What to do on those long layovers

Everyone that flies is going to experience something of a layover. After all, it isn’t wise to rush through the airport at the last possible second. And then you’ll also have to wait on your connecting flight. Today let’s look at some things you can do during those long layovers

• not Most airports are going to have shops and restaurants right there for you. If you have a couple of hours to kill, why don’t you take in some of the shops . Enjoy a nice meal at one of your restaurants.
• If you have more than a couple of hours, you might want to go outside the city and take in some of the sights. My sister had a lay over in New York City. You will want to be careful to watch the time, you will not want to miss your next flight. But sometimes it’s fun to just go walk around a city.
• If your layover is going to be longer than ten to twelve hours, consider getting a hotel room. Airports can only go so far in offering a comfortable place to sit and wait. Getting a room will help you get more rest. And there is always at least one hotel that is near the airport.
• An alternative to this would be to go up to the counter, and see if there is an earlier flight you can catch. There is usually a fee, usually under one hundred dollars. But often that would be money well spent to get to your destination earlier.

These are some ideas. Have you and your family come up with other fun things to do at an airport? Please let me know.

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Tips for traveling with a disability #2

I have several things I want to accomplish today, so let me go on and do this.

Living with a disability makes life more difficult. Sorry.. I know some people who say that their disability is a gift and that they wouldn’t trade places with nondisabled people. And I guess I can see how disability shapes us. But if given the opportunity, I would love to be made well… But anyway, let’s look at some more thoughts on disability travel.

• Having a disability makes it more important to plan out your trips. You’ll want to let the people at your airline, the hotel people, and any other travel vendors know about your disability. This allows them to better serve you. Let them know in adadvance that you are going to need that extra outlet in that room, or that it is imperative that you have a refrigerator for your medication.
• You know yourself and your energy level better than anyone. If your most energetic times are in the mornings, let that be the time you do your big outings. Do you rest most afternoons. Do the same when you go on vacations. Especially when we’re disabled, our bodies do not like getting off our routines.
• You may want to purchase travel insurance specifically with your health in mind. A lot of health insurance companies will not cover you once you leave the United  States. Make sure you have everything you might need as far s insurance.

• Having a disability makes it more important to plan out your trips. You’ll want to let the people at your airline, the hotel people, and any other travel vendors know about your disability. This allows them to better serve you. Let them know in adadvance that you are going to need that extra outlet in that room, or that it is imperative that you have a refrigerator for your medication.

• Are you going to need a wheelchair? I’m laughing at this because my wheelchair goes with me wherever I go 99.9% of the time. But I know some people who can walk some, but need a wheelchair for the long distances. Or maybe you use a power chair, but it might not  work everywhere you would.

Let me know if you have any questions about this.

Tips for traveling with a disability

Sometimes I truly wonder if my computer can somehow sense that there are several things I want to do, and chooses those days to do weird things.. It’s doing better, so I’ll be quiet about that… We’ve been doing some things with family, and so I’ve kind of been doing the bare minimum, but I have so many things I want to do, like getting articles out there, I need to get back into everything..

I’m disabled, have been since I was born. I don’t know anything other than life in this wheelchair. I’ve done a good bit of traveling with my family. But thanks to my Dad and brothers, I don’t feel like I’ve been particularly left out of anything I’ve wanted to do. Now as I’ve gotten older, there are things I don’t want to anymore. So when I saw this article about traveling with a disability, I got curious. So look at this today.

My family has traveled as long as I can remember, and I’ve gone with them more than not… Now I did wonder if I would ever travel out of our fair United States, but now that I’ve done that, it doesn’t seem that difficult either.

If you are disabled and want to travel, please talk to me. I can help you figure out which trips would work best for you. I would love to help you figure that kind of thing out. Please let me know.

My disability is obvious to anyone that meets me. I’ve never been able to hide anything. But I know that it isn’t like that for everyone. I know a lot of people would rather not discuss their disability. But please when you’re traveling, let someone know you need a little extra help. Travel is tiring for anyone. Getting the help you need is going to make life easier on everyone, especially those who are traveling with you.

I think we are going to get back to this discussion tomorrow please let me know your thoughts on any of this.

Guided tours

Everyone has different ideas when it comes to travel and what the perfect vacation looks like. Some people just want to go to a beach and relax with a good book and maybe some good friends. Then there are those who want to have all these adventures on their vacation. They want to go scuba diving and rock climbing and things like that. And still others go places to learn things. They may be interested in art, or maybe history is their things. It’s this last group that I am going to be specifically talking to today.

I know that some people do not want to have any kind of set schedule. They want to explore when they want where they want. But other people enjoy learning from other people.

A lot of guided tours are going to have some structured time where the whole group is together seeing all the sights. And that is one advantage of going on a guided tour. You will be seeing all of the major sites in the area that you are visiting. you will also have pretty much everything arranged for you.

But that does not mean that your entire vacation is going to be this rigid structured thing. You are going to get some downtime where you can go back to places you want more time in. Or you can also go to a cafe and enjoy some good food and maybe spend more time with the locals.

I would love to know your thoughts about any of this. Please let me know.

What’s trending on cruises

In this day and age of social media, everyone wants to know what everyone else is thinking about and feeling. So today let’s take a look at some things that are trending in the cruise world.

• Most of the cruise lines that are pretty established are concentrating on refurbishing their older ships as opposed to replacing them em with brand new ships. This is cost effective and will hopefully trickle down to savings for you the consumers.
• Theme cruises are getting more and more popular. I know Disney does Star Wars cruises. There have been cruises centered around some very popular television shows. The interesting thing is that people seem to like them even more than the cruise line originally thought, so they expanding this idea
• The less expensive cruises are learning from the luxury lines, and are putting together more inclusive packages together. People seem to really like paying one price up front and then not having to worry about money the rest of the trip. Some lines are even including things like pre and post cruise packages.
• River cruises are expanding their activities. It used to be that these cruises mostly did walking tours. But as their business grows and more active travelers join these cruises, the lines are adding more adventures to their itineraries.

