I WAS SPEAKING TO MY FAMILY recently about plans we are making for the Christmas holidays. Last year we took a cruise on the Norwegian Gem from Christmas through New Year’s Day. This year we plan to spend the holiday season closer to home, maybe with a short trip after Christmas Day to Florida. If you have not made plans over the holidays, you might find it is already too late. Most accommodations are secured well in advance, and the larger the group the more likely you will encounter problems.

By the time you sit down to read this issue, I will be on the high seas on the Queen Mary 2, crossing from New York to London. We are looking forward to enjoying the onboard dinners and entertainment and making new friends. In London we will stay at the Corinthia Hotel and meet with Nick Perry of Ultra Travel and his wife, Liz, for dinner. Nick and I have fond memories of working together for 16 years, selling to the travel industry. I will also meet with Pauline and Dennis Bank, friends we met while sailing on the QM2 about eight years ago. We keep in touch via email and have met several times since in London and Florida. It will be wonderful to see them again.

You can find some great deals if you check areas of the world with favorable exchange rates. Pay particular attention to Turkey and South Africa, where changing rates created great value. On top of this, U.S. carriers add service from the United States to a variety of gateways overseas, particularly Europe.

The GT team has trips planned in Asia and Europe, so we have the globe well-covered this fall. I will miss a trip to Ireland to play golf, as it falls during the span of my cruise. By the time the next issue is in your hands, we will have our Turkish trip to Antalya planned for late spring, so please pay attention to this and other trips in the works through FX Excursions.

Happy Halloween!