Jeanette Rajamaki

Meetings are over until October 9. We meet the second Thursday of the month October to May; no meetings June, July, August or September. Our normal meeting space is the Phoenix Room at the Cottonwood Country Club at 6:30pm. There are no dues.

We would like to hear from you this summer on topics or information you would like to know more about to support your travels. Please contact Vic Hermann at 480-883-3897; e-mail at [email protected]; or contact Jeanette Rajamaki, our resident travel agent in Oakwood at 602-909-2000; e-mail at [email protected].

We love to hear of your travels to interesting parts of the world. At our last meeting in May, Juan Chavez, Rebecca Hrycyszyn and Shirley Still talked about the recent group trip to French Polynesia. They showed great slides and told interesting stories. Vic also provided an interesting presentation on “Staycations”.

Many of us stick around during the summer but need a little escape from the heat. Vic and Joanna Hermann recently visited the San Diego Wildlife Animal Zoo, did an overnight in a tent and listened to the lions roaring. You may want to try that this summer!

Savvy Travelers has partnered with Free Spirit to bring you a few getaways for June – a red white and blue getaway to San Diego over July 4, a visit to Long Beach and overnight on the Queen Mary permanently stationed in this area and several trips in October. Call Jeanette or Vic for more details or for a flyer.

It’s time to start your fall and holiday travel plans. Some ideas might be to think about a river cruise to the Christmas markets of Germany – great prices and  reasonable air.

December 11, 2014 – Christmas Markets in Germany. Cruise Viking River Cruises with great pricing – eight days/seven nights $2400 French Balcony with good air prices.

February 1, 2015 – 14 days on the Celebrity Millennium – Singapore to Hong Kong with Vietnam; great pricing with $200 onboard credit. Hosted by Vic and Joanna Hermann

March 9, 2015 – Azamara Panama Canal Cruise; 12 days. Unique sailing Miami to Caldera Costa Rica. Book an inside over the next 30 days and get a balcony for $3799 pp plus taxes and canal fees; $200 onboard credit with gratuities included! Plus water, soda, specialty coffees, wine, beer and cocktails all included; free self serve laundry. Included is a special event exclusive for Azamara – an Azamazing evening March 16 in Panama City, then Golfito, Costa Rica overnight; Quepos, CR on March 20.

2015 – River Cruise with Uniworld – all inclusive with gratuities and all adult beverages; bicycles on board. Plan for early June – Bordeaux and the wine country of France – fly London to Bordeaux

June 14, 2015 – Russian River Cruise on the Viking Rurik; 13 days Moscow to St. Petersburg on Volga; 12 people are already booked.

October 18, 2015 – Royal Caribbean Navigator of the Seas – seven nights with Galveston departure; Belize, Honduras and Cozumel; balcony for $750 and includes taxes with $50 onboard credit.

Mississippi River Cruise is in the planning stages either late fall of 2014 or 2015 – 9 days Mississippi river cruise; Cuba for late 2015 or spring 2016; Israel land tour including Petra, Jordan in the planning stages for 2016.