Top Ten Reasons to Book Your Vacation

Are you planning on traveling in the next 6-12 months? Well, so is everyone else… As the light turns green to travel freely, there is a huge rush to book long-lost and well-deserved vacations coming up. Don’t get lost in the madness and start planning! Here are the top ten reasons to book NOW:

1. SUPPLY AND DEMAND

With social distancing protocols, there will be limited inventory and less stateroom accommodations to select from, creating more demand than supply. To ensure you get the exact accommodations you want, it’s best to plan ahead. 2. FLEXIBLE CANCELLATION POLICIES

Take advantage of flexible cancellations before they are gone. Now is the time to book your future vacation because cruise and tour companies have very flexible cancellation policies in place, some even extend through 2023. 3. PRICE MATTERS

It’s simple: book early, lock in lower pricing. 4. DON’T MISS OUT ON YOUR BUCKET LIST VACATION!

Destinations such as Alaska will have had a 2-year pause on sailing by the time

Alaskan cruises resume. That’s three years of pent-up demand! Book now or you might have to wait another whole year to travel to the places you’ve been dreaming of. Secure your spot for 2022 now while there is availability. 5. STOP STREAMING

After a year+ of staring at your TV screen, there’s nothing you need more than a change of scenery. 6. DEALS, DEALS, DEALS!

To welcome you back to the world of vacationing, resorts, tour companies, and cruise lines are offering better-than-ever deals and exclusive offers. This is only for a limited time, and prices and offers will expire! 7. VACATIONING IS GOOD FOR YOUR HEALTH!

Studies suggest that going on vacation improves reaction time and people who vacation generally live longer (and we would argue fuller) lives. 8. VACATION REJUVENATION

There’s no better time to refresh and renew. Shake off 2020 and revitalize your mind, body and soul with a getaway. You’ll come back feeling better than ever. 9. GET THE BIGGEST BANG FOR YOUR BUCK

Don't wait – your Travel Advisor can help you navigate through the many travel offers and understand any new policies or safety protocols for your specific itinerary. We are trained to help you find the best value; for example, it may be a better value to choose a more inclusive cruise option, or perhaps bundle airfare, cruise and hotel. 10. YOU SNOOZE, YOU LOSE Simply put, procrastinating on booking your vacation most likely will mean another year of your couch. Don’t get shut out – after this year, you deserve it!

Nish Verma is your local & personal Travel Advisor who helps fill your buckle list. Contact him at (908) 517-1107 or follow him on Facebook & Instagram wirh handle @letsglobetrotcp.

For inspirations and ideas, visit his website www.LetsGlobetrot.com

AGE Eldercare has launched a virtual library on its

Swebsite, sageeldercare.org.

It includes exclusive SAGE exercise, entertainment and educational videos. Supported by a $10,000 grant from The Grotta Fund, the goal of the library is to ease the loneliness and isolation many older adults and caregivers are continuing to experience due to the pandemic. The library is available to SAGE clients as well as to the public.

Advocating on behalf of the elderly for 100 years, The Grotta Fund for Senior Care is an advisory council fund at the Jewish Community Foundation of Greater MetroWest. It has a history of supporting organizations that help improve the lives of older adults and their caregivers. SAGE also received a $10,000 grant from the fund last summer.

“The loneliness that many older adults and caregivers are still experiencing due to COVID-19 is heartbreaking,” said SAGE’s grant writer, Ellen Tepper. “We are deeply appreciative of the Grotta Fund for allowing us to create this engaging selection of content to help provide something fun and entertaining for those who need it.”

Within the library, video topics include chair exercises, gentle yoga and meditation. The entertainment section ranges from show tunes to Motown hits, while education includes webinars from SAGE’s Your Decisions Matter. For information, email swirth@sageeldercare.org.

VIRTUAL LIBRARY OPEN -- Content on a Grotta Fund-sponsored SAGE virtual library includes exercise, entertainment and educational videos. Musical selections range from show tunes to Motown, including a performance by Jackie Jones, who has performed throughout the U.S. and in Russia, Germany, Portugal and Switzerland, and teaches jazz voice at NJPAC in Newark.

Berkeley Heights has been designated a Tree City USA by the Arbor Day Foundation.

The designation was achieved because the community met the program’s four requirements: 1. Having a tree board or department 2. Having in place a tree care ordinance 3. Possessing an annual community forestry budget of at least $2 per capita and 4. Hosting an Arbor Day observance accompanied by an official proclamation.

