059 - Travel In The Time Of Corona

Joining me is Michele Friedmann with Michele Travels.

She is a passionate world traveler, travel advisor and blogger. Currently, she has visited 60 countries & 7 continents. Her favorite Continent is Antarctica and her favorite city is Barcelona.

She fell in love with travel after studying abroad for a year, spending a semester in Australia and a semester circumnavigating the globe with Semester at Sea.

To learn more, visit http://micheletravels.com/

To keep up with all things travel related, subscribe to her newsletter and join her facebook community at MicheleTravelsLLC

In this episode we will cover:

• Top Five Positive Things
• DIY vs Travel Agent
• Fees
• Specialization
• Best Spots To Visit
• COVID Test
• Trip Insurance
• Travel Tips

Thanks so much for tuning in again this week. I appreciate you  :)

Have some feedback you’d like to share? Leave a note in the Feedback section.

Special thanks to Michele Friedmann for being on the show.

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.

Transcript

Marisa Huston: 0:00

Welcome to Episode 59 on The Live Blissed Out podcast. Didn't you know that Niagara Falls is the most visited tourist attraction in the world? It is estimated that 30 million tourists to visit annually. Hello action takers! Welcome to Live Blissed Out. A podcast where I have inspirational and informational conversations with business owners and subject matter experts to help us get the scoop and the lowdown on a variety of topics. Tired of hesitating or making decisions without having the big picture? Wanna be in the know> Then this is the place to go. I'm your host Marisa Huston. Helping achieve bliss through awareness and action. Thanks for joining me. The information opinions and recommendations presented in this podcast are for general information only. And any reliance on the information provided in this podcast is done at your own risk. This podcast should not be considered professional advice. Joining me is Michele Friedmann with Michelle travels. She's a passionate world traveler, travel advisor and blogger. Currently she has visited 60 countries and seven continents. Her favorite continent is Antarctica and her favorite city is Barcelona. She fell in love with travel after studying abroad for a year spending a semester in Australia and a semester circumnavigating the globe with Semester at Sea. To learn more, visit www.michele travels.com. Windows are an important consideration in our homes. They provide light, warmth and ventilation and may impact our home's energy efficiency. If you need a window installer you can trust and give DenCo windows a call today. They proudly serve all of Denver and the surrounding communities and guarantee you will be happy with the finished installation of your new European windows. One call to DenCo and you can rest easy and knowing your new European tilt and turn windows will help you stay comfy in the winter and cool in the summer. DenCo windows are dedicated to meeting your needs and offering a tilt and turn window product you can trust. Their tilt and turn windows are manufactured with unleaded stabilizers, which means future generations will thank you. DenCo only installs European windows that will not rust corrode split warp or deformed under extreme heat or extreme cold, both of which are common in our beautiful city of Denver. With DenCo in Denver, you only get the very best European windows every time all the time. For more information, visit www.europeantiltturnwindows.com or call (720) 919-3099. Michelle, thanks for being here. I can't wait to chat with you about our topic today.

Michele Friedmann: 2:46

Thank you so much for having me.

Marisa Huston: 2:48

You know, this is a conversation that I've been wanting to have for a really long time. You and I both know travel has changed and it's changed overnight due to this pandemic. There have been a lot of unintended consequences, but there are also many consumer benefits that I think are going to come out of this. Let's begin by talking about the top five positive things or outcomes that consumers need to know under what we call this new normal.

Michele Friedmann: 3:17

Absolutely. It certainly is a new normal. And I will say some of the top positive outcomes I'm seeing. There are some really good deals right now particularly for people that are traveling in the next few months. I've seen a lot of book three nights get the fourth free. I just had a client stay at beautiful Gateway Canyons right here in Colorado for an anniversary trip and he got a fourth night free. I'm seeing that a lot in Mexico as well. So there's great deals. Places are about 40% occupied particularly beautiful resorts in Mexico right now. I had a client just come back and really love the space on the beach, the space at the bar, she kind of felt she had the place to herself at times and just had an exceptional experience. And the service is great. There's exceptional service right now. People are really appreciative of travelers. They want to make sure they have a fantastic time. Really fantastic service. And of course, things are being cleaned and sanitized non-stop. So the cleaning has just picked up for sure, particularly on planes at resorts, even transfers. Everyone's being very clean, keeping it small groups or just one or two people at the most. So that's been great, as well. And I'd say another big positive change, a lot of major airlines have dropped change fees, which is huge. That's why a lot of people love Southwest. So now other airlines are hopping on like American, Delta, United and Alaska Airlines. So that's a huge change.

