The ball has dropped and Totem Travel is ready as the wedding and honeymoon planning season begins in earnest.  January will find us at three wedding shows plus we’ll be hosting a number of free honeymoon planning events.   So come meet us in Seattle, Lynnwood, Edmonds or Kirkland.  Our honeymoon specialists will be everywhere!

On January 9-10 we’ll be representing Sandals Luxury Included Resorts at the Seattle Center Exhibition Hall and you can get one free admission to the show online.  We’ll have an enter to win prize at our booth plus special incentives for couples attending our Sandals Night January 27.  RSVP to linda@totemtravel.com.

On January 16-17 we’ll have a Fiji Honeymoon booth at the Seattle Convention Center. So come meet us, talk to Tourism Fiji’s top travel agent for 2009 and pick up a $50 gift card at the same time!  Show hours are 10a - 5:30 Saturday and 10:30a - 5p Sunday and coupons worth $2 off admission are available online.  We also have a limited supply of full color magazines showcasing many of the best wedding show vendors.  Just stop by Totem Travel at 12305 120^th Ave NE in Kirkland between 9a - 6p Monday through Friday or Saturday 10a - 3p to pick up your free copy.

On January 30-31 we’ll again represent Sandals all inclusive resorts at the Lynnwood Convention Center.  Discounted admission can be found online and we’ll have another enter to win prize at the booth.

In February Totem Travel is partnering with WARM 106.9 for a very special month of romance.  We’ll conduct a travel seminar at Savvy Traveler in Edmonds on February 20 featuring Tahiti and Fiji, the exotic and beautiful South Pacific islands.  Plus we’ll have another complimentary Sandals Honeymoon Night on February 24 with special incentives for attendees.

So if you are planning a honeymoon or destination wedding you’ll have lots of opportunities to meet the Honeymoon Experts at Totem Travel.   Call, email, visit our site, stop by our store, read resort reviews and see what our customers have to say about the services we provide.

We love travel so you’ll get Personalized service from a travel expert at no extra cost!

Totem Travel is seeking a travel agent trainee as well as an experienced vacation travel agent for its Kirkland location.  The right candidate will be sales and service oriented, have an exceptional work ethic and travel experience. 

The travel agent trainee position starts at minimum wage with paid vacation, holidays, medical, 401K and extensive travel benefits.  He or she would intern under the agency owner and assist with email and phone inquiries, research, price analysis, reservations, invoicing and ongoing customer service.  Additional duties would include preparation for consumer trade shows, CRM and general office support.

We are also seeking an experienced leisure travel agent with one or more destination specialties.  No GDS experience is required, but computer literacy is essential.  Inside agents are paid salary plus incentive based on individual sales, paid vacation, holidays, medical, 401K and extensive travel benefits.

Job applicants may send a resume to linda@totemtravel.com or mail a resume to

Totem Travel - attention Linda
12305 120th Ave NE Suite D
Kirkland WA 98034. 

All applicants will receive a reponse within 72 hours however no walk in or phone applications will be considered.  Your courtesy is appreciated!

In a recent interview I was asked my advice on planning a honeymoon.  You can read the article at http://www.philly.com/philly/living/celebrations/weddings/Bon_voyage.html but for those wanting a few highlights, here you go -

• The weak economy has not changed the kind of honeymoon most couples are planning.  Weddings are once in a lifetime events and a honeymoon is a once in a lifetime experience.
• Forget the 1st class flight!  Nobody takes pictures of their airline seat and you won’t be talking about your flight 10 years from now.  So unless your budget is generous, spend it on more time together and create lasting memories by doing something memorable whether that’s swimming with the dolphins, being pampered with an oceanfront couples massage or learning to scuba dive.
• A local getaway is not always less expensive than somewhere more exotic.  There are quality all inclusive resorts in Mexico and the Caribbean with rates starting around $200 night and that’s hard to beat in the U.S..  The strengthening dollar has also provided values for otherwise expensive destinations. If you’ve wanted to plan a Fiji vacation, now is the time.
• Honeymoon registries are a great way to finance a dream honeymoon.

As always, if you’d like help planning the perfect honeymoon please call or email The Honeymoon Experts at Totem Travel!

Our next Sandals Night will be Wednesday May 13 from 6-8p.  Join us for resort reviews, tips and the best prices on an all inclusive vacation at one of 12 Sandals Resorts on 4 tropical islands in the Caribbean.  Attendees are eligible to receive a $250 spa or resort credit in addition to savings of up to 60% and free nights in selected suite categories.

Call or email Linda@totemtravel.com or RSVP 425 821-4100.

The best travel agents travel and we certainly do! This year we visited Europe, Australia, Hawaii, Mexico, Fiji and most if not all of the Sandals couples only all-inclusive Resorts. Here’s our report-

Linda visited a dozen posh resorts on St Lucia including Jade Mountain and Ladera and while in the Southern Caribbean made a quick trip to see the new Sandals Grande Antigua Resort. In Playa del Carmen Mexico she visited the family friendly, all inclusive Iberostar Paraiso Maya. Scuba diving in the cenotes was a highlight! April took her to London and France with a focus on art, architecture and history and she particularly enjoyed Normandy and Mont St Michel.

August took her to Australia for another visit and a stay at the incredible new Southern Ocean Lodge on Kangaroo Island. Linda is hosting an Australia Night and VIP movie premier December 3rd, so let her know if a trip to Australia is in your future. In November she’ll be hitting some romantic resorts in Fiji and before year end, she’ll be picking up a special sales award in the Bahamas. It’s been a good year!

Jennefer completed the France Specialist program last fall with a few days in Paris and in touring the Loire Valley, Chateau Chenonceau was her favorite castle. In December she investigated all 3 Sandals Resorts on St. Lucia. April took her to Ireland to kiss the Blarney Stone, climb the Giants Causeway and explore numerous castles and ruins, she even stayed overnight in beautiful Dromoland Castle. She especially liked Northern Ireland and says they are welcoming tourists after many years without them.

Next week she leaves to see Sandals Grande Antigua Resort, only one of all the 12 Sandals couples only all-inclusive resorts. There is still time this year and she may fit in a quick trip to Jamaica to update her knowledge of the Beaches family all-inclusive resorts.

Sandi has enjoyed two completely different cruises; she sailed Royal Caribbean’s Explorer of the Sea on a Fall Foliage Cruise where her favorite port of call was in Portland, Maine. Her other cruise was an eastern Caribbean on Carnival’s Valor where the beautiful beaches of St. Thomas and St. John were her favorites and screamed destination wedding!

Sandi was also assigned the task of visiting the Big Island of Hawaii, tough job I know, but someone’s gotta do it! She’s in Cancun right now seeing the newest all-inclusive family resorts and will take her first trip to St. Lucia next month, so watch for her reviews, blogs and pictures once she’s back.

As you might imagine, we have lots of destination information to share and thousands of pictures, so check out some of our other posts, subscribe to our RSS feed and check back regularly for new information. You can also jump to www.TotemTravel.com to find planning information and packages; an event calendar for upcoming agency events; useful links for weather, security, passports and more.

So whether you want fun in the sun, an educational family vacation, the culture and history of Europe or a romantic getaway for two, Totem Travel has been there… recently! Please call when it’s time for your next vacation, 800-321-7907 and remember to also let your friends and coworkers know they can “Get personalized help from a travel expert at no extra cost!”