I was honored to be among the over 150 volunteers from the travel and tourism industry who gathered together at the Valley Forge National Historic Park on Friday, September 9^th to help save one of the country’s most famous landmarks. Tourism Cares, who partnered with Valley Forge on this cleanup effort, successfully completed their annual Volunteer Day, held in conjunction with the 9/11 National Day of Service and Remembrance. 

While I worked with others on the riverbank repairing fences and cleaning up fallen trees, other volunteers assisted in the restoration of the park with the clearing of debris at the Knox Estate, removing weeds at the park’s historic tennis court and spring-fed swimming pool, painting buildings around Washington’s Headquarters and helping with repairs around Valley Creek caused by damage from Hurricane Irene.

Bruce Beckham, executive director of Tourism Cares, summed it up best, saying “As the entire nation comes together to honor the anniversary of September 11^th, we are happy to have played our part in giving back to our country. This year’s Tourism Cares Volunteer Day was an absolute success and we enjoyed working with Valley Forge National Historical Park to help restore and enhance their park.”

Tourism Cares, the travel industry’s charitable organization for tourism preservation, conservation, restoration and education, coordinates these annual tourism volunteer days which are designed to promote service and give back, while helping to preserve some of the nation’s most valuable tourist attractions. Every year I try to attend and Collette sends a group of our employees to help out, too. It’s one of those events that make your realize how wonderful and generous the people are who work in the travel and tourism industry.

 More About Tourism Cares
Tourism Cares is an innovative nonprofit organization formed in 2005 through a consolidation of the National Tourism Foundation and the Travelers Conservation Foundation. The organization works to preserve the travel experience for future generations through a three pronged approach. We award grants to natural, cultural, and historic sites throughout the world.  In addition, we host unique volunteer restoration projects designed specifically for travel professionals. Recognized as the most innovative “give-back” program in the industry, Tourism Cares volunteer project and Volunteer Day draw thousands of corporate leaders and individuals together to share in the conservation and preservation of treasured cultural and historic sites. We also help assure a knowledgeable tourism workforce by granting academic and service-focused scholarships to hospitality and tourism students.  For more information about Tourism Cares, please visit www.TourismCares.org.

Russian River Cruise

Thanks USA Today for highlighting the following Collette tour in your USATODAY.com Travel Tips section. We love that kind of promotion!

Collette Vacations’ Russian River Cruise

Collette Vacations’ Russian River Cruise is an 11-day journey from Moscow to St. Petersburg. Begin with a tour of Moscow’s landmarks, such as Red Square and St. Basil’s Cathedral, followed by an afternoon at leisure in the city. The river cruise begins the next day after a visit to the Kremlin, with musical entertainment on-board as you sail away from Moscow. The first destination is Uglich, where you will take a walking tour and see a choir performance in the Transfiguration Cathedral. Spend the following days visiting the rural town of Goritsy, cruising over White Lake and Lake Onega, and touring the historic churches of Kizhi Island. On the way to St. Petersburg, cruise along the Svir River, stopping in the riverside towns of Mandroghi or Svirstroy, then along the Neva River. Three days are dedicated to sightseeing in St. Petersburg, before returning home.

USA TODAY  - Travel Tips

When I first started at Collette Vacations back in 2003, it seemed I was always writing about Alaska – it was a very popular tour for the company. Over the last several years, travelers have been opting for other destinations, including Europe, and Alaska has slid a bit in terms of passenger numbers. Some of the reason for the decline may be travelers choosing to travel to Alaska with a cruise line.

Thanks to Cathy Donahue, Collette’s product manager for Alaska, here are 5 reasons you may want to re-think seeing Alaska with a cruise line and get on a tour that combines the best of both land and sea:

1.  On day 3 when our Alaska Discovery tour travels by motor coach from Fairbanks to Denali we depart at 9 am and arrive in Denali at 12:00 noon. Most other companies, including cruise lines, take the train and have to depart Fairbanks at 7:00 am and get to Fairbanks at 12:30 pm.  They arrive by train with over 600 other passengers AFTER our group has already arrived. 
2. Most tour packages do not include an entertaining evening at the Music of Denali Dinner Theater which tells the story of the first ascent of Mount McKinley.�
   

   Mt. McKinley, Alaska

3. Our tour includes a 7-night cruise aboard Princesss Cruises Island Princess —a cruise line known for its superior quality and service. And we offer different categories to fit any budget – inside, outside and balcony. We also offer suites should anyone want one. 
4. Collette is the only tour operator who is guaranteed the Fairbanks Princess Riverside Lodge, all other operator’s (including Princess tours) stay in other Princess properties.  The one we stay in is the nicest. Other tour operators have to pay an additional fee to be guaranteed the Riverside Lodge.
5. On day 5, when we travel from Denali to Whittier by train, passengers are treated to some of the best land scenery in Alaska. We sit on the top level in a domed car with service all day long. Plus, there is a guide who narrates the entire trip and the train actually stops or slows down if they spot any kind of wild life. 

