning we book all the accommodations um all the flights all the transfers a very important aspect of our tours as well is that every tour goes with a tour manager that's always there with the group making sure that everyone is having a good time that the itinerary is going smoothly that everything is going well so every tour no matter the type of tour goes with the tour manager we also have expert local guides who tell us everything about the culture and the history and everything that's happening in the area and there are very unique aspects of our tours and the components that we include for example home pickup and drop off so we pick up our clients from their door drive them to the airport on their return pick them up at the airport and bring them back home and we do this all over Canada from most Canadian cities so it's very carefree and another big thing is that the travel insurance is included with our packages so we include the medical trip Interruption baggage um for outside of Canada and all of our tours include protection for cancellation prior to departure so should something happen you know we plan in advance but things happen sometimes so when our clients have to cancel for an emergency they're covered um and I don't know about you guys but when I'm booking a tour and I'm preparing or a trip for you know my finances some things start to add up like for example the Tipping you don't think I'm doing the store but maybe you should tip the driver and the local guide or the hotel staff um the restaurant staff and all of those tips all the taxes all those extra fees that you may not think about and and account for they're all included so you really know what you're getting when you're going on a tour with us and if I'm traveling solo I imagine I'm welcome to join a group and what does that involve absolutely we have single Travelers in all of our tours I will mention that our the prices of the tours are based on two people sharing the room so there is a single supplement but we have a very special program which is a roommate matching program which is very successful so what happens is when we have a Solo Traveler that maybe they don't want to go on their own not that they would be on their own of course they'd be with the group and with the tour manager but they want to share the room with someone and they don't have you know friends or family that they would like to go on that specific tour so they get added to this list um and then when another Solo Traveler inquires about that tour um when they're added to the list they've given us the permission to provide their contact information to the other person that's interested and we don't automatically partner up anyone so it's don't worry what happens is they two talk to each other and then they decide yes this is a a great fit or no you know I I'll find someone else but we give them that opportunity and it we've had lots of success with this program and many great friendships have come from this I bet and it makes it more affordable for people who need to share in the cost so that's really wonderful okay let's talk about destinations oo uh what are the top destinations right now sure get your pens ready right that's right so right now Europe is is the top destination and that's not only because of the well-known landmarks it's also because of the different cultures the rich history and all the diversity and we have many many tours in Europe and we have different types of Tours we have eight different types of Tours um so from walking and Hiking tours two and three Center tours stapo holidays flight and Coach Tours rail tours cruises so we have all the ways that you like to explore Europe and uh you know here we we love to go south we like our you know we're snowbirds we like we think of Florida we think of Arizona but I know there's other places that offer that the sun and the sand like uh Spain and Italy what are the hot spots in those countries right now of course southern Spain is very very nice and we have H tours to CAD Del Soul and Casablanca which are basically for the snowbirds that are looking to get away from the cold weather here um so we go to southern Spain which is really sunny beautiful beaches is and the tours that we offer in that area are what we call the stay put holidays where we stay put at the same location the entire duration of the tour obviously it goes with a tour manager that's always there and we have included excursions but not every day is occupied so we have included excursions and for those that want to be really busy we have optional tours that we offer so the tour manager will be putting together uh those optional tour and cocktail parties game nights things like that and what's very special about these tours is we offer them in the winter and in the fall when it starts to get you know cold and yucky here and we start thinking of leaving how find palm trees at least I do exactly absolutely and the weather there at that time is very very nice way nicer than here which is very appealing for our clients uh I want to talk about the popularity of uh culinary EXP experiences this idea that you can you know immerse yourself through food in a different region why do you think it's so popular well the culinary tours they're multi-sensory so not only do the clients get the experience to taste those local flavors they get to know about the people and the culture and the Traditions through the universal language of food and so clients get the opportunity to taste the local flavors to learn about the culinary Traditions to talk talk to local chefs um there are cooking classes workshops so not only do they get to taste the food they get to make it handson and learn those