Hi.  I am Mike, a seasoned traveler and travel consultant, helping folks turn their travel ideas and dreams into real destinations.  I know that sounds a bit corny but it is my experience, when I sit down with clients, that their visions of future travel are all over the map (no pun intended).  Unless you have come into a major inheritance or you are fairly wealthy and have lots of time on your hands, its really not very easy to see a lot and absorb it and enjoy it when you book a huge laundry list of destinations.

There are three things you must answer yourself before you ever open a travel website or seek the help of a Travel Consultant.  And these are (1) what is your budget?, (2) what are your “must see” now destinations, and (3) how much time do you have.  Along with that, the time of year you want to travel will have an impact on what you can and cannot do.  For example, Bermuda may be on the top of your list, but its chilly in winter, having a climate similar to South Carolina.  So that location may be better put off until summer or fall.  So I am always here to share travel experiences or answer questions.   Do you have a question about a cruise ship or resort?  Then drop me a line.

My expertise is in anything cruising.  My first cruise occurred in 1995 on the now moth balled Celebrity Horizon.  The Horizon was a very cool ship because it still had all that nautical stuff on it that made it feel like a real ocean voyage — like you see in the movies or on TV.  Today cruises ships look so much like the inside of resort hotels, but with the mass market of today, that is what many (not all) people want.  Today families can find cruise ships that offer just about anything you can imagine.  They have tons of games, activities, on board water parks, rope courses, and a plethora of restaurants and eateries.  But for those looking for the nautical feel of days gone by, there are cruise ships for you too.  Luxury lines offer hide away and quiet places on their ships, with a ship full of luxury finishes like wood trim and brass — coupled with total free style — do what you want when you want options.

Since 1995, my wife and I have enjoyed taking cruises, and we have been to many places around the world on a cruise ship.  Some of the places we have traveled to include Hawaii, Europe, Australia, virtually the entire Caribbean, Mexico, Alaska, Canada, Iceland, British Isles, the Panama Canal and South America, Cuba, Russia and the Baltic, Scandinavia and Northern Europe, and others.

My first travel adventures started in the 1950’s with my family.  Those vacations were mostly to the east coast USA beaches.  Having grown up in Silver Spring, Maryland — just outside of Washington, D.C. we would hop in our old gas guzzling Oldsmobile and head east over the Chesapeake Bay Bridge to Rehoboth, Ocean City, Maryland, or up interstate 95 to Atlantic City.    These beach towns were really nice in those days, less development, not super crowded, with lovely beaches, surf and sand.  Who remembers the original family owned Phillips Restaurant located in south Ocean City?  It is still there.  Lines would form around the building every night around 6 PM, and it took awhile to get in.  But after a long day in the sun, you were so famished that the fried chicken, the fish platter, crabs, or other entries  — with local grown corn and other veggies tasted so amazingly good.

Fast forward to today.  After ending one career I started a new one.  I have been a Travel Consultant with Cruises Inc out of Fort Lauderdale (my office is outside of Washington, D.C.) and am now entering my 8th year.  I have won awards like Agent of the Year, Best Luxury Sales, Best Marketing, Best Seller of suppliers like Viking, Windstar, Oceania and others, and have been a top 10 agent several times.  I love what I do.

And I have traveled over the years — from the top of Diamond Head, Oahu, to the Leaning Tower of Pisa.  From the hot pools of Iceland, to the warm rain forests of New Zealand.  From the great state of North Dakota, to the great state of Texas.  From laid back California to the southern charm of South Carolina.  From Tracy Arm Fjord, in Alaska, all the way down to Cartegena, Columbia in South American and the Panama Canal.  There are too many places to mention here.  My adventures continue and my blog is a way for me to share those adventures, while also offering you my personal travel tips and tricks.  So stay tuned on my blog.  My blog has left the station!  Please visit me at my web site which is  www.MichaelsTravel.net or you can email me a question at Mcohen@CruisesInc.com

Enjoy my blog site.  Thank you and happy travels.  Mike