Dear Travel Agents/Advisors,

I have to confess that I spend a lot of time on social media, mostly on Facebook and Instagram seeing what my “friends” post. I have noticed that most people have a style when on social media. When I read a post, I can usually tell who posted it before even looking at the name. Some people are advertising very directly, other posts are God/Jesus oriented, some people talk about personal issues, and others share their feelings about how tired they are about life in general. Some people are extremely political, some just want to wish a good morning or beautiful day. Get where I am going?

I believe that the posts reflect how these “friends” are in real life very predictably. Some I would be happy to deal with and have around me, but honestly, there are others I would prefer to keep at a distance.

Why am I saying this? If you are using your Facebook for business and/or promoting your business at any level, think of how you want to present yourself to your prospective clients; how you want people to see you. Social media is a window to the world.

When someone consults with me about how to grow his/her business, I ask to see their social media so I can understand a bit more about who that person is. I ask questions about what I am seeing, my understanding of what they post, and if that person is presenting themselves in the way others should see them as well.

We should use social media as a vehicle to promote who we are as a person. We want to attract the right people closer to us, and to build a nice niche where we can feel comfortable being ourselves. This is the niche group that will hopefully cheer for us, get excited with us, and where we feel comfortable being ourselves. It doesn’t matter how many “friends” or “followers” we have since we are building a good and strong base of people.

Think about who you really are and if your social media reflects your true self. Then, friends and followers will come naturally.

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Dear Travel Agents/Advisors,

Have you ever wondered why, where, and when is travel so important for people? Are you able to respond when someone asks you these things?

Let’s start with why travel is important. Even for the people who say they are afraid of traveling, think they don’t need to, or scream from the top of their lungs that they can not afford to. Going to a pleasant environment – even if it’s only for a short time, gives someone feelings of peace, forgiveness, new hope, new aspirations and many other positive thoughts. It is like walking on a new path after going in circles for so long. The fact is, a pattern gets broken, and a person can then see the same situation with a different vision or sight.

Where should a person travel? Going back to the idea of a person walking in circles and then breaking a pattern so they experience a different vision over their lives, I would go a little deeper and ask where it is that they feel most at peace or more fulfilled. Some like the desert, others need to be close to the water. I love being near the forest and animals. Luckily, the world offers all kinds of geography and topology for all kinds of people and budgets.

When should people travel? The ideal answer is as often as they need or want to, even if just for a weekend to a place that is “almost just around the corner.”  Some people only consider it travel when they are able to get far away from home. I wish I could do this every other month (while in good health!)

Whenever and wherever you go, make sure to disconnect from worries, from old and negative behaviors, and try to enjoy every single minute you have ahead. Absorb all the good and positive energy to reinvigorate yourself, so when you’re back to walking in circles again, you can see the sun, smell the flowers, and feel the presence of your new self.

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Dear Travel Agents/Advisors,

How soon is too soon?

If we ask ourselves this question about life, I guess we get nowhere, and nothing — other than anxiety.

Let me explain what I mean.

How soon should I start my career in order to be successful? Is today too late? Never!

We often hear stories of successful people who started a business or a career later in life. To do this, what we need is enthusiasm and dedication, and with that, age is not an excuse, but a sign of experience, maturity and knowledge.

The same applies to anything in life. People should focus on the moment, not relive the past, or wonder about the future. Many have written books about The Present is a Present. Some people are able to enjoy this “gift” – living life in the present moment.

Honestly, I don’t have this gift. Many times I have caught myself daydreaming about what ifs, or worrying about things that I have no control over (I guess I am a worrier), and sometimes dwelling over the past.

I am truly working hard to live my life in the moment, counting my blessings, even the smallest ones, celebrating life and feeling the joy of the hot days, instead of daydreaming about the not-so-hot days.

And when I catch myself not being in the present (most of the time worrying!), I am learning to forgive myself (as my BFF would do) and be as gentle to myself as I am to my friends.

Getting older is teaching to me to be more forgiving and more caring to myself. I truly appreciate each and every person who reads my blogs. Thank you for being one of my blessings.

With love and gratitude,

Rosana

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Dear Travel Agents/Advisors,

How many times have you heard the phrase,“I can’t do it!” from others, or even yourself?

If you ask me what my biggest pet peeve in life is, it’s when I suggest something to a person and that person replies with, “I can’t do it!”

Did I ask you to jump off of a cliff? Did I ask you to slash your own tires?  No!

