My name is Amy. I began working in the travel industry back in 1997. I've been a sales rep, tour escort, travel agent, trainer, and now marketing manager. My heart is never far from home, but TRAVEL is in my blood. You can reach me at aochoa@morrismurdock.com or call 800-444-4757 for one of our professional travel consultants. Follow me on Twitter @amyatravelguru
Run a Marathon, Sky Dive, Bungy Jump, get an Adrenaline Rush!
I will be hosting a 15 Day/12 Night tour of New Zealand departing on April 24th, 2010. We will visit both the North and South Island and have the most amazing adventure of a lifetime. You DO NOT want to miss this. Click Here for details. Register by 1/11/2010 and save $100 per person. Space is limited to 49, so don't wait!
As you can tell from my recent post to New Zealand with Contiki, I LOVE Contiki and want everyone to experience what I did. If you have any interest in Europe and you're between the ages of 18 and 35, you need to check out their current 2 for 1 Airfare OFFER. Click Here for the details and then call or email me to get a quote.
Amy - atravelguru@hotmail.com - 801.558.5169
**PS. This is also the perfect gift for the 18-35 yr old in your life. :)
I just returned from the most amazing trip of my life. I visited the South Island of New Zealand for 11 days on a Contiki All-Ages Travel Agent FAM Trip. It was life changing and the most beautiful country I've ever been to. New Zealand is the Worlds Adventure Capital of the World. The scenery is breathtaking. The excursions are heart-stopping excitement. The people are unbelievably friendly and the accents are adorable. I kept asking the locals to read the menu for me just so I could hear them speak. :) (Thanks Kev)
I went on the Contiki Scenic Southern (Anti-clockwise) 11-Day Tour. You can CLICK HERE to see the exact itinerary. My photos are not in order. I had to start with the most exciting!
I took over 1100 pictures, and here are just a few of my favorites.
Only 29 hours in the airport.
At the time I didn't realize it would be worth every minute. (Salt Lake to LA to Auckland to Christchurch)
Can't believe I am actually going to sky dive in New Zealand Here I am with my tandem master Chris from NZone in Queenstown
Holy ......
YA!!!!!!!!
Landing is the hard part! :)
Okay...let's do that again!
Diana and I about to jump at AJ Hackets Kaurau Bridge near Queenstown First commercial bungy jump in the world 43 Meters (151 ft I think)
I don't even look nervous! However, I'm completely shaking and can't breathe.
Super Woman!
Okay...I think I'm going to hang here for a while.
That was awesome!!!!!
Let's see it live! :)
Hanging out at Minus 5 Ice Bar in Queenstown where its -8 degrees Celsius $27 to get in Holds about 20 people $12 per drink
Even the cups are made of ice and are broken when you exit.
Bridge of Remembrance for those New Zealanders that died on 9/11
Christchurch Cathedral in Christchurch
Okay....who is joining me on my next trip to New Zealand? Email me at aochoa@morrismurdock.com if you are interested in New Zealand in November of 2010.
For all you cruise lovers out there! This Wednesday, October 14th, 2009 will be the annual Worlds Largest Cruise Night event across the country. Every cruise line participates and offers great added amenities to almost every single cruise. They provide things like, reduced deposits, onboard credit, $ OFF, and more.
Click Here for a list of participating cruise lines. The sale begins for some cruise lines on October 12th, but most will only be valid the day of the event.
Call 800-444-4757 if you are interested in more details or email me at atravelguru@hotmail.com.
If you are considering a cruise, don't miss this event!!
I had the chance to spend 2 nights in Philly over the weekend, and what a beautiful weekend it was! A friend called me from Philly the day before I arrived and told me to dress warm because it was raining and cold. Well, 24 hours later and by the time I arrived, there was nothing but sunshine and more sunshine. Philly in October is the perfect time to visit. The trees were changing colors, and the weather was a perfect 70 degrees.
