Category: family reunion

White swan on the edge of Seine river in France

Who Moved My Passport? Travel Predictions in the Age of Uncertainty

allsetconciergeLeave a comment

In July 2020, I was asked to speak at a Stanford alumni event where I sat on a panel of experts to talk about our predictions for the future and what awaited after the pandemic. I was the travel expert, and in my company was a real estate agent, an employment attorney, and a medical doctor. While the other panelists shared some pearls of predictions for their respective industries, I felt like the messenger of doom. I was hesitant to give any specific date forecasts on when travel would “return to normal”, and felt awful when one attendee asked me if she thought she would be able to go on a cruise that Christmas. I knew that December 2020 was definitely too soon for a cruise to be considered safe, and at the rate we were going as a society, I wasn’t sure if she’d be safe going on a cruise in December 2021 either. 

Read More »
my dad sitting on a beach in anacortes

Father’s Day: Before and After

allsetconcierge8 Comments

I could always depend on a summer trip with my dad. Whether it was for his birthday in August, or Father’s Day in June, we always made it a point to reunite for a week during these summer months. Most of the time, we took advantage of the glorious weather in the Pacific Northwest where he lived, but sometimes we made the occasional trip to San Francisco for our favorite rivalry games between the Dodgers and Giants.Read More »

albuquerque-balloon-fiesta

Stairway to Heaven: Albuquerque’s Balloon Fiesta

allsetconciergeLeave a comment

albuquerque-balloon-fiesta
Heavenly bodies on the horizon

I’m not a morning person. So when I saw the itinerary for the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta, I did a double take. 6 a.m. start time! With a little coffee, I managed to make it through the early morning(read 4 a.m.) trips from the hotel to the park, all bundled up in my layers of thermals and wool. After learning from my hotel concierge that this was the largest ballooning event in the world, I was a bit curious.Read More »

where-to-travel-in-2018

Top 5 Insights at the Travel & Adventure Show

allsetconcierge4 Comments

I recently went behind the scenes at the Los Angeles Travel & Adventure show, which is just one stop along the travel show’s ambitious tour throughout the United States. With my press pass, I was able to go behind the scenes and speak to some of the tour operators and country representatives about what makes their travel experience unique, and why travelers should spend their precious vacation time heading to their destinations. Here’s what I learned…Read More »

Family Ties

allsetconcierge6 Comments

Islands near Anacortes
Islands near Anacortes, Washington

My dad used to have an old adage: “there are two seasons in Seattle: August and the rest of the year.” His local wisdom explained why I summered here as a child, and why I never visited during any of the other months. Seattle, the site for a recent family reunion, is the cosmopolitan gem of the Pacific Northwest. Boasting a beautiful backdrop of lush evergreens, the city acted as an anchor for my exploration of Puget Sound and the San Juan Islands.Read More »