Archive for Travel
Sucessful businesses know it is SMART to add FUN to the mix!
Southwest Airlines “gets it”! They have learned that adding humour to the sometimes boring and often frustrating experience of air travel is not only fun, it’s also good for business! Smart businesses in every industry are recognizing that their customers are far more than a transaction. Southwest and Westjet both make flying fun. I remember years ago calling Westjet and being on hold for what seemed like a very long time. A pleasant voice came on the line and invited me to press “555″ if I had been on the hold for more than 2 minutes.l I happily punched those three digits in, looking forward to being put through to some sort of priority caller line. Instead, I got a friendly recording with a truly funny joke. Just as the punch line was delivered, and while I was still chuckling, the Westjet agent came onto the line ready to assist me. I was not only a happy customer, that Westjet agent and I had a much more pleasant conversation than if I had been left stewing impatiently for another 30 seconds. Yes, it was a recording. Yes it was a systemized approach. But it was a systemized approach that had my feelings in mind, and I appreciated it.
When you get on a plane, you want to know every bolt is in place, the wings have been de-iced if necessary, and there is enough fuel on board to get you safely to your destination. But you don’t want to have to think about all those things yourself! You want to sit back, relax, and enjoy the flight, potentially with a little on-board entertainment! At SCHMIDT we have tons of systems. There are hundreds of details that need to be attended to as a property is put on the market and sold. It’s our goal to make this process as streamlined and invisible as possible, so you can just relax and enjoy the ride. And if you’re lucky, there might even bit a bit of “on board” entertainment!
Contributed by Kathy Schmidt, Westjet Fan and Broker Owner of Schmidt Realty Group Inc.
Planning a winter getaway? Get inside info on the best seats!
Want to know how much leg room you’ll have in Economy vs Business Class on a specific flight? Wondering what “Premier Economy” has to offer? Does your seat include a personal TV or laptop plug-in? It’s all here on SeatGuru.com. I stumbled across this great site when planning an upcoming trip. You can look at leg room and seat width for most airlines and for all the planes they fly! This is especially handy for tall travellers – Larry is 6’4″ so legroom is worth its weight in gold to him on longer flights.
Hope you find this helpful when planning your next flight!
Contributed by Kathy Schmidt, Broker Owner, Schmidt Realty Group Inc.
Fun Website Offers Front Page News from Around The World!
At SCHMIDT we all love to travel. Sometimes we get on a plane and sometimes we have to be satisfied to surf the web to satisfy our wanderlust. Larry and I are planning a trip to Italy this year to celebrate a special anniversary and birthday – I am even trying to learn Italian!
One recent wintry day I was surfing the web and found this great site. Just point and click on the city you are interested in, and up pops today’s front page from the local newspaper, unedited and in the local language. It’s a fun way to get a flavour for your destination before you leave home. And sometimes it’s a sobering reality check for travelling REALTORS who think they know a little Italian… Ciao!
Contributed by Kathy Schmidt, Broker Owner of Schmidt Realty Group and soon-to-be Italian tourist!
Edmonton Goes Online with Trip Planner for Public Transit
Using public transit in Edmonton just got a little easier. If you’re like me, your Blackberry is already one of your best friends. Well that handy device is now more helpful than ever! Thanks to an investment of staff time by the City of Edmonton, you can now plan your public transit route before you leave home, or use your PDA while on the run. Just log on and enter the address or even a business name and start planning an environmentally friendly trip to your destination!
Contributed by Schmidt Realty Group Broker Owner, Kathy Schmidt
Edmonton REALTOR travels to Latin America!
From mid-October2008 to mid-January 2009 I was fortunate to experience the trip of a lifetime! After spending a week in Cuba with friends I moved on to Mexico City and then on to such incredible adventures in Panama City and up the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu!
Visiting Josue, my World Vision sponsor child and his family, was an extremely touching day. World Vision has changed the lives of this family in so many ways! During my visit I witnessed the power of World Vision as this organization built a new two room home for this wonderful family!
Mexico is full of incredible food, warm people, alluring culture and countles churches. This church is one of many we found in the town of Patzcuaro. Patzcuaro is home to the biggest festival in all of Mexico, Day of the Dead.
Viewing Panama City’s skyline from the neighbourhood of San Felipe is breathtaking. The city itself is a bustling melting pot of cultures, cuisines, and shopping, not to mention the incredible engineering feat – The Panama Canal.
Nicaragua is home to active volcanoes, large lakes and endless natural beauty. I went ziplining through a rainforest on the side of Masaya Volcano with my mom and aunt. In a few trees we encountered a family of monkeys as we zipped on by!
