Archive for November, 2011

Home Sweet Home on the World Cruise Ship

Picture this: You’re at home relaxed and comfortable. Your family is in the next room having fun watching some videos. You stand up with your coffee in your right hand and you slide that door open for some air. The ocean greets you and you can’t wait to get to this great, untapped resort at the Bahamas. You’re wearing your robe as you sail towards it, literally. The home you have is moving and sailing – that’s something really absurd unless your home is onboard The World cruise ship.

This is the latest approach at home building. As if the real estate is not enough on land, apartments and suites are now being sold on a ship and it’s for real. Like any exclusive, elegant apartments, the cruise ship offers concierge and hotel-like facilities, the only difference being, it’s traveling to great tourist destinations every now and then.

Now we can say that home isn’t what it used to be. Technology and people’s creativity and penchant for discovery and adventures have truly made a lot of things possible today.

New-age home

For those who can afford it, an apartment or a luxurious suite can be purchased to become your own home at the sea. Afloat, the community goes through the ordinary day doing their work or chores.

The 12-deck vessel that serves as the community sails the ocean at 18.5 knots. The apartment’s staff counts at about 250 and they attend to the residents of the ship, all 165 units of them if jam-packed. At any given time, the ship carries up to 300 residents plus relatives, friends, and colleagues.

Like any great town, there are restaurants, a comfortable movie theater, spa, library, