Archive for the ‘Travel Tips’ Category

Costa Rica is a passion of mine. In fact, I have visited six times and plan to live in there in the next few years! Because of the healthy lifestyle, fresh, vine ripened fruit, mineral rich water, lifetime physical work and sense of purpose, Costa Rica is home of one of the few Blue Zones in the world known for it’s high number of centenarians.

You are invited to join me in Costa Rica this January since I am traveling with Gutsy Women Travel January 17th for 9 days in Pura Vida (the Pure Life)! The trip they have put together looks wonderful. We will be going to several places I have already visited and several that will be new to me, like the snorkeling in Tortuga Island! I cannot wait to return to the hot springs spas of Tabacon near the Arenal Vocano. Here you will experience soaking in hot natural spas in an exotic garden setting. Imagine having a steaming hot waterfall massaging your back while relaxing in a jungle setting. It’s amazing!

While here in the rain forest, I will lead a group to experience the most amazing zip lines near the resort. These are the most amazing zip lines I have ever experienced. Imagine flying hundreds of feet above the canapy of the rain forest. It’s totally exelorating. I used to have a fear of heights, but no more! It looks very scary, but after your first time, you too will be a fan!

I believe in taking time to rejuvinate and what better place to do this. I hope you can join me in Pura Vida this January! Here is some details about our trip:

Join Gutsy Women Travel’s Costa Rican Traditions trip and find out for yourself why it was voted the “Happiest Country on the Planet.” Costa Rica is a peaceful and prosperous country that is internationally recognized for its ecological and environmental mindfulness as well as its warm hospitality, majestic landscapes, colorful wildlife and vibrant culture.

Our 9-day tour starts in San Jose on January 16 and weaves through lush rainforest, virgin cloud forest, two active volcanoes, working coffee and sugar plantations and the world’s largest butterfly garden. There will be endless opportunities for viewing wildlife and plant life – many of the species only found here – as you venture through one of the most bio-diverse regions of the world.

As you may know, I was in Brazil for the last three weeks on an education retreat.  It was a wonderful experience and I have created new friends from all over the world:  Dubai, Hamburg, Belgium, Sweden.  It was amazing to me how many of these individuals were heading off to more time off trekking in other parts of South America for another 30 days or so.  We Americans really don’t take enough time off.  Do you know that it is mandatory to take time off regularly in many European countries?  Their employees are encouraged to talk multiple weeks off at a time too.

All I can say is that it was wonderful having time off for almost 3 weeks in August.  How many of us never make time for ourselves to really rest and rejuvenate?

What did I learn in Brazil?

I really learned how to relax and to be a person…to really have conversations on non work related topics, to sit an contemplate nature for hours at a time, to eat three sit-down meals with stimulating conversations, to eat really healthy and take long, long walks in the woods, beaches and quaint, resort fishing towns.  Today, before starting my day, I am going for a long bike ride where I can be in nature and get the blood flowing to my brain.  My goal is to stay in the state of rejuvenation.  I will also be joining a yoga class two mornings a week.  What simple actions can you take to create more balance and joy in your life?

Update on our event:

I returned home with just one day to prepare for a fundraiser for the HAVEN.  It was interesting; I just trusted my team and my husband to make sure everything would work out perfect, and guess what…it did!

Last Saturday at 5 pm, our home began to fill up with wonderful supporters.  As our guests entered our home, they were welcomed by the sound of soft live jazz with DSO trumpet, Bill Lucas and some of the top jazz players in the country.

Thanks to Jill Jordan and Barb Kopacs we had a very successful silent auction.  I had decided to cater myself, and between my husband’s awesome shopping, some generous food and wine donations and our terrific kitchen staff, not only did we have a wonderful concert on the lake, but we were able to raise some nice funds for both HAVEN and our foundation—The Smart Women’s Empowerment Program.

In addition, we are giving $1000 in cash to the HAVEN, plus awarding four women who have come through HAVEN a $1,500 scholarship each along with the support of a personal mentor/coach.  Next week, we will announce the four mentor/coaches who have volunteered for this wonderful project.

Take Time to Dance! By the way last night, just as the sun was setting, my husband, Mark and I  were picking up the yard from the event while listening to Bill Lucas’ promo CD with some of the   music from Saturday’s concert.  It was so beautiful, that we decided to take just one more dance as   the sunset.  Remember…take some time to enjoy the music!  Life is too short and it’s meant to be enjoyed and savored!

Thank you to all who supported us!  Again, we want to thank our sponsors Bill Fox Chevrolet, Fleming’s Steak House and the Seed Foundation for their generous support as well as our support team; Agatha Wolkowicz and Megan Russett who helped make the event happen.  If you are interested in learning more about supporting Smart Women’s Empowerment or the HAVEN, please feel free to email me at katana@smartwomenscoaching.com

Ever worry about losing your luggage when travelling abroad? Well, part of planning your trip should include these few simple tips:

Pack enough basics in a carry on — so you can survive just in case your main baggage doesn’t arrive.

Purchase baggage delay insurance — I suggest American Express so you can spend $500 on necessities until your luggage arrives.

Keep an inventory of what you originally packed in your main luggage.

Update to my trip to Brazil:

It’s day 10 and my luggage still has not arrived.  In fact, Delta has no idea where it is, so I have asked them to send it to my home when they do find it.

The night before I left for Brazil, I purchased Baggage Delay insursurnce with my American Express Platiunum Card.  This was reassuring, because as soon as I arrived and found that my suitcase was missing, I stopped in town on the way to my Pousada (bed and breakfast) and purchased several clothing and personal items that I needed for my trip.  I made a quick trip to the local mall and picked up jeans, walking shoes, socks, toiletries, sweaters, etc. 

My next task will be to file a claim with Delta, and then American Express to be reimbursed for the items in my main suitcase.

Due to smart packing and planning for the unexpected, my vaction is turning out wonderful! 

Could you still enjoy yourself if your luggage never arrived for your three week vacation?  Visit me in our new online community and create your free profile at www.smartwomenscafe.com   or email me at katana@smartwomenscafe.com

I am taking a much needed vacation for almost three weeks in Florianopolis, Brazil! It’s a gorgeous island near Rio De Jeniero. I had no idea how gorgeouos this place is. Watch for my videos and photos, that I will be posting in our new free community at the Smart Women’s Cafe and create your free member profile so you can connect and access all our free resources. I love Latin America and have been to Costa Rica five times, although, I have never been to Brazil. Let me tell you it’s absolutely a paradise here!

In planning for my trip to Brazil this month, I made sure that my airline ticket included both trip delay insurance, as well as baggage delay insurance. When travelling outside the country, it’s extremely important to plan ahead and pay the fee for the extra insurance.

Originally, my trip was scheduled for July. I had to reschedule my trip because my daughter became ill. The trip delay insurance I purchased, allowed me to reschedule my trip several weeks later. When I went to rebook the ticket for August, I found out it would cost me an additional $1400 because the tickets had increased in price above the $250 exchange fee! I ended up going a day earlier so it was just $950 more. The insurance company is reimbursing me up to 100% of the original ticket price which was $958 via Hotwire.com.

It’s funny, we all hate to pay for insurance premiums, but in this case, it was a blessing! Watch for my next post to hear about the rest of my trip to Brazil!

Do you have a good travel insurance story?