I had a photo booth conference planned for the end of March in New York City. I was incredibly excited to attend as there were so many great speakers I wanted to hear and software I wanted to try out and learn. Not to mention New York City is at the top of my bucket list. The conference was postponed and I needed to cancel my travel plans.
I wanted to know what I should be doing when canceling reservations and booking future travel. I reached out to my friend Marie Radassao from Pure Magic Vacations and she sent me some tips and I'd like to share them with you.
What to do if you need to cancel:
-If you have to cancel your trip contact your travel agent first if you used one.
-If you haven't used a travel agent you need to get in touch with the supplier you booked with directly.
-If you booked flights separately, you need to get in touch with the airline as well.
-Each one will give you credit for future travel use or refund the credit card you paid with. Be sure to keep all cards if you use a pre-paid credit card or travel gift card because the refund will go back on each card you paid with.
Things to consider when booking travel:
-Buy travel insurance! If something like COVID-19 happens and you have already arrived at your destination, insurance will cover your lost vacation days and your new flight home.
Use a travel agent, they often save you money and do all the work for you.
-Consider your travel dates. Try not to book during the holidays of the country you are visiting. It's often very busy and more expensive to travel during these dates.
-You may also want to consider the weather. Try avoiding things like hurricane, wildfire, or monsoon season.
-Make photocopies of your passports and other important documents so you have all the numbers if you should lose anything. Keep the copies on you and leave the originals in the safe in your hotel room. Also, make sure your passports are valid for at least 6 months after your departure.
-Take credit cards and cash with you so you have options if your credit cards don't work. Bring cash in the currency of the country you are going to.
-Notify credit card companies of where you will be travelling to so they don't freeze your card while you are away.
To be honest Marie, I never thought to be sure to have additional time for the validity date of the passport or to let my credit card company know I was travelling. Thanks for the tips. I’ll message you when I need to book my flight for the conference.
Marie specializes in Disney vacations so when I saw that Disney recently released their Dole Whip and Churro Bites recipes I knew I had to add them to the end of this post.
Dole Whip Recipe
Ingredients:
1 big scoop of vanilla ice cream
1/2 cup of pineapple juice
2 cups of frozen pineapple
Instructions:
All you have to do is toss the ingredients into a blender and mix until the consistency is thick.
Churro Bites Recipe
Ingredients
1 cup of water
8 tablespoons butter
¼ teaspoon salt
¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon, divided
1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
3 eggs
1 ½ cups vegetable or canola oil
½ cup of sugar
Instructions:
Combine water, butter, salt, and ¼ teaspoon cinnamon in 1 ½-quart saucepan over medium heat.
Bring pot to a rolling boil.
Reduce heat to low.
Add flour and stir vigorously until mix forms a ball.
Remove from heat and let rest for 5-7 min.
Add eggs, one at a time, and stir until combined. Set aside.
Heat oil in medium skillet or 1-quart saucepan over medium-high heat or until temperature reaches 350˚.
Spoon dough into piping bag fitted with large star tip.
Pipe 1-inch strip of dough over saucepan, cut with knife, and drop into hot oil.
Repeat until churro bites fill saucepan with room to fry.
Fry churro bites until golden brown.
Remove with slotted spoon or mesh spider strainer.
Drain churro bites on paper towel.
Mix sugar and ½ teaspoon cinnamon in medium bowl.
Toss in churro bites until coated.
Place on serving plate and serve with favourite dipping sauce.
Contact info
Name: Marie Radassao
Company: Pure Magic Vacations
E-mail: marie@puremagicvacations.ca
Website: puremagicvacations.ca
Instagram: @mariespuremagicvacations