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Vacations 256

Creating EXCEPTIONAL vacations that lead to life-long MEMORIES...

Vacations 256 believes travel is all about bringing home unforgettable experiences. Because there are no “do-overs” for a vacation gone wrong, we will be here for you from the moment you book your trip until after you get home. We understand that time is your most precious resource, so whether it's a small family trip, a large group of friends, a romantic getaway, or a solo adventure, we eliminate the stress of travel planning so you can focus on exploring new places, relaxing, and creating new stories. 

Meet David and Ann

Mission Statement

Vacations256 helps couples and families experience effortless and unforgettable vacations. Our agency is dedicated to creating custom itineraries that deliver exceptional vacation experiences, complete with luxurious touches and extra special surprises. You will experience the world, not just dream about it!

 Meet David and Ann

After enjoying a successful career as a teacher, Ann wanted a career that would combine her love of travel with her organizational skills and keen eye for detail. Whether it's a romantic getaway, family travel, or an adventurous endeavor, she loves designing extraordinary travel journeys for clients. Following retirement, David's role in the company became full time. He has great people skills and loves building relationships with clients so he can prepare a customized travel experience. 

We want every traveler to feel that their vacation is completely tailored to them. We will assist you with every step of the travel planning process from our first conversation to your return home. Our preferred partner status and the personal relationships we've built with suppliers give our clients exclusive amenities, authentic experiences, and VIP treatment when they travel. 

We would love the chance to help with your next weekend getaway or bucket list vacation!


LET'S GET STARTED!

How We Work

We offer full-service travel advisory services including:

  • Consultation and Design- each trip is unique to the client 
  • Booking- hotels, resorts, and villas, air, transportation and private transfers, and tours
  • Concierge Services- restaurant recommendations, culinary arrangements, reservations, special event celebrations, special requests
  • Convenience- we do all the tedious research, double-checking, confirming, and coordination so you don't have to
  • Travel Protection- we offer many plan choices so you can have peace of mind when you travel
  • Personal Touch- we are attentive to your needs, not a 1-800 phone number with voice prompts
  • Extra Perks and Amenities- we try our best to use our connections and work with suppliers on each and every trip to give all of our clients the VIP treatment


Professional Fees
As with any professional service, one expects to pay a fee to receive the value-added from the years of education and experience of the professional advisor. The best travel advisors out there will always charge a professional fee for the time and love put into each and every trip. We are a network of independent business owners; therefore, we all have different fee schedules based on our individual areas of expertise and the level of service we provide. Pricing will also vary based on complexity, length, number of travelers, and other factors.

Trip Design Philosophy

We fully understand and appreciate the value of a great vacation experience and we want to make every vacation you book with us magical, memorable, and priceless. We know everyone has a different budget that they can work with and often times, people are just not aware of the true cost of travel, especially to certain destinations. We focus primarily on VALUE when designing your vacation, rather than PRICE. Of course, we are respectful of your budget, but if we know that for a nominal amount you can have an exponentially better experience, that is something we'll recommend!

Concierge Services

Travel Gift Cards

Limousines

Flytographer Services

Private Villas

International and Domestic Flights

Customized Group Travel 

Honeymoon and Trip Registry 

Luxury Train Tickets   

Shore Excursions   

Travel Protection Plans 

Passport and Visa Services  

Special Needs Equipment

Private Aviation Charters

Sports Tickets

Theater Tickets

  

Travel Blog

Jun 21 2022

Tips to Help You Sleep on Your Next Flight

Planning a trip to a faraway place is exciting, but many travelers dread the long-haul flights. To arrive feeling rested and ready to explore, you’ll need to sleep on the plane, but that can be tricky. Noisy neighbors, turbulence, crying…

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Jun 14 2022

Summer Travel Tips: How To Stay On Your Budget

As you’ve likely heard, travel is booming this year. Because travel restrictions are dropping and places around the world have opened back up, many destinations are going to be sold out or very expensive. That along with soaring gas prices…

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Jun 7 2022

The Best Alaska Summer Experiences

For many people, Alaska is the trip of a lifetime. They want to see the jaw-dropping scenery of unspoiled nature, majestic mountains, glaciers, fjords, crystal clear lakes, waterfalls, and the National Parks. In Alaska, it's still possible to be the…

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May 31 2022

What You Should Know Before Visiting Budapest

Budapest is high on my list of favorite European cities. It is a city of contrasts with culture and quirky blended together. The Danube River flows right through the middle of the city, which is full of beautiful architecture while…

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May 24 2022

Mistakes to Avoid on Your First Trip to Europe

There has been a huge surge of bookings to Europe this summer. Despite the war in Ukraine and the ongoing uncertainty with Covid restrictions, Americans are traveling abroad in record numbers. If you're making your first trip to Europe, avoid…

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May 17 2022

The Five Best All-Inclusive Cruise Lines

Cruising is more popular than ever right now and lots of cruisers are asking for cruise lines that are more all inclusive. These type of cruises can be a great value, and keep you from being nickeled and dimed during…

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May 10 2022

Why Ocean Cruisers Will Love River Cruising

Ocean cruises have long been a popular way to vacation for a lot of reasons. They’re affordable, convenient, and offer travelers a fantastic getaway, usually to multiple destinations. What could be better than that? Well... maybe a river cruise! We…

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May 3 2022

Five Far Flung Destinations You Can Visit Without a Passport

While we at Vacations256 will always suggest investing in a passport, if you don't currently have one, there are still a few far-flung places you can explore. Here are five wonderful destinations to consider.

