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FAM Trip to Puerto Vallarta

What’s a FAM trip you say? It’s a free (or low cost) trip for travel agents or consultants, provided by a travel operator or airline as a means of promoting their service. You may have to dress like Slash and crush a dance contest to win the trip, but well worth the effort. Thank goodness Justin has never been known to back down from a dance contest. Being a travel agent is so much fun!

We were able to pick from a few different Hard Rock resorts and ended up in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico!

Hard Rock Hotel Vallarta is an all-inclusive lovers dream. Live music, free drinks (5 bars), plenty of activities – land and water, delicious food (6 restaurants to choose from), and an amazing Michael Jackson tribute live show. There’s also a world class spa and golf course. The staff is equally as amazing – friendly, helpful, and definitely fun!

Advice is to check out the excursion desk and take a half day or full day trip with Vallarta Adventures. They have over 20 trips, so your decision will take a while – anything from snorkeling to zip lining to whale watching – but well worth it.

We chose the Marietas Eco Adventure! Just offshore, inside Banderas Bay, rests a group of small, volcanic islands known as the Marietas Islands. These islands, made famous by oceanographer Jacques Cousteau, provide the perfect environment for an eco-adventure. We were able to snorkel, kayak, and paddle board around the island which houses beautiful wildlife and awesome conditions. The trip includes drinks, lunch, and all the equipment you need. Not to mention the most fun crew and staff we’ve ever experienced on an excursion. They dance, sing, tell jokes, and provide such a fun atmosphere.

The rest of our trip was spent relaxing by the pool, laying on the beach, enjoying the gorgeous sunsets, taking full advantage of the drinks and food, and hanging out with our new iguana friend, Frank. A truly relaxing and rejuvenating vacation. Thank you to Hard Rock for the FAM trip!

If you’re interested in earning FAM trips like us, please visit our travel agency website at www.myvortex365.com/EndlessTravel365. There’s a short video on the homepage for you to view and you can also create a login to book your travel and start saving money NOW! Let us know if you have questions or want to learn more through our “Contact Us” tab at the top of the page.

Enjoy the Ride,

Justin & Lindsay

P.S. Don’t forget to subscribe to our blog by putting in your email address below! More adventures to come!

 

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Cuba – In This Moment

Cuba is a magical place that transports you to a time of the past. A time where culture thrives, music plays, and the revolution is alive and well. A gentleman we met from Boston said it best as we gazed out across the Viñales Valley, “Wow. This is incredible. We are missing so much by not traveling.”

Our short journey began with checking in to the historical 1930’s Hotel Nacional de Cuba and two complimentary mojitos, freshly made. The hotel looks like a castle, set on the water with picturesque sunsets waiting for your eyes and your camera. The grounds are lush with greenery, flowers, old canons, and plenty of peacocks roaming about. After getting settled in our room, we caught an evening show at the Parisian Cabaret where the history and culture is infused with glitz, glam, singing, and dancing – known as “Cuban, Cubano”. We must say we were slightly disappointed they didn’t invite the crowd to get up and boogie because we are always ready to throw on our dancing shoes, but the show was so much fun regardless.


Our first full day was spent fully immersed in the Cuban culture that is Havana. Roaming the streets of Old and Modern Havana, marveling at its architecture. The people are amazingly nice and willing to help you get around, not necessarily expecting a tip, but seemingly hoping for one. Understandably so since the average salary for middle class is 25 CUC per month. The energy is vibrant and joyous, but you can tell the oppression and control still lives in the forefront of their minds. Our Spanglish speaking guide, Chabeli, takes us in and out of alley ways, squares, art galleries, and even Hemingway’s bar where he used to sit and write. The drinks and music flow as if he were still sitting there today. Chabeli pointed out the top museums, however most are closed on Mondays, so plan accordingly. She also advised us not to drink the water or buy anything from street vendors – guess those street chips the night before could have been a bad idea…

We stayed behind from the city tour as it ended and went off to explore Fortaleza de San Carlos de la Cabaña (or La Cabaña), an 18th-century fortress complex, and Castillo De Los Tres Reyes Del Morro (or Morro Castle), a fortress guarding the entrance to Havana Bay. We found ourselves imagining what it would’ve been like back then – the mind tends to wonder when you are around such rich history.  You may get caught in a rain storm, but the views of Havana from here are some of the best and will leave you in awe. 

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Our second day was spent in the Viñales Valley, learning about how to distill rum, tobacco farming, rolling cigars, the Mural de la Prehistoria painted on a 200-foot tall mountain side, and a boat ride through a cave. The Pinar de Rio province is truly a magnificent area of Cuba with the best conditions for farming tobacco, which makes for the best cigars – find a tobacco barn with a 4th generation farmer and light one up. Highly recommend Cubatur for this trip. Hotel Horizontes, Los Jazmines sits at the top of the look out and has a refreshing pool with great views of the valley… worth staying a night or two.

