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JANUARY 2018IRELAND AND SCOTLAND

The BuzzAuthentic Ireland and Scotland 2018

Worldview: It's a good time to travel to Ireland and Scotland

Tips and Tricks: Check your credit card: Travel Insurance

Make it With Love: Sticky Toffee Pudding

CLICK HERE to view past issues of The Bella Buzz

Featured Tours 2018:

Authentic Ireland and Scotland2018Aug 12 - 22: Ireland: 10 days Aug 22 - 28: Scotland: 7 days

2018 Concierge Service TravelIdeas

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AUTHENTIC IRELAND AND SCOTLAND. PLEASEJOIN ME IN AUGUST 2018!

Ireland“Céad míle fáilte” means "a hundred thousand welcomes." The Irish are very caring and kind to all they

meet. Enjoying life is something the they treasure and it’s never difficult to find someone ready to share a

good story and good craic (fun). Our tour guides, drivers, barmen and shop keepers entertain our guestswith stories filled with heroic warriors, deadly goddesses, wee fairies and, of course, wickedstepmothers. It's a mystical, magical place full of folklore and fairytales, witty humor and engaging

music. Performances are a big part of our tour. So whether it's a theater performance, a pub crawl orbuskers on the street, Irish music is rich and intricate, with lively combinations of notes and rhythms thatstir the soul.

With 40 shades of green giving way to breathtaking landscapes, from the gentle rolling hills of Kerry to

the windswept beaches and mountains of the wild Atlantic Way, it’s easy to fall in love with the Emerald

Isle.

Here are some of the highlights we'll enjoy:

• The famous sights: The Book of Kells, Temple Bar, St. Patrick's, St. Kevin's Glendalogh and The Rock of

Cashel, The Cliffs of Moher, and Kylemoor Abbey.

• Breathtaking drives: the Wicklow Mountains, the Dingle Peninsula, The Great Atlantic Way, the Burren

and the shores of Galway.

• Traditional Irish activities: Irish music, dancing and singing, Irish cuisine, Guinness, whiskey tours and

tastings, a cooking lesson and Sandy's Pub Crawls

• A stay at a 5-star Irish Castle with golfing, hawk walks, clay shooting, archery, fishing, horseback riding,

hiking and biking.

Scotland.

This week the Scots celebrate Hogmanay. Scottish revelers participate in street festivals, concerts,

parties and bonfires. On the stroke of midnight, doors are open to let the New Year in with friends, familyand neighbors. As a gift, coal is given for warmth, shortbread for abundance and whisky to toast eachother's health in the coming year. Dinner is enjoyed and the party goes until the wee hours of the morn'. "Auld Lang Syne" by Scottish poet Robert Burn, rings through the streets as neighbors reminisce over oldtimes and renew friendships.

I love the Scottish people and their sharp wit and charm, and Edinburgh is one of my favorite cities in the

world. The city's Old Town will transport you to medieval times and its New Town offers both neoclassicalarchitecture and chic, modern boutiques and restaurants. It's the city of great authors: Sir Walter Scott,

who wrote about great heroes and Scottish pride in Rob Roy. Robert Louis Stevenson, who wrote Treasure

Island and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. This is the city that inspired Peter Pan, Sherlock Holmes and of course,

Harry Potter. We tour the Royal Mile enroute to the castle, with the oldest buildings in Edinburgh, a

winding puzzle of closes and alleyways. Almost every corner is chocked full of tales of corpse snatchers,

murderers and scoundrels surviving the gallows.

We'll visit the hollowed grounds of William Wallace and Robert the Bruce, the Picts, the Clans and the

Jacobites. We'll take beautiful drives through bens, glens, lochs and moors of the Highlands and the

jagged shores of Oban and the Inner Hebrides.

Here are some of the highlights we'll enjoy:• The famous sights: The Royal Mile, Aurthur's Seat, House of the Holyrood, Edinburgh Castle, St.

Andrews Golf Club and Stirling Castle

• Breathtaking drives: the Highlands, the shores of Loch Linnhe, the gateway to Ben Nevis, the U.K.’s

highest peak, and the islands of the Inner Hebrides to see over 250 different bird species, whales,

porpoises and dolphins.

• All things Scottish: Highland cows (or coos) the cutest beasts ever, the beautiful color combinations oftartans, men in kilts, bagpipes, Walker's shortbread, wool and cashmere sweaters,

• Scotch tours and tastings. And in the spirit of spinning a great yarn ... yes, I do say that I enjoy a wee

dram of the “Spirit of Life.” Irish BlessingMay the road rise to meet you,

May the wind be always at your back,

May the sun shine warm upon your face,

May the rains fall soft upon your fields,

And, until we meet again …

May God hold you in the palm of his hand.

Please join me August 2018 in Ireland or Scotland, or combine them both. Detailed itineraries and

Registration Forms are now available.

