5 Ways to Banish Post-Vacation Sickness: Part 1

In addition to death and taxes, I can always count on the Post-Vacation Sickness. Sneezy, snotty, congested, icky tummy - you get the picture. It seems that without fail, after every vacation I have at least a few days of post-travel sickness. This past year, after spending a glorious few days in Miami in January, I was blessed with a particularly bad case of bronchitis. Good times, people, good times.

I am always fastidious (today's SAT word, folks!) about washing my hands anytime I am on a plane, in a hotel room, a cruise cabin, etc. I am not a germaphobe by any means, but I am a clean person who tries to do what she can to combat illness. No matter how I try, the germ bugs seem to find me, determined to take up residence in my body.

So THIS time, after doing lots of research and talking to friends, I have come up with a plan that will *hopefully* result in zero snotty noses, no more watery eyes and will save me about $50 in Kleenex. Here's hoping!

So here is my 5-point plan for telling those germs to take a hike:

1. Make my own wet wipes, and use them to clean off the plane seat, as well as surfaces in my hotel room and cruise cabin.

My Mouse World Travel co-worker Jeanne said that each time she flies, she takes baby/wet wipes and rubs down their plane seat, tray table, etc. GREAT idea. You know darn well that those things don't get properly cleaned in the 8 minutes between passengers leaving the plane, and the next group coming on.

I found this recipe online for homemade wipes, and I'm going to try them out. I am ready for the confused and questioning stares from my fellow passengers as I wipe down my little area of the plane, but it'll be worth it if I don't end up sick.

Oh - and NEVER use those pillows or blankets on the plane. Ewww. Roll up a sweater, or pack a pashmina or large scarf and use that instead. When you get to your destination, make sure you clean whatever you used as a pillow/blanket, as that touched the plane as well.

I am happier NOT knowing what kinds of germs are on those airplane pillows and blankets. Blech.

2. Use essential oils.

For the past few months, I've been using doTERRA Essential Oils for cleaning, general wellness, etc and I LOVE them. I've had a lot of success keeping small sicknesses at bay (sick people ALL around me and so far, no sickness here!) with the oils, so I plan on making them a part of my plan.

I will use a few drops of their OnGuard blend into my water bottles, and also rub it on my feet each night. I also plan on taking the Lemon and Lime oils, which are natural disinfectants. On the days I fly, I'll also rub OnGuard and Breathe on my chest.

3. Water. Lots and lots of water.

In researching, I found that the post-travel sickness thing is felt by lots of people. (Glad to know I am not the only one!) I read over and over again that this is due in part to the air in the plane. I won't get all sciencey on you (I couldn't be all sciencey, even if I wanted to!) but in essence, there is very low humidity on planes. We have a natural defense in our bodies, via the mucus in our lungs and noses, that keeps those germs at bay. However, when there is such low humidity, those natural defenses dry up. And because of this, staying hydrated can combat the effects of the humidity and help to hydrate your body, which keeps you healthier.

Phew. OK, all done with the science part. (And bet you didn't think you'd ever see the word mucus on this blog! Ha!)

I tend to drink Diet Coke on planes but I will be going 100% water this time around. I am also going to buy my own water bottle after I go through security, vs drinking the water they serve on the plane. I don't mean to imply that the water that they serve is bad (they pour from bottled water), but it makes me feel better that I am the only one drinking out of that particular bottle, which is opened as they do their service of the plane and thus is subjected to the ickiness in the air. Does that make sense?

4. Do what I can pre-vacation to fit the germ bugs.

Before I even leave home, I will do what I can to lessen the chance that the germs take residence in my body.  I'll do my usual cleanliness, doTERRA oils, etc but will also pay special attention to things like potlucks during the holidays, food that people bring to work, etc.

5. Get enough rest during Christmas week.

Don't get me wrong - I love having lots of family around, and fun activities the week of Christmas. It's awesome to see everyone and visit, play games, watch movies late into the night, etc but I find that by the time the 28th/29th rolls around, I am SPENT. So this year, I am making a concerted effort to get enough sleep. If we stay up late one night, I'll set the alarm for 1/2 hour later the next day, for example. When we have some downtime, I'll put my feet up and doze for a few minutes, if I need to.

