vaccination — your ticket to ride

 

Eiffel Tower at Dawn (c) 2021 by David Ourisman, all rights reserved

E.U. Set to Let Vaccinated U.S. Tourists Visit This Summer          .

It's been way too long. I was last in Europe in the autumn of 2019 when we took a Baltic cruise on Windstar, a luxury small ship cruise line that can get into smaller ports that cannot accommodate the large ships. We loved the cruise and enjoyed out-of-the-way destinations as well as highlights like Gdansk, St. Petersburg, Helsinki, and Stockholm. We finished up our tour by flying to Paris (my favorite city in the world) for a few days before flying home.

A lot has happened since 2019. Covid-19 struck with a vengeance in March 2020, forcing me to cancel a trip to the Big Island of Hawaii to see the brand new Mauna Lani as well as inspect the new room product at Four Seasons Hualalai. I held out hope that things would settle down by April, letting us visit Amsterdam during tulip season, then board our Tauck River Cruise from Amsterdam to Basel, Switzerland ... but little did any of us know 13 months ago. Covid sadly necessitated the cancellation of that trip.

But Europe promises to be back this summer for vaccinated U.S. tourists. Anticipating its reopening, I was able to rebook my Tauck River Cruise three months ago and was able to score a pair of business class "Saver" award tickets on United. I received my second Pfizer vaccine on Feb. 19th, and Claire got hers on April 5th, so we're all set to go.

Getting vaccinated is your ticket to ride. I can't offer medical advice because I'm not a M.D., but if you're feeling a strong desire to travel the world again, vaccines offer the path forward to satisfy your wanderlust. If you're curious about the remarkable scientific advances that enabled the development of RNA-based vaccines, I highly recommend Walter Isaacson's recent book, The Code Breaker. A well-told story and a good read, the book provides an accessible introduction to the technology that led to the creation of the highly effective Pfizer and Modern vaccines.

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copyright (c) 2021 by Ourisman Travel LLC.  All rights reserved. We provide Virtuoso and other Preferred Partner amenities as an affiliate of Brownell, a Virtuoso® Member.

why you should plan that trip to Europe NOW!

itinerary of Tauck's river cruise The Rhine and Moselle

Now is the time to plan your next trip to Europe. Though most of Europe is currently closed to travelers from the USA, just as the US is currently closed to travelers from the EU, that's going to change. Here's why you should make your plans now.

COVID vaccines. I received my first Pfizer shot earlier this week, with an appointment set for my second shot on February 19. Within several months, vaccines should be available to everyone who wants them in the US, the EU, and the UK. Inexpensive, at-home COVID tests are also promised. Once a critical mass of people have been vaccinated, the travel floodgates should open up wide.

Hotel availability. With hotels are showing plenty of availability at reasonable room rates, you should take advantage. Once travel opens up, those rooms will quickly sell ... and as inventory goes down, prices will rise. If you can get a cancellable reservation with just a credit card guarantee, grab it! (You can even do it yourself on the Virtuoso booking engine for reservations with Virtuoso amenities — free breakfasts and $100 hotel credits).

High demand for cruises and tours. I just rebooked the Tauck river cruise I had originally planned to take last April, The Rhine and Moselle. Eight of the nine cruises in 2021 were already sold out, but I was able to secure a cabin on the one available sailing. I'm so excited to be flying to Amsterdam in October and experiencing Tauck's all-inclusive luxury river cruise to Basel.

Award flights. Before COVID struck, it was practically impossible to get "Saver Awards," but it can be done if you act now. I speak from experience. As soon as I booked my Tauck river cruise, I researched flights using miles in United Business Class from AVL-AMS and ZRH-AVL. I just had to make one small change to find Saver Award availability (departing for Amsterdam one day earlier). There were two available Saver Award seats for the flights I wanted, so I grabbed them!

I recommend planning travel to Europe this fall. Now's the time to contact your travel advisor while she or he has lots of time to work with you.