Sandy Gregory, CITM

Intrepid Traveler, Tour Director and Owner

www.chebellatours.com

sandy@chebellatours.com

303-596-4563

WORLDVIEWWhy it's a Great Time to Travel to

Ireland and Scotland

1. It's easy to get to. The flight from the East Coast to Ireland is six hours — roughly the same flight

time as a nonstop between New York and Los Angeles. There’s arguably never been a better time to book

a flight. Recently, budget carriers such as WOW Air and Norwegian Air have joined the ranks of Aer Lingus

and the major American airlines in offering flights from the US to Ireland.

2. The dollar is strong. (As of today, 1 Euro = $1.20). With the dollar currently stronger than at any

point in the last decade - and not looking set to change any time soon - now is the perfect time to book a

trip.

3. It's safe. Ireland and Scotland are peaceful and quiet. A 2017 study carried out by the Institute for

Economics & Peace has determined that Ireland is one of the top 10 safest countries in the world using

three domains of peacefulness: 1. ongoing domestic and international conflict; 2. level of harmony or

discord within a nation; and 3. indicators related to militarization. There are no tornados, eathquakes, wild

fires, gang wars, serial killers, road rage shootings or other events that flood our nightly news shows in

the U.S.

The US continues to be Scotland’s biggest international market for inbound tourism. While the midges

(similar to mosquitoes) may eat you, the rain may drown you and the fanatical football fans may give you

a drunken bear hug, that is pretty much as dangerous as it gets.

4. It's not too hard to track your heritage. It is true that a lot of priceless records were lost in the

1922 fire at the Public Record Office in Dublin, but an awful lot of other sources were not stored there and

have survived. You can go to https://www.irishgenealogy.ie/en/ to get started. The National Archives are

located in Dublin.

It’s possible to carry out in-depth research on any family tree via official websites such as Scotlands

People. You can also pay a visit to the National Records of Scotland in Edinburgh. It has registers of

births, deaths, marriages, divorces, civil partnerships, dissolutions and adoptions from across the country.

It also offers a dedicated family research guide to all those looking to shine a light on their ancestors’

past.

5. The cuisine is much better than you think. Irish stew, fish and chips and Guinness pie – they're all

great dishes. But on our tour, you'll find a new wave of creative Irish cuisine fueled by artisan producers,

innovative chefs and world-class ingredients such as super-fresh oysters, mussels and scallops,

venison, beef, sea vegetables, rich Irish butter and my guests' favorite, sticky toffee pudding.

Most people know about haggis, whiskey and shortbread, but there's an awful lot more to Scotland's

cuisine than that. With a long tradition of farming and 10,000 miles of coastline, Scotland's beef, lamb,

salmon and game are outstanding.

TIPS AND TRICKSYour Credit Card may provide the travel insurance benefits.

I highly recommend travel insurance to all of my guests and give guidelines in my Preparing for Your Trip

Guide. Depending on the credit card you used to pay for your trip, your issuer's built-in, free travel

insurance might be available to you. These travel insurance benefits shouldn’t be a replacement for more

comprehensive coverage, but it is worth looking in to. Some cards require that you pay the entire cost of

your trip on the card to qualify for coverage, while others settle for just a portion of the trip.

Only about 15 percent of credit cards offer travel cancellation insurance, so it’s worth calling your

provider. There are three main categories of air travel insurance included with credit cards, although not

all cards offer all of them:

Trip interruption or delay. Your flight is interrupted or delayed after departure due to a "covered

reason"—typically one or more (but not always all) of the following: illness, injury, labor strikes, equipment

failure or weather.

Trip cancellation. When you have to cancel a trip before departure. You or a traveling companion or

immediate family member becomes ill or injured before departure and you need to cancel your plans.

Lost or delayed baggage. The airline loses your checked bag, someone steals something from your

carry-on bag in flight, you leave something on the plane or train, or your bag is not lost but merely delayed

upon arrival. Different cards define a delay differently: for some it's just four hours, for another it might be

12 hours.

A tip: When you are packing, split the contents of your luggage with your traveling companion. If one of

your suitcases is lost enroute, all is not lost and you will have enough clothes to get through until your bag

is delivered.

Here are some cards that offer travel insurance benefits:

Chase Ink Business Preferred

Chase Ink Business Preferred

Chase Saphire Preferred

American Express

MAKE IT WITH LOVESticky Toffee Pudding

In the town of Killarney, we enjoy an included dinner at a charming country-style restaurant. It’s one of

my favorite restaurants in Ireland, and their sticky toffee pudding has been a hands-down favorite of

many of my guests. Here is the traditional recipe. I know those of you who enjoyed it on my tour will be

eager to make it at home. Enjoy the recipe.

At Che Bella Tours, we are truly invested in delighting our guests. We become energized when they rave

about having the time of their lives. We ask you to join us in communicating the difference we bring by

forwarding this newsletter on to a friend and liking us on Facebook.

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