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...

www.vivalavidatravel.com Today while I was at a women in business networking luncheon, I had the opportunity to discuss travel with some of the people present. I explained my approach to travel as being a way to bridge cultural gaps by offering up real and authentic cultural experiences. One woman proceeded to tell me about her experience while on a cruise through the Caribbean and in Honduras. She mentioned to me that she had gone on a cruise to the Caribbean with her husband and one of the ports of call was in Honduras. They were advised to not go "beyond the fence" as it was deemed not safe for tourists. She explained to me that she was bored with the port shops and canned experiences that they discovered at every port of call and didn't really get a chance to explore the people or the culture of the destination as she'd wanted to. She had heard of a local cooperative on the other side of the "fence" that segregated the people of Honduras from th...

If you're not an avid Viva la Vida Travel follower, let me catch up you up to speed on a little bit about me personally. Before I took the plunge and founded Viva la Vida Travel, I was a social worker. I have worked with just about every type of person under the sun and I have thoroughly enjoyed all that I was able to do while working with my clients. That being said, I am infinitely grateful for the life lessons they have taught me about perseverance, generosity, resiliency and hope. Fast forward to today. It takes a long time for a business to flourish financially and Viva la Vida Travel is no exception to that rule. In attempts to make a little extra cash to cushion the not so busy times of year and to fuel my desire to serve others,  I took a job working as a caretaker of seniors who are living independently. I'm not making bank rolls of cash doing this job but it allows me a little extra money and a whole lot of wonderful experiences working with the elders of ou...

www.vivalavidatravel.com A couple of years ago I tried surfing and did what I thought was actual surfing. Okay, well, let me rephrase that. I did some land lessons and learned the ropes on how to pop up on the board and assumed it would be fairly easy to translate those instructions into real life surfing. Being the beginner that I was, I pulled my board out into the shallow waters in Tamarindo, Costa Rica and headed out to my meet my instructor. I didn't paddle out there, no, I lugged my board out and dodged waves by ducking under the water with my board over head ~ as instructed by my surf coach ~ and was completely distracted by the salt water burning my eyes and throat. I finally arrived at the breaker point and we watched as the little, unridable waves came in and washed over us. Finally, as we floated in the ocean, a good wave was en route and ridable. My instructor told me to hop on my board and paddle and then pop up when he said "UP!" I did just that a...

 In the event you are wondering what my vision statement is, take a look: "Viva la Vida Travel is a one of a kind travel agency focusing on creating culturally enriching travel experiences that bring to life the people, environment and traditions of the cultures being explored. It is my goal to open the hearts, minds and souls of my clients; helping transform lives by creating travel packages for individuals and families that cultivate moments of discovery, awareness, adventure, exploration and joy! " When many people think of a "Travel Agent" they think of a person sitting behind a desk in a storefront office with posters of white sand beaches and cruise ships plastered all over the walls.That is not me.  I am a one woman show, free from flashy posters and advertisements. I rely on my own personal presence and knowledge to "sell" travel.  I approach travel as an emotional and life changing event. It is not my goal  to pitch the latest...

www.vivalavidatravel.com Part of my vision as a Travel Ambassador is to impart the notion that traveling actually has the ability to help improve peoples lives, not only for the short run but perhaps even for the long haul.  Taking a vacation is not the cure all for whatever ails you nor will it whisk away that which you are trying to escape from, but it most certainly will deliver new ideas, perspectives and friendships into your life. Traveling will also give you great insight into what makes us and those around us tick. As humans, we often lose sight of ourselves as we plow through the days that make up years without giving much thought to our true selves or to what really makes our hearts happy. It happens to us as adults and it especially happens to adolescents. Teenagers are bombarded with social media and are connected to their devices almost 24/7. Phone in hand, head down, fingers typing and zero attention to the what's going on in their very own presence. ...