Do You Believe in Ghosts?

I've always believed we humans aren't alone on this Earth, even though I've never been lucky enough to see a ghost. My family purposely stayed in what was supposed to be the most haunted hotel in New Orleans, but unfortunately, nothing went bang in the night. No creaking hallways; no bumps in the night and definitely no chairs rocking by themselves. What a let-down.

Maybe we weren't there at the right time. Perhaps we should have timed our visit closer to Halloween. If I'm ever near St. Francisville, Louisiana, I will definitely plan to spend the night at the Myrtles Plantation, circa 1796. It doesn't look too scary in the pictures.

SHORT HISTORY LESSON:

The story most often told centers around a slave named Chloe who became the property master's mistress. After the relationship ended, she began eavesdropping on the family. Well, of course she was caught and one of her ears was cut off as punishment. Soon after she was baking a cake for the family and put a small amount of poison in the cake. Not enough to kill them; just a sufficient amount to make them ill and she'd be needed to nurse them back to health. You can guess where this is going-mom and two children died. The other slaves became frightened that the master would retaliate against all the slaves, so they hung Chloe. The ghosts of Chloe, the mother and two children have supposedly been seen wandering about the property.

Tours and overnight stays are offered at the Myrtle's Plantation. Don't you think this would be an awesome place to stay during the month of October?

Look closely and you can see the image of Chloe next to the porch pillar. I'm ready to go now. How about you?

luvs2travel

www.liberty-travelstore.com

Mexico Needs Our Help Now

Like I said, Mexico needs our help and this is the kind of charity you can really sink your teeth into. Have some fun with it.



What kind of help does Mexico need? They need more folks spending their vacation dollars, or I should say pesos, in their country.



Let's face it, Mexico has had a stinky year. First it was the drug wars that frightened people away. Do you know how huge this country is? And what if I told you that the violence is happening approximately 600 miles away from major tourist attractions? What do you think about that?



Then it was the flu. I went to Mexico this year. I never pass up a chance to donate to a worthwhile charity. Folks were wearing those face masks in the airport in Houston where we spent a delightful three extra hours waiting for our plane to leave for Cancun. When we arrived in Cancun there were a few questions such as, "Have you had a temperature in the last 48 hours?" And then we were off.



See how easy that is? So plan a trip to Mexico. Be good neighbors. You'll feel so much better afterwards.



Until next time,

luvs2travel
www.liberty-travelstore.com

Romeo and Juliet Visit Mexico

This story is about a pair of lovers who pursue their love for each other even though their families have been feuding for decades.

In Filbert, the smallest town in Arkansas, two powerful families had been feuding over a large plot of land on the outskirts of town. You see, about 50 years ago old man Capulet won the land in a card game. What he didn't know was that Abner Montague had been promised the land when said owner passed on.

As the years passed, the feuding grew more intense. Older generations of Capulets and Montagues made sure they passed along their hatred for each other.

In this small town, teenagers would hook up with their friends on Friday and Saturday nights at the local drive-in. It didn't take long before Romeo and Juliet met and fell in love. Knowing the history of their families and the long-standing disagreement, they realized their love was doomed if they remained in Filbert. But what could they do? Then, Juliet got a fantastic idea.

Juliet: Romeo, please, let's run off to Mexico together. I just know we'd be happy there.

Romeo: What's the use. We'll never be able to escape our families. I heard that just last night my uncle got into a fight with your second cousin. Seems one of them flipped the other off and all hell broke loose.


Juliet: Romeo, I really think this could work. Over 22.6 million foreign tourists visited Mexico last year. We'd just blend right in. Our families would never find us there. And language wouldn't be a problem because most Mexicans in the tourist areas speak English.

Romeo: We can't go on much longer like this. My parents are really getting worried about me. Last night they sent my cousin in to talk with me. He guessed I was having girl troubles, but he doesn't know the half of it. If our families knew about us, well, I don't even want to think about it.

Juliet: Romeo, have you even been listening to me? Oh man, my mom was so right about guys and their "selective hearing". One of my friends just returned from a vacation there with her family and she had a blast. There's so much to see there. Not only are there miles and miles of gorgeous beaches, there are also deserts and tropical jungles. Add to that the 6,000 miles of coastlines, calm bays and surrounding islands-doesn't it sound like paradise?


Romeo: OK, I have a few questions. How will we get there? And where will we stay once we're there?


Juliet: I've got this all planned. We'll catch a plane and fly into Cancun which is located in the Yucatan. Then we can rent a car and either stay there or drive about one hour south to Playa del Carmen. It's the cutest little town. We can stay in a big resort or maybe a smaller one right on the beach. Here, look at this map.

Romeo: You know Juliet, this might work. I'm so glad that I thought of it.

Juliet was right, Mexico is a great place to visit at any time of the year. If you've been thinking about a Mexico vacation, contact me. I'd love to help you find your own paradise.

Until next time,

luvs2travel

http://www.liberty-travelstore.com/

Mexico is my Niche

MEXICO!
OK, quick now, what is the first thing that pops into your mind? Could it be-

• drug problems
• Can't drink the water-how will I ever brush my teeth?
• Food is too spicy!
• Check out some common myths about Mexico.

Instead, I want you to think about this-

• Friendly, helpful people
• More UNESCO World Heritage Sites than any other country in the Americas.
• The 4th most diverse nation on Earth with over 30,000 plant species.
• 6,000 miles of coastline and four oceans.

I have been diligently working to become certified in all things Mexico. If Mexico is on your travel wishlist, your first call or email should be to me.

I look forward to hearing from you.

luvs2travel

www.liberty-travelstore.com

Will There Be Sand at my Cancun Resort?

