Sunday, November 19, 2023
My Kind of Town (Chicago)
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Hello, ! Welcome to Lush Life Travel's Sunday newsletter. This week's newsletter will focus on: 1. My Kind of Town (Chicago) 2. River Cruise Corner - Peruvian Amazon River with Aqua Nera 3. Adventure Travel Corner- Glaciers, Grizzlies, and Grand Cities 4. Wellness Travel Corner - Indulge in Nature in Costa Rica 5. Women Focused River Cruise - Info & Daytime Ottawa TV 6. Virtuoso Life - Some Recent Issues & Newsletters 7. Preferred Hotel Programs- Can You VIP Me? 8. Special Offers from Lush Life, Vision/ Direct, Virtuoso Let me know if you'd like to schedule a complimentary consultation!
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1. My Kind of Town (Chicago) I'm just back from Chicago - and, hard to believe, it was my first visit. I attended a Direct Travel conference in the Windy City, staying at the Intercontinental Magnificent Mile. I was singing Frank Sinatra's "My Kind of Town (Chicago)" from the moment I arrived at the airport. And the city didn't disappoint. I had a very busy 3 day conference with networking, one-on-one trade show meetings, professional development sessions helping me improve the businesses processes and systems I employ, building relationships with travel supplier partners and friends from across Canada and the US, as well as travel colleagues. I learned what's new with various hotel partners from Rosewood to Four Seasons to Belmond to Preferred Hotels; met with river cruise partners from AMA Waterways to Uniworld to Avalon to Aqua Expeditions; lunched and dined with expedition cruise partners like Lindblad and Quark and Silversea and Hurtigruten; met up with tour partners like Big Five Expeditions and Natural Habitat and Quark and African
Travel; had sessions with Regent and Oceania and Cunard and Explora; and generally caught up on everything happening in the world of luxury travel - including updates on new ships and itineraries, and new promos coming for Black Friday. And - I won an award as a Direct Travel top-producing travel advisor! Plus, I got to participate in a fun philanthropic event with Abercrombie & Kent partnering with Project Cure, packing medical supplies and scrubs for
Zambia. But, in addition to all that wonderful business work that I was doing on your behalf (to help you better travel the world, because I leverage those strengthened relationships for you), it's the location of the conference in Chicago that blew me
away. Have you been to the top of the John Hancock building to see the city? Have you taken an architectural cruise of the city on a beautiful fall day? Have you toured the gangster history of Al Capone, or gone to some terrific jazz clubs? Have you been to Chicago's famous Devon Avenue's authentic Indian restaurants (like Mehrab restaurant) - or tried some deep dish pizza - or been to The Beef (a spot that inspired "The Bear" TV show https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14452776/ ) ? Have you shopped along the Magnificent Mile, or the White House Black Market? Maybe it's time to
go? Here are some Virtuoso hotelier partners in Chicao https://www.virtuoso.com/advisor/sheilagallanthalloran/travel/luxury-hotels/search#cities=Chicago&states=Illinois&sort=HotelNameAsc Let me know if we should plan a visit for you. 2. River Cruise Corner - Peruvian Amazon River with Aqua Nera Be inspired by life aboard the Aqua Expeditions' new Aqua Nera ship. From early morning wildlife excursions and delicious rainforest-to-table cuisine to swapping stories and sipping sunset cocktails together, life in the
Amazon beats to a different drum. Custom-designed in Vietnam by award-winning Noor Design, built in 380 days, then transported from Ho Chi Minh City to Bélem in Brazil, she sailed the full length of the Amazon river to her home port of Iquitos, Peru after an epic 19,866 km journey across the world. Aqua Nera's contemporary style and bold design aesthetic sets a new standard of luxury on the Amazon river across 3-, 4-, and 7-night itineraries bringing guests into the depth of the Pacaya-Samiria
National Reserve in elevated luxury and refined elegance. For more information on the Aqua Nera, see https://www.virtuoso.com/advisor/sheilagallanthalloran/ships/15856889/aqua-nera?search=%22aqua%20nera%22&mode=Gts Cruising the coasts of East Indonesia, Amazon and Mekong River, embark on an adventure of a lifetime with Aqua Expeditions.
