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Archive for December, 2010

Are you getting ready to plan your first trip to the island of Jamaica? If so, you will soon see that all-inclusive resorts and inclusive travel packages come highly rated and recommended. You usually get a better trip, it is easier to make your travel plans, and you should get a better value for your money. All-inclusive travel packages sound great, don’t they?

Since this is your first-time traveling to Jamaica, you may wonder what all-inclusive resorts and travel packages include. What do you get? A lot. Although these resorts and travel packages do vary, there are many common inclusions. They should and are likely to include:

Your Room or Suite

Of course, a stay at an all-inclusive resort includes your overnight accommodations. Luckily, you get more than just a traditional hotel room. All-inclusive resorts are classified as luxury resorts. More money is usually spent on décor and upkeep. Many travelers report feeling like royalty, even when staying in a standard room. However, you can upgrade if you would like. All resorts have luxury suites available for a reasonable fee. It is very easy to upgrade your all-inclusive travel package.

Your Food, Snacks, and Drinks

Most all-inclusive resorts will include the cost of your food and drinks. Great resorts will include your snacks too. The key to getting the most out of this inclusion is to pick your resort wisely. In terms of food, large resorts are best. They should have more onsite restaurants, snack bars, and drinking bars to choose from. A Jamaica hotel or resort with only one onsite restaurant is likely to cost you more money in the long-run. You may get bored with the choices after the second or third day. This boredom may cause you to eat elsewhere, where you must pay for your food. Unfortunately, your travel package already included food, meaning you pay for your dinner twice. Avoid making this mistake.

Your Tips

Tipping is considered standard practice at many vacation resorts and hotels. It is also common practice in the Caribbean. However, some all-inclusive and super-inclusive resorts take care of this for you. Many include tipping in with the cost of your stay. What does this mean? It simplifies the process of planning your trip. It also makes it easier to stay on budget. You shouldn’t have to pay cash for your dinner and since you prepaid for the tip, you can leave your wallet back in your room safe. At some resorts, tipping is optional. In these cases, you should provide a small tip when it appears that an employee went above and beyond to help.

Land Based Activities

The uniqueness of all-inclusive resorts and inclusive travel packages is the activities that are included. To examine these activities, we will start with land based activities. The land based activities available to you depends on the resort in question. What facilities do they have available? A Jamaica resort with an onsite golf course should include the cost of green fees in with your stay. A Jamaica resort with an onsite tennis court and fitness center should let you use these facilities without paying extra. When examining land based inclusions, look for fees. Certain extras, like a massage at the spa, will cost extra.

Water Based Activities

To make use of water based activities, you should opt for a beachfront resort in Jamaica. This opens up a world of opportunities for you. Of course, most resorts have onsite swimming pools. In fact, it is common to find floating or nearby bars. What you want to look for is water based activities in the ocean or along the coastline. It is common for all-inclusive and super-inclusive resorts to include the cost of snorkeling, scuba diving, and windsurfing. If these are listed as inclusions, and not just available activities, all rental fees are waived, as they were actually included in the cost of your stay.

As you can see, a lot is included with a stay at an all-inclusive resort in Jamaica or when booking an all-inclusive travel package. So, what are you waiting for? Do you want to get the best value for your money, simplify the process of planning your trip, and have the Caribbean vacation of a lifetime? If so, inclusive is the way to go.

When planning a family vacation getaway, the choices can be overwhelming. What should you do? Where should you go? To make life easier, these questions should be answered before you start planning. Let’s take a few minutes and help you answer these questions before you get started with the planning.

What Should You Do?

How does skiing fresh powder of Vail’s Blue Sky Basin, or relaxing in the white sand of Hawaii’s beaches and hitting a hole in one at one of Myrtle Beach’s many golf courses sound to you? Ski, beach and golf vacations are great choices for families.

