Sunday, February 13, 2011

Top ten travel tips for your vacation

Going on a vacation with your loved ones is indeed, one of the most fun-filled and joyous experiences. You get to discover the most salubrious beaches, picturesque landscapes, quaint architecture, virgin forests, and so much more. Vacation travel entails careful planning and there are travel agents who will help you to organize some of your tour preparations.

When traveling, planning is of paramount importance as it will give you enough time to decide which things need to be of top priority and what the essential items to be carried are.

1. First of all, keep your travel documents securely and if you are planning overseas vacation, do not wait until the last minute to obtain passports because this may require several weeks. 

2. To get the competitive rates for your transportation and holiday accommodations, you will need to make your reservations few weeks in advance. You can obtain some best bargains during the off-season when demand will be low. 

3. Along with travel documents and your clothing, you must carry any special medicines that you or any of your family members may need. Before embarking on a trip, check to make sure that you are allowed to travel with your medicines. 

4. Your best protection is to be alert, book your tours through trustworthy agencies, and if possible avoid traveling alone to an unfamiliar destination. Try to know the traditions and local culture of the destination before you start your trip. It is important to do your homework and know the area you will be visiting and the applicable laws, locations of best tourist spots, and the kind of people you will have to interact with.

5. As a result of terrorist activities, airports have increased their security inspections before allowing passengers to board. Get to the airport sufficiently early to manage the security check-in congestion. The locks for your luggage must be Travel Security Administration (TSA) approved ones so that your luggage can be opened for inspection without having to cut your locks. 

6. When traveling, be constantly aware of your surroundings to guard against pickpockets. Travel with no more than two credit cards, and notify the card companies that you will be traveling so that they will not put a hold your cards when they notice charges from unfamiliar places. 

7. Before leaving on a vacation with your family, make sure you have enough money and adequately financially equipped so that you are not broke midway. It is good to budget your expenses beforehand and avoid overspending.

8. Carry a digital camera that uses AA batteries instead of a camera that uses proprietary batteries. They are less expensive to replace, easy to charge and are easily available wherever you go.

9. When packing your dresses pile them up one on top of another and then fold them to fit into your suitcase. This will mean less creasing and you will not have to run around for ironing. Always pack each box or suitcase with a mixture of clothing of each family member traveling. Even if a bag is lost, no one will be bereft of change of clothes. Further, you will only have to open one suitcase at each hotel. 

10. Finally, do not expect everything on your vacation to be perfect. You are possibly going to your dream destination and if you are taking your kids you will certainly have challenging moments. Forget all worries and enjoy the vacation and your hard-earned rest.

Friday, February 4, 2011

Vacation Rentals Are Stress Free Rentals

The prime purpose of going on a vacation is to escape the strain and stresses of daily life and to enjoy a period of rest and relaxation with your loved ones. The one assured way of enjoying a fulfilled vacation is to opt for vacation rentals.

Vacation rental means you will have a furnished accommodation with a host of amenities and you will feel like being in a home away from home. Most vacation homes came with multiple bedrooms, commodious living room, full-fledged kitchen, refrigerator, television etc.

You will have the opportunity to cook your own food in the private kitchen and enjoy the meals in the dining room and you can also occasionally opt to eat out. The kids will be excited as they have large spaces to move around and play. This apart, the kitchen provides an opportunity for huge savings as eating out on a daily basis can be an expensive proposition.

Vacation rentals are stress-free because there is a greater degree of undisturbed privacy and you and your family is saved the din and bustle of a hotel atmosphere. There is also an increase security for your children as they may not run into suspicious strangers.

The lower cost of a vacation rental is a matter for mental peace as the rates work out to be far cheaper per person - particularly if your family or group is large. You are also not required to pay extra tips for services rendered. Most holidaymakers are obsessed with the expenses while on a vacation and less expense means less financial strain leading to a greater degree of mental ease.

Vacation Rentals are of many types and you can book a fully furnished single-family home, apartment, independent cottage, beach house, condominium or cabin. Most families that have availed vacation rentals have had carefree and fun-filled vacation - if the remarks they make in the guest book is any indication. Most vacation rentals are situated in ideal locations and within walking distance to shopping areas, restaurants and key tourist spots and you need not bother about transportation.

If you are lucky, you can avail a vacation rental where the owner or manager will organize vacation activities making the whole trip thoroughly pleasurable and hassle free. They will provide you all the necessary information about local attractions, restaurants, beaches, markets and shopping centers and how to plan your sightseeing trips.

While you plan your vacation, it is critically important that you spare time to consider the many great benefits that you will derive when you hire a vacation rental rather than a hotel room. After all, you go on a vacation only once in a year and it is therefore essential that you really spend quality time with your family free from all concerns.

Vacation rentals can be found in most of the world’s best tourist destinations. And you can check out the various vacation rentals on the internet. There are numerous listings showing the interior and exterior pictures for you to browse and decide. Nowadays there are many online portals where you can bid for on vacation homes and vacation rental auctions will save you avoidable expenses.