recipes and bring them back home with them and with those tours we visit local farms we visit uh fish in villages Vineyards local markets and so it's very special to be able to see how the food is sourced and produced and we have culinary and wine tour in both France and Italy which are well known for their Gastronomy all over the world I really love the idea of a wine tour in Paris can you give me a sense of uh what that would be like if I were to take one of course so uh there are we visit museums we visit wine museums there's a lot of wine tasting there's wine museums other than in my house uh yeah that's right I didn't know that absolutely so we visited the museums we visited the venue yards and you get to learn how the wine is made and taste a lot of it with all the very nice uh food that comes along with it so it's a very unique opportunity to learn about wine and and taste it along the way so how do you go about uh determining like where you're taking people on these authentic trips and how do you engage the locals uh to do it like how do you how do how does that get planned so that you know it's going to work of course we have expert product managers who are always looking out for new opportunities for new areas and all of our local guides are locals so they are from that area so you're getting firsthand knowledge and experience from them and uh then we search out the best destinations the best areas to take our clients and the it all comes together in a very nice product have you ever had anybody say I'm not getting on the plane I'm staying because I feel like that could happen you're you know to be so I guess entrenched to sort of start to feel like you actually live there in a way you're living like a local if you're cooking you're you know visiting the farms and then yeah you're surrounded by people I'm imagining there's a lot of small towns involved as well of course you know I'd be like I'm not getting back on the plane I'm staying n tell it's a challenge it's a challenge to get everyone back on the play no one wants to come home but we just remind them you know there's an opportunity to come back we have other tours as well that provide the same experience so is it a challenge yes absolutely but no one wants to return from a wonderful tour like that but um we have to get everyone back home and I imagine you're always trying to reinvent you know you're always looking for like what's next and what's new uh anything you can let us in on about what might be around the corner in terms of a new destination or anything well we are always coming out with new tours so we're always putting together new itineraries and looking out for you know what's out there that we haven't done yet so we have a lot of walking tours that are being introduced the walking and Hiking tours have become very popular so we have a Swiss Alps walking tour that's really it's going to be wow beautiful so we're always coming up with you know different types of places that we haven't been yet and that would like to go and I imagine uh just talking about how you have the guide I forget what you called them but the person that's with you so there's no language barrier I don't have to worry about if I don't speak Italian or German or French or whatever it is that's not going to be a barrier for me to travel of course no the local guides they are local all the tours are hosted in English and so there is no worries of not knowing the language because we always have that local guide who is telling us everything in English and if something needs to be done in in the local language or that then take care they take care of that yeah good because some sometimes that's worrisome you know a little bit worrisome so it sounds like you have everything covered literally for every type of traveler uh and I understand You' got a special offer for everybody who's watching abut can you tell me what it is definitely so I'm happy to share we are offering a $100 off per person for all the viewers and on any tours that are booked by May 31st 2024 and using the promo code Summit 24 I believe it's going to come on the screen it's probably on the screen and so it's $100 off per person on any tours that are booked my May 31st 2024 that's a fantastic offer thanks so much for being here Natalia happy travels it'll be 50 50 countries the next time I see you won't it I bet all right some of us love to travel by land others love to go by water and in fact almost 36 million passengers are expected to take a cruise this year that's up from 32 million in 2023 so getting to explore a variety of cities with ease unpacking once it makes this way of seeing the world very popular with our audience and to talk about it we're now joined by Stephen Smith Stephen is the senior vice president of leisure strategy at marketing and marketing at direct travel uh that's a company that offers a comprehensive range of corporate and leisure travel packages as well as Cruise vacations hello Stephen thanks for being here hi thanks for having me how many countries have you been to okay I'm putting on the spot I hope you don't mind I don't I I don't even know if I can count you lost track yeah there's there's a few your password's like busting with all the stamps uh I I just got a new one did you yeah it was full okay not a terrible problem to have not a terrible problem at all okay let's talk about cruising I just mentioned some numbers which are really speak to the popularity of traveling by Cruise why do you think there's such a u a current like zest for for traveling by water well I I think it starts with the Simplicity you unpack once and you get to go to a variety of destinations um getting there is simple you have the