Covid has hit the world hard, and we feel it is getting more and more difficult to pack a bag and travel. It’s not impossible, but rather than going somewhere and having fun, we face a lot of limitations, starting on getting a Covid test even before boarding a plane, and never being sure about if this flight will take off or be canceled.
Also, and this is most certainly the main reason, we notice a little sadness when providing all these beautiful travel ideas and destinations, but not being able to go there, or explore a new place in the near future.
So we decided to cut down our activity for now. We will not quit, we just take a break. To be back stronger
Stay safe Travelitas!
And reach out, we are still here striving!
Free your travels, be a Travelita. #travelita #iamatravelita
1. Okay, Miss Monica, what was the specific incident that got you to this interview?
We connected in a travel blogger community, where you asked if anyone would like to be interviewed. I said yes, and here we are!
2. What has earned you the right to be an authority on this topic?
My blog has a special section on Timeshare Traveling. I’ve never worked in the timeshare industry, and I’m not being compensated by any of the parties I talk about on my site. I’m just a happy timeshare owner of 15 years. I’m on a mission to help the 20 million people (9 million in the U.S. alone!) who own a timeshare make the most of it. I like to think of myself as Your Timeshare Fairy Godmother!
3. What is your brand, your topic exactly about?
Timeshare vacations and ownership is beautiful yet complicated, and there’s a steep learning curve. As a veteran owner and a member of various Facebook groups, I have seen firsthand that many owners struggle to learn how to use their timeshare, and they don’t know how to hack it. I added these completely free resources to my site after seeing the need.
For example, four out of five people have U.S. National Parks on their travel bucket list, but many timeshare owners express frustration that it doesn’t seem like they can use their ownership to see them. I thought to myself, there must be a guide like this out there to help the millions of owners travel to national parks. It turns out that it didn’t exist! So I made one myself and offer it free on my site!
4. Why is it important?
With over $10 billion a year spent on timeshare purchases and 20 million worldwide owners of timeshares, I’m on a mission to help people save money and make the most of their timeshare ownership. For some people, this can be the difference between 1 more vacation a year for their family or all the way to helping people on fixed incomes leverage their timeshare ownership to snowbird for the winter in Florida! For those who can’t figure this world out, they are wasting thousands of dollars each year paying for a timeshare that they don’t use. That makes a frugal fannie’s heart hurt.
With so many people spending their hard-earned money buying timeshares, and in essence, prepaying for future years of vacations, I want to make sure they made a good buy. That’s why I took hypotheses from the owner’s groups and put them to the test to determine once and for all.
In 2021, I’m also going to be spreading the word on how everybody can vacation in timeshare resorts for pennies on the dollar! If you want to vacation in beautiful condo resorts with all the amenities of hotels AND the conveniences of apartments for $300 a week, I’m your gal! No timeshare ownership or high-pressure sales presentations required!
5. Now that I know what it is, now that I know why it’s important and relevant, how are you implementing this on your travels? I mean, like, is there a process that you follow when traveling?
This question really got me thinking about my process, which I’ve never really written about before. As my URL says, I really am a planner at heart and have a board in our house with a list of timeshare vacations we want to go on in the next 5 years. When planning, I look for trips that are the intersection of fun, adventure, and a premium timeshare resort that’s a great deal. That being said, I don’t schedule us to the place where we can’t take advantage of last-minute travel deals or invites from friends to join them on vacation.
6. What if people took advantage of your tips and steps you are providing? What will happen, how will their travels change?
My goal is to inspire timeshare owners to consider destinations that they haven’t considered previously and save them money along the way. On my website, I talk about how to calculate the value of your timeshare vacation and how much you save by traveling this way.
Do you remember how you felt when you traveled alone for the first time?
The first time I traveled alone was in my young 20’s for a business trip. I remember being nervous and excited at the same time.
How did you, or do you deal with fears?
Being aware of your surroundings and taking some safety precautions are smart whether you’re in your home town or across the world. I don’t wear expensive jewelry when I travel by myself, and I always lock my hotel room as soon as I enter it. Try not to talk on your phone when you’re walking down the street, as you’ll be distracted. If you feel like you are being followed, cross the street walk a block, and then cross the street again. If they are still with you, go into a store or restaurant right away.
