July 2020
Volume 2 Issue 9
THE CHARTROOM
Twice a month travel news from Charting Memories Travel
What’s Happening at Charting Memories?
Last week was a lot of fun here are Charting Memories travel. My personal highlight was the Virtual Carnival Cruise Party that we hosted. During the hour-long Zoom event, we went over some Carnival Cruise Line trivia, played a version of the Carnival Quest game and shared cruising stories. We were fortunate to have Katy Rose Friedman join in from Carnival. Everyone seemed to have a lot of fun. Stay tuned for the next virtual event. I’m currently working on something for the start of August.
I got some great feedback on the Virtual Cruise that I posted on Facebook and Instagram. It was great to hear that the posts provided a little relief and a sense of normality in these strange times. Because of the feedback that you provided; you will be seeing similar types of posts in the future. Actually, this week I’m posting about the All-Inclusive Hard Rock Resorts in Mexico. Before you ask, I am not currently traveling, I’m just sharing what you could experience on one of your next trips. If you have not seen the updates stop by www.FaceBook.com/ChartingMemories and see what the resorts have to offer. If you like what you see, I have discounted travel vouchers available that allow you to purchase now and pick a date in 2020 or 2021 when you are ready.
Why Consider an All-Inclusive Resort?
On a normal year, there are countless vacation options. This is obviously not a normal year but there are options, and they are changing rapidly. With all the available option, I think an all-inclusive resort should be on your travel radar. According to a course that I completed in the Travel Agent University (yes that is a real thing) all-inclusiveness is a factor for about half the people who vacation.
Right now, we all need to be thinking about safety, budgets and convenience and good all-inclusive resort may just fit the bill in all areas.
Destinations in the Caribbean and Mexico are currently welcoming guests from the states and flight times are not uncomfortably long so mask-wearing would not be a major issue. Once at the resorts you will find enhanced cleaning procedures in place. Every place is different and the rules are changing constantly, but you will see the resort staff wearing protective equipment, special cleaning procedures, expanded a la carte dining instead of buffets and best of all, reduced capacity. I posted a short informational video at www.Facebook.com/ChartingMemories of what the Hard Rock Resorts are doing. The reduced capacity can actually result in an improved experience. There will be more room on the beaches, the dining areas will be more intimate and quiet and the guest to staff ration will probably be better than normal.
No one knows what the future holds so we need to be careful with our finances and an All-inclusive can allow us to accurately budget our trip. It is nice to be able to grab a beverage, take a yoga class or paddle a kayak without spending extra money that was not in the budget. It can be frustrating to see fun things to do and second guess if you should spend the money or not. Many of these activities are included at most all-inclusive properties.
Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya
Planning and getting to an all-inclusive is relatively easy as well. As I stated before, flights to possible locations are reasonably short for most of us in the US. Many resorts are in locations that are open to guests from the States with minimal restrictions and there are even a couple of resorts in South Florida that can be driven to. Once at the resort, there are many activities available without ever leaving the property. There is no need to find transportation to get across town to have something to do. This adds to the safety of the trip since you will have less exposure to people from other areas.
There is a huge variety of resort styles available. There are family-focused resorts such as beaches, ultra-luxury options such as Sandals, the Amped Up style of Hard Rock or even the clothing-optional Hedonism Resorts. Take advantage of the current incentives and start planning today for where you want to go tomorrow.
Keep Charting Memories
Drew