I often tell people how I built my business from nothing into a big company. I also like to tell people how I stopped eating gluten and lactose and went from size 16 to size 4.  I enjoy telling others how I started exercising and now I am extremely fit from walking an average of 10 miles a day. (These steps are made up from both walking and dancing.)

Then I hear, “Wait to you get to be my age!”

“No bread? I can’t do it!”

“No cheese?  I can’t do it!”

“Exercise? I can’t do it!” And so on, and so forth.

I’ve heard so many excuses, like “I have no time,” or “my wife prepares my lunch,” or “my kids have dairy so I need to drink milk with them.”

I could actually write pages of the excuses I’ve heard! I love the ones from people saying something about their age. My mother-in-law is 89 years young, and walks everywhere. Another lady I know is 92 and takes Pilates 3 times a week. and she has been doing it for 20 years, (do the math!)

People can find always a place to exercise. I love Pilates and with the help of my personal instructor Laura Konz, I’ve been able to exercise on a plane, and also in my room on a cruise.

Here are links to 2 videos if you want to check them out:

https://youtu.be/aa3586_lV0A

https://youtu.be/Eip7YAGy0D8

Life is beautiful for those who want to see its beauty. Life is priceless for those who treasure it, and believe in it.

Laugh at your own mistakes, and do your best for YOU. No excuses! Your own excuses just hurt you, (even though they are MY pet peeve LOL)!

To a good and enjoyable life! Cheers!

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Dear Travel Agents/Advisors,

What should you advise your clients who want to “do it like the locals” when they travel, particularly those who want to experience the town/country as if they belong there?

Let’s face it, from the way a person dresses and talks, everyone knows she/he is a tourist. Learning some words in the language of the country one is visiting is a good idea, and shows a lot of respect. Dressing according to the country’s culture, such as covering one’s arms, or avoiding wearing mini skirts if it would be inappropriate, shows how much one cares.

In terms of food, I always ask the concierge of the hotel where the “locals” eat, for 2 reasons:

1.) I want to avoid overly touristy places with overpriced dishes and not-so-real flavor of the food.

2.) I like to experience the restaurants where “locals” eat the real food, to feel how they celebrate and enjoy life.

Chances are you will not find English speaking waiters, but you’ll definitely have fun trying to communicate using gestures, pictures, and perhaps may be lucky enough to even have other customers help you.

One thing you should avoid is eating street food. If common sense doesn’t tell you why, please let me explain loud and clear. The water they use to cook and wash street food. It is not boiled and that can hurt you badly. Let me say this one more time loudly – it can HURT you and make you very sick. Even if you think that you can eat anything and never get sick, DO NOT TAKE THE RISK OF EATING STREET FOOD. I know of a person who contracted the Hepatitis A virus from street food in Peru. Locals can consume the untreated water since they are used to it and it is already in their bodies. The germs in untreated water may be in their system, but are not in a foreign person’s!

It’s very important to emphasize to your clients that “doing it like a local” is fine IF risk is not involved. They should know not to go out alone or without a tour guide to areas that they are not sure are safe. Be sure to ask the concierge of the hotel or your tour guide which areas are safe to walk alone both during the day and night.

People love tourists, especially the nice and polite ones who keep themselves safe.

Travel smart and safely!

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Dear Travel Agents/Advisors,

I was just on a beautiful cruise from Venice, Italy through the Adriatic Sea. The cruise line was Azamara, one of my favorites; superb service, food and attention to detail make people feel cared for, all with a great price tag.

I enjoy reading a book while on the treadmill. Azamara Pursuit has only 4 treadmills, and when I noticed this I was a bit concerned. I started thinking of other ways to walk fast on the ship, but knew I wouldn’t be able to read at the same time.  To my surprise, every time I went to the gym I found at least 2 treadmills available. I was happy.

When visiting the buffet restaurant I met people who told me that they ate until their clothes got tight because the food was so delicious. Then, I thought to myself, some people use food as a reward, and exercise as a punishment (this being the reason the gym was empty most of the time).

Actually, exercise is supposed to be rewarding and food used as nourishment.

So what do people consider TRAVEL? They probably think of it as an expensive but rewarding present that only few can enjoy.

Well, I believe that travel provides a re-energizing opportunity that helps people feel better, and ready to move ahead.

What about you? How do you prioritize food, exercise and travel?

The way that you live your life is the way you sell yourself and your ideas. Reconsider your body and mind as machines that needs to function correctly for many, many years. Use food as nourishment, use fun exercises as your rewards, and travel as often as possible so your mind can re-energize. You will feel positive, calm, and be able to keep smiling.

Cheers to life!

