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Active Travel

May 20th, 2012 | Author: admin

Active Travel

There seems to be a whole vocabulary for those who sell travel. Active travel, adventure travel, leisure travel, eco-tourism. Do you really need to know what it all means? Not really. In the grand scheme of things you define your own travel style, and it may change from day to day.

You may go to an island and choose to sit on the beach one day, and go scuba diving the next. You may spend a day in the spa that resort has down in a palm grove and go bike riding the next. You’re active one day and quiet as a slug the next.

But if you are signing up for a tour, you should find out what that particular tour operator means when they say active travel. In general, an active tour will focus more on travel and transportation that requires physical activity… walking or cycling as opposed to riding along in a van or bus.

Most tours that fall into this category have a lot of outdoor activities.

OK, you say, but you can do a lot of walking if you’re sightseeing in a big city.

You’re right, even museum tours or garden tours can give you a workout, but active travel sort of indicates that you will be outdoors and biking or hiking or rafting or even horseback riding.

Some companies spell it out for you pretty well… they’ll tell you the activity level that will be required for the whole tour…

Will there be a lot of hiking or walking? For how many hours or how many miles or kilometers. Will there be lots of stairs or hills to climb? They may even have a “scoring” system all the way from easy to difficult… of course, you need to know what their definition of easy is!

A trekking company, for instance, might say Level One, or Easy is 3-5 hours of walking up to six miles a day with low altitude…. While Level Four or Strenuous is 5-8 hours of hiking in mountainous terrain at higher elevations.

Will you be staying in hotels? Or mountain huts where you share a bunkhouse arrangement with other travelers? Or will you be camping…. sleeping in tents? Your tour operator should give you an idea of the type of accommodations you can expect from rugged or spartan to luxury. You could be going on an African safari in the middle of the Kalahari, but if you stayed in a tent at Jack’s Camp, you would definitely find yourself reveling in the luxury category… and still be active in your travels.

You may even find that you relieve more “workaday” anxieties and frustrations with active vacations than you would just sitting on the beach, eating and drinking the night away. Activity is good for you, and sometimes it leaves you just a little tired and more relaxed at the end of the day.

Brochures may use the terms active or adventure travel interchangeably. We think of adventure travel as a little more of a reach…. something that is more apt to get you a little out of your comfort zone. Active travel doesn’t necessarily do that…. but it may make you break a sweat.

And what’s wrong with that?

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Travel Lodge

May 19th, 2012 | Author: admin

Travel Lodge

What does one need when going on a trip? Travel tickets and a place to stay over night. Getting a convenient travel lodge with rebate prices in some great location where you are free of the daily life stress becomes a true chase for gold in the pre-vacation period. Tourism agents always have all sorts of packages for memorable vacations, but you need to do your homework too and decide what your expectations are before seeing what you are offered. Consider the next tips when in search of a quiet inexpensive travel lodge, and and ask yourself these questions for a good start.

Do you want to go on holiday on or off the peak season? Have you got an exact date you need to stick to? How much can you afford to spend on a travel lodge? How many people are going on the trip with you? Travel lodge is available with lots of hotels, motels and hostels offering accommodation with different levels of comfort, starting with regular amenities and finishing with five star services.

From travel lodge to travel lodge it is normal for the rates to differ, not to mention that discounts can only be negotiated when you pay far in advance for accommodation. Thus, some hotels even allow one the flexibility to book rooms twelve months in advance.

Internet portals facilitate the finding of a travel lodge immensely, as many of them include travel-related menu options. But for such technologies we enjoy today, it could be impossible to find a decent cheap travel lodge in a short amount of time. So far we have referred only to holiday makers who need convenient travel lodge solutions, but there are very many people who have jobs that involve a lot of traveling, and they too enjoy the use of travel-related web sites. Some companies make their deals through rental contracts for a travel lodge in order to offer the commuting employees all the work conditions necessary.

