HAVE VACCINE, WILL TRAVEL!

By Pam Walker

I traveled a lot when I was young. My Dad, a man in the business, flew his own single engine  plane for years and years . When we weren’t flying with him, we went everywhere on big jets.   I can still remember all the prep:

-Go to the bank, exchange money

-Get those aggravating Travelers Checks!

-Go to the travel agency to pick up paper tickets and documents!

-Endless phone calls to complete the simplest of booking.

And we did it- why?...... BECAUSE WE REALLY WANTED TO TRAVEL!!!

And now, the reality is that these things are so very minor in the grand scheme of things. Forms for nearly any open destination are electronic, a ton of hotels will bring doctors to your room for a 5 second swab, Countries all over the world are making onsite processes easier than ever with VIP arrival services.  When you think about how far we've come in travel, this stuff is nothing.

Undoubtedly, that is why I ended up in the travel industry and visited 127 countries….UNTIL THE PANDEMIC!!!

Having been unable to travel for more than a year, like everyone else…I will do almost anything to be able to go somewhere!  Even by doing the right thing and getting the vaccine.

I am now totally glad I did!   As the world opens up and Covid cases are dropping…. if you have been vaccinated….countrys around the world are letting you in!

I would list the ones that will accept US visitors, but the list is getting so long and changing every day, I can’t do so on these pages.  That said, Europe, (mainly France and Italy as well as the UK) are going to open to vaccinated people .  Cruises are sailing again too...for vaccinated people mostly.

So the good news is everywhere…..Have Vaccine…definitely will travel!!!!

 

 

EUROPE IS OPEN…. LET’S GO!

While the news of Europe's gradual reopening to American travelers is causing excitement , the lack of unity and clarity on the rules is has translated into headaches for those who are anxious to start planning.

One thing we do know so far is that the welcome mat is being extended most enthusiastically to vaccinated travelers!  That said, testing is still required in some countries even with proof of vaccination. And a Covid test is still required of any traveler entering, or re-entering, the U.S.

While travel is booming in the USA and hotel rooms are hard to reserve wherever you want to go in the continental USA, Europe’s hotels are begging for customers.  It is summer and usually the “high season” in Europe with high prices and high airfares.  But not this year. While prices are not as low as they are in winter months…there are still bargains to be had. European countries are begging you to come and visit!

Here is a list that I have complied if you are anxious to go.  Countries that are currently open to U.S. visitors, as well as some major destinations that we expect to open in the near future; we expect to add more information as it becomes available. And as the regulations are shifting, it bears repeating that we all should stay abreast of the rules by visiting the CDC website, Reopen Europe and individual U.S. embassy and tourist office websites.  You can also call me for up to date information any time.  Better yet…call your trusted Travel Advisor as they have all the up to date information.

Here is a list of who is open or soon will be:

Albania/Croatia/Denmark/Finland/France/Greece/Iceland /Ireland /Italy/Malta/Portugal/ Spain/ Sweden /Switzerland/ United Kingdom/Germany and several more.

So, get out there and get going again!! Enjoy Europe!

                    SEE WHY TRAVEL MATTERS

                                          BY Pam Walker, CTC, ATC, DS, LS

                              Walker Adventures, a Virtuoso agency member!
                                       Pam at pam@walkeradventures.com

Please click on the arrow to see this presentation!

                                                      WHAT NOW????

                                                            By Pam Walker

 

I had so many things planned!  January 2020 was to be the beginning of a great year!  Travel is always in my future.  That is what I do for a living.

March, I had planned a trip to newly developed areas in Argentine Patagonia! Pristine and away from everything, I was really looking forward to this trip.  A chance for me to get away from the ordinary, go fly fishing, riding and in particular, hiking the beautiful trails to maybe see a Puma or Guanaco and some local birds. Photography is my passion…so there was to be no lost opportunities here.

 April was to the tulip fields near Amsterdam. Again, my photographic juices were flowing.  I had never seen those famous fields even though I have been in Holland many, many times before.  Even went there for one short weekend with my husband a few years back.  Yes’s that is me….any chance I get!   Never too short or too long, I take my opportunities when they come to me.

In May was a scheduled trip to a beautiful Caribbean Island to check out some all-inclusive hotels and see renovations in others. The Caribbean is a perfect place to spend a short time on a beautiful beach and sipping the local brew that the beachside waiters just can’t wait to put in your hand!  The friendliness of the Caribbean attitude can’t be beat!

