Family Vacation Central

What You Need to Know to Stay Safe

There’s nothing like seeing new things and experiencing different cultures, but sometimes this can come at a price. Traveling abroad can be serious business unless you know how to stay safe. Here are some things to keep in mind the next time you have to travel abroad.

Check out weather patterns – Check out the weather patterns for every place along your route. Plan for possible plane delays if the weather seems to be iffy in one or more areas.

If there’s a chance of severe weather, like a hurricane, for your destination then plan on going another time if possible. Play it safe and don’t risk getting caught in severe weather like that.

Check for security concerns – Find out what’s going on within the country you plan to visit. Are there any political arguments that could lead to an all out war? Don’t get caught in the middle of a battle if you know ahead of time that a war could break out.

Research the culture of the country you’re planning to go to. Different countries have different cultures. Don’t assume that the country you’re planning to go to will accommodate your cultural beliefs.

You may ultimately offend someone in another country by what you deem to be innocent behavior. This can cause them to retaliate against you. Know as much as you can before leaving for your trip.

Learn their language. Learn as much of their language as possible. Some people can take advantage of you if they think you don’t have any idea of what they’re saying. It can also help to eliminate any misunderstandings, which may cause violence.

Check with your health insurance company. Find out if your health insurance will cover medical costs abroad. Don’t just assume they will. If they do cover medical costs abroad, find out what they do and don’t cover.

Reserve your stay at the more popular tourist attraction hotels. These are more likely to have better security than ones that are off away from the tourist spots. Don’t wander away from hot tourist areas because you can be an easy target for the locals. If you have a trustworthy guide, then it’s okay to explore – but only with them. Never go off alone.

Don’t advertise yourself as a tourist. Try to wear clothes that will make you blend in with the locals. If you choose to rent a car while abroad, don’t go for anything too flashy. It will only scream out to the locals that you’re a tourist and you then become a target.

Traveling abroad to another country can be a safe experience if you take precautions before you leave on your trip and don’t let your guard down when you reach your destination. Respect the locals and their cultural beliefs and try not to offend anyone. They’re more likely to welcome you then and may even protect you if needed.

If you are planning a Caribbean vacation, St. Lucia is sure to provide a memorable one for you and your family. St. Lucia can provide a wonderful beach vacation with lots of rest and relaxation for adults and a whole lot of excitement and outdoor fun for the children. Many hotels on the island are geared for families and offer special features like kids clubs, special meals for children, and cater to sleeping arrangements with beds and cots (or adjoining rooms) to accommodate families. And the beautiful beach coastline is rimmed with rain-forested mountains making it a fantastic sight to discover.

But, what is there to do in St. Lucia? Well first off, there are the land sports. St. Lucia offers volleyball, basketball and soccer games, between staff and guests, at most hotels. Vacationers can attend soccer, volleyball, basketball, table tennis, running races or swimming tournaments that are regularly offered on the island. Most hotels also offer squash or tennis courts for their guests. And, although the cricket season is from March to August, guests can enjoy the friendly matches held year-round throughout the island. St. Lucia is home to the Beausejour Cricket Grounds which is world renown.

The water sports available on this beautiful island are not to be missed either. Sailors and fishermen will love St. Lucia as it has been described as “an angler’s dream come true.” St. Lucia is home to several species of big game fish and it is not uncommon to bring home a white marlin trophy. There are many companies that provide guests with the enjoyment of deep-sea fishing or yacht charters.

Then there are the beaches…fine white sand beaches lined with gently swaying palm trees beside crystal clear warm waves lapping against them. The clear waters make for excellent snorkeling or diving opportunities. This island is well-known for some of the best underwater dive sites in the Caribbean.

Or how about a different view? Windsurfing, water skiing and para-sailing are also available. Advanced and intermediate windsurfers will enjoy the popular wave sites at Cas en Bas and Vieus Fort, while beginners can try the calmer waters of the west coast. Equipment and instruction are available at most hotels on the island. Para-sailers can be thrilled with an aerial view of this spectacular island as they soar above Rodney Bay.

