36 The Oakville Beaver Weekend, Saturday November 25, 2006 - www.oakvillebeaver.com B E A V E R T R A IL S T O W A S H IN G T O N D C : The Dean family, Brian, Catherine and Emily and Connor read The Oakville Beaver w hile vacationing in Washington, D.C. E x p e r ie n c e t h e W o r ld H ello Everyone: My name is Gina Cheng. I own and manage Total Travel, located at Oakville Town Centre 1 at the Northwest Corner of_Dorval and the QEW. Our knowledgeable and friendly team at Total Travel has been making vacation dreams, come true in Oakville and the surrounding areas since 1988: Yes.. .over 18 years! Personally I have been working in the Travel Industry in one capacity or another for over 30 years. Travel is my passion and I like to think my job is helping people's dreams come true ~ my desire is for clients to have the best experience possible. In coming articles (every other week) I will be sharing with you travel related mat ters such as: travel trends, hot destinations, tips etc, as well as my personal travel destination information and experiences. > To start I'd like to talk about: B E A V E R T R A I L S T O S T . L U C IA : Five members of the the Dive Dames from the Bronte Harbour Yacht Club enjoyed catching up on hometown news in The Oakville Beaver during a trip to St. Lucia in late July. They enjoyed a week o f scuba diving, touring, shopping and general "m aking merry." The Dive Dames are (l-r) Sue Butterfield, Dawn Greville, Annette Jorgensen, Joan Spares, and Christel Bullen. Take along a copy of The Oakville Beaver on your next vacation and send it in for publication to Beaver Trails, Oakville Beaver, 467 Speers Rd., Oakville, ON, L6K 3S4 or e-mail to editor@oakvillebeaver.com. M c T a v i s h T r a v e l © information service W hy Use a Travel A gent I am called a travel agent or a travel counselor. My official title is a Certified Travel Counselor. I use my exterfeive knowledge of destinations, resorts, escorted tours, cruise ships, air travel and attractions to "counsel" clients on the best choices to realize their vacation dreams, desires and budgets. I add value - Think of me as you would an accountant or-a real estate agent. You can file your own tax return, but those who choose to use an accountant do so because they recognize that specialized knowledge pays off; same goes for a real estate agent. You can sell your house without an agent, but most don't because in the absence of that knowledge major problems can result. While my role is to match up clients with travel products, it's always your interests that I represent. If anything goes wrong with your trip; I'm here for you. Your tim e is precious - You have choices today. You can research and book your trip online. You might even save a couple of dollars. If you're just booking a flight from point A to point B, or a car rental, or a hotel room, go ahead and book it online. Buyer Beware: you might find that it takes longer than you expected to find the "best price" and if your flight is oversold or cancelled you'll be on'your own! When it comes to your hard-earned vacation time I passionately defend the value of my services. That shiny brochure with the golden bodies sitting around a glistening pool doesn't always tell the whole story. For instance, I might know that the pool is under renovation, the rooms are tired and dated and that during your holiday week the place will be packed with drunken college kids. That might matter to you; in fact it may even be worth many times the small fee I charge for my services. Benefit from my knowledge - My knowledge offers other benefits. The concierge who can arrange tickets to anything, that wonderful little restaurant tucked away on a side street, that seat on the plane with the extra legroom, these are the kinds of things that I learn through my travels and I am thrilled to share them with you. I am passionate about w hat I do - This is how I make my living, but I won't get rich doing this. That's not my motivation. I love to travel, see new places, meet new people, and enjoy new experiences. More than anything, I love the feedback from clients that my knowledge, care and attention helped them create lasting memories. That's worth a lot to them.. .the question is: What is it worth to you? Oakville Town Centre I 300 North Se rv ice Road, W. Oakville 905.849.0333 www.totaltravel-oakville.com B E A C H E ST U R K S&C A IC O SO P E N IN GE X C IT IN GN E W P L A Y G R O U N DIN2 0 0 7 Beaches Turks &Caicos is creating a wonderland of adventure and luxury for kids of all ages with the new Italian Seaside Village &Waterpark. Coming in 2007, the Seaside Village will offer 168 family suites including 12 one and two bedroom suites with exclusive bfltler service. All suites offer a separate kids room with bunk beds, XBOX game console, as well as a dedicated space for adults with sitting area and whirlpool tub. Four new restaurants include Italian cuisine, Barefoot by the Sea, a British Pub and a Pizzeria with a traditional wood-fired pizza oven. And at the exclusive Sesame Cafe, kids can eat with their favourite furry friends from Sesame Street. There will be many activities to keep young guests busy at the new Kids Camp facility for 6-12 year olds with expanded XBOX Game Oasis Center and a new arts and crafts centre. The photo shop will offer pictures captured from the waterslide by an automatic built-in camera as well as an all new interactive Kodak Green Screen where kids can pose for the perfect picture. Tweens and teens can practice their dance moves at an aqua-themed nightclub that features a running grotto below and a sunken dance floor with views of the waterpark underneath. And a teen lounge offers the latest hits, Internet access, game room witb pool tables, foosball and basketball, all in a retro black light environment. ·The resort will offer exciting new water activities including three new waterslides and an aqua play area with water cannons, cranks and spray features. A surf simulator allows adven turers to `crank it up"on boogie and surf boards. There's also a splash deck with pop-up jets and a zero entry pool for tots. For more information give us a call! Hopedale Mall 1515 Rebecca Street, Oakville (905)827-1100 travel@mctavish.com M c T a v is h T ra v e l Visit McTavish At: www.mctavishtravel.com Ont Reg No Experience the World Ont R eg No 2766538 1 4 3 7 9 8 5 i n f o r m a t i o n M cTavish Travel s e r v i c e N A LS travel experts ajid the lerfect getaway! j m m Voted £ B est Travel A gency / Best C ruise C om p an y /¥% Best Travel A gent 221 Lakeshore Road E, 905-337-2228 wwwhookedoncruising.com Oakville Town Centre I 300 North Service Road, W . Oakville Thanks Oakville! H o p e d a le S h o p p in g C e n tre 1 5 1 5R c Ikc c iS in v i.O a k v ile (905) 827-1100 fix: (905) K27-4982 e-mail: iravel@mcMvisli.com.. 905.849.0333w w w .to ta ltra v e l-o a k v ille .c o m