Saturday, January 21, 2012

Hawaii: No Ka Oi

No Ka Oi means "Is the Best". And it remains so. In my 35 years in travel, I've constantly seen the trending go from one pace to another. But, in the long view, all roads lead back to the "Islands of Aloha". The reasons are many...

  1. First and foremost, it's the people! No people on Earth are as friendly and accommodating as the Hawaiian people.  But, it goes beyond "friendly"... the Hawaiian people (including those "mainlanders" who now make their homes in the Islands) are impeccably trained in hospitality. They know what you expect in terms of service efficiency - and they deliver!
  2. Then, it's the climate!  Unlike most other tropical sun destinations where summer weather is unbearable, Hawaii enjoys temperatures in the 80's with Trade Winds year-around.
  3. Hawaii smells great!  When you get off the plane, the aroma of Orchids and other flora treat your senses like few other places in the world. You know you have arrived in paradise!
  4. The poverty and squalor found in most sun destinations is totally absent in Hawaii. you won't see junked out cars along the side of the road (the same burned out car you saw there on your last visit 3 years prior).
  5. You won't get hustled by time-share sellers at the airport or by beach vendors. You don't need to haggle in the shops.
  6. No passports, no currency exchange, no language barriers and no concerns over where it's safe to eat or what to drink.
  7. Hawaii is a Golf Mecca. A round of golf on a world-class course is half the price of other sunbelt destinations. I can give you some specifics if you contact me.
As you can see, I'm passionate about Hawaii. At my travel agency, we are constantly sending clients off to Hawaii - while I get to sit here in snowy Minnesota. I am tormented!!!!

Aloha!

Dick

Saturday, January 07, 2012

Happy (Travel) New Year!

Happy New Year, all!
Just thought I would rattle off a few odd notes as we (hopefully) have spring in our distant sights...

Following up on the last post, River Cruise Vacation bookings are taking off at my travel agency, Gateway Express... it is clearly the "in thing" for 2012.

To all you morons in Minnesota who were willing to play golf on Christmas Day just to be able to tell your great grandkids 20 years from now that you did it: Get a life... and get on a plane for some real winter golf. You know, green turf, warm sunshine, one layer of outer wear, and cold beer on an outdoor patio after your round! Here are some ideas for you.

Speaking of winter golf, we leave in a few weeks for Cabo San Lucas with a corporate meeting group. As it is one of the world's remarkable golf destinations, I'm hoping to "sneak away" for  couple afternoons. Golf aside, Cabo is my agency's #1 sun destination this year - replacing Riviera Maya for that distinction. It is a great spot for guaranteed hot sun and scenery... Mountain and Ocean panoramas all in one view.

The current "non-winter" here in Minnesota has impacted our winter vacation bookings - but not as much as I would have expected. The first Arctic Blast is predicted later this week... we know our phones will ring off the hook and our in-boxes will be very active. (Trying to understand why people don't know it's coming!!!!!)

Anyway, Happy New Year! I hope it's a helluva lot better than last year for you!

Cheers,

Dick