Thursday, February 3, 2011

Benefits of Holiday homes

Holiday-the very word excites.  A break from the monotonous routine is just like standing beneath a cool shower. You will feel like going somewhere, where there is only you and your loved ones. You may also need privacy. Privacy is very important source of enjoyment which adds beauty to your trip.

When you're planning for a vacation, you may think of taking your family and checking into a big hotel. With so many expenses like airplanes, hotels, car rental packages out there, it's easy to get sucked into the frame of thinking. You may be worried with so many expenses occurring. You may be thinking how to reduce those expenses. One way to reduce your expenses is by choosing vacation rentals which offers various amenities that most of the hotels do not.

When you’re planning for your next vacation, consider a holiday home instead of a hotel.

Price:

When you compare the price of a hotel room and holiday home (vacation rentals) for a five day stay you will find the price to be somewhat similar and in some cases the stay at vacation home rental would be considered cheaper. But one difference that you would be amazed to know is that when you choose a hotel room to stay you will get only one bedroom and bathroom to stay, but if you prefer vacation home rental you will get a five bedroom and five bathroom private vacation home rental at the same price or in some cases it may be cheaper in the case of vacation home rental.

Amenities:

If you have decided on a holiday cottage you will find infinite amount of amenities compared to a hotel room. There are some villa rentals that provide various amenities that are included in the price of your rental price. Some of the amenities provided are swimming pools, hot tubs, golf course and at times fishing may also be an available option.

Feel at home:

If you stay in a holiday cottage you will feel like you are staying at home. If you're staying in holiday home you will get all the comforts of your home. These comforts can relax you after a long day of sightseeing in a pool and you don't have to share these comforts with anyone but your family. One more advantage is that children can get a separate room and parents can get a separate room.

Get discounts:

Another option for choosing vacation rental is because most professional management companies will have multiple rentals in their inventory and you can get discounts on last minute bookings with value added benefits that has coupons for visiting local places and even complimentary rental car facility.

Before booking hotel rooms do consider villa rentals.

Vacation rentals are best for your holiday accommodation

Vacation rental means renting out a fully furnished house, holiday cottage, condomium, town home or apartment by tourists and other holidaymakers for a few days or weeks as an alternative to hotel accomodation.

Vacation rentals, as opposed to hotel rooms, hold a lot of attractions for the tourists - such as cost savings, more space, greater privacy, increased freedom, no tips, tax benefits, no service charges etc. From the security angle, vacation rentals are far safer for families and particularly children.

Vacation rentals feature kitchens for cooking, dining space, living rooms for family meets, play area for kids and outdoor space for relaxation. With the availability of full kitchens, you can cook your own meals at a fraction of the cost you would spend eating at outside restaurants.

Many vacation rentals, in fact, offer a lot more amenities like fully equipped kitchens, fireplaces, private hot tubs, swimming pool etc. There are vacation rentals that also ape hotel by offering additional services like front desk check-in, 24-hour maintenance, in-house housekeeping, concierge service and more.

There is a popular misconception that vacation rentals are unaffordable and meant exclusively for the elite. As a matter of fact, vacation rentals range from budget studio apartments to lavish, fully staffed, private villas costing many thousand dollars per night. 

The luxury high-end vacation rentals provide exotic amenities like private swimming pools, spas, patios, fireplaces, beach access, home theatres, multiple bedrooms, game rooms, full-fledged kitchen, large dining areas etc.

Most vacation rentals provide entertainment facilities including jumbo television sets and DVD players, computers with high-speed Internet access, video game systems etc. Vacation home rentals are, indisputably the best way for anyone to enjoy a truly relaxing and wholly fulfilling family vacation. 

You will find that there is no dearth for vacation rentals in all major tourist destinations. You can choose a secluded mountain cabin, a quiet beach cottage or a home close to ski resorts and theme parks, or in the vicinity of well-known tourist spots. Most vacation home rentals are well situated and within easy reach of all favorite sightseeing spots, tourist attractions, golf courses, restaurants, shopping centers and other vacation hot spots. 

If your family or team is large, you will be constrained to hire multiple rooms in a hotel and that could lead to coordination problems and less opportunities for better bonding with your loved ones. Thus, there are a plethora of benefits spending your vacation in vacation rentals than spending it in congested, overpriced hotel rooms.

As vacation rentals feature a lot of benefits, they are becoming increasingly popular in many parts of the world. As more and more families have got into the habit of availing annual vacation, there is a steep increase in demand for quality vacation rentals. As of 2006, vacation rentals had become a $10 billion industry and still continuing to grow without any let up.

Nowadays, you will be able to find many websites where you can scout information about vacation rentals, study the facilities offered, make necessary comparisons and choose the one that best suits your taste and needs. It is preferable that you book the vacation rental at least a couple of weeks in advance to avoid last minute disappointment.