Birthday Travel

My Costa Rica birthday cake!

Today is my birthday!

This year, I'm a little bummed because it's not in the cards for me to travel on my birthday. Usually, when I'm blowing out the candles on my cake, I'm doing it in a new travel destination. Next year, hopefully the stars will align for me to be traveling again on my big day, but for now, I'll be happy remembering some of my great birthday travels.

My first birthday trip was with my BFF, and not only was it my first birthday trip, it was my first trip to Vegas! (One of my mostest favoritist cities in the US.) It was supposed to be a trip with about 5 feisty women painting the town red, but all but one canceled. That's okay, it showed me who my true friends were, and the BFF and I had a complete blast! We played the slots. We ate the food. We lounged in the spa. We rode up the "inclinator" at the Luxor while tipsy (not recommended) and just generally had a blast. Thank you, BFF, for that awesome birthday!

I also remember spending a birthday atop the Sydney Harbor Bridge. Okay, it wasn't my actual birthday, it was a week prior. However, our guide as we climbed the bridge asked if anyone had a birthday soon. I was the only one who raised my hand, and all 20 people on our excursion sang to me atop the bridge, with the most beautiful backdrop below. It might not have been the actual birthday, but it was amazing none-the-less.

Another birthday I remember fondly was with my now-husband. We thought it would be nice to spend my birthday in Costa Rica - and it was REALLY nice. On my actual birthday, we were in Arenal, and woke up with a beautiful view of the volcano. We were surrounded by tropical paridise, and staying in something of a tropical log cabin. I woke up, he kissed my forehead and wished me a happy birthday before I even realized where I was. He gave me a birthday card that he'd brought with him from the States, and then we enjoyed a relaxing breakfast. At dinner that evening, he arranged for the staff to bring me a cake with "happy birthday" written on it. He got even more points because he didn't speak Spanish, and the staff didn't speak much English. Do you see why he's my NOW-husband?

I sure am blessed to have had some great travel birthdays!

Travel withdrawal

Is there such a thing as travel withdrawal? I think I've got all the symptoms. Longing for an exotic destination. Complaining about the cold, wintry weather and longing for a warm locale. Looking up airfare costs while ignoring the "no income" reality of unemployment. Yep, I've got travel withdrawal.

I'm not sure why I've got withdrawal. I mean, it's only been two and a half months since our last trip to Las Vegas. Many people only go on one trip per year, we went on three last year alone (one was our honeymoon!)

The fact is that I generally don't come home from one trip before planning another. And I really enjoy the research and planning that goes into a trip. As Steinbeck said "we don't take a trip, a trip takes us." And right now, there's no trip planned. There's no way to really plan a trip either, until some of these interviews start paying off.

I think I've decided to plan a few trips - and just not take them right now. I'll plan a trip for every season - Galapagos in the winter, Prague in the spring, Croatia in the summer, and maybe Russia in the fall.

Where do you think I should "plan" my fake trip? I'm hoping that's the cure for what ails me. :)

The #traveltuesday #Twitter #Travel phenomenon

Are you on Twitter? If not, maybe you should consider tackling the stream of consciousness, if only for a meme called #TravelTuesday.

Okay, first, what's a meme? It's kind of a little game. It's a way of spreading cultural information using the Internet - you share something about you, I share something about me, and we find common ground!

Second, why do I keep using the number sign (#) as I type this? Well, on Twitter, that number sign is called a hashtag - consider it something of a search term. It's a convenient way to follow what is being said about a certain conversation. For example, if you do a search on Twitter for "#TravelTuesday" (minus the quotation marks) you'll be able to see what everyone in the world on Twitter is posting about that subject.

Since I love to travel, and I love to learn from other travelers, I find #TravelTuesday on Twitter to be loads of fun. People post photos, tips, places for me to explore.

It's brought to us by a site called Where I've Been, and you can see the full description of how #TravelTuesday works at http://traveltuesday.org/.

Merry Christmas from . . .

It's Christmas Eve Eve, and all through the house, we're wishing we were spending Christmas in some exciting destination. Alas, we're spending it at home, more than likely not, snowed in.

I've been seeing articles all day about Christmas in Rome, Christmas in Paris, Christmas in Prague. Okay, that's it. Next year, the families are just going to have to suck it up, because we're going on a Christmas trip to somewhere!

I think, perhaps, next year we will Christmas in Tahiti. Yes, that's it. I think a very warm Christmas would be a nice change of pace.

Where would you like to travel for Christmas?

Back to basics

So I find myself with a blog that hasn't been updated in almost a year. Sigh.