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Advice and Lessons Learned 

  • The Euro has a much better exchange rate than the US dollar so exchanging your money to Euro prior to heading to Cuba is a good idea. No credit cards accepted.
  • Rice and beans are a staple at every meal – the best we encountered were at El Cañonazo, a small backyard tiki style restaurant.
  • Quench your thirst and caffeine addiction with a TuKola, Cuba’s version of Coca-Cola. So delicious!
  • Every musician has “the best music in Cuba” and they will all but force you to purchase their CD off the street. We ended up with 5 CDs.
  • There are several places that go a day or 3 without getting their water supply replenished, A/C is like wifi… hard to come by, and there’s a good chance you will have to see a bathroom attendant before getting toilet paper.
  • The classic 50’s taxis are abundant and one of the few things privatized under the new government. They are totally worth the fee to take a ride. The Cuban drivers will show you some really amazing places that other tours don’t. We paid $60 CUC for one hour.
  • The Hotel Nacional de Cuba allows guests not staying at the hotel to use their facilities for $25 CUC per day. You can use 20 of that toward food and beverages. Good deal for a pool, good food, drinks, views, spa, etc.
  • If you’re an animal lover, you will love all the stray cats, dogs, chickens, and goats. If not, then just know you’ll be dining with at least one of them each time you sit down to eat.
  • The Cuba Travel Guide app is great for seeing maps of your location and what there is do at those locations. Best news is it works offline.

 

Enjoy The Ride,

Justin & Lindsay

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A New Zealand Road Trip

New Zealand was a bucket list trip for us. We didn’t have much of a plan going into it, just the first and last day and a rental car, but that’s how we travel – fly by the seat of our pants. Nonetheless, here are a few pieces of advice that we wanted to share with you about our trip.

  • DO – Rent a Jucy van.
    • Start your road trip in the South Island (Queenstown is a great place to begin, with the best lamb burger and mountain ski town vibe) and rent one of these colorful vans. They need people to drive them back up to the North Island and will let you rent it for dirt cheap. An insiders tip we wish we knew.
  • DO – See Milford Sound.
    • The 8th Wonder of the World. Huge mountains plummeting into the Sound, vast waterfalls, ferry boats moving slowly in and out of the area, low lying clouds. Truly breathtaking. We’ve never seen anything like it. Not a bad place to get engaged either.
  • DO – Eat at the top of the Auckland sky tower, preferably after you jump off of it.
    • Yes, you can jump off the 630 ft. tower at 53 mph for a mere $225. But Orbit 360 at the top offers the best 360 view (the restaurant rotates!) and a delish menu of local fare. A bit on the pricey end, but you won’t be disappointed. If you’re going to splurge, this is the place to do it.
  • DO – Go for a hike at Abel Tasman National Park.
    • Or take a boat ride, or kayak, or camp, or all of the above – an adventurers paradise. This National Park has some awesome trails and amazing scenery, including a sand wall, some awesome waterfalls, Harwoods Hole – the deepest vertical shaft in NZ. Not to mention our personal favorite, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle rock naturally made by the waves of the ocean. TURTLE POWER!
  • DO – Know that if you get sick in Westport and have to separate from your group, there will be a nice gentleman with a prop plane that will fly you to Wellington for a price.
    • There are no rental cars, no trains, no buses. It’s a small fishing town, no fuss, no muss, but the people are nice (like everywhere in NZ) and are willing to fly you to Wellington to meet up with your crew for a small fee. If you want more details on this story, find our friend Dan.
  • DON’T – Rely on WiFi or your smart phone.
    • You typically have to pay for the WiFi per GB. It is a good idea to purchase the international plan for your phone. You’ll be happy you paid the extra monthly fee. Also, don’t forget your international outlet adapter. NZ is amazing, but it is behind in technological advances.
  • DON’T –  Run over a giant shard of metal in the middle of the road – it will pop your tire.
    • In the South Island the towns are few and far between, AAA doesn’t exist, and you’ll have to hitch a ride from a passerby to the nearest tire shop. Also it is important to note that a passerby could take anywhere from 10-60 minutes and could consist of an old 1950’s pickup truck with a bed full of sheep carcasses.
  • DON’T – Underestimate the wave meter on the ferry between Picton and Wellington.
    • The ferry will have a wave meter that tells you how calm (or not) the water is. It reminds us of Smokey the Bear and the fire danger signs – only you can prevent 6 foot waves. Our ferry ride started off at a 1 rating or “calm water”. Once we got out into the middle of the sound it felt like what we imagine riding a bull to be like. The bartender nonchalantly will state “I don’t think they got the wave rating correct today. I would give this a 3”. A 3 out of 3? Nope, a 3 out of 5. We wonder what a 5 would be like. A hurricane perhaps?
  • DON’T – Forget your camera. 
    • If you have a professional one, bring it. You’ll be happy you did. If you have your smart phone camera, bring it. You’ll be happy you did. Really anything you have to capture the beauty of the country, bring it. You’ll be happy you did.
  • DON’T – Spend any less than a month there.
    • There is so much to do and see and experience. We crammed it in 10 days, which was definitely not long enough. Take your time and really enjoy what this amazing country has to offer. We can’t wait to go back!

 

Enjoy the Ride,

Justin & Lindsay

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