Vacation in New York

New York Vacation

While in New York, visit the Roosevelt-Vanderbilt National Historic Sites, in New York’s magnificent Hudson River valley at historic Hyde Park. See the beautiful homes of the Roosevelts and the Vanderbilts.

Read more »

A Las Vegas Vacation

How to Enjoy a Las Vegas Vacation

What happens in Las Vegas, should happen to you too!

  1. Check upcoming shows and events like variety and specialty shows, plays and musicals, magic, impersonators, comedy, sports, art exhibits and concerts.
  2. Search online from the simple restaurants to gourmet havens for every cuisine that will suit your budget.
  3. Shop until you drop - from bargains to luxury shopping.

    Read more »

Snow Ski in the Aspen Mountains

Aspen Mountain has long been known as the playpen of the rich and famous - and it is. But it is also a great place to take a family ski vacation. Christmas in Aspen is especially wonderful!

Aspen Mountain rises above the town of Aspen, with a top elevation of 11215 feet and a vertical drop of 3269 feet. There are 76 trails suitable for beginners, intermediates, and experts, accessible by eight lifts, including seven chair lifts and one cable car line.

More on a Vacation in Aspen

Add a Zoo to Your Vacation

You’ve seen 1 zoo, you’ve seen them all.

Not even close. Zoos in different parts of the country all have their uniqueness and make a fascinating day for your family while on vacation.

We are from Ohio and went to Indiana a number of years ago. My daughter is a big James Dean fan and wanted to see his grave. We ended up stopping at South Bend for the night and decided to check out a small zoo the next day.

Are we ever glad we did! This zoo was small but very unique, with lots of exotic animals. We walked through some kangaroos, which were laying on one side of the walkway. My wife and daughter got through and I was taking a picture when the kangaroos all got up and hopped to the other side, going in front of and behind me. It was unreal and something that never would have occurred at our Cleveland Zoo.

We’ve gone to zoos in California and other states and have always had a nice time. I highly recommend you consider doing the same on your next vacation.

How to Get a Discount on Your Next Hotel

You need to ASK if you want a discount. Here are ways to do it:

*Search the internet, look for great deals. There are various types of hotels that offer great discounts on the web for online customers.

*Plan your trip during the off season months. These are the times when big discounts are given.

*Call the hotel of your choice. Ask them about offers and discounts that they can give. List all promotions.

*Certain hotels can give discounts to credit card holders of certain card establishments. Ask for the manager and ask him about it. The manager is the best person to ask, since if you can make negotiations, he has the authority to make negotiations with you.

*Ask if they give discounts to students or senior citizens.

*Simply ask through the phone how can you qualify for a discount. If at certain day of the week or at certain times of the year they give discounts, ask them about it and ask how much or how less can they give, then ask if you could get still a higher discount. Usually at off peak seasons, hotels will be willing to give in, just to fill the empty rooms.

*Ask for certain packages. Hotels usually offer rooms with free breakfast.

*Do name drop. If you know of someone who frequently stays them, mention his name. It can help. Tell them your friend referred you to them and ask for a discount. Don’t ever give up if they say no. A statement like “is that the best you can do?” can encourage a big discount.

*Often, people in the military get good hotel rates. Usually, discounts are offered to government employees.

*At off peak seasons, you could definitely ask for special rates. Then if they don’t budge after you have offered a discount, ask some extras, like breakfast.

*When negotiating, it is very important to write down all agreed discussions. Write too, the names of the persons that you have been talking to, the time as well as the day and date. Ask for a number that you can call before checking in to the hotel for confirmation.

*Upon arrival to the hotel, look around and ask for negotiations once more. For instance if you feel that the hotel is not fully booked, ask for a room with a better view than the one you are in, if you don’t agree with what you see.

It never hurts to ask. We were vacationing in Indiana and that evening we went to try to get a motel. Unreal prices. It was late so I went to a Holiday Inn. Told them I’d like to stay there but their rates were too high compared to a hotel down the street. (I lied about the price - alls fair - right?) They wouldn’t match the price but they dropped the rate by $40. Not bad. We took it.

Plan Your Disneyland Vacation

This video will get you ready to visit Disneyland. Click on the link to start planning your Disneyland vacation.

Create your own Travel Discounts

Hotel and rental car owners don’t just offer you discounts at random, you have to ask for it work for it, and sometimes, these discounts aren’t even worth it, well unless you’re looking to traveling during off peak season where there is at most a 50% discount. But let’s face it, we travel during peak season because this is the season when we actually have time to travel. Take the initiative and find your own ways to cheap travel, make your own discount.

Check detour flights other than the straight one you’re bound to get when you inquire.
You can get cheaper overall prices if you choose to book two flights instead of one. Some people have been able to save as much as $2000 by doing this.

It is always better to buy food at the grocery and cook it yourself rather than eating everyday at a restaurant.
You won’t want to spend the majority of your money on food. Go to a grocery store and buy some of your own. Lots of hotels and motels have microwaves in the rooms now. Take advantage of the continental breakfast if available. Make sandwiches for lunch. You can then treat yourself to a good meal at supper.

