Archive for: January 2010

When it comes to making your vacation plans and bookings, it’s hard to know if you’re getting a good deal. And it’s hard to decide whether you’re better off doing it yourself online, or whether you should use the services of a travel agent. Below you’ll find a few ideas that may help you to decide how YOU want to do it for your next vacation.

Internet Vacation Planning

There’s nothing like doing it yourself. You can make whatever plans you want to and you are not locked into any predesigned vacation package. That means if you want to spend four days in Costa Rica and two days in Nicaragua, you can without having to bend to the prepackaged itineraries travel agents provide.

On the other side of the coin, however, is the uncertainty. Did you make reservations at a safe hotel? What about the ATV tour you booked – do they speak English? Who is going to pick you up from the airport and how do you get around? When you make vacation plans yourself, it’s up to you to make the decisions and you have to live with the consequences.

Saving money? This is a toss-up. Sometimes you do save more money when you book your travel plans online yourself, and sometimes you don’t. Travel agents have access to all of the same internet sites you do and then some.

Travel Agent Vacation Planning

When you book with a travel agent, many times you’re paying for a package. This means that if you decide you want to cut your stay short in one city and move onto the next city in your itinerary, well you may just be out of luck. However, if you’ve booked it yourself, you have the freedom to change your plans on the fly. Customizing your trip to meet your needs is a bit tricky and can quickly become more expensive than you want.

Certainty – travel agents are experts in travel. They know the ins and outs of every location they promote, including taxes and the laws relating to visas and passports. They know where the best places are to stay and what the best activities are. In short, you’re sure to have a great vacation if you plan it with a travel agent.

Saving money? In a side-by-side comparison booking a trip to Las Vegas for the exact same length of stay at the exact same hotel, the travel agent’s package was $200 more. Both included airfare; however, the travel agent’s package included about $100 in meals, $50 to spend at the spa and also $50 to spend in the casino. All in all, it was a draw.

The Bottom Line

In the end, the decision about whether to do it yourself or whether to use a travel agent depends on just a few variables. Perhaps the most important of those is where you’re actually thinking of going. If you’re going to a some exotic place, or even somewhere where you’ve never been before, you know that a good travel agent can be relied upon to find you comfortable accommodation and a safe itinerary.

But if you’re going to somewhere close, or somewhere you already know, then you can find just as good deals as a travel agent. You might decide you prefer to relax and take a package tour, or you may decide you prefer to experiment and work out your own itinerary. It’s completely up to you!

What could be better for a great winter getaway than the Golden Isles of Georgia? These islands form part of the chain of islands between South Carolina and Florida that are known as the Sea Islands. The Golden Isles of Georgia themselves are a group of four islands situated off the Atlantic coast of Georgia. They are:

• St. Simons Island
• Sea Island
• Jekyll Island
• Little St. Simons Island

Summer maximums in the Golden Isles of Georgia rise to about 95º and then fall to the mid sixties during winter months. And that makes them the perfect winter destination for many people living in the north-east of the United States.

The islands were originally a vacation destination for the elite and wealthy. While they’re still an expensive place to live with homes ranging in price from just over $200,000 to $12 million, they do have permanent year-round residents and they can be a reasonably affordable place to vacation. Let’s take a look at each of the four islands in detail.

St. Simons Island

St. Simons is the largest of the Golden Isles and has a total area of 17.9 square miles. As of the US 2000 census, it had just over 13,000 year-round residents. St. Simons has a rich cultural history that begins 2000 years BC and spans to include notable accomplishments in many of the country’s major wars. St. Simons also supports an airport for easy travel onto the island, though roads run directly from the mainland of Georgia to the island.

Sea Island

Sea Island is considered to be an affluent resort island and though it is secluded and considered prime real estate for those who can afford it, few people actually live there. In 2004, however, it did host a G8 summit – mainly because access to the island can be strictly controlled.

Jekyll Island

Jekyll Island is perhaps the most common island to vacation on due to the number of activities available to tourists. Beautiful beaches, hiking and biking trails and a bike park all draw vacationers. It’s also a wonderful place to go to explore nature with access to the area’s marshes and abundant wildlife.

Little St. Simons

Little St. Simons is the most remote and secluded island of the four. It’s heavily forested and only 10,000 acres have been available to the public since the mid 1970s. Visitors and overnight guests are welcome; however, there’s a maximum occupancy of 30 people so reservations are required.

The Golden Isles of Georgia are just the thing if you live close by or if you’re looking for something a little different. And you can choose between staying on the mainland and making day excursions to the islands, or you can go the whole hog and book a stay on the island that you find most appealing.

A lot of countries have their carnival, but none of them can compete with the most famous of them all – the Carnival in Rio. The “Carnaval”, as it’s known in Brasil, began way back in 1723 and its origin is basically religious. It’s the final fling before Lent, a period of prayer and abstinence in preparation for Easter and the Resurrection.

People flock to Rio every year to join in the funmaking – or just observe, although it’s hard not to get involved! Carnival itself begins four days before Ash Wednesday, which means the first day is always a Saturday. The next three carnival dates are:

* 2010 February 13th
* 2011 March 5th
* 2012 February 18th

What Can You Do during Carnival?

There are many ways to enjoy the celebration. Depending on your personality and desired level of involvement you can:

• Watch the parades. This is perhaps the most common way to enjoy the celebration if you’re not a native. The main event is the Samba Parade and you’ll have to buy tickets in advance. Tickets for the Sambadromo range from just over $500 to around $100 depending on where you’re seated. If you want box tickets, be prepared to shell out up to $1500. Luxury seat tickets come in around $1000. It’s not cheap but it is a chance of a lifetime.
• Participate in a parade. If you like to get involved, you can get a costume and join a parade. There are five parades in the Sambadromo; however, there are also many spontaneous parades and people in costume outside the Sambadromo and throughout the city.
• Attend a ball. In addition to parades, the next biggest draw during Carnival is the balls. The balls are essentially huge parties that you have to have a ticket to attend. Some balls like these sell out quickly:
  * Mangueira Ball
  * Red and Black Ball
  * City Ball
  * A Night in Ibiza
  * Ball of the Beer
  * Gay Costume Ball
• Enjoy the music and the food. In addition to the parades and the balls, which don’t get started until well after midnight, you can enjoy street parties, music and lots and lots of food. One popular street party, Cinelândia, is held every night during Carnival and hosts acclaimed musicians from around the world.

What to Know

Carnival, both the parties and the parades, are known to get very risqué and nudity – at least partial nudity – is common. It’s probably not a place to bring your children. Additionally, much of the activity gets started well after most people go to bed so if you’re not a night owl, you may want to reconsider or at least make room for a few sleepless nights in your plans.

This is definitely not for the weak of heart, but if you love joining in the fun, and you can take some time off and escape from the drab, cold Northern Hemisphere winter, a visit to the Carnival in Rio is a never-to-be-forgotten experience. You’ll need to book well in advance – and don’t forget your camera!