Working full-time in social media means when I sign off from the day job, I don't have a lot of energy to handle my personal social media endeavors. This has to change, one, because I enjoy writing about travel and I miss my blogging relationships and two, because I got laid off and now have time to do it. :)

Regardless, even when I land my next absolutely super job (I just applied for a social media job at American Airlines - would that rock out or what?) I've come to realize that in this dog-eat-dog world, the person you should be the most concerned about is yourself. Jobs come and go (and go, and go, thanks to the brilliant economic minds running this country) but you always have to take care of yourself.

So now I'm back (from outer space) and ready to blog to my little heart's content. Hopefully, I'll get some readers back and make new friends.

Now Freestyle Certified

Wow, 2 posts: 1 week. I'm on a roll!

I'm just excited, because we just earned Freestlye Certified status from Norwegian Cruise Lines. Here's the press release:



Norwegian Cruise Line is proud to announce that Carmen Shirkey is among the first to graduate from its new online travel agent university, NCL University. This progressive, state-of-the art online school is geared to deliver an enhanced level of knowledge and insight into Freestyle Cruising - NCL's popular style of cruising, as well as NCL destinations, NCL ship programs and operations, and many other behind-the-scenes elements not available anywhere else. Each graduate is required, within one year, to earn a minimum number of credits through a choice of accredited courses and electives. The rigorous curriculum includes testing at every level in order to move forward.

Norwegian Cruise Line's online university opened its virtual doors in 2008 and is one of the most innovative and successful programs available to travel agents today. With thousands of registered students and growing, NCL U plans to expand its training from the interactive experience of its online program to a continuing educational experience that includes a Ph.D. @ Sea program aboard its ships.

At NCL, we highly recommend the use of a travel professional when booking an NCL cruise, says Andy Stuart, Executive Vice President, Global Sales and Passenger Services. "With NCL U, we are investing in our travel partners' product knowledge, marketing and sales skills so our guests will know they are relying on an expert who knows our product inside and out."

By earning NCL U's Freestyle Certification, Carmen is considered among the most qualified and expert representatives for NCL's cruise product. Contact Carmen at carmenandjim@cruiseshipcenters.com.

That's in ADDITION to our Princess Commodore status, earned late last year, and our completion of Carnival University. We've got a lot of cruise info in our heads!

Thursday 13 - Cherry Blossom Time

We went for a drive into DC last weekend to see the cherry blossoms. We battled a TON of people, but got some really nice photos. So this week, my Thursday 13 is 13 (okay, it's 14, so shoot me) photos of the blossoms for you to enjoy!

Home of the new Thursday 13

The Countdown Has Begun

Today is T-minus two weeks exactly until our journey to the Netherlands. I'm hoping and praying for at least a few sunny days while we're there, so I can tiptoe through the tulips!

PS: If you're on Twitter, and you want to follow my cruise agent antics, you can follow me at @Cruise7Cs

Happy St. Patrick's Day

In the hopes of getting some "Luck O' the Irish," I thought I'd celebrate by posting some of my favorite Ireland photos. :)

Ask Me

I've noticed that a lot of folks recently come up to me to ask about a specific location, or for travel tips, etc.

So new feature. You ask me. Have a travel question? Ask away.

The dilemma

For our upcoming Amsterdam trip, we're considering a day-trip into Belgium. Why? Because it's there, it's close, and we'll have a week. So might as well add another country to the list, right? :)

We're having a dilemma. Where in Belgium do we go? I've been told that Bruges is gorgeous, however, it's at least a 4-hour train ride away, and that's if we hit all of our train connections. So I think that's a little much for a one-day trip.

That leaves us with Brussels and Antwerp. Brussels has a little more to see, I think, but Antwerp is closer.

What to do, what to do? :) If anyone has any suggestions, I'm up for hearing them.

13 Things I'm Looking Forward to in Amsterdam!

Can't let the opportunity go by to promote my new book The List.

Since that's out of the way, lets get onto my 13 things!

We left off guessing where I was heading on my next trip, and learned it was AMSTERDAM!

I'm stoked about the trip, and here are some of the things I'm most looking forward to.



1. Tulips, tulips and more tulips!
2. Tulips and WINDMILLS!
3. Canals - I loved Venice for the canals, and I'm betting I'll love the ones in Amsterdam, too
4. Biking through the town. I just have to buy the extra bike insurance and just hope the rental doesn't get stolen
5. I can't wait to see Van Gogh's "Sunflowers" in person
6. Despite being slightly depressing, I'm very interested in the Anne Frank House
7. I'll admit it, I'm fascinated by the Red Light District, but not THAT fascinated. Just looking, no partaking.
8. Despite the fact that I think it would help me understand this crazy world better, I will not be partaking in the legal drugs. Unless coffee is a drug. :)
9. Side trip to Belgium, for waffles and chocolate! (It's all about the food.)
10. Seeing the peeing boy statue in Brussels. Hilarious!
11. Taking more photos than is normal.
12. Buying a pair of wooden shoes - for decor, not to wear.
13. Just seeing someplace new, and adding two more countries to my list. :)

Home of the new Thursday 13

Next Trip Is . . . . . . 13 Hints

Man, I've been a busy little bee recently. Yeah, I know I've been a big blog slacker, at least here on Gone To Plaid anyway. I've been trying to market the heck out of my new book The List. I just posted an excerpt from the book, btw, so check it out.