I was in town for a conference, so I was limited to only a few hours for site seeing, but I hit some highlights, and now I'm ready to go back for more next year.
I stayed at the Lowes Philadelphia, which was on 1200 Market Street in downtown Philly. It was a great location for site seeing to Independence National Historical Park, which was only about 4 blocks away. I was also able to eat the perfect Philly Cheesesteak Sandwich at Jim's Steak on 4th and South Street. ($8)
Standard Room at the Lowes Philadelphia
View from my room (1012)
Buggy Ride in front of Independence Hall
Liberty Bell Tower Located behind Independence Hall (Free Tours Available)
The Declaration of Independence was signed in the building at the far left. (white door)
"Barry" Statue of Commodore John Barry, the man who created the US Navy.
Liberty Bell Much smaller than I imagined. (Free Tours)
Jim's Steak 4th and South Street Make sure to order it with provolone instead of cheese whiz. Yummy!!!! They are about $8 ea, and they do NOT accept credit cards.
Yes, that's me sitting on the 2nd floor and over looking the 4th street shopping area.
Safe Travels, Amy PS. Next up is New Zealand...check back soon!
I'm headed to Philly tomorrow. I've never been, so I'm excited to visit a new city and check-out all the sites. So, far I've been told to run the stairs like Rocky, try a Philly Cheese Steak Sandwich, and visit the Liberty Bell. I'll upload pics as soon as I get back.
My family has a condo at the Canyons Resort in Park City, UT. Though Park City is only a 30 minute drive from home, its the perfect family staycation!!
A friend of mine just sent me this great info on Bermuda that I wanted to share with everyone.
TRIP TO BERMUDA
I just returned from a fabulous trip to Bermuda and was there for two days to attend a wedding. It was a thrill to experience this very unique destination and even more thrilling to have this as a brand new destination to talk about!I boarded the plane thinking this would be similar to a Bahamian island trip…not so!This very UPSCALE destination and has lots to offer.It will be very important to sell this as a HUGE value for guests as this is a wildly expensive island to holiday on.The largest selling point – VALUE VALUE VALUE!The option to use our ship as a hotel will be amazing for clients as they can stroll off the ship and be in downtown Hamilton or St George to shop and enjoy the nightlife if they choose.Scooter rentals are available right at the pier (would only recommend to the bravehearts of the group…this is a VERY hazardous activity…sounds romantic and fun, but the roads are treacherously winding and BUSY!) and deep sea fishing, golf excursions and city tours are easy to arrange.St. George is the seat of Bermuda history – this island is 400 years old this year with lots of great celebrations going on … a wonderful historic and architecturally great old city.Great site seeing with the old forts and churches steeped in history!
A few things to know….
CURRENCY / MONEY
Bermudian $$ is on par with the USD – if you leave the island with Bermudian money, it is not accepted anywhere and will not be exchanged at most banks – you can use USD anywhere and it is a better bargaining tool for shopping.
Leave half your clothes and bring lots more money with you – breakfast at our hotel was an average of $50 – 60 USD, dinner was easily $150.00 without going crazy on wine.
Our passengers will be in a great position to be able to eat on board and avoid the high cost of imported EVERYTHING.
THINGS TO DO
Golf
MUST be pre arranged – courses are absolutely the most scenic and pristine I have seen!All of them run along the ocean and are beautiful…any golf groups will be amazed at the quality and consistency of these courses.Golf groups will know to pre book and having the 3 days in Bermuda gives ample opportunity for tournaments.
Water sports
Should also be booked early – Jet skiing is very popular, but you are on a guided tour with an escort and are not free to Jet Ski on your own in the ocean!
Deep Sea fishing and Diving
Amazing here – water is crystal clear and clean – again, bring your money belt….
BEACHES
Best part of the island!!!CLEAN and powdery soft sand – pink sand is not everywhere – only a few beaches have the pink overtone from the coral, but they are all magnificent sunning and swimming…the undertow is strong – not good for little ones on all beaches.
