Travel plan idea blog

Offseason and shoulder season Europe vacation deals

Here's an article on finding travel deals in Europe in non-summer months:

Europe's offseason, from late October through April, is full of deals for the smart traveler. Better yet, you'll avoid the crowds that can make a European vacation insufferable in the summer.

The article goes on to mention some countries to look at (Austria, Ireland, Germany, Greece and Iceland) and some advice (like packing layers since it gets cold in Iceland during the winter).

If you can't handle the offseason, try the shoulder season, right before the high season for "decent weather, smaller crowds and better prices."

Does a city's relative safety influence your travel plans?

Two days ago when I wrote about Aruba, and even more when I wrote about Aruba before that, I got some comments about how it's too dangerous there. With the new Morgan Quitno Press ranking of most dangerous US cities coming out, I started wondering how many people use these rankings to determine travel plans?

For example, would you go to St. Louis now that it has "beaten" Camden, New Jersey and been ranked America's most dangerous city? Would you go to Detroit knowing that it is ranked the second most dangerous US city?

I'm sure that much of the crime happens in non-touristy areas, but St. Louis and Detroit both just dropped a bit on my list of places to visit.

Cruise options & deals

I have an article on how cruise lines are offering more and more options. This article talks about cruises from 2 to 126 days long. They also talk about Norwegian Cruise Lines Freestyle Cruising, Royal Caribbean's restaurant options, and Easycruise's a la carte menu.

Then there are some Celebrity Cruise deals:

MEXICAN RIVIERA - 11 NT CRUISE - OCEANVIEW $799 - Sail from San Diego and visit Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlan, Puerto Vallarta, Acapulco, Ixtapa & Manzanillo - January 2007 aboard Mercury

SOUTHERN CARIBBEAN - 10 NT CRUISE - OCEANVIEW $749 - Sail from San Juan and visit Tortola, St. Maarten, St. Lucia, Barbados, Grenada, Curacao & Aruba - January & March, 2007 aboard Galaxy

WESTERN CARIBBEAN - 10 NT CRUISE - OCEANVIEW $799 - Sail from Tampa and visit Grand Cayman, Costa Rica, Colon, Roatan & Cozumel - January & February, 2007 aboard Zenith

EUROPE - 14 NIGHT CRUISE & STAY - BALCONY $1,349 - Visit Cork & Dublin, Ireland; Cornwall, England & Paris, France during your 12 night cruise, then stay 2 nights in London

Aruba vacation ideas

On Jan. 8, 2007, new US passport initiatives will require US citizens to travel to / from Aruba with passports. Aruba doesn't want to lose US tourists so some hotels have specials planned:

Westin Aruba Resort, Spa & Casino - $50 food and beverage credit per person, per stay. Valid through 2007. Contact: 1.866.978.5792

Renaissance Aruba Resort & Casino - $75 food and beverage credit per room. Valid through 2007. Contact: 1.888.PARADISE

Amsterdam Manor Beach Resort - $25 food and beverage credit per person, per stay (minimum of five-nights). Valid January 3through December 17, 2007. Contact: 1.800.932.6509

MVC Eagle Beach - $25 food and beverage credit per person, per stay (minimum five-night stay).Valid January 3through December 17, 2007. Contact: 011.297.587.0110

Boardwalk Boutique Hotel Aruba - $50 car rental voucher per person for guests staying five nights or more. Valid for reservations made now through December 31, 2006 for travel through 2007. Contact: 011.297.586.1836

If those discounts aren't enough, try to win the Newsday Aruba Marriott contest (open only to subscribers).

If you want to go to Aruba sooner, Aruba is hosting the sixth annual International Aruba Beach Tennis Open scheduled for November 3 - 5, 2006. "For three days, over 350 tennis lovers are expected to hit the powdery beaches of Aruba at Moomba Beach and enjoy live music, barbeques, dance shows, and more." Sounds pretty interesting.

Don't forget my old entries: Aruba restaurant recommendations and Aruba hotels & timeshares.

Spa, Belgium vacation ideas: Grand Prix, Saint Remacle, healthy water, and more

"Spa" is a town in Belgium's Ardennes Forest. The town of Spa has pure, natural, iron-rich waters that are low in salt. The ancient Romans discovered Spa and its special water, "the purest water in the world". These days many buildings in Spa need to be restored but one can certainly find spa resorts and a few other tourist attractions.

