Category Archives: Holidays

Experience the joy of the season at European Christmas Markets

While it’s true there’s no place like home for the holidays, there’s no reason why you can’t start your holidays at one or more of the fabulous Christmas markets held all over Europe. This year when you gather for the holidays, start thinking about making some new holiday memories starting with a fabulous getaway that includes some stops at Christmas markets. Your travel advisors at GetAway can plan your trip including some stops for shopping and enjoying some new holiday experiences. 

 Markets got their start in Vienna 

 Christmas markets are street markets designed to celebrate the holiday during the four weeks of Advent leading up to and sometimes, depending on which country you are in, past Christmas into January. They are thought to have originated in Vienna, but were made popular in Germany. 

Vienna, Austria, City Centre Christmas Market

The first Christmas market supposedly was in 1296 in December when Emperor Albrecht I of Austria granted shopkeepers a one-to-two day market so the townspeople could stock up before the winter. Christmas markets are held in town squares and the little, decorated wooden stalls offer arts and crafts items, candles, toys, Christmas decorations and figurines as well as food and drinks. Some town halls transform into giant Advent calendars with different windows lighted each night. 

Nutcrackers in Rudesheim Germany Christmas Market

Now, virtually every country including Germany, Denmark, France, Austria, Portugal, Spain and England have Christmas markets. So your GetAway advisor can plan plenty of sightseeing in a country and have your trip end with a fantastic Christmas market experience. You can fill that second empty suitcase you brought with your holiday gifts, and, of course, a couple of items for yourself! 

 Festive sights, sounds and food 

 The most famous Christmas market is in Vienna, which actually has a dozen or more markets located throughout the city. The largest market is in Rathausplatz, in the square facing Vienna City Hall. Markets in Vienna are, well, grand — like the residents strive to match the fabulous, grand architecture of the city. There’s lots of light displays and Rathausplatz has an ice skating rink. And, just a note, when markets are described as having stalls with items, we are taking upwards of 200 stalls. 

Christmas Market Mainz, Germany

Markets, no matter what city in what country, serve a variation of gluhwein. Gluhwein is hot mulled wine spiced with cloves, anise, cinnamon and citrus fruits. Red wine is the most prevalent, but you can find it done with white wine. There is usually a version of apple cider if you want a non-alcoholic beverage and, of course, hot cocoa. Gluhwein, where ever you are, is served in a mug which you put a deposit on. You can return for a refill, or keep the mug for the price of the small deposit. They make great keepsake souvenirs. 

Make sure to go to the markets hungry. In France, where you should wait until dusk to go shopping because the twinkling lights are magical, you can get oysters, champagne, caviar, poutine and freshly grilled meat. 

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A Very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you! 

Wow! – What a year it has been!  Never in our lifetimes has the whole world faced such challenges as it has in 2020.   Like many industries, the world of travel was absolutely turned upside down, with every possible facet feeling the effects of shelteringinplace and closed borders.  Much of the world is still closed to us now, but that will eventually change as we move through 2021.  The desire for new experiences motivates us even now to look into the future with great anticipation of our next great travel adventure. 

Here’s a great quote from travel writer Bill Bryson –

 

 “To my mind, the greatest reward and luxury of travel is to be able to experience everyday things as if for the first time, to be in a position in which almost nothing is so familiar it is taken for granted.” 

Unfortunately, much of this year has been Groundhog Day – over and over again with the scenery rarely changing, as we patiently and hopefully – safely wait for our next opportunity to experience everyday things as if for the first time.  

Many of us have had more than our share of challenges and tragedies in 2020.   We’re not complaining though as we’ve also had more than our share of blessings this year!   

The travel business is still in a severe downturn, yet we remain steadfast in our resolve to go beyond our current circumstances and get to a brighter future.  We are look forward to the great reward that travel truly is and we know you are doing the same.  Despite the obstacles, we remain open, available, willing and more than excited to help you plan your next great adventure.    

We know many of you are waiting for the world to return to normal before making plans.  We get it.  Don’t forget though that travel brings joys before during and after your trip.  The joy of sharing travel memories with friends and loved ones, the great joy of the journey itself and the joy of anticipation from planning your next great trip. 

When you’re ready again to take that first step – planning – give us a call, we’re here for you – same as we’ve been for the last 21 years. 

 

 

Traditions, Traditions, Traditions!

Christmas is upon us and that means traditions.  What are your holiday traditions?  When did they first start, did you create new ones when you left your childhood home or did you carry on those of your parents and grandparents?  Well I did a little research about the origin of some of our Christmas traditions and I have to admit, I learned a few things….