familiarity of what you have back on board but you have the uniqueness of the destination um the accessibility as we age we're not quite as limber as we might have once been and so for yourself yeah well I will it's easy to get on and off the ship um the embarcation dis embarcation is is great and then the variety of what you can do on board uh what you can um do in destination it's very attractive makes sense and if you have never been on a cruise and you're like yeah but I heard this and I've heard that what are some of the misconceptions out there about cruising um I think the first is the seasickness um the stabilizers they have these days are incredible uh with new ships and also Dramamine works very well uh you can take it beforehand uh I know people who typically have gotten seasick and they don't now when they Cruise so that is a big one right the seasickness that's a really big one it is for sure and then the fact that it's it's crowded in the same people all the time um that's not the case especially when you're on a small ship um Oceanic cruises has small ships um you there's a lot of space a lot of public space it doesn't feel crowded and of course when you get off the ship you're not in a crowd of people get getting off the ship so I think people tend to think oh it's just a crowded cruise ship and you're going to the buffet but of course there's incredible restaurants and uh there's a lot of space where you can go to and and uh have your own uh time to yourself but you also can congregate with other people U the lounges lots of great lounges and I just want to ask you about when you do get off the cruise are you going in groups uh once you IM uh disembark disembark dis thank you once you get off the do yeah do you uh do are you traveling in a group on land or your choice you can it's your choice and that's one of the other misconceptions is that you don't have choice so there's a lot of choice you can join a group in an Excursion and um the cruise lines have excursions that you can you can join but you can also work with the travel advisor create your own excursion create your own experience so um and then you can also go off on your own what I often like to do is in the morning I do an Excursion and then in the afternoon I'll go off and I'll explore myself so a lot of choice a lot of variety and if you are deciding I'm GNA I'm G to go on a cruise it's my first time uh you're the expert so what advice do you have what kind of cruise would be your first best cruise so I think my tongue and cheek answer would be wherever you want to go next oh that's but it could be true but and it is because there's so many great destinations but I think if you're if you're a little nervous about the experience um the Caribbean is a great destination it's close to North America it's close to Canada um so it's a great destination easy to get to a lot of cruises depart out of Miami and Fort Lauderdale but you can also uh look at Alaska great destination so much Adventure um a lot of great experiences very unique destination and then one of the areas that I don't think uh people think of is the Canada New England cruise so if you were to go the fall see the Fall Foliage great first cruise you're close to home um but you're seeing things that especially if you're from Inland um you're seeing a part of the country that's just incredible since you brought it up how long roughly does it take to do that cruise uh 7 Days typically okay so it's completely manageable yeah 7 to 10 days is a great length for a first cruise for a first cruise okay thank you for that uh we talked about how you disembark and you uh if you if you choose to and you get to explore and I know that you um the exploration can be curated so how does that happen that to to does the cruise line uh you know curate where the passengers can go so they do there are some incredible departments at the cruise lines that build these shore excursions and they they they work with local operators and they take feedback from uh clients and they'll adjust them as they go along but also if you want something different you can work with a travel adviser it's a great great way to build an experience that that you prefer and at direct travel we can we can create almost anything uh I love the story of I bet you can yeah well I love the story of the cysteine chapel where it's always very busy we can get you in the cinee chapel when there's nobody there Buckingham Palace is it legal though it is legal okay I promise you we we know a few people you heard it you you heard it here your phone's going to be ringing on that that's right um and and things like Buckingham Palace um typically you watch the changing of the guards from behind the Gates we can get you inside the gates now you know it costs a bit of money but it's all about the kind of experience you want so if you want something really exclusive we can do that if you want something a little more simple you want something more active we can build that for you so it's about working with a travel adviser getting that relationship understanding ing the kind of experience you want and then they'll go find it for you we work with hundreds of operators around the world okay let's talk about this idea of an immersive uh travel um a tour what is let's break it down what is immersive tour even mean it means immersing yourself in the destination in the culture in the cuisine um Natalia talked about it a little bit I think and so for example let's say you were in Alaska on that first cruise and you went on a fishing Excursion you went and caught some fish you could take it to a local restaurant they'll cook it up for you and have a meal that's very immersive you're going