I leave in a few days for sunny Florida, and when I get back I'll report truthfully on if my wellness plan worked, helped a little bit, or fell flat on its face.

Be sure to follow along here on the blog and on social media as I'll be sharing videos, photos, etc from my trip to Disney World and on the Disney Cruise Line.

How do you keep healthy when on vacation? Please share here, or on my social media pages!

Have a magical day!

It's Vacation Time, Baby! My Travel Checklist

First, I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and are still celebrating with your family and friends. I don't know that we have any set-in-stone plans for today; will probably just visit as the kids play with their Christmas presents.

As I leave for Orlando in just a few days (!!!), it's time for that pre-trip ritual, the "Holy crap, I am leaving in a few days and here's what I have to get done" vacation checklist.

It's truly a time-honored tradition, one where I run around like a banshee in the days and hours before my trip, trying to do the things that inexplicably I put off doing in the weeks beforehand. Because pre-preparation and relaxed packing is for suckers.

* I am going to lay out the clothes I want to take, and then edit from there. Once again, I'm going to pack in just a carry on and a backpack (for the post that started me on the road to "Carry On Only", here is that post!). We're going to stay at Saratoga Springs for a few days, and then head over to the cruise on January 2nd. We'll have laundry in our villa at Saratoga, so I can do laundry and there's no need to pack 1/2 my wardrobe.

* I'll find, and assemble, my cruise "extras". I have magnets for our stateroom door, and my Fish Extender as I am participating in the FE again for this cruise. We are also doing a Secret Santa, but I am picking up that gift at Disney so no need to pack that. Phew.

* One of these trips, I am going to come up with a "master list" of things I always bring every trip, so I don't have to try and recreate the list each time. We'll see, maybe this will be the time. Or I'll just wing it, like I always have. (It's important to have goals.)

* I like my house to be mostly clean and put together before I go out of town, so in the next few post-Christmas days I'll tidy up and get the house in decent shape. However, I am not going to tackle taking down decorations until AFTER I get back.

* I am going to take some time to write blog posts for 2015 and take and edit LOTS of pictures while on this trip (yes, it's vacation but this work IS relaxing for me), so I want to make sure and bring my nice camera. And the lenses. You laugh - but this fall I went to the Disney Archives exhibit in Chicago, took that fancy camera with me - - and forgot to put on a lens. Rookie mistake.

How do you get ready for vacation? What are your rituals, traditions, etc?

Have a great Saturday!

Merry Christmas!

Christmas 2014 is upon us, and as you celebrate with your family and friends I am sending you and yours wishes for the most blessed and festive Christmas!

I leave on the 30th for my next Disney adventure, and of course I'll be bringing you along for the ride!

In the meantime, have a wonderful Christmas ~ God Bless You, everyone!

BEWARE Travel Scams! How to Spot a Con Artist

Today I read yet another story about someone who'd posed as a travel agent, and stole/scammed people who were making plans to visit Disney World. According to the story (you can read it here), a woman posed as a travel agent and stole over $100,000 from families who were planning trips. She has pled guilty and is paying restitution to her victims.

It makes my blood BOIL when I read these stories - and unfortunately, they aren't rare. I read one article about a year ago where a school band or choir was heading to Disney World to preform, drove all the way there, showed up to their hotel and were told they had no reservations. The person who booked their trip took all the money, instead, and they were never booked! How heartbreaking.

In light of this, I wanted to share with you some ways to spot a crook when it comes to travel. This is by no means an exhaustive list but hopefully this will give you something to think about as you look for a travel agent.

* Work with someone you trust, or with someone who's worked with a friend/family member so you can ask about their vacation, working with that person, etc.  

Word of mouth is one of the ways that many travel agents grow their businesses. Referrals are the backbone of our business and nothing makes us happier than when you pass along our information to your friends and family. (This is how most of my clients find out about me!) Ask your friend how the agent was to work with, how responsive they are, trustworthy, etc. And most importantly, did they have a successful trip (such as the ever-important, did they had a reservation when they showed up!?).