Marisa Huston: 4:50

These things that you just mentioned are things everybody would benefit from. First of all getting better deals. Who doesn't want that? Less crowding. We're so used to lines especially in peak times, and now there's less people. So now you can enjoy areas that you want to visit in a different way. And then of course, like you said, the sanitizing that's taking place. The service, because less people means the people that are helping you are less stressed. And then the change fees or even cancellations, and not having to pay astronomical fees for things that happen that are not controllable in our lives. That's wonderful because I think that's one of the things a lot of consumers complain about, don't you think?

Michele Friedmann: 5:28

Absolutely. And to go along with that, you know, places are just getting a lot more flexible. And deposits are getting more flexible and cancellation penalties and things like that. So that's been positive for the consumer as well.

Marisa Huston: 5:40

And I think it's important to focus on those things, too. Even though we are going through some very strange times and difficult times, there are some benefits. And it's important to stress those things as well. So I'm glad we talked about that. What do you feel is the main difference between booking online versus working with a professional agent like you?

Michele Friedmann: 6:00

I get that question all of the time. So there are a couple of main reasons you should work with a travel advisor. We are up to date with rules and regulations that right now are constantly changing. So it's very important. You don't want to show up at the airport and not know, did I need a COVID test for this trip? Which type of COVID test? There are different types of COVID test, believe it or not. And is there a mandatory quarantine? We're up to date on that, and can give you up to date information that's really important. We also save people just a ton of time researching an area and planning a trip. They say the average person spends up to 20 hours doing research for a trip. So we take that off our clients shoulders, we do it all for them after a consultation call to figure out their likes their needs, how many people, what they love to do, their budget, important information like that. And when you're working with a travel advisor, you're not just getting that one person. I'm with an entire consortium. I'm affiliated with Virtuoso, so we really help each other. We talk amongst each other. You're getting a group of professionals that are well experienced in that area. I guarantee if I haven't personally visited there, one of my colleagues has. We have personal travel experience there. So we're really working together to put together some pretty awesome itineraries that maybe someone looking online just wouldn't know about this really cool boutique hotel to visit or this really great not to miss site, things like that. So I think it is really imperative more than ever. In addition, we provide 24/7 support, which is huge right now. Like I mentioned, we have partners on the ground, they are there to help all my clients have my email and my phone number, they can text or they can email me. I'm happy to support them. No one has ever had to spend two hours on the phone waiting for someone to get back to them. I actually had a handful of people reach out to over quarantine that had booked online and couldn't get through to anyone and were panicking. They didn't know what was happening. They had a lot of questions so they reached out and called me. So I helped him as much as I could but none of my clients will ever have to deal with that. And we're ready for the unexpected. We can help if pandemics happens, weather happens and itinerary has to shift, cancellations occur. We can help out with all of that and we're an advocate for our clients. So we certainly advocate for them to either get full refunds for things that are canceled, we advocate to change their itinerary on a whim, we stand up for our clients and we're really an advocate for them, which I think now more than ever is huge.

Marisa Huston: 8:40

And I think that based on everything you shared, the only reason anybody would ever hesitate to call somebody like you is because they think that it's going to cost more. Are there any fees associated with what you do? And if so, what can the customers expect and why?

Michele Friedmann: 8:57

So a lot of advisors do charge a service fee, which just counts towards the amount of time and research they put into planning a trip. I currently do a fee to go. During COVID I was doing a $100 typically I do a $200 fee to go, which just means it's a fee that counts towards your trip once you book it. And if you don't book it, then my agency does keep it for all the hours we spent researching, planning and putting together an itinerary. And now we can change that itinerary according to needs. It's not like one set itinerary. It can be changed. And another really cool thing that I don't think a lot of people realize. Being affiliated with Virtuoso, I have a lot of preferred partners and I can typically VIP my clients experience especially if it's a Virtuoso partner. Which means sometimes I can get my clients spa credit. I often get free upgrades. If I have clients going on a honeymoon, you know, I like to welcome them with a bottle of wine, cool perks like that. I took a group to Antarctica in January and I was able to get everyone $250 on board shipboard credit. So these are all things they would have not gotten had they booked online. So I actually ended up kind of upgrading their experience and VIP'ing their experience.