"I'm thinking of booking my family at one of those all-inclusive resorts in Cancun. Somewhere right on the beach. Can you help us?"

Well, that might be a problem right now. It seems that sand has been disappearing from Cancun beaches in the dead of night. Let me check a few places and I'll get back to you later.

"Hello, yes I'm a travel agent with a client interested in staying in Cancun, right on the beach. Can you give me a list of hotels who have not been the target of the sand banditos please?"

You may laugh but the police in Cancun are very serious about this.

In 2005 Hurricane Wilma ripped through the area causing considerable damage. Mexico spent $19 million to replace the beaches washed away, but it seems that most of the replacement sand didn't stick around. In the hopes of keeping the sand that remained, many resorts place sandbags at the ocean's edge such as the Gran Porto Real in Playa del Carmen.

It seems that one resort, if the reports are to be believed, has taken to stealing sand from their neighbors in the dead of night. Environmental enforcement officers swooped in on the offenders and closed off hundreds of feet of coastline. Apparently, this particular resort was telling tourists, "Come here, I have sand...the other hotels don't because I have stole it."

My advice to anyone thinking of taking a vacation anywhere, not just Cancun, is to call your travel professional. While we may not have been able to predict an incident such as this occurring, there are so many other potholes on the travel road that we can steer you away from.

Until next time,

luvs2travel

www.liberty-travelstore.com

Holiday Travel-Already?

Have you made a list? You know, the list of everyone you must buy gifts for even though you don't want to but they always give you one so you have to reciprocate. I hope nobody on my list is reading this.

I'm more of a wait-till-the-last-minute kind of shopper. Last year the tree didn't make it out of the basement until the day BEFORE Christmas. Should be easier this year since we put it away with all lights and decorations intact. Do you suppose there's a support group for folks like me?

I spied the first holiday advertisement of the year just today. "Celebrate 2009 Holiday in Antigua". If I book right now I can save 40%. Choose from the finest All-Inclusive award-winning resorts in the Caribbean. Starting from as low as $189 per person, per night. Sounds like a deal to me.

Knowing that the holidays are probably the most expensive time to travel, I did some research. Stay at Beaches in Turks and Caicos from 12/26/09 for five nights in a cheapy room and you'll pay about $4,000 per person. That same room for five nights beginning on September 26 and the price goes down by half.

Here's another example: Stay at The Royal in Playa del Carmen; same five nights beginning on September 26th. You'll pay about $1,170 per person. Wait until December 26th and you'll pay-oh wait a minute. You can't go to the Royal then because it's SOLD OUT, every room category. But if you'd gotten there sooner, you would have paid around $2,100 per person and that included a savings of 25%.

I can see the writing on the wall. Folks like me, I believe we're called procrastinators, are out of luck. My family will be spending the holidays at home like we always do. But please don't call me for a lengthy chat because I'll be scurrying around purchasing those last-minute gifts and of course, the tree has to make an appearance sometime.

It doesn't have to be this way for your family. There's help for procrastinators. Make that phone call, join that group. You needn't suffer alone. And then, when you're finally ready to book your holiday travel, contact me. But don't wait too long. With prices as low as $189 per person, per night, per room, they can't last long.

All prices used MCI as a starting point.

Until next time,

Luvs2travel

www.liberty-travelstore.com

Even David Letterman Knows You Need a Travel Agent

Marcia has been kind of frustrated lately. You know how I know? When she's particularly agitated about something, she starts cleaning. Yesterday it was two closets and then a vicious attack on several week's worth of dust. This morning I heard her mumbling something about the family room and let me tell you, it was not pleasant. You're probably wondering what could make a sort-of sane woman abandon her computer and pick up a sponge. Here it is in a nutshell.

The Problem

What makes normally nice, intelligent people contact her, or any other travel agent, searching for travel advice and then after sucking every last bit of information they can possibly get, go book travel on their own? I've watched her working. She'll spend hours, if you don't count the time spent playing games but don't tell her I said that. Like I said, hours researching the perfect resort or cruise only to have some schmuck (sorry, have to tell it like it is) say he/she booked it on their own but thank you very much. Are people really that insensitive or maybe they don't understand how the game is played.

GAME RULES:
1) Would-be traveler thinks to himself, "I'd really like to go to some pleasant island somewhere in the Caribbean where I can sit all day in the sand drinking strong margaritas while the kids amuse themselves elsewhere".

2) Would-be traveler, still thinking to himself says, "Too bad I don't know where to go or how much it's going to cost or if we need those passport thingys I hear everyone talking about. Maybe I better call someone."

3) Would-be traveler calls a travel agent with his long wish list and believe me, those things can get pretty detailed.

4) Travel agent calls back a few days later with choices and prices.

5) Would-be traveler then chooses or asks questions or whatever but eventually a choice is made.

6) Then here is the crucial step that many just don't seem to get. You let the travel agent make the reservation for you and said travel agent will eventually get paid for the many hours of work already devoted to this trip of yours.

You see folks, that's how it's done. You let the travel agent do her job, which incidentally doesn't end there. Let's say you get to your hotel and for some gosh darn reason, they've lost your reservation. Oh man, they think they've got you now, but little do they know you have a secret weapon and that's your travel agent. Call her up, get her on the phone, let her talk some sense into that hotel manager. This is just one example of why it's a good thing to have a travel agent up your sleeve.

I did mention something about David Letterman earlier. David Letterman's #1 reason for using a travel agent, and this is good. "I have people to book travel for me. Having people is good! Besides, there are many other things I want to do!" So you see folks, having a travel agent is smart. Let her do what she does best and you go off and do whatever the heck it is that you do. And that is how the game is played.

Until next time,
luvs2travel

www.liberty-travelstore.com