While it’s not a new concept - shipping your bags ahead and having them already at your destination upon arrival - United’s new Door to Door partnership with FedEx is a great idea. Wealthy friends of Savvy Navigator who have been on our gay tours have been doing this for years and now the concept is kindly being brought to the masses. Imagine more hassle-free (well, less hassle free) movement through the airport, and avoiding those bag-check lines.

You have the benefit of being a carry-on-only traveler, but still have significantly greater wardrobe options while on your trip. For the Savvy Navigator spouse, this is HUGE!

If you’re a UA Global Services or 1k flyer, it’s even better, as the partners are offering a special 25% discount. Give this new concept a try, and let Savvy know how it goes.

Savvy Navigator has long been a fan of travel guru, Peter Greenberg. He has an interesting new book entitled Don’t Go There!, which enlightens us, in a most humorous way, those places to avoid. While Savvy Navigator spends most of his life telling folks where to go, this time it’s the other way around.

Here’s how Peter describes his new work:

“We’ve all suffered through bad vacations: tourist traps, endless lines, rundown hotels, and the worst airports on earth. Before you book your next trip, get all of the facts–that “idyllic” beachfront hotel could really be one of the world’s hellholes.In this follow-up to his New York Times bestseller, The Complete Travel Detective Bible, Peter Greenberg shares his experiences and hard-won knowledge of where not to go and why, so you can make sure your big vacation isn’t to a dismal destination.From dangerous roads, crime-ridden cities, and countries overrun with disease to depressing destinations, polluted beaches, and place that (literally) stink, the ultimate travel expert leaves no stone unturned, no garbage heap unexplored, to list the locations you should forget even exist. Backed up by information he has been compiling for years, Greenberg unapologetically exposes misrepresented resorts, corrupt countries, and cringe-worthy cruise ships so that travelers can confidently pack their bags and avoid vacation tragedy.”

Grab yourself a copy! I think you’ll enjoy it.

Trying to run two businesses sometimes has its challenges. Planning and conducting gay tours to South Africa on one hand, while deploying a team of executive coaches on the other, has periodic challenges. What’s the best way to stay organized? Savvy Navigator is a huge fan of Barbara Hemphill, a professional organizer and the publisher of the Taming the Paper Tiger organizing system. He’s used the system for nearly a decade, stays totally organized, and also thoroughly enjoys Barbara’s musings. In a recent newsletter, she has some excellent perspectives on vacation:

1. Always have a specific vacation in your future.  Recently a colleague shared a practice he learned from a friend and has implemented in his life. Before your vacation is over, block out the dates on your calendar for the next vacation.  Great advice – and I’ve already scheduled next year! The vacation planning experience itself can be a rewarding exercise as you explore all the exciting places in the world you can go – some of them very close to home!
2. Spend more time experiencing your vacation than capturing it. One of the things I realized was that every time I was trying to take a photograph of an experience, I missed the experience.  Of course, I wanted memories – but not at the expense of missing the action.  My solution was to block out specific time on each segment of the trip for photography, and enjoy the rest.  Extra payoff:  fewer photographs to organize when I returned!
3. Allow space in your vacation for doing nothing.  One of the biggest joys of this vacation for me was not having any appointments.  Although there were plenty of opportunities to schedule side excursions ahead of time, I decided to just wait and see what I felt like doing.  (Of course, I took the risk of missing something I really wanted to do, but there were so many options, it didn’t matter.) I don’t know how to use words to express the peace I experienced just sitting on the stateroom deck, watching the whales bounding and the glaciers “calving.” 
4. Avoid the crowd whenever possible. One of the things I discovered was that staying on shipboard on a day we were in dock offered great opportunities. Prices at the spa were reduced and so were the crowds – but the customer service increased because the experts were less rushed. 
5. Pack light!  The purpose of a vacation for me is to experience freedom.  That’s difficult to do if you’re lugging around lots of “stuff” that you in fact never use.  In fact, my traveling partner decided that the next time she took a trip, she would take fewer clothes than she needed and an empty suitcase, so she could buy things along the way.  Great idea!
6. Use your vacation as an opportunity to share time with the people you love.  This was the greatest joy of all about my vacation – my husband, my mother, and my best friend for two weeks.  It doesn’t get any better as far as I’m concerned. What’s especially heartwarming is that we will enjoy it again and again in the years to come as we share our memories with each other and with friends and family.  (Note:  This doesn’t mean you have to spend every minute together.)
7. Be sure to say “thank you” to the people who made your vacation possible.  In my case, a big hug to my husband who made this dream a reality for us, and to our travel agent who did an awesome job of helping select exactly the right cruise experience for us.  I also owe a thank you to the great people we met along the way, from the cabin steward who sent me home with a suitcase of clean clothes – imagine! – to the interesting people (business owners, ironically!) who shared our dining table.  Finally, it was indeed a blessing to leave my business behind for two weeks, knowing that the HPI team could handle anything that happened – and they did!
   

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Savvy Navigator LLC Offers Gay Tours to South Africa for Sophisticated Male Travelers

WASHINGTON, October 20, 2008 – Jeffrey Ward, a 20-year travel industry veteran and executive coach, has launched a specialized gay tour company catering to sophisticated male travelers.  With three departures planned in 2009, Savvy Navigator offers 12-day experiential, life-changing journeys for small groups to sample some of South Africa’s lesser-known attractions and meet with leading artists, naturalists and intellectuals.

Mr. Ward combines his executive experience in the trade with a passion for deeply enriching travel to create total immersion adventures for clients around the world. 

“I started Savvy Navigator Tours because I saw a need among affluent gay men for escorted, one-of-a-kind travel experiences that would allow them to go beyond the standard vacation,” said Mr. Ward, whose background includes more than a decade with American Airlines, where he concentrated on improving the customer experience.  “Savvy Navigator will take select groups on exhilarating journeys through areas known only to the most devoted chowhounds, wine enthusiasts, cultural critics and nightlife connoisseurs.”

Highlights of the “Eat, Drink and Be Merry” South Africa package, January 13-26, 2009, include a gourmet dinner hosted by a leading South African playwright and a safari at the luxurious Londolozi Private Game Reserve in Sabi Sands next to Kruger National Park.  Other South Africa tours will depart in May and November 2009.

“My concept for Savvy Navigator is the best dinner party imaginable extended over 12 days in settings of startling beauty,” said Mr. Ward.  “Sophisticated travelers are craving something different and want the opportunity to have a transformative adventure that includes getting to know interesting locals, and not just have a traditional tourist experience.”

Mr. Ward also noted that low air fares, combined with the value of the South African Rand currency, make January an excellent time for a South Africa vacation.

For more information please see our website.

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 ctober 14th, 2008