This year Vacation.com (Vcom) took their conference to one of the United States most popular destinations and 2 Divas Travel was in attendance.  We take the time to learn how we can provide even better service to our clients by attending training sessions whenever possible.  The host hotel was Caesars Palace and as we expected, it did not disappoint. 

Thanks to the sponsors of this years conference agents were provided with a complimentary ticket to see a Vegas style show.  I was lucky enough to get a ticket to see Le Reve - The Dream at the Wynn Las Vegas.  The show was fantastic especially after speed walking from Caesars and just about running to get to the show on time after having dinner with my business partner at Bobby Flay's MESA Grill located inside Caesars.  The food is absolutely delicious but definitely pricey.  We just about blew our meal budget on one meal. Laughing, but we would definitely recommend dining here.  The atmosphere was lively, the service was great, and the bartender was friendly. 

My girlfriend lives out there with her family so we were taken out to the Hoover Dam which is a short ride from the Vegas Strip (approximately 45 minutes).  We took some great photos despite the dry heat, beaming sun, and high winds.  We return to the Strip and quickly changed for dinner at Maggiano's located at Fashion Show Mall.  We dined family style and had a ton of food left over including our untouched desserts.

Check out the slideshow from our trip.

Photo courtesy of Travel Agent Central.

These divas are Temple alumni and we love our school.  We had a great time watching the 2014 season finale of Scandal on the big screen in TPAC.  We attend networking events where we get to meet some great people such as Temple University's Women of Color.  They help us reach out to more people by sharing our posts with their network of supporters and members.  So this year's Temple Alumni 5K Run & Family Walk was no different.  We enlisted our family and friends to join in on the fun and look forward to Homecoming is this October and we can't wait to participate in the festivities.  Until then, we have some group trips and one day bus excursions to promote.  Our Mother's Day trip to NY to see the amazingly talented Denzel Washington star in the revival of Lorraine Hansberry's classic "A Raisin in the Sun" is up next and then off the Mediterranean we go.  

My first international flight was to Paris in May 2009.  It was myself and my boyfriend (now my husband) on this long journey from Philadelphia to Frankfurt, Germany and from Frankfurt to Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris, France.

I was so excited that I couldn't go to sleep.  It was many firsts for me during this trip.  Not only my first international flight but the first time on a flight longer than 3 hours, a flight that provided multiple meals and complimentary wine and beer, and various movies to keep me entertained.  I watched the movie Marley and Me during this flight and I wish I knew ahead of time that I needed a box of tissues.  That movie brought me to tears.

So we get to Frankfurt to catch our connecting flight and we had to go through Customs.  Customs was interesting because we approach a man in a booth who asks for our passports and then asks us the question "What is the nature of your business in Paris?".  They way he said it made us laughing.  So we got to explore the airport for a few hours before it was time to head to Paris only to arrive in Paris and our luggage not make it.  I being the planner that I am put some toiletries and a change of clothes in my carry-on so when we checked into our hotel I was able to freshen up so I we could leave the hotel and see the city.  Unfortunately, my boyfriend who slept the entire flight from Philadelphia to Frankfurt wanted to wait at the hotel for our luggage to arrive.  So after an hour of waiting he went to sleep.  Four hours later our luggage arrived but he was still tired and wanted to stay in the room.  I was not happy so I occupied myself with my laptop and French tv shows until I finally fell asleep.

Thanks to two books that a colleague loaned me I was able to plan daily itineraries that included taking the Paris Metro (one of the least expensive ways to get around).  One guidebook was the Paris Metro which listed the various attractions, neighborhoods, and provided a map of the metro system and which stop to get off to get to the attraction.  The other guidebook was information about the different districts and sample itineraries. 

One evening we walked to a restaurant near our hotel and meet some lovely ladies from Wisconsin who were in Paris before trekking to Ireland (Go Ladies!).  We had an awesome time.  The owner of the restaurant was smitten with the two ladies so after the restaurant closed we took the party inside and enjoyed a few more bottles of wine and a tour of the restaurant.  It was a great evening.