St. Lucia also offers some voyages of discovery. Vacationers can visit Marigot Bay, a wonderful natural harbor that once provided a hideout for pirate ships. Another popular spot is the Maria Islands Nature Reserve, which are tiny islands located in Southern St. Lucia and are home to rare wildlife and birds. Some species that make this reserve their home exist nowhere else in the world. There is also the Pigeon Island Museum and Interpretive Centre which is a ‘hands-on’ representation of Pigeon Island’s history from the 1800’s.

Another attraction that may be of interest to St. Lucia visitors is whale or turtle watching. St. Lucia is recognized as a major whale watching site and over 20 species of whales are spotted regularly throughout the year, including sperm whales, pilot whales, humpback whales and spinning and spotted dolphins. There are also an abundance of turtles that make St. Lucia their home, and these fascinating creatures are protected by local environmental activists.

St. Lucia received the ‘2000 Ecotourism Award’ for its Heritage Tourism Programme and received the OECS Vacation Paradise Award which makes it one of the top family vacation destinations in the Caribbean.

If you choose to visit St. Lucia, you will not be disappointed. The sensational beaches and the fantastic water activities will be sure to please the entire family, not to mention the many attractions found on the island.

Traveling can be a headache, especially when it’s done with kids. Long plane rides or car rides can make any child restless, thereby making your trip miserable. It doesn’t have to be. Here are some tips to use to try to make traveling with tots a bit better:

Tip #1 – Plan ahead. Last minute, spontaneous car rides don’t work when there’s children involved. Plan your route and plan for frequent stops, too. Children need to get out and run around at least once an hour to stretch out their legs. If your child isn’t old enough to walk yet, get them out of the car seat for a little bit anyway.

Tip #2 – Prepare yourself. Children have smaller bladders than you do, so they need to go more often. They also tend to ask a lot of questions and noise is inevitable for them.

Don’t act surprised when you have to answer a lot of questions and make more stops than you anticipated. Keep your sanity by preparing yourself for these things before the trip.

Tip#3 – For long trips in a car or plane, bring along some new toys for them to play with. Handheld video games are good time killers for the older children and some travel games are good for the younger ones.

Avoid books and coloring books because they can cause car-sickness. Infants aren’t immune to boredom either, so make sure they have new squishy things to hold or a rattle to shake. Switch off every so often to maintain their interest.

Tip #4 – Don’t forget the snacks. Children get bored on long trips and tend to get hungry quite often. Have some good, healthy snacks handy to dole out at these times to save you from having to make yet another stop and spending a lot more money for snacks at a gas station.

Tip #5 – Recruit reinforcements if you can. Invite friends or other family members along on your trip. They may be able to keep your kids busy while you get a few moments here and there for yourself, so you can recuperate and refresh your mind.

Tip #6 – Space out your activities. If you’re traveling with young children, don’t try to jam a day’s worth of activities for them in only a few hours. This will only exhaust them and cause them to be irritable and grumpy. Give them time to do what they want as well, even if that means some time at a video arcade.

Tip #7 – Try to keep as much of their normal routine as possible. There’s nothing wrong with letting your kids stay up a little later while you’re on vacation, but don’t let them stay up for hours longer every night. This will only cause more trouble when you get back home.

Traveling with children can be a very exhausting task for your mind and body, but try to keep these tips in mind to help ease the process. Think of the trip through the eyes of your children and don’t expect them to act and react the same as you. It will only make your trip miserable.

When you decide to take a cruise it is an exciting choice. But, it can also seem daunting because there are so many different types of cruises to choose from, and deciding which is best for you can seem very confusing. Here are a few cruise choices you may wish to take:

1. Mediterranean cruise
2. Caribbean cruise
3. an Alaskan cruise,
4. a cruise down the Amazon
5. a Panama Canal cruise
6. a Transatlantic ocean crossing
7. a cruise in the South Pacific
8. a Hawaiian Island cruise
9. River cruises (such as the fjords in Norway, down the Danube in Europe, along the Nile in Egypt, even down the Mississippi)
10. Polar cruises (to see the penguins) in the Antarctic
11. Russian waterways cruises
12. Galapagos Island cruises
13. New Zealand or Australia

Each has its own appeal, but each is also very different.