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copyright (c) 2021 by Ourisman Travel LLC.  All rights reserved. We provide Virtuoso and other Preferred Partner amenities as an affiliate of Brownell, a Virtuoso® Member.

travel souvenirs — part 12

Delft houses from KLM (c) 2020 by David Ourisman, all rights reserved

If you've flown KLM business class, you'll recognize this souvenir. Passengers on long haul flights to or from Amsterdam are presented with a choice of blue Delft china houses designed to resemble actual historic buildings in the Netherlands. I've even to the Royal Delft factory and seen the process by which the pottery is painted with the iconic Delft blue and then glazed. Of course, that was 51 years ago in the summer of 1969 — so I'm dating myself.

I've acquired these four Delft houses over the years...

73 — De Posthoorn 

83 — Museum Van Loon

33 — De Dubbelde Palmboom

7 — Bols House

KLM has a comfortable business class with lie-flat seats that offer a good night's sleep on your way over the pond. Amsterdam offers convenient connections to destinations all over Europe, avoiding the madness of transfers in Paris or London. Get in touch for specially discounted business class fares when packaged with hotel stays or car rentals... or click here to discover the value-added Virtuoso amenities you can score at Amsterdam's most elegant luxury hotels.

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copyright (c) 2020 by Ourisman Travel LLC. All rights reserved. We provide Virtuoso and other Preferred Partner amenities as an affiliate of Brownell, a Virtuoso® Member. If you have comments on this column, or questions about booking travel, email me or visit my website.

will Hawaii open for tourists on July 1st?

beach at Four Seasons Maui © 2020 by David Ourisman, all rights reserved

Hoping to travel again soon? I sure am. Here in the San Francisco Bay Area, we have been sheltering in place for over two months. I was forced to cancel two trips, a site inspection trip to the Big Island of Hawaii and a Windstar river cruise from Amsterdam to Basel.

Many travelers are hesitating for obvious reasons. We all prioritize our health and the health of our families. Beyond that, no one wants to fly off on a vacation and be surprised with a 14-day quarantine upon arrival. Flexible reservations are an absolute must. Before making a reservation, we want the flexibility of waiting as long as possible to assess the situation before committing to a trip.

Major luxury hotel brands are responding to what travelers need. New, flexible cancellation policies have been announced by Four Seasons, Marriott International (parent company of Ritz-Carlton, St. Regis, etc), and others. With only slight variations in wording, their new policy is this:

If you have an existing reservation, you can cancel it without charge up to 24 hour prior to arrival* as long as the cancellation is made by June 30, 2020. 

If you make a new reservation before June 20, 2020 for any future date, 2020, you will be able to cancel that reservation without charge up to 24 hours prior to arrival*. 

*This policy may not apply to Festive Season bookings, to dates with special event restrictions, or to periods of peak demand.

Please be patient. It takes time for new policies to be reflected in hotel reservations systems. Every rate for every room category at each hotel has to be modified. Please reach out to your travel advisor to iron out the details with the hotel or resort of your dreams.

copyright (c) 2020 by Ourisman Travel LLC. All rights reserved. We provide Virtuoso and other Preferred Partner amenities as an affiliate of Brownell, a Virtuoso® Member. If you have comments on this column, or questions about booking travel, email me or visit my website.

great business class deal to Europe

Book a Tauck Tour to Europe and score round-trip business class air for $2990 per person. Airfares are refundable up to 60 days before departure, and only a deposit is required to reserve.

But first, why a Tauck Tour? A family-owned business since it was founded by Arthur Tauck, Sr. in 1925, three generations of Taucks have led this tour company ever since. Specializing in group escorted travel, the great thing about Tauck is that you'll never feel like you're being herded around in a group. You won't be crowded onto a full 49-passenger bus. You won't find yourself following behind a tour guide holding a flag. And in place of the cookie-cutter experiences provided on big bus tours, each of Tauck's 140+ unique tour features exclusive, out-of-the-ordinary experiences that will bring you a lifetime of memories.

Fully inclusive — all taxes, fuel surcharges, admission costs, meals, and beverages — Tauck experiences have no hidden fees and no surprises. I'll be on my first Tauck Tour experience this April, a river cruise from Amsterdam to Basel, and I'll be sharing highlights of the journey.