You won't always find a travel agent via acquaintances, of course. You might see a billboard, or an ad on Google. If you have no personal knowledge of them, ask if you can speak with or email a few of their past customers and ask questions to make sure they're on the up-and-up. Any legitimate business person won't balk at this.

* NEVER give someone cash or write them a personal check for the the entirety of your trip cost.

If a "travel agent" asks you to write them a personal check, or give them cash, in payment for a trip - RUN, don't walk. Anyone who says "Just give me the cash/make the check out to me and I will take care of it" is not to be trusted. Deposits and final payments are processed by the vendor and money should not change hands via the agent. Your TA will ask for your credit or debit card information to process the reservation on the vendor's website, and will be able to provide you with documentation of this every step of the way (deposits, final payment receipt, etc).

The exception to the "don't give cash or check to your TA" are agents who have a booking free or travel planning fee, which is completely normal and above-board. This should be spelled out clearly for you when you're looking to book a vacation with an agent who has fees.

* If it sounds too good to be true - it probably is.

Keep your antenna up for things that seem just TOO good to be true. If you see someone advertising a $1,000 Walt Disney World vacation for a family of four during Christmas, for example, that should set off all sorts of alarm bells. OR, if someone says something along the lines of, "Book your vacation with me because Disney lets me offer special deals that no one else can" - RUN RUN RUN.

* Confirmation numbers and receipts should be available on official letterhead/email from the destination and ready to send to you at any time.

Once your vacation is deposited and/or paid for, your TA will be able to get your a confirmation number, and also email you receipts showing what was paid, on what date, for your files. With Disney, for example, you now enter that number into MyDisneyExperience.com and can see your reservation information yourself, on their official website. Agents also have the ability to email you the payment history and final receipt for your vacation.

If a TA cannot give you confirmation from the vendor that your trip is booked, or hesitates giving you that information - FLASHING RED SIGN! Beware!

It's sad that we live in a world where people scam families out of their hard-earned vacation dollars, but unfortunately they're out there.

Things Your Travel Agent CAN (and CAN'T!) Do!

I read an article a few weeks ago (I think it was on the Huffington Post's website) that talked about the reasons to use a travel agent when you book a vacation. Many were great reasons, but I felt others were pretty inaccurate or just plain wrong. (I can't seem to find that article again - - but when I do, I will post it for you over on the Facebook page.)

In an attempt to correct what I see as misinformation, I wanted to add my voice to the mix. So, without further ado, for your reading pleasure:

Things Your Travel Agent CAN (and CAN'T!) Do For You!

What we CAN do:

* We monitor and receive communication from vendors about discounts, upcoming pricing specials, etc. Sometimes, we are even able to apply newly-released discounts to vacations that are already booked! For instance, I had a client book their Disney World trip and about a month later the Play, Stay and Dine offer was released. I called Disney for them, and was able to apply that discount to their trip, saving them over $400!

* Not only do we monitor info about discounts and specials, we are also on the pulse of news with the location/destination, including upcoming renovations and construction news. It's our job to stay on top of what's going on with the destination and communicate that information to you, so you don't have to spend hours of your life slogging through the internet or setting up Google alerts.

For example, earlier this year we heard about the construction going on at the Polynesian and Wilderness Lodge resorts and were able to advise clients, in case that would affect their decision to stay there. Better that, than booking it and THEN realizing when you get there that the pool's on refurbishment, or that one of the food courts is not in service!

* We take care of the booking of your trip, but also the minutiae that comes along with planning a vacation. For example, with Disney we stay on top of things for you, like dates for Dining reservations, dates you can pick your FastPass+ attractions, and much more.  We stay up until Midnight to make those FP+ reservation dates, and wake up at 6AM to get your breakfast at Cinderella's Royal Table so YOU don't have to!

* Once you're on your trip, we're a resource in case anything should go amiss. One of the greatest benefits about booking your trip with your travel agent, vs doing it online or by yourself, is we're a resource if/when things go wrong. They don't often, but it's nice to have someone in your corner who can help you and can try to make it better.

This could be as small as a location not having your Dining reservation listed, or as large as needing help if someone in your group has a medical emergency. It's nice to have a helper in case things go wrong!

