Articles Tagged with: Vacation

Six weeks around the world, with no bags: Could you do it?

Aug - 20 | By: Alex | No comments.

With more than 50 passport stamps to his name, peripatetic author Rolf Potts has always prided himself on traveling light. But when he departs from New York Saturday for a trip around the world, he’ll be taking that philosophy to the extreme: 12 countries in 42 days, without so much as a fanny pack.

Full article HERE

Filed under : News

Keep Traveling in Tough Economic Times

Jul - 16 | By: Alex | 2 comments.

It’s been far too long since we’ve updated our blog. No excuses on our end. Life happens. We’ve been traveling, and simply put…we’ve been enjoying life like it was meant to be lived. While we work on providing you with some insight into our recent travels to Key West, inaugural sailing of Norwegian Epic, and fantastic tour of Oasis of the Seas, we’re pleased to provide you with a boost to keep on keepin’ on. In other words, we’ve been away because we’ve been traveling. When’s the last time you took a respite?

Check out these tips from Stuart Hely of BookCentralCoast.com.au. He’s got the right idea!

The travel industry is “self-correcting” when it comes to economic downturns. It may be THE best time to travel and get travel bargains. Airlines, hotels and tour operators are slashing prices and offering extras like they haven’t in a long time.

We think it’s important to keep traveling unless it will completely ruin your home budget. Clearly during global financial slowdowns, we are all going to have to work a little harder for less. We will have to plan our spending a little more carefully, but we shouldn’t give up traveling.

You might want to dine out less often, take your lunch to work, start mowing your own lawn… then put the money you save toward your travel budget.

Travel plays a vital role in our lives. It is rejuvenating. It’s one thing to take your vacation time and just stay home… it’s a whole lot better for you to go somewhere and try something new. There is pleasure in the discovery that travel gives you. You might even cherish your travel experiences more during tough times. If you have to focus on value, do that, but still travel.

We just need to find ways to pad our travel budget. You know you still want to go…. You just want to trim around the edges and travel for less. Stop and make a list of things you can cut down on at home and not miss too much. We’re sure you can add to our list…. Don’t part with your vacation. Even in the U.S. where workers normally only get two weeks of vacation a year, the majority of people say that vacations are important.

Travelers may simply travel closer to home in rough times. With our web pages and blogs, we’ll try to help by giving you ideas on how to save… how to travel more frugally. Don’t give up on your wildest travel dreams. Travel frugally now, but hang onto those travel dreams for future trips when the economy recovers a bit.

Travelers may look to prepackaged tours to save money but still be able to travel. Volunteer vacations may be a way to save on a trip and contribute to helping some segment of society at the same time.

Some people may talk about cutting back, but we’re a world full of wanderers… collectively, we love to travel…. and since we do think of that old saying… Where there is a will, there is a way.

Go out and enjoy the world, but instead of eating at 5 star Michelin restaurants, enjoy a little local place, or picnic. Spend leisurely days in free museums. Hike in the mountains. Take the travel pace a little slower… walk, take public transportation… just sit in a sidewalk cafe and enjoy the ambience.

Travel not only helps you, it helps keep economies flowing. During economic downturns, and when terrorism strikes, it’s easy to start feeling depressed. Taking a break from the daily grind… some place exciting and new lifts your spirits. It just makes you feel good.

And isn’t there a saying that goes something like… if it feels good… do it? So we hope everyone will keep traveling… you’ll just learn to travel smarter.

Filed under : Blog

A single tall soy latte…with a mask!

Feb - 26 | By: Alex | No comments.

By TravelGirl –

It’s about time! We finally encountered our first interaction with non-medical or non-government workers wearing masks! Wouldn’t ya know it…it was at American-owned Starbucks. Visualize this…we’re wandering along 5th avenue in downtown Playa del Carmen, zig zagging from side street to side street, eyeing the mouth-watering fresh mangos, cucumbers, and other fruits from the little Mexican ladies at the fruit carts, when we see a Starbucks a few storefronts ahead. First, it’s a bit surprising to see a chain in the quaint, village-like Playa del Carmen (especially compared to Cancun), however since Starbucks seems to be everywhere, it really wasn’t a shock. As we strolled past, we saw a gal wiping down the tables outside the store wearing a mask. We looked in as we walked by and saw that ALL of the employees were wearing masks. We couldn’t pass by the opportunity to pop inside to have a word. According to the young man behind the register, they were required by Starbucks to wear masks (see photo; you can’t really tell, but he IS SMILING behind that mask). American paranoia at work in Mexico. They stood out like a broken pinky toe.

We’ve had the chance to speak to Mexican nationals who regard the entire H1N1 flu scare as a “planned” attack by the World Health Organization to create paranoia around the world in order to test new flu strain remedies. After only having been here for three days, we are reinforcing our belief that this whole flu scare is just a bunch of hype. Many more people have died from the “regular flu” than from this new strain. Ok, enough of that for today, and back to the adventure on the beach.

Most of today was spent in lounge chairs on the beach, next to Bad Boys Beach Club. We got a bit of a late start today, so by the time we got into downtown PDC it was already 2 p.m. However, it’s never too late to order Coronas with shrimp tacos and shrimp quesadillas. Have I mentioned that I’ve been eating shrimp tacos almost on a daily basis here? I can officially say that I’m addicted, and I will fully admit that I am a shrimp-eating vegetarian when I travel. It’s the one living thing I’ll eat, but I’m also not convinced shrimp even has a neo cortex (so I don’t feel bad). No fish or other seafood enters this body though!

After several hours on the beach, we got antsy and realized we needed to explore. We spent the next two hours walking south along the beach, then up to 5th avenue, through a jungle-like dirt path full of interesting bird sounds and iguana-like creatures, to Playacar. The beaches there were not only deserted, but a crystal-clear light turquoise color with some shades of teal and blue. We frolicked in the water because we could. It was gorgeous. The oceanfront villas in Playacar looked mostly empty as we strolled past one, then another, then another, until we realized we had to make the trek back into town to grab a cab. Feet tired and bellies gurgling with hunger, we made our way back into PDC, headed to a bar showing movies on the beach, decided we were too old to stay out late and grabbed a cab to head back to the Royal Haciendas.

Tomorrow will be similar. When you find yourself in 85 degrees, nothing but beaches and white sand, there is no reason to do anything other than just chill.