Marisa Huston: 10:14

All these bonuses that they get. And you know, based on what we're talking about now,travel is not cookie cutter. First of all, it takes a lot of time and it's an investment. And it's an enjoyable experience that you can remember for the rest of your life. We take it seriously because it's time with our friends and family and experiences that we're going to cherish for a very long time. And some people have certain types of expectations that others don't. And so I think just having the conversation with a professional like you to say, you know what, I'm looking for five star all the way I need to be in the best hotels and the best spas versus somebody who says, you know, I'm on a budget, but I still want to stretch it as much as possible and these are my priorities. And then you sitting down with them and listening to all those expectations and helping them achieve them is really the biggest benefit I think that you bring to the table. Right?

Michele Friedmann: 11:06

Absolutely. And of course, we do this all day every day. And we have insider knowledge and tips. So it's certainly worth utilizing that.

Marisa Huston: 11:14

Yeah. And so I then wanted to ask you about specialization. Professionals like you do you specialize in certain types of trips. You know, kind of like when you go to a doctor, you have the doctor that is a general practitioner versus somebody who specializes in an area. Does it kinda work the same way in travel?

Michele Friedmann: 11:31

Yes, it absolutely can. I'm really passionate about adventure travel. So I tend to get a lot of adventure seekers whether it's hiking around Peru and seeing Machu Picchu or going to Antarctica on an awesome expedition. So I definitely specialize in adventure travel and also like I kind of mentioned luxury travel. I do get a lot of honeymoons, anniversary trips, destination, weddings, things like that. I know other agents, they have a specific area they specialize in. I know one colleague just does Iceland. You know, she knows Iceland, like the back of her hand and that's what she wants to book and that's the only place she books. I know, other people just focus on Europe. And I know there are other agents that really love booking all inclusive resorts so they might specialize in all inclusive resorts.

Marisa Huston: 12:17

When you go and search for somebody, should you be looking for those things? Like when you visit a website, for example, I assume it's going to indicate what their area of specialty is?

Michele Friedmann: 12:29

So that's a really good question. You know, I find people either know right away when they look at someone's website, what they specialize in, or they get to know the person and they really enjoy working with that person. And like I mentioned before, we do all kind of communicate together. Say I have one client, we've formed a great relationship and they come back for another trip that maybe I'm not so familiar with, we do all kind of work together and communicate so I can still offer top notch service even if it's an area I don't really know that well but we've already formed a relationship and trust and they want to work with me because we've been in touch and they've used me before. I see that happening a lot in the travel industry. But if someone is looking for something more specific, I think on their website, you would be able to tell hey, this person just does destination weddings. I want to speak to them. Or this girl just as Iceland I'd love to like chat with her.

Marisa Huston: 13:26

That would make sense. So basically the first step is if they have travel in their mind, they should just call somebody like you pick up the phone and say Michele, I want to talk about my dream trip or whatever trip I want to take and you listen and let me know if we would be a good fit to work together.

Michele Friedmann: 13:43

Absolutely. Yep, I do like a 30 minute free consultation call and get to know the person. And if it's someone that I think hey, this trip is not exactly my cup of tea, but this is what I recommend, this is someone I can refer you to I would absolutely do that as well.

Marisa Huston: 13:58

Okay, so now we're gonna get to the fun part. Given the fact that all this is going on right? What are the best spots to visit now?

Michele Friedmann: 14:07

I will say Mexico has consistently been open. I've had a couple clients go and come back and say amazing things. They really appreciate that resorts are 30 to 40% full. They are getting really great service. They're leveling out at the beach and feeling like they have all this space and almost the place to themselves at times. Cancun area, dreams to loom I've heard very amazing things. I had a colleague just come back from a safari in Kenya and just had an unbelievable time. And Kenya is one of those places you know, you can kind of spread out at these resorts. You can have a personal guide whether it's you, you and a small group. You can really have this like personalized attention. You can go out on these safaris, have a fantastic day. Kenya is open, accepting tourists. Turkey is open. There are no COVID requirements to enter Turkey right now. I spent a couple weeks traveling around turkey in graduate school and had a blast. That's a great area. I know Costa Rica is open and accepting US tourists.

Marisa Huston: 15:12

Basically what you're saying is, if they have a desire to visit places, best thing to do is talk to you and you can tell them, hey, these are the places that are open currently that allow you to go and given the fact that we talked about the benefits of this time of travel, they can take advantage of that and you can help guide them through that process.