Skiing Vacations

Many resorts offer a plethora of activities for you and your family. While you are skiing fresh powder, your children can be supervised by a certified ski instructor while enrolled in ski school. After that lesson, you can meet up with them and they will be happy to show you what they learned. When the day ends, be sure to explore the town. Ski towns are notorious for some of the best shopping and fine dining. If you want to take a day off from skiing to catch your breath, try ice skating, toboggan runs or just sit by a fire with a good book. When it comes time to plan a ski vacation, try to plan at least 5 to 6 months ahead of time. This is when you can find the best deals and you shouldn’t have to worry about the hotel you want to stay in, completely booked. I have found that a little research goes a long way. After you choose your hotel, see if they have any packages or specials available. Most of the time hotels and resorts will offer a bit of a discount on lift tickets and other activities. If a special or package is not available, make sure to buy your lift tickets in bulk to save some money. Try to buy a 3 or 4 day pass versus buying individual tickets each day. Often times, these lift tickets will be good for more than 1 resort in the area.

Ski Vacation Destinations.

The Rocky Mountains of Colorado offer many good resorts to choose from. Some favorites include Telluride, Vail and Breckenridge. Telluride Ski Resort was built in the 1970′s and along with it came cultural events, festivals, music and more. People come to this town year after year for the wonderful skiing and other fun activities.

If skiing is what you are all about, Vail is the place to go! It has just been named number 1 for the 14th time in 19 years in Ski Magazines “Top 50 Resort Guide”. Vail offers world class skiing, fabulous nightlife and many fine dining options.

Breckenridge is a 147 year old Victorian town. People flocked to this town in the 1800′s in search of riches in the form of gold. Now this town is a haven for skiers of all types. This town offers many activities for families and travelers.

Beach Vacations

Beach resorts can be perfect for your next family vacation getaway. Some of the best resorts are in Mexico, the Caribbean, and Hawaii.

Mexico

Los Cabos is one of Mexico’s most popular vacation destinations. It is located at the southern tip of the Baja California Peninsula. Los Cabos features luxury hotels, championship golf courses and some of the best sport fishing in the world. Other activities include snorkeling, scuba diving, surfing, kayaking and much more.

The Caribbean

The Cayman Islands offer many things for many people. 99% of the travelers visit Grand Cayman Island. It is easy to see why people go here. Of the islands this island offers the most when it comes to resorts and hotels. The fabulous snorkeling and scuba diving is not to be missed. When diving, you will think you are in a pet shop aquarium. The fish are abundant and the stingrays are gentle and fun to watch. If time permits, rent a Jeep and cruise around the Island.

Hawaii

Hawaii offers many choices for the traveling family. Each island is unique and offers something for everyone. Kauai is less touristy but still offers much to do. The surfing and snorkeling are not to be missed. Be sure to take a day and drive up to Waimea Canyon. This canyon offers many photo opportunities, and spots to get out and hike near beautiful waterfalls. Maui offers white sand beaches perfect for sunbathing and relaxing. Maui also offers great sightseeing and wonderful shopping. Of the islands, Hawaii, also known as “The Big Island” is the largest. Here you can visit the only active volcanoes of the Hawaiian Islands. You will also find wonderful resorts, pristine beaches, great nightlife, fine dining and shopping.

Golf Vacations

Right about now, you may be thinking “How can a golf vacation be good for my whole family?” Well, many golf resorts offer more than just golf. While you are out hitting the lynx, your family can be enjoying a beach, pool, or shopping. When you are done on the course you can meet up and head to one of the many fine dining establishments near your resort. Many golf vacations can be combined with a beach getaway. Mexico, Hawaii and the United States offer some of the best golf near some of the best beaches. These resorts offer many different specials and packages that can be tailored to fit your specific wishes.

Whatever your next vacation entails for you, you will not be disappointed with any one of the recommendations above. Be sure to see all you can see. The bottom line is to enjoy yourself and relax!

Expect weather delays if you’re headed North for holidays
If you’re flying off to a white Christmas or New Year’s vacation, better prepare for the less-fun part of the season: weather delays.

The World is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page.

~St. Augustine

Travel can bring you the most memorable experiences, regardless of whether it is just a church outing or a boy scouts romp; or a student tour, and sporting event. Travel is a learning experience, and the best thing to be found in our expeditions, is an honest friend to share it with. Traveling is a quest, which you wouldn’t want to accomplish all alone. Travel, especially for young students, is all about exploring the world together!

