TRAVEL UPDATE, WHY I LOVE SHOULDER SEASON, & SPRING BREAK 2023

It is the middle of summer and many of us are looking forward to traveling this Fall and next Spring. I thought this would be a great time to share the trends we are seeing. I also want to address the reports we have all seen about the state of the air travel: reality vs how the news is reporting “facts”

AIR TRAVEL DISSECTED

Airlines ARE having issue, but we are very confident the airlines will have most of their issues sorted out by this fall!

The headlines all summer have been about airline cancellations, delays, and lost luggage. And it is being reported, to no surprise, quite dramatically.  I want to share our own perspective and what we have seen with our clients.

  • Since May, we have had 35 trips travel by air, mostly to Europe, small amount domestic and Caribbean. Consider please that there are over 70 legs of air travel on these trips as some of you had connections

  • CANCELLATIONS: Of these 35 trips, we have seen exactly 1 air cancellation..

  • MAJOR DELAYS: I am talking more than a half hour, we have seen 4 delays that were longer than 30 mins.

  • LOST LUGGAGE: One incident out of all the flights. 

Obviously, this is a small sample, but my point here is that the likelihood of a major issue is much smaller than the news would have you believe.

There are so many reasons that this has happened, but something not widely reported is that the industry saw this coming for the last 15 years.  Over 50% of Airline pilots are baby boomers who are fast approaching the forced retirement age of 65. In 2007, in a reaction to the looming issue, the FAA raised the age of forced retirement from 60 to 65. And they are now considering a bill that would extend to 67 with certain health certificates. 

The airlines are sorting out these issues and we should see a major relief come this fall. 


TRAVEL TRENDS

For Master Travel Clients, the most highly visited countries this summer are Greece, France, UK, and Italy.  And with the fall coming, this is a great time to consider a trip to these locations.  “Shoulder season” is my personal favorite time to travel– Less crowds, weather is still great, and prices go down, so it’s a better value for your money.  Here are our suggestions:


GREECE

DOMES ZEEN ON CRETE

DOMES ZEEN , A VIRTUOSO PROPERTY, IN CRETE

We recommend a trip to the much overlooked island of Crete. Crete is the largest of the Ionian islands, and as such, offers a variety of amazing experiences. It has many more sandy beaches than all the other islands, and is a treasure trove of culture and history.  We love the Domes collection of hotels: half of which are adult only and the other half are family friendly.

FRANCE

So many have visited Paris, and some of you multiple times. In the Fall we recommend several areas.  Normandy, rich in history and charm, is an amazing region to spend a vacation.  We also recommend the south of France: the weather is beautiful in the Fall and this area is also rich in culture, art, history, and there are a plethora of outdoor activities to be enjoyed. Check out the Gorges Du Verdon, for example.  There is so much to explore in the region, on the coast as well, and it is not to be missed!  We also love the Champagne region, for obvious reasons of course!

UK & Ireland

Look for the Loch Ness Monster in Scotland

We recommend a visit here in the fall, but get out of the cities and focus on the country side! See the charming Cotswolds of England, dot the castles of Scotland, and experience the cliffs and golf courses in Ireland. We love a drivable itinerary in this region: do a “castle to castle” journey where all your nights are spent in beautiful castles, like Ashford Castle! The possibilities are endless. 

ITALY

Truffle Hunting in Norcia in the Fall 2021

If it’s your first trip, well of course we recommend a visit to, what i like to call, “Italy’s greatest hits: Rome, Florence, Venice” but Italy is a country you can visit 20 times and never do the same thing. Destinations we recommend during the fall are Umbria, an area dotted with charming medieval towns, amazing gastronomy, and great outdoor activities. We also love Tuscany in the fall, with its rolling hills and great villas. 

OTHER GREAT OPTIONS

Aside from these four amazing destinations, we also recommend Egypt (great time to go, few crowds), Germany, Caribbean, and of course, many areas right here in the USA!  Anywhere you choose to go, we are here for it and hope that you consider a trip this fall!! You will not be sorry.

SPRING BREAK

We are seeing a lot of bookings coming in for February and Spring Breaks. This is the time to start planning if you want the best selection of hotels and rooms. Most of you enjoy going to warm destinations during this time, and Turks and Caicos is the #1 destination that we sell. I have been there over 5 times and am a real expert here. Our top picks are Grace Bay Club, Wymara, and the villa collection from Beach Enclave.

But don’t overlook some of the other islands.  Resorts that we LOVE, in no particular order, 

Where ever you dream of traveling, Master Travel is here to for all your planning needs!

MICHELLE ORRitaly, france, greece, uk, ireland, travel, air travel, LUXURY TRAVELComment