* We know fun little facts and hints about your destination that we share with you.  I always love when I can share little tidbits of info with clients, like the best places to get ice cream or where to find the best margaritas on property.

What we CAN'T do:

* We cannot make the prices cheaper. We do not set the prices, or have the ability to discount them further; that is all decided by the destination. Now, as noted above we are on the pulse of discounts so we can monitor those for you - but we do not have the ability to make vacations cheaper.

* We can't make Dining or FastPass+ slots open out of thin air, or create availability where there is none. One item I read in the Huffington Post article talked about using a TA because they have relationships with concierges and can make availability at select restaurants appear, for example, or get you tickets to that sold-out concert or play. In some cases this *might* be true, but is certainly not across the board.

While many of us do have good relationships with individuals who work at the destinations, that doesn't mean we're able to make you the dining reservation on New Years Eve a week in advance, or create more FastPass+ slots to meet Anna and Elsa. We are great at finding answers and we love to problem-solve with you, but there are often things that are out of our control.

* We're unable to change weather patterns, weather delays, etc. You might be laughing right now, but many TAs have horror stories about people getting very upset at them because there's a snowstorm forecasted the day they leave, or their airport closes/has delays. We'll be here to assist you if your plans get delayed by "acts of God" but unfortunately we don't have control over Mother Nature.

* We don't know if/when discounts are going to be released until a day or two before.  In particular for Disney, there is no set-in-stone timeline for when things are SOMETIMES offered (such as Free Dining in the fall). Very few, if any, destinations have a schedule for when discounts are released each year (and most don't want to create such a schedule, because in their eyes they don't want you to wait and book a trip only when a discount is involved). We often find out the same time as you all do, maybe a few days sooner. When we do hear for sure, we get that information out to you ASAP so you can make a decision if those dates and/or that promo works best for you.

If there are other travel agents who are readers, please chime in and leave comments here and/or on social media!

As always, thank you for reading - - and have a magical day!

Pictures from Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort

Today I bring new some new pictures from Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort. My co-worker Brook was recently at a conference at WDW, and took some pictures of the newly re-designed rooms at Caribbean Beach.

I think it looks pretty great - I love that they're removing the (old, dated, dirty - blech) bedspreads from the rooms, and doing the duvet covers instead.

Without further ado, here are the pictures! Thanks again to Brook for sharing!

Have a magical day!

Getting in the Christmas Spirit - My Daily Christmas Challenge

Happy Monday, everyone! I hope you all had a great weekend. I went to a really fun Christmas party on Saturday night; my friends host it every year and we eat good food, sing Christmas songs around the piano - it really gets me in the Christmas spirit!

As much as I love the Christmas season (for many reasons), I admit I get too caught up in all the "to do" items. Just this morning, as I was getting ready I was counting off the days in my head, and all the things I have to get accomplished before Christmas AND going on vacation.

I worry that getting caught up in all the minutiae takes away from the joy of the season, and so I've decided to make a concerted effort to keep in a good frame of mind, and really ENJOY these weeks before Christmas. To me, the best way to do that is to have one thing each day, no matter how big or small, that puts me in the spirit of the season and reminds me to take each day as it comes, and enjoy this time of year.

So, here is my list:

December 8th: We're doing a gift exchange / Secret Santa this year in our travel agency. I am doing the "crafty" part of my person's gift tonight, and then mailing it to her in the next few days. I'm pretty excited about it, I hope it turns out!

December 9th: As a Christmas "gift" to myself, I am going to take a break from technology (no checking my phone, email, Facebook, etc) and settle down with a good book. For whatever reason I don't seem to find or make the time to read, but I love it. I'm going to grab my Kindle, a snack and snuggle on the couch with my puppy and some cozy blankets.

December 10th: I'll watch one of the greatest (in my opinion) Christmas movies of ALL TIME, Elf. I'm not a huge Will Ferrell fan, but in this movie I think he's perfect. The best combo of funny AND heartwarming. And an endless supply of quotable lines. ("You sit on a throne of lies!")