We walked up the steps of the Eiffel Tower which took a very long time.  I believe we walked up 680+ steps before we reached the first platform where the restaurant is located.  We were able to take the elevator up to the next level and take the elevator down to the ground floor but we were exhausted after the walk up.  The sky was a bit cloudy so the pictures not as sunny and bright as I had wished but we were not going to come back when the sun was shining and walk those steps again so I could get better pictures. Laughing

We went to a few museums such as the Louvre.  The Lourve is very large with multiple exhibits.  We were able to make it through one so I suggest going to their website or checking our their current exhibits in advance and plan your day accordingly.  We took a river cruise, walked around at night and attempted to loo for a jazz club I read about in another district but we never found it.  Europeans believe in drinking beverages at room temperature so whenever we wanted an ice cold beverage we ended up at McDonald's to get cups of ice and while we were there we purchase a couple Royale with cheese.  There is so much to see and do in this beautiful city that we plan to return to visit the city of Versaille.

One thing I enjoy most about my vacations are the new experiences.  I look forward to trying something I have never tried before from food to excursions to cultural experiences like a traditional Hawaiian luau. 

When I got married a few years ago at the Grand Palladium Jamaica Resort & Spa in Lucea, Jamaica I decided that I wanted to try zip-lining.  My new husband wasn't to thrilled about me trying it the day after our wedding but I had convinced myself to get over my fear of heights and go for it.  I am very happy that I did.  After the first line (five lines at five different levels) my fear diminished tremendously.  By the last and final line of 1600 feet above sea level I was courageous enough to record it.  Check it out....

After I said I do, me and the ladies posed for the camera on a beautiful beach in Jamaica.  I couldn't wait to get out of that dress....it was HOT!

I have swam with stings rays off the Grand Cayman islands.

In August 2013 while cruising the Southern Caribbean I rode my first ATV and fell in love.  We rode through farm lands, hills, and paved highways.  The feeling was exhilarating and should be enjoyed by everyone.

The Dominican Republic (DR) has become my one of my top five favorite destinations.  On a recent FAM trip for travel professionals I got to visit seven properties in three days which included my host property, Occidental Punta Cana.  My first visit to the DR was in 2010 as a surprise birthday present for my now husband.  It was our first time visiting this country and we were more than pleased with our visit.  We never left our resort so during that trip I didn't get to see much of what the DR has to offer but that changed during my recent trip in September 2013. 

As with most (not all) Caribbean destinations there are budget friendly, moderately priced, and well worth the extra $$ all-inclusive resorts in this beautiful wonderland.  Barcelo Bavaro is one of my favorite resorts.  This mega resort has an adult-only resort and a family friendly resort within the same complex.  Each resort has its own lobby for check-in, restaurants, bars, entertainment, pools but allows the guests staying in the adult-only resort the freedom to enjoy all the additional amenities the Palace Deluxe resort has to offer such as additional restaurant options, disco, spa, and a few additional extras.  Below are a few pictures from one of their beautiful rooms I got to check out.  I wish I was there for more than a 10 minute visit but it allowed me the opportunity to talk up this resort from a personal interaction versus reading views or checking out pictures they selected to post on their consumer website. 

Stay tuned for other featured resorts in the DR.

I love a vacation that provides a variety of activities without adding to my costs.  For me a cruise provides the entertainment I enjoy from Broadway types shows to fun games like scavenger hunts and game shows.  There are day and evening activities for the tots, teens, and adults.  I enjoy the number of dining options from casual buffets to semi-formal restaurant styled dining.  I love to look at the decor and artwork displayed through the what I refer to as a "city at sea".  It's a great opportunity to meet new people from all over the world from the staff to the passengers.  The best part of cruising is the transportation it provides to multiple destinations whether you are in the Caribbean or the Mediterranean.  Here are a few pictures I took of Norwegian's Breakaway ship that launched this past April 2013.