Michele Friedmann: 15:34

Absolutely. And certain places, you know, obviously do require a COVID test. Like Kenya, you have to get tested within 96 hours prior to departure. So those are all things that I can also advise on my clients, just what type of COVID test you need to get and when do you need to get it by and what type of paperwork do you need to show up with?

Marisa Huston: 15:52

That is so helpful? Because I think that's one of the things that stresses us out when we travel. It's all those little things that we don't know. And how could we we're not professionals. And with all the changes that have taken place lately, you have to stay on top of so many things. That's why we need somebody like you.

Michele Friedmann: 16:08

That can make or break your trip. Right? So it's important to be on top of it for sure.

Marisa Huston: 16:12

Yeah, you don't want to be stranded somewhere. And for example, you book your trip, and you're heading out everybody's so excited. And they're like, did you get your COVID test? No! I'm like, well, that's gonna put a damper on things, right?

Michele Friedmann: 16:26

Absolutely. And not just that you need to know like, what type of trip insurance is going to cover COVID. You want to make sure that you're equipped with everything you need to be equipped with and I advise my clients as well which type of trip insurance would make the most sense for their type of trip and where they live and their goals. So I help out with that as well.

Marisa Huston: 16:45

Believe it or not, I'm still shocked that we're gonna have this conversation about the holidays. In a couple of weeks we're hitting Halloween, and now it's the start of the season. And given the fact that this time last year, we weren't dealing with any of this. I mean, it's almost like a different world, isn't it? Michele? I cannot believe we're having this conversation. But given the fact that we have all these changes that have taken place, do you have any tips that you can share about how to make holiday travel a little less stressful?

Michele Friedmann: 17:17

That's a great question. You know, I actually did fly about two weeks ago, I flew Southwest and the middle seat was open, and I felt totally comfortable flying that way. So I will say that's a tip. Some airlines are doing middle seats open, definitely check on that. If you do wanna feel most comfortable flying. I did hear about a really cool, I believe it's an app that DIA is now using called Verifly. That's VERIFLY. And you can actually go in and like reserve your space to kind of check in at different spots at the airport so that you don't feel crowded. I had a colleague use it and loved it. So that's a tip definitely check that out. DIA is rather crowded, I will admit that. It's one of the most like crowded airports in the world, believe it or not right now. So if you're looking to fly and just be as comfortable as possible, those would probably be my two tips. Check if the middle seat is open and check this Verifly app that will leave you the most kind of space while at the airport checking in and all of those fun things.

Marisa Huston: 18:22

Michelle, this is so helpful. I know I learned a lot and I know our listeners are going to feel the same way. They are going to say, I had no idea that there were these things that I could think about and consider and understand. And that's really why we do this right? We want to help give awareness so that people can feel more confident when they make decisions for themselves. So how do people get ahold of you and learn more about what you do?

Michele Friedmann: 18:49

My email is info@micheletravels.com, and th

Marisa Huston: 18:49

Yeah, and we can always use updates. These things t's Michele with one l. My web ite is simply www.mi heletravels.com. I am on Fa ebook. I'm constantly posting on my business page updates, sp cials, epic stories of ad enture that's at, Michele Tra els LLC, and I'm on Ins are changing by the second. agram. That is MicheleTrave s_. I also have a free e-newslet

Michele Friedmann: 19:14

Absolutely.

Marisa Huston: 19:16

So it's really nice to stay informed. That way er. I'm happy to include anyone on that. It's just going to e full of tips, travel updates specials going on and kind of you know exactly what's going on so when you have to take that maybe cool boutique hotel as well that maybe you've n ver heard of before. trip. Particularly now in the holidays where people want to go visit their families and they have a short window of time and they gotta get from point A to point B quickly, it's really important to stay on top of all the things that are taking place in the travel world.

Michele Friedmann: 19:54

I totally agree and I think it's important to continue checking the CDC website as well as that always has up to date travel information.

Marisa Huston: 20:03

Thank you again for being here and for sharing this with us. I really appreciate it.

Michele Friedmann: 20:07

Absolutely. Thank you so much for having me today. I had a fantastic time.

Marisa Huston: 20:12

That's all for this episode of live blissed out. Thanks for listening and thanks to Michele Friedman for being my guest. If you have a question or comment for a future episode, all you have to do is go to www.speakpipe.com/lbovm, or click the link in the show notes to leave a brief audio message. If you find value in our show, please visit www.live blissedout.com to reach out subscribe and share on social media. This show is made possible through listeners like you. Thank you. So long for now and remember to keep moving forward!