out and you're you're enjoying uh the the Excursion but then you're also enjoying the food and work and talking to the chef about how they prepare it um same thing in Italy you can accompany the the chef's uh the ship's Chef uh off the ship to a market buy some food bring it back they'll prepare it for you for your meal uh I also was in Brazil and we went about an hour Inland and we were able to uh go to a local tribe and they included us in a dance that they uh that they typically do so uh really immersive into the culture and get a feel for how it is in the destination as opposed to just experiencing it as a tourist that's incredible it's you you you've got me thinking now of all the things I'd like to do every time you bring like oh that sounds great I never thought of that and I guess part of it is you come up with ideas that maybe I haven't thought of yes right that and and working with a travel adviser they talk to a lot of different clients so they have a ton of ideas they're constantly training and learning they're going and experiencing the destination themselves so they're going to bring you ideas you explain what you want to do and the the type of experience you want and they'll they'll come back with ideas amazing uh okay this term Boutique cruising what does that mean so Boutique cruising has to do with two elements one is the ship they're typically smaller ships um think of a boutique hotel smaller unique the decor is a little bit different um oceanana cruises spends a lot of time looking at their decor and and uh creating a very unique experience um and then it's also to do with the ports that you visit so it's the idea of visiting smaller ships can visit smaller ports and you can get away from the the heavy tourist areas and so you have a much more unique experience can you give me some examples of that I I'm just going to say I asked because you know I've been to places where I've seen the large cruise ships and I know that's the a very standard location and um but I don't know that I've seen the smaller cruises uh that you're talking about and where they can go uh they they literally can go anywhere um but take for example uh heading down the coast of South America going to pad delest um you you anchor off offshore and then you are are taken on Shore it's a small destination and actually it's interesting because in the Summers it really grows with local tourists but at the times when we're visiting um it's it's it's a lot more intimate and so you get to see this incredible destination where not a lot of cruise ships visit and a lot of these ports are hard to get to by land but by sea you can get there and they're smaller so it's it's really quite incredible and is that applied everywhere you can do that pretty much everywhere you know going up and down the coast of Italy you don't have to go to Venice you don't have to go to Rome there's all kinds of little ports that you can visit right so lots of exploring to do even if you've done all the major cities that we that we hear about you mentioned Oceana Cruises I want to talk about Cuisine because I know that they specialize in a festar Cuisine um what kind of food can I expect to eat on an oceanana Cruise every kind of food uh it's really it's incredible um I was just on oceanana Vista last year uh in their their newest ship and it was uh it was amazing so jacqu pen uh is the executive chef he completely redefined the idea of cuisine at Sea um what do you mean by that he he he put an attention to detail that you typically didn't see you've got uh specialty restaurants that differ um on each of the ships and uh they they cater to a different type of food and the menu uh changes as you go along and they'll often integrate Local Foods based on where you are in the world local items on their menu so um it is a true five-star experience there is a Sunday brunch uh that I just can't stop raving about on oceanic cruises because the selection is incredible the pastries there's food stations everywhere they're cooking it for you eggs any type any style that you want um uh fruit Seafood uh everything and it's all laid out in the dining room and you go in and it's it's sort of like a buffet but it's not a buffet um because it's all food stations and it's all prepared fresh for you so it's really quite a remarkable uh experience and they they they call they say they have the finest cuisine at Sea and I have sampled uh cuisine on many cruise ships and it really is well if you weren't hungry before you are now I'm hungry wow okay that sounded delicious I just imagine egg Benedict and like all the different ways you can do that right right okay you're back and it's ways that you can't even imagine that's the best part the creativity that comes into it you're eating things that you might have on a regular basis but but cooked in a way that you never would have dreamt of right so it's a it's a it's a food Adventure at the same time which you might not always think about if you're on a cruise uh okay post pandemic a term they called it uh Revenge travel which is really about going all out and having like the an incredible experience you know it's it is pretty special to do that don't you agree yes it is you know Revenge travel um it started in 2022 obviously we couldn't travel for a while uh and we saw a lot of clients who started booking uh vacations that they they were once in a-lifetime vacations and they weren't as concerned with the cost obviously demand went up cost went up it was unfortunate but people were not that concerned with cost but an interesting thing happened is they had these experiences that they hadn't had before and the result was they saw a different way of traveling and what