San Juan, Puerto Rico 
Puerto Rico…

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Apr 26 2022

Travel Nightmare: Losing Your Luggage

You’ve arrived on vacation, but your luggage decided to go its own way. How do you keep from panicking at the thought of a vacation without your clothes and essentials? This happened recently to someone on a trip with us…

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Apr 19 2022

Which is Better: Global Entry or TSA PreCheck?

If you're looking to drastically speed up your travels- these two programs are what you need! They’re both five year memberships and are fairly inexpensive, but they have very different purposes. Here are the basics of both programs and the…

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Apr 12 2022

How to Prepare for Long Flights with Kids

Traveling with kids, especially taking a long international flight, can be tricky—little ones just don't understand the necessary logistics of getting from point A to point B. Of course, you want the experience to be as smooth as possible for…

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Apr 5 2022

Adapt or Convert? 

European vacation planning in our office has really escalated and many of our clients are adventuring abroad soon. One of the questions I get most often is whether travelers will need an adapter or a convertor or both while traveling…

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Apr 5 2022

Adapt or Convert?

European vacation planning in our office has really escalated and many of our clients are adventuring abroad soon. One of the questions I get most often is whether travelers will need an adapter or a convertor or both while traveling…

Read more

Mar 29 2022

What to Expect on a U.S. River Cruise

Over the past decade, European river cruises have been extremely popular. However, fewer people seem to know that there are fantastic river cruising options right here in the USA. You have a choice of great American rivers, such as the…

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Mar 22 2022

Five Things Europeans Do Better Than Us

I've had the privilege of traveling extensively to Europe. For me, savoring their different cuisines and traditions is a delightful experience. I love sharing my experiences because I believe it's important to keep our minds open while traveling. Travel is…

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Mar 15 2022

The Best Way to Visit Europe in 2022

2022 offers many destinations that are now ready for us to enjoy. If Europe has been on your bucket list, it is now open with fewer restrictions. A visit to Europe will offer epic history, fairytale castles, Mediterranean sunsets, and…

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Mar 8 2022

Private Jets Are More Affordable Than You Think 

Once upon a time, only extremely wealthy people chartered private flights. Today that fact has changed and the private jet industry is currently booming. Many people think that the costs of hiring a private plane is out of reach, but…

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Mar 1 2022

Why River Cruises Are So Incredible 

I am three weeks away from my first river cruise since the pandemic began, and to say I'm excited is definitely an understatement. Since discovering this amazing way to see Europe a few years ago, river cruising has become my…

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Feb 22 2022

Is Cruising Right For You? 

Cruising has definitely been in the news lately! If you're new to cruising, and ask a cruising fan whether you should give it a try, chances are you'll get a resounding "Yes, you will love it!" Cruise fans are like…

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Feb 14 2022

Do You Have a Fear of Travel?

Fear can keep us from living our lives and achieving our dreams, and it's one of the most common reasons why people don't travel. People tell me constantly that they would love to travel, but when asked why they don't…

Read more

Feb 8 2022

How to Avoid Winter Flight Nightmares 

You may have heard last week that Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow on Groundhog Day and that's supposed to mean six more weeks of winter. If it's any consolation, Phil's predictions haven't been all that accurate over the years. However…

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Feb 1 2022

What to Expect When Planning an International Trip in 2022 

2021 was not the travel year most of us hoped for, but hopefully 2022 will be a year filled with new travel experiences. Vacations256 has already planned some spectacular vacations for our clients and ourselves and are looking forward to…

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Jan 25 2022

Are Cruise Lines Being Treated Unfairly? 

If you pay attention to cruise news, you know that at the end of December, the CDC announced a recommendation that people avoid cruising. This, of course, comes from the recent rise in cases of the Omicron variant of Covid…

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Jan 18 2022

Tips for a Caribbean Island Vacation

Visiting the Caribbean has never been more popular. Most of the islands have been open throughout the pandemic and the resorts have made it easy to visit. It has been one of the top selling destinations for our agency. If…

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Testimonials

“My family just returned from a trip of a lifetime. If you want to tour Alaska from top to bottom and have no idea how, David is your man. The accommodations that David booked us in were the best any of the stops offered and every place we stayed was fantastic. I can’t find the words to adequately describe the entire vacation. It was everything we had hoped for and more. David also saved us money by helping us book, instead of me trying to do it myself. He listened to all the things we wanted to go and do and then set it up perfectly. Thank you David Jones for a trip of a lifetime!” - N. Groomes
“Thank you, Ann for all your help in planning our St. Lucia trip. We couldn’t have planned it without you. You were so patient and thorough with our many questions and we appreciate your time and effort!” - A. Maddox
“Thank you Ann Jones. Our trip was everything we expected and more. I appreciate your patience with us and cannot tell you what a wonderful vacation it was. Memories of a lifetime- feeling thankful.” - M. King

Ann's Alaskan Adventure

If you want to turn your vacation pictures into a very special souvenir, I highly recommend using My Memorable Moments! This company is owned by a friend of mine, Mike Stansky, and he can turn your vacation photos into a beautiful video. He created one for me not long ago that you can see below. Mike can also post your video directly to YouTube if you'd like so that you can share it on social media. There are more sample videos on the website at www.mymemorablemoments.net.

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Gift Cards

We have exciting news for you! You can now purchase Gift Cards from Vacations256.  It’s easy to give the gift of travel to all your loved ones. This is not your traditional gift card, so here's how it works: 

·You choose the amount you want to give. 

·You choose whether you want the gift to be sent to you or directly to the recipient. 

·You enter a personalized message to be included with your gift. 

·The recipient will contact our office when they are ready to book. 

·Your friend or loved one embarks on their fun adventure!

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