Reflecting on 2022 & Planning for 2023

Another year is coming to a close, and it's been busy.  I spent 13 nights on cruise ships, visited six different countries plus one territory, spent time on both islands and mountains, checked two more national parks off my list, and fulfilled a childhood dream to visit Prince Edward Island.

If you'd like to read a little bit more about my adventures this year, take a look:

• I went on a quick weekend cruise aboard the Carnival Liberty in February and was pleasantly surprised.
• Our family spent the March spring break in Puerto Rico, which was my first visit to the island.
• In May, my friend Mary and I took a girls' cruise around the Mediterranean aboard the Regal Princess.  We visited Gibraltar, Spain, France, and Italy.
• Our summer family vacation changed at the last minute, and we ended up spending a week in August in a cabin outside Breckinridge, Colorado.
• Later in August, I took advantage of living in Florida and took the kids on a quick three-night cruise to the Bahamas on Royal Caribbean's Independence of the Seas.
• At the end of October, I did an off-season road trip through eastern Canada, visiting Montreal, Quebec City, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Nova Scotia.  A highlight of the trip was visiting the Anne of Green Gables House on Prince Edward Island.

I worked with more clients than ever this year, sending over 100 families to destinations all around the globe. I appreciate the trust you all have placed in me to help you plan your family's future memories.  

Looking forward to 2023

My personal travel plans are a bit quiet at the moment as I navigate a period of unemployment in my full-time job.  We do have a trip to Wisconsin for a family wedding planned in April, and an Alaskan cruise on the books for July.  I hope to add Mexico to my personal travel list for next year, possibly in the fall.

We generally plan our big family summer trip about a year in advance, but many of our other travel opportunities tend to sort of spring up along the way; I'm hopeful that I'll be able to add a few more destinations to my calendar!

From a client perspective, I'm booking ALOT of Alaska for this summer! I suspect that it is going to be a very popular destination for the next couple of years, both for land trips and cruises.  Nintendo World at Universal Hollywood opens in February of 2023, and I believe that will be a popular family destination as well.  All-inclusive resorts and cruises continue to be popular, as does Europe - especially Italy and Greece.

Airfare continues to trend high, particularly to Mexico and the Caribbean.  If you are thinking of a trip to an all-inclusive and you aren't picky about the destination, it might be smart to plan based your trip based on the airfare costs.

We are firmly past the pandemic now in terms of the ability to find last-minute deals and wide-open availability.  Although deals can still be found, if you have your heart set on something (destination, hotel, cruise, etc), it is important to book early!  Airfare can be booked 335 days in advance, but many cruises, hotels, resorts, and other destinations can be reserved almost two years before you travel.

What about you? Where are you hoping to travel in 2023?