The reservation for such a travel lodge is made only after a negotiation of the contract, particularly if the company requires the use of the travel lodge for an indefinite period of time. People in search of a travel lodge, who do not have the back covered by a corporation, should carefully look over several quotes before making up their mind, and fortunately web sites do allow comprehensive research making. As for the market trends, it is interesting to point out that there has been a reorientation in the travelers’ preferences for cottages, when traveling to Europe and Great Britain in particular.

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Travel Agency

April 26th, 2012 | Author: admin

Travel Agency

Origins

The British company Cox & Kings is sometimes said to be the oldest travel agency in the world, but this rests upon the services that the original bank, established in 1758, supplied to its wealthy clients. The modern travel agency first appeared in the second half of the 19th century. Thomas Cook, in addition to developing the package tour, established a chain of agencies in the last quarter of the 19th century, in association with the Midland Railway. They not only sold their own tours to the public, but in addition, represented other tour companies. Other British pioneer travel agencies were Dean and Dawson, the Polytechnic Touring Association and the Co-operative Wholesale Society. The oldest travel agency in North America is Brownell Travel; on July 4, 1887, Walter T. Brownell led ten travelers on a European tour, setting sail from New York on the SS Devonia.

Travel agencies became more commonplace with the development of commercial aviation, starting in the 1920s.

Originally, travel agencies largely catered to middle and upper class customers, but the post-war boom in mass-market package holidays resulted in travel agencies on the main streets of most British towns, catering to a working class clientle, looking for a convenient way to book overseas beach holidays.

Operations

As the name implies, a travel agency’s main function is to act as an agent, that is to say, selling travel products and services on behalf of a supplier. Consequently, unlike other retail businesses, they do not keep a stock in hand. A package holiday or a ticket is not purchased from a supplier unless a customer requests that purchase. The holiday or ticket is supplied to them at a discount. The profit is therefore the difference between the advertised price which the customer pays and the discounted price at which it is supplied to the agent. This is known as the commission. A British travel agent would consider a 10-12% commission as a good arrangement. In Australia, all individuals or companies that sell tickets are required to be licensed as a travel agent.

In some countries, airlines have stopped giving commission to travel agencies. Therefore, travel agencies are now forced to charge a percentage premium or a standard flat fee, per sale. However, some companies still give them a set percentage for selling their product. Major tour companies can afford to do this, because if they were to sell a thousand trips at a cheaper rate, they still come out better than if they sell a hundred trips at a higher rate. This process benefits both parties.

Other commercial operations are undertaken, especially by the larger chains. These can include the sale of in-house insurance, travel guide books and timetables, car rentals, and the services of an on-site Bureau de change, dealing in the most popular holiday currencies.

The majority of travel agents have felt the need to protect themselves and their clients against the possibilities of commercial failure, either their own or a supplier’s. They will advertise the fact that they are surety bonded, meaning in the case of a failure, the customers are guaranteed either an equivalent holiday to that which they have lost or if they prefer, a refund. Many British and American agencies and tour operators are bonded with the International Air Transport Association (IATA), for those who issue air tickets, Air Travel Organisers’ Licensing (ATOL) for those who order tickets in, the Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA) or the American Society of Travel Agents (ASTA), for those who sell package holidays on behalf of a tour company.

A travel agent is supposed to offer impartial travel advice to the customer. However, this function almost disappeared with the mass-market package holiday and some agency chains seemed to develop a ‘holiday supermarket’ concept, in which customers choose their holiday from brochures on racks and then book it from a counter. Again, a variety of social and economic changes have now contrived to bring this aspect to the fore once more, particularly with the advent of multiple, no-frills, low-cost airlines.

Commissions

Most travel agencies operate on a commission-basis, meaning that the compensation from the airlines, car rentals, cruise lines, hotels, railways, sightseeing tours and tour operators, etc., is expected in form of a commission from their bookings. Most often, the commission consists of a set percentage of the sale.

In the United States, most airlines pay no commission at all to travel agencies. In this case, an agency usually adds a service fee to the net price.