While in Peru, my boyfriend Thomas and I had the honor of hiking the famous Inca Trail. It was a trying four days of hiking in order to reach the coveted ruins of Machu Picchu.
Along the Inca Trail we were faced with many challenges, one of them being Dead Woman’s Pass. In the morning we started out at the very bottom of one Andean mountain, and by 1pm we reached the top of the summit! Our guide played Peruvian flute music a we reached the top. It was a moment that brought tears to my eyes!
As we neared the gates of Machu Picchu, my excitement grew. I had waited years to see this wonder of the world, and it definitely did not disappoint!
In this photo I am standing on one of the Los Uros floating islands found in Lake Titicaca that borders Peru and Bolivia. Whole villages of indigenous people live on these floating islands made entirely of reeds. Some inhabitants never set foot on solid ground!
This is an arial view of Iguazzu Falls that borders Brazil and Argentina. I was lucky enough to take both a helicoptor ride over the falls and a speed boat ride underneath the falls!
If ever you take a trip to Central or South America I would love to hear about your adventures. And if you want some tips on some special places to see, I would be delighted to give you my list of favourites!
Contributed by SCHMIDT Client Care Coordinator and REALTOR, Jody Robinson
Is your home at risk while you are on vacation?
Here is a story that I hope I never hear again…
Once upon a time a wonderful young couple decided to take a holiday to visit family. They had a great time but when they returned, it was to anything but a happy ending! To their shock and horror they discovered that their home was severely damaged from broken water lines! Now this in itself would be a minor catastrophe in anyone’s life, but imagine if you then found out that you had no insurance coverage! There is a small but incredibly important clause in most homeowner insurance policies that requires a “vacant” property to be checked every 48 hours. The details of this clause will vary depending on the insurance provider you choose, but the net effect may be to nullify any coverage if damage occurs while the property was temporarily vacant and left un-checked. Please read your homeowner insurance policy and remember to ask someone you trust to physically walk through your home as frequently as required to ensure that your coverage is not interrupted.
I’m happy to report that couple in the above story are safe and sound, and are managing well despite their recent challenges. They were reminded of the importance of friends and family, and how we all do need to rely on each other. As a REALTOR, I take it as part of my responsibility to do whatever I can to help my friends, family and clients become more knowledgeable about everything to do with real estate. I hope that this blog post saves someone else from an unpleasant “welcome home” …
Contributed by Schmidt Realty Group REALTOR, Chris Miller
Canadians buying Arizona real estate
Many Albertans dream of owning property somewhere warm and sunny where snow shovelling is just a distant memory, and some Edmontonians are making that dream a reality! The timing is exceptional right now for this kind of purchase, and there are some particularly lovely choices in Arizona. Through my professional affiliations I have come to know many exceptional REALTORS throughout the US who I would trust to look after my friends and family without hesitation. One of those realtors is Debbie Yost, from Casa Grande Arizona. If you are thinking about exploring a purchase south of the border, Debbie would be a phenomenal resource and she and her team would be delighted to chat with you. You can reach Debbie easily at info@YostHomes.com. Debbie and her husband Joe have helped more Casa Grande area families with their real estate needs than anyone else and they are experienced in assisting Canadians purchasing in the US as well.
Take a look at this lovely single family home listed at just $189,900!
If there are other areas of the United States that interest you, please contact us at Schmidt@WeSellEdmonton.com We know top REALTORS throughout North America and would be delighted to introduce you!
Throw your dreams into space…
“Throw your dreams into space like a kite, and you do not know what it will bring back, a new life, a new friend, a new love, a new country.” Anais Nin
Most of us at one time or another dream of travelling to new and beautiful places, and of course at this time of year we also dream of being somewhere warm and sunny! Travel is something we all value at SCHMIDT, and although our dreams and destinations differ, we each look forward to meeting new people, seeing new sights and then bringing photos and video of our adventures home to share with friends and family. From time to time we’ll post some of our travel photos here for you to enjoy. And if ever you are planning a trip to a similar destination, we hope you will get in touch so we can share some of our special places with you!
Personally, I love cities. I love their energy! “For me, cities are like people, with souls and temperaments of their own.” says Arthur Symons. I agree! The shopping, restaurants, and people watching all really appeal to me. While Larry also enjoys a city vacation, he is happiest outside the city limits and preferably near the ocean. A few years ago we enjoyed a bit of both by cruising the Mexican Riviera. A cruise ship is like its own city and we had time during the day to enjoy small ports of call and some beautiful beaches. This photo was taken after an amazing lunch of fresh fish tacos. When I came home and was compiling our photos, I came across this quote that says it best…
“Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the number of moments that take our breath away.” anonymous
