Ultimate Vacation Spots

posted by Travel Cat on Sep 10

Welcome to the first Blog-Carnival for this site.

The theme for this Carnival was stories of your travels with your kids - or someone else’s - to tie in with the Travel Series that is currently being run on this blog. 

The 2 post below are the best of the offerings this month, but this is an ongoing Carnival, so please keep sending them in for subsequent posts, or add some useful comments along the way.  

First up is a great little story about taking a youngster to London.  Tamara describes all the best places to go to keep them busy Going Places Blog: Cookiemag.com posted at Going Places.

Second up is the story of some young girls, on the journey of their lives. Tracee Sioux presents Empowering Girls: So Sioux Me: Are We There Yet? posted at Empowering Girls: So Sioux Me.

The Story So Far….. 

There have already been 5 posts related to this theme - all filled with useful facts about organising travel with your family and top tips on all the essentials:

Traveling With Kids - A New Series

Preparation Has Great Benefits

Essential Documents: Passport, Visa & Tickets

Essential Documents: Travel Insurance

Essential Documents: Booking & Financial Details

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posted by Travel Cat on Sep 7

Travel With Kids Series - Essential Documents - Part 3

When making arrangements in advance for your vacation, make sure that you get everything in writing either posted to you or printed off of an email - and keep everything important for each journey to hand.

Confirm with hotels, vacation properties or car hire firms, etc, everything you think is important to you. For example if you are departing at a certain time or could be late arriving, make sure that they are aware of this and have made any extra arrangements for that.

If you are not sure of something, make sure you clarify the details in advance and get copies of everything that might cause a delay or confusion.

This is essential when either party is using a language that they are not fluent in. We had problems travelling in Central America, where the hotels claimed to speak English, but appeared to be answering slightly different questions to those that we were actually asking. We had to write them an email in just one line statements to get them to confirm all the details individually, rather than them just assuming our original email was just one single question!

Accommodation Details:
Make sure you call the accommodation or receive a written confirmation in the week leading up to your stay before arriving there.

Careful planning of your journey can all be wasted if your destination is not booked or they offer different rooms or services to that which you had planned for. For example planning for a self-catering location and then arriving at one without a kitchen could be a small disaster depending on the age of your children and their needs.

Make sure that for each separate journey, you have the details of that days destination to hand, checking that you have at least one contact number for that destination (that you have previously used so you know it works).

Directions - either spoken or written - can seem perfect to someone who takes that route every day, but to a stranger - things can seem quite different. You never know when you need to contact them again.

Offering an arrival time can be difficult when journeys and children are involved, but try to offer the accommodation a ‘latest’ arrival time. If you are not there by then - perhaps you could ask them to give you a call if necessary. If they know you are traveling with children, they are usually very helpful.

Financial Details:
If travelling with a credit or debit card, make sure that you keep a separate record of account numbers, etc, and make sure you have the contact number for your bank in-case they are lost or stolen during your trip. Advising the banks of your destination and departure dates can also help reduce fraud during your vacation.

Using the cards for everyday purchases can add up in conversion charges, so watch how often you use them - and obviously be aware of any bills could arrive home while you are still away.

Withdrawing larger sums on your credit card from a bank or bureau de change could save you on multiple charges - but could have a flat out charge for a ‘to cash’ withdrawal. Check with your bank or other account for the best deals when abroad and find out the best method for your needs.

If using travelers cheques, you will need to plan a bit in advance to free up your funds - as you need to visit a bank or alternative foreign currency establishment to get them changed. Looking around for the best exchange rate for them can also use up a bit of valuable time. But - if lost - the money is guaranteed.

Try not to check your bank statements on the Internet while abroad as the Internet cafe pc’s may not be free from viruses or key-loggers (which record your details and keys pressed), or the Wifi connection may not be secure - leaving your accounts open to invasion!!!!

If you plan to use the Internet abroad - then read some suitable materials about Internet security before departure. Not saving any personal details onto the computer, deleting all history and removing ‘cookies’ after use is a great start. You could even run a free online virus check before use to be sure.

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posted by Travel Cat on Sep 3

When Not To Save Money on Vacation!

We are always on the lookout for a cheaper flight, or a cheaper vacation package to Mexico of wherever, but there are definitely some parts of your vacation that you really shouldn’t be trying to scrimp on.

By all means look for a cheaper price for the same thing - like the cheaper of 2 flights going to the same place, or the same hotel through 2 different agents - but when there are several different versions of what appear to be the same thing - you need to choose wisely.

I have found a few areas of travel, where you really need to make sure you are getting what you pay for.