Is there a place where you have been, and you would definitely not recommend it for women on their own and why?
I haven’t traveled to any place like that. I’ve been nervous a couple of times by myself but not to the point where I don’t think other women should go.
Do you still have this excitement when you go on a trip?
I still love traveling! And after 12 months of canceled trips, I think I have even more excitement to get traveling again.
What are your top 5 destinations and why?
It is hard to pick just 5, but here’s some places i loved.
While Tokyo was fantastic and had amazing energy, once we went to Kyoto, I really felt like I was in another continent, a really different part of the world from the suburbs of New York City. Taking a bullet train from Tokyo to Kyoto was a once in a lifetime experience!
One of my more recent trips was to Charleston, North Carolina. We went on an “adult spring break” trip with two other couples, and it was an amazing vacation! The food and drink scene is world-class. We ate ridiculously well at every single meal. One of our trip’s highlights was going to an 80s concert at a local music venue called The Pourhouse. It was outside of the tourist area and introduced us to an 80s cover band called Electric Avenue, who I’m now obsessed with.
The Catskills have always been a beloved ‘back to nature’ getaway. It’s only 90 minutes from NYC, but you might as well be a world away from the crowds, noise, and hurried life. From historical artists to the Borscht Belt resorts of yesteryear (you know what I’m talking about Marvelous Mrs. Maisel Fans) to Woodstock, there’s always been magic here. Now Millennial artists, bakers, hoteliers, and restaurateurs are shaping the next ‘version” of the Catskills, celebrating the same awe-inspiring surroundings. The Catskills is home to our timeshare; it’s an amazing trip in all seasons.
North Shore Oahu is a much more authentic Hawaiian experience than Waikiki. I lived on Oahu for two years, and the North Shore is so beautiful. We spent part of our honeymoon at Turtle Bay Resort, where most of Forgetting Sarah Marshall was filmed. It’s an easy way to see the real Hawaii for people who don’t want to fly again after their long flight into Honolulu.
Joshua Tree National Park was one of my first National Park experiences. It transports you to “The Outer Limits of Reality,” yet it’s close enough to visit from Palm Springs, Los Angeles, or San Diego. It’s so otherworldly and vast, that Star Wars scenes were filmed there! The park covers 800,000 acres with mountains, wide deserts, and infamous Joshua trees. It’s hard to wrap your brain around this place, and it will definitely give you the bug to visit more National Parks.
Funniest story that happened to you when traveling?
When I was in Elementary School, we lived on Oahu for two years. For school breaks, we would hop over to other Hawaiian islands for vacation. One Spring Break trip, my parents forgot all our suitcases at home. They each thought the other person put them into the car. By the time they discovered it, we were already at the airport and running late for our flight. So we got on the plane and went. We bought everything we needed for the week from ABC stores and the hotel gift shop. I still remember the beautiful two-piece bathing suit I picked out in the fancy hotel gift shop!
What do you want people to do?
Go explore and make memories! Whether it is a place within driving distance of your house or halfway around the globe, go, go, go! You never know what life has in store for you around the corner. If you have the ability to go, just do it!
And it is true. Wherever you come from, Beijing will be different. Even though you come from another big city in China, we did not experience any other to be like Beijing.
First of all – don’t be afraid. Beijing travel is simple. There are people that do speak a bit of English and they are willing to help; and although you have most signs in Chinese, there are quite some also in English.
It is safe to travel to Beijing as a woman alone. Keep in mind that – wherever you go, it will be crowded. And it might also feel a little strange if Chinese people stop you because they want to take a picture with you. That is absolutely normal there so even though you might feel it to be strange, don’t be afraid.
Sights are crowded and for some, tickets have to be purchased online some days in advance to make sure you can get in, so make sure you plan your trip accurately.
For the foodies: we recommend not even to try one single restaurant but go to Chinese places and just go for what looks nice – they have pictures on the wall. We cannot tell that we have tried anything that was not delicious, even though sometimes it was strange. Like having the fish head and the whole fish within the soup.