That was a 10 months ago now!

Enter Covid-19 …..and sheer chaos!

 One trip after another fell by the wayside as the dreaded disease traveled from China to Europe to the USA and then down to South America and elsewhere.  Countries were closing their borders…..friends were calling from all over the world saying they could not leave their homes without a permission slip from the local authorities!!! 

Am I dreaming or are they all back in high school all over again?

 Am I getting a refund?  Who knows…it is a no man’s land out there!   Many people think that people in my industry travel for free. Many years ago, that might have been true.  But in today’s world, it is all about the bottom line. Every hotel and many of the airlines are adopting their own policies and there is no consensus of thought in anything.

Hotels are closed…airlines cancelling flights or taking off empty!  Will this ever end?

People that had traveled the world with me were cancelling out of fear of the unknown….or fear the would not get home. Too much gloom and doom TV!  It’s driving everyone insane and to the “poor house” too.  Fear of going outside…going to restaurants…getting on planes! Fear of losing livelihoods!

What now?

Well I for one am not afraid.  As soon as these countries open up and their ecomomies are back open…I am going to be on the first plane out of here.

  I sit here at my computer day after day looking at the video tours of museums and the Seven Wonders of the New World and dream of the day I will say hello again.  To have that chance to stand in the British Museum, or King Tut’s Tomb in Egypt.  I will be there. There is a whole world out there waiting for us to begin explorations again. For those that seize the opportunity….it will be like new discoveries!  I predict that the truly appreciative will be brave enough to travel.

To see the Grand Canyon or Yellowstone in all its glory…..with tons of animals and birds that are free to be  where the crowds used to be.

No more lines…no more crowds…..there is so much the world has to offer.

They say it will be a “new normal”.  Yes, we may have to wear a mask in a restaurant, or on a plane. That is just being prudent during these times.  But to feel the warmth of the sun on your face as you enjoy the beautiful surroundings of our world…..that just makes the new normal more special. You might be surprised at what you had missed before.

 What now? 

 No more enclosure or stay at home orders…no more fear either!   Just get out there!  Join me…I will be roaming the world…One Heck of a beautiful place!

 

Pam Walker is a Virtuoso travel advisor and can be reached at pam@walkeradventures.com

A NEW NATIONAL PARK IN CHILE

As you read this, I will be winging my way to Santiago, Chile.  I will stop for a night in my favorite hacienda, Casa Real in the Santa Rita vineyards, for a chance to do some mountain biking and have a great dinner and glass of special Carmenere wine.  The next day I go on to a new National Park in Patagonia called Patagonia National Park.

 The great adventurers, Douglas and Kris Thompkins (founders of Northface and Esprit clothing) bought large chunks of land all over South America to preserve and protect the natural ecosystems there.   In an unfortunate kayaking accident several years ago, Mr. Thompkins died.  His wife kept on and created Conservation Patagonica to protect huge areas of land in both Chile and Argentina, to “rewild” areas that were being threatened by overgrazing and overpopulation.  Working with Chilean Park Service, and many volunteers, they purchased 174,500 acres and took down fences, built campgrounds and a visitor center with a restaurant.  In the park are all kinds of wild things like guanacos, pumas, condors and many threatened deer populations. 

In a statement from the Park’s web page www.patagoniapark.org ,“Under ever-increasing pressure, wildlands and wildlife disappear by the day: human activity now dominates 43% of Earth’s land surface and affects twice that area. The planet is now experiencing the most massive wave of extinctions since the loss of the dinosaurs 65 million years ago. The potential loss of as many as 30-50% of all species by mid-century severely threatens the stability of all ecosystems and life on earth. By creating a new, large-scale protected area, we're making strides toward reversing these trends, while saving one of the planet's most stunningly beautiful places.”
Patagonia National Park now encompasses more than 10 million acres. It is 3 times larger that Yellowstone National Park or Yosemite here in the US.


I am truly excited to become one of the newest visitors to the park and look forward to sharing the beautiful vistas and adventures. We need to protect these wild places for future visitors!

GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH!

I have been lucky!  Out of 195 countries in the world, I have traveled in 126 of them.  Still have more to go obviously, but among the top ranked is the one continent my feet have never touched.  Antarctica!

I haven’t gone because of the “DREADED DRAKE PASSAGE”.  In the past, there was no way to get there except board a small exploration ship (without stabilizers) in Ushuaia, Argentina or the Falkland Islands and sail for two to three days in the roughest waters in the world.  I have friends who have made this voyage several times only to be strapped in their bunks for two solid days. No meals, no service, no anything…. because who wants to eat or drink when your ship is going up and down over 40 ft. swells!

