Last Friday morning, as I was getting ready to fly to Wisconsin for the wedding of our best friend’s daughter – a wedding where I was doing a reading – I noticed in my Southwest app that our evening flight was already showing delayed. I thought that was a bit odd so many hours before our flight, so I kept checking all day long, and kept watching the delay steadily increase to over 3 hours by late afternoon.
And then I got the dreaded alert: Cancelled. Read more
Everyone wants to know they’re getting the best possible price for their vacation – but how do you actually do that?
Do you scour “discount” travel sites that offer trips at cheap prices? Do you grab that Groupon that just showed up in your email? Do you ask thousands of people you don’t know in a Facebook group? Do you book the inn that your Aunt Martha said was a great deal when she and Uncle Harry visited there 20 years ago?
The answer actually starts with two truths that you probably heard as a kid:
For many folks, a tropical island vacation means a vacation to the Hawaiian islands, and for good reason. With its one-of-a-kind culture, spectacular beaches, and endless room for adventure, to say nothing of the majestic waterfalls, volcanoes, and rugged mountain landscapes waiting to be explored – the appeal of a vacation to Hawaii is obvious.
Until they look at the flights.
When travelers realize that most flights from the west coast of the U.S. are at least 6 hours – along with the cost of that airfare – for many, that is the end of their dreams of a vacation in paradise.
But it’s not necessary to give up hope of enjoying a tropical vacation on a beautiful island. There are a number of Caribbean islands which match Hawaii in beauty (and some would say even better than what you can experience in the Hawaiian Islands). Best of all, you can generally fly to the Caribbean from the U.S. mainland within a few hours, so you can enjoy that exotic experience without flying halfway around the world. (And the airfare is a lot less expensive too!) Read more
It’s hard to not love the idea of an all-inclusive vacation. Arrive at your resort and everything you do from that point on is already included and you can just go about enjoying your vacation without giving a thought to paying for anything. Sounds pretty great right? Your accommodations, unlimited food, drinks, activities, and entertainment are all included in the booking price of the resort. Everything has been paid for in advance and you likely will have little to no need for your wallet throughout your trip.
But.
All *all-inclusive* resorts aren’t created equal, and they vary in the benefits they include in their vacation packages. And this is very important to know before you book because no one wants to arrive at their resort, expecting everything to be included, only to find out that a good bit of what you want to do – or eat – or drink -isn’t included and will come at an additional cost! Read more
Have you ever booked a room for a particular view, and then arrived to find out that the view is nothing like you expected?
Few things are more disappointing than looking forward to watching the waves with your morning coffee on your balcony every morning, only to find out that you have to stand on your balcony and lean……way……over…..the…..edge…..in order to actually see the ocean. (Plus that’s not very safe either!)
If what you see when you look outside is a priority for your vacation, making sure you book the right “view” category is important. Especially if you’re traveling to a tropical island for a bucket list vacation – where you may be expecting to see turquoise waters from your balcony – you’ll want to know what those room descriptions mean.
Oceanview. Oceanfront. Beachfront.
They all mean the same thing, right? Read more