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Dear Travel Agent/Advisors,

As you know, I am an advocate for traveling and will continue to be one for the rest of my life. In my humble opinion, nothing educates people better than visiting other countries and cultures. It teaches people from first world countries to be centered, humble and understanding of how much we take for granted.

While many people around the world are contemplating IF they will have a roof over their heads, or if they can afford meals until the end of the month, many travelers from the US, Canada, UK and other affluent countries are deciding which businesses class service is best for travel (it really is a tough decision if you ask my opinion, LOL!)

Let me focus on OUR tough decisions for a while, since as travel agents/advisors we need to advise our clients, and NOT educate about how people should prioritize their morals and thoughts (I let political views from both sides of the aisle do their job).

For those who don’t know me, my middle name is “Miles” and I take advantage of traveling business class using miles. I have tried MOST of the airlines and have my favorites. I can tell you that one I don’t like for business class is British Airlines. No matter where you sit, you need to climb over, or have someone climb over you.

I love KLM and Delta even though they are not fancy, but I like the service and the way the seats face each other. Now if you want to splurge, fly Emirates or Etihad where you really get spoiled. Last year we went to Japan on China Eastern, and I didn’t expect such good service and now I highly recommended them.

I don’t get any sponsorship for writing this blog, these are my honest and true opinions.  Some of you might not agree with my thoughts. As a disclaimer, food is not important to me since I am gluten and lactose intolerant and most of the time I bring my own food. To me, service is important as well as space, since I am tall and have long legs.

As I mentioned before, I am glad this is a first world problem, but as a travel agent/advisor we need to address these points to make sure your clients are happy.

Feel free to pick my brain. I have more information about other airlines’ business class service based on my personal experience.

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Dear Travel Agents/ Advisors,

For those of you who follow my blogs, you know I collect countries. So far, I have been to 84 different countries, and am still counting. I enjoy visiting each one, and having my country count increase is my pleasure in life. I live for travel, and cheer for all of you when I see the pictures of your smiling faces discovering new countries.

This year, my goal and plan was to reach a count of 91 countries, and I was dreaming about each new country I would discover. In March 2019, I was going to go to Uganda but unfortunately that didn’t happen. I prefer not to discuss the reasons, but I learned from it, and I am glad it happened the way it did.

By the time you read this blog, I will be visiting Montenegro and Malta for the first time from a cruise starting in Venice, Italy, traveling through the Adriatic Coast and ending in Rome. This will bring my country count up to 86!

We had another cruise scheduled for Christmas and New Year’s to the Caribbean and 4 more new countries were on the horizon. I was counting on my list having 91 countries by January 2nd. Then, my two sons and their girlfriend and fiancé decided to spend Christmas and New Year’s with us in Napa Valley. We were thrilled, and there were no second thoughts about it – we canceled our cruise and embraced the idea of spending time with them.

Life is a gift! I always insist on waking up and smelling the coffee. I take every chance I get to see the world, but when other opportunities happen, I just smile and slow down to smell the roses – take what comes, forget what-ifs and enjoy the beautiful gift that life is.

Wishing you plenty of coffee and roses!

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Dear Travel Agents/Advisors,

We all seem to know the meaning of the word “procrastination.” Procrastination is the avoidance of doing a task that needs to be accomplished by a certain deadline. It could be further stated as: a habitual or intentional delay of starting or finishing a task despite knowing it might have negative consequences.

Raise your hand if you ever done this. A diet that will start after a holiday, exercise that will start after a vacation, a list of new behaviors as a New Year’s resolution, starting your new business after you have a beautiful new website, etc.

Something many people don’t know about me – I do have flaws, but procrastination is not one of them. Actually, I take pride in fighting the urge to procrastinate, and that is why I enjoy guiding people to be their best. I was a size 16 until 2004 (I was a big girl), and then I decided to cut out bread, pasta, basically all gluten and dairy from my diet. I did it cold turkey! I lost weight and kept it off , and I am currently a size 4. I lost over 80lbs.

I did the same 31 years ago with cigarettes. I started smoking at age 14 in Brazil, where it was cool to smoke. One January 1^st, I gave it up. Honestly, now just the smell of a person who smoked hours before makes me nauseous.

I exercise daily, even on an airplane, in an airport, on vacation and anytime. I need the endorphins, and I need to burn my stress through exercise (not strenuous exercise – I walk fast, and do Pilates).

I believe in setting goals and having accomplishments, and the best way to do that is to fight procrastination. For those of you who still procrastinate, can you try it? Feel free to reach out to me. I am not a guru, but I love helping you!

Wishing you all success in all your endeavors!

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