The first thing to consider in taking a cruise is the time of year you wish to travel. This can dictate the type of cruise available to you. For instance, some cruise ship lines do not offer cruises to the Mediterranean in the winter months, but transfer their ships to the warmer waters of the Caribbean, and vice versa. Or, Alaskan cruises can only run in certain months because of weather conditions. Transatlantic cruises (Transatlantic) take place only as the seasons change in order for cruise ship companies to reposition their ships to match the high seasons’ tourist industry.

You also have to decide on the length of your cruise. Many cruises are 7 nights in length, but there are also ones from 3-4 nights to over a month in length, and sometimes more. You may have a vacation time limit that dictates the length of your cruise, but you should also take into consideration if this is your first cruise. You may want to limit your cruise time to a 3-4 night or 7 night option to find out how you like cruising, or if you are prone to seasickness.

Knowing which ports you want to see can also determine which cruise is the right choice for you. Do you yearn to see the Bahamas or have you always dreamed of the Greek Islands? You can achieve your dreams by choosing the destinations you want most to see. And, you can experience various places on one vacation by taking a cruise.

You also need to consider how much time you wish to spend “at sea” or onboard the ship. On some cruises, such as a Transatlantic voyage, you are at sea for many days at a time without touching into a port. This could suit you if you don’t want the hassle of docking at different ports all the time. But, it can also prove to be a downside if you want a lot of variety on your vacation. Some cruises are very busy and dock at a different port every day. This hectic type of activity can be too much for some vacationers.

Your next choice in choosing a cruise is to decide on the cruise line and size of ship you want to take. Of course, one can dictate the other as some cruise lines have larger ships in their line than others. Some cruise lines may only have smaller vessels for smaller groups of people. Others offer huge ships to accommodate passengers in the thousands. It is up to you to decide whether you like a smaller ship with a more personal touch or the larger ships with more options and amenities onboard.

There are so many different types of cruises that cater to various personalities. You can also choose to take theme cruises, which specialize in a certain area, such as art collector’s cruises, golfer’s cruises or cooking cruises. There are some cruises that cater to families and children, some that stress the party atmosphere and others that are for adults

Finding a cruise to suit your individuality is an important factor in determining your overall cruise enjoyment. Read the many cruise brochures available, do some researching on-line and discuss with your travel agent which cruise would suit you best.

Going on vacation is a nice way to get away from it all and have fun. It can also be an energy-sapping experience with troubled times. Packing a few extra items for your trip can help make things go a lot easier and allow you to have time to relax. Here are some top travel accessories you can take advantage of.

Digital Camera – This is actually a must for any trip. How many times have you been to a place where you saw something you want to take a picture of, but you didn’t have a camera to do it with – or you take a picture and you get home only to find out the picture didn’t turn out right?

Digital cameras allow you to see the picture right away, so you have time to try again if needed. Don’t get anything too expensive or bulky, just a small cheaper one will do.

Personal grooming bag – Grooming bags help keep all of your items together in one place instead of you having to rummage through different suitcases to find one item. It also eliminates problems with getting make-up or other substances on your clothes.

Travel alarm clock – If you need to get up at certain times while on your trip, use a travel alarm clock. This is less intrusive than the annoying wake up calls from the front desk. It also lets you take a cat nap and will wake you up when needed so you still have time to enjoy your vacation, instead of falling asleep and waking up hours later.

Compressor bags for clothes – This is an awesome accessory to have. These bags are stuffed with your clothes and then the air is sucked out of them, leaving you with a compact bag.

It enables you to have more room in your suitcases and they protect your clothes. When you need an item of clothing, all you need to do is open up the bag and get it. The amazing part is that they don’t wrinkle the clothes.

Fanny pack – These are nice to have to keep your money and credit cards in. It eliminates the need for purses and you don’t have to worry as much about losing your wallet or purse. For women, it frees them up to move around instead of having to struggle with a purse strap always coming down.

Travel first aid kits – These are perfect for those minor emergencies that occur on the drive to your destination spot or even while you’re there. Buying them on the road can be costly, so bring your own and save that money for something else.

Traveling can be hard, but if you bring along some accessories, they can make things go a lot smoother for you. It may mean a few more things you have to pack, but it can be well worth the space and effort in the long run.