With the right timing, you can also use Spa as your starting point to see the Grand Prix of Belgium at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit. This race features one of the most difficult corners in all of Formula 1. September 16, 2007 is your next chance.

You still get to see some European architecture in Spa, like Saint Remacle, a beautiful grey-stone Basilica in the center of town. Inside it holds a large organ and some wonderful windows; if the sun is right, the light inside is wonderful.

Also in the town center, you can see the Spa Casino and "Les Bains" or the Bath House. It's not the only Bath House, but it is the most famous and you and I are not allowed inside (well I'm not - if you're rich and famous please leave us a comment and tell us what it's like in there).

You can visit Pouhon Pierre le Grand, the well where Tsar Peter the Great drank to improve his digestive system. It worked so well he gave the town of Spa a statue of himself to say thank you. Peter the Great also drank from Source Géronstère. The water here is rich in sulfur.

Halloween travel ideas: haunted mansions, bars & churches

People like to visit haunted houses on Halloween, but that's certainly not all. Here are some sample travel destinations:

Yes, fans of the macabre - Halloween is in full swing at East Hartford's Haunted Mansion at the Veterans Memorial Clubhouse and the experience is Spooktacular! Please remember that this is a quote from the article - I would never write a word like spooktacular.

The tour, which runs at 7 p.m. on Friday, Saturday and Monday, begins at the old Tavern Museum, possibly "the most haunted building in North Georgia," according to University professor William Bender in "Haunted Atlanta and Beyond."

Ghost hunters will get their chance to investigate Beauregard Parish's Old Gothic Jail, where two convicted killers were executed nearly eight decades ago.

Is anyone here traveling for Halloween? I'm not, but I'd love to hear your haunted house and ghost hunting stories!

Most popular US and international vacation spots

There's a unique mix of travel related information in this Chicago Tribune article. They mention that "Taking a Caribbean cruise was the top international vacation, but five Mexican destinations were in the top 10: Cancun, the Riviera Maya, Cabo San Lucas/Los Cabos, Puerto Vallarta and Playa del Carmen. Jamaica and the Dominican Republic placed in the top 10 as well, along with London and Rome, which climbed to fourth place this year from seventh place in the top 10 last year.

Three other Italian destinations, Florence, Tuscany and Venice, were in the top 20 international destinations."

They also talk about popular US destinations, Disney's world tour, a new museum in Berlin, and Medicare coverage for travelers (this Medicare coverage sounds very limited so I don't think you'll want to rely on it).

Santiago to Cape Horn: Winter into Summer in December

Our flight from DFW to Santiago took us over Central America, the Gulf of Panama, across the equator along the coasts of Equador and Peru where lights were visible. We landed in Santiago in daylight.

The approach was gradual and long over some of the most inhospitable land I had ever seen, a suitable guardian of the Andes that rose in snow-capped grandeur to the east. Some peaks were obviously volcanic. Nearer the airport we flew over cultivated land, and landed before I was ready. I was looking forward to seeing the city, but we never did. A fellow traveler said Santiago would be his second choice to live anywhere in the world.

We were bussed to Valparaiso 70 miles west of Santiago where the ship awaited us. The city is a city of hills through which we wended our way to the dock. The land leveled out near the port where the wind was blowing half a gale. A photographer could find many interesting architectural subjects, and its uses to solve problems posed by the hills.

Our departure was later than planned because of the wind. The barge could not supply the ship in such a wind, and a tanker truck was used instead. I missed the first formal night because of mal de mer. The ship dipped and rose over turbulent seas two nights and a day, but once we anchored off Puerto Mont, we were in sheltered water, and even the weather cooperated to make the remainder of the cruise a delight.

Puerto Mont is not unusual, perhaps more substantial than other Latin American cities I've seen, but it is the gateway to the Lake District more inland. We seldom take ship-sponsored tours preferring to check out the port city. Besides, our stay was cut short to make up for the time lost in Valparaiso.

For the next five days we sailed on placid seas in good weather, and had fine views of the Andes. Then we entered Pacific water again when we transited the Beagle Channel to skirt the Taitao Peninsula that blocked our southern path. Next day we entered the sheltered Inside Passage again where we visited two glaciers, Pio XI, and Amalia, before continuing south between barrier islands on the west, and the Andes Corderilla to our left with their many snow-capped, and cloud-wrapped volcanic peaks.