we're seeing now is people are maintaining that way of traveling so travel has becomes so much more experiential it's about what you want to do why you want to go uh and then we figure out how you go there and where you go and so it really has changed the way travel uh is is thought of these days it's so much more experiential one good thing to come out of it right right okay Stephen I know you didn't come empty-handed and there you have a private sale offer people watching we do I'm very excited uh that we have a private sale with oceanana cruises from June 1st to June 30th and so um what we're offering is 5% savings on any published Fair now there are a few exceptions here and there the best thing to do is is call your direct travel advisor uh I think we're going to have a website on there D.C Zoomer where you can go and connect with a travel adviser and so 5% off uh it it um com combined with oap uh one of their promotions and as well simply more where you've got two for one cruises free air um free Wii free specialty dining um there's all kinds of of uh additional benefits to it and uh it it does not come very often where you have a savings on any cruise that you want so whether it's a 30-day Cruise or a 7-Day cruise that 5% savings yeah that 5% can certainly add up it really does it may not seem like a lot but when you look at the at the the cost of everything it really does that up thank you so much for being here Stephen thank you so much okay now we know international travel is back to near pre pandemic levels and we've heard about some great destinations and some great cruises but what you need to know is how to ensure it's smooth sailing all the way so let's turn now to tips for planning and securing that next big trip we're joined by Caitlyn first she's the director of corporate Communications at CAA Club group now Caitlyn is also an avid traveler and she's here to offer some practical tips on preparing for that next big adventure thanks so much for being here Caitlyn thank you for having me well we've talked about all the great opportunities there is when it comes to travel but you know what there are some details that have to be dealt with so so good that you're here um and you can help walk us through some things so once we figured out I know where I'm going and I know how long I'm going to go for what's my first step in planning yeah so at CIA we really are focused on keeping you safe while you're at home but also while you travel so we want to make sure that you are inspired but take care of that documentation so that's really the first thing that you should be doing once you know where you want to go make sure you have your passport is it going to expire you generally want it to be uh good for about 6 months post the time when you're looking to travel and then checking any of the other documentation or VISA requirements that might be necessary for each location because it does really differ so having that kind of thing Sign Sealed and Delivered and then you can focus on some of the fun stuff so you're saying I have to think Beyond just bringing a passport like there could be what other kind of documents are you talking about yeah there are different visa requirements different documentation you know different vaccination requirements that kind of thing so you want to make sure you've got all of that in the row before you book okay check your destinations requirements number one now uh nobody wants to surprise when they travel so how do you know that where you're going is safe so the really key thing here is to always trust those trusted government sources you know we can all go on Google and try to find lots of different things but those trusted sources are really key so Global Affairs Canada um and one of the things you want to look for are things like travel advisories so was there a recent travel advisory were there you know different ones happening over different periods of time get a sense of what's happening on the ground there so that you can really go in in an informed way and you know what you're walking into uh I want to ask you about the advisories because I think there's usually different levels of advisory and if you're looking at it for the first time it might be it might just scare you away but uh like what do the levels mean what what do I what when does it mean I should not go there versus I should just be aware of what's going on yeah there are different levels of course and I think we saw that of during Co even different levels associated with that um really the best thing to do is to speak to a travel agent they're going to be able to help you walk through all of those pieces and they also generally will have an idea of what is going on on the ground so sometimes the advisory itself doesn't give you a ton of information but it's a prompt so you can kind of ask some more questions from there and you mentioned uh vaccines and also being prepared like sometimes you need a malaria vaccine or a yellow fever where do you get that information and is that something you should always check beforehand like you might be surprised that you actually do need something absolutely anytime you're going to go uh you know traveling especially if you're looking to go somewhere more adventurous you know I know our members are looking to see new places and that what adventurous to you oh for me I mean I definitely want to go on a safari at some point I think I have to wait for my kids to be a bit older but that'll be one and I'm sure there's vaccines that I'll have to take to go do that um and The Trusted person to do that with of course is your doctor so going to speak with your doctor understanding those vaccines and while you're