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| Vol 7 , Issue 7 |
July 2013
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Greetings!
What an awesome day... As I am putting together this newsletter, the sun is shining and summer is well underway.
In this newsletter, we look at the new Canadian passports, Contiki holidays, travel health, 18 things hotels can do to be brilliant... and, as always, a few tidbits.
Grab a beverage, put your feet up and enjoy...
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New Passports for Canadians
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Now in effect
 Starting on July 1, 2013, all new Canadian passports issued will be electronic passports, or ePassports.
Adults will have the option of a 5 or 10-year ePassport for both first-time and renewal applications. Children's ePassports will be issued for a maximum of 5 years.
The new ePassports will have an electronic chip embedded in the back cover to provide enhanced security.
For more information on the new ePassports, please click here.
Of course, with new Passports come new fees!
If your passport renews this year, you may want to renew before July 1st as the fees have been substantially increased.
To see the new ePassport fees, please click here.
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Supplier Highlight - Contiki
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Tours for 18-34 year olds
Contiki offers trips in over 46 countries and 6 continents for travellers aged 18 to 35. 
From quick breaks as short as 3 days to epic journeys as long as 6 weeks, whether you're into snorkelling or snowboarding, the tours are designed to let you do what you love.
Contiki trips bring together like-minded people from all around the globe. So whether you're travelling solo or with friends, for the first time or fifteenth time, you'll come home with plenty of interesting viewpoints and exciting new friends to match.
With Contiki, you get loads of free time & optional activities, great accommodation, authentic dining, and an expert crew that are dedicated to you, and over 50 years of travel experience.
Your tour crew has one simple goal: to help you have the time of your life. They're not only expert guides who take care of all the little details but also fellow travellers who are dedicated to helping you explore in comfort and confidence.
To visit the Contiki website, just click here
For more information or to book a Contiki tour, contact me anytime!
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Travel Health
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Visit a travel medical clinic
When you are travelling, you may be at risk for a number of illnesses that can be prevented by vaccination. As you age, your vaccine-acquired protection against many illnesses may decrease, and your risk of getting certain diseases may increase.
You should consult a doctor, nurse or health care provider, or visit a travel health clinic preferably six weeks before you travel. This provides an opportunity to:
- review your vaccination history
- make sure you are up to date according to your provincial/territorial vaccination program
- discuss any health concerns you may have related to your trip
- assess your needs based on where you plan to travel and what you plan to do
Additional shots may be recommended depending on your age, anticipated travel activities and local conditions. Remember that preventing infection through vaccination is a lifelong process.
To view a list of vaccines recommended for travel, please click here
Yellow Fever vaccinations, in particular, are only available in certain travel medicine clinics authorized by the Canadian government. To access a list of these clinics, please click here
You may also see all the information reported by the Government of Canada for a particular destination, including health, security, etc by visiting www.travel.gc.ca
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18 Things Hotels can do to be Brilliant
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Wendy Perrin, Conde Nast Traveller
"Marriott unveiled a new ad campaign this week that encourages consumers to "Travel Brilliantly." To which [Wendy] reply, "We beleaguered, nickel-and-dimed hotel guests are doing our best to work with what you're giving us."
 | | Marriott Cuzco |
That's not a knock against Marriott, which was just rated the number one hotel chain for guest satisfaction in the American Customer Satisfaction Index. It's a complaint against the many hotels out there that seem to have forgotten some basic rules of hospitality despite being in that business.
Marriott has invited consumers to submit their "game-changing" ideas for hotel improvement to its Travel Brilliantly microsite, and some of them are quite innovative-such as hotels pre-ordering your favorite toiletries so that they're in your room when you arrive or providing a "multitasking neck pillow" with massage and noise-cancellation features. Before hotels start implementing such futuristic ideas, though, it would be nice if they could get the basics right."
Wendy has a personal wish list...I personally vote for all of them!
- Free Wi-Fi. A strong signal and fast connection would be welcome too, including on the exercise bikes and by the pool.
- No hidden add-on fees-and by that I mean no "resort fee," parking fee, gym fee, mini-bar re-stocking fee, early check-out fee, etc.
- An alarm clock that doesn't wake me up at 5 a.m. because that's the hour that the previous guest set it for. Failing that, an alarm clock that I can quickly figure out how to turn off (rather than merely re-set to snooze) in the pitch dark at 5 a.m.
- An in-room lighting system that doesn't take a degree in engineering to operate.
- I don't need 17 pillows on my bed. It would be nice if one pillow-just one-were the correct thickness.
To see the rest of Wendy's great suggestions, please click here
To submit your suggestions to Marriott, please click here
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Tidbits
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Neat stories that just don't need a full article!
A Mexican amusement park lets visitors play the role of immigrants trying to cross Mexican-U.S. border illegally... click here
How to order a beer abroad... click here
48 hours in Amsterdam... click here
Top Chef served at sea... click here
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Janna Guay CTC ACC
Travel Professionals International
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