Aqua Expeditions' Award-winning Aqua Nera presents 4 new Peruvian Amazon sailings for Feb ‘24 https://www.virtuoso.com/current-news/supplier/aqua-expeditions/Award-winning-Aqua-Nera-presents-4-new-Peruvian-Am?search=%22aqua%20nera%22&mode=Gts Let me know if you'd like to go!
3. Adventure Travel Corner - Glaciers, Grizzlies, and Grand Cities
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Here is some great inspiration from my travel partners at Silversea - Silversea’s small luxury ships are designed for those who delight in the thrill of discovery while indulging mind and body in the most lavish surroundings imaginable. Silversea voyages and cruise expeditions sail to over 900 destinations on all seven continents, more than any other cruise line. Not only have they expanded their all-inclusive service and added door-to-door transfers for seamless travel from home to ship and back again, but they've added shore excursions on all
voyages! How about - America's wild in bespoke luxury?
After a day visiting Gilded Age mansions in New England, or a day exploring
snow-covered peaks and wildlife in Alaska, retreat to your luxury vessel for more awe-inspiring experiences. Indulge in signature cocktails in the Connoisseur’s Corner, rejuvenating facials in the spa, and tempting dishes from Italian-style pizza to sea-salt-crusted snapper at up to ten dining venues. Plus, your choice of oceanfront suites aboard the new Silver Nova cruising to Alaska in Summer 2024.
Moreover, you’ll be treated to a two-category suite upgrade, a $1,000 shipboard credit per suite, and a 15% reduced deposit when you book your Door-to-Door All-Inclusive fare by November 30, 2023. Your Virtuoso travel advisor has all the details – and your exclusive amenities.
Get inspired Alaska (12 Days)
Seward to Vancouver -Departs May 16, 2024
Virtuoso Vista Suite fares FROM $6,900 per person
Canada & New England (13 Days)
Québec City to New York City -Departs June 30, 2024
Virtuoso Vista Suite fares FROM $7,400 per person
Canada & New England (13 Days)
Québec City to New York City -Departs July 24, 2024
Virtuoso Vista Suite fares FROM $6,900 per person
Alaska (8 Days)
Vancouver to Seward -Departs August 29, 2024
Virtuoso Veranda Suite fares FROM $6,700 per person
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 4. Wellness Travel Corner - Indulge in Nature in Costa Rica
Escape in eco-friendly fashion at El Silencio Lodge &
Spa in Costa Rica. Just 23 freestanding accommodations – built on stilts to minimize environmental impact – dot 500 acres of cloud forest (which is a mostly private reserve). By offsetting carbon and using premium, planet-friendly materials, the zero-harm lodge promotes a holistic concept of tourism. A guest’s
well-being derives not just from experiencing the stunning environs and unique culture of the surrounding communities, but also from taking part in preserving them. Hike to hidden waterfalls, enjoy cultural experiences, savor organic specialties, and sleep in upscale “rustic Zen” suites. You can book a private yoga class in the open-air pagoda adjoining the spa, with a great teacher and peaceful jungle
setting. How about a 4 night getaway? A four-night getaway to explore our natural surroundings for fun and wellness! Take 4 nights to indulge in all 4 elements of nature while enjoying luxury accommodations and fine
dining. Stay 4 nights with us and get 25%off the nightly rate! *The offer includes Virtuoso Amenities. *Specials are not combinable with other offers. *Valid for stays: May 1st to June 30th & September 1st to November 19th,
2023 https://www.virtuoso.com/advisor/sheilagallanthalloran/promotions/16518161/indulge-in-nature-4-nights-offer
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5. Woman Focused River Cruise - Info & Daytime Ottawa Did you miss my Info session on Thursday's Oct.26th zoom meeting about my women focused river cruise? You can watch the presentation here: This river cruise is designed for “self-care and healing” and will be a “wellness on water” experience. It offers a perfect gathering for mothers, daughters, sisters, and friends. Women are invited to come travel with someone; or travel alone, together; from Budapest to
Prague on this soothing luxury adventure. (Kindly note, husbands and partners are welcomed, and normal shore excursions and dining will be available for them. But they may wish to sit out any special onboard cruise programming with a definite woman theme!)
