Everything had a bit of a delayed start on New Year’s Day, but I was up, as usual. I had my early breakfast, did a bit at the gym, walked around the ship, watched us go through a few locks, and had lunch. We arrived in Melk at around 2:00, where the big tour of the day was Melk Abbey. That involved a short bus ride up the hill to the Abbey, a tour of the Abbey, and a walk back down the hill and through the town, on our own. Here are some highlights of the day: As a friendly r

This marks the time in a trip when I don’t really have time to write, but I will share more pictures and give a few highlights. On Dec 31, we arrived in Linz, Austria early in the morning. We could either go to Salzburg, Cesky Krumlov, or stay in Linz. I opted for the full-day Salzburg tour because I made plans to meet with John Thomasson, my college voice teacher, who is now teaching at the Mozarteum! The tour left at 9am and made a stop in Mondsee a town in the Lake Distric

As much as I hate to admit it, I left home feeling slightly under the weather. I was dealing with lots of congestion and a slight fever, so I decided I should go straight into town to the Apotheke and ask for something to help my symptoms. They were very helpful and gave me some medicine, along with some tea. I took three doses of the medicine, and although I think it made me drowsy, it really dried up the congestion! We were to be back on board at 11:00 to leave for Passau,

As one would expect from a German train, it arrived right on time in Vilshoven—11:24 am. I walked through the lovely town down to the river and walked right on the ship after telling my name to the man at the door. My first view of the ship! I was escorted to the reception desk, which was friendly & efficient. They told me that my cabin was not ready, but if I went to the Lounge or Al Fresco Restaurant, they would find me when it was ready. Honestly, I was a bit skeptical tha

After sleeping for almost 11 hours (unheard of), I woke up at almost 8am took a quick shower, quickly threw my things in my suitcase, and enjoyed the most beautiful breakfast in the Sofitel Munich Bayerpost. Now I am on the train and have time to write a bit about my journey here and my day in Munich! Sunrise from Sofitel Munich Bayerpost My direct flight from Atlanta to Munich was at around 6pm on December 27. For some reason, I got to the airport around 2:30. I usually enjo

Wow, 1 week until Christmas! If you’re still shopping (I am), travel is an excellent alternative to typical gift giving! Below, find information on sustainability, early booking promotions, and the 100th Salzburg Festival! Click the image for VIrtuoso tips for holiday travel. Sustainable Travel: Sustainable travel is important to many people, including me, so I want to let you know about Intrepid Group. They offer “sustainable, experience-rich travel” to more than 1,000 itine

I’ve been busy learning new things and planning trips for clients, and maybe planning some travel for myself! See the slideshow below for my trip! Last week, I attended an event for Virgin Voyages to learn all about what they offer, and I am super excited about them. They have clearly put a lot of time and care into offering potential passengers what they want. They’ve done away with what people don’t like about cruises (buffets, added charges, etc) and added things that we e

Want a free trip? Book a group with your favorite travel advisor! Cruise lines, in particular love groups, and there are very nice rewards available for booking a group! In general, the group leader can travel for free, and everyone in the group gets extra perks, sometimes including discounted fare. The good thing with a cruise is that you can see members of your group as much or as little as you like! Technically, you’re only a group because you’re booked together. You’re no

New Year’s River Cruise with Pilkington Travels, LLC ROMANTIC DANUBE 7-NIGHTS VILSHOFEN TO BUDAPEST AmaWaterways fabulous new AmaMagna! December 29, 2019-January 5, 2020 Link to Facebook Event HERE Itinerary: Vilshofen, Passau, Linz, Weissenkirchen, Vienna, Budapest Spend New Year’s in Linz, Austria! Enjoy the mesmerizing nightly light display on the façade of the Ars Electronica Center as well as colorful New Year’s fireworks in the sky above. Or head into the main square to

