Category Archives: Travel Agent

Keep Dreaming – We Are Ready When You Are

For the past 21 years, we assisted making your travel dreams come true – whether it be to help you cross off your last bucket list destination, unique dining recommendations in off-the-beaten path towns, experiencing world class wineries, or acquiring your all-access front of the line passes to some of the world’s most famous historical sites.

We realize your upcoming travels have been put on pause, but now is the perfect opportunity to start planning where you will go on your next adventure when it’s time to re-emerge! You may wish to re-book some current plans or shift to another destination. We are still here and still dedicated to helping you discover the world.

When you book your travel dreams with GetAway Travel LLC, you not only get one-on-one professional services, but also get the support, expertise and care of our entire network of professionals. Through our travel industry partners, we’re equipped with resources and current travel related updates. Everything should go perfect always but if it doesn’t there is a person you can talk to on the other end of the phone. We have your back from the very beginning of the planning process to after you return home.

The world is a big place and there is so much to see. Keep dreaming of travel. We are ready when you are!

#love2getaway

“We travel not to escape life, but for life not to escape us”

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We know the world is a very different place this year and it’s having a tremendous impact on all our lives. As a traveler, you are already acutely aware of how connected we really are with people all around the world. Travel helps us become a little less focused on the differences between us and we see firsthand our shared humanity.

In today’s challenging environment we can’t ignore that contact with others may spread a virus, but we do know that travel helps share love and ideas and solutions and understanding and it makes it possible for us to enjoy our world together.

We need each other. We need our friends across the street and people we may never know on the other side of the world. Travel bridges these gaps. We understand travel must wait for now, but we also know it is so critical to our lives that it will always be back.

The Mezquita

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The biggest attraction in Córdoba was literally a 5 minute walk from our hotel. The Mezquita is truly a must see building. It’s a massive former mosque turned cathedral with an amazing forest of columns topped by red and white striped double arches that have seen over 1000 years of history. It is not only the largest mosque in the world, but the largest temple in the world as well. It occupies an area of over 250,000 square feet or almost 6 acres.

The Mezquita with Red and White striped arches

The focal point in the prayer hall is the mihrab – which identifies the wall that faces Mecca

the Mihrab

the dome above the mihrab

Originally built in 786, the initial construction lasted for about 200 years. After Córdoba was recaptured by King Ferdinand III in 1236, the mosque became used as a church. Currently in the very middle of the Mezquita is a stunning Renaissance cathedral, which was built in the 1500’s. Although some parts of the original column hall had been destroyed to make room for the cathedral – the building is still a remarkable and dazzling example of Moorish architecture.

sun streaming in through stained glass

the cathedral

ceiling in the cathedral between the organ pipes

The Mezquita is certainly a signature attraction in Córdoba and visitors should plan on spending at least a half day to see everything.

L-O-V-E

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The pop art LOVE image was first created by Robert Indiana for print in the 1960s. The sculpture version can be seen in dozens of places around the world and in several different languages. The one below is in front of the L hotel in Montreal Canada. One can always use a bit more amour!

Do you know who MONA is?

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This BLOG post originally appeared 11/12/11 on our old site with the title “what the heck is MONA”. MONA is still a great place to visit so we thought we would re-post. Hopefully we will get to Tasmania again some day soon!

Just a short flight from Melbourne takes you to the island of Tasmania known for the Tasmanian Devil and convicts.

On our first night in the Australian state of Tasmania we stayed at the lovely, modern and somewhat funky Mona Pavillion. Here there are 8 stand alone villa units with either one or two bedrooms as well as a presidential suite facing the River Derwent. From the outside they look somewhat like a space ship.

From the inside they are right out of a James Bond movie. Each unit is named after Australian artists or architects. We stayed in Walter.

Walter from the outside

Living space in Walter

Each villa faces the harbor providing wonderful views throughout the day. And how could you not have a wonderful view, 3 of the walls are windows. Now i’m not saying they have windows….i’m saying they ARE windows. Full windows with shades that are operated by remote controls on the walls. How cool is that!

These modernly appointed villas have everything your heart desires including a stocked wine bar, chilling each bottle to its exact prefect drinking temperature! The fridge is stocked with local beers, juices, soft drinks and milk.

Yes, we had to pull them out to take a photo!

Our unit was a two bedroom, each with it’s own bathroom. And speaking of bathroom! Yeah this is my kind of set up! Oversized Jacuzzi tub with TV on the wall and a remote that if dropped into the water neither electrocutes you and still works!