The Andes dive into the sea to allow for the Strait of Magellan, only to rise again to form the land of Tierra del Fuego separated from the Mainland. Cape Froward is the southern most tip of continental South America around which we sailed east then north to Punta Arenas about halfway through the Strait. It was the port to which the survivors of the Shackleton Antarctic Expedition when rescued from Elephant Island in 1925.

Across the Strait, opposite Cape Froward, is the south bearing Cockburn Channel through Tierra del Fuego on which we sailed to reach the Beagle Channel that we followed east to Ushuaia, the southern most city of the world. The remnant Andes rise again to great heights, the grandeur overspread with glaciers and perpetual snow.

Enchanting channels create numerous islands the larger of which define the boundaries of the Beagle Channel into which five glaciers on the north shore empty their ice. South of the Channel and east of Ushuaia, the landscape diminishes in height and divides into lesser island leading to Cape Horn where the land ends and the Drake Passage begins.

Ushuaia is situated at the foot of either the Andes or an adjacent range. The town is spread east and west along he coast in a narrow line of perhaps six or more streets like steps leading to a greenbelt that separated it from its mountainous backdrop. Ushuaia has the appearance of an Alpine-village, quite attractive, and the people are amicable.

Cape Horn was about a twelve-hour cruise from Ushuaia where the ship only dipped its bow into Pacific water before turning 180 degrees, and heading for the Falklands. South of the Cape is a three hundred-mile wide stretch of water ending in Antarctica. Drakes Passage is known as the roughest sea in the world because the Andes block the prevailing west wind forcing it south around the Cape where it frequently blows at more than hurricane strength.
For a better appreciation of the effect the Andes have upon Cape Horn, read ALONG THE CLIPPER WAY, by Sir Francis Chichester (editor). A summary of many voyages made or attempted to round Cape Horn - I looked for this on Amazon and there was only one used copy available so maybe you should try eBay!

.

This guest article was submitted by Kenneth G. Ramey – Please leave him a comment to let him know how much we appreciate hearing about his experience! You can submit your expereicnes to jtrotta@gmail.com and don’t forget about the travel writing contest!

Get married on a cruise ship or in an airport

Here's an interesting article about getting married. You can have you wedding on a cruise ship (the article mentions NCL). You can also get married in Amsterdam's Schiphol International Airport:

Schiphol offers four different wedding options, each with its own venue. They include: Ready for Take-Off, an aviation style wedding with a spectacular view of the aprons; Fly Away to Yesterday, styled in the aviation days of yesteryear; Say Yes and Go, with a quick ceremony before boarding the plane for that special trip; and Ticket to Paradise, where you exchange vows on Dutch soil then party abroad.

Possibilities include renting an entire airplane or reserving a section of the plane. Marriage ceremonies are conducted by a registrar from the Municipality of Haarlemmermeer Registry Office.

It sounds like something my wife and I might do if we renew our vows.

By the way, after the two parts about getting married abroad that article describes some random vacation deals including a tour of Japan and train passes in Italy.

What is a last-minute vacation?

Here's an interesting article written by someone who has booked a number of last-minute holidays. However, even last-minute vacations need to be planned slightly in advance. But how far in advance? On the one hand, if you really book last-minute you should have a good idea of the weather you'll get on vacation. On the other hand, there are very few vacations left if you wait until the very last minute:

If you book your trip less than a week before you depart, the pickings are awfully slim. Some airlines post a handful of air-only deals on Tuesday, for travel beginning that Friday or Saturday. But other air-only deals and most of the air-hotel packages listed at online travel agencies like site59.com are posted the previous week, 10-12 days before departure, and are snatched up quickly.

The dilemma, of course, is that it's awfully hard to predict the weather that far in advance.

The author goes on to list a few of the deals she's considering so it's fairly interesting. Personally I tend to plan any vacation that involves flying or hotels well in advance, but some more adventurous people have good luck with these last-minute deals.

Medical tourism in India: sun and surgery packages pros and cons

Here's an article on medical tourism in India that discusses some of the conditions that keep people away from India for healthcare:

1. garbage, pollution and waste matter remains
2. murderous driving of ill-disciplined traffic
3. regular outbreaks of dengue fever (numerous cases in 2006 actually originated within the prestigious All India Institute of Medical Sciences in Delhi itself)
4. the appearance of chikungunya, the presence of drug-resistant malaria and tuberculosis
5. the appalling state of health care for the majority of the people of India, particularly those who cannot afford the "Third World prices" which are supposed to be such an attraction to the modestly affluent Westerner.

