What started out as a dream to become a certified scuba diver and then a Dive Master resulted in Idaho’s Hope Fredrickson (pictured at left with her husband) opening up a travel agency, Hope to Go…Dive and Travel. She specializes in cruising, dive trips and Hawaiian vacations. Here are some of her tips and advice:
1) What should travellers look for in a travel agent?
Compatibility! You need to get along and be able to communicate well. You are looking for someone who understands you and the way you like to travel.
2) What little know tips can you provide for someone going on a cruise?
- The bathrooms are VERY dark!! I suggest that you take a small, keychain type LED flashlight on a neck lanyard. (NOTE: When Hope submitted her tips to us, we had just started to carry this type of flashlight. Check it out here.)
- It surprises me that 2000 people can be on the exact same cruise, eating the same food, sleeping in basically the same cabins, visiting the same ports, with the same sea conditions and weather and the same staff, and you hear those who are having the time of their lives, and those who are totally miserable. My suggestion is that it is all about personal attitude! Go on vacation expecting to have a great time and guess what? You will! If everything isn’t exactly the way you expected it to be.. So what? Choose to have a good time!
3) What are the best places in the world to scuba dive?
Each place has its unique conditions and critters. Hawaii is great diving – lots of fish, hard corals and it’s easy to get to by air or cruise. The Caribbean has so many great dive locations! The wonderful thing about going on a cruise is that you are able to dive in 3-4 different locations on one trip. Then there is the Pacific Northwest! Beautiful cold water diving.
4) What are some of your favorite websites or resources for consumers?
I enjoy searching the Yahoo or Google travel sites to see what they have to offer. My biggest recommendation though, is to book through your travel agent as that will give you peace of mind that you have booked a legitimate vacation. I encourage my clients to look on the internet and determine what kind of vacation they want and to even give me the prices they have found. This way, they are fine tuning what they want to do before they even call me.
Are you a globetrotter who’d like to share your travel tips with our blog and e-newsletter readers?
If so, I’d love to hear from you!
Please email me at info@travelsmarts.ca.
