[REPOST FROM: Christopher Elliott, Special for USA TODAY- April 7, 2014] Air travellers routinely leave money on the table, whether they’re being bumped from a flight, delayed or have lost their luggage.
When you think of the Bahamas, you naturally think of Nassau. However there are many more islands in the Bahamas you can choose to visit. Exuma (or Grand Exuma as it is officially known) offers many direct flights from Canada and the U.S. With 365 islands in the chain, there’s one for every day of the year! If you’re ready to give up crowded streets full of tourists, huge cruise ships and casinos then you’ll really love the peace and quiet of Exuma – one of the Out Islands of the Bahamas. 1) Rent a car! You don’t want to fly to this gorgeous group of islands and plunk yourself on a beach at an all-inclusive club – what a waste that would be!! Rent a car for at least a couple of days so you can get out, explore and immerse yourself in the local culture. At $350 to rent a car for the week it’s well worth the money as well as the freedom it affords you to get out and see more!
A recent poll conducted by BCAA (British Columbia Automobile Association) showed that the majority of B.C. travellers crossing the border for short trip take risks – insurance risks from unexpected medical emergencies. In a recent cross-border travel poll it was revealed that 77% of British Columbians who have travelled to the U.S. without travel insurance, do so because they believe that short trips don’t justify getting insurance. With many Canadians making travel plans to the U.S. for Black Friday shopping, travellers should consider the risks with leaving their province – even for a few hours, without adequate medical coverage. “It’s a huge gamble to leave B.C. [Canada] for any length of time without any, or adequate, travel insurance,” says Hubert Rau, BCAA’s vice president of Insurance Marketing. “Learning from our survey that people are travelling unprotected is troubling. Even a minor, unexpected medical emergency, especially in the U.S., could cost thousands of dollars to treat, let alone all the other expenses associated with a medical incident.”
Giraffe Manor A relative sent us some pictures of this unique property in Africa and we just had to do more research and share it with our readers. Although the chances of us ever getting to Kenya, or Africa for that matter are slim-to-none, we can certainly appreciate the beauty of Africa and especially the unique animals along with this one-of-a-kind hotel. The Giraffe Manor is a unique property and boutique hotel located in the Lang’ata suburb of Nairobi, Kenya. The property is famous for its resident herd of endangered Rothschild giraffes that live on the extensive grounds. Set on 12 acres of private land within 140 acres of indigenous forest, the hotel is only 20 kilometres from Nairobi city centre. Giraffe Manor offers visitors an unparalleled experience with the giraffes. Guests can feed the giraffes from their breakfast table, photograph them and interact with them through open windows, at the front door and even at the second floor bedroom window! This is the only place in the world where one can share breakfast with …
Three out of four US border city vacation packages are cheaper than the equivalent Canadian package Average savings of $550 per couple for vacation packages to select US and sun destinations TORONTO, Nov. 14, 2013 /CNW/ – Vacation travel has just become cheaper for millions of Canadians looking to travel to US, Caribbean or Mexican destinations. Sunquest, one of Canada’s most respected tour operators, is offering for the first time, packages from US border airports to allow Canadians to take advantage of the significant cost savings. With US flights costing an estimated 30% less than comparable flights from Canada, Canadians are voicing their opinions through their wallets. An estimated 5 million Canadians drove across the US border last year to fly from US airports to various points south. “As long as significantly cheaper flights are available from the US, Canadians will continue to fly from US border cities,” says Frank DeMarinis, President, Sunquest. “We are giving the customers what they clearly want, which is an option to save money on their vacation by booking cross-border …
Last year (2012), Hornblower Niagara Cruises [NiagaraCruises.com], won the contract to operate cruises from the Canadian side of the Niagara Gorge to the base of the Horseshoe Falls. Maid of the Mist Steam Company has been operating the tours since 1854 (originally they were ferries between Canada and the U.S. as far back as 1846) – and will continue to offer tours from the U.S. side of the river. For anyone familiar with the sights of the Maid of the Mist boats, it’s going to be quite a surprise to see the new catamarans running alongside the traditional-looking boats. The catamarans’ features include: improved manoeuvrability in the water, enclosed viewing areas for those who don’t want to get wet, an outdoor deck with tiered viewing areas to provide maximum sightseeing and they’ll also have seating, on-board washrooms and licensed concessions for new evening and night time cruises. The catamarans, (26 metres long and 10 metres wide), will arrive in Niagara Falls sometime in January 2014. One has already been built, with the second one …
Vacations aren’t always carefree – 21% have required medical attention and 6% don’t pack underwear TORONTO, Oct. 22, 2013 /CNW/ – The Travel Health Insurance Association of Canada (THiA) conducted a national survey* of Canadians about their travel habits and their understanding of provincial health coverage. The survey revealed that 35% of Canadian travellers do not buy travel health insurance. “Only six per cent of Canadians realize that provincial health plans cover approximately nine per cent of medical expenses when travelling outside of Canada,” said THiA President, John Thain. “Travel health insurance is designed to protect against unforeseen medical expenses.”
Touring one of the world’s most infamous castles Walt Disney built his empire around a beautiful castle, that castle was inspired by the magnificent Neuschwanstein Castle in Bavaria, Germany. Neuschwanstein Castle and the surrounding village of Schwangau are spectacular and quaint all at the same time. The splendour and grandeur of the castle paired with the rustic feel of the country-side with the distant sound of cow bells echoing through the valley – this truly is a place where fairy-tales are born. Neuschwanstein Castle (pronounced: Noysh-vine-stine) is one of the most popular of all the palaces and castles in Europe, seeing more than 1.4 million visitors annually, with up to 6,000 per day in the summer, so depending on when you visit and try to book a tour, your wish may or may not be granted – so plan ahead!
Celebrating its first anniversary, Canadian Travelers Mobile Limited is working to eliminate international roaming fees by using the natural forces of completion. Vancouver, British Columbia (PRWEB) September 10, 2013 Travelers Mobile was launched in September 2012 to offer Canadian and international travelers visiting the USA access to a local carrier, operating on the American AT&T network – effectively eliminating roaming fees and saving travellers up to 98% on their phone bill. Since the launch, Travelers Mobile has added Canada and the UK to its list of destinations. Visitors to Canada are able to access service on Rogers Wireless, Canada’s largest mobile carrier, and travellers to the UK have access to service on Lebara, which has special international rates and runs on the Vodafone network in the UK.
A few months back, Gail and I were telling her BFF about our trip to Germany and our Oktoberfest experience when she said: “Let’s get dressed in the German outfits and go to Oktoberfest in Kitchener this year!” Having gone to Oktoberfest in Stuttgart, it was seeming kind of odd that we’d travelled some 5,000+ kilometres to Germany, but had never bothered to drive an hour up the highway to visit Kitchener-Waterloo, Ontario for Oktoberfest – especially since it’s said to be Canada’s best Bavarian Festival! Gail & I looked at each other…and thought, hmmm not a bad idea, but we’re not German – wouldn’t we be insulting them if we bought authentic Bavarian outfits and went to Oktoberfest as frauds? What to do!? … Google it (of course)! After a bit of quick research we found that there’s absolutely nothing wrong with dressing up as Bavarians – quite the opposite in fact! Information we found indicated that lots of people get in the spirit and “fake it ‘til they make it” at Oktoberfest – …