December 11th: Tonight, I am going to finish up my Christmas shopping. I feel like I have a lot to get, but in reality, it isn't that much. I'll head to Target, grab a coffee from Starbucks to enjoy while I stroll, and take my time. No need to rush around, this night is all about finalizing that gift list.

December 12th: My cousin's wife and I are having an essential oils get-together at my place tonight. Afterwards, I think I'll unwind by listening to Christmas music while I tidy up after the party. My new favorite Christmas music station is on the free app, Songza. Check it out and download it - there are TONS of free stations and their Classic Christmas one is my favorite.

December 13th: On this day, I'm heading to Des Moines to spend the day with my friend Bekka. We'll do some Christmas shopping, have a great lunch and just spend some fun time together.

December 14th: Since my Christmas shopping will now be done, today is the 2014 Present Wrapping Extravaganza! I'll put on Christmas music and might even brew some mulled cider to enjoy while I wrap.

December 15th: One of my FAVORITE parts about Christmas are the lights and decorations that people do on their homes, from the simple to the elaborate. Tonight I am going to brew a mug of my favorite Dunkin Donuts coffee, get in the car, and make a leisurely drive around town, looking at everyone's Christmas lights.

December 16th: As another "gift to me, from me", I'm going to take my laptop to our local Starbucks, buy myself a holiday-themed beverage (my personal fav is the ever-popular Peppermint Mocha!) and do some blog/travel work. I really like sitting and working in Starbucks and for some reason hardly ever do it, so tonight is the night!

December 17th: We'll have our office Christmas party at lunch time today. Yummy food, good conversation AND the best desserts ever?! Sign me up!

December 18th: Each Thursday night during the Christmas season, one of the area churches hosts a Live Nativity. For two hours, volunteers dress as Joseph, Mary, the Wise Men, etc and re-enact the Nativity scene in an outdoor set. I am going to bundle up, brew some coffee in the Keurig, and walk the few blocks downtown to see the Nativity for myself.

December 19th: Tonight, I am watching my cousin's kids (ages 1 and 3) and am going to attempt a Pinterest craft with them. We'll then wrap it up, and they can give it to their parents for Christmas.

(Yes, I am going to do/attempt a craft with two kids under 4. By myself. Pray for me.)

December 20th: On this day, I am going to finalize my Christmas Eve menu (I'm having my family over for dinner that night). Part of the prep is getting out my pretty Christmas dishes and serving ware - this always get me in the Christmas spirit!

December 21st: Tonight, I'll watch another one of my favorite Christmas movies, the classic White Christmas. I love older movies and this is one of the best, holiday-themed or not.

December 22nd: Only three days to Christmas! To relax and get ready for Christmas festivities (and vacation!) I am going to go to our local nail salon and get my fingernails and toes painted and pretty.

December 23rd: For our extended family celebration on Christmas day, we have a menu of appetizers and soups in crock pots, which is not only easy but fun as you get to try little bites of lots of things. On this day, I'll assemble what I'm taking (a SUPER easy and yummy potato soup and the salsa that my family loves, recipes linked, check them out!) and make my final Christmas preparations.

December 24th: Our family's Christmas Eve tradition is church, a nice meal, and then we open our gifts. It's always a fun, festive night with family. I love watching my nieces open their Christmas gifts - I think having kids around the celebrations make Christmas that much more special and fun. It's awesome to see it through their eyes.

December 25th: It's Christmas! :) Today, I'll go over to my parents house where my larger extended family will be gathered for the day. Most of my cousins and their kids/spouses will be there, so it'll be a great day. Food coma at the end of the day, naturally.

What ways do you mark the Holiday season? What are your favorite traditions / events / etc? Please share here and on Facebook / Twitter!

Have a magical day!

A Little Change for the Facebook Page...And Happy Birthday, Walt!

Hi all! Happy Friday; hope you've got lots of fun (and relaxing!) weekend plans coming up. A few things to cover today:

First, today is Walt's Birthday! Happy Birthday to the original Mouseketeer; I couldn't imagine a world without Disney in it and thanks to Walt's vision, we don't have to! Hope you're having a big party up there in Heaven today!

