Planet Hoppers | November 2019

November 2019

California’s 2019 Travel Consultant of the Year - LUXlife Magazine

Bay Area’s 2019 Best International Bespoke Holiday Agency - LUXlife Magazine

As you’re enjoying your holiday feast, let’s also focus on ways to stay fit and feel your best. Wellness travel is one of the most exciting and fastest growing trends in the travel space. This month we will explore ways that you can improve the way you feel and look while experiencing your next great adventure. As always, we are here to help you!

We are pleased to let you know that Planet Hoppers is now an authorized American Express® Pay with Points agency. Book with us and use Membership Rewards® points for all or part of a cruise, vacation package, flight or prepaid hotel. There are no blackout dates or seat restrictions, and you can still earn frequent flyer miles. If you don’t have an American Express® Card enrolled in the Membership Rewards Program, but would like to start earning points for purchases on travel, dining, and more, we can help you get started.

Please call or email us and we will help you start planning your getaway to reward you with enriching travel. Terms and Conditions for the Membership Rewards® program apply. Visit membershiprewards.com/terms for more information. Participating partners and available rewards are subject to change without notice. The value of Membership Rewards points varies according to how you choose to use them. To learn more, go to www.membershiprewards.com/pointsinfo.

Featured Trip Of The Month

BRIAN'S JOURNEY TO AZERBAIJAN & GEORGIA

Itinerary

Brian's Full Transcript

Azerbaijan: Baku, Lahic, Sheki, Kish, Lagodekhi

Georgia: Gremi, Kvareli, Telavi, Gudauri, Tbilisi

"Every summer I take off for a week or two and go out of the country, someplace new each time. Last year was a big birthday for me and I went to Octoberfest. Amy did a bang-up job for me on that and so this year was just the annual 'hey, I need to go someplace.' Someplace I'd not done yet. I mentioned to Amy that I was interested in Azerbaijan and Georgia and she sent me some options to look at. Every time I get the wanderlust, I reach out to Amy and she sends me options."

"What I really like to do when traveling is just go and plop myself into the culture. I love trying all the foods, I love just day-to-day aspects of life in these countries. I love going to different countries’ supermarkets! I just like to get a sense of the people and see what everything is like and get a feel for what’s going on in the country by participating in what is going on daily at home. And then doing a fair amount of things that I myself wouldn’t do daily at home, like going out for dinner every night. I’m not one for doing that at home."

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"It was incredible to see how two countries so close together could be so different. Before I left, a friend, who had been to both for football events, told me 'Baku wants to be Dubai, and Tbilisi wants to be San Francisco'. I found there to be a fair amount of truth to that. Baku definitely has a bit of the middle eastern oil money feel, but seems a more liberal place. Tbilisi does have a bit of a forward looking, maybe a touch of hipster vibe."

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"And the food! I did not leave either country hungry, let’s just say that. The Azerbaijani food was a kind of combination of the northern Slavic foods, so, Russian: noodles, some potatoes - not many, and dried meats, but with more of the seasonings you’d expect of Middle Eastern cuisine. And some similarities to other Northwest Asian cuisine, like Afghanistan and India, with some of the seasonings as well as the rices. Being Californian, I hate to use that word, but very fusion…the crossroads of various parts of the world. If you ask for salads, you get cucumber or tomatoes, or both; they like meats, they like breads.

Lots of grilled things, not kebabs, but shashlik, like skewers. Very, very good. They’re big on cheeses, big on breads, like Georgian pizza: adjaruli khachapuri. Super tasty. Oh, and then there was the wine….and more wine. Georgia is known for its wine. They claim they invented it."

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"Travel in Georgia and Azerbaijan is completely safe. Absolutely I recommend this trip.

I’ve been working with Amy for nearly 10 years now. She knows me, my dislikes, always so easy to work with. She definitely heard what I was saying and heard what I wanted; she matched everything that I wanted, it was great. Ever since, I just email her and say “Hey, Amy!”"