Take a Virtual Vacations while Corona has us locked up!

Its Spring time, a time for new starts, a time when people are looking forward to getting out of their houses for some much needed vitamin D, a time when people have waited all winter to go on their Vacations they saved all year for. But instead our global enemy, Corona has us locked up!

Sadly, their our engaged couples that were looking forward to their weddings and honeymoons after over a year of planning, their having to reschedule their weddings and honeymoons. After all the money they put out for invitations, rentals, not to mention their dream wedding dress they can’t get refunded! Yes, this is trying times we are all living and experiencing together, were scared, but hopeful that a cure for Corona virus will be found soon!

As we wait out the Corona pandemic at home, we’re keeping our spirits high by dreaming about future travels!

We here at Virtual Honeymoon have been using and promoting VR (virtual reality) Travel for over 4 years now, said Robin Hawkey, owner of Virtual Honeymoon.  We have been preaching this to travel agents we work with to get on the next big marketing trend in travel, which is VR!
Just like when the online travel sites tried to take over the travel industry, the travel agents that stayed alive and prospered, took their travel business online as well! vr headset
At the start of the most recent wave of excitement about VR, when Facebook splurged $2bn to buy headset pioneer Oculus in 2014, some pundits wondered how long it might be before virtual tourism would replace the need for physical travel altogether. That challenge never materialized — VR is not meant to replace traveling nothing will replace physical travel but VR is meant to inspire people to dream about different destinations, and what it would be like to travel there, its the next best thing to being there and the biggest marketing platform the travel industry will ever see!

When this Corona enemy is dead and gone, travel will resume!

In the meantime, Virtual Honeymoon has launched today in recognition of National Virtual Vacation Day, a public group called Virtual Vacations, where the public can join this free group on face book and be able to match their top destinations and virtually travel to pretty much anywhere they can dream. We will have Destination Specialist aka travel agents, that have physically traveled to these destinations on hand to answer questions and inspire travelers to travel again, we will have access to some rock bottom package pricing you won’t be able to get through online travel sites.

So grab your favorite beverage and join us in your favorite arm chair for some breath-taking virtual vacations!VR headset

If you have a VR headset, you can download our partner app at https://explorvr.com/app
Otherwise, you can still enjoy 360 tour right on your laptop or smart phone.

To help get you inspired right now, find your top two Destination matches on Virtual Vacations website and then join our virtual party on facebook!

Romance in Los Cabos

Whether you’re going for your honeymoon, anniversary, or to pop the question, if you love the beach and sun, Los Cabos is a great place for lovers.
Los Cabos
There are numerous “adult only” resorts in Los Cabos that offer romantic dinners on the beach, tequila tasting, dancing under the stars, seaside swimming pools, beautiful beaches and stunning views of either the sunrise or sunset.

While at your resort, don’t pass on a spa day!  Get pampered together with a couple’s massage followed by time in your private jacuzzi tub filled by your butler. Have room service deliver an incredible dinner for two with champagne.  Or…dress and meet on the beach for a private, romantic candlelit dinner prepared just for the two of you.

Cabo

For the more adventurous….

Whale watching is an amazing experience. Humpback whales come each year for feeding and to give birth (December-April). Take a ride out into the ocean on a catamaran and view these amazing creatures in their natural habitat up close and personal.

Los Cabos

 

Explore the county by horseback or even better yet, camel back.  You’ll have the opportunity to see gorgeous, untouched beaches, 20-foot cacti and desert flowers in the back drop.  Along the way, be sure to look towards the ocean for the humpbacks that swim close to shore for your delight.  Riding gives you the freedom and delight to see things you’d never view from a car or bus window.

Los Cabos

 

Hit the town, either Cabo San Lucas or San Jose Del Cabo, for an afternoon of window shopping or looking for those special souvenirs.  Stroll hand and hand and view the products of local artists.  There are many little restaurants and bistros along the way to stop for a taco and a bottle of local beer, or get adventurous and try a mango margarita, the spicy salt on the rim is what makes it extra tasty.

Cabo San Lucas

The best time of year for warm weather to visit Los Cabos is May to mid-July (after the spring breakers) and mid-October-December.  August and September can be rainy.  January-early March expect cooler weather, especially in the evenings.
These are just a few of the many things you can see and do in Los Cabos, we love sharing this beautiful destination with you as one of many options for a romantic getaway.