Travel Insurance:
Not all policies are the same. Yes, they are all insurance policies - but they do not all cover the same things. You need to read the small print, and you need to make sure it covers everything you personally need - not just what they offer.

If the policy is really cheap - there might be a reason for that - just make sure it’s your health and safety that will be compromised for a $20 saving - or £10 - off a second policy…….

Tours and Tour Guides:
I went on a 2 day trip with the recommended tour guides in Venezuela (LTA) at what I thought was a reasonable price. The tour guide spoke perfect English and all 6 people in the group were English speaking too. The tour was definitely 5* and I would recommend it to anyone.

Someone else from our hotel booked a similar trip from a street vendor - to save money. They went to all the same sites as me, but they were the only English speaking person in the group of 8 (3 languages in total) so they had to wait for the descriptions that they could understand. They also couldn’t communicate with the other people in the group for the 2 days they were away.

They saved a small amount of money (about $50 or £25) off the amount I paid - but their trip was a total waste of time.

Car Hire:
Obviously every company has their ’small print’ and you must read and understand this 100% before taking out a policy otherwise you could end up really out of pocket on that cheaper car rental.

Many companies offer extra ‘add on’ extras and waivers for everything. Make sure you find out which ones are essential and which are just precautionary. If you are not fully insured on the car you hire, you may end up paying a small fortune for a bump or scrape. Even if you are the best driver you know it makes no difference - don’t forget, you are not insuring yourself against accidents - you are covering the stupidity of the person that hits you!

Footwear:
Only really essential for active holidays, but if you are heading off for a long adventure on rough terrain or trekking up mountains, you need to make sure that your boots or shoes are the most comfortable and hard-wearing you can afford - and you get them worn in way in advance.

Waterproof footwear is also worth the extra cost, otherwise you could step in one small puddle at the start of a trek and end up with blisters and sores regardless of how good the boots were dry.

It’s not always easy to find great footwear when already abroad and (as usual) you are probably in the middle of nowhere when you need to replace them!

Outdoor Equipment:
Needles to say - your life could be at risk if you buy cheap or potentially ill made equipment for adventure sports or long and remote trips. The same goes for something as simple as your tent and sleeping bag. If it starts to leak or cannot protect you from extremely low temperatures or bad weather, you could find yourself in serious trouble.

If you invest in second-hand equipment, always make sure that is 100% effective and safe before heading off anywhere. Never rely on someone else’s word as it is your trip that is in jeopardy if things go wrong.

A Once in a Lifetime Experience:
With all things added together, the importance of a ‘once in a life time trip’ should not be made cheaper by cutting corners. By all means find the same tour or flight for less money, but don’t gamble on ‘lesser used’ guides or companies that have not been recommended by people you trust.

If you are going to spend a large sum of money anyway, make sure every penny counts. Imagine getting half way around the world to find that your flight over the canyon is cancelled and they offer no alternative, or the overnight accommodation included on the tour is unsafe or in the ‘wrong part of town’.

Sometimes breaking down the cost of an organised tour with a reputable company works out the same if not cheaper than your own creation. Take the following 15 day tour of Southern Africa from the UK with Kuoni Tours, including everything like transfers, flights and guides but not all meals. Brochure price: £2100.00

Taking a rough estimate of the combined parts which you will have to research, coordinate, link with internal transfers yourself and deal with at least 3 different companies:

£600 return flight to Cape Town
£600 for accommodation at around £60 per night in standard hotel for 10 nights half board
£1400 for 5 night safari in Kruger park
£500 internal travel and sundries

£3100 Total - per person (estimate).

That could be around a £1000 extra than just booking it all through a reputable agent and having just one person to deal with throughout the whole trip.

It’s alright to mix and match when just traveling, as it allows you to change your plans and stay for longer or shorter than planned depending on what you find there. But when it is an important vacation to celebrate something one off - it’s better (and usually cheaper) to leave all the planning to someone else, and just enjoy yourself.

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posted by Travel Cat on Aug 23

Travel With Kids Series - Essential Documents - Part 2

Although not always compulsory to enter a country, it is a good idea to make sure that your travel insurance policies are in order before traveling. In addition, it would be advised to warn banks and credit card companies of your intended travel arrangements to avoid not only risking a late payment, but also to avoid fraud on these accounts whilst you are traveling.

It is also an idea to make sure that you have comprehensive travel insurance to cover all eventualities and to make sure you are insured and legally able to drive a vehicle - even if you didn’t intend to - just in-case.

