It’s late 2025, and I can’t believe it’s been over a year since I last posted. But hey, life does get in the way sometimes.
Let’s do a quick recap since my last post.
ASTA Conference
Ilene and I attended the annual American Society of Travel Agents Conference in Dallas, Texas. This was our opportunity to rub elbows with friends, colleagues, and suppliers for our travel business.
Las Vegas & Colorado
We flew to Las Vegas, and five of us climbed into a Toyota Prius to head for Colorado and our niece’s wedding.
Introduction to JGOOT (Just Get Out of Town)
We became aware of a group of like-minded travelers who’ve broken the code on using the minimum amount of credit cards to get the maximum amount of travel essentially for free. Oh, and I’m not talking cheap travel either.
Margaritaville at Sea Islander Cruise
Ilene and I flew to Tampa, FL, and spent a couple of days in Ybor City getting to know what was once the Cigar Making Capital of the World. Then we jumped on Jimmy Buffett’s cruise line’s newest ship, Islander, for a five-day cruise to Key West and Cozumel. It was a GREAT time!
Audrey’s Birthday
It was back to Las Vegas for a few days to celebrate our youngest granddaughter’s birthday and spend time with family.
Our European Crossing
On Veterans’ Day, we boarded our flights from San Antonio to Rome. It was a bit of a whirlwind in Rome, but we did manage to enjoy the local cuisine & see the sites before heading to Civitavecchia, Italy. It was there that we boarded Holland America’s Nieuw Statendam for our first Atlantic crossing…with a few stops in Spain before arriving in Fort Lauderdale.
At Fort Lauderdale, we jumped on Royal Caribbean’s Independence of the Seas for a short five-day cruise and our first Royal Caribbean cruise since our FIRST CRUISE in 2007.
A Staycation in San Antonio
In December, we met my godson and his lovely wife for a stay on the world-famous San Antonio Riverwalk. It was all decked out for Christmas, and we had a magnificent time with the vibe and introducing them to Voodoo Donuts.
A Mattress Run of Sorts
We were ONE day shy of Norwegian Cruise Line’s Platinum award status, which comes with some great perks, so in February, we flew to Fort Lauderdale for a three-night cruise to Nassau and back. We’d just finished watching the entire series, “Black Sails,” so needless to say, we stopped off at the Pirate Museum on our visit.
Disneyland – How Long has it Been?
Ilene and I flew, once again, to Las Vegas in March 2025, where we met Adam and the girls, then drove to Anaheim for a two-day visit to Disneyland for Spring Break. It had been decades since we were last there, but interestingly, other than the Star Trek themes, not much had changed. The Happiest Place on Earth!
Repositioning from San Diego to Vancouver, BC
After Pascha (Easter), Ilene and I once again flew West, this time to San Diego, where we boarded Holland America’s Eurodam for a short six-day cruise to Vancouver with a stop-off in San Francisco. This was a low-cost trip using methods we’d honed from our association with JGOOT.
Another Trip to Las Vegas and a Family Visit
Being 1200 miles away from family is a lot easier when we can hop on inexpensive flights and pay practically nothing for hotel stays and car rentals. The techniques and ways to do this have not only helped us save money, but we’ve also been able to help our family, friends, and travel clients.
What’s in the Future?
Another trip to Las Vegas this month, a cruise in October for the JGOOT Conference, a “free cruise” on the Maragritaville Islander, and a reduced price cruise on Holland America’s Zuiderdam this year.
Next year we’ve got six cruises booked, including one I got for ABSOLUTELY FREE. More about all that in a future post.
How Can We Travel So Much? Check Out the Link Below
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