The beds, extremely comfortable….you’ll just have to take my word on that and in the morning wake to the wonderful sounds of nature chirping outside. Our bedrooms were tastefully decorated, some had a bit more of the shock factor going on.

Bedroom #1 in Walter

Bedroom #2 in Walter

One of the bedroom’s in the Roy (the largest pavilion)

Each unit is priced differently based upon it’s size but run between $390 – $990 per night based upon 2-4 guests. Plus tax of course. There are full cooking and laundry facilities in each unit.

Kitchen

These pavilions have everything a traveler could want. As a matter of fact on a placard in the villas it says “we can arrange almost anything legal, just ask”. I’d call that customer service!

So what the heck is MONA?

Well it stands for Museum of Old and New Art. Mona is located just a short 10 minutes outside Hobart, Tasmania and is home to a somewhat shocking if not weird museum, a vineyard, cellar door and wine bar, a brewery, a restaurant, the Pavilion’s and of course a shop.

Main building

The restaurant

The cellar door

At the cellar door you get a 1 hr. tasting and the admission fee is refunded if you purchase. Wine tours are available for $15.

Of course we tasted…and purchased!

The wine bar and brewery

On Friday and Saturday evenings you can get a 1 hr. beer tour and tasting for $15. They make 4 types of beer and all have no preservatives and are not pasteurized. You got to love the catchy “Moo Beer” name! Wine and beer master classes can be arranged upon request.

Believe it or not, we did not try them all!

As for the museum, lets just say it might not be for everyone as many exhibits are downright shocking and for some would be repulsive.

Museum entry

As the statement goes, “beauty is in the eye of the beholder” this pretty much sums the gallery up. The owner, David Walsh aka Glenn Walsh. Tourists not from Tasmania pay $20 for admission, those under 18 are free. Some of the exhibits are sexually explicit, others personally confronting thus the gallery may not be for children.

Plaster molds of a woman’s privates

The white room

The woodpecker (sorry just trying to give you a feel for the museum)

The human digestive system recreated, this woman is actually feeding the machine lunch at 1130am (sandwich, salad, fruit and a drink). At 200pm it has a bowel movement! We did not hang around for that!!

Coolest thing in the museum, mummy on the left, xray tomography of it on the right!

So, that is MONA. Who wants to go? It really is quite a cool place, definitely 2 or 3 nights are needed.

Problems? Not for you.

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Six months ago you booked a special family vacation at an all-inclusive resort in the Caribbean. You love to travel and fully understand what a special time this will be – so much so, that you enlisted other family members to go with on the trip. Mom and Dad, Brothers, sisters – everyone was excited.

Did you know that 3 days before you departed on your much-anticipated family vacation, the resort determined they were oversold. Did you know your name was added to a list of people who were moving to one of their sister properties an additional hour drive away from the airport.

Did you also know that they were only moving some of your family? Some of you would stay at the original property and others would stay at the sister property.

Did you know this?

Of course you didn’t know. You use a travel agent. In fact, you have a great travel agent that works diligently on your behalf. An agent that solves problems before you ever even know about them. GetAway Travel LLC – solving problems that their clients didn’t even know they had since 1999.

Professional Service & Awards

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At GetAway Travel, we pride ourselves on great professional service to our customers. Travel industry surveys continue to relate that travelers that work with travel agents have more fulfilling vacations than those that do not. We certainly believe it is true, and obviously so do our clients. Our clients expect to be treated like friends and family. They are confident in our abilities. They do not expect to be “sold” on travel as we already know they want an amazing vacation, what they want is our opinions, our help and our support. One of the ways we support them is by maintaining professional agency affiliations. The affiliation that we are always most excited about is with MAST Travel Network – and unless you are in the industry, you likely have never heard of them. We’ve been MAST members for many years now, and in fact Sue currently is serving a term on the board of directors. MAST helps keep us up to date on the travel industry and products, but more importantly puts us face to face with suppliers.

This week was the 12th annual MAST awards night and GetAway Travel came home with 2 awards which bring us great pride. The first award is for “Best Travel Show”, for our “Afternoon in Italy” event last February. The second award is the “Directors Achievement Award”, recognizing one of MAST’s smaller agencies for outstanding sales and support with highest percentage increases from one year to the next. This was a new category and we are truly blessed with being the first agency to ever receive this award.

You should expect great things from your travel agency, and we hope that for you that the travel agency you rely on first and foremost for amazing vacations is us.

