Marketing, Marketing and More Marketing

This week has been very interesting. I am learning that building a client base is very slow.  It’s all in the marketing and talking to everyone you see and know.  As you may know, talking to people has never been a problem for me and now that I have something (besides my sons) to be passionate about I can really talk.  Ask my husband, I think he is really getting tired of hearing me talk about what I am learning, but he knows and understands how excited I am and that I have all these things filling up my head they have to come out and he is the lucky recipient.  This week has expanded my knowledge of cruising.  I’ve also taken seminars in Marketing, there’s that word again.  It all comes back to bringing your business to the forefront and letting people know that Travel Consultants (that’s what I am now, I love to say that) are still alive and well.  I’m learning that in some cases they are like miracle workers, finding that one way to make people’s dreams come true. It’s not only about that dream vacation it is being creative in your thinking about finding the best scenario to help a group travel or just getting someone to a business trip or reunite a family.  I can’t wait till I book my first trip.  I have done lots of quotes and they have come out real well, but let's face it, I do have to make some money at this.

I also went golfing this week, fitting in my exercise on the golf course is wonderful especially when it is 80 degrees in Colorado in October.  I don’t know how many of you heard me scream but I did when I chipped in for par from about 60ft away from the hole.  As you can probably tell, I’m not a great golfer, I’m still trying to break that 100 mark so this was a big big deal. I was jumping up and down, it was very exciting. The day was also a nice way to spend an afternoon with my husband.  We are beginning to reconnect.

Well I’ve got to get back to preparing for my First Event at the travel agency. Never been part of a travel expo before, and next week I’m sure you will hear all about it. Hope to see you all there.  Here is a link to the event on facebook A Fall Travel Night

Have a great Halloween weekend and be safe, don’t drink and drive. I want to have you back here next week.

Happy and safe travels. God Bless.

Busy, Busy, Busy

Ciao, spero che siano tutti bene.  Hi, hope you are all well.

Week 4 and I am now officially a Travel Consultant for Frosch.  Busy, Busy, Busy, there is so much to learn and I am so excited.  I feel like a kid again on the first day of school.  I have already started to look into trips, so thank you to those of you that have already been asking me to look things up for you.  I am very happy to be working with Lisa who is such an expert in this field and such a wonderful mentor; I need to thank her for taking this newcomer under her wing.  So much is happening, I signed a year contract with Frosch, I hope the relationship last a lot longer than that.  They don’t realize how passionate I am about making this work.  I think (at least I hope) I will surprise them. I met the Royal Caribbean Representative, what a nice lady, I have finished 4 classes with Royal Caribbean, didn’t know there was so much to learn about cruising and that is only 1 cruise line.  Thank God for the internet, I don’t know if I would have the ability to sit in an actual class for any length of time at this age, as young as I feel, I am 51, but come to think of it, I didn’t like sitting in a class for an hour when I was 16.  So it’s nice to be able to get up get that pop (diet Coke), stretch and rest these old eyes.  

Okay to fill you in on how my dinner with my husband went.  It was wonderful, picked him up from the airport, came home where I had a couple of bottles of wine chilling and had Salmon with a lobster stuffing waiting.  It is nice to be just a couple and exciting to try and reignite that little spark that we felt when we were first in love.    If anyone has any inexpensive but romantic ideas let me know, would love to try something new (but remember we are in our 50’s and it needs to be legal, I have grown children that probably don’t want to bail us out of jail). 

Health wise, worked out every day this week, YEAH for me.  Lost a couple of pounds, been taking some really good vitamins, and tried a new thing called twist 2Go by Nutrilite, (that my son sells), you put it in a bottle of water and it is mango flavored and gives you all the nutrients of 2 serving of fruits and vegetables.  It was really good,  he has one for energy to I think I might need to try, because it looks like I’ve got some really busy days ahead of me. 

So that’s it for now.  Please remember to follow my blog, comment, and share with your friends, as I said before I really don’t want to be talking to myself, people already think I’m a little nuts.

 A presto, (see you soon)

God Bless and have a wonderful weekend.

At a snails pace

Ciao, Settimana tre, Hi Week 3

First, thank you to all who have been reading my story.  Week 3 has been very uninteresting.  My husband was away all week, I spent time working out.  Started to tracking my calories again, and created a new workout plan, worked out 3 days this week, so the ”get in shape plan” is on track.  I’m also spending time on my Italian, “mi chiami Gina, Io sono di Denver, io sono e una segretaria, io hai cinquantuno anni” Spelling might not be exactly correct (I can’t spell in English either), but it’s progress. This online learning website for lanugaes is really good.  I'm only using the free part it is http://www.busuu.com/, I'm really enjoying it.   I’m patiently awaiting the start of my new career.  I keep trying to remember that everything takes time and anything worthwhile is worth waiting for.  I did find an online site to learn geography www.ilike2learn.com/ilike2learn/geography.asp and it made me realize I haven’t got a clue. Okay maybe it’s not that bad.  I know where some places are, but had no idea that there where so many islands in the Caribbean.  I have spending at least a half-hour a day learning and trying to remember where things are, so when someone says “I would like to go to the Dominican Republic” my only response won’t be “Me Too.”  I can actually say oh yes that’s in the Caribbean and there are a lot of place in that area to visit.  My growing as a couple was a little stifled this week since I was alone all week, but have planned a very nice romantic dinner for two when he comes home tonight.  Kinda like that special date where you finally cook for your honey, at least I don’t have to worry about whether he’ll like my cooking because he’s been eating it for 28 years. (He says that’s one of the reasons he married me.)  Well, hopefully I will have more to talk about next week.  Let me know if you have any good travel sites for me to visit. Don’t forget to click on the button to follow me, and leave comments, as I said in the beginning I don’t like talking to myself.    Love and blessings to you all have a great weekend.  

