Newly Divorced? – Don’t Mope, Get Out And Party On A Divorcee Cruise

The fun folks at Cruise.com have come up with a new specialty cruise category – Divorcee Vacations. These short cruises (3-5 days) are especially desgined to help newly single adults reconnect with others with similar interests and experiences.  Currently three cruises are scheduled to depart between now and the end of the year.  A 3 night Bahamas cruise departs from Florida on October 16th, a 5 Night Mexico cruise leaves from San Diego on November 16th, and a 3 Night Bahamas cruise departs Florida again on December 18th.  For all the cruise itinerary details and description of special group activities, click on over to Cruise.com.

Celebrate 9/09/09 for $99 at 9 Beaches Bermuda

Everything’s coming up 9′s in Bermuda this fall.  To celebrate the turning of the calendar dials to read 9/9/09, 9 Beaches is inviting guests to stay 9 nights and enjoy it’s 9 beaches for the super price of $99 per person per night.  Even JetBlue has been bitten by the ’9′ bug, with it’s latest sale of flights from Boston or New York to Bermuda for just $109 each way.  Can’t visit on 9/9/09? – no worries, the hotel promotion is valid until November 30th.  Airline tickets for the JetBlue sale must be purchase by 8/5, with travel good until Dec 31st.

The best part about visiting 9 Beaches on the island of Bermuda, is that you can stay in an over-water cabana without flying half way around the world to Tahiti or the Maldives!  9 Beaches is a unique eco sensitive resort consisting of 84 cozy soft-sided cabanas perched along the shoreline and stretching out into the waves.  Life at 9 Beaches is super casual where your flip flops and t-shirt will make you feel right at home.  Anyone who loves beaching it will adore this fun, funky resort.

Teach The Whole Family To Sail On Your Next Vacation

To impart the love of sailing and the thrill of skimming across sparkling aqua waters in a tropical paradise is a magnificent gift to share with every member of your family. Some sports are best learned in childhood – swimming, sailing, skating skiing….. here is one of the world’s best places to introduce your family to the glories of watersports.   At the Bitter End Yacht Club (Resort & Spa) tucked in the north sound of the island of Virgin Gorda in the British Virgin Islands, families have been coming to learn to sail and enjoy every type of water sport imaginable for more than 30 years.  Family vacations packages have been crafted to ensure kids are busy, learning and active, while parents are relaxing, learning and pampered – and yes, everyone is having fun.  This year may be the best time to visit the Bitter End Yacht Club yet, as prices have been reduced by 33% for summer and fall vacations, representing savings of up to $3,500 for a family of four!

In addition to a long tradition of boating, the crystal clear waters of the BVI offer prime opportunities for diving, snorkeling, windsurfing, kayaking, hobie sailing, fishing, swimming, and well, just about any activity that can be done on or along the water.  The Bitter End Yacht Club is famous for it’s fleet of Boston Whalers, daysailers and dingies available for guests’ unlimited use.  The resort offers three meals a day, walking trails, fresh water pool, and lots of activity programs all week long.  And if all the fun has you pooped, stop into the spa for a relaxing massage and treatment.

The resort also appeals to all you ‘king of the hill’ personalities as well , as the staff organizes boating Regattas twice a week on Sunday and Wednesday.  Or perhaps you’d love to sail in a race with a world-class sailor; an America’s Cup skipper, or an Olympic Medalist?  You’ll want to visit during Pro Am Regatta week at the end of October, when resort guests are matched up with sailors of world renown for a week of friendly competition, cocktail parties, dining events and a whole lot of good natured rivalry.

Wildfires Spread Across Spain, France, Italy and Greece

Wildfires have sprung up all across the Mediterranean this summer causing widespread concern.  Spain in particular has seen hot weather, dry conditions and high winds exaserbate the spread of fires.  Evacuations have been called for in villages of the southern Andalusia region with seven large fires currently raging.  Mediterranean islands are some of the hardest hit areas, with fires still burning in Corsica (France), Sardinia and Sicily (Italy) and Evia (Greece).  Here’s an excellent report by SkyNews.