According to Dan Lambe, president of the Arbor Day Foundation, “Tree City USA communities see the impact an urban forest has on a community first-hand. The trees being planted and cared for by Berkeley Heights are ensuring that generations to come will enjoy a better quality of life.” Additionally, Mr. Lambe noted, participating in the program brings residents together and “creates a sense of civic pride, whether it’s through volunteer engagement or public education.”

Arbor Day Foundation officials noted that if ever there were a time for trees, it is now.

“Communities world-wide are facing issues with air quality, water resources, personal health and well-being, energy use and protection from extreme heat and flooding,” Mr. Lambe said. “The Arbor Day Foundation recently launched the ‘Time for Trees’ initiative to address these issues, with unprecedented goals of planting 100 million trees in forests and communities and inspiring five million tree planters by 2022.”

Berkeley Heights officials noted that with the Tree City designation, the township has demonstrated its commitment to effective urban forest management and is doing its part to help address these challenges for Berkeley Heights residents now and in the future.

The Arbor Day Foundation is a million-member, non-profit conservation and education organization whose mission is to inspire people to plant, nurture and celebrate trees. For details, visit arborday.org.

WITH A FEW CLICKS, ALL INVITED TO POST & SEEK LOCAL JOBS ON THE CHAMBER’S WEBSITE

The Suburban Chamber of Commerce has launched a free online job posting page on its website, suburbanchambers.org. Access is available to all.

“The page is easy to navigate for both employers and those seeking employment,” said Karen Hadley, executive director of the Chamber. “Once you open the tab labeled ‘Area Job Postings,’ click the plus sign in the upper right corner to submit a new posting.” Listings feature space for a job description, and can be searched by candidates who will then contact the poster directly.

Mrs. Hadley said the Chamber also welcomes submissions to its website’s calendar of events.

“It is our goal in the future that these events will once again be posted in our magazine, The Collection, but in the meantime, we welcome all to visit the website and post events and community happenings there,” she said.

DAVID DIETZE

of Peapack Wealth Management provided our annual start of the year First Friday kickoff with an update and projection of what to expect from the markets.

Even though they could not join us in person – Mayors NORA RADEST (Summit) ANGIE DEVANNEY (Berkeley Heights) and AL MORGAN (New Providence) -- our three local Mayor’s were on our Zoom platform to review how their administrations were handling the COVID issues as well as all the other ongoing issues

HELEN LAWLER

the President and Managing Member of InspiorMX, LLC helped us navigate the changing landscape of consumer behavior

SUSANA FONTICOBA

Consultant providing a primer on how to move prospects to clients with targeted content on various medial platform.

ANDREW FRAZIER

empowered our attendees on how to Maximize the Value of their companies by helping them Grow Revenue, Increase Profitability, and Obtain Financing. He provided some guides along the critical path to create a sustainable business that can run without them through coaching, consulting, and training.

We are planning our fall season! Isn’t it time your business joined the Suburban Chamber of Commerce?

Visit our website to sign up, call Karen Hadley at 908-522-1700 and don’t miss our next event!

The nearby Watchung Reservation Sensory Trail is open to all, seven days a week from dawn to dusk, free of charge. The first of its kind in the county, the trail is described by Union County Commissioners as “the most extensive one in the nation.” It is behind Trailside Nature and Science Center in Mountainside and is designed to provide sensory stimulation and interaction, and to meet the physical, social and cognitive needs of varied age groups. Accessible to all, the trail is a 0.3-mile loop and features a central gazebo. Interpretive signs include two “talking kiosks” that highlight both the natural and human history of the Watchung Reservation. There are sounds from nature, including birds and insects, and sounds that represent the Lenape Indians, who once occupied the reservation.

The gazebo boasts a sensory play area for children, who are also invited to crawl through log, traverse mushroom steppers and take a stroll on a balance beam that looks like a tree branch.

Musical components along the way include drums and a xylophone, and also available for touch are wheels and balls, plus raised garden beds designed for both touch and smell.

The trail stretches from Union County’s Trailside Center into surrounding fields and includes two outdoor classrooms where naturalists are able to gather groups and make presentations.

In addition, the area features a 0.2-mile Braille loop with guide ropes. There are multiple stops In 2018, Union County created an Office for People with Special Needs, which has been expanding resources and activities while working with local organizations to build connections that will benefit people with special needs.