Also, we recommend a visit to the food market where you can try scorpions and other strange animals fried on sticks.
Any more tips? Let us know!
Free your travels, be a Travelita! #travelita #iamatravelita
Yes, usually there should be an interview. But due to the world situation, we decided to handle the topics a bit differently this year, with more focus on uniting us, creating ideas, and move forward, and towards something in a world, that might look a bit dark. But it isn’t. Let’t inject some happiness! Together!!
If you are like us, you are missing travels, and it’s getting worse and worse every day. But just like our longing grows, restrictions grow as well.
Some countries have closed their borders completely, quite a lot require to do a quarantine or PRC test to enter (even though the latest news claims that a positive PCR does not tell us anything about an infection), and a few remain without restrictions.
What is a little strange is, that not even one mentions anything about entry with a positive antibody test, which would be the one and only “security” that at least for the next weeks, nothing will happen around you. Just as no country mentions the vaccine for an entry option.
What do you think, how will the world look like concerning travels in the future? Do you think there will be a mandatory vaccine? Do you think that PCR tests and quarantines remain, do you think that they will acknowledge the antibody test in the future?
Let us know. Share with us. Also, if you have one, share with us your ideal future scenario. We would love to hear, maybe also to do a post about just this in the future! We should never underestimate what we can do if we unite!
Free your travels, be a Travelita! #travelita #iamatravelita
It is getting more and more difficult. Not only that a lot of countries pull out restrictions, moreover they are changing every moment and sometimes I feel like that when you board a long-distance flight and you are about to land, everything could be changed again.
Of course, this is quite over-exaggerated, but it is my personal feeling. And it is getting harder and harder to fill a blog about traveling. Various websites pull up travel restrictions of countries but be aware, that information might be incorrect. We do recommend consulting the up-to-date information of the country you plan to travel to.
Also, do not forget to take a look at the transporting conditions. There might be airlines that only will let you board if you provide a negative PCR-test, or they do a PCR test before they let you board.
Our recommendations:
Your planning needs to be accurate and detailed
Try to find airlines with flexible flight conditions that let you postpone your flights in case of unforeseen circumstances.
Only book hotels that can be canceled up upon the date of arrival.
Do not only check travel restrictions but also consult the current rules of the country you plan to travel to. If you plan to do sightseeing and all sights are closed, it will not make sense.
Any more tips? Let us know.
Free your travels, be a Travelita. #travelita #iamatravelita
You want to travel in the Covid19 and escape reality for a bit? The Best Western Noble House in Malmö might do this for you.
We had Malmö in another post already, and it is like coming to a little movie backdrop, and this hotel will make you feel being right in the movie yourself.
The whole scenery is created as a movie set, you will see costumes and decorative articles all over the place, but once you checked on their meeting room “Play”, you will be convinced.
What else to find in the Best Western Noble House? You will be welcomed by little puppies that sleep on your bed, you have an amazing breakfast with “do it yourself” waffles, and after giving yourself a nice sweat in the gym, you can have an additional one in their sauna which you can pre-book so you have it just for yourself.
I have felt warmly welcome and the hotel staff tried to help me to realize each and every one of my wishes.
Also, even though a lot of regulations were in place, the hotel managed them in a way one did hardly feel their impact on the holidays. Another nice pro: super lovely cleaning and restaurant staff.
So – traveling in the Covid 19 might not be your thing – but if it is, give the Malmö Best Western Noble House a try.
Free your travels, be a Travelita. #travelita #iamatravelita
1. Okay, Miss Laura, what was the specific incident that got you to this interview?
I reacted on a post in a bloggers’ group on Facebook.
2. What has earned you the right to be an authority on this topic?
I’ve been travelling alone for a few years now and have travelled by myself in 4 different continents. It’s my favorite way of travelling and it has taught me so much!
3. What is your brand, your topic exactly about?
My blog is about (female) solo travel and travelling in a responsible way. It’s about immersing yourself in a culture, gaining confidence and making wonderful memories around the world.
