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Happy Halloween!!!
I've always enjoyed Halloween with the great decorations and costumes and, of course, bowls of Halloween candy everywhere you go. I find it quite interesting that in 1980 my two boys dressed up in Star Wars costumes making me the proud mother of Darth Vader and Yoda and now I have several grandkids sporting Star Wars costumes this year including some new characters that were not around in 1980. Life is certainly interesting.
Once Halloween has passed, we have shorter days to look forward to, Thanksgiving, holiday shopping and, let's not forget, a new President. Whichever candidate wins, it will certainly be history in the making. I anticipate the election to be a lot like Halloween....scary, spooky and sure to repeat itself!
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Holiday Shopping Tips & Ideas
In addition to my love of travel and helping all of you with your travel plans, I LOVE to SHOP!!! I consider myself to be a pretty good shopper, not so much because I save lots of money, no not really but, because I usually love what I buy and enjoy researching products, reading reviews and just plain shopping. I have always loved pouring through the many catalogs that arrive in the mail and marking the pages where my next possession is hiding. If you're like me, it's so hard to go back and find that item you think you can't live without! So, earmark the pages. I absolutely love shopping online and I'm always enjoying the benefits of Amazon Prime. Not a member? Shame on you....get on your computer right now and sign up. It's worth every penny. I often wake up in the middle of the night and start shopping. Amazon Prime is just what my instant gratification personality needs. I can order something and sometimes have it in less than 24 hours!
Don't misunderstand, I love face to face shopping as well and especially enjoy all the treasures I find when I'm out in the world traveling. That's where you will find special items that no one else will have. More importantly, you will have memories of a lifetime each time you wear an article of clothing, don a scarf or piece of jewelry or use a wallet or handbag purchased in a far away destination. I'm wearing a beautiful bracelet from my trip to Israel as I write this. A word of advice about shopping when you travel. If you LOVE the item, BUY it. You may never be in that place again and, I assure you, you will have regrets if you don't make that purchase.
Most of what I just wrote is about purchases I have made for myself. While I also love to shop for others, I always find it to be a bit daunting and quite difficult. Now, with the holiday shopping craze rapidly approaching, I have some advice for you. Why not give the gift of travel? You can buy airline gift cards at the grocery store and you can buy cruise gift cards and travel gift certificates from me! I can also put together an entire vacation package for you to surprise your family with. Not sure how to wrap a vacation? Just wrap up some travel magazines, a beach towel, flip flops and suntan lotion and sit back and watch their excitement when they open your gift. We are available to turn those gifts into reality and help you give your loved ones a holiday present that will be filled with the memories of a lifetime.
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American Express Travel Network 2016
As the owner of a Cruise Planners Franchise, I am proud to be part of the American Express Retail Travel Network. This is good for me and it's good for my clients to have the power of the "Blue Box" behind us as well as the fine reputation for service that comes with the name American Express. Every year they host an amazing Travel Forum filled with learning opportunities, special events and fascinating keynote speakers. Last year the highlight for me at the forum in Washington D.C. was listening to Colin Powell who had an unexpected fantastic sense of humour.
This year the forum was held at the beautiful Arizona Biltmore in Phoenix. It had special meaning for me on many levels. It was my first time traveling alone since my surgery last February and I proved to myself that I have regained my independence. I was able to spend a day with my sister who lives in Phoenix shopping, eating and, most importantly, laughing as we always do when we are together. The Forum was almost like a "coming out party" as I got to see and be with so many of my Cruise Planner's family who have been supporting me and my efforts this past year. Additionally, I leaned new things from our travel suppliers and enjoyed listening to four wonderful keynote speakers. This year's highlight for me was Amy Van Dyken-Rouen, a 6 time Olympic Champion in the sport of swimming. So, why did her presentation have such a special effect on me? Amy spoke about how important having a team around her is especially as a member of the Olympic swimming relay teams. She said sometimes she didn't even like all the members but they came together as a team, put aside their differences, and won!
After retiring from swimming, Amy had a career as a sports broadcaster, radio disc jockey and speaker. She is extremely funny and sometimes a little brash (just adds to the humour!). In June, 2014 Amy was injured in an ATV accident and severed her spinal cord resulting in her being paralyzed from the waist down. She handled her injury as she did her swimming career. She surrounded herself with the best possible team and kept her winning attitude as she tackled the most difficult event in her life. Anytime someone was negative and told her she could not do something she would respond by saying, "Who are you to tell me what I can or cannot do?" Listening to Amy and hearing her determination as she lives life a little differently now was just what I needed. Because, even though many of us have a smile on our face and are moving forward, it's still a lot of hard work each and every day (but worth it). I want to thank all of you for being part of my team with your support and words of encouragement. It truly means a lot to me.
Please read about Amy here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amy_Van_Dyken
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The Power of Twitter & Tweeting....