The article also mentions why some people travel to India anyway with a pretty strong example:

The Washington Post recently reported the case of a carpenter, one of the 40 million Americans without healthcare insurance, the remedy for whose heart condition would have cost $200,000 in the USA. He made his own arrangements with the Escorts Heart Institute in New Delhi, where for $10,000, his faulty heart valve was replaced by one harvested from a pig. Included in the price was a sightseeing trip to the Taj Mahal. This is described by the Indian health care companies as "First World Health Care at Third World prices".

Some related blog entries: the Jude Jarvis tummy tuck tragedy, medical tourism in India, and more medical tourism blog entries.

Should my friend be upset with his travel agent?

Someone I know just booked a Princess leaving from Ft. Lauderdale. This is his second cruise leaving out of Ft Lauderdale. This time, the travel agent's service didn't meet his expectations. Let me tell you what happened and then ask you what you think - did the travel agent do anything wrong or is my friend too demanding?

The travel agent the first time set up everything. This time they went back to the AAA travel agency and the agent they used last time is no longer there. Yesterday they made the final payment for the cruise and started talking about a hotel for the night before the cruise. They explain to the travel agent that all they need is a place to sleep and where they can get a shuttle to the cruise the next morning. The agent did not know of a good hotel and offered to get back to them.

My friend told me that this caused a big red flag to go up. The agent did not know and would have to get back to us? Why? So the question, did the travel agent do anything wrong or is my friend too demanding?

If you're curious, my friend ended up finding a Ramada that states it's only 1.5 miles from the airport and Port Everglades cruise port with a shuttle from airport and cruise port. Should the travel agent have been prepared with a hotel like this?

Reviewing the entries to the winter vacation writing contest

We've had some excellent entries, and I expect many more before the approaching deadline. Here's a review of what people have submitted so far:

We started off in style with a Hawaiian vacation itinerary. Like all Hawaii vacations, it sounds like a great time. From Waikiki to Kona and Hawaii's Volcanoes National Park, everything about Hawaii tells me to start planning and packing.

The next vacation itinerary was for the popular Riviera Maya in Mexico. This vacation at Bahia Principe Tulum Hotel revolves around the resort but includes day trips like the pyramids of Chitchen-Itza to keep things interesting.

The next entry was unusual in that it only spans one day. It offers lots of information about shopping in Toronto. I think there's probably several days worth of shopping tips in here, but then again too much shopping in one day makes me annoy my wife.

Then we have another Canadian vacation, this one an itinerary for Winnipeg. The first two days are shopping days, but things get better after that. I love appreciating architecture and visiting the mint where they produce money might be fun too.

The Cambodia travel itinerary mentions a few places I've written about previously (they're all on my list of places to visit). Sihanoukville is famous for beaches. Angkor Watt is famous for temples that have been partially consumed by jungle over the centuries. Phnom Penh has the Silver Pagoda and the National Museum.

I also did a Cambodian vacation plan a while back. I recommend a very good site for good information on Cambodia.

Well, join the fun - submit your winter vacation itineraries to jtrotta@gmail.com

Waka Gangga Resort & Spa in Bali, Indonesia

Not too long ago I asked about when to visit Boracay and received a number of comments highly recommending Boracy as a vacation destination. I know Bali isn't Boracay, but it's another famous place for beaches and resorst in southeast Asia... And there's a good chance I'll be going this winter for a friend's wedding so I decided to do a little research. I found some resorts around Bali that seem interesting.

One is the Waka Gangga Resort & Spa. The Waka Ganga is one of several Waka resorts including the WakaMaya, WakaNusa, Waka di Ume, WakaShorea, and WakaNamya (formerly WakaPadma).

The resort, in Sudimara Village Tabanan about one our drive from Bali International Airport, has an excellent sunset and great view of the Indian Ocean. This is from the resort's web page: "The ten bungalows of WakaGangga perch on gently sloping rice terraces which fringe a sparkling black sand beach on the edge of the Indian Ocean." Apparently you can take horse rides on the beach (I'd rather walk) and visit a famous temple nearby, the Tanah Lot temple.

I'm not sure how much time I'll have to explore after the wedding and I'm not sure if I'll be in the mood for a resort in Bali or something a little more adventurous like a trip through East Java Indonesia.

Cruise news & reviews, especially around the Caribbean

We've got cruise ships returning to New Orleans, but it sounds like the Sea of Cortez is an even better place for a cruise. The lucky authors saw hundreds of dolphins, sting rays, and a blue whale in one evening.

Regarding New Orleans, the first ship back will be the Norwegian Sun, an 853-foot Norwegian Cruise Lines vessel that can handle 2,000 passengers. Carnival Cruise Lines' Fantasy, which sails on October 26, followed by Royal Caribbean International's Grandeur of the Seas are next. They all tour the Caribbean. Speaking of the Caribbean, here's an interesting interview - the author's answers are interesting but a little salesperson-like. Naturally there's a link for you to buy the book if you want...

Here's an article about good and bad ports of call for your cruise, including Saint Marteen:

St. Maartens: A standard stop on eastern Caribbean cruises, the island is often overcrowded and repeat visitors struggle to find new things to do. The best advice: look for a boat trip leaving St. Maartens for an island like Anguilla or St. Barth’s.

The people who took this cruise were happy with the ports of call. They sounded pretty good to me too, especially the "Old Banana Train Adventure....experience the sights and eco-tourism of Costa Rica. We visited a working banana plantation before boarding the train. The train trip was relaxing as we enjoyed the lush, tropical sights of the coastline of Costa Rica." By the way, am I the only one who's never heard of MSC Cruises?

A nice variety of travel deals

The Washington Post has some travel deals for you, from Italian rail passes to the Lake Austin Spa Resort in Austin, Texas. There are some package, airfare, and cruise deals too. One of the cruises sounds a little familiar:

Save $350 per person on a Mekong River cruise through Vietnam and Cambodia departing Nov. 7. Price on the Value World Tours trip now starts at $2,149 per person double plus $98 port charges. The tour includes three nights' hotel in Ho Chi Minh City; three nights' hotel in Siem Reap; most meals; seven-night cruise ; sightseeing tours; shore excursions; and guide. A Dec. 19 departure has been discounted by $250.

That reminds me of this cruise to raise money for disarming landmines. That cruise is November 7-21, 2006 so there's still a little time. It's a bit more expensive, but it seems like a worthy cause. It was put together by the guy who told us about climbing Kilimanjaro.

Saint Maarten YouTube video: planes near beaches

Here's something I've never done before. Normally, I when I write about beaches, I write about quality beaches (like the best beach in America) or beach vacation experiences (like Sunscape the Beach in the Dominican Republic).

Today is a little different. I'm going to embed a YouTube video about some beaches that are crazily close to runways. If it weren't for the people in the videos, I would never believe that anyone was allowed on these beaches. Has anyone here been on a beach link this?

If you're at work, be careful because when you press play the sound will come on. Unless you're in the travel industry you might not want your boss knowing that you're reading a travel blog on the job...

Disney timeshares at Animal Kingdom Lodge

Some friends of mine have a timeshare at one of the Disney Resorts. They go every year with their daughter and usually invite my parents. That's one nice thing about timeshares now that I think about it; you can invite your friends and offer them a place to stay (presuming your timeshare property has an extra bedroom or two).

Anyway, Disney is adding timeshares to their Animal Kingdom Lodge. A commenter named Emily left an interesting blurb about Animal Kingdom Lodge on this post reviewing Disney resorts. Some of the new timeshares should be completed in fall 2007 and all should be done by spring 2009. At least some will have views of some of Disney's African animals. Disney is also adding a restaurant, a gym, and of course a giftshop.

All together, Walt Disney World plans to build 456 new Disney Vacation Club units. Here are some previous posts from this blog on Disney and timeshares:

Halloween in the Magic Kingdom, Some advice on going to Universal Studios during a Disney vacation, Disney resort experiences, and Disney hotel recommendations.

Some previous timeshare posts: Vacation clubs with points instead of weeks, floating condos (where you can buy a timeshare on a ship), timeshare trouble (when properties close down and raise maintenance fees), and resale timeshares (read the comments - much better than my original post).

Well there are more, but I've been blogging for a long time and you can't read it all in one day. Come back tomorrow!

