Happy Easter (or should I say Hoppy Easter), Happy Passover (I think there is still another night?!), and Happy long weekend!

Whatever you celebrate, I hope you're with family and friends, and having a wonderful feast, celebrating being together.

I hope the bunny (or whatever chocolate-giver you have in your family or household) is good to you, and the wine is free flowing!

Take some time for fun, and for you!

Happy celebrations!

My boutique agency is called Lush Life Travel. I am an affiliate of Vision Travel. Vision Travel has recently rebranded to Direct Travel. 

As a client Lush Life Travel, this change won't really impact you. You will begin to see some logo differences on invoices you receive from me for travel (as per our regulators), and you'll see Vision Travel now be referred to as Direct Travel Company.

Just wanted you to know. And - if you click some of the marketing links I have in the offers section below, you'll notice the migration over to a Direct Travel link as well.

Also - the visiontravel email is migrating over to direct travel.

You can always email me at sheila@lushlife.ca 

If you use the sheila.gh@visiontravel.ca email - that will still work, and I will still get your email -  but - it will get redirected to the new sheila.gh@dt.com 

I'll still here! Email me either way. Or, of course, you can still call me at 613-837-0699.

AMA’s land program includes the hotel with breakfast, a city tour, 

and transfer to ship. It also has the services of the cruise manager.

For AMA’s pre or post cruise stay, they note:
*Our land packages include overnight stays at 4- and 5-star hotels 

conveniently located near the major sites; daily breakfast at the 

hotel; guided city tours and excursions; convenient transfers 

to and from the ship; and the services of a professionally 

trained Cruise Manager throughout your river cruise and land stay 

– unique in the industry.

This will give you a good idea.  It’s a recording that my cruise 

manager did with my business development manager about what 

the cruise manager does onboard the ship – but – also with the 

pre-cruise and post-cruise stay. AMA is the only cruise line where 

the cruise manager travels with the guests. 

I can tell you that I watched the AMA cruise manager onboard my AMA Colors of Provence cruise work tirelessly to get clients sorted - both from Paris (they hired a motor coach as backup when the TGV was threatening to be impacted by the strikes - which mine was. I ended up catching a flight from Paris to TGV.)  And she also worked tirelessly to get people from Arles to wherever they had to be at the end when a massive train disruption/ road blockages were threatened for the day we were disembarking on Mar.23.23.

I personally had to take a cab from Arles to Avignon on disembarkation when my regional TER train was cancelled, and I was lucky that my TGV from Avignon to Paris ran as scheduled. I was lucky that the roads were not blocked in Arles.

My cruise manager, Kriss - at the recording above when she was still in Paris at the beginning helping people - was a superstar. She hired buses to get people from Arles to Marseille when their trains were cancelled, and got people from Marseille back to Arles before the next cruise started. And she had to ensure they were on the move early before the road blockages were planned to start at 10 am. She also hired motor coaches to get those doing the post-cruise add on in Barcelona from Arles when those trains were cancelled.

Booking a land package with AMA will not necessarily be the cheapest option if you're counting pennies - it won't be terribly out of line, especially when you add the transfers (and in terms of going from Paris to Lyon, they generally do the TGV, but they also take guests' luggage to Lyon by motor coach so guests don't have to drag their own luggage on the TGV. And in Prague, for example, you are getting that 3 hour transfer from the boat in Germany, or even going to Marseille, you have that transfer) - but I can tell you from my personal experience last month that it will be worth it's weight in gold to have that concierge service available to help you in the time zone you're in, and someone who has the local contacts and speaks the language (cruise managers often speak French, German, Spanish, etc. - and will speak at least English and the language of the country you're in) if and when issues occur.

So, if we're working on an AMA river cruise for you, and I suggest you add the AMA land package, know that I have tested and vetted it personally, and I would highly recommend it for you.  

If you're thinking of heading to Alaska, this year could be the year to go.

The best of the best, Lindblad Expeditions, has several terrific options - as the video above depicts.

See sample itineraries here https://www.expeditions.com/destinations/alaska/

and here https://www.expeditions.com/destinations/alaska#itineraries

Lindblad's sister company, Natural Habitat also does some great touring offers to Alaska - such as https://www.nathab.com/alaska-northern-adventures/alaska-wildlife-safari

But there is also a host of options to Alaska this year - from the larger mass market ships like Holland America https://www.hollandamerica.com/en_US/deals_CAD/anniversary-sale-cruise-offer/cruise-deals-alaska.html and Princess https://www.princess.com/learn/cruise-destinations/alaska-cruises/ , who've been doing large ship cruising to Alaska for years, and do it well.

There are also expedition ships like Lindblad and the smaller Un-cruise.  

We even have Silversea buying the Crystal Cruise Endeavour ship, and rechristening. That will have some wonderful opportunities to Alaska this year.

https://discover.silversea.com/ships/silversea-to-acquire-luxury-expedition-ship-endeavor/

There's so much adventure to be had - from hiking to fishing to kayaking to rail trips to headed to Denali to exploring coastal towns.

Let me know if you'd like to go anchors aweigh to Alaska.