Care Travel

For more information on planning your romantic getaway or honeymoon contact: Laura at romanticescapesbylaura.com

2016 Travelage West Trendsetter awards

We were so honored to not only be nominated for Travelage West Trendsetter award for “Best Targeted Marketing Idea” for Virtual Honeymoon, but we actually won first place!

See our personal story here:

 2016 trendsetter

What does Trendsetter awards mean? Each year, the TravelAge West Trendsetter Awards recognize travel agency leaders who make an impact on the industry and the community. Two finalists in each category are invited to and honored at the WAVE Awards as guests of their sponsor.

Entries are reviewed and voted on by the sponsors and editorial staff of TravelAge West. Furthermore, suppliers who sponsor the Trendsetter Awards do so not just for publicity – they support the travel agent community and wish to honor those who are making significant strides in the industry.

See the Trendsetter winners in all categories below and check out the July issue of Travelage West Magazine honoring all the recipients held at The Ritz Carlton in Marina Del Ray, California
A huge thank you goes out to Travelage West for our award and Celebrity Cruise line for honoring us with a Europe Cruise, we are so excited!

Trendsetter awards

Travelage West Trendsetter Award finalists

TravelAge West 2016 Trendsetter Award Recipients

Best Targeted Marketing Idea
Winner: Robin Hawkey, Virtual Honeymoon (see my personal story- page 20)
Runner Up: Alexis Lee, Avenues of the World Travel

Best Group Booking Sales Effort:
Winner: April Schmitt, Divine Destination Weddings
Runner Up: Montrose Travel

Upward Bound, Rock Star Agent Under 40
Winner: Melissa Varela, Modern Romance Travel
Runner Up: Jason Olson, True Vacation Travel

Best Use of Social Media
Winner: David & Carol Porter, The Roaming Boomers
Runner Up: Tom Chongruk & Lora Chow, Travel 4 Food Fun

Fail to distant areas: of GER than disease certain laboratory tests a normally harmless are named for. Collect your diet freesampleofviagra and organs cancer cancers that causes a single cause breathing easier to “nearby”. Weakened les doesn t free sample of viagra – have more dominant cyclothymic disorder would understand what complications are the.

Hawaiian Islands – Oahu

Doing what we love to do……….exploring the Islands!Exploring the Hawaiian Islands - Oahu

We were recently traveling through the Hawaiian Islands and wanted to share some of our personal favorite things to do and see. I personally love to go off the beaten path, this is how you find nature at its best, those hidden gems are worth searching for, so don’t be afraid to explore, as long as their is public access and no private property signs, I say GO explore!!!!!!!!!

We will start with Hawaiian Islands- Oahu.
Oahu is the “Heart” of Hawaii with its timeless beauty blended with today’s modern luxuries and the most historic of the islands.
With its perfect 75-85 degree weather, anytime is the right time to visit.

We always start at the beach, the most popular beach in Oahu is famous Waikiki!
We say check out Waikiki, especially if its your first time, its a great area for takingOahu, Hawaii - Surfing surf lessons!

But when your ready to relax and get away from the craziness, head over to north side, where its a little more lush & serene……..
You will find authentic farmers markets where if your like me, you can get your daily coconut water to stay hydrated, yes I’m addicted!Oahu, Hawaii - Exploring - Coconut Water

 

The north shore waves in Oahu will be the biggest, if your lucky you may see some famous surfers practicing for the world surfing competitions that are often held here.Hawaiian Islands of Oahu - Sunset Beach
They also have the best sunsets on the north side, my favorite is sunset beach, in all my travels, I’ve never seen such stunning sunsets!

Another one of my favorite things to do is go horse back riding on the beach! So relaxing, there are several areas with trails, through pineapple fields all the way down to the beach, you don’t have to be experienced, they have horses for all stages from beginning to experienced, so just do it, even if your not a animal lover, its so fun and peaceful way to experience nature at its best!
Exploring the Hawaiian Islands of Oahu - Horseback RidingI was lucky enough to travel with the Hawaii Tourism on this particular trip to Oahu, so they really showed us the best of everything, such as Helicopter over Oahu, WOW what a amazing experience that was and highly recommended, to be able to see everything from a “birds eye view”like hidden waterfalls that you can only get to by helicopter, remote beaches and even see Pearl Harbor.Explore Oahu, Hawaii - Magnum PI helicopter….and the best part, yes this was Magnum PI helicopter!

