Cruising has become a favorite vacation choice for millions of people around the world. Why shouldn’t cruising be popular? Leisurely floating through the Caribbean or Mediterranean while being entertained, fed unbelievable food and sipping tasty adult beverages with little umbrellas doesn’t sound too bad, does it?  Yes, cruising can be very expensive — but it doesn’t have to be. Here are some money saving tips to consider when you are planning your next cruise vacation.

1. Choose the right time of year

Caribbean cruises are normally less expensive in the fall and spring than they are in the winter or summer. Although the Caribbean gets hot in the summer there are also fewer ships which make the prices go up. Winter is the peak season and therefore the most expensive.

During fall and spring, however, there are many ships in the Caribbean but the prices are lower. Why? Because the weather is a bigger factor. So if you don’t mind gambling a bit on the weather, fall and spring are the cheapest times to cruise.

2. Select an older ship

As the cruise lines build bigger and better ships, the older ships in fleet often are available on popular itineraries at cheaper prices. Many of these older ships are reassigned to smaller ports. You may be able to book a cruise on a ship that leaves from a port within driving distance of your home — which will save you the price of airfare.

3.  Watch out for expensive excursions

When you get into port, the cruise line will offer many excursions. While it is great to have a ship sponsored excursion, these are often two to three times more expensive than booking your own excursions.

Of course you have to be careful to choose a reputable company when booking excursions, but these are not difficult to find online. Find a company that has lots of references and has a written policy on refunds. Generally it’s better not to travel long distances with a local excursion company because if you are late getting back to the ship you will be left on the dock.

While caution is necessary, booking your own excursions can save a family of four as much as $200 or $300 in each port!

4. Stick to a budget on the ship.

When you are cruising you are not allowed to use cash on the ship. Everything you purchase is signed for — then, at the end of the cruise, you are presented with a final bill. With this arrangement it is easy to overspend.

Watch your budget. Remember that alcoholic drinks are expensive. If you are a gambler you will probably find much better odds on the mainland. Premium restaurants on board are fine, but do you really want to pop $20 or $30 extra when the main dining room has wonderful fare that is also included in the price of your cruise?

If you are planning a cruise soon these money saving tips will help you have a great vacation while still coming in on budget!

Places To Visit Around Las Vegas

We all love to go on holiday, and one place that is a big favorite for many people around the world is Las Vegas, Nevada. Whether people are going for a short weekend, a week, or for a wedding ceremony, the bright lights in the desert and the casinos are a major attraction. Getting to Las Vegas these days is easy as flights arrive from all over the world, from a country like the UK you can be in Vegas within 10 hours from take-off to landing.

With so much to do in Las Vegas itself, not many people tend to visit the surrounding areas, but if you are there for a week or more it is highly recommended that you hire a car and take a drive to a few of the outstanding features in the area. Below is a list of must visit places if you do hire a car.

Valley Of Fire

This is about an hour’s drive from Vegas and is an area of outstanding beauty. It costs a few dollars to enter the location but this money is used to keep the roads in good condition. The geology of this place is absolutely amazing, and the colors range from dark reds and browns, to light yellow. Some of the rock formations make excellent pictures for your photo album.

Hoover Dam

This amazing piece of human engineering is world famous and with the opening of the new bridge across the Colorado you can now get pictures of it that used to be only possible from a helicopter. Parking is very easy, use the multi-story on the Nevada side, or the open parking on the Arizona side. You can clearly see from the dam itself how much the levels of Lake Mead have dropped this century.

Mt Charleston

This is a beautiful sight from the valley that contains Las Vegas, and is usually snowcapped for about 6 months of the year. You can spend a few hours getting a tan next to a pool in Vegas and then later in the day drive up Mt Charleston and go skiing, now there are not many places that you can do that. It also means that your kids can finish off a fun day in Vegas with a snowball fight.

Death Valley

Although this is a couple of hours drive from Vegas it is well worth a visit. The area can easily reach 120F in the summer months, but due to the low humidity it feels a lot lower, so make sure you keep drinking water if you go for a walk. There is so much to see in this area you need to spend the whole day here, form the Devil’s Golf Course to Badwater, which is below sea level.

Las Vegas is an amazing place to visit and it has so much to do that you are never there long enough, but hiring a car will give you access to many places that the average tourist never gets to see.