Best Travel Show Award 2015 for our “Afternoon in Italy”

Directors Achievment Award

Our Friends that helped make the award possible

Looking Forward – 2016 Year in Travel

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European vacations continue to hold great value. The US Dollar remains at historic low levels vs. the Euro. This is good news for travelers to Europe as you definitely get more bang for your buck. Our best advice for Europe is to plan ahead – this is not a destination that typically rewards the last-minute traveler. The best way to start planning your European vacation is to schedule a consultation with Sue.

River Cruising continues to grow and for very good reasons. Our clients absolutely love to take River Cruises. All it takes is to try it once and you will rave about it forever. Be aware however that not all river cruise companies are equal. You can research endlessly on your own, or you can call us to discuss. Our goal is to find out about what you want to do, how adventurous you are, what you like and what you don’t like. What are your travel dreams? Our recommendations are simply based on you and your needs, that’s it.

All Inclusive vacations will remain hot, hot, hot. The industry continues to upgrade old properties and build new ones. There are All-Inclusives for all tastes and budgets. Well we know you want a warm weather, beach destination, but are you looking for a romantic escape or a family/multi-generational getaway? Do you want basic dining choices or a more gourmet experience? How does a canopy covered bed and open air shower sound? Or a private plunge pool within mere steps of your suite? The choices go on and on. We can help narrow it down to something you will love.

According to the experts, air ticket prices are down but add-on fees are up. The simple fact, is you need air tickets to get to many vacation destinations. They are the transportation, not the vacation.

Cheap will remain, well….cheap. While the dictionary defines cheap as inexpensive, it also defines it as something of poor quality or shoddy. Continue to be cautious about anything advertised as cheap, supercheap, ultracheap, etc. A fantastically cheap vacation is not a good value if it is actually craptastic (this is our official industry word for cheap vacations!). Everyone wants good value and that’s where we help – get the best value for your money that actually gets the vacation experience you are looking for. Will it be cheap? We certainly hope not.

The best things in travel continue to come to those who plan ahead. For example, how about planning 2017? You may not be ready yet, but we are. We have 2 special group options worth considering.

Join us in January 2017 for our GetAway on the Getaway. We will do all the following: go down the highest water slides at sea, attend award-winning Broadway shows, experience Iron Chef dining, walk the plank and be endlessly entertained and pampered. Book now and choose between Free unlimited drinks, Free Specialty Dining, Free Shore Excursions or Free WiFi.

In September 2017 we will be hosting a very special Wines of Western Europe group on the Azamara Journey. Beginning in England, we will sail to France, Spain and Portugal. Azamara specializes in unique itineraries that include overnight stays in many ports. Our group will be in Bordeaux, one of the world’s foremost wine regions for 3 days. But that is not the only World Heritage region we will visit – see our web page for all the details.

Waterfalls & Wine 2015

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Our 2015 Waterfalls & Wine tour in the great Pacific Northwest was a tremendous success.

Heading out from Seattle, we went to see our first waterfall. Snoqualmie Falls did not disappoint with an amazing double rainbow – this was truly a sign of all the good times to come.

Snoqualmie Falls – double rainbow

a great start to the tour

Even at the falls, there is an opportunity to taste wine.

Our next stop was in Yakima at Gilbert Cellars – Hackett Ranch. The hospitality was warm and welcoming, the wines were tasty and the scenery was outstanding.

Happy folks in the lavender

The ladies are mesmerized

After a delicious catered lunch at the Hackett Ranch, we departed for Walla Walla, the town so nice they named it twice. The group checked in a the historic Marcus Whitman Hotel. This was our home for 2 nights while we explored the nearby wineries.

Day 2 began at L’Ecole – where the wine was very nice, but I think everyone agreed that our second stop of the day at Northstar was truly a hit.

Wine tasting and lunch on the patio at Northstar

After lunch we head to the vines to hear about Washington wines

and then on to the wine blending class where everyone made their own red wine blend from 4 different barrels of Merlot, 1 Cabernet Sauvignon and 1 petite verdot

the blend is starting to take shape

the group shows off their personally crafted wines

After eating lunch and crafting our own red wine blends there was still another winery stop to make. At Long Shadows we experienced a custom tasting and tour that included barrel sampling.

keep it coming!

the sadness and shock of seeing an empty fermentation tank

Keep your wine thief handy, we’re having a barrel tasting

On day 3 everyone packed up for our journey to the waterfalls along the Columbia River Valley…but of course we stopped at a winery along the way. Columbia Crest in Horse Heaven Hills.

