Time NewsFeed recently reported on a travel firm in Japan that will send your “stressed” stuffed animals on vacation for less than  $60. (http://newsfeed.time.com/2013/10/22/now-you-can-pay-to-have-your-stuffed-animals-go-on-vacation/).  So, if you have nothing better to do with your hard earned money or trust fund, making sure your Teddy gets to travel the world is de rigueur.

You might think we would scoff at this enterprise. 
Not true!  We don’t think it goes far enough!  Here are three new enterprises that you should consider:

Bridge cruise.  How many decks of cards do you have lying around the house?  Never being used.  Some
missing a few, but allowed to live hoping for the return of the missing pips. Now brighten up their day by sending your decks on a bridge cruise. 
Imagine the pictures of your cards being shuffled, dealt and held closely by people. Some of these people may be famous bridge players, like Omar Sharif.  Each deck will receive its own special
deck plan and an invitation to meet the captain on the bridge.

Culinary adventure. 
You know that drawer of unused utensils?  Gadgets you now have no idea what they do?  That stock pot you swore you were going to use someday? They are bored and stressed.  Send them on a tour of the Amalfi Coast where they can be used by Michelin-starred chefs.  Let your mixing bowls experience the ultimate relaxation as fresh, authentic ingredients are whisked within.  Invigorating.  Your knives will know chopping, slicing and yes, even julienning as never
before.  A once in a knife-time adventure.

American Girlventure.  Yes, your American Girl doll has a life—why not let her live it! If your doll can have a day of beauty, why not a week at a resort?  Send your doll where she can have fun and sun with other American Girls.  It’s a veritable Girls week out.  What will your doll do with her stuffed animals while she’s gone?  I hear there’s a Japanese firm that will send them on their own vacation.

The next thing I’m going to do is call American Girl to see if I can set up a kiosk in their store. 
Why should they have to go online? 

And since you may have some extra discretionary funds, give us a call.  We should be able to find a vacation for you—that’s what we do best.  You deserve it.

Fathom Away (www.fathomaway.com) published a list of the top 24 travel apps for 2013.  Here are the best of the best (IMHO):

For those apps that are not free, let me recommend a good way to get them for free.  Periodically, as a promotion, app writers let their apps go free for a limited period of time.  One app that finds these is the app AppsGoneFree.  Every day AppsGoneFree list several apps that are free for a short time.  For example, I downloaded CityMaps2Go for free when it was listed on AppsGoneFree.

Make your travel yours.   You deserve it!

Death.  You can’t schedule it; it’s hard to plan. When my mother-in-law passed away on October 2, we had to make quick arrangements to get to Dallas.  Airlines (some of them) have an active bereavement or compassion fare program.  Here’s what they will require:

Tickets under these programs are issued with no penalty for changes (although fare differences will apply) because you may not be sure how long you will stay.  While short notice travel is expensive, we received an approximate 40% discount from American.  That helps.

People will be coming in from out of town for the funeral.  Why force everyone to make their own arrangements?  I called sales manager Amy Kennedy at Hyatt House in Richardson, TX (a Dallas suburb, near the family home) who offered a great special rate.  This way, family can all stay together, plus it’s a convenient property with a hot breakfast included.  I called to make the arrangements and sent an email out to the family.  I can’t tell you how grateful everyone was both that arrangements were made.

When the unspeakable occurs, it’s good to have a plan.  You deserve it.