In all honesty, I don't really understand tweeting and think it's kind of foolish. However, I do have a Twitter account as easyaccesstrav and I put it to the test this past week. I found myself extremely frustrated and angry with the Disability Services Desk at American Airlines. I have spoken with them numerous times over the years on both my behalf and yours. Usually, I have had good results and have gotten requested seats for all of us. Not this week. They told me that a new ruling passed on July 15, 2016 by DOT (Department of Transportation) forbids them to assign the bulkhead seats on their planes to anyone except a person with a fused leg or traveling with a service animal. I personally feel this is crazy. Prosthetic legs need to be extended for comfort during a long flight. Also, I need to remove them for periods of time and cannot put them back on if there is a seat in front of me. I only need this courtesy on long haul flights where there are numerous seats in the bulkhead. They cannot tell me that there will be 8 people with fused legs or 8 service animals traveling on that flight. I also know that many of you need bulkhead seats to enhance your comfort while flying.
So I took to Twitter and barraged AA with a series of tweets about how they were treating people with disabilities, etc. I even suggested they take a lesson from Southwest Airlines.
I'm sure you know what the outcome was....I got exactly the seat I needed at no additional cost. When I originally spoke with them, they offered to let me purchase the seat which doesn't make sense either if they have to hold it for fused legs and service animals. Seems like the disabled community takes one step forward and 10 steps back.
Get a Twitter account so next time you take issue with a large corporation you will know how to get results!
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Need a scooter, wheelchair, O2, or anything else for your next cruise? Let us make arrangements for you with Special Needs at Sea.
Call Easy Access Travel to arrange your equipment.
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Easy Access Travel is available to speak to your organization or support group if geographically feasible. Please contact us for more information.
Sincerely,
Debra Kerper Easy Access Travel Cruise Planners/American Express Franchise Owner debra@easyaccesstravel.com |
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ABILITIES EXPOS
Next stop......
Washington DC Metro, Dulles Expo Center
December 2,3,4
Visit Us In Booth 308 and come to our Travel Workshop on Saturday, Dec. 3 at 1:00pm in Workshop 1.
Free admission, workshops and events.
We look forward to meeting you, sharing valuable information and answering your questions.
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GROUP TRAVEL
(We do individual and group travel planning)
We are offering some incredible Group Travel opportunities and invite you, your families & your friends to join us on one or all of these trips. All of our trips are mostly accessible and geared to those with mobility limitations.
LIMITED SPACE AVAILABLE ON ALL GROUPS:
Accessible Allure (Next BIG Amputee Cruise) Cabins are being pulled this week! CALL NOW if interested. February 12-19, 2017 Take your Sweetheart on a cruise in 2017 on the magnificent Allure of the Seas. Eastern Caribbean Cruise Full Details Here.... SPINA BIFIDA CRUISE Just for our Spina Bifida clients, their friends & families. May 6 - 13, 2017 on board RCCL's newest ship, Harmony of the Seas. Accessible staterooms are limited so SIGN UP NOW!!! Full details & pricing here... ACCESSIBLE BALTIC - SOLD OUT! We have a waiting list as people do cancel.... June 12 - 21, 2017, Norwegian Getaway Click here for more information... IRELAND LAND ADVENTURE Sep. 2-15, 2017 SOLD OUT! We are finalizing a second departure. Please email or call to be notified of dates & details. Details here of September Trip Visit the Southern Caribbean (Aruba, Bonaire & Curacao) February 2 - 11, 2018. Nine nights round-trip Miami. Click here for full details and information Planning a trip to South Africa for Spring, 2018....details next month! Waiting for 2018 pricing. Alaska 2018: interest list now forming More Adventures coming soon Be sure and tell us where you would like to go and we will put a group together! Don't miss the boat or the tour bus...travel with these incredible groups! |
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For information on all trips go to
and click on Group Trips.
Deb's Medical Update
& Travel Adventures
Hopefully, you just read about my trip to Phoenix for the American Express Travel Forum which I thoroughly enjoyed. I am so blessed that going to events like these is what I call work.
I'm pretty sure my leg is finally healed. I have a doctor's appointment on Tuesday and hoping for the all clear sign so I can return to physical therapy and more walking. I have been busy getting my prosthesis tweaked so it fits more comfortably. I now have the same type of foot on both legs and I think it makes me much more stable. I don't need to be all bouncy, I just need to be able to walk and keep my balance!
To all my Spina Bifida friends, I am now the proud owner of a new TiLite wheelchair that you told me I had to have. Very comfortable and Cruise Planners Green!
Steve and I are off to Miami on November 3 for Cruise Planners Convention, my favorite event of the year. I am so looking forward to seeing more of my Cruise Planners Family as well as many of my friends who work with our suppliers. I will be participating in a panel on Special Needs Travel and hope to impart some knowledge to other travel agents who want to help clients with disabilities. As part of the convention, we will be honored to sail for two nights on Harmony of the Seas with RCCL's inaugural celebration team as Harmony becomes home ported in Ft. Lauderdale.
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| Just Doing it a little Differently..... |
When you sign up for Accessible Allure, Easy Access Travel will donate a portion of our proceeds to the Amputee Coalition.
Sign up for our Spina Bifida Cruise and we will donate a portion of our proceeds to the Spina Bifida Association.
Help support your organization while you're having a great time!
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