On Line vs With an Agent

There are so many travel websites, booking a trip can be quite confusing. There are sites from the major airlines, discounters, last minute specialists, niche groups to name a few. Which one to use?
The travel sites associated with a major airline are well established. But the main problem is that they only offer flights on their airline and partners. This limits destinations and travel options. Most of the discounters do offer various airlines, but sometimes the flight connections are on different lines and the chance of lost baggage is increased. Plus, the flights and hotel are usually separate reservations. The last minute operators do not disclose flight times and hotel selections until payment is received. This can be problematic if the hotel needs to be in a certain area, or flights arrive by a certain time.
The main drawback to the last minute and volume discounters is customer service. There is usually no phone number to speak to a live person. Everything is done electronically. Changes are either not allowed or extremely difficult to make.
The niche operators while catering to a specific group of travelers or a certain destination, usually offer more options and can better tailor a trip to meet one's needs. Websites like Damron Vacations offer the flexibilty to book on line, or with an agent, same price. The agents are extremely well trained and knowledgeable about the destinations and optional features. The Customer Service Department is willing to work out issues with hotels or flights within established policies.
While Damron is an established name in the gay and lesbian section of society, the hotels offered include major chains in most cities that have an airport. So if the next trip is home to Butte, Montana, Damron Vacations can arrange a flight, hotel and car for a great rate. You will also be offered a selection of flight options based on service to the destination allowing for additional miles for your favorite carrier, the least expensive, or the best flight schedule.

City of Light

Yes, we have returned to Paris, the city of light. Though there is no definitive origin for the name, it thought to be from it being a center of learning and ideas, or possibly from its early introduction of street lights. Where ever it was derived from the name is fitting.
Monuments are meant to be seen, both night and day. With advancements in technology, designers are no longer confined to spot lights pointed at a structure. Halogen and ribbon lighting are two options to highlight features.
The Eiffel Tower originally erected as a temporary structure, is still standing with pride over the left bank of the Seine. Work has replaced weakened elements and light have been installed. When in Paris a trip to the top is a definite MUST. The view is amazing with the Seine winding past the base and the large boulevards designed by Haussmann stretching off into the distance.
A little up river and on the opposite bank is the Louvre, one of the most famous museums in the world. It started as a small hunting lodge and was transformed by various kings into a monumental palace. After the French Revolution, it was turned into a museum by Napoleon Bonaparte. Its most famous current resident is the Mona Lisa, La Giaconda.
Further up river, but this time on an island is Notre Dame. A massive Gothic cathedral on the Ile de la Cite. Construction lasted almost 200 years beginning in 1160 at the bidding of Bishop Maurice de Sully. During its lifetime, it has been blundered, altered and restored. It has also been home to one hunchback.
To the west of the city lies Versailles, Palace of the Sun King, Louis XIV. He moved the government of France to the palace in the late 17th Century and expanded the building. Lavish spending on the construction nearly bankrupt the country(sound familiar). Later occupants were known for their love of cake, and loosing their heads.
Besides the main landmarks of Paris, there is plethora of smaller less known sights. Museums run the gamut from antiquities to Impressionism. There are monuments to former leaders, historic homes, and more churches than one can pray in. Quaint streets offer cafes to while away an afternoon sipping cafe au lait and munching on pastries. In the Marais section there is a very active alternative community with bars, clubs and cafes catering to its niche clientele.
Let the experienced agents at Damron Vacations help plan you visit to the City of Light. It is a definite Bucket List city.

Memories......

One of the few things that can never be taken away from us by another person. Time my dim them, some diseases will make you live in them, but they are always yours. There are things from my early childhood I remember as if they happened yesterday. Memories of my mother are circa 1966 and a birthday party where she decorated cupcakes with colored coconut, ice cream was in individual cups with wooden paddles for spoons, and we played games like pin the tail on the donkey.
There were the trips into New York City to visit my maternal grandparents and the Museum of Natural History. The enormous blue whale is still vivid in my mind. The smell of Italian food cooking at my grandparent's apartment. My grandmother in her wheelchair, a harbinger of my own mom's fate. Summers were spent at Seaside Heights in a rented apartment or house, the nights spent on the boardwalk.
After the move to North Carolina, the vacations to Daytona Beach, my parent's favorite place to visit, the Blue Ridge Mountains. 1973, we were the Griswalds years before Chevy Chase and Company. Mom's Country Squire, yellow with wood siding, Charlotte to San Francisco, Painted Desert, Grand Canyon, Las Vegas, Hoover Dam, Death Valley(with broken A/C), Bristlecone pine trees, Yosemite. Then the loop through Tahoe, Grand Teton, Yellwstone and the Pacific Coast Highway. My first plane flight.
Senior year in high school was my first taste of international travel. Madrid and Seville with Mrs Cassale. College spring breaks at the beach and Bermuda for my senior year. Tips to Europe after graduation and cruises. Yes, I love to travel.
Along the way I have owned cars, a condo, watches, etc. Most of which are gone, lost or just worn out. But the memories of all those trips and many more will always be with me and are mine to keep. They include the sights and sounds of the destinations, but also the people I with who I traveled. Some are still good friends, some lost to the years. In a way they will always be with me, whether as a high school senior or as they are today.
There was a conference recently where Ryan Howell of San Francisco State University announced the findings of his latest research. Experiences provided more happiness than possessions. The glamor of a purchase might last for three months, but experiences provided happiness long after the actual event. The experiences provided more of a feeling of being alive, and involved social interaction and bonding. By the way, I have no idea what I got at that birthday party.
Let Damron Vacations help you create some memories to keep forever. Maybe a trip to Europe or teh Caribbean, or maybe a trip home to attend a reunion, remember living well is the best revenge. The knowledgeable agents can help make a trip you will remember for a long long time.

Another Friday night

The week is over, and time to start the weekend. Typically for me this is the one night of the week that I will go out. Usually for happy hour then home.
I go to one of, if not THE, most popular places in Wilton Manors. Located in what was once a strip shopping center with a grocery store, it is now the unofficial center of the gay world in Ft Lauderdale. With a large parking lot, which is rare for most bars, it is a first stop for many bar hopping trips. From the parking lot, which it shares with another bar, it is an easy walk to at least 6 other bars and numerous restaurants and shops catering to alternative lifestyles. One of my favorite things about it is, no smoking. With the smoking legislation a few years ago, establishments that sell a certain percentage of food, smoking is prohibited inside. So no going home reeking of cigarette smoke. That and the 2-4-1 cocktails until 9 pm is also nice.
It seems the that usual crowd is there. I had taken a period of time off from bar hopping, so now that I have resumed, it seems the same people are in the same location each week sitting on the same bar stool. Since this is a vacation city, there is always an assortment of tourists. Some of the regulars I recognize from when I moved here over 7 years ago.
One thing I noticed this past weekend is cell phone usage. It seemed that over 50% of the people were calling or texting most of the night. I saw a few couples that seemed to be on dates, and one would leave for refills, the other would pull out a cell phone and start typing. I do not even know how to text on my phone, and since I have worked in a call center, talking on the phone gets old.
If your week's entertainment has become a routine, maybe a weekend get away is in order? A road trip to Key West? Weekend cruise to the Bahamas? Maybe Cancun? Check out the offerings from Damron Vacations, where experienced agents can help plan a long weekend or even a multi-country trip to Europe. With many of the world's economies experiencing a downturn, deals are everywhere. If there is a bunch of people traveling together, Damron Vacations also has a Group Department for 10 or more passengers.