Types of agencies

There are three different types of agencies in the UK: Multiples, Miniples and Independent Agencies. The former comprises a number of national chains, often owned by international conglomerates, like Thomson Holidays, now a subsidiary of TUI AG, the German multinational. It is now quite common for the large mass-market tour companies to purchase a controlling interest in a chain of travel agencies, in order to control the distribution of their product. (This is an example of vertical integration.) The smaller chains are often based in particular regions or districts.

In the United States, there are four different types of agencies: Mega, Regional, Consortium and Independent Agencies. American Express and the American Automobile Association (AAA) are examples of mega travel agencies.

Independent Agencies usually cater to a special or niche market, such as the needs of residents in an upmarket commuter town or suburb or a particular group interested in a similar activity, such as sporting events, like football, golf or tennis.

There are two approaches of travel agencies. One is the traditional, multi-destination, out-bound travel agency, based in the originating location of the traveler and the other is the destination focused, in-bound travel agency, that is based in the destination and delivers an expertise on that location. At present, the former is usually a larger operator like Thomas Cook, while the latter is often a smaller, independent operator.

Consolidators

Airline consolidators and other types of travel consolidators and wholesalers are high volume sales companies that specialize in selling to niche markets. They may or may not offer various types of services, at a single point of access. These can be hotel reservations, flights or car-rentals, for example. Sometimes the services are combined into vacation packages, that include transfers to the location and lodging. These companies do not usually sell directly to the public, but act as wholesalers to retail travel agencies. Commonly, the sole purpose of consolidators is to sell to ethnic niches in the travel industry. Usually, no consolidator offers everything, they may only have contracted rates to specific destinations. Today, there are no domestic consolidators, with some exceptions for business class contracts.

Criticism and controversy

“Racking”

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Travel agencies have been accused of employing a number of restrictive practices, the chief of which is known as ‘racking’. This is the practice of displaying only the brochures of those travel companies whose holidays they wish to sell, the ones that pay them the most commission. Of course, the average customer tends to think that these are the only holidays on offer and is unaware of the possible alternatives.

Conversely, by limiting the number of companies that a travel agency represents, this can bring a better and more profitable, working relationship between the agency and its suppliers. Travel agencies can then obtain special benefits for their customers, from a supplier, by concentrating their bookings with that supplier. Some examples of these special benefits would be room upgrades or the waiver of change and cancellation fees.

(“Racking” is a British expression, not used in the United States.)

The Internet threat

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With general public access to the Internet, many airlines and other travel companies began to sell directly to passengers. As a consequence, airlines no longer needed to pay the commissions to travel agents on each ticket sold. Since 1997, travel agencies have gradually been disintermediated, by the reduction in costs caused by removing layers from the package holiday distribution network. However, travel agents remain dominant in some areas such as cruise vacations where they represent 77% of bookings and 73% of packaged travel.

In response, travel agencies have developed an internet presence of their own by creating travel websites, with detailed information and online booking capabilities. Several major online travel agencies include: Expedia, Voyages-sncf.com, Travelocity, Orbitz, CheapTickets, Priceline, CheapOair and Hotwire.com. Travel agencies also use the services of the major computer reservations systems companies, also known as Global Distribution Systems (GDS), including: SABRE, Amadeus CRS, Galileo CRS and Worldspan, which is a subsidiary of Travelport, allowing them to book and sell airline tickets, hotels, car rentals and other travel related services. Some online travel websites allow visitors to compare hotel and flight rates with multiple companies for free. They often allow visitors to sort the travel packages by amenities, price, and proximity to a city or landmark.

Travel agents have applied dynamic packaging tools to provide fully bonded (full financial protection) travel at prices equal to or lower than a member of the public can book online. As such, the agencies’ financial assets are protected in addition to professional travel agency advice.

All travel sites that sell hotels online work together with GDS, suppliers and hotels directly to search for room inventory. Once the travel site sells a hotel, the site will try to get a confirmation for this hotel. Once confirmed or not, the customer is contacted with the result. This means that booking a hotel on a travel website will not necessarily result in an instant answer. Only some hotels on a travel website can be confirmed instantly (which is normally marked as such on each site). As different travel websites work with different suppliers together, each site has different hotels that it can confirm instantly. Some examples of such online travel websites that sell hotel rooms are Expedia, Orbitz and WorldHotel-Link.

