All-Inclusive

Escape to Paradise!

September 26, 2020 By Marvelous Mouse Travels

🧳 Now that I’m home and semi unpacked 🤦🏻‍♀️ I wanted to get on here and talk to you more about my stay at Unico 20°87° in Riviera Maya, Mexico 🇲🇽

🤍Before I begin, I know that not everyone is comfortable traveling right now, and that’s ok! For me personally I am choosing to travel as responsibly as I can and considering all factors when planning my trips. I am tested both before and after my vacations and taking many precautions for the safety of myself and others.

Let’s start at the airport!

️ I flew on JetBlue on a direct flight from JFK. This was my second time flying JetBlue post covid and my experience both times were great. I felt safe and was happy that all covid protocols were being strictly enforced by the crew. One of the things I love about flying JetBlue right now is that they are leaving all middle seats open (unless you are traveling together).

Upon arrival, I grabbed my bag, met some of the other agents I was traveling with at the airport bar for some welcome margaritas and mojitos, then we met our driver. All of our luggage was loaded up and we began our 1.15hr drive to the resort. I’ve been to some resorts far from the airport and the drive was terrible, this was not at all! It was a straight shot and we were there in what felt like no time!

Check in at this resort was slightly modified due to covid. When we got out, our luggage was sanitized as well as our shoes and our temperatures were taken before we could go in. Once inside, the lobby takes your breath away! You are escorted to the main check in area to wait on comfy couches and are handed their signature welcome drink (TIP: you can order this around the resort with your choice of alcohol added in!) You’ll complete the check in process from your seat and you may even meet your local host for the duration of your stay. This is also where you’ll get to choose your rooms aromatherapy if you haven’t done so prior to traveling.

After check in was complete my room mate and I were escorted to our room. We were in an Oceanview 2 Queen room and it was beautiful! We were given a brief tour of the room and amenities. The room was amazing! We had a great view of the resorts main pools as well as the ocean. I truly felt like we had checked in to paradise.

🥘

The food at this resort is really something else and is a foodies dream! My favorite restaurant on property was Mi Carisa for dinner. But I think I may have enjoyed the poolside dining even more! My favorite poolside snack was fried chicken tacos and guacamole! YUM! Also room service had the most extensive menu I’ve personally ever seen at a resort and it operates 24/7, we definitely took advantage of that and had some late night churros. The cocktail menus were great too! Each restaurant had its own menu so you could always try something new 🥂 My 2 favorite drinks were the 20°87° from the 20°87° restaurant and the cucumber welcome drink with vodka!

The spa is beautiful! There are both indoor and outdoor areas to enjoy both pre and post treatment and the locker rooms have every amenity you could ever need. The pre treatment lounge is filled with flavored waters, tea and snacks. I had 2 treatments during my stay, an 80 minute volcanic hot stone massage and an 80 minute remodeling body treatment. Because the resort is all inclusive, you only have to pay a 25% service fee for treatments! I loved my time at the spa and HIGHLY recommend getting at least one treatment during your stay!

While I didn’t spend much time at the beach, it was a little too hot for me 🥵, it was beautiful. Many places in Mexico struggle with the sargassum seaweed problem. I went down to the beach a few times and only saw one small patch of it, the water was otherwise clear. Unico is doing an excellent job handling this to make the beach enjoyable for everyone. At the beach there are lounge chairs, umbrellas and towel service.

🏻‍♀️ Most of my time was spent at the pool! The poolside service is excellent! There was no reason to ever get out because drinks and snacks would be delivered to you! A few times there was a DJ poolside and there were quite a few volleyball and basketball games in the water! If you’re looking for something a little more relaxing, there was also a secluded quiet pool.

⭐️ Overall I had an amazing time and am already working on a trip back! I loved the resort and all it had to offer and had the absolute best time with my MMT family! I would not hesitate to recommend this incredible property to any of my clients!

️ 🧳 There are some great deals out there for his resort and I would love to help you plan! If you’re interested in learning more or booking this all inclusive adults only resort, please reach out to me!

Chelsea@MarvelousMouseTravels.com

Traveling With Children Who Struggle With Anxiety

August 19, 2020 By Marvelous Mouse Travels

Anxiety? It’s a word that we hear very often today! Does your child struggle with anxiety and does this make you anxious and maybe even prevent you from traveling.? If so, here are some tips to help:

Include your child in the planning phases so they know what to expect.