Making Travel More Enjoyable

While most of us enjoy arriving at our holiday destination, the preparations and journey can be incredibly stressful. Before you even begin to plan your next holiday, take a deep breath and remember that holidays are meant to be fun and relaxing.

Being in control of any situation can help alleviate stress. Control is gained by having the knowledge and the tools to cope with any situation you may be confronted with. So from the moment you begin thinking about your next holiday, start a travel journal.

You can choose to start an electronic journal or hand written journal. Keep in mind that things can go wrong with electronics so keep a printed version of your travel plans.

Begin by listing three desirable travel destinations. Keeping your list short will help you filter it down to one destination easily. Find out everything you can about travelling to the destination and not just about the destination itself.

What modes of transport are available? How long will each different type of travel take to reach your destination? Will you be crossing borders and if so will you need visas and is your passport in order?

Once you have narrowed it down to one destination it is time to consider what you need to take along. Take into consideration the climate and weather conditions at the time you will be travelling. Will you be travelling from a cold to warm climate or vice versa?

Make a list of the clothing items that you will need to take along. Now make a list of cosmetics, toiletries, etc. that you feel you may need. Lastly make a third list of all the essentials that are not covered by your first to lists.

A week before you starting packing for your destination, take another look at your lists and eliminate any items that you feel may be extraneous. The less baggage you take along on your journey, the less stressed you will be.

Leave any expensive or irreplaceable articles at home. This will minimize the amount of time you spend worrying about losing the items or them being stolen.

Make your travel arrangements well in advance. It may be more cost effective to book your own transport and accommodation but consider how complicated your holiday will be. If you are travelling to one destination, staying in one place and then returning home, you should definitely be able to manage the arrangements with minimal stress.

Alternatively, find a reliable travel agent to assist. Make notes in your travel journal of all the reservations your travel agent makes on your behalf and when the stress and worry starts to set in, give them a call to get the reassurance that everything will run smoothly.

Using a travel agent gives you the added advantage of having recourse if anything does go wrong on your journey. You can simply blame them for the mess and sit back and relax while they fix the problems.

Get to your destination as relaxed as possible and ensure that you return home with good memories of a great holiday.

Is a Cruise Vacation For You?

You work all year and when it comes time for vacation you really need to relax and get away. After all, you only get one or two weeks a year for vacation, so it’s really important that you choose wisely how to use the time that you have earned.  That’s one reason why we frequently choose to take a cruise.   Is a cruise vacation for you?

One of the great things about cruising is that you will travel to several different destinations instead of just one or two.  You will get to see exotic islands, beautiful harbors, outstanding scenery and major cities. We enjoy traveling in the Caribbean and generally choose the deepest part of winter to go. It’s a real joy getting off the ship in St Thomas or Ocho Rios and having the warm sunshine greet us, along with some marimba music!

One of the advantages of cruising is the price. You can find cruises that last seven days that are extremely reasonable. Especially when you consider that the price of your cruise includes not only your lodging, but also all off your meals and on board entertainment!  In fact, there is food available to you 24 hours a day at no additional cost and fabulous nightclub shows in the ship’s auditorium.

One of the things I enjoy most are the days at sea between ports. Some itineraries have you in a port almost every day — 4 ports on a 7 day cruise is fairly common.  I actually enjoy the cruises with 3 ports. That way we have a day at sea between each port. When you are at sea you can be totally relaxed.  My favorite thing is to lay by the pool and read a book while sipping on one of those drinks with the little parasol. I love hearing the steel drums in the background and the sound of seagulls flying overhead.

When choosing a cruise you can select from a number of different regions of the world. While we love the Caribbean, we have friends that choose to take an Alaskan cruise every few years. They love the scenery. We want to take a cruise in the Mediterranean next year and see some of the major sites in Europe. The trip we are thinking about includes Rome, Barcelona, and Athens.

Of course you could also decide to cruise through Scandinavia and even visit Russia. There are also cruises in Australia and New Zealand, the islands of the Pacific including Hawaii, Tahiti and Fiji, and even the far east, including Japan and China! There are now cruise ships in every part of the world.

Cruising is a great way to spend a vacation and I highly recommend it. So far my wife and I have been on nine cruise vacations and each year as we get off the ship we can’t wait until the next time we can get back on! Are you read to start planning your own cruise vacation?  You won’t be disappointed.