Super DEAL – August 1st – Rod Stewart In Vegas

How’s this for a memorable one night party event? - Tickets for two to the ‘one night only Rod Stewart concert’, stay in a luxury Jr. suite at the Signature at MGM Grand, and enjoy a $50 beverage credit – all for $349! That’s more than enough reason to shake your ‘Hot Legs’ in Vegas with Rod.  To jump on this great last minute deal and find out all the finer details,  you’ll need to call the hotel reservation desk at 1-800-727-0007 and request booking code SIG019.

United Drops $100 Last Minute Ticketing Fee for Award Seats

FINALLY, some good news from an airline!  As the fees for everyting from checking a bag to having a snack inch ever skyward, United has taken the unusual step of eliminating a fee and the savings are considerable.  Beginning July 30th, United Airlines is eliminating the $100 fee for redeeming a milage award ticket less than 6 days in advance.  Also the $75 fee for redeeming a milage award ticket 20-7 days in advance will also be waived.  I can only guess that folks have been reluctant to use their miles and pay high fees for the priviledge, with less than a 21 day advance.  This also tells me that United probably has more seat capacity on flights than it would like and is looking for flyers to fill those last minute seats with mileage award tickets.  This means it’s a good time to look for frequent flyer seats within two weeks of taking a trip on United!  Let’s hope other airlines follow their lead.

10 (Painless) Eco-Friendly Tips For Your Next Trip

Looking for some simple ways to be more environmentally friendly on your next vacation? Here is a practical list of small adjustments each of us can make to lesson our eco footprint as we travel the globe. Each of us can minimize the impact left in our wake through a few mindful approaches to planning our trips.

1) Support destinations that are taking an active stance to protect sensitive areas, species in decline and preserve natural resources. The National Geographic Traveler is a terrific resource for research – click on their Geo-Tourism tab. You’ll find the Nat Geo Center for Sustainable Destinations on their website, where they have rated 115 places in the world for their environmental policies.

2) If going on a group tour, seek companies that are committed to responsible touring. Choose a company that has an environmental impact policy in place and who sponsors programs that give back to the communities in which they operate tours. Top companies offer travelers an opportunity to volunteer in local settings during their tour.

3) Look for boutique hotels and lodges which place less of an ecological burden on the local bio-systems rather than large sprawling resorts or giant high-rise hotels. Select properties built with a respect for their unique environment, and which incorporate the topography in their buildings. These hotels or lodges often employ local people who are experts about the area’s natural wonders, culture, indigenous groups, and geography. These unique properties often seek relationships with local food producers to provide guests with succulent meals that showcase authentic flavors of the region. Take a moment or two to see if the hotel you have chosen has an environmental impact policy stated on their website. Some hotels will donate a portion of their income for carbon offsetting, or are active partners in local volunteer programs, or may work with visitors to plant trees to assist reforestation of tourist areas. Read more

Globs of Oil Wash Ashore On South Padre Island

Record high temperatures and summer vacation season usually means thousands of beach enthusiasts will head to South Padre Island to frolic on the popular beaches.  This season may be different however, as basketball sized globs of oil started washing ashore this week, spoiling a stretch of beach between the town of South Padre Island and the Rio Grande.  Crews are working to contain the gooey oil before more damage is done.  In the meantime, beaches have remained open and visitors are encouraged to stay away from the oil globs (no kidding!)  Read more in the Yahoo news report.

Finding The Best Car Rental Rate

Just did an extensive search for the best (last minute) car rental rate (US city).  The AAA.com site delivered prices substantially less than anyone else. Next time you’re booking a rental car, don’t forget to include the AAA.com site in your search.  (You’ll need to remember, because the AAA site is not ‘scraped’ by meta-search sites like Kayak, Orbitz etc.)  The savings from one car rental will easily pay for a one year AAA membership fee!

Make Your Own Spa Treatments At Home And Save A Fortune!

I recently came across a fabulous spa site – SpaIndex.com.  Yes, they have all the traditional destination spa descriptions, BUT they also have four other killer categories – 1) Home Spa with instructions for creating hundreds of spa treatments at home, 2) Spa Cuisine yummy spa recipies by famous chefs to impress your friends, 3) Contests Directory spas inviting you to ‘register and win’ spa escapes or free products, 4) Spa Specials listing hundreds of spa discounts around the world.  All in all you could spend hours clicking through their pages – a recipe for cucumber facial here, enter to win a spa weekend over there, find deals too good to miss out on, and more and more.  Bravo to Spa Index for one terrific site.

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