The comparison sites, such as Kayak.com, TripAdvisor and SideStep search the resellers site all at once to save time searching. None of these sites actually sell hotel rooms.

Often tour operators have hotel contracts, allotments and free sell agreements which allow for the immediate confirmation of hotel rooms for vacation bookings.

Mainline service providers are those that actually produce the direct service, like various hotels chains or airlines that have a website for online bookings. Portals will serve a consolidator of various airlines and hotels on the internet. They work on a commission from these hotels and airlines. Often, they provide cheaper rates than the mainline service providers as these sites get bulk deals from the service providers. A meta search engine on the other hand, simply culls data from the internet on real time rates for various search queries and diverts traffic to the mainline service providers for an online booking. These websites usually do not have their own booking engine.

Careers

With the many people switching to self-service internet websites, the number of available jobs as travel agents is decreasing. Most jobs that become available are from older travel agents retiring. Counteracting the decrease in jobs due to internet services is the increase in the number of people travelling. Since 1995, many travel agents have exited the industry, and relatively few young people have entered the field due to less competitive salaries. However, others have abandoned the ‘brick and mortar’ agency for a home-based business to reduce overheads and those who remain have managed to survive by promoting other travel products such as cruise lines and train excursions or by promoting their ability to aggressively research and assemble complex travel packages on a moment’s notice, essentially acting as a very advanced concierge.

Cargo

A small number of companies work with cargo airlines and cargo ships.

Vacation Ideas

April 24th, 2012 | Author: admin

Vacation Ideas

There is frequently so much happening in our lives that we can’t seem to slow down for even a couple of minutes. Between work and school our lives are so complicated that we stress about every little thing and are incessantly tired.

The easiest way to decompress and get away from it all is to have a vacation. This is the greatest time of year because it grants us to get off for a couple of days or even a couple of weeks. We can take our families with us someplace and adhere together like we don’t get to do at home. The trick is to recognize where to go and what we want to do.

Theme Parks

When you ask children what they want to do the obvious answer will be to go to Disneyworld. Theme parks are fun because there is constantly something to see and to do. Both you and the kids will have tons fun. The downside is that you have to expect to wait in line for hours for every ride and spend a ton of money.

Family Reunions

This is only a good thought if you have a good relationship with your family and don’t mind passing a few days in the same household with them.

It will give the grandparents quality time to catch up and spoil the kids and you can visit with old homes. The best thing about this is that you do not have to pay anything for a hotel room.
Camping

This is a good thing to do and it doesn’t have to cost that much. If you don’t have all of the supplies you might borrow from a friend. You will have the ability to choose from numerous state parks or go in your own backyard. Kids camping is great fun and you will have loads of fun exploring the nature round you. The one disadvantage is that you must share your space with the bugs.

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Travel Insurance

April 20th, 2012 | Author: admin

Travel Insurance

Are you planning a long vacation abroad or within your country? Splendid! Have you ever though that Travel Insurance? It is as vital as you plan your vacations. To plan your holiday trip without a Travel Insurance may be quiet unsafe and risky. In fact when you are planning to your destination, Travel Insurance must be on the top of your planning list. Travel Insurance helps you save a lot of money that may be charged on huge medical bills or unexpected expenses while traveling abroad. You never know when the misfortune strikes your door, it might strike even when you are busy enjoying your vacation, so the best way to protect yourself is by getting Travel Insurance done before hand while planning a vacation. You can at least be relieved from the financial stress if you face a major health problem which may cost you thousands of dollars abroad. Well your vacation is spoiled but you are saved from huge medical expenses, for which you may keep all your assets mortgage as the medical charges are quiet high in US or UK, or in any other tourist place for that matter.