Youth group travel fulfills the need felt to isolate oneself from family and companions and go to new places, to be open to new influences and changes. Group travel is all about tapping into the collective intelligence of other like-minded travelers, to take truly memorable trips. However, for a group travel experience that you want to cherish for a lifetime, vacation-planning is necessary. To do all the arrangement and scheduling for your travel group, Prep Traveler is a great pick!

Prep traveler is an online community that acts as your guide, a comprehensive one stop resource for destination information; an open-source portal, where travelers can edit and add information about different destinations, according to their personal experiences. Have a favorite sight, restaurant, or hotel? Irked about long lines, lousy food, or bad service? Express yourself or find out what others think before you go.

Prep traveler tells you about the not-to-miss attractions, facilities, nature trails, adventure spots, shopping arcades to get best deals, cheap travel and accommodation, restaurants and clubs, and anything else, a youth group would be interested in. Prep Traveler will also work with you to structure a fundraising program to make sure that your group receives an excellent value, and achieves desired results. Prep Traveler offers personalized version of travel planning, which is becoming increasingly popular!

HotelTravel.com’s Truly Amazing 2011 Travel Predictions
HotelTravel.com is welcoming 2011 with its annual list of unbelievable travel predictions for the New Year. Some exciting trends and phrases poised to enter the travel lexicon next year include Fly by the Pound, TSA Smackdown, Spamcations, Fuelbys, Payotels and the return of the humble road trip…

Culture is a process that does not arise in a matter of a month or a year. It is a phenomenon that constantly evolves with time and defines the identity, habits, customs and traditions of a particular country. In this respect, it can be precisely said that roots of Indian culture can be traced right from the Vedic period to the medieval era. Even the modern times strongly represent the Indian way of thinking. Cultural Tours of India take you to significant breeding places of Indian arts and crafts, customs and rituals, way of dressing, cuisines, Ayurveda, Yoga, and meditation that have found fans all over the world since times immemorial. A visit to the different regions of the country helps an individual explore the elements of Indian culture. In this context, a visit to the royal soil of Rajasthan induces a feeling of amazement because the fortresses and palaces dating back to the time of the fearless Rajputs are stupendous pieces of architecture. With cutting edge designs and impeccable manual constructions, the monuments are worth every bit of appreciation that they obtain. Rajasthan is also known for its beautiful temples and equally warm natives. The magnificent Rajput skills got Indian architecture noticed on global fronts when merged with another important element, which is the aristocratic Mughal culture. The Mughal reign gave Indian culture some of its most precious belongings, including the Taj Mahal, to start off with. Its charisma deserves no special mention. Even a child living in the Polar Regions is well versed with its beauty and marvelous architecture. In addition to the Taj, tourists can look forward to the Agra fort, Humayun’s tomb and the Fatehpur Sikri to name a few. They are some of the most coveted Mughal contributions. Culture is also associated with education and learning because education brings about a steady evolution in the thought process. In this respect, some legendary educational institutions are the ones that must be visited by tourists to explore the patterns that existed at that point of time. Eternal examples include the Vishwa Bharti University in West Bengal and the Nalanda University in Bihar which is, in fact, the oldest University of India. Amidst various prosperous colleges functioning in the country, the National Defence Academy and the Indian Military Academy deserve utmost regards since they train cadets to stand for the sovereignty of their motherland. Immense attachment to religion is an aspect which constitutes an important element of Indian culture. The places of religious interest in the country irrespective of temples, mosques or churches undertake continuous initiatives to uplift the downtrodden. The Lotus Temple, Golden Temple, Jama Masjid or St.Paul’s Cathedral are architectural delights. However, they must be visited not only for their constructional splendor, but also to witness the selfless services that the authorities undertake for the welfare of mankind. These activities represent the true spirit of India and the substance of its culture. The frolic element of the country is represented by the diverse forms of music, dances and festivals. Any festival, irrespective of the religion sets the country in a mood for celebration and brings in a lot of oneness. The Maha Rasa Lila in Mathura and Vrindavan appeals to onlookers at various levels – ranging from fun and youthful romance to absolutely divine and spiritual. The cultural tours of India display India’s strength in the unity and brotherhood of its diverse diaspora – an immortal asset exuding the spirit of oneness.

