Vacations – Necessity or Luxury?

I believe I am correct on this topic.

Vacations are a NECESSITY.

With the pace and stress in our society today, they are a necessity.  I understand the cost may have become a luxury in your budget, but nonetheless, you need a vacation. You need time “off” to unplug.  Yes, I said it “unplug” for a while. Stop and smell the roses.  Enjoy your family, friends, meet new people, read a book, take photos of nature,  maybe even have a meaningful conversation – without a phone beeping or buzzing! Almost all business coaches, speakers, personal developement specialists conclude that taking time off actually is needed for increased performance.

Many reports indicate that is is actually healthy. What is wrong with “disconnecting” from your routine to have fun? Don’t feel guilty, you deserve it. It is not just part of life, a good resting vacation should become a focal point in your life. It’s not a bad goal to have in 2010.

As you start inserting dates in your new 2010 calender, be bold, take the time to block the time out – now.  Then take the time with your loved one or traveling companion and figure out where you are going to go and what you may wan to do or see. It doesn’t matter if it is an upstate getaway to a friends cabin, exploring Europe or Alaska on a cruise, a beach chair on an island, having someone serving you poolside (nice), walking a beach at sunset.  Just start visualizing yourself somewhere, give yourself a goal, and do what you need to do so you can look back at the end of 2010 with vivid memories and the feeling that ” I am glad I did it!”

We are fortunate to interact with people taking great vacations. I hear many of them say…”We were looking at our pictures from our last trip, and decided it has been too long. We need to go again.” Are you ready to getaway?”

I wish you the best vacation ever this coming year.

Sincerely, Matt Cervone

Chief Escape Officer

Just Cruises & Vacations

P.S. Of course, our Escape Artists can help make the planning process fun and affordable. Just click the Get To Know Us Tab on top

A Solution for Businesses and Charities

Times are tough.  We know.

And because vacations have always been considered a luxury, people are challenged with getting away more than before.  As a result, the idea of taking a vacation; like a cruise, is becoming less realistic for many.

Companies small and large, are always looking for creative solutions to motivate employees and reward  loyal customers in order to help their business succeed. As a result of current economy, vacations, once again, have become a desirable reward.

Through the years we have successfully assisted corporate clients with many vacation reward programs, which in return has resulted in increased employee productivity and sales.

And now Royal Caribbean has just rolled out a new and improved  Incentive Cruise Certificate program that puts the “X” into flexibility. And, it can easily be applied to any reward or incentive.

The greatest part about this program is that their are NO upfront costs.  This means that you can use this incentive to motivate and promote business, but you do not have to put out any expenses until your profit goals are achieved.

Here’s an idea of how easy this is:

Step 1:  Pick the level of your Cruise Certificate program

Step 2: Kick off your incentive/sales promotion

Step 3: When promotion ends or goals reached, purchase cruise certificate

Step 4: Cruise Certificates are delivered to you to distribute

Step 5: When Certificate holder is ready to redeem their reward they simply call us, or the cruise line, and we can handle the rest

Besides, who wouldn’t  be motivated or loyal to a business with an incentive to receive a cruise? Here is the best part;  the person being rewarded will have the flexibility to upgrade and/or transfer their certificate if they wish. This is a win – win for all.

This is also proven to be a motivator for ticket or raffle sales for any fundraising efforts.

If you would like help putting this together for your company, we can help steer the ship.

Give us a call or e-mail me directly.

Sincerely,

Matt Cervone
Chief Escape Officer
Just Cruises & Vacations

Travel for FREE?

Whaaaa? Travel for FREE?

Yes, it can be done. It takes a little bit of effort, but here’s how you do it:

1. Find a bunch of friends who, like you, want to get away. A cruise is the best way to do this. You pretty much become a “Julie The Cruise Director,” but it is well worth it. Rally up 15-20 of your friends and say, “let’s GO!”
2. Plan an itinerary with an experiences travel pro (we know a few). Pick a date, type of cabins, get the pricing and amenities list from the cruise line and voila, you’re on your way to a group cruise. Typically, you’ll earn 1 free passenger (that would be you) per 15 full-paying passengers, based on 2 per cabin. So it takes 8 cabins to earn your freebie. However, there are some promotions out there where you can get 1 free per 5 cabins booked. Make sure you work this out with your travel pro. They’ll work with you to get the best deal with the cruise line.
3. Now the FUN begins! It’s time to promote your trip. Most of the major cruise lines have software that will create a flyer or custom brochure for your group. Again, your travel pro can help out here. Whether it’s online or on paper, it’s all about promoting you and your group. You might start with a handful of people in your group, but you may double or triple your groups size (and freebie opportunity) if you get out there and hustle with promotion. “Launch Parties” are a great way to show people what fun they can have on the trip.

When all is said and done, a little effort on your part, with the help of a real travel pro, can help you create a dream vacation — for just about nothing out of your pocket.

Matt Cervone
Chief Escape Artist
Just Cruises