Travel Troubleshooter vs. Access America travel insurance

Americans buy travel insurance less often that Europeans; is that because we have no reason to trust the insurance companies?

This traveler called Access America twice and asked if she would be covered for a missed connection. Both times the agent on the phone answered yes, you'll be covered. But the troubleshooter reminds us we need to read the contract:

Check out Part 6, Section H of your contract for what is -- and isn't -- covered in the event of a missed connection. You would have been covered for up to $300, if you were delayed by a traffic accident or bad weather.

In other words we can't trust the agents we speak to on the phone. They say "yes" when they should say "yes in very rare cases but most of the time we'll deny your claim".

''It was a confluence of events that caused Ms. Wolf's delay,'' a spokeswoman for Access America said. "None of them were covered under her policy.'' I have no problem with this in general, but the fact that we can't trust Access America phone agents tells me that this is a company I'll never trust to insure my vacation.

Back to my original question. I think Americans don't buy travel insurance because we don't want to hire a lawyer to figure out what the contract means. And since we don't trust the insurance companies to give us a straight answer we risk vacationing without insurance.

Vacations in New York City and Puerto Rico

I have two interesting articles for you today. The first is the author's experiencing finding a place to stay in Manhattan by using Craig's List. It took 4 days to find a place after emailing and calling lots of people. Sounds like more trouble than it's worth to me.

The second article is about the little town of Rio Grande on the northeastern tip in Puerto Rico. Rio Grande is a few miles from the El Yunque National Rain Forest a 30-minute drive from Old San Juan. San Juan is crowded with tourists but Rio Grande has quite a few natural attraction in addition to Texas Hold'em and spas.

If you like to keep active, how about golf, tennis, water sports, rainforest trekking, and kayaking?

(The author took a) two and a half hour kayak trip at night into the Laguna Grande, (think Jurassic Park)—one of nature’s most magnificent sights. The lagoon is filled with billions of one-celled organisms called dinoflagellates, which light up under the water. We kayaked in the pitch black and somehow lived to tell about....paddling into a lagoon filled with iguanas and giant, hanging vines that can take you down in the dark.

Apparently there are some unique spa treatments as well. The Ionithermie Cellulite Reduction system "consists of lying on a pad of clay onto which electric probes are placed which deliver current into those nasty thigh lumps. The current contracts the muscles, doing for you what you should be doing for yourself at the gym." I'll just go to the gym please.

US cruise and airfare deals

All AirTran Airways destinations are on sale with fares from $39 one-way. Book your tickets by Tuesday, October 17, 2006 and travel by February 1, 2007. AirTran serves many popular destinations like Las Vegas and New York as well as smaller places like White Plains (a suburb of New York)..

I've also got some cruise deals for you - all prices are per person:

Celebrity: 11-night cruise of the western Caribbean on the Constellation. Ocean view cabins $799, balcony cabins $999. Sail from Bayonne, NJ on October 27th.

NCL: 10-night cruise of the southern Caribbean on the Norwegian Spirit. Inside cabins $549, ocean view $799. Sail November 9th from NYC.

Holland America: 10-night Thanksgiving Cruise of the eastern Caribbean on the Noordam. Inside cabins $749, ocean view $799, balcony cabins $999. Sail November 15 from NYC.

7-night cruise of the western Caribbean on the Westerdam. Inside cabins $799, ocean view $899, balcony cabins $999. Sail December 31 from Ft. Lauderdale.

Carnival: 7-night Thanksgiving cruise of the eastern Caribbean on the Valor. Inside cabins $419, ocean view $519, balcony cabins $769. Sail November 19 from Miami.

Nude, Christian, gay, and other specialty cruises

What can I say? We all have our unique interests and it seems that for most of them there's a cruise:

There are many more special-interest cruises, among them sailings geared to lovers of all things Irish, baseball fans, history buffs, antiques hunters, and those who devour dance, design and literature. But here's one that's out of this world, sort of. Cruise Trek is putting together its 15th annual "Star Trek" cruise, visiting Australia and New Zealand aboard Holland America's Staatendam, Nov. 4-18, 2007.

If you know of any other niche cruises, please leave us a comment!

Freedom of the Seas cruise expereince: educational?