Do you send Christmas cards as a part of your tradition?  We still do.  As a matter of fact, we send both personal Christmas cards and cards to our clients on behalf of our Travel Agency.  Did you know that the first Christmas card was sent in 1843?  Many people today have given up this tradition but we still love to both send and receive a card at Christmas.  We write a somewhat witty Christmas letter (haha, at least we think its witty) to send to our friends and family each year.  I am the author and Paul is the decorator, putting photos on the letter from our years activities.  I don’t think it is a tradition our children will carry on.

Mainz Germany Christmas Market Cruise-044

What about the Christmas wreath?  When I was growing up we harvested the pine branches to make our own wreath which my parents always hung on the front door.  It was typically decorated with a bow, some pine cones and perhaps some red berries.  But where did that tradition come from?  Well since you asked…. Since the Roman times the wreath has been a symbol of power and strength.  Kings and Emperors wore them as crowns.  To Christians the wreath symbolizes tenacity and everlasting life.  Now I can’t honestly say I’ve ever thought of the wreath in that regard, nope just always thought it was pretty.  How simple we are 😊.  Today we buy our wreath from the local boy scout troop, and we hang it on the front of the house, just like my parents did.

Cologne Germany Christmas Market Cruise-010

Mistletoe, hmmm, now that is an odd one.  I mean think about it.  The mistletoe is basically a parasitic plant that attaches to a tree and sucks nutrients from the trunk.  What is romantic about that? Yet mistletoe as a tradition has been traced back to ancient Greece (not as in kissing under it) where it was said to have been carried as a golden bough by Aeneas, the ancestor of the Romans.  In other pre-Christian cultures mistletoe was believed to carry the male essence and by extension, romance, fertility and vitality.  It was hung in homes because it was believed to protect from fire and lightning (again not for kissing under).  So, where the heck did the kissing under it come from?  Well truth be known, no one knows.  The first kiss under the mistletoe was recorded in the 16th century in England.  I’m thinking some young squire had a little too much grog and grabbed the first pretty girl he could find and gave her a kiss and it just so happened to be under the mistletoe!  So do you hang one?  And really how many kisses do you get?  I don’t know about your house but we don’t hang one, unless you count our mistletoad (green frog dressed in English finery holding a sprig) because after all, its cold and flu season and no sense sharing with just anyone who walks in the door!

And with that, we’ll leave you to your Christmas traditions, where ever they came from.  Enjoy your Christmas holiday and best wishes for the New Year!

Cologne Germany Christmas Market Cruise-142

European Christmas Markets

We recently returned from an unforgettable cruise along the Rhine River to visit Christmas Markets in Germany, France and Switzerland.  Our journey was even more memorable as we travelled with a group of close friends.

Christmas Market

Christmas Market

River cruising provides an up close and personal experience.  The ships typically dock in the heart of town allowing easy and convenient access to the local sights and sounds.  This is especially convenient for a Christmas Market Cruise.  During the advent season, towns throughout Europe host wonderfully decorated markets for crafts, drink and food!  Hop off the ship to go shopping all day and then back on  in time for cocktail hour and a gourmet dinner before you set off for your next stop.

Half-timbered building decoracted for the holidays

Half-timbered building decorated for the holidays

European Christmas Markets – Let’s GO!

nutcrackerAdvent has been ushered in since the late middle ages via traditional Christmas markets.  Depending on where you are in Europe a Christmas market is also known as ChristkindlmarktMarché de NoëlChristkindlesmarktand Weihnachtsmarkt. Christkindlesmarkt literally translates as “Christ child market”.

Generally held in town squares, the markets sell food, drink and seasonal crafts from open-air stalls accompanied by traditional singing and dancing.  Popular attractions include a Nativity scene, nutcrackers, toasted almonds, traditional gingerbread cookies and hot mulled wine to help stave off the cold winter air.  Many handmade items including toys, decorations and ornaments are found in the Market.  Check out this photo – It’s truly a magical experience!cologne cathedral market

One of the most visited Christmas Markets is found in Cologne, Germany which in fact has 7 markets in total of which the 4 biggest are located near the amazing Cathedral. The Christmas Market at the Cologne Cathedral is the most impressive one in, due to the huge backdrop of the imposing Cathedral.  Beneath the Cathedral and the largest Christmas tree in the Rhineland, you can find well over 160 festively designed wooden pavilions. Here you can watch artisans at work, enjoy original “Christmas Mulled Wine” out of festively decorated Christmas mugs or you can choose from an unlimited choice of sweets and local delicacies. The Alter Markt takes place in front of the old town hall only 200 meters from the cathedral. Shadowed by beautiful narrow-gabled houses and half-timbered stalls, this market conveys a very romantic and idyllic feel.  The Neumarkt is Cologne’s oldest Christmas market located near St. Aspoteln’s (Basilica of the Holy Apostles) church. This market glows in splendor with charmingly designed chalets and a unique “stars at night” theme.  The Christmas Market on the Rudolfplatz takes you to a world of brother’s Grimm fairy tales. Large fairy tale figures and festive illuminations provide a special eye-catcher, set against the historic backdrop of one of Cologne’s 3 standing medieval gate houses.