Give them a copy of the travel schedule (if old enough of course). My son does well with a calendar with times and events so this may help when traveling as well.

Plan, plan, plan and plan again. Make sure that your vacation is planned and your son or daughter is aware of the plans.

Pack some things that you child loves and that may bring them comfort (stuffed animal, blanket, pillow, etc).

Go in with low expectations. I know this may be viewed in a negative manner, but we always travel knowing that it might not go the way we planned. If you have a picture perfect vacation in your head, it probably won’t happen.

Know when your child has had enough and needs a break. Being over-stimulated and riding rides for 12 hours straight may call for a break. Monitor your child’s body language, mood, etc.

I hope this has helped gain some ideas on how to travel with an anxious child. Please don’t let anxiety stand in your way of traveling. You can do it! Life is short, take the trip, and make the memories.

Thank you to our Marvelous Mouse agent Brenda Schruefer for these helpful tips! Many of our agents specialize in helping families with special needs. Reach out when you are ready to plan your next vacation, we would love to help!

Why You NEED Travel Insurance!

April 27, 2020 By Marvelous Mouse Travels

Thank you Jen McGurn for sharing your personal experience!

This post isn’t fun or exciting, but it is important and this tip could potentially save you thousands in the long run.

When you are budgeting for a vacation, it is really important to build the cost of travel insurance into that budget. Travel Insurance is extremely reasonable. Generally speaking, a family of four can expect to pay under $200 for a week’s vacation. Of course that price varies based on destination, ages and length of travel.

But let’s talk about the WHY? First of all, travel insurance offers cancellation coverage. Depending on the plan, there will be a variety of covered reasons including, but not limited to: severe weather, illness, an act of terrorism and even termination of employment. Some plans actually offer Cancel for Any Reason.

Travel Insurance also protects you in the case of delayed or interrupted travel. Imagine you have booked a $6,000 cruise and your flight is delayed. You, in turn, miss the ship. The ship is not waiting for you and they have already been paid. Without insurance, you are really out of luck.

With that being said, exactly what does an airline owe you if your flight is cancelled or delayed? Every carrier has its own set of policies. Typically an airline will offer compensation if they are responsible for the delay, however, if the delay or cancellation is weather related, the result of a labor dispute or caused by some other unforeseen circumstance, they most likely will not offer a refund or cover lodging and meals.

Let’s talk about health and emergencies. You may be thinking, “I have health insurance. I’ll be fine.” That is true to an extent. BUT – most health insurance plans do not cover you when traveling internationally.

Also – and this is BIG – travel Insurance can cover medical evacuations or transport.

Case in point, several years ago while visiting Myrtle Beach, my father contracted MRSA and experienced many complications from his diabetes. He was taken to a local hospital and his health insurance covered his medical treatment. His stay became quite lengthy and we were told he most likely would not survive the drive back home to Maryland. The cost to have him medically transported home where he could be treated by his own doctors was more than any of us could possibly afford.

Additionally, had he not survived, we would have faced a huge cost to get him home for a funeral. After 3 weeks, he was released against medical advice and my mother drove him home where he was readmitted for treatment by his doctors.

Had he had travel insurance, the situation could have played out very differently. He could have been treated at home and my brother, sister and I would have been able to visit and help our mother out.

I have also been on two separate cruises where an individual had to be medically evacuated. During a recent training, our Travel Insured rep informed us that helicopter evacuations can exceed $30,000!

When you think about all of the “what-ifs,” doesn’t it just make sense to protect yourself?

Tips for Traveling with Kids

June 13, 2019 By Marvelous Mouse Travels

Thank you so much to Stephanie Novarro for this great information on traveling with littles!

Anyone who know me knows that I love to travel. I have been traveling with my kids since my daughter was 4 months old. Some people look at you like you are crazy and wasting money on trips that the kids will never remember. But others, like me, understand why traveling is so important and they do it to.

Traveling with little ones, whether driving or flying, is different than traveling alone. The first trip we took with our daughter was supposed to be a quick 3-hour car ride down to Galveston for a long weekend. Well at 4 months old you can imagine that the car ride took closer to 6 hours with stops to feed and change her. If you are worried about the travel part of the trip, don’t be and just go with the flow and you will have a great time. Make sure you plan ahead for extra travel time for feedings or potty breaks for the little ones. I will forever remember our daughters first time at the beach.