If you live in Ottawa or Montreal, you are all too familiar with the ice storm that went through here on Wednesday. I know there are still pockets without power in both cities. An ice storm in April is almost cruel, especially as we got a peek of warmer weather, and the birds had started to return.  

Here are some pics of Ottawa -  https://ottawa.ctvnews.ca/photo-galleries/photos-of-the-day/frozen-in-time-captivating-photos-of-ice-storm-1.6346166 and Montreal was even hit harder, if that's possible - https://montrealgazette.com/gallery/photos-freezing-rain-in-montreal-april-5-2023 

Of course, we just have to watch our neighbours south of us in the US to look at the bizarre tornados happening this week. And poor California - haven't they had floods and winter storms at the same time?

There's no doubt that the tumult and stress can impact our health. 

And the greyness of an ice storm can kick us into a bad mood - even if we don't have major tree damage, trees down, no power and/or no internet. (Obviously, not minimizing the terrible impact these storms can have with destruction of physical property as well.)

I was just speaking with a cousin who told me how her moods have improved since the clocks went ahead - and just the appearance of sunshine makes everything a little better.

It was a reminder to me to pay attention to that. Seasonal affect disease does make us SAD. As the Mayo Clinic tells us,

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/seasonal-affective-disorder/symptoms-causes/syc-20364651: "Don't brush off that yearly feeling as simply a case of the "winter blues" or a seasonal funk that you have to tough out on your own. Take steps to keep your mood and motivation steady throughout the year."

Pay attention to SAD.  It can have debilitating affects. Here are two other links that will give you some info. 

https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/seasonal-affective-disorder 

and

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/conditions/seasonal-affective-disorder 

Hopefully, the coming sunshine (and please, some actual springtime) will put a literal spring in our step.

Until then, be kind to yourself. Use light therapy if that works for you (my cousin mentioned tanning beds), and get out into the sun when it appears.

I’m headed to Greece with my family next July, and I'm inviting my clients to come along. My husband and I will act as the Azamara Virtuoso Voyages host for the July 8, 2023 sailing onboard the Azamara Quest, roundtrip Piraeus for a Greece Intensive Voyage, for 7 days. I've already booked several clients to come along. 

One of the things we love most about what we do is matching our clients tastes' with the greatest hotels in the world.  And with our preferred status with these industry leading hotel brands it means our clients are instant VIP's with upgrades and special perks that you only get working with an elite partner.  So, not only do we have the best rates, but more importantly you get an exceptional experience over and above what you would booking direct or with a credit card.

See the special programs I'm affiliated with below, and let me know if you’d like to discuss a specific hotel stay.

For specific articles about why you should book with an advisor, rather than book by yourself, see here:

Why Wouldn't You Do It Yourself

Booking a Cruise Yourself vs With Advisor

Booking Hawaii Yourself vs Through Advisor

Booking Rocky Mountaineer Yourself vs With Advisor

See some additional detail on these preferred HOTEL PROGRAMS

A&K 100 Club ;  Accor Step & Fairmont ,  Belmond Bellini Club Program ;  

Couture by Langham;  Dorchester Diamond Club;  Four Seasons Preferred, 

Hilton Impresario;  Hyatt Privé Program; IHG Hotel Program ;  

Jumeirah’s Passport to Luxury , Kempinski Club 1897; Luminous Hotel Program ,

Mandarin Oriental Fan Club; Marriott Stars & Luminous , Pearl Partner Oetker;  

Peninsula Fan Club , Preferred Hotel Program ; Rocco Forte Knights Program 

Rosewood Elite ; Small Luxury Hotels 

And - I wanted to let you know about a new way for you to book hotels online 24 hours a day, 7 days a week... You can now browse and book hotels online https://www.virtuoso.com/advisor/sheilagallanthalloran/travel/luxury-hotels  at your convenience – and what’s more, you’ll still receive all the usual benefits you get when I book your travel - including full service, preferred rates, and exclusive amenities.  And once you make a booking, the information comes directly to me so I can follow up with you about additional services or whatever else you may need!

It’s perfect for last minute getaways, weekend breaks, or other short trips!

I’m sure once you try it you’ll agree you get the best of both worlds; the ease and convenience of online booking – plus the value and VIP treatment I know you love. As long as you don't need me to provide any additional services or assistance, you can book hotels yourself with my Virtuoso partners, and I will waive normal booking and management fees. (If you need additional assistance after the booking, normal fees will apply.)

One point, though - if you're looking to stay at week at a Four Seasons partner around the world, say, having me book your holiday through my Four Seasons preferred partners directly (rather than you self-booking through the Virtuoso.com booking engine link above) will bestow additional benefits that I can leverage as a preferred Four Seasons partner. So, let me know if you want to book a Four Seasons, but I can get some extra benefits and "love" for you. 

Of course, this Virtuoso.com booking link and the benefits of you booking yourself, if you choose, doesn’t change any of the services I already offer. I’m still available in person to book hotels and take care of your other travel needs. Just know you now have access to this VIP online hotel booking option now, too.

I'm here when you need me.