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Shopping for the Experiences

January 14, 2018 02:12AM
@CoffeeQueen wrote:

Well fancy vacations are awesome no doubt (not that I've ever had one) but the experiences I like are getting off the beaten path in the Appalachians. Tiny roads that wind up and down mountains and occasional breathtaking views. Meeting the most genuine and charming people I've ever encountered. Tiny towns that look exactly as they must have 40 years ago. Sometimes it's just a bend in the road, but I always love to see what's around that bend.

You have described the majority of my day routes. I may not be making big bucks, but I've seen more of Texas than most native Texans I know.

Live your life in such a way that when your feet hit the floor in the morning; the devil shudders...And yells OH #%*+! SHE'S AWAKE!
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January 14, 2018 08:27PM
I did the Maldives once and routed 4 different resorts back in May. I got to stay 9 nights total. The experience was unparalleled and I'm happy to have undertaken all the work. The only drawback to staying at an expensive 5 star resort is nothing else will compare.

Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 01/14/2018 08:37PM by naraiford.
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January 14, 2018 09:25PM
@hotsauce1 wrote:

. . . my experiences were that there was very little time to leave and explore. The three resorts I've done, I've had to make an hourly itinerary for myself such as: Breakfast eval, set up housekeeping defects, lunch eval, spa eval, check on housekeeping, then evening free. The next day might be the same except lunch is free and I have a dinner eval. In between that, there's concierge, room service, engineering, random staff "tests." Because there are so many interactions, I need to write things up right away, With 2-3 night stays, I probably have one 4 hour block of truly free time per day. For me, that's worth it for an exotic place or I want to see a friend/family and they can join me for the meals or comped activities. My strategy from now on is to get on the earliest possible flight in and last possible flight out so I can get in free time before & after checkout.

This. I agree with this.

While I don't make an hourly itinerary, I definitely note what I need to test for each day that I'm on property, giving allowances for things, like missed connections, late arrival, accommodations not ready, fatigue, date with my pillow, etc.

My days are very similar to HotSauce's, with very little truly free time. And again, like HotSauce, I ain't complaining. I once spent a four-hour block of time working on a report, while sitting on a king-size outdoor bed, on the deck of my 1,576 square foot overwater fare/bungalow - the nicest one on the resort - looking across the incredibly blue, almost unreal, turquiose water, at a very majestic and very Instagram-worthy, and easily recognizable mountain.

Also, a big THANK YOU to my wonderful schedulers!
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January 16, 2018 05:40PM
Wow - I thought I was a lifestyle shopper, then I read this thread. The last two weeks have been great for shops - I did a movie shop yesterday and saw the Darkest Hour, Seasons 52 the day before and and last week was Ruth Chris and the Cheesecake Factory along with getting my car detailed. Over Christmas we went to Orlando and I picked up a mini golf shop which was fun. But, my day job has become so consuming that I haven't done much more than restaurants, car washes or oil changes for months.

My spouse and I are planning on quitting our jobs to be professional nomads in three years, exciting to see what might be out there. I did a hotel shop with ACL for no reimbursement which was pretty easy (we had a college visit in the location and I needed one more hotel room to get a bonus 25,000 points), I'm going to have to set a three year plan to slowly work my way up to a higher level. Any tips for slowly moving up the food chain?
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January 16, 2018 08:55PM
@tlin wrote:

Any tips for slowly moving up the food chain?

You'l have to pay your dues taking less desirable shops for the companies that will provide those experiences...

Start slow with them while are still working and you can be in a position to apply for larger shops by the time you are ready to cut loose.
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January 17, 2018 02:54AM
@tlin wrote:

Wow - I thought I was a lifestyle shopper, then I read this thread. The last two weeks have been great for shops - I did a movie shop yesterday and saw the Darkest Hour, Seasons 52 the day before and and last week was Ruth Chris and the Cheesecake Factory along with getting my car detailed. Over Christmas we went to Orlando and I picked up a mini golf shop which was fun. But, my day job has become so consuming that I haven't done much more than restaurants, car washes or oil changes for months.

My spouse and I are planning on quitting our jobs to be professional nomads in three years, exciting to see what might be out there. I did a hotel shop with ACL for no reimbursement which was pretty easy (we had a college visit in the location and I needed one more hotel room to get a bonus 25,000 points), I'm going to have to set a three year plan to slowly work my way up to a higher level. Any tips for slowly moving up the food chain?
I thought Cheesecake Factory is no longer shopped...you did it?

Live consciously....
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January 17, 2018 04:59AM
@Irene_L.A. wrote:

@tlin wrote:

Wow - I thought I was a lifestyle shopper, then I read this thread. The last two weeks have been great for shops - I did a movie shop yesterday and saw the Darkest Hour, Seasons 52 the day before and and last week was Ruth Chris and the Cheesecake Factory along with getting my car detailed. Over Christmas we went to Orlando and I picked up a mini golf shop which was fun. But, my day job has become so consuming that I haven't done much more than restaurants, car washes or oil changes for months.

My spouse and I are planning on quitting our jobs to be professional nomads in three years, exciting to see what might be out there. I did a hotel shop with ACL for no reimbursement which was pretty easy (we had a college visit in the location and I needed one more hotel room to get a bonus 25,000 points), I'm going to have to set a three year plan to slowly work my way up to a higher level. Any tips for slowly moving up the food chain?
I thought Cheesecake Factory is no longer shopped...you did it?

I caught that too. winking smiley
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January 17, 2018 01:22PM
smiling smiley It was a shop of the Cheesecake Factory for my local visitors bureau. They have been shopping tourist sites as well as restaurants for the last six months. I'll be sad when it's over since I've been able to pick up several independent restaurants and a museum that would never otherwise be shopped.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/17/2018 01:22PM by tlin.
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