When you are flying with small kids it is important to make sure you have enough supplies in your carry on to keep the kids fed and entertained. On a recent trip back home to NY we had our two kiddos with us. At the time, our daughter was 2 and still in diapers and our son was only 4 months and still drinking formula. Our flight was diverted to Pittsburgh because of bad weather in the tri state area and eventually a couple of hours later the flight crew timed out. You can imagine what happened next; there we are with 2 small kids, 2 car seats, a double stroller and luggage boarding a bus to a hotel for the night in Pittsburgh. Had I not packed enough supplies in my carry on being stuck in Pittsburgh could have been a disaster.

How we react as adults in these situations will have an impact on our kids. Were we upset that we were stuck in the airport with 2 kids, sure we were but we never let our kids see our frustrations. While we were in the airport my husband and daughter rode the moveable sidewalks back and forth for what seemed like hours. She LOVED it; she thought it was the best thing. They even stopped and got some Hershey Kisses at one of the newsstands.

Some of the things I always keep in my bag for my kids are SNACKS, lots and lots of SNACKS! I like to have more diapers and wipes than I think I would actually need because who knows how many blowouts your kid will decide to have on the plane. I also take crayons and a coloring book, and of course the iPad.

My advice to you is not to be afraid to travel with your kids when they are babies or even young kids. In most cases, the kids are better travelers than some adults. Make the memories with your kids. My daughter loves to fly and loves to talk about all of our past adventures.

Turn Your Red-Eye Into Some Shut Eye

May 15, 2019 By Marvelous Mouse Travels

Thank you to Heath Hullihen for these great tips on flying!

Sleeping well on a plane has developed into a certain kind of art and into a healthy business with savvy travelers constantly scoping out new ways to make long flights more conducive to actual rest. Here are a few that really seem to have some payoff.

Splurge on a better seat. Sure, not everyone can afford a premium seat in first or business class, where you can take advantage of fully- or almost-fully-reclining seats and loads of leg room. But for long-distance flights, it can still be worth it to spend the extra money on an exit-row seat, a bulkhead seat, or a window seat. Flying on off-peak days, like a Tuesday evening, will also increase the likelihood that the flight will be less crowded and quieter.

Do the best you can with flight times and direct flights. While crossing many time zones always poses its own sleep challenges, do your best to pick a flight time and schedule that will sync up most naturally with your sleeping and waking times. Leaving in the evening will work better than trying to get REM at three in the afternoon.

Know your cues. Which side of the bed do you sleep on at home? Book on that side of the plane. Do you usually have a cup of tea before bed? Bring a few packets of your favorite herbal. And grab your own small travel blanket and comfy slippers while you’re at it (the airline pillow or blanket can be used for extra cushioning or lumbar support if you like). Spritz your pillow with a mild lavender essential oil. The more familiar things you can do, the more your brain will recognize the cues that it’s time for rest.

Sweet darkness, sweet silence. On most trans-oceanic flights, you’ll see the blue glow of nearly every seat-back screen flickering, no matter the time. We know that the type of light emitted by screens is proven to disrupt sleep. For any rest at all — let alone good rest — keep your screen off. Bring an eye mask or cap to block out as much light as possible. Use earplugs or noise-canceling headphones to create the quietest environment you can.

Buckle up over the blanket. When the plane hits turbulence, flight attendants are required to make sure people are safely buckled in. If they can’t see that your seat belt is fastened, they have to disturb you to check. Make it easy for them and for you — simply click the buckle over the blanket.

Rather than paying more for less in the airport, do some quick research before you leave to find the best travel pillow for you. There are dozens to choose from, and they range widely in price, portability, and visual quirkiness. Check out reviews like this one http://www.travelandleisure.com/style/travel-accessories/best-travel-pillows#therm-a-rest-compressible from the Travel + Leisure — and note how the reviewer coordinates the best pillows with each type of sleeper. Chances are, there’s a pillow out there that will support your head and neck and give you the rest you need.

What are your best tips for getting good sleep on an airplane? I’d love to hear them. And if you’re ready to plan your next (well-rested) journey, we are here to help! You can reach us today at www.MarvelousMouseTravels.com