You however need to do a sensible search to get your Travel Insurance done effectively. The most popular Travel Insurance companies are Gap Year Travel Insurance or the Backpacker Travel Insurance and many more… The Backpacker or the Gap Year Insurances offer a number of amazing features like: – It is basically meant for those vacationers who love to travel and spend a longer period of time during their vacations. – This Travel Insurance covers all the risks related to the sporting activity likes scuba diving, skiing, bungee jumping etc which involves a great risk to the tourists and above all it also offers great discounts for couple bookings and charges no extra costs. – These companies offer insurance for the time period of eighteen months but however they have certain restrictions on the age of the tourist who wants to get himself insured through Travel Insurance. To get an Travel Insurance your age needs to be within the ascertained limits and if you fall beyond these limits there are other Travel Insurances that might help you out. The Holiday Insurance helps you to get a risk cover for maximum two years, this is a type of long stay insurance. You can get Travel Insurance done from other several online Travel Insurance companies that offer huge benefits like the World Nomads Travel Insurance is specifically for the adventurous travelers and covers risk like medical expenses, migration and on luggage as ipods, digital cameras etc.. Next is the Essential Travel Insurance which involves quick and easy booking process that helps you to buy the right policy. Downunder Travel Insurance provides risk cover for upto 55 years old people, Columbus Direct is quiet well-known company to offer Travel Insurance to meet all sorts of needs, Go Travel Insurance offers cheap insurances for full cover. These are a few of the several Travel Insurances that help you get a maximum cover for all sorts of risks involved during traveling. Travel Insurance must be a prerequisite before planning for any vacation destination as you never know what the future holds for you, so to enjoy your holidays tension-free it is better to get a Travel Insurance done before hand. So enjoy your vacations to the fullest with Travel Insurance.

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Intrepid Travellers

April 14th, 2012 | Author: admin

Intrepid Travellers

If you are an intrepid traveller then it will be the unreachable that draws you to new destinations and things to visit when you are travelling. Most people just plan their next holiday, but the diehard traveller will be looking to better their last trip and really make something remarkable.

Why not think about these?

Using all the pages in your passport: what a pride point to achieve! It might seem like a pain to a normal person to apply for new pages, but it’s such a badge of honour to have all the stamps of the countries that you have visited on display.

Climbing to the highest point of the countries you have visited: its amazing to see a country from its highest peak, so why not get to the top and be in the rare few that have seen the terrain from that angle.

Seeing one hundred countries: if you want membership in the traveller’s century club then collect passage into one hundred countries and be one of the elite few allowed to attend.

Acquiring rare passport stamps: there are some countries that are rare and unusual, and the acquisition of one if these stamps is like gold dust.

Take Lichtenstein for example. How many people do you know with that stamp?

Seeing the world in eighty days: might sound easy, but the real trick is to do it without using aeroplanes. You might have to board a boat, or get on a bus with the locals, but it means that you will get out there and live like the locals.

Visiting all seven of the continents: this would be much easier if Antarctica was easier to get to, but it means taking on Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, South America, Antarctica and Australasia in the quest to be well travelled.

Getting your kicks on route 66: renting a car and driving the iconic route 66 is a Mecca for travellers, so get it done and get one of the most amazing trips for travellers.

