Author Archives: Laura Elmore
AMA Waterways Review
Laura is on an amazing European river cruise with AMA Waterways. Here is her review thus far: Boarding the ship was incredibly simple. Our taxi was greeted by porters who took our luggage and led us to the reception area. There we presented our passports, were provided our room keys and escorted to our room. [...]
Lauras River Cruise – Amsterdam
Laura is enjoying a Europe River boat cruise with her good friend Ann. Here are some notes she is sharing with us. Amsterdam – Pre Cruise: Our flight here was uneventful. The 777 has individual video screens with choices of movies or TV shows. Dinner was okay and they actually served complimentary wine with the [...]
Lauras Italy Blog – Tuscany to Rome
It’s midnight and we’ve been on the go since 8 a,m, Tomorrow we go to Rome–our time in Tuscany is over. Today we were in Siena, it was even more amazing than I expected! I have taken lots of photos but the internet here is so limited it is hard to send. I also have [...]
Laura’s Italy Blog – Rome to Tuscany
Arrived Rome at 9 a.m. Sunday; left the airport with the group at 10:15. We drove out of Rome and towards Assisi and stopped en route at a small restaurant for pizza and bathroom. Then another drive to arrive at Assisi-all told about 3 hours from the airport. Assisi is an ancient walled city made [...]
Top 10 Reasons to Use a Travel Agent
Here’s an open letter to those who are debating whether to use a travel agent to book their next trip or to go it alone on the Internet: 1. You’ve Googled “Mexico Vacation” and come up with 17.8 million responses. Need a little help editing those choices? 2. Remember when you used that website to [...]
What is an upgrade on a cruise?
Getting a cruise upgrade is very confusing so we would like to help explain exactly what an “upgrade” is. When a cruise ad on TV says “2 category upgrade”, we immediately assume that means you can buy an inside room and get upgraded to a balcony. From inside to outside to balcony. . . that [...]
Arrive at the airport early!
The airport boarding lounge is not the most exciting place to spend your early morning hours, I know. But it’s so much better to be sitting at the gate, waiting for the flight time than to be biting your nails wondering if you will clear security in time to make the gate before the door [...]
“When is the best time to book my trip?”
There is no simple answer to the question as it varies according to the trip you are seeking. Cruise lines have their itineraries available to reserve up to 18 months in advance and usually offer discounts and perks for early booking. Hotels and resorts have prices available approximately 12 months before travel, but airlines do [...]
“I booked my vacation on the Internet to save money”
How many hours did it take you to research where you were going, find the reviews that line up with what you wanted, compared prices to get “the best deal”, then go through the process of putting it all together and paying for it? Never mind the research to be sure you know where to [...]
Laura Elmore