Jaime Caswell, a high school senior, does an excellent job telling us about her vacation experience on Freedom of the Seas. She calls traveling with family an educational experience but that scares me a little. While you might learn a little something on your cruise, it's not in the same league (at least in terms of education experiences go) as vacations where you actually encounter other cultures. So while cruising with your family is great, is it really educational?

Other cruise related articles:

We had some good comments on this post about cruising with NCL. This is just one of many posts I wrote on Freedom of the Seas. This blog entry links to a bunch of cruise articles. This Carnival cruise problems post set off a record number of commenters.

Switzerland in fall: Zibelemärit, Gansabhauet, Bénichon, Räbechilbi

Here are some ideas for visiting Switzerland in the fall, when some interesting festivals are held:

Zibelemärit is switzerland's most famous market. Zibelemärit takes place in Berne on the fourth Monday in November. Literally, "onion market", Zibelemärit revolves around onion tartlets, onion soups, onion quiches, onion sausages and other onion products. The Zibelemärit culminates in the Konfettischlacht (confetti fight) at 4 p.m.

Gansabhauet takes place on November 11 every year. Sursee in canton Lucerne draws many spectators to the front of the town hall. People of any age, armed with a rough saber, try to sever the neck of a dead goose dangling from a rope. Participants are blindfolded under a mask depicting an enormous sun and are dressed in red coats.

Bénichon (from "benir" meaning "to bless") in canton Fribourg is arguably the most popular Thanksgiving festival in Switzerland. Locals and visitors thank God for a good harvest before eating and dancing together. Similar sentiments surround Sännechilbi in Küssnacht, canton Lucerne, and Älperchilbi in Stans, canton Niedwald. Yodelling, dances, masses, songs, parades featuring adorned cows, and the waving of flags are just as much a part of these Thanksgiving festivities as culinary gifts like coffee-kirsch and "Nidle" (Sännechilbi) or dried fruit (Älperchilbi).

Räbechilbi (Richterswil's turnip fair) marks the transition from fall to winter. This consists of a mid-November parade featuring an average of 25 tons of turnip lamps (hollowed-out large white turnips decorated with ornaments). This rural tradition takes place in the dark on the second Saturday in November in the village of Richterswil on Lake Zurich. Turnip lamps are also used to decorate the town's buildings during Räbechilbi.

Win a trip to Jacksonville to see a football game

If you're in or around New York than this vacation contest from JetBlue Airways and the New York Giants might interest you. Two lucky winners and their guest will win a trip to Florida to see the Nov 20th game against the Jaguars. The trip includes round-trip air on JetBlue Airways from JFK to Jacksonville, 2 nights hotel and game tickets.

What's your dream vacation home?

Here's an interesting New York Times article (registration required) on vacation homes and how the market is expanding from communities that offer golf to ones that offer outdoor stuff:

The 3 Creek Ranch in Jackson, Wyo., offers raptor rehabilitation and songbird banding. The Spring Island resort community in South Carolina organizes plant, bird identification and nocturnal wildlife walks and mountain biking trails. The 14,000-acre Yellowstone Club in Big Sky, Mont., which is planned to accommodate 864 members in condos or single-family homes, has rope courses with long zip lines, as well as a permanent campsite complete with a cooking tent, a fire ring and tepees for members who want to saddle up for a four-hour horseback excursion, including wranglers trailing along with the supplies. And Mountain Air has its salamander hunts.

That's closer to what I want. I'm not a golfer and don't really want to pay for a golf course, but hiking trails are worth a few bucks to me.

Shopping for pottery in Nove, Italy

Here's an interesting article about shopping for pottery in Nove, Italy. It has some information specifically for US military people, but regular people like us can also use much of the information. I learned that Nove is a 30 minute drive from Vicenza, and that you can buy custom pieces or brands like Lenox and Tiffany at good discounts. The shipping advice won't be as useful to non-military people, but the rest of the information is good for all of us.

28 islands of Kochi

Here's an interesting vacation experience from an Indian newspaper. If you have no idea what I'm tlaking about here's an excerpt from the article:

There's Vypeen for instance, that has a famous 15th century Portuguese fort. And Bolgatty, with its Dutch palace (1744) that is now a 5-star heritage hotel. And tiny Gundu island, with its ancient coir factory hidden among the palms, actually owned by the Taj. However, it's still Willington island that has me hooked, man-made but with a charming tale that Captain John Early tells me his grandfather passed on to him years ago.

