Girlfriend Getaways

There is a new growing trend in the travel world, and that's women-only tours. This is especially true for more active or adventure travel. Why? Well, lets face it, its a lot less intimidating to go hiking, cycling or kayaking with other woman than with men.

In the spirit of planning ahead, I am going to present some great girlfriend getaways over the next couple of days - focusing on the more active side of things. I know I have a hard time fitting fitness into my life, but I certainly would be a lot more interested in biking if it was in Provence if you know what I mean. You will not be joining a bunch of jocks either. These are regular women looking to getaway and have some fun with their mothers, sisters, cousins and girlfriends.

Today's trip? How about Tuscany Cycling and Cooking! The trip runs from May 25-June 1 and it will satisfy anyone with a taste for adventure! An 8 day ride through the luscious Tuscany region of Italy where you will also learn how to make regional cuisine from an authentic Italian chef! Price is $1895 per person land only - but we can help find you an excellent airfare as well.

What an awesome way to excercise your mind, body and taste buds in this beautiful region of Italy. Give us a call to learn more about this Active Journeys tour.

Princess bids farewell to traditional disembarkation process

Three cheers for Princess! The traditional “hurry up and wait” disembarkation process that has long been a cruise industry tradition is now history aboard Princess ships, as the line introduces a new streamlined farewell process for passengers.

Contrasted with the typical end-of-cruise departure where passengers listen to public address system announcements for their luggage tag colour to be called, Princess has debuted an efficient, more relaxed process for passengers leaving the ship.

Passengers are each given an assigned time and place to assemble on the final morning and are personally escorted to the gangway by a member of the ship’s staff, eliminating the guesswork as to the actual time passengers will be disembarking.

The new program is in the process of being rolled out fleetwide and has already been met with enthusiastic response from passengers. The new system eliminates loudspeaker announcements calling colour-coded departure groups and instead provides passengers with a letter the day before the end of the cruise that outlines their designated time to meet in an assigned public room, depending on their return air arrangements.

The revised system enables passengers to easily plan their morning without the uncertainty as to when they should prepare to depart the ship. It also eliminates passengers congregating in the ship’s atrium near the gangway, plus creates a more relaxed flow for morning breakfast.