Second, I wanted to talk Facebook. You might have already seen my Facebook post over at the Most Delightful Place / Mouse World Travel page but in case you haven't, I wanted to go over it here.

Starting in 2015, Facebook is going to start to limit the reach that Business pages have. Right now, if you Like a page, you will see most of their posts on your News Feed. I say most of, because Facebook already has algorithms and equations that figure out what pages you engage with the most, and so you don't see EVERY post from your Likes and Friends. (That's another rant, for another day!)

With the changes, a Business page will have to pay for advertising for you to see their posts. This will pretty dramatically change the way that Business pages reach and engage with their audience. We don't know yet the cost for this advertising, but for many small businesses (including mine), it will probably be cost-prohibitive.

So in light of this, I am going to be doing a few new things:

* A new Facebook Group

A Group on Facebook doesn't have the same requirements as a Business page. It's also great because vs a Business page, you can have more of a dialogue with everyone (anyone who is a member of the group can post, which is fun!). As long as you are part of the group, updates and posts will show up on your News feed. I have created a new Group for Mouse World Travel - Katie Miller; that link is below. Please go to that page, and join us! (I am working on getting a URL for it that doesn't' have all those numbers!)

https://www.facebook.com/groups/402554303228354/

* An email newsletter

In 2015, I am going to be launching a monthly newsletter that will update you twelve times a year with all things Disney: information on promos and discounts, blog updates, pictures, and more!

If you want to be sure and be on the mailing list, please Subscribe with the field on the upper right hand side of this web page. I won't spam you, or share your email address - I promise! :)

I am also going to be posting more on Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest so be sure and follow me over there so you don't miss a minute. :)

Thank you for reading and following along!

Have a magical day!

My Review: Disney on Ice - Worlds of Fantasy!

Hello, everyone! I hope you had a great Thanksgiving. The last few weeks of November got away from me - the holidays are so busy, aren't they? Busy, but fun.

On Sunday, November 30th, I went with my friend Katie to Des Moines to see Disney on Ice: Worlds of Fantasy! Katie contacted me a few months ago about going, and you know I was up for anything Disney! :) We decided to go to the Sunday matinee, grab lunch beforehand and have a nice day together. It was also Katie's birthday, so it was a fun way to celebrate with her!

We arrived at the Wells Fargo Arena in downtown Des Moines. Katie had gotten us GREAT seats; we were very close to the stage, which was awesome.

At the Arena, there were tables set up in the lobby area with food, plush characters, photos, coloring books, etc. The moral of the story here - if you go to a Disney show and want some snacks, bring PLENTY of cash! An 8oz cup with a slushie was $15, and a bag of cotton candy (with either a Tinkerbell or Lightning McQueen hat) was $12! So needless to say, we did not get any treats, although that light-up cup with the slushie was pretty cool!

The premise of the show is Mickey, Minnie, Donald and Goofy showing you some of the magical fantasy worlds of their friends.  The friends we saw this show were Lightning McQueen, Mater and the gang from Radiator Springs; Tinker Bell and her fairy friends; the group from The Little Mermaid; and the toys from Toy Story 3. Each section of characters was about 20-25 minutes, and was a condensed version of the movie.

Each section was great; Katie and I both commented on how not only were they great skaters with the "tricks", they were also pretty impressive with running across the ice, climbing on pieces of the set, etc. I know for sure I would have ended up on my keister more than once!

My personal favorite section was Toy Story; the story was, of course, great but the costumes and set were AWESOME. Katie and I were both amazed at the coordination it took for TWO skaters to be in the Bullseye and Hamm costumes; can you imagine not only skating with a giant costume covering your whole body but ALSO making sure you move in synch with another person?! Crazy!!  Also, the skater/actor who played the Ken Doll was SPOT ON. His movements mimicked perfectly the motions of Ken from the movie, and his scene with Barbie where he tries on all his outfits was hysterical.

Katie said a Disney on Ice show is always at the Arena on Thanksgiving weekend, so this might become a yearly tradition for me!

To see all of the pictures I took (more than could fit on this post!) be sure and check out the photo album on the Most Delightful Place Facebook page.

Have a magical day!