I didn't mean to ignore my travel blogging. Mostly, there wasn't anything exciting to blog about, but now there is!

We've just booked our next trip, to a place I never thought I'd want to go but now that I've researched it I'm stoked about going!

Where am I going?

Well, let's play a little blog game. Why don't you GUESS where I'm going, and then I'll tell you all about it in the next post?



13 Hints as to Where I'm traveling next:

1. Matt Lauer has been here
2. Wind is a big energy source here
3. It's a sailor's town
4. It's run by a monarchy, sort of
5. English is spoken, but it's a second language
6. One of the earliest "stock exchanges" was started here
7. Mind-alteration is openly accepted
8. Sex sells
9. A good way to see the city is by boat
10. I'll be sightseeing by bike as well
11. There's a flower garden here that gets more visitors between late March and May - 800,000 - than it gets all year.
12. I'll get to see Van Gogh's "Sunflowers"
13. Their shoes can NOT be comfortable!

Home of the new Thursday 13

Another State

Well, I added another state to my travel board this weekend. Jim and I drove to Delaware to visit with his parents. Delaware - at least Newark, where we stayed - wasn't anything like I expected it to be. I have these visions of the Northeast being one big city, but Newark was almost a little redneck, if I can say that. There were big houses, surrounded by lots of land. There were deer and fox and rabbits crossing the yard (we knew this, thanks to the light snow we god. Jim's stepdad said it was a perfect tracking snow.)

We ate at a few good restaurants, drove around the University of Delaware campus, and saw Jim's old high school and stomping grounds.

And to tell you just how small this world is, here's a story.

We were driving around, looking at the area. I was in the backseat - a recipe for car-sickness if there ever was one, and I requested a short stop so that I could recover a bit. We stopped at this botanical gardens, and when we pulled into the parking lot, we were drawn to a long row - about 20 - of Mini Cooper cars. Well, it then occurred to me that I had a friend who lived in Delaware, and who had a Mini Cooper. Then I remembered that they had a club, and I wondered if her car was among the display. I looked for her licence plate (at least the one they had when they lived in VA) but didn't see it. So we were walking to the car to get back on the road, and out walks my friend into the parking lot. Everyone was then treated to some squealing and hugging.

So don't let anyone tell you there's not a higher power. That, my friends, was orchestrated!

Thursday 13 v. 71 Things About Meme

Thirteen Things About Meme


And now for a meme I found over at Red's place because it's somewhat travel related. Though I modified it to only be 13 things.

Answer the questions below, do a Google Image search with your answer, take a picture from the first page of results, and do it with minimal words of explanation.

1. Your age on your next birthday

2. A place you want to travel to















3. Your favorite place












4. Your favorite food
















5. Your pet
















6. Favorite
color combo


7. Favorite piece
of clothing















8. Favorite TV show

9. Name of your
significant other
















10. First Job












11. Dream job

12. Bad Habit you have

13. What you'd like
to do before you die




















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The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

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VOTE FOR CARMEN

Okay, the big election is over. But if you're in withdrawl, you can still vote -- for me!

I've been nominated over at IGOUGO.com for an award for a travel photo in a the Shot of Urban category with my photo called Vegas View.

Please vote for me. :) Please? And tell your friends to vote for me. You all know how competitive I am, but I'd really love to have a travel photo win an award, so I can add it to my resume! Woot!


VOTE HERE

Thursday 13 v. 70 Blue Ridge Parkway Pics

Thirteen Pictures from My Leaf-Peeping Trip to the Blue Ridge Parkway


Jim and I took a little jaunt down I-64 to the Blue Ridge Parkway to see some of the fall color. It was a beautiful, if not crisp, fall day. Blue sky, colorful trees, and we ended the day in Charlottesville to get some Bodos Bagels. (And if you've never eaten Bodos bagels, they are the best bagels in the world. Most wouldn't think that the best bagels would come from Charlottesville, but they do!)

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!


The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

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What happens in Vegas. . . .

Seems to be happening to everyone but me.