Take Off With Tauck — round-trip air at $790 pp economy, $1690 pp premium economy, and $2990 pp business class. Book by Feb. 29th for travel through August 31st. Read below for the fine print.

copyright (c) 2020 by Ourisman Travel LLC. All rights reserved. We provide Virtuoso and other Preferred Partner amenities as an affiliate of Brownell, a Virtuoso® Member. If you have comments on this column, or questions about booking travel, email me or visit my website.

• Take Off With Tauck is valid on trips departing March 1 through August 31, 2020 as indicated: valid on all Tauck Europe land trips, European river cruises, Tauck Bridges Europe trips, and Europe small ship cruises (Note: Venice & the Dalmatian Coast small ship cruises departing March 1 through September 30, 2020).
• Above trips must be booked January 9 through February 29, 2020.
• Tauck’s air package is available to all guests departing from select US and Canadian gateways to Europe; available for new bookings only (subject to availability). Air must be booked with Tauck, and a deposit is required at the time you make the booking. Air is refundable up to 60 days before departure.
• Premium Economy cabin is offered on trans-Atlantic flights and select carriers only. 
• Not combinable with other offers.

am I warming up to cruising?

I've always loved traveling on land. Nothing beats a comfortable hotel in the heart of a great city ... or relaxing at a gorgeous resort nestled alongside a white, sandy beach. I love walking out the front door before dawn to capture pictures of a sunrise ... or wandering through picturesque streets to explore a new destination. You really can't do these things while cruising. Ocean ports are not in the heart of a city, nor do ships dock next to beautiful, secluded beaches.

But I been on two cruises this past year with a third cruise planned for April. Could I be warming up to cruising?

My first cruise experience was aboard Seabourn Ovation last May. Along with some Brownell colleagues, we enjoyed the final four days of an eight-day Athens to Barcelona cruise. Boarding in Rome, our stops included ports in Corsica, the south of France, and the northeast of Spain before completing our experience in Barcelona. Seabourn is a pretty all-inclusive cruise line with a lot included in your fare including all beverages and Thomas Keller-inspired dining at your choice of restaurants. My cabin was large and comfortable with a bedroom, living room, and large walk-in closet.

My second cruise experience was aboard Windstar's Star Pride last August. We chose this cruise because of its fascinating itinerary around the Baltic Sea — Gdansk, Tallinn, St. Petersburg, Helsinki, and more... This was a small ship with just 200 guests, and we felt an instant connection with our fellow passengers.

And now I have a third cruise experience to look anticipate — a Tauck River Cruise aboard the Inspire. The map above shows the route we'll take. The cruise begins in Amsterdam in mid-April (an ideal time to see the tulips) and sailing up the Moselle and Rhine rivers toward Basel. We'll spend a couple of days in Amsterdam before we begin and explore the Interlaken area of Switzerland at the end.

Here are five cruising tips for hotel lovers.

1. Look out for creative itineraries that you couldn't do any other way.
2. Choose a ship whose size corresponds to your favorite hotels. For instance, a ship with 200 cabins is like a typical Four Seasons. Avoid the huge mega-ships unless you really enjoy large convention hotels with thousands of rooms.
3. Do splurge for the extra space. Cabins are much more compact than hotel rooms. If you can book a Suite with 300 square feet or more (admittedly smaller than most hotel rooms), you'll be happy.
4. Don't be fooled by low come-on pricing by premium cruise lines. It doesn't matter what you pay to get on the ship; it's what you pay to get off the ship that matters. Many guests booking a lower-end ships at a "bargain" fare are shocked when their bill at check-out exceeds the initial cost of the cruise. Look for the magic words "all-inclusive." A true luxury line may cost less than the bargain advertised price of a mere "premium" cruise line.
5. Enjoy the pack-and-unpack once experience of an ocean or river cruise as your hotel room floats with you from port to port.

And here's a special value ... book a Tauck River Cruise before the end of the year and enjoy a complimentary pre- or post- hotel stay. Contact us for more details!

copyright (c) 2019 by Ourisman Travel LLC. All rights reserved. We provide Virtuoso and other Preferred Partner amenities as an affiliate of Brownell, a Virtuoso® Member. If you have comments on this column, or questions about booking travel, email me or visit my website.

