Viva la Vida Travel with Carmen Schaffer

www.vivalavidatravel.com "I want to go on a vacation. I've never been out of the country and I'd like to go to Mexico. I want to go to Cancun and stay in an all-inclusive resort." I can't tell you how many times I've gotten requests like this from travelers. I know these travelers well. They live in their comfort zone. They have pretty predictable lives but are ready to take the leap and "get out of the country" . They want modern comforts, food that they can recognize, the security of having other American's around them and they want to relax and unwind. These kinds of travelers are amazing to work with because they are in essence, blank slates. They enter upon foreign soil with enthusiasm, not necessarily to delve into the culture but to experience something new. They have virgin eyes and any and everything will be amazing to them. They are now entering the gate way drug of travel : their first visit to an all-inclusive resort in a...

The Shout Out. Everything in life is about building and nurturing relationships. Success in life, in my book, depends greatly on how you can build and maintain both personal and professional connections.  There are so many reasons why I love working in the travel industry. Having worked in the social work arena for so many years where most people really felt discouraged and disheartened by their jobs to entering into the world of travel where everyone is all about hospitality and ensuring their clients feel good and walk away happy, reinforces my decision to have made the career switch to travel.  I travel a lot for work and I love it. Not only do I enjoy seeing places and having new experiences that I can share with my clients, but I simply adore meeting new people within the travel industry and building good working relationships with them. When I walk into a trade show, I'm like a kid in a candy store. My eyes flit about, scanning all of the beautiful dis...