Bill White promoted at Colonial Williamsburg
WILLIAMSBURG – Colonial Williamsburg has named Bill White the vice president for its productions, publications and learning ventures division. He succeeds Richard McCluney, who is retiring at the end of the month after 27 years with the foundation.

If you want to vacation in the Caribbean, you will have an important decision to make. That decision is where you want to stay; what type of overnight accommodation would you prefer? If you need help making that decision, please keep reading on for a summary of your Caribbean staying options.

All-inclusive resorts: Hands down, all-inclusive resorts are the most preferred method of staying in the Caribbean. Why is that exactly? It has to do with what you get from your stay. While you might find a variance from all-inclusive resort to all-inclusive resort, here is what your stay typically includes: your room, your food, your snacks, your drinks, a good percentage of your on site activities, and your tips.

Since you do get more when you stay at an all-inclusive resort in the Caribbean, you will notice a higher cost. Keep in mind though that the cost is only higher upfront. As you will see below, a stay at a traditional hotel typically just includes your room. If you are lucky, you might get a free breakfast. That is all you get. Your tips, food, snacks, drinks, and entertainment are not included in the cost so of course it is going to be less at least initially.

Another benefit of opting for a stay at an all-inclusive resort in the Caribbean is that you can find the perfect resort. Unlike hotels or vacation resorts that enable guests of all ages to stay on site, you will see that many resorts have restrictions. You will find resorts that have age restrictions, those that are designed for families with fun scheduled and age-appropriate events, and more!

Vacation resorts: Vacation resorts in the Caribbean are very similar to all-inclusive resorts. In fact, they are basically the same minus the all-inclusive status. A resort is designed to provide you with a lot to do and see right on site. This is very convenient.

The biggest upside to opting for a traditional vacation resort in the Caribbean that doesn’t come with all-inclusive status is the fact that you don’t pay for things you don’t need. Lets say you don’t want to go snorkeling, you just decide not to pay for it. If you want to go snorkeling, you pay for it. With all-inclusive resorts, all the included activities were included in the cost of your stay regardless of whether you use them or not.

The biggest downside to opting for a stay at a vacation resort that isn’t all-inclusive is the fact that you must do some additional planning and budgeting. With all-inclusive vacations, your one travel arrangement plans and pays for most of your trip. You don’t need to worry about allocating funds for your food, funds for your airline reservations, and so forth. Since these are not included in with your stay at a traditional resort, you must make the plans separately.

Private vacation rentals: As you can imagine, staying at a private Caribbean vacation rental has a long list of benefits. For example, you get added privacy, you are in control, and so forth. While many vacationers would prefer to rent a private Caribbean vacation home or condo, many are unable to do so. Why is this?

First, there aren’t nearly as many as private vacation rentals in the Caribbean as there are available resort rooms. Some of the best private rentals must be booked months and months in advance. Then, there is the cost factor; you can pay double or even triple the cost of a stay at a traditional hotel or resort to get a private rental.

As you can see, you have a number of options when it comes to vacationing in the Caribbean. So which overnight accommodation is the best for you? I can’t give you an answer. Personally, we are favorable to all-inclusive resorts because you can get a great deal and have everything you could possible want and need on your trip right at your fingertips. However, you need to make the decision that best fits your wants and needs. This might be an all-inclusive Caribbean resort, it might be a traditional hotel, or it might be a private condo rental.

Royal Caribbean head has Main Line roots
After graduating from Conestoga High School in 1977, Adam Goldstein, who lives in Miami, Fla., has gone on to become the president and CEO of Royal Caribbean International. While his success is not solely due to his Main Line upbringing, Goldstein does attribute his education as significant in preparing him for his career.