Slow Going

Benvenuto.  Welcome.

Week 2 into my new life journey and I’ve learned that patience is not a virtue of mine. As I said last time I need instant gratification, so this slow process is driving me crazy. First update as to my fitness trek, I’m back to working out at least three times a week.  I now hate mornings more than ever because that is the only time I have to work out, and I like my sleep, 10 lbs. and a few more inches to go, then I can celebrate.  I have made some baby steps toward my travel agent career. I created an LLC.  (Yes I now am registered with State of Colorado).   I have continued to teach myself the beautiful language of Italy. Slow going but I guess an old dog can learn new tricks.  I just hope that someday this journey will lead me to Italy where I can utilize this new skill.  Hopefully, next week I will start training on actual travel agent education.  I did put a contact list together.  It’s amazing when you begin to look at all your friends, family and acquaintances, how fast the numbers add up.   Yes, some of you will get information from me either through email, mail or of course that wonderful social network.  Now now please don’t roll your eyes, as I’m sure (or at least hope) you will all want to know when and how to contact me as I create my new career.  I have started to “follow” and “like” all kinds of travel pages so that I can be very informed.  Didn’t know you could actually spend hours reading blogs and Facebook pages.  I know a few of you have asked me about scheduling some travel for you already and I’m so excited to start.  I should have some answers for you next week.   I would love to hear some comments from you all. Please let me know about  trips you have taken, (good or bad), questions you may have as to what a travel agent has to offer, as I know most of you use online travel sites,  some words of encouragement,  or share links and websites with me. As you see my goal is to be one hell of a kick ass travel agent.  Oh if you know Italian I would love to practice so please feel free to comment in Italian.  Well I guess that’s it for this week.  Please follow me, share my posts, as I love to make new friends.  May God keep you all well, happy and may love fill your lives each day.   Grazie e arrivederci.

The Journey Begins

Have you ever looked in a mirror and can’t see anything, but a silhouette.  For years when I looked in a mirror I saw an active young mother.  That was who I was, that was my identity.  Then all of a sudden I turned 50, my sons moved away and I looked in the mirror and I thought OMG where do I go from here?  My husband and I had never been” just a couple”, since I came with a readymade family, and now that the kids were gone, all I could think about is what if we don’t like each other.  I had no real career just jobs to pay the bills, no real hobbies to throw myself into, so I decided I needed to make some changes.  I needed to make myself more desirable, interesting and necessary. 

Step one- my son got me a WII for Christmas and the overhaul began.  Now you have to understand I haven’t played or used a video games since Pac Man, so I wasn’t really sure this would work plus  I haven’t really exercised (other than the first few weeks  at the beginning of a new year with each resolution) since gym class in 9^th grade. I had a lot of work to do. I read everything I could, did lots of online investigation on exercise, created an at home gym, (because face it we all have all the equipment that just keeps gathering dust) and the journey began. It was very hard to stay disciplined but I knew I had to keep going.

Step two – For the last 20 years it became routine to eat on the run, between practices, games, school events, PTA meetings and other kid activities, healthy eating wasn’t a priority. My husband worked nights for 20 years so making nice dinners became a weekend thing. I am a very good cook but eating well on Sundays only, isn’t good for the waistline, and I had developed a very good relationship with fast food.   So I overhauled my shopping list, started watching my calories and fat intake, NO PILLS or special diets and it’s amazing with a little hard work and sacrifice you CAN lose weight.  It doesn’t come off as fast as you would like it to.  You see I have a little bit of an instant gratification mentality and I had to get over it.  But 6 months later I’m 30 pounds slimmer.  Now don’t get to excited I’m not that flat stomached super model everyone wants to be. You see I am a 50 year old 5 foot 1 and ½. (Don’t forget the half) Italian lady that still loves to eat, but I’m a lot better than I used to be, and I recently ran a 5K which in my world was as monumental as climbing Mt. Everest.  

Step three – Learn to be a wife.  I decided that I needed to rekindle a new, exciting and grownup relationship with this man that I have been married to for 28 years.  Love sure is different when your 50 than when you are 15.   This step I am still working on.  Date nights, trips and a lot of moral support are helping. 

So Now, I am healthier, slimmer, learning how to be a wife, not just a mother, and it was time to decide what I wanted to be when I grow up. You know 50 is the new 30, or is it 40 oh well it doesn’t matter because anyone who knows me knows that I may get older but will never grow up. 

Step four – Make myself and my life more interesting.  So I looked deep into what I would love to do and get paid for.  It had to be legal. It couldn’t cost me much and I needed to have a passion for it.  TRAVEL, it’s what I always wanted to do and I loved planning trips and events in my past jobs.  That’s it, that’s the direction I would take, but after searching and searching no one was going to pay me to travel to new and exciting places.  The world was not yet my oyster.  But maybe I could get paid to plan other people’s adventures.  After networking (thank God for Facebook) the world of a travel agent is within my grasp. I can plan trips for groups, families, corporations, learn about the world and all it has to offer.  That’s it I will get paid to live vicariously through other people’s travel.  A new and exciting life is just beginning and I want to share it all with whoever will listen.  So I hope someone out there is reading this and will talk back to me.  As I’ve been told I’m a little crazy but haven’t gotten to the point where I talk to myself, (well not in public, at least.) 

So stayed tuned in see where this new path in life takes me.  I will keep you updated on all the ups and downs of my journey, downs because I’ve been told you can’t have rainbows without the rain and I need that rainbow to keep shinning so I can find my pot of gold.  (I will share).  Please post your comments, encouragement s ideas and suggestions so I don’t feel all alone.  I will try to write at least once a week, cause face it I’m not THAT interesting yet to write daily. Love you all; wish me luck and God Bless.