I would love to know your thoughts about any of this. I would also love to help you book a cruise if you’re interested. Please let me know.

Ways to save on a Mediterranean cruise

A cruise is a great way to explore a destination for the first time. There are several reasons for this. The first is that you will have your lodging covered wherever you go. The cruise staff is going to take care of all the logistics for you. Most of your food and beverages should be covered on a cruise, so that is something you will not have to worry about as well.. Okay, these are some advantages to cruising new places. The Mediterranean is a popular place to cruise because there is so much to see in this region. So today let’s look at some ways you can save on your next Mediterranean cruise.

• First, remember that all cruiselines are not created equal. There are some very inexpensive cruises to be had out there as well as some that are not so inexpensive. But I should point out that the less expensive cruises are going to be much more likely to charge you for all the little things. The higher end cruises are going to give you more for your money in most cases.
• How flexible are you when it comes to taking your cruise? You are going to get much better rates when you go in the off season. Going between October and May, with the possible exception of the holiday season, is going to save you a lot of money on your trip.
• Getting the nicer, bigger cabins will also cost you more. And how much time do you think you’ll be in your room anyway? Most of the time, you’ll be in your room to sleep and dress and that’s pretty much it.
• There are always deals you can get on cruises. Take your time. Do your research. Better yet, let me help you do your research.

I would love to help you book a cruise. Please let me know if you are interested.

Luxury cruiselines

Whenwe talk about luxury when comes to cruises, we’re talking about some of the most all inclusive vacations on the market. Today let’s look at some of the luxury lines that are out there and what they offer.

• We are going to look at Crystal Cruises first. not One thing I noticed right away is that they do have a children’s program. A lot of luxury cruises actually discourage children coming aboard their ships. Another thing you will find about luxury cruises is that their ships are much smaller than other ships. And one good thing about these smaller ships is that you are going to get a lot more personal service. And even though Crystal has some of the larger ships in the higher end cruise industry, they still offer high personal service.
• And then there is Regent Seven Seas. They are known for having one of the most all inclusive programs out there. I’ve never heard of this, but they even include pre and post cruise packages. They are also going to have specialty restaurants for your enjoyment. A lot of these ships are going to have a country club feel to them. Most of these ships are going to take less than a thousand guests.
• Seaborne has some of the newest ships among the luxury cruise lines. This article I’m reading says that they are “relatively all inclusive”, I’m not 100% sure what that means. But they do have exquisite dining and excellent service. If you want to experience life with the people the places you are going to visit, this is the cruise line you’ll want to use. You’re also going to find some great pools and spas on these ships.
• And lastly we are going to look at SilverSea. This is the line you want to book with if your ultimate goal is to relax. They do not have any kind of children’s program. They offer few onboard activities. However, you will have butler service in any suite you book.

I would love to know any questions you might have about any of this.

About river cruises

We’ve been talking about church talking a lot about cruises lately. Today let’s talk some about river cruises and some of the advantages.

• First, river cruises are usually on much smaller ships. And that means you are going to enjoy a much quieter, more intimate experience. The crew will have more time to see to your every need.
• The smaller ships are also going to get you you into much smaller ports. You will be getting to see a lot of places the larger ships could never take you. Like most cruises, and a lot of other tour companies, develop relationships with different shops, restaurants, markets, and all kinds of places that will give you the inside look at how these places.
• Most of these cruises are going to be pretty inclusive. You are going to get all your meals, all your drinks for your initial cost. Some are going to give you a free shore excursion. Some will give you a free excursion each day.
• The entertainment on a lot of ships is going to be entertainment pretty raunchy at times. River cruises are not going to have anything like that. The entertainment is going to be more classical. You are going to have many more opportunities to get to know your fellow passengers.

 

I would love to know your thoughts about this, or any questions you might have.

More reasons to cruise

I am going to try to get this done, so I can just relax later on. Let’s get back to the discussion about reason you might want to cruise.

• If you’ve been reading this blog long, you probably know that there are a lot of different kinds of cruises. There are cruises that mostly appeal to families who want a fun in the sun vacation. Other cruises are perfect for those who love history. There are cruises or those who want to explore art or cooking..
• Cruises are great places to meet people. It is pretty common for you to be seated with a pretty large group at dinner, so you’ll be getting to know that group pretty well. Looking to meet people in other countries? Cruises are great for that. Looking for a life partner? Cruises can make that happen as well.
• Cruises are great ways to explore countries you might not want to visit on your own. The cruise companies are going to plan all the details. You’ll be in large groups. And if there is going to be real trouble somewhere, you are going to change directions and go somewhere else..

I would love to know your thoughts about any of this, or any questions about this.

Why cruise?

We’ve been talking about cruising a lot lately. But if you’ve never cruised, you may be wondering why you think you should take that first cruise. Let’s take a look?

• Cruises can be great money saving deals. You are going to get everything you need in one price. You aren’t going to need to worry much about money once you’re on board. A lot of cruises will even do “kids sail free” deals. Cruises can take you several places on the same same trip. There is no need to unpack every time you move on. And they are going to handle all of the details for you.
• Cruises want to attract business from families, so they have activities for all ages. Most cruises will have excellent children’s programs that group kids in reasonable programs. They’ll also have a wide variety of activities for adults. Want time as a family? They are going to have things you’ll love to do together as a family.

I think we are going to get back to this tomorrow. Let me know what questions you feel.