Rhine Holiday Market 2014 mapYou may very well be asking why we are talking about Christmas markets in May?  Well because to see the markets you need to plan ahead.  GetAway Travel has an agency exclusive offer for you to join us on an amazing River Cruise on the Rhine River during the start of Advent.  

Prepare to be pampered and amazed on our special 7 day trip cruising along the legendary Rhine through Germany, France and Switzerland. Explore charming towns and discover treasures in some of Europe’s finest traditional Christmas markets. You’ll revel in the brilliant holiday decorations and in tasting the many treats and spiced wines of the season. This is truly the way to celebrate Christmas!  Discover the roots of our Christmas traditions as you explore some of Europe’s most charming towns. Browse for unique ornaments in Basel’s Christmas Market. Sip vin chaud as you stroll to Place Kléber to behold the enormous, brilliantly lighted tree that Strasbourg offers modern celebrants. Find unexpected treasures in the red-roofed stalls clustered around Cologne’s magnificent cathedral.

You may have never planned your Christmas holiday this far in advance, but now is really the time to get in the spirit and join our group.  Please view our webpage for more details on this cruise and information on how you can sign up!

Oh and did we mention that the river cruise is all-inclusive?

 

Thinking about a destination wedding?

Destination weddings are very popular and for very good reasons:  They can cost considerably less than a traditional wedding, and often include more.  You can choose from many amazingly beautiful locations.  You and your select family and friends get a wonderful vacation experience you will always remember.

We have helped many clients just like you have amazing destination weddings.  We are such experts that in fact, our own wedding was a destination wedding!

#10 Destination Wedding

Merry Christmas 2013

It’s that time of year when the world falls in love. Every song you hear seems to say “Merry Christmas, may your New Year dreams come true”.  How true! How true!

However…

Paul has been a bit grinchy lately.  So many things to do, so little time.  Christmas seems more like a deadline than a holiday.  Blah, blah blah.  Let’s just queue up the Charlie Brown Christmas…

about 53 seconds in – Charlie Brown: I think there must be something wrong with me, Linus. Christmas is coming, but I’m not happy. I don’t feel the way I’m supposed to feel.

Charlie Brown: I just don’t understand Christmas, I guess. I like getting presents and sending Christmas cards and decorating trees and all that, but I’m still not happy. I always end up feeling depressed.

Linus Van Pelt: Charlie Brown, you’re the only person I know who can take a wonderful season like Christmas and turn it into a problem. Maybe Lucy’s right. Of all the Charlie Browns in the world, you’re the Charlie Browniest.

Ok – so of all the Charlie Browns in the world – is Paul also on the list for the Charlie Browniest?  Could be!

However…

Even grinchy Paul knows that Christmas is not a deadline.  It does not come from a store.  How about the grinchiest grinch of all?  After he stole all of the Christmas items from all the Whos in Whoville – he found out he could not stop the joy of Christmas.  OK, queue up the Grinch please.

He puzzled and puzzled till his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn’t before. Maybe Christmas, he thought… doesn’t come from a store. Maybe Christmas, perhaps… means a little bit more!

OK – he gets it, Paul finally gets it.  It’s time to change his approach.   Maybe it’s really best to approach Christmas with a bit more innocence – innocence like a child.  Just like we believe God did on that very first Christmas.

However…

Acting like a child is easier if you have one around to act with.  OK, queue up the children please!

Our wish is that you may also approach this Christmas with the innocence AND enthusiasm of a child AND that all your travel dreams come true in the New Year!

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We hate to brag, but…

We love our clients and work very hard to make sure all of their travel dreams come true.

As the majority of our business is from word of mouth referrals, it’s always great to get feedback to see how they enjoyed their vacations.

Here is some of our most recent feedback:

 “GetAway Travel Service is the company that we used for our recent trip to France and Italy. They spent a lot of time with us to help us decide where we wanted to go and what we wanted to see. They took care of all of the details and provided all of the information we needed to avoid stress when we were there. Everything went flawlessly. I highly recommend Sue Adams and Paul Adams at GetAway. Consider using them for your next trip!”