FOOD AND DRINK
Excellent food – very British in style with the Moroccan/East Med overtones- great seafood and better pub food!Spotlessly clean everywhere – no vendors on land or even beach to sell you anything!Drinks are expensive – local fun drink is DARK AND STORMY….spiced rum with ginger beer!
*Reservations MUST be made at any good restaurant – they are all small and not easy to get into for evenings.
I found the entire Colonial atmosphere of Bermuda lovely and it was like stepping back in time with the locals in their pink shorts and formal attire for business!This is a fairly “serious” island – lots of banking/insurance types walking around due to the t ax havens here.There is no gambling anywhere and it is very traditional in all respects.Very British “colony” feeling with a touch of stuffiness…just perfect for our guests!They will be safe as there is very little crime here, especially towards tourists.IT is almost a corporate feel to the island and tourism is a necessity….not their first thought!
The locals are very happy that HAL is returning – they are all very aware of who is “from the outside” and who is staying….the protectionism of their island is very apparent and has done very well for them.There are very proud of being BERMUDIAN…an elite group for certain!
For many years I have had agents and consumers ask me if they can cruise to an island, stay for a day or two and then sail again…weare finally offering this and I will be telling agents the great opportunity for them to have ourproduct to sell this way!The other cruise lines are docked SO far away and their clients have to deal with water taxis (huge waste of time on VERY choppy waters).They will absolutely NOT have the same experience as we will offer them!
I just found this article in Travel+Leisure. It made me laugh because these requests are a little far fetched, but similar things have happened to me. :)
"From finding rabbi-impersonating Elvis impersonators to arranging air-conditioned camping in the Sahara—here are some of the crazy things travelers ask of travel agents."
Traveling to Chihuahua, Mexico is a perfectly common request for a travel agent. Traveling with one’s Chihuahua? That’s easy, too. But taking the Chihuahua to Chihuahua, Mexico so he can “discover his roots”?
I just got off of the 2-night cruise to no where on the Carnival Splendor Inaugural. It was so much fun and an amazing ship!! This was my first time on Carnival and I was pleasantly surprised. The balcony cabin was large, and very nice. The entertainment was AWESOME (my karaoke not included.) The food was excellent.
This ship will sail the Mexican Riviera out of the Long Beach California pier. My flight was only $119 from Salt Lake on Jetblue, and the pier was 10 minutes from the Long Beach airport. (Taxi: $11 p/p taxi ride each way)
Here are some of my favorite pics...
Lido Deck Pool and Big Screen Area
Balcony Cabin
Back deck pool
Water slide near Lido Deck
The ship has mini golf. Plus, Elite Golf with private instructors.
Camp Carnival for kids 2-17 The kids areas were some of the best I've seen. This was the dance floor for the 6-8 yr olds. Even better was the club for the 13-15 yr olds.
Little Kid Pool Area
Dinner was fabulous each night, and the dinner entertainment was awesome! (Pictured: Willy my Carnival Sales Rep and the famous singing Carnival Maitre'D)
Here is a video of the Maitre'D singing Apple Bottom.
Jai Ho
Even better than the singing waiters, was Marcus Anthony. Here's a clip...
Quite the entertainer!
Here is Marcus again on the Lido Deck during the day.
Even more to do at night... Casino Karaoke Dance Club Piano Bar Plus, 4am Pizza
I will be hosting a 15 Day/12 Night tour of New Zealand departing on April 24th, 2010. We will visit both the North and South Island and have the most amazing adventure of a lifetime. You DO NOT want to miss this. Click Here for details. Register by 1/11/2010 and save $100 per person. Space is limited to 49, so don't wait!
I will be hosting a 15 Day/12 Night tour of New Zealand departing on April 24th, 2010. We will visit both the North and South Island and have the most amazing adventure of a lifetime. You DO NOT want to miss this. Click Here for details. Register by 1/11/2010 and save $100 per person. Space is limited to 49, so don't wait!
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