Our server at Columbia Crest for the reserve tasting was charming, engaging and a true delight. Look at all the happy faces

After a brewpub lunch stop we travelled along the Columbia River Gorge, with brief stops at 5 waterfalls.

Amazing view of the Columbia River

Evening of day 3 found us just outside of the Willamette valley. For dinner we took over our hotel lobby, ordered pizzas and everyone brought a bottle of wine to share. Day 4 began in the picturesque Dundee Hills. Our first stop was Archery Summit.

Our tour of Archery Summit had frequent stops to taste wine.

Pretty bottles all in a row

Just one of many vineyard views in Dundee Hills

The group loved Archery Summit and did not want to leave…except it was time for lunch. So off we went to our tasting, tour and catered meal on the patio at Domaine Serene.

side by side comparisons

our tour at Domaine Serene begins

After Domaine Serene, we had a special musical interlude

and then on to our next stop – Durant Vineyards

the dancing continues

outstanding views from Durant vineyards

Our final wine tasting in Willamette Valley was at Soter Vineyards

artsy photo of Soter glass

the gang continues to have fun

is it time to dance again?

At Soter even old friendships were made new again!

A sincere thank you to everyone that joined us on the 2015 Waterfalls & Wine tour. We look forward to our next journey together.

Florence, Italy – Capital of Tuscany, Cradle of the Renaissance

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GetAway Travel is taking a group of clients to Florence in October 2015 and here is why.

“The Creator Made Italy from Designs by Michelangelo” – Mark Twain

And one of Italy’s greatest places to see those designs is in Florence. In Italy, all roads lead to Rome, but in Florence all roads lead to the elegant Piazza della Signoria – the location where Michelangelo’s statue of David was originally unveiled in 1504. (Yes, over 500 hundred years ago!) At the time this was also where the seat of the civic government of Florence resided. Strategically positioned, the eyes of David with his warning glare were turned towards Rome. In 1873 the statue moved to the Galleria dell’Academia, where it is viewed today. A replica statue now stands in the Piazza on the exact spot where the original once stood.

Politically, economically, and culturally Florence was the most important city in Europe for around 250 years, from before 1300 until the early 1500s. Florentines reinvented money, in the form of the gold florin. This currency was the engine that drove Europe out of the “Dark Ages”, a term invented by a Florentine. They financed the development of industry all over Europe, from Britain to Bruges, Lyon and Hungary. They financed the English kings during the Hundred Years’ War. They financed the papacy, including the construction of the papal palace in Avignon and then reconstruction of St. Peter’s and the Vatican when the papacy returned to Rome.

Florentines were the driving force behind the Age of Discovery. Florentine bankers financed Henry the Navigator and the Portuguese explorers who pioneered the route around Africa to India and the Far East. It was a map drawn by the Florentine Paulo del Pozzo Toscanelli, a student of Brunelleschi, that Columbus used to sell his “enterprise” to the Spanish monarchs, and which he then used on his first voyage. Mercator’s famous “Projection” is a refined version of Toscanelli’s map. The western hemisphere itself is named after a Florentine writer who claimed to be an explorer and mapmaker, Amerigo Vespucci.

The greatest banking dynasty family that ever lived – the Medicis were centered in Florence. From there they changed the world more than any other family. The taught the rest of Europe how to conduct state-craft. Their offspring married into and influenced rulers in France, Spain and England.

Florence had a profound impact on the world of art. While your children may only know them as names of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the artists Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael (Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino) Donatello (Donato di Niccolò di Betto Bardi) and Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni are all forever linked to Florence.

Florence is the capital of Tuscany – and you know what that means….Italian hill towns and amazing wine – but that will be the subject of a future post.

Why not join us in Florence in October?

GetAway Travel LLC

Creating beautiful memories one destination at a time…

Category Archives: Travel Agent

Keep Dreaming – We Are Ready When You Are

The world is a big place and there is so much to see. Keep dreaming of travel. We are ready when you are!

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“We travel not to escape life, but for life not to escape us”

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The Mezquita

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L-O-V-E

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Do you know who MONA is?

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Problems? Not for you.

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Professional Service & Awards

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Looking Forward – 2016 Year in Travel

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Waterfalls & Wine 2015

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Florence, Italy – Capital of Tuscany, Cradle of the Renaissance

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The world is a big place and there is so much to see. Keep dreaming of travel. We are ready when you are!

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