Finally however, a smart Chilean group, have made my trip possible….and no “dreaded Drake Passage”!  Flying into Punta Arenas, Chile, you spend one-night (maybe two depending on weather conditions) in this southernmost city in Chile getting your instructions, your boots and gear given you for your expedition and get a few lectures on what to expect.

Early the next day, you are driven to the airport for you flight to King George Island, on the Antarctic side of the Drake Passage.  After your two-hour flight in a military charter plane complete with deluxe seats, you walk across the ice to your waiting ship/hotel for the next few nights. Close to shore all the way…you can even make your way to the South Pole on some shore excursions.

Then the greatest show begins…. penguins, sea lions, sea birds and wonderful wildlife just waiting for you to walk up and greet face to face!  No other humans nearby…only the 70 passengers you flew over with.  You can make this experience more wonderful still by doing kayak explorations daily or even snowshoeing on your shore excursions.

So, this is my chance to eliminate the “DREADED DRAKE PASSAGE” and finally make it to the one continent I have never visited!  The Greatest Show on Earth will be me making this journey…finally!

Pam Walker is a Virtuoso travel advisor and can be reached at pam@walkeradventures.com

CABO AND THE GREAT WHALES OF MEXICO

I don’t know why, but I always feel at home in Mexico.  This time, flying all the way across the US to arrive in Cabo San Lucas, I almost felt like I was coming home.  I hadn’t been to Cabo in several years and the sight that awaited me was astounding.

When I had been there about 10 years ago, there was a small town with beach bars and fishing boats pulled into docks waiting for customers, who back then were few and far between.  There was little beyond that and one had to take a boat out to the giant arch that the area is known for.

Today’s Cabo is a huge bustling city with condos everywhere and the rich “whales” from “el Otro Lado (the other side of the border) are bait for locals.  Stores selling designer clothes, hotels almost on top of the arch and reaching way beyond it and bars everywhere, keep things hopping…. both day and night.  The place has become a mecca of sorts for  Californiacs who drop in for the weekend to drop out at local spots that are as famous as those in Hollywood.

So…did I say I felt at home?  In Mexico maybe, but not this place that has become an extension of the United States.  That said…. a short drive north took me back to the Mexico I know…. little towns with quaint squares…churches at one end and police station at the other.  Here too are the wilds…. wild beaches, wild scenery and miles and miles of desert. I hiked 40 ft sand dunes, took little pangas out into the Sea of Cortez, saw Humpbacks and Grey whales giving birth and coming home to their breeding grounds and the locals so willing to share their way of life.

This is the Mexico I know so well and where I will come back to in the future.

Pam Walker is a Virtuoso Travel Advisor and can be reached at pam@walkeradventures.com

FALL ESCAPES

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BACK TO SCHOOL ESCAPE

It’s so hard, after such a short time off, that we go back to our yearly schedule of school and work.  Fall is coming on with its beautiful colors and then the holiday season is right around the corner.

From September to the end of October, there is little to celebrate and no 3 day weekends (except maybe Columbus Day on Oct 8).  What better way to make your own celebration than to a weekend getaway?

There are several places that I have in mind.  One of course would be to the Georgia coastline to St. Simons Island or the Cloister for golf or a fabulous spa visit.  There is nothing like walking on the beach at this time of year when the sunsets are long and the waves slowly caress the shores.   Few people are on the beach at this time of year. Just a quick 4 plus hour drive and you can be fishing or boating as well.  Jekyll Island is also great at this time of year as the warm days are always blessed with sea breezes to keep you cool in the evening.

Another lovely spot to get away for the weekend is as close as Greensboro, Ga.  Just over a 1 hr. drive can get you to the Ritz Carlton at Reynolds Plantation with its great golf courses and spectacular spa.  You can even have s’mores lakeside over a roaring fire pit in the cool evenings.

Or go north to the Chattahoochee National Forest near Amicalola Falls and hike the beginnings of the Appalachian Trail. You might even see a black bear or two before they settle down for the winter.  There are also cabins that you can rent through the forest service if you don’t want to put up a tent for the night.