I am a travel advisor and voice teacher with almost 20 years of teaching experience (bio at the end of this post), so I am combining my passions into one fun and exciting opportunity! SING AT SEA! Come and commune, relax and revive, on land and at sea where your wellness will thrive! If you enjoy singing, want to be a better singer, or think you can’t sing and want to try it out in a safe environment, then this cruise is for you! If you enjoy travel, then this cruise is for y

Ama means love, and who wouldn’t love to be on a river cruise? Truly, I can not think of a way I would rather ring in the New Year than on a river cruise on the Danube. The thought of experiencing Christmas markets in European cities after Christmas, then enjoying a gourmet dinner onboard, followed by viewing fireworks from the ship at midnight, sounds like a dream come true to me! Read (or skip) to the end to see details on the AmaMagna New Year’s Eve Cruise, and contact me

Pilkington Travels, LLC is my company name, and I am an independent affiliate of Travelex International. That is a mouthful, but it is all important! Travelex International, established in 1992, is a Virtuoso® member travel agency that advises travelers in personalized leisure travel, custom group travel & corporate travel. As a Virtuoso® member, one of the top 1% of travel agencies worldwide, we provide custom itineraries for our distinctive clientele to the seven continents

When traveling, some people like to go to a companies that offer tours, whether they are small groups or large groups. These tours often have a specific purpose or theme, such as “Spanish Wine Tour” or “Classical Music in Vienna,” and the group will have a set itinerary, which probably also allows for a certain amount of free time. These can be great, and I encourage you to check out my host agency, Travelex International, which offers several wonderful music, food, and wine

This is a brief one! I am highlighting 5 products that have been useful in my recent travels. Feel free to contact me below or visit my website! When the handle broke on my old carryon, I did an Amazon search and found that they are now selling their own line of luggage. I love the way this suitcase looks and the way it rolls. The orange also stands out if you have to check it. I hope you’ll choose a different color, though, so our bags don’t get confused! 🙂 These Keens are

December 3, 2020 Update This post was originally written after my first visit to an all-inclusive (AI) resort in August of 2019, during a time when cruising was an option. Since then, I have been on more cruises (last one in March, 2020) and have visited seven more AI resorts. While I miss cruising greatly and am sad each time more cruises are canceled, the experiences I have had at AI resorts in 2020 have been excellent, for the most part. You can read about them in my 3-par

Pilkington Travels, LLC is my company name, and I am an independent affiliate of Travelex International. That is a mouthful, but it is all important! Travelex International, established in 1992, is a Virtuoso® member travel agency that advises travelers in personalized leisure travel, custom group travel & corporate travel. As a Virtuoso® member, one of the top 1% of travel agencies worldwide, we provide custom itineraries for our distinctive clientele to the seven continents

travel advisor with Travelex International. Summer is a scary time for an educator since income is reduced, but I’ve become pretty good at saving thanks to my budgeting app that I mention later. While I might be a bit crazy to book an Alaska cruise with a somewhat uncertain future, I knew that everything would work out (without going into debt)! I usually cruise with Norwegian Cruise Line because they have studio cabins, which are intended for solo travelers. In case you didn

Visit http://www.jonathanpilkington.net/travel for contact information. People who have never gone a cruise often think they wouldn’t like it, and I think the reasons are because of misconceptions about cruising. Before I went on my first cruise, I probably had the same ideas: smoky casinos, fat Americans gorging themselves at the buffet, hairy chest contests, and a lack of cultural experiences. Party on NCL Dawn Norwegian Dawn Pool Deck Well, these ideas aren’t completely in

Again, I slept pretty well, although I woke up a few times. This time, though, I slept until 7:30, which was 8:30 since we crossed a time zone! I had placed a room service card for breakfast on my door the previous night, and it was supposed to arrive between 6:30 & 7:00. I suspected that something had gone wrong earlier, because it was gone about 2 minutes after I put it there. As I was leaving to get breakfast at the buffet, I noticed that it had somehow fallen into a cubby