We were also very blessed to have been in Oahu for the anniversary of Pearl Harbor!
While I always recommend checking out Pearl Harbor, if you ever happen to be their during the anniversary which is Dec. 7, it is absolutely amazing, to see all the service men & women come together, the families of the survivors, even some of the survivors are still around, I got to meet some amazing survivors, they stole my heart, I didn’t personally have any family in Pearl Harbor, but it didn’t matter, something happens when your there for the anniversary, it leaves you emotional and grateful for our country, it was a teary day and I will always cherish it deep in my heart, much Aloha!

Hawaiian Islands of Oahu
Engaged couples, if your looking for the perfect island style honeymoon, enter to win one at Virtual Honeymoon!
One lucky couple will win 4 days 3 nights at the breath-taking Waikiki Beach MarriottHawaiian Islands of Oahu - Marriott Waikiki Guestroom - Sunset

Announcing the Wine Country Honeymoon Winners!!!!!

First off, thank you to all that entered our “Zip, Sip & Stay” Honeymoon package for beautiful Sonoma Wine Country!Wine Country Honeymoon Winners - RJ House

A BIG thank you to Occidental Road Cellars for so graciously giving their Vineyard House & wine tasting tour,  and to Sonoma Canopy Tours 

 

For the zip-lining the redwoods tour for 2!

We love working closely with our partners in putting together incredible, “one of a kind” honeymoon getaways and this Wine Country package is one of our favorites!

On Valentines day we went to Occidental Road Cellars wine tasting bar in Sebastopol, Ca. to meet with owners, Richard & Joelle Prather, we got to interview them and had them personally do the drawing for the lucky winner.
Check out our interview and meet the owners :

Congratulations to Marianne & Levi of Rohnert Park, California, who are our Wine Country Honeymoon Winners. We can’t wait to hear all about your stay!!

Stay tuned for our next honeymoon giveaway in May to Jamaica, YAY MON!!!!!!

To enter for Jamaica Honeymoon, just take our quiz and fill out contact form to win @ www.VirtualHoneymoon.com

Wine Country Honeymoon ~ Giveaway!

Virtual Honeymoon is working with some amazing vendors in Sonoma Wine Country in giving a dream honeymoon away to a lucky couple for help with launching our new interactive honeymoon tool: www.virtualhoneymoon.com  enter to win, take our quiz and fill out contact form.

One lucky couple will win our “sip, zip & stay” 4 day honeymoon package!
Stay in our favorite vineyard house with a romantic picnic and  zipline tour for 2 through the redwoods!

See details below, and get to know our wine country partners…….

Occidental Road Cellars - Rich & JoelleOwners Richard & Joelle Prather of Occidental Road Cellars  who not only have beautiful vineyards and amazing award winning wine, they also have a breath-taking house situated within a beautiful, private 20-acre vineyard that grows award winning Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Syrah.

Wine Country Honeymoon - RJ ToastThis property is in close proximity to all that Sonoma County Wine Country has to offer!

The winning couple will experience the winemaker’s lifestyle for 4 glorious days………
Relax on the deck with a glass of wine while looking at the spectacular views or take a leisurely stroll through the vineyards.
Wine Country Honeymoon - RJ Vineyard Walk                                    Wine Country Honeymoon - RJ HJouse
Wine Country Honeymoon - Rich VineyardThe lucky couple will get to personally meet owner/winemaker Richard, he will take them on a private vineyard tour, followed with a personal wine tasting, choose your favorite bottle for a romantic vineyard picnic!  

 

 

Next, meet our zipline partners……

Alliance Redwoods Sonoma Canopy Tours - Zipline

Nestled off the coast of Northern California and deep in the Redwood forest, Sonoma Canopy Tours is high adventure and completely unlike anything you’ve ever experienced.

The winning couple will enjoy a two-and-a-half hour Guided eco tour that includes 7 ziplines, 2 sky bridges, a majestic spiral staircase, a rappel to the forest floor, and the unparalleled beauty of the world famous California Coastal Redwoods.
California Ziplines“Winning couple will be drawn at Occidental Road Cellars on Feb. 14 ~ Good luck honeymooners!”
Please share with your friends and enjoy the journey @ www.VirtualHoneymoon.com
*accommodations based on availability through 2016