January 2019 Travel Tips and Tales Newsletter
January 2019 Travel Tips and Tales Newsletter – Viv and Jill in Alaska
January 2019 Travel Tips and Tales Newsletter
By WAVEJourney
Greetings!
WJ hopes 2019 has started off fabulously for you, and you have already planned some fun and exciting travel getaways for the year.
We’re thrilled to announce that we celebrated our thirteenth year since launching WAVEJourney.com on January 16. It’s thanks to all our readers, fans and followers here and on our social media networks that we continue to travel the world and share our travel tips and tales.
Connect with us and let us know what you’d like to see us cover in 2019 and beyond – your feedback is invaluable and we try our best to report on the topics you’ve requested.
BUCKET LIST TRAVELERS – TRAVEL ADVISOR
Vicki Winters Virtuoso Partner Travel Advisor
If you’re looking for a travel advisor that will provide excellent service, will ensure your travel bookings and reservations are completely taken care of, and who will work for you on all aspects of your trip planning, WJ recommends the services of Vicki Winters at Bucket List Travelers. Be sure to tell Vicki that Viv and Jill at WAVEJourney.com sent you.
WJ TRAVEL TIP
Cruise to Bermuda with Celebrity Cruises
Cruise Bermuda with Celebrity Cruises – WJ is getting excited about taking a cruise to Bermuda with Celebrity Cruises. Can you guess why? Read on to find out.
WJ GADGET & GEAR TIPS
myCharge HubPlus Portable Charger – WJ uses this battery pack at home and when travelling. Why? It provides the following:
- Up to 3.5X extra battery – 6700mAh
- Built-in lightning and micro-USB
- Built-in wall prongs to recharge device
- USB port
- It can charge up to 3 devices at the same time – smartphone, smartwatch, headphones, tablet, blue tooth speakers.
- One-year limited warranty
KnowRoaming Global SIM Card – KnowRoaming is the best way to roam freely with unlimited data in 125+ countries! WJ uses the service to stay connected during all our domestic and international travel. We don’t need to change mobile plans, hunt for SIM cards when we arrive in a new country, or worry about our personal and credit card details being safe. KnowRoaming’s coverage is excellent and at a reasonable price. Check out the various options they offer and see what will work best for you.
WJ FEATURED BLOGGERS
Meet WJ’s friends and colleagues. Not only do we love them as people, but we enjoy their work and personally read their blogs. We highly recommend you take a peek at both One Road at a Time, and InTheLoopTravel.com – between the two they cover many different aspects of travel.
Patti and Abi Maghamfar from One Road at a Time – Redefining Retirement & Traveling the World!
Abi and Patti Maghamfar – One Road at a Time
It’s official. We’ve reached the big time. We’re a featured site on WAVEJourney, home of the dynamic duo, Viv and Jill. It’s all downhill from here.
The short version of our story is that we are a retired boomer-aged couple and we’ve been traveling through life together for 41 years. That’s a long time, yes? We retired in 2014, a bit on the early side, to lead a simpler life and hopefully, inspire others to redefine retirement.
To date we’ve traveled to 4 continents and 19 countries. We’ve driven across the United States 4 times in addition to a 9-day drive on Route 66. We walked 350 miles across Spain and we spent 3 weeks traveling in Iran. Most recently we spent 6 months traveling by train through 9 European countries. We are not outwardly adventuresome, but we do enjoy soft adventures such as biking and wine tasting our way through the vineyards near Beaune, France.
Our home base is in Maryland and we maintain temporary residency in Portugal, which we refer to as our expat experiment. Patti, as a writer and storyteller, looks for the human interest side of the story with equal parts of humor and heart, and with an added dash of travel tips to bring it all together.
John Roberts is a freelance writer and operator of InTheLoopTravel.com.
John Roberts – InTheLoopTravel.com
John writes about cruising, active travel and wellness with a focus on helping adventurous people break away from idea of a traditional cruise.
He loves to discover new ways to save money and stay active while traveling all over the world. John loves to engage with his readers in a fun and friendly way, eager to seek out new tips, travel hacks and other valuable information to help us all travel better.
WJ CRUISE TIP
WJ Tested: Why Cruise With AmaWaterways?
River Cruising – In 2018 the Rhine and Danube rivers in Europe experienced extremely low water levels. This impacted all river cruise companies to some extent, although some lines were affected much more than others.
Will 2019 see further challenges for river cruises in Europe due to water levels? It’s too early to tell.
For those that are booked on a river cruise or considering doing so, what will happen if your line needs to adapt or cancel your sailing? This is an important question to ask. But, we do know that AmaWaterways was one of the river cruise companies that took excellent care of their passengers during the 2018 low water situation, and will continue to do so going forward if future problems arise. Their reputation for making passengers happy, and providing the best possible river cruise experience is stellar.
WJ encourages all river cruisers to make themselves aware of what their travel insurance will cover in the event or a low or high water situation. Plus, also ask the company you have a reservation with what they will do if your river cruise turns into a motorcoach tour or is cancelled at the last minute. We know there’s a huge difference in the answers, and you should be aware of what to expect.
THREE OF WJ’s TOP TRAVEL HIGHLIGHTS FROM 2018
Travel Washington: Bellingham is Ideal for Lovers of Beer & Adventure!
Travel Washington: Bellingham is Ideal for Lovers of Beer & Adventure!
Maine Windjammer Adventure on Schooner Mary Day
Maine Windjammer Adventure on Schooner Mary Day
Top 7 Reasons To Explore Alaska On UnCruise Adventures Safari Endeavour
Top 7 Reasons To Explore Alaska On UnCruise Adventures Safari Endeavour
WJ’s #TBINChat TWITTER TRAVEL CHAT INVITATION
#TBINChat February 12, 2019 – Romantic Escapes
Every month, WJ hosts #TBINChat Twitter Travel Chat. There is a different travel-related topic that participants join in for an hour of fun, informative, lively and inspirational chatting on Twitter. We’d love it if you joined us!
The next #TBINChat is Tuesday February 12 at Noon PST/3 PM EST, and we’ll chat about Romantic & Beach Escapes.
CRUISE NEWS
Holland America Line Nieuw Statendam
Holland America Line Nieuw Statendam 30 Fun Facts – Holland America Line has a brand new ship. Take a look at the fun facts about the newest addition to the fleet. WJ looks forward to cruising on her very soon.
TRAVEL INSPIRATION
Need some more ideas for your next trip? Peruse the archives to discover some of our favorite travel adventures and gear. Plus, don’t forget to follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram (links are in the sidebar), where we share fun travel photos, deals, tales and tips on a daily basis.
Cheers,
Viv and Jill – AKA: WJ