4. Why is it important?
To me, travelling solo is all about conquering your fears, building confidence and learning that you can rely on yourself. I’m a very anxious person and used to think I would never be able to travel alone. I postponed it many times before finally deciding to face my fears and take the plunge. Although it was scary at first, it ended up being one of the best decisions of my life.
When it comes to travelling responsibly, it’s so important to leave as little impact on the environment as possible and not to exploit people or animals. This is something I’ve grown increasingly aware of and try to implement in my travels as much as I can. The world is beautiful and it’s so important to treat it well.
5. Now that I know what it is, now that I know why it’s important and relevant, how are you implementing this on your travels? I mean like, is there a process, that you follow when travelling?
Before travelling to a new destination I always take the time to research the place and make sure to know what I should be aware of. I want to know about more dangerous areas if there are any and make sure to look up tourist scams, etc.
When it comes to travelling responsibly, I do a lot of research about the ethics of certain activities and am very cautious when animals are included. I also do my best to find eco friendly ho(s)tels, restaurants and activities and am trying to reduce my plastic waste to the bare minimum and travel overland as much as I can.
6. What if people took advantage of your tips and steps you are providing? What will happen, how will their travels change?
They’ll expand their comfort zone, learn how to rely on themselves, conquer their fears and fall in love with everything this world has to offer!
7. Now we would like to get just some general information about you and your travels:
(if not answered before) – When did you start traveling?
I’ve been travelling for as long as I can remember, first with my parents and later with friends. I started travelling solo in 2017.
– Do you remember how you felt when you traveled alone for the first time?
I was so nervous and excited at the same time! I had a thousand scenarios in my head about what could go wrong and wondered if I had made the right decision. But when I arrived at my destination, it took me just one day to realize I LOVED it. I had never felt more free in my life and I was so proud of myself for finally conquering my fears.
– How did you, or do you deal with fears?
What helped me a lot was reading blogs of solo travellers. I kept thinking that if they could do it, then so could I. When something bad happens I always try to stay calm and have the confidence that there is a solution for every problem.
– Is there a place where you have been and you would definitely not recommend it for women on their own and why?
No. Although travelling through Togo and Benin was a little more challenging, so I wouldn’t recommend it as a first solo trip, unless you’re very confident.
– Do you still have this excitement, when you go for a trip?
Yes absolutely! Maybe not as much as when I first started travelling solo but I still feel very, very excited every time. Every country is different and you never really know what’s going to happen, whom you’re going to meet and where your adventure will take you this time.
– What are your top 5 destinations and why?
I love destinations where there’s a lot of nature and where you can immerse yourself in a culture. My top 5 destinations are: Myanmar, Nepal, Indonesia, Guatemala and Benin.
I loved Myanmar because it’s incredibly rich in culture and still very authentic. There aren’t too many tourists (yet) and the people there are so friendly.
Nepal has a mix of Buddhist and Hindu culture, which I found incredibly fascinating. I really love the mountains so it’s no wonder that the Himalayas are one of my favorite destinations in the world.
Indonesia (I visited Sumatra) was another authentic destination with a fascinating culture, amazing people and beautiful nature. I loved the jungle trekkings and I’ve met the most hospitable people ever here.
I loved Guatemala for its beautiful volcanoes, colorful towns and the adventure. I’ll never forget sleeping in a tent near an erupting volcano. What a view!
What fascinated me about Benin was its Voodoo culture. I didn’t know a lot about Voodoo before visiting this country and have learned so much there. I also loved the challenge of travelling here, I didn’t see any tourist during my entire stay and feel like this is the country where I learned to rely on myself even more.
– Funniest story that happened to you when traveling?
It wasn’t very funny at the moment it happened, but I can laugh about it now. When I was crossing the border from Togo to Benin, I forgot my backpack in the minibus in Togo due to a miscommunication. I had to cross the border back to Togo illegally (because I had a single entry on my visa) surrounded by a bunch of security people in order to go get my backpack.
8. Call to action – what do you want people to do?
I want people to expand their comfort zone, conquer their fears and make beautiful memories all around the world while considering the environment.
Read more from Laura:
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