 What do you think? How did you see Alaska and if you had it to do over again, would you travel the same way?

Skagway, Alaska

The U.S. State Department on July 13 will raise the price for visas, passports and other consular services to reflect what the department determined is the true cost to provide such services.

Here’s what the little blue book will cost you after the 13th:

Adult passport. The State Department will begin charging $110—which is $35 more than the current price—plus a $25 execution fee, which is not retained by the department.

For more detailed information, visit the State Department site.

You can read the complete press release below:

Pawtucket, Rhode Island (April 30, 2010)…Starting May 1, 2010, Collette Vacations offers complimentary roundtrip home to airport sedan service – including gratuities – on ALL of its air-inclusive tours. This personalized service which launched April 1, 2009 on select tours has now evolved to encompass the company’s full product line of over 125 tours to all 7 continents, including its Smithsonian Journeys Travel Adventures learning vacations and Explorations small group tours. The value added, exclusive service is available in many U.S. cities within a 50-mile radius of major U.S. gateways. Collette launched last year with 75 airport gateways and is now up to 91 gateways… a 21% increase.

“Our free sedan service takes our passengers from their home to the airport and back and has distinguished Collette in the marketplace this past year,” says Dan Sullivan, Collette president and CEO. “Launched during the height of the economic crisis when other travel companies were cutting back services, Collette was ideally positioned to fill the demand for value and a great travel deal.”

Travel agents have responded favorably to the personalized service with many reporting that it has helped clinch a sale because it provides clients the opportunity to take advantage of better airfares out of bigger airports, and has made their travel more affordable.

For full details on Collette’s complimentary roundtrip home to airport sedan service, visit www.collettevacations.com or call 1-800-528-0351.

And thanks to Traveling Well’s own Sublime Muse aka Melissa McKee, Collette’s Public Relations Specialist who crafted this release.

First, I make sure that all of my employees and customers are safe.

As long as everyone is safe, I’d chalk this up to a delay that can’t be helped.  Many people were supposed to leave on a trip and had to cancel.  That is not good, because you wait sometimes months to go on a vacation, then something like this happens, and you have to rearrange everything. Your excited anticipation leads to disappointment… and inconvenience.  But again, the big picture to me is, safety first.

How can you rationalize a volcano? 

You can’t. All you can really do is work with what you’ve got, and do what you have to do.  That may mean:

• Switching your trip to a different destination 
• Or picking a different date (so far, many of our travelers are doing this – they still want to travel to Europe and they’re rebooking for later in the year. It’s great to see). 

No matter what, remember the most important thing; you are home, safe, and able to choose what to do on a future date.  I believe that things do happen for a reason. 

Working Together

I am grateful I have a great team in place on the road, helping our travelers affected by this natural event. They are working around the clock to make sure everyone is comfortable, safe and taken care of. It’s a nice feeling – knowing you can depend on your team, knowing your customers are in the most capable hands.

If you can’t travel, what do you do in the meantime?

As Bill Belichick, coach of the Patriots, often says, “It is what it is.”  You can’t fight Mother Nature. Just be thankful that even though you might be waiting in some airport or stuck at home and changing arrangements, that you’re safe. And now there is really only one thing to do – wait for the dust to clear.

It always does.

These things do happen and we all continue traveling the world. That’s enough for me.

One Pillar Pagoda, Hanoi

A digital clock in Hanoi’s center counts down the seconds to year 1,000.

2010 is the year of Hanoi’s 1,000th birthday, an event that will be marked by a series of celebrations in this vibrant metropolis – and intriguing travel destination.

Do you remember how you celebrated our country’s bicentennial in 1976? That 4^th of July I spent the week with my mother, father and brother on our boat which was docked on Lake Winnipesaukee in New Hampshire. Even to my even-year-old eyes, the atmosphere was festive – lots of food and red, white and blue.

A trio of rebel rousers which included my Dad, a family friend who was spending the weekend with us, and a guy two boats down from ours decided to dress up like that iconic image of the Revolutionary War—the Colonial drummer, fife and flag bearer—to mark our nation’s 200^th birthday.