My mom just got back from her first trip to Las Vegas, which I planned for her by that way. My aunt and uncle are going in two weeks. Virginia is going soon, so she tells me. Waah! I'm jealous.

My mom got her first taste of the breakfast buffet at the Paris hotel, with their wonderful, tasty crepes. Virginia says she'll eat one and think of me fondly, but it's just not the same.

So, I think Jim and I are going ourselves in December. We've found some great prices for some fancy hotels (we're thinking of staying in the Signature at MGM Grand.) We're also trying to decide on a day-trip. Right now, I'm leaning toward Death Valley or Zion National Park. We'd really like to see Bryce Canyon, but it's a 4-hour drive one-way from Las Vegas. It might be too much.

I'm also trying to find some other things to see/do. I'm just about done with Cirque de Soliel shows, so we're considering a magic show. "The Lion King" is coming to Vegas in January, but that's too late for us, and I don't think "Phantom of the Opera" is manly enough for Jim to agree to go. :) "Spamalot" doesn't seem to be playing anymore, because I can't find it.

So the power of suggestion got to me, and I've succumbed to peer pressure. We haven't booked yet, but it's looking like a real possibility!

Everyone have a great weekend. I'll be sleeping in, since I am covering for the News Editor at work and he keeps a schedule that has me up with the birds.

Thursday 13 v. 65 Cruise News

Thirteen Pieces of Cruise News from Carmen 1. Princess Cruises is having one heck of a cruise sale to Europe in 2009, plus some bonus incentives, like a $100 on-board credit, a reduced deposit and a $120 coupon book. 2. A comparison of a traditional hotel stay verses a cruise vacation comes down on the side of a cruise vacation every time. For instance, a Caribbean hotel/air stay is around $372 a day, and the cruise is $365. 3. You could cruise for free if you're the leader of a group or club. Book 15 people, and the leader can go for free. Some ships have fewer restrictions. 4. I have a new cruise group on Facebook, called Cruise Fun and Deals. It's open to anyone on crackbook, so sign up. :) 5. Travel Industry Association (TIA) and the Air Transport Association (ATA) both urged Congress and the Bush administration to take action to shore up the credit markets, which provide much-needed support to travel businesses at every level. *My comment, no s*** Sherlock. 6. If you want to go on a cruise in high season, for example, the Caribbean in the spring, booking 6 months in advance is not a bad idea. 7. The much-heralded Celebrity Solstice set sail this week, on September 29. You can read more about it here. 8. October 19-October 25 is World Explorer Week. There are going to be some great cruise offers during this week. Check back here for more information. 9. The Disney Magic went into dry dock, and came out with some enhancements. 10. On September 27, the Queen Mary 2 completed its 100th transatlantic crossing. When she arrived in New York, she had logged 711,288 nautical miles since her debut. Other stats include: More than 229,000 guests crossing the North Atlantic,, 450 pets crossing the North Atlantic, 97,000 pounds of lobster served and enough tea served to fill nearly five Olympic-sized swimming pools 11. If you happen to have 108 vacation days in 2010, you can set sail on a world cruise with Crystal Cruises. 12. The Miami Herald has a good story on which cruises are best if you have teenagers. 13. As always, I encourage you to visit our cruise site, Expedia CruiseShipCenters Website (and enter to win a cruise.)

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!


The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

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Link Love: Put your name here if you've got a Thursday 13 for me to visit.

Economy Worries = No Travel?

There's been a lot of talk lately about people being scared to spend their money for fear that the economic times ahead are not going to be good.

Here's what I think. I'm not going to stop living my life. If my job is affected, I'll deal with it then. What about you?

A lot of people are saying that they're giving up vacations. Seems to me that now's the time that we all need some serious vacations. I'd give up eating out before I gave up vacations - but that doesn't mean that I wouldn't look for a good deal.

There are tourist services around the world that are seeing the effect of people cutting back on their vacation spending. That's why they are slashing prices and offering incentives like crazy to attract travelers to their products.

Take, for example, Princess Cruises. They are offering some fantastic cruise prices to Europe in addition to bonus incentives. When you book and make a deposit on a 2009 Princess Europe cruise from today through November 15, you also get

-- $100 onboard credit per stateroom
-- Reduced deposit of $100 per person
-- Coupon booklet worth up to $120 in on-board savings

Plus, you pay for the cruise and shore excursions in U.S. dollars, and you don't have to worry about the exchange rate or the dollar taking a plunge.

If you're thinking of taking a cruise next year, now's the time to get an awesome deal. Leave me a comment or send me an email at CarmenandJim@cruiseshipcenters.com, or visit the Web site at www.cruiseshipcenters.com/CarmenandJim. (Though a lot of these deals aren't on the site.)