The Best Policy:
Choosing the best policy available to you and your family will certainly save a considerable amount of effort on your part whilst abroad. Many policies will offer to cover you for many conditions and activities - but don’t assume that they are inclusive of all that you intend to do. Before applying for policies, make a list of activities and medical situations that will just not do without.

One example would be ‘Re-Patriation’ - where the policy will cover all reasonable costs incurred on returning you (after injury or illness) to your home country as soon as is safe to do so. This is essential if you require specialist medical treatment that is not available where you are, but also needed if you will miss your paid journeys home due to hospitalisation.

If travelling with kids, it is also essential that this covers everyone in the party - I mean you cannot leave one of your children abroad alone any more than you could send them off home early without you.

And what if it were you that was injured? Does it cover the cost of hiring a professional in the country you are in - or the cost of sending a friend or relative over to where you are to be with them while you are not able to.

I know these are ‘worst case scenario’s’ but they are the most important.

Your ‘Essentials’ List: 
So, whatever policies you find, make sure you check them up against your ‘essential’ list and don’t compromise. I know you may end up paying more for the most inclusive package, but it could well be too expensive not to.

I’ve got no idea how much it costs to have a child airlifted out of a rain-forest after breaking a leg - but I know I’d rather pay a few $100 rather than a few $1000!

Other things to look out for are not just about injuries. Make sure that flight delays and other travel arrangements are catered for - including a considerable sum for ‘lost luggage’ claims. How much will you need for an extra night in a hotel for everyone or a day or two’s worth of baby blankets, clothes, toiletries, food, bottles and diapers etc, should your bag not arrive with you….

And - as we all know - kids can mean a change of plans, sometimes at very short notice, so it’s worth checking the cancellation details of your policy. That way, if you need to change the dates for whatever reason, you will not incur an excessive charge.

Some policies will allow late changes, but others will not - leaving you to lose the money from the first booking and pay all over again for the replacement flights and accommodation.

Personal Liability Cover (3rd Party): 
It would also be wise to check if the policies offer ‘Personal Liability cover’ for your children. This means that if your children were to cause an accident, break something in the hotel, or do anything that involves damage to another person property - you are covered (obviously, check for any exclusions).

This is highly recommended if staying in a rented home or lodgings, as we all know how much of our own furniture is affected by several ‘adventurous’ children playing around. You’ve already paid for the vacation - you don’t want to be paying for some-one’s TV or climbing frame as well!!

And finally, make sure you know the procedure for making a claim too, as many policies want things to be done in a certain order - for example calling them before visiting the doctor, or confirming treatments before proceeding with them - this way they know what you are hoping to do - and can advise whether they will pay for it before you go ahead.

Keep all contact numbers handy, and make sure your policy number and details are in a safe place.

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posted by Travel Cat on Aug 11

The first thing you need to ask yourself is - Why am I taking my pet?

I know this seems like an obvious question, but really think this through before you make any other plans. Are you taking your pet because you would rather not leave it with anyone else, you don’t want to pay fees for someone else to watch them, or because they are an essential part of your family and taking them will make the vacation 100 times better?

Travelling with an animal can be very time consuming on your part - it can also be quite restrictive and some times more expensive than leaving them with qualified and insured carers while you are away. So this must be considered very carefully.

Opposition On Vacation: 
Many holiday locations will not accept pets of any kind in their accommodation - so you can forget 2 weeks on the beach in an all inclusive vacation resort if you want to take your dog with you. That weekend break in the city will be off your list of choices if you want to bring your cat along. And don’t even think about taking your parrot to Las Vegas……

These may sound like silly choices, but when you travel with animals, there are only certain types of locations, accommodation types and activities you can partake in. From experience - even going into a restaurant for a spot of lunch during a long drive meant leaving my dog alone in the car.

Also, theme parks and restored grand houses and castles are off limits for pets - and you certainly can’t take them into zoo’s, shopping malls and children’s parks.

Will They Enjoy Their Time Away? 
Small animals, such as hamsters and rabbits wouldn’t be taken with you on day trips while on vacation anyway, as with budgies, etc - for fear of losing them - so they would spend the entire time inside the vacation home, caravan, RV or the car - and the latter choices will not only get very hot in the summer months, but can be very dangerous too.

Many holiday parks outside of towns readily cater for clients with pets and are usually self catering and miles away from any dangers. So, if you don’t mind a peaceful reading holiday or an energetic walking or cycling vacation away from the modern world, then you and your pet can have the best time.

I combined my annual vacation time between several local dog-friendly cottages with miles of walking space, with a couple of people-only trips overseas. You shouldn’t feel guilty about leaving your pets at home as long as they are in good hands.

Always consider what is best for the pet involved, rather than what is easiest for you.

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