I saw a photo of the famous trio recently while digging through a shoe box of old family photos. In the aging Polaroid, a small plastic table turned upside down served as the drum with beer bottles for drum sticks and Dad, impersonating the wounded soldier, had wrapped a rag stained red (with ketchup?) around his head and used a paper towel cardboard tube as his flute. An American flag was pulled from the stern of our boat.

Yes, as I recall they were quite a sight marching around the marina singing Patriotic songs off tune. I thought it was funny back then. My kids would probably be mortified if my husband and his merry friends tried to pull a stunt like that.

Historic milestones give us a reason to celebrate (plus, a few pre-fireworks cocktails apparently do the trick as well). And whether marking 200 years or 1000 years, you know there will be performances and festivities to commemorate the historic event.

Travelers to Hanoi can expect no less in 2010.

Here you will find ancient temples; the labyrinthine Old Quarter, considered the jewel of Hanoi because of its ideal location near pristine Hoan Kiem Lake and a shopper’s paradise; and colorful outdoor markets.  Hanoi which has witnessed considerable economic and cultural growth in the last couple of decades is a great place to try flavorful street food.

A two night stay in Hanoi is featured on Smithsonian Journeys Travel Adventures Treasures of Angkor Wat & Vietnam, a custom crafted tour that offers the best in educational travel. 

This exciting 16-day journey through Southeast Asia showcases the fascinating history, culture, and artistic treasures of Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam. In addition to Hanoi, you can explore Thailand’s vibrant Bangkok and Siem Reap, Cambodia’s gateway to the temple complex of Angkor.

Throughout this region, your journey is enhanced by guided tours, expert-led discussions and leisure time to explore on your own.

Readers, have you been to Hanoi or traveled with Smithsonian Journeys Travel Adventures? I’m sure our travelers planning a visit in 2010 to Southeast Asia would love to hear your thoughts on the city and the region.

Machu Picchu is scheduled to formally reopen today, April 1^st (no April fooling). This is good news for Peru and the nearby South American countries of Brazil, Chile and Argentina. It seems Machu Picchu, the Inca citadel, is a big draw for travelers to the continent and its closing in January due to landslides and flooding caused by heavy rains, hurt overall tourism to the area. Part of the  rail line–the only access to Machu Picchu (aside from hiking)–reopened earlier this week after the storms damaged tracks and cut off the world-famous archaeological site in Peru which thankfully wasn’t damaged.

 Peru is ready to welcome back visitors with open arms and there will surely be pent up demand for vacations that include this famed site. And while Machu Picchu is like the infamous Hope diamond of travel sites, one must remember that even this large, blue colored beauty believed to be cursed is surrounded by white diamonds. My point…there are plenty of glittering regional gems – experiences that are worth a peek as well. Here are a just a few of the biggies – feel free to tell me your favorites.

1. The sight of thundering Iguazu Falls
2. A cruise to the floating islands of the Uros people of Lake Titicaca
3. A foot and paddle canoe adventure in the Peruvian Amazon Basin
4. Crossing the Andes Mountains in Southern Chile�
   

   Wine tasting in Mendoza

5. Wine tastings in Mendoza, Argentina’s bodegas 

However, because of the existing damage in some railway segments between the Sacred Valley (Ollantaytambo) and Machu Picchu, access to the site will now require a 50 minute bus ride from the Sacred Valley (Ollantaytambo station) up to Piscacucho, followed by an 80 minute train ride to Machu Picchu train station (Aguas Calientes). This bus-train combined service will be provided by PeruRail. 

Collette travelers will still have the full experience aboard the famous Vistadome train to Machu Picchu. Time spent on the train is only about 15 minutes shorter than when groups could take the train direct from Ollantaytambo. Passengers returning on trains from Machu Picchu back to Ollantaytambo or Cusco will also have to transfer by bus from Piscacucho.

And thanks to the amazing engineering talents of the ancient Incas, the ruins at Machu Picchu were not damaged by the recent floods. The terraces cut into the side of the mountain hundreds of years ago are still doing their job, supporting the lost city and dispersing rain water.

At Collette, the safety and security of our passengers and employees remains our number one priority. Our crack staff continues to closely monitor the situation. We’ll keep you posted on any changes.

Frank, the VP of Sales for Collette Vacations, discusses Oberammergau, Collette’s Big Book (our comprehensive brochure) and the resurgence of interest in travel to Israel .

He also details Collette’s best in the business No Worries Protection Plan and our complimentary roundtrip home to airport sedan service .

Thanks to Sandy Dhuyvetter for this great interview.