These clients took an amazing river cruise in France and then while they were already in Europe, we sent them on a luxury tour of Italy (Venice, Rome, Florence).

“We booked our 25th anniversary trip with them this summer. When the plans changed (beyond our control) just 5 days before our trip, Paul and Sue booked us an entirely new trip and took the stress away! We are already booked with them next year.” 

These clients had booked a Celebrity Galapagos cruise over 1 year in advance.  Literally days before departure, the cruise was cancelled (very rare circumstances).  We quickly scrambled and sent them on a dream cruise to Alaska.  We worked with the cruise lines to get them an upgrade on their Alaska cruise stateroom, and got full refunds on their air and cruise for Galapagos.   They have already rebooked their Galapagos cruise for next year.

Is there anything we can do to help you make your vacation dreams come true?

Experience the difference that smart dedicated travel agents can make in your next vacation.

 

 

Life is Uncertain; Take the Trip First.

At the travel agency we receive lots of brochures from suppliers.  Many times I’ll open a packet, store the brochures and toss everything else including the packing material into recycling.  Sometimes I’ll even put the brochures right into recycling bin if it is from a supplier that we don’t really feels works best for our customers.  Oftentimes the brochures include some sort of cover letter which is usually related to telling us what we should know about any new products the supplier has or what highlights we should read in the brochures.  Recently one cover letter caught my attention and I thought I would share.

Kirk Demeter is the president of Down Under Answers (DUA).  As you’d expect with the name Down Under Answers, they specialize in Australia, New Zealand and South Pacific destinations.  Kirk wrote what I feel is an inspiring cover letter to include with their 2013-2014 travel planners.

” As I cast about for positive resolutions for 2013, a bumper sticker came to mind – ‘Life is uncertain; eat dessert first’.  I decided to amend that to – Life is uncertain; take the trip first.

In our business we hear constantly from customers how their trip was ‘life enhancing’, how it fulfilled a long-held dream, how it was so much more than expected.  That it led to new friends, fueled their desire to travel even more and inspired others to travel.

There are always several items on our wish lists, and we all love new toys, but a trip is something that never loses its novelty, no matter how many times we look at the photos, or turn to each other and say ‘remember the day we…’.  Trips don’t sit in the garage or attic gathering dust; they live within us, making us feel good each time we think back.”

Trips certainly do live within us.  Our travel experiences help shape our thoughts, desires and values.  Sometimes on trips we learn grace, sometimes we learn humility, sometimes we even learn that we eat too many desserts when we are not at home!

Which would you remember more fondly 10 years from now, your new 60″ super duper plasma monster TV, or diving off the deck of your over-water bungalow in Fiji?   The TV probably won’t even last 10 years, but the memories of the island will stay with you forever.  I agree –  Life is uncertain; take the trip first.

04-Likuliku Lagoon Resort Fiji 2-1-2011 1-16-11 PM

Top 10 Reasons to Use a Travel Agent

Tweaked a bit, but originally from our friends at Travel Impressions – Ruthanne Terrero, (TravelAgentCentral) author

  1. You’ve googled “Mexico Vacation” and come up with 145 million results. Need a little help editing those choices down a bit?
  2. Remember when you used that obscure website to book your hotel and when you got there you spent your beach vacation overlooking a parking lot?
  3. How many hours were you on hold with the airlines after your flight was canceled?
  4. Did you really mean to spend your honeymoon at a resort whose tiny pool was filled all day with screaming children?
  5. Who knew that when you booked the “villa” in Tuscany that it would be a small room with a kitchenette and no air conditioning?  Funny, it looked much better on your computer screen.
  6. No one explained that in July, it’s winter time in Rio and you showed up there with nothing but five Hawaiian shirts and three pairs of swimming trunks.Tulum2
  7. How about the time you really needed a restful vacation and you ended up in New Orleans during Mardi Gras and someone lost their lunch on your new shoes?
  8. Yes, I guess that hotel did you use a telephoto lens when they took a picture of those guest rooms you saw on their website.
  9. I suppose contacting the Attorney General to resolve the fact that the internet site has billed your credit card 3 times for the same trip is the only route to go at this point.
  10. It was definitely odd that there were no cab drivers at the airport at 3 o’clock in the morning when you landed in Cost Rica.  Who knew you should have pre-booked a hotel transfer when you booked the hotel and air?
  11. So that’s what they meant when they talked about an excursion to see “pole dancers”.