If hiking and camping isn’t your thing….there are lovely resorts all over the North Georgia Mountains.  Barnseley Gardens in Adairsville is a super resort with a great golf course and other fun activities.  There is also a beer garden to help celebrate Oktoberfest in style.  Best of all Barnseley has wonderful little period style cottages complete with fireplaces and claw foot tubs for a truly romantic getaway.  And those spooky ruins of “The Woodlands”, (Godfrey Barnesley’s original home) are a great place for a game of family “hide and seek” around Halloween.  Barnseley even has a “fairy Godmother” that makes all your wishes come true.

The Lake Lanier Islands Resort is a great place for the family to get away for a short escape.  Again…golf is a great activity and the hotel has an indoor pool for those cool nights. 

Most all of the places mentioned above are filled with activities for all ages.  Some have kids clubs and still others provide nature activities, games and fun things for kids from 3 to 93, as they say.

So if your weekend is looking bleak with homework, housework or other tasks….just think about getting away from it all….. very close to home.

GOLFING THE GREENS OF IRELAND

Vacation ..oh vacation!  For myself, a vacation is actually staying home and not going anywahere.  But for my family it means a chance to get away to someplace beautiful surrounded by golf courses.
Ireland is one of those special places where you can play golf to your hearts content.
Of course no one prepares you for the winds of this lovely island in the North Atlantic, nor for the terribly long rough that these folks cherish.

A weekend at Trump International at Doonbeg was enough to teach me that low and straight is the way to go.  Not allowing golf carts, you get a pull cart for all 18 holes of this long course alongside the sea.  9 holes out with the wind and 9 holes back into the wind.  If you hit the ball too high....you are in trouble. You think you see where you ball lands?  Well forget that.  I knew exactly where my ball dropped into the tall grass, but when I went to look for it, my poor ball was nowhere to be seen.  Here you can also ride horseback along the windswept beach, go kayaking and fishing or visit some of the tourist spots like The Cliffs of Moeher.
At Waterville Golf Links at the tip of the Ring of Kerry, the rough is more forgiving but you still have all the holes alongside the sea with gale force winds.  This is one of the 50 best courses in the world.  At least here I had a golf cart, which they call a buggy, which made play easier.

Next we played Mount Juliet Course.  This lovely resort and course designed by Jack Nicklaus, also allowed carts and was beautifully groomed.  This spectacular spot near Cork has specatuculr views and is a challenge.  After few Guinnesses in the club house, we could go skeet shooting, do some falconry, ride horses and more.  Dinner her was in their Micheline Start restaurant, so this was a happy ending for a perfect vacation.

                       

 

    “BABY  ITS  COLD  OUTSIDE!”

 

I know, I know......its cold outside!  The words of that old Dean Martin holiday song are not far from my mind at this time of year,

“The weather outside is frightful”, baby it's cold outside”, “I've got to go away “

“but  baby it's cold outside”...and so on.

.........and so goes the dreary winter weather....even here in Florida.  Today it is 48 degrees with a cold mist coming in from the ocean.

 

What better time to get out of town and retreat to the Caribbean on a sensational cruise or just a nice resort with a beautiful beach?

Yes the kids may be in school, but there are spring breaks and also long weekend cruises too. Disney Cruises does a quick 3 night cruise to the Bahamas complete with all the Disney Characters.  I took my girls on this one when they were about 7 years old and they talk about it even today.    To see the Princesses...yes all of them....descending the grand staircase to meet the children the night before we returned to Port Canaveral was almost as special as all the characters lining the path on the Disney’s Castaway Key for a day in the sun.   I will never forget when one of the girls told me that Captain Hook was just a man dressed in a costume.  When Mickey & Minney appeared, I asked “What about them?”.....”No Mom....THEY ARE REAL!”, my daughter told me with distain.

Port Canaveral is easily accessible from Orlando and flights to that city are even sometimes subsidized by Disney. You can combine your cruise and a visit to any of the theme parks for additional days. Port Canaveral is also the home port for many of the new larger megaships.

Royal Caribbean also has the megaship Enchantment of the Seas sailing from Canaveral. Carnival Cruise Lines and several others sail to the Eastern  and Western Caribbean each weekend from here too.

 Enchantment is a popular ship with all ages.  Most passengers are North Americans, but notoriety has also brought South Americans and some Europeans who also visit the theme parks.  Most foreigners (non  US citizens) have 3 weeks to a month of vacation annually..so continue their vacations

So.....why stay in cold dreary weather when you can be having a ball on board a floating city in the sun?  So no more excuses....get out and have some fun! Enjoy a cruise or a Caribbean Island as the hurricanes are gone and all the islands are back in business!