Dining Reservations - Maximize Your Vacation Time

Time is precious.  This is also true when on vacation.    Nobody likes to waste time waiting in lines.  One of the biggest time wasters is waiting at a restaurant to be seated.  How can you maximize your time away without compromising the experience?

Many vacation destinations are now offering advance dining reservations.  Disney allows guests to make reservations as early as 180 days prior to the vacation start date.  The online reservation system lets the requester see real time availability and book immediately.

Several of the cruise lines are also offering advance reservations for their specialty venues.  Having these reservations in place ahead of time lets you get on board with no worries for that special celebration dinner.

Check with your travel professional to see if advance dining reservations are available for your destination.

Bon Appetite!

You Deserve a Vacation - Now more than Ever!

The current state of the economy has everyone cutting back.  Families are making changes to keep up.  A lot of folks are having to take on extra duties to make up for shortcomings.

One area that should not be cut out is vacation time.  Studies have shown that time away relieves stress and can actually improve productivity.

There are ways one can enjoy a vacation without busting the budget.  Here are a few tips to consider:

• Plan a getaway during off-peak or low season for the best values.
• Take a shorter trip (5-days vs. 7-days)
• Look for options closer to home to save on airfare.  There are many cruise ports within driving distance to a variety of places.
• Consult a Travel Professional.  They can save you time on finding the best values.

These are just a few tips that can get you that much needed vacation without breaking the bank.  Have tips of your own?  Feel free to share.

Now, contact your Travel Consultant and get ready to relax.

Thursday Thought - Take Along a Spare

Do you travel with a spare?  Most folks have a spare tire on their car and would not even consider traveling without one.  Our spare tire has come in handy several times on our travel trailer!

But, what about when traveling on vacation.   Here are some spares to consider taking along the next time you travel:

• Glasses/Sunglasses
• Keys
• Copy of ID/Passport

The spare glasses recently came in handy when on a cruise.  When boarding the tender to go to shore, the guest lost his balance on the rocky boat and when trying to steady, bumped his glasses and off they went ~ right in to the water.  Fortunately, he had a spare set.  

This is just one of many examples of how having a spare saved the vacation.  

Next time you travel, be sure to take along a spare.

Full service vs. Self service - Makes Travel $ense

With everyone's busy schedules nowadays, it just makes sense to do things that help to free up time.  The current economy also makes it important to find the best value.

Planning a vacation is one of the activities that can take up a lot of time.  Especially when research is involved for new destinations and types of vacations.

This is where a Travel Agent/Consultant or whatever other term may be used to describe them comes in as a valuable time saving tool.  The education and day to day experience that agents have afford them the ability to offer suggestions on the type of vacation that is being considered.

We often hear "but that is the same price as the website".  Here is where the added value comes in.  Does the website personally respond to emails, answer the phone, return calls?  Will the website offer unbiased opinions and alternative suggestions?  Will the website be there after the deposit is made to answer questions?   Try getting the website to file a complaint after travel on something that may have gone wrong.

Think of it this way.  When driving down the road and the full service gas station is offering the same price as the self service station, which would you prefer?

Weather Delays - Not Exclusive to Winter Travel

How often do you plan a trip during a specific time of year - just for the weather?  I want to go when it's warm, sunny, etc.  Nobody wants weather to dampen their vacation.  While we can't control the weather, there are steps that can be taken to lessen the inconveniences it may create.

The winter months cause concern for a lot of the areas affected by snow and wintery weather.  Troublesome weather is not just around in the winter.  Flights can be delayed due to thunderstorms and other weather conditions.  Roads can be closed due to flooding and downed trees.

When making your reservations, consider building in an extra day or two.  Plan to arrive early.  This will not only allow time to recover from the travel time, it will also allow space if flights are delayed or detours are encountered.  Then, get ready to enjoy the beginning of the vacation fresh and relaxed.

The same can be said for the end of the trip.  Why put added stress on the last day?  Allow for a leisurely return so the lasting memories of the vacation are of the time spent there and not the hectic time in transit.

The Importance of Correct, Up to Date Information on Your Luggage Tags

When heading to a cruise or a destination involves a flight, be sure to update your luggage tag card.  It is so easy to forget to check the latest information on the card when you only pull out that luggage once in a great while.  How many times have you come across a luggage tag that had an address listed from a couple of moves ago?  Then, there are the folks who cry "privacy" and refuse to list their personal information on a tag for fear of being stalked.  I would bet there are more lost luggage bags than there are stalkers hanging out looking through the tags for their next victim. 

What should be put on the tag?  Your comfort level with the privacy issues will dictate what you choose to complete.  At a minimum, I would recommend a name (even if just the last name) and phone number.  For those that still have a home phone and a cell phone, the latter should be used.  Why?  Just imagine if you were to lose a piece of luggage while traveling.  If you have the home number listed, the finder would try to contact you.  Problem is, you're traveling and not home.  Sure, they may leave a message that you will retrieve later.  The return process could be sped up by getting the call a little more timely.  You might even be reunited with the luggage before your next stop or flight departure.  Then, you could continue on your relaxing journey instead of stressing over that missing luggage.

In preparation for your next trip, make filling out that luggage tag a step in your packing process.

Relax and enjoy!

Connie Sims
Sims Family Tours & Travel
www.simsfamtrav.com
www.facebook.com/SimsFamilyToursandTravel