Time flies.  2016 is coming to a close and 2017 is literally peeking its head around the corner.

Often we close out the year talking about many of the awesome journeys we went on – but let’s switch it up just a bit and talk about you, because you are awesome too.

You had a great year and created many new and wonderful memories.  Here’s some amazing places you went and cool things you did.

You got married!  Yes you did!  You and many of your fabulous friends and family members went on a vacation to a warm beach destination in Mexico or the Caribbean and you – you said “I do” to that special someone.  Everyone had such a great time.  It was an amazing vacation – hot, sunny and relaxing with delicious food and ice-cold drinks.  There were so many fun times at the pool, beach, dinner and of course at the bar (you are from Wisconsin of course). And now you have that special someone to spend the rest of your life with.  You of course, will never forget 2016.

You also fulfilled a lifelong dream and travelled through parts of Europe.  First you made your way by floating along the great rivers.  You loved cruising along the Danube, Rhine, Moselle, Main, Seine, Rhône, Saône, Po and Dordogne  watching small towns and castles slowly come into view and then ever so slowly fade away.  You visited the iconic gothic Cologne Cathedral and afterwards enjoyed a few Kölsch beers with their delicate lacey foam heads.  You attended an enchanting concert in Vienna, the city where Mozart composed many of his best known concertos and symphonies.  Centuries ago Vienna was the Imperial seat of the Holy Roman Empire and later of the Austro-Hungarian empire, while today it is ranked as one of the most liveable cities in the world – and you were there and loved it.  You sipped all sorts of amazing wines at vineyards in Switzerland, Germany, Austria, France and Italy.  Your favorite was that bright and tasty rosé  that you had at a charming street café – one which you had no plans to go to, but just stumbled upon while wandering around a quaint little town which still retained many of its medieval walls.  You already forget the name of the wine and of the café, but you’ll never forget just how enjoyable and magical that day was.

Rail travel through Europe remained a popular and convenient way for you to travel.  Easily and efficiently you were able to move from town to town.  When you got to Florence Italy, some of the most amazing art work in the world was there just waiting for you.  It is so hard to believe; it took over 2 years to make and has been standing for over 500 years.  At 17 feet tall  Michelangelo’s David is a wonderful sight to behold.  After David, Michelangelo was invited back to Rome where he spent four years painting the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel.  Words could not describe how you felt when you saw it – over 5000 square feet of painting containing over 300 figures.  You still feel just a bit guilty taking a picture of it as that was one of the few places in the Vatican where photos were forbidden.  One place you did take a lot of pictures (that was not forbidden) was at the worlds largest museum – the Louvre in Paris.  You marveled at the Mona Lisa – wondering why exactly is she so famous, but resigned yourself to the fact with so many people crowded in front of her, that she must be very special indeed.

You weren’t done yet though.  Artwork and history is very nice, but sometimes you just need a beach.  Well you found many of them.  You found beaches in Fiji, Mexico, Jamaica, Hawaii, Florida, Dominican Republic, Grand Cayman, Bahamas, Turks & Caicos, Costa Rica, Belize, Aruba, St Lucia, St Thomas and Barbados.  You loved the beach.  In fact if you close your eyes you can still feel the sun beating down on you, hear the sound of the waves and feel the breeze through your hair.  Stress was gone, gone, gone.

Our friend the Mouse, welcomed you to his Magic Kingdom in Orlando.  You took the grandkids there and my oh my did they love it.   But it wasn’t just Disney – you also went to see Harry Potter and attended the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry at Universal studios. You know the kids almost never remember exactly what comes in a gift wrapped box just a few months later – but they will always remember the time they went on vacation with Grandma and Grandpa.  Those memories will definitely last forever.

You also enjoyed dinner under the stars in the middle of the ocean.  Which ocean?  It does not matter – you felt like you were the only people on the planet and everyone was there to make sure you had a good time.  Your hotel and restaurant floated along to what felt like wherever you wanted to go, but in reality you did not have to make the decisions – it was all being done for you….it was kind of like being on vacation!  Yes vacation.  You loved your vacation time in 2016 and would not trade it for the world.  You came home and told all your friends about what a great time you had.  And when they asked who helped you plan – you told them about us.  That’s why we love you.  You are smart enough to use our agency, and you are warm and generous enough to tell everyone you know what a great treasure we are for travelers.

Here’s to 2016!  Cheers!

Here’s to all the amazing places you’ll go in 2017!  Cheers!