#VirtuosoWeek top ten | breakfast canal cruise

one of Amsterdam's traditional Notaris boats

This is the first of my "top ten list" of takeaways from this years #VirtuosoWeek. I'm listening for some great travel ideas.

Had breakfast this morning with two representatives of De L'Europe, one of our Virtuoso hotel partners in Amsterdam. We were discussing, among other things, what to do in Amsterdam. The top three attractions in Amsterdam, I surmised, were the Anne Frank House, the Van Gogh Museum, and the Rijksmuseum.

Thomas suggested a favorite activity that I had never thought of... an early morning, private breakfast cruise on one of Amsterdam's Notaris boats. Begin your canal cruise early. Just before dawn, the canals are uncrowded, the water is still, and the soft pre-dawn light is perfect to photograph the beautiful reflections of Amsterdam.

Notaris boats (same root word as in "notary public") refer to a time when Amsterdam's lawyers wore tall hats. The high cabin ceilings permitted attorneys to keep their hats upon their heads while in the boat ... and also to doff their hats when a lady entered the cabin.

De L'Europe is the only Amsterdam hotel in the historical district with direct access to the canals. We can arrange your breakfast cruise, and you can board your Notaris boat from the hotel's dock on the canal. And don't forget to book through your Virtuoso travel consultant to receive the Virtuoso amenities for your stay:

• Guaranteed upgrade at time of booking (up to Junior Suites)
• Daily full breakfast, for up to two in room guests
• One 3-course lunch or dinner in Hoofdstad Brasserie for up to two in-room guests (exclusive of beverages and gratuities)
• Early check-in/late check-out subject to availability
• Junior Suites & Above receive One Way Airport Transfer

copyright  (c)  2015 by David Ourisman LLC.  All rights reserved. We provide Virtuoso and other Preferred Partner amenities as an affiliate of Brownell Travel. If you have comments on this column, or questions about booking travel, email me or visit my website.

top 10 family activities in Europe

idea # 7: scavenger hunt through the Louvre

Continuing this series of top 10 recommendations from luxury travel provider Abercrombie and Kent, here are their ideas on the top 10 family activities in Europe.

1. Rome — Gladiator School


2. Amsterdam — bicycling


3. Croatia — sea kayaking


4. Bruges — chocolate workshop


5. Moscow — backstage tour and live performance at the Moscow State Circus


6. Tuscany — horseback riding


7. Paris — scavenger hunt through the Louvre


8. Florence — behind the scenes at Florence's best Gelateria


9. St. Petersburg — Matryoshka doll painting


10. Scotland — search for Nessie, the Loch Ness Monster, on your own chartered boat

A scavenger hunt through the Louvre sounds like fun, and what a creative way to bring a museum to life! When you're ready to plan your next family vacation to Europe, and want to create special memories that your children will carry throughout their lives, contact your Virtuoso luxury travel consultant. We've got the connections that can make these family activities possible.

top 10 family activities in Europe (search here on Google)

copyright (c) 2012 by David Ourisman LLC. All rights reserved. If you have comments on this column, or questions about booking travel, email me or visit my website. .

low business class fares to Europe

Joe Bracatelli is the publisher of Joe Sent Me, one of the most informative travel websites out there and well worth the annual subscription. He has alerted me to a special 4-Day Sale, New York-Amsterdam, on OpenSkies. Fly business class from $1,609 roundtrip, taxes and fees included, and enjoy a 6-foot long 180º flatbed. You must book by September 12, but you can travel anytime between October 15, 2008 and March 31, 2009 with a three-day minimum stay.

Want an even lower price to Europe? Eurofly has $399 round-trip fares in coach to Italy (inclusive of fuel surcharges, but about $90 in taxes are additional). Book by September 12, and fly JFK to Rome, Naples, Palermo, or Bologna on selected flights in September and October.

After you book your flights, contact your Virtuoso travel consultant to fill out your itinerary with some great values at the world's finest five star luxury hotels.


Virtuoso travel consultant (search here on Google)


copyright (c) 2008 by David J. Ourisman. All rights reserved. If you have comments on this column, or questions about booking travel, email me or visit my website.
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