If you are looking to take a trip this summer then book Travel Insurance Direct

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Travel Planning

April 8th, 2012 | Author: admin

Travel Planning
“A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step.” Also, a journey of a thousand miles needs to be well planned in order for you to enjoy it thoroughly. Whether the travel involves adventure, exploring nature, a leisurely stay at a resort, or a series of business meetings, if the intricacies of travel planning are overlooked it can quickly become a nightmarish experience. This especially holds true for vacations when the last thing you want on your mind is work!!
Each kind of travel has its own specific requirements. Depending on your reason for travel, you need to plan accordingly. Travel planning is even more essential when it is with your family, as those are the times when you want to extract the most memorable moments from your vacation. Once your destination is chosen, the next things to work out are logistics. The gear you pack can vary from casual clothes and swim suits for adventure, to formal attire, for business travel. The need to take along your personal gadgets could also differ from a camcorder for capturing those fun filled pictures, to a laptop, essential for your board meeting. It is necessary to preempt the luggage you would be carrying along as there are weight restrictions specified by various airlines for luggage. Similarly, every country has different regulations/ constraints for carrying foreign currency. If youre visiting a place for the first time, it makes sense to use the services of a professional travel agent who can not only get you a good deal but also to suggest ways to go about preparing for your travel and what precautions to take to safeguard your belongings in a foreign land.
If you are planning to drive, ensure that you carry the requisite documents along with you. License, auto insurance papers, rental/ registration papers etc. For other means of travel, youll need booking confirmations and boarding or travel tickets, at all times apart from passport, visa (if needed) and any other proof of identity.
Here are some practical tips:
1.Register your travel plans with your state department, so that you can be contacted in case of an emergency.
2.Leave a copy of your itinerary, passport page, travel insurance and visas with your family or friends.
3.Ensure you have sufficient overseas medical coverage. You dont want to blow up all your holiday money on treatment/medication incase you need medical treatment.
4.If you plan to drive abroad, ensure you are familiar with the weather and road conditions as also with the car youre driving and have the documents you need to carry along handy at all times.
5.Familiarize yourself with the foreign countrys laws, culture and common customs. The more at home you are, the lesser are chances of you being cheated at any point.
6.Subscribe to country specific information, travel warnings and alerts, if necessary.
7.Know the countrys import restrictions.
8.Get yourself a vaccination, if necessary.
9.Senior travelers consider the following:
a.Pack light for a comfortable journey.
b.Make sure you keep extra copies of all your important documents at a secure place. Medical insurance is an absolute necessity!
c.Check the weather conditions of your destination beforehand. Dont experiment at a new place which might be uncomfortable.
d.Do not over plan. Keep your schedule stress free.
e.Travel in groups. That way not only do you have great company of like minded people but also a strong support system.
f. Look out for senior friendly travel deals and discounts. Organizations like AAA, AARP and a host of senior related websites will be able to offer you good deals and advice on ideal places for vacation.

A little travel planning in advance can leave you with wonderful memories of your trip. Take out the time beforehand to research and prepare. Its time well spent!

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Greece Vacations

April 6th, 2012 | Author: admin

Greece Vacations
Going on holiday or vacation is one of the most anticipated events of the year. If you are planning your next trip why not consider Greece.Greece is famous for hosting the Olympics, but they also have many other things to offer visitors, including science, drama, philosophy, and art. Fifteen million tourists take a Greece vacation every single year. When taking a holiday in Greece, you will find that most of the attractions are centered in Athens, but there are outside areas that offer you just as much to look at.Explore the ruins of Agora. Travel down the hill where the towering Acropolis stands, and into the valley where the philosophers Socrates and Plato did all their thinking. While there, you can hardly miss the looming temple built for Hephaestos.Visit Ancient Agora: these are one of the most famous ruins of Greece. They lie in a valley just below the Acropolis. Around 2,500 years ago it was in this place where famous philosophers like Socrates and Plato taught and deliberated their philosophies to their disciples.

This is the highlight for many on their Greece vacation packages. You can easily see why. Island hopping is the thing to do here. Take a boat or ferry from one island to another and mix with the locals between your times spent in the sun. Make sure to hire a scooter on the islands to drive around – these are usually rented very cheaply. Also charter your own small boat and explore the caves and coves around the area.If you are looking for a great outdoor experience while on your holiday in Greece, bring your hiking shoes and take a stroll down the Vindos Gorge. This Northern Greece location is the deepest canyon in the world, as recorded by the Guinness Book of World Records.

The originality of these site and the artifacts that are found in the various Greece Museum have helped vacationers achieve a real Greece vacation experience. Numerous exhibits that have been excavated from archaeological sites have helped further seen to it that history has been brought closer to the people vacationing in Greece.Vacations on the Greek islands have two aspects – the archeological significance of the area and its Mediterranean beauty. No Greek vacation can be complete without experiencing both of these things. The historical sites of Greece are aplenty, generously spread over the islands. A few of them are nothing more than ruins along the sides of roads and few people consider stopping to admire them. Others are sites of world heritage and have throngs of visitors passing through the corridors most of the hours. Among them are the ruins of Dodona, where some say Greek civilization began.