Travel to places which boast of natural beauty but have lower costs of living, prices here tend to be lower.
The Philippines or Malaysia for example, both have great views and tourist spots but are not generally overpriced. English speaking natives are also a plus for these countries.

If you’re planning to stay for more than a week, call the hotel that you’d want to stay in and ask for week long stay discounts.

Package deals usually save a lot, airfare and lodgings and, combined into one, are usually cheaper as opposed to paying for them separately.
Some travel agencies even provide trio packages which include airfare, hotel and car rental, you can save a lot if you have the industriousness to canvass. Check out the Travel Packages available here.

Find web-only discounts or coupons which some hotels and airline owners provide especially for those willing to reserve online. You can save as much as 50% on your travel costs by going this way.

Choosing the Best Travel Accommodation

There are many things to consider when choosing your travel accommodations. The decision could make your trip fun or a disappointment. Choosing the right hotel is a must. Most travelers spend more time in airline ticket reservations and bargains but less time in choosing the right accommodations. Thus they may end up on the wrong side of the bed during their stay.

To get the most out of your hotel accommodations, remember to book as early as possible and make your dates more flexible. Hotels that specialize business people will consider weekends as off season. Family vacationers could tap into these special packages during weekends. Primarily, you should choose your hotel based on name, amenities, features, price, packages and location.

Here are some considerations in choosing your best travel accommodations:

1. Accommodations should be family-friendly. Always ask if your hotel offers children activity areas with educational and fun activities supervised by duly-trained care-givers.

2. Your hotel should provide a swimming pool for children, daycare service, crib rental and child-proof electrical outlets.

3. Stay in a hotel that has electronic room-key cards and has a security viewer installed on their doors.

4. Make it a priority to choose a room on the upper floor.

5. If you’re the one who likes to spend more time in your hotel room and the balcony, you should ask for the available amenities and the conditions of the surrounding environment.

6. Depending on whether you’re on a private or business trip, ask your hotel about the availability of laundry service, hair dryers, coffee makers, newspapers, free meals, fax machine, bar, cable television, parking, shuttle service, internet connection, etc.

7. The hotel property layout and its location may speak more of its surrounding environment. Noisy locations such as construction on adjacent property, car traffic and noisy waterfalls are not specified on hotel flyers. So be sure to ask about it.

8. Beautifully landscaped surroundings with trees, flowers and inner courts also enhance your travel pleasure. Moreover, gift shops and restaurants all add up to a wonderful travel experience.

9. The location of your hotel with respect to main attraction is equally important. It could save you money on taxi and bus fare.

10. Make sure that the room service is provided 24 hours a day.

11. Check out the room itself. Is it brightly colored or classical? It sets the mood of your travel.

In order to get the most out of your travel, whether for business or family vacations, be sure to know everything about the hotel you are planning to check in to. Ask friends and relatives who have been there. Don’t just depend on the hotel’s webpage which is undoubtedly biased. Having to stay in a hotel which you don’t like could ruin your trip.

Dealing with Jetlag

Jetlag, basically, refers to the condition of the body being disoriented. More often than not, jetlags are a result of crossing time zones which affects the internal body clock of an individual. Some of the common symptoms of jetlag are inability to sleep at night, loss of drive, malaise, tiredness, inability to concentrate, and headaches.

Generally, the severity of jetlags is dependent on the direction of the travel. Most experts say that the occurrences of jetlags are lesser when people travel westward than eastward. This is because the body rhythm is extended up to 27 hours when a person flies westward. In turn, the body is able to catch up with whatever changes in the environment

Moreover, the so-called “circadian rhythm” is greater than 24 hours when a person travels westward. This is because the time of the day is lengthened, thus, giving more time for the body to adjust.

In reality, there are no quick fixes to “cure” the signs of jetlags. However, there are ways to deal with it so as to start healthier in the new environment.

Here’s how:

1. Staying outside during the day is recommended to cope up with jetlags. This is because the person’s body clock will be able to adjust at a faster rate if it will become accustomed to the new surroundings. Usually, natural light aids in coping up with jetlags.

2. It would be better for a person to adjust their bedtime schedules so as to prevent the severity of jetlags. In this way, their body clock will be able to cope up with the changes in the time setting.

3. It is best if people will start eating, sleeping, and doing their usual activities patterned to the local time setting of the new place and not from the usual time they do it back home.

4. For people who travel because of some important event like the athletes or the entrepreneurs, it is best if they travel way ahead of time to their event schedules. This is to give them more time to adjust and get accustomed of the area.

So, jetlag is not so much of a problem. It is just a matter of adjustment and coping up. After which, you can enjoy the new scenery.

Make Sure You Choose a Good Travel Agent

Be careful of travel agents. Travel agents may give you the best deal for your package, which normally include airfare, lodgings and transportation, but a really good agent can be really flexible. One example would be if you want a rental car for the first half of your trip but you want to get rid of it by the second half, a good agent can arrange this for you, sometimes for a cheaper price.

With the advent of the internet, you can now do much of your own bookings online and create the flexibility you desire. Travel Vacations has everything you need.

Next Page »