there another important tip for people is if you are taking medication making sure that you've got enough prescription to last for the duration of your trip um and making sure that you can uh have it on you when you're traveling in your carry-on uh in its original packaging uh that's really important for those of us who who may have medications to make sure that not only do you have enough but you're transporting it correctly okay I did make that mistake and we spent five days in same Maran without my husband's medication and it ruined everything because it was in the suitcase and the suitcase got lost exactly it was so that's a really great point to to bring up thank you uh let's stay with the topic of health because where we go where we going might have a different climate uh how can that affect us what do we need to plan for yeah so you know the climate is is changing there's lots of different weather patterns all the time you know even within our own cities sometimes in one day you need different socks and shoes and and jackets so uh getting a good sense of what you might expect in destination over the course of the time so you know what's normal for that climate for that time of year and what maybe will the weather look like uh and then you want to plan accordingly uh for that weather so if there might be some rain rather than having to pack a giant you know set of rain boots perhaps consider having a pair of boots that are waterproof that are also comfortable to walk in for example or a nice stylish spring jacket that's also waterproof so thinking about the different types of weather that you might need um and then from a safety perspective also understanding the extreme weather so if it's very very hot or very very cold depending on the adventurous level that you're looking for again you know SPF hats making sure you have sunscreen or weather rated sweaters and Boots um just being prepared with that kind of stuff so you don't have to buy it once you get there yeah for sure because you don't want to be caught without something like a jacket that then you're running to try and find we've all done that it's it's not fun at all uh sticking with safy it is because it is such a big concern are there any other tips that you have for us so there's a couple things I mean anytime you get to a destination you really want to make sure you understand what you're going to do in case of an emergency none of us want to think about that kind of stuff but doing it right when you get there quickly will give you some more peace of mind so what are the emergency numbers where is the local hospital just getting a good lay of the land for that kind of thing um and another thing that we always consider as well is even if you're a very comfortable driver here at home um you know driving in different places with new cars that does increase a different element of of risk and so if you can book transportation that isn't you driving you know the entire time that will help increase your safety and and reduce any risk that you might have yeah it seems very cool if you're watching a James Bond movie um driving in the other side of the road but I don't want to do that you know I've been in a car in the hills of Italy before and I'll I'll tell you I will never do that again right there's never much stopping you from going over either yeah exactly um but it's so beautiful it's so gorgeous uh okay um you know the headlines we hear about you know floods and wars and you know we had the pandemic and there's there's a lot that's happening around the world and um you know you want to be prepared you don't want to be caught off guard and that and insurance can really be helpful but when is the right time to buy that because you know after we're prompted when we book something and then we hum and haw and I always think should I got it or what's the difference if I don't buy it till later yeah do I really need it I do I really need it always um so we recommend always buying travel insurance at the time when you buy travel and the reason is is because if anything happens whatsoever it's too late to buy it so you know from from a you know trip cancellation perspective if someone were to get sick in your family you aren't able to travel you know once you know that that person's sick unfortunately it's too late to do that you know so you really want to make sure that that you're thinking ahead and protecting yourself in advance of those things um and when you go to buy uh you know travel insurance of any kind there's a couple of things that you want to have ready so uh you know your departure date and your return date so how long are you planning to travel the average cost per person of the trip because that will help to determine how much it costs for the travel insurance um and also just understanding your own medical history um you know if you have any pre-existing conditions those are kind of the three big ones that you want to make sure that you have ready in order to buy it at the time of travel and how about the fine print what what do I need to be getting my magnifying glass my readers on so I can really get in there it's really important and you know at CA we're really focused on making sure that people have the coverage that they themselves need because everyone is different so you want to look at things like you know what what is the benefit coverage how much will you get in the event of these situations are there any pre-existing condition Clauses you know will the insurance company pay medical bills if needed in advance so that you don't have to wait for treatment those types of questions are really really important to ask when you're booking um because you know insurance is