The article doesn't actually say, but I think I can infer that Kochi and the islands mentioned in the article are in India near Kerala. Don't quote me on that.

I may just do some more research, though, and you'll know why after reading the article. There's lots of talk about history, spas & massages, boats & ferries carrying you around the islands, and other good stuff.

Talk to the person sitting next to you

In this article aimed at business travelers the author recommends learning something about whoever you end up sitting next to. Sometimes you get lucky enough to sit next to a gorgeous Argentinian doctor or a biologist with videos of mating mokeys on his laptop.

My wife and I sometimes follow this advice and did meet an interesting lady from Japan, an office worker who was crazy about Def Leopard. She was flying to New York to see them for the 27th and 28th times if memory serves.

There's also something about a contest where you enter by emailing a business travel tip to bizcontest@bostonherald.com.

Some more vacation deals

The Baltimore Sun has some travel deals, and they mention the same Air Jamiaca vacation deals I did yesterday. You'll notice that I give more detailed information...

Anyway, they have the vacation deals but most just don't sound all that special. Like this $350 off a $5,000+ vacation. Big deal:Save $350 on vacations priced $5,000 or more at United Vacations through Oct. 31. Savings of $200, $100 and $50 also available on lower-priced packages. Use promotion code FALLSALE. For information, go to unitedvacations.com or call 888-328-6877.You can also spend a couple days in a New Hampshire spa for $400+ a person, American Airlines has some good deals to Mexico and the Caribbean, there's a Caribbean cruise on a line I've never heard of, and some hotel and museum packages in Atlanta.

Air Jamaica Caribbean vacation deals for winter 2006 (book by Oct. 12)

Air Jamaica Vacations offers packages to:

Jamaica: 3 nights, all-inclusive Sunset Beach Resort & Spa in Montego Bay starts at $655 per person from Atlanta, Baltimore, New York (JFK), and Philadelphia for travel Jan. 4-31.

Barbados: 7 nights, all-inclusive Sandy Bay Beach Club starts at $1,545 per person from Atlanta for travel Jan. 29-April 6.

St. Lucia: 6 nights, all-inclusive Rex St. Lucian starts at $979 per person from Atlanta, Baltimore, New York (JFK), and Philadelphia for travel Jan. 4-Feb. 2.

Curacao: 5 nights, all-inclusive Breezes Curacao Resort Spa & Casino starts from only $1,105 per person from Atlanta for travel Jan. 27-April 8.

You have to book by October 12 and there are some blackout dates. Other departure cities are available for a bit more money.

Timeshare vacation clubs: points instead of weeks

The nice thing about timeshares and condotels is that you get a place to spend your vacation without the hassle of a vacation home (no insurance for example). However with timesahres and condotels you're kind of stuck vacationing in one place (although timeshare owners can pay to join something like RCI).

Now companies like Marriott Vacation Club International let members purchase points. At Mariott, the points can be used at 46 resorts worldwide. This article speaks very highly of the point system because it allows for greater flexibility than traditional timeshares:

In the last decade, the concept has expanded again and a growing number of companies now sell time-shares as memberships in vacation clubs, which give members access to resorts under a variety of plans.

Time-share vacation clubs sell consumers points, which can be redeemed for access to various types of accommodations and resorts. The number of points needed to stay at a resort varies according to the length of stay, size of the unit, location of the resort and time of year.

Points also can be used toward airfare, hotel stays, cruises, spa vacations and even rental cars.

A few old, related posts: Bahamas timeshare trouble, Learning about timeshare resales.

Advice for finding vacation rentals online

Here's an article with some advice for finding vacation rentals online. Since, the popular vacation rental websites don't check owner's descriptions for accuracy, it is important for renters to protect themselves. Using one of the sites that has user reviews of each property would be a good start.

Many people expect the cost of vacation rentals to begin declining, since domestic tourism in America is declining and since more rentals are being made available. I was able to find rentals in Manhattan for around $100/night (although one of these came with a cat-sitting job). That's very competitive with any Manhattan hotel. Thos were for one bedroom places that sleep 2 or 3. $200/night seems to be the average in Manhattan.

Anyway, the article has links to several vacation rental websites and advice about getting something in writing before you send your money. If you're considering a vacation rental instead of a hotel on your next holiday, it's an article well worth reading.