And I was also on Daytime Ottawa on October 27th. Watch the segment here. Let me know if you'd like to secure your spot. This will be a 7-night Danube River cruise, that sets sail from Budapest on Oct. 4, 2024, and heads to
Nuremberg, before finishing its voyage with 2 nights in Prague on Oct. 13, 2024. See all the details about when and where, and pricing, along with details on the Travel With, and Travel Alone (with options for solo cabins & solo share program): https://tinyulr.com/LushWellCruise See recent press articles: https://tinyurl.com/LushPaxN and https://tinyurl.com/LushTwk. As well as my appearance on Shepherd's Fashions "We’re Talking Travel Style" reel : https://tinyurl.com/LushShep .
 6 . Virtuoso Life Issues
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Here are some recent Virtuoso Life issues for you to peruse. A Dispatch from the Editors: Art,
Stories, and Secrets Virtuoso
Escapes: 6 Holidays You Won't Want to Return From
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7. Preferred Hotel Programs - Can You VIP Me?
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Early check-in is a perk that luxury travel advisors can request/ negotiate with their best hotel partners/ preferred suppliers. Granting those perks will depend on leveraging relationships between travel advisor and hotel, as well as advisor and client. Occupancy at hotel is a factor, as are hotel resources for room turnover, and your frequency of stay, the volume of business your advisor does with hotel and its brand family, and your advisor’s host agency’s preferred partner relationship. With all those provisos, the only way to guarantee early check in is to pay
for the night prior. But if your advisor is well-connected in industry (and I am), and you’re staying in luxury hotels, your odds of gaining are significantly increased. I am a Virtuoso luxury advisor, Four Seasons preferred partner, and member of preferred hotel programs like Belmond Bellini, Rosewood Elite, Accor Luxury Step and Fairmont Famous Agent, Leading Hotels, etc., etc. While I rarely book hotel only reservations for clients (I specialize in river and expedition cruises, customized trips to Australia and Africa), I have ways to leverage my relationships to benefit my clients - you may
be able to self-book luxury properties through my specific Virtuoso hotel booking engine, and I can VIP you with my partners; or I can pull on even stronger relationships if I work with hotels directly with their own brand’s proprietary luxury hotel program. Here is some info for you about how to self-book luxury properties through my specific Virtuoso hotel booking engine. You can now browse and book hotels online https://www.virtuoso.com/advisor/sheilagallanthalloran/travel/luxury-hotels at your convenience. As long as you don't need me to provide any additional services or assistance, you can self-book hotels, and I will waive normal booking and management fees. (If you need additional assistance after the booking, or the hotel stay is part of a larger holiday, normal fees will apply.) I can pull on even stronger relationships if you'd like my assistance to work with hotels directly with their own brand’s proprietary luxury hotel program. A strong example of that is any Four Seasons hotel bookings, as I am a Four Seasons preferred partner. So, let me know if you want to book a Four Seasons - or any of the hotels below, and I can get some extra benefits and "love" for you.
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When You Work with Lush Life
When you work with Sheila at Lush Life Travel, you get access to our in-depth knowledge, honed over 17 years experience in travel (with another 20 years in financial services). Atop our foundation of financial risk management skills; we have layered the bricks to build a wall of
travel knowledge and relationships. We leverage all of our expertise to help you live your lush life through travel. So, schedule a consultation - and - don't forget to complete this Pre-consultation Survey The call can't be confirmed without it.
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Live a Lush Life - Travel!
Lush regards,
Sheila Gallant-Halloran
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