different depending on where you buy it from really okay and what about for um folks that have a credit card that comes with insurance and this is like the million-dollar question in my mind you know is it wise to off out and go with that insurance so the key thing to know here is that in general credit card insurance doesn't generally have the same level of coverage as a more comprehensive level of of insurance and so you really want you know we talk about the fine print for regular Insurance really make sure you understand what's covered in the in the credit card side of things um and sometimes there's also additional things like spending limits or withdrawal limits things like that so really understand understand all of those pieces and what type of insurance it is so is it trip cancellation is it emergency medical really go through all of those details if you are hoping to use that credit card insurance yeah that makes complete sense and what about uh folks over 65 sometimes that might be an issue yeah so a lot of people don't realize but many credit cards don't actually cover people over the age of 65 when it comes to travel insurance so again the underlying message here really is around checking all of those details and making sure that you're protected because the worst thing is you know you have this wonderful trip you're doing the trip of a lifetime you know something unexpected happens and then you find out oh it's not covered yeah adding insult to injury sometimes uh okay so now you've got your trip booked and you've bought the insurance and you've read all the fine print uh what tips do you have to uh help us have a smooth trip yeah so you know once you're sort of the airport or looking to go to the airport you really want to make sure and it's a simple one that I think we've all known for many years is giving yourself a lot of time uh you know I think again Co taught us that we're universally stressed out though before we leave and time seems to shrink I know I know but you know things are different than they were before the pandemic and um there is a little bit more uncertainty so giving yourself enough time being able to make it to the airport uh we suggest two hours for domestic at least three for international so making sure that you're doing all of those things um and then you know once you're on the plane you want to do some things I I like to do things that will help me once I get there so you know staying mobile making sure that you're you know walking around drinking lots of water um and one good tip to help with jet leg actually is to eat your meals when you would normally eat them at your destination so you're already thinking ahead uh it makes for a comfortable flight but also a better arrival and in terms of knowing what's going on in the world or at least where you're where you are when you're there because so often we'd like to shut off and I'm not reading the news I don't want to know anything but you you know it's wise to have a sense of what's going on in the place that you are how do you stay in touch with that yeah you know it's the the old days of going on vacation and shutting out the world unfortunately I think are behind us um and so you really do want to keep that tether into into the the world whether that's through a friend through a family again that Global Affairs website you know bookmarking that before you go checking it a couple updated I'm imagining regular the very least that's right just to make sure if there's changing conditions you know you know as world global things happen um you know keeping yourself safe and making sure that H do I need to go home do I not you know it's it's a good thing to do all right well I know uh safety is number one and keeping your documents safe so you is important you've brought some items you're going to show us that we can we can actually use to protect things like our passports indeed so what's that so you know I brought a couple things here you know we've got a really nice array of things that shop with ca.com I'll I'll I'll I'll put it up like this that are aesthetically pleasing but also very safe so this is a pack safe um backpack actually but it can also open like a suitcase it's got RFID uh pockets on the inside which is a um a material that will help to protect your uh credit cards and your passport from potential thieves and you'll see there's all of these special little hooks on here so that it's you know I can't open this if I were to be walking um if someone were to come back behind me and it's really just a deterrent I love it you know so if it's if I can't get into your backpack I might just you know continue on my way so this is a larger piece obviously and then we've got sort of a smaller version of this also pack safe um that has the same idea so these are also both uh resistant to cutting so if someone were to try to cut it off of you same sort of ability to not open and the RFID piece so really protecting your ID your finances and your belongings so that you can comfortably walk through a market and not have to worry just quite as much and you can put that under your seat or up up above it's small enough so you don't have to pack any valuables you can keep everything that's important in there and it's really attractive I love this thank you for bring something so attractive sometimes utilitarian things aren't attractive that's really have come a long way they have come a long way baby thank you so much Caitlyn great great to hear all of that you've given us so much to think about and great tips all the way around and a big thank you to all of our guests today for joining us and thanks to all of you for watching I'm Liz West safe and happy travels