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Eco Travel

April 5th, 2012 | Author: admin

Eco Travel

Eco travel is a sustainable travel which is based on the idea of experiencing the balance of nature rather than upsetting it. Our earth is incredibly beautiful place full of rich ecosystems. But over the time the greenery is disappearing and plants and animals are going extinct gradually. That is why our tourism industry practices responsible tourism and foster awareness among the travelers. Eco travel aim at traveling with out disrupting or harming local culture or climate or damaging the ecology of that region. Preserving the natural luxuries, forest life and saving the environment around us is what the eco tourism all about.

Eco travel is a new concept of traveling, typically defined as travel to destinations where flora, fauna, natural heritage are main attractions. It also includes to enhance the cultural integrity of the people and also supports the program the minimizes the adverse effect of the traditional tourism on the natural environment.

Preservation of cultural, biological and historical resources along with sustainable development are some of the related field of Eco travel. Many well known personalities from different fields have been engaged themselves in formulating and developing ecotourism policies.

In today’s tourism industry eco-tourism is a fast growing industry. Not only in India but it has been getting importance from global market also. While going for an adventurous travel tour like camping, trekking, birding etc we should keep in mind not to create any mishap or disturbance in the life cycle of nature.

Each and every part of India is a collection of eco regions full of natural sightseeing locations. Even the majestic Himalaya alone offer many world famous eco sites, which offer activities like trekking, wildlife viewing, camping, fishing, orchid viewing, glacier viewing, birding, mountain-biking, nature walk and etc.

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Vacation Rentals

April 3rd, 2012 | Author: admin

Vacation Rentals

If you are traveling alone or with others, vacation rental is a new concept makes you consider because you need to know about hotels and time-shares. You couldn’t stop thinking about it, if wanting the vacation rental idea.

I’ve always wanted to vacation in Europe, haven’t we all, but I could never really give the idea credence because, in the deep recesses of my brain, I knew hotel accommodations would be just too cost prohibitive. When I began to explore the vacation rental, I realized that a European vacation might be within my grasp after all!

Comparing hotel rates with vacation rental rates, it is apparent that I can get more for less with a vacation rental. If you’re traveling with another couple or a group, the per person savings can be tremendous.

Check out this example for Paris:

I located a vacation apartment rental in the Latin Quarter for 65.00 per week.

It has two bedrooms, each with a private bath. There is a kitchenette, Internet access, and cable TV. It is a five minutes walk from Notre Dame.

For 4 people, that works out to 6.25 per person per week or .32 per day per person.

For comparison, I located a Mid Scale hotel called Adagio Paris Opéra, in roughly the same area. The rooms start at 2.25 per day, which is 15.75 per week, roughly .00 per person per night, based upon 4 people.

There, you have one bedroom with two single beds and a sofa bed in the living room. It also has cable and Internet access, but only one bathroom.

From strictly a cost standpoint, the vacation rental is the better deal, but there is more to consider than just money. What about comfort? What about privacy? Certainly, the private bath is plus for the vacation rental as are two bedrooms rather than one. I like to have my own personal space in which to relax. The vacation rentals seem more like “home” than the hotel atmosphere. There are other advantages worth mentioning. Families can be together as opposed to scattered about in different hotel rooms. Then there is the problem of tipping, taxes, schedules for meals and so on. You have more room in a vacation home in which to relax. Plainly said, it is just more like home!

So, what is the downside? You will not typically find support staff on premise, so if you have a problem, large or small, its resolution may take some time. Transportation may be an issue. Look into this before you finalize your plans. You probably won’t have maid service. Be prepared to clean up after yourself. When you arrive, you may be disappointed. Hey! Even I look good in photos.

If you are diligent in your research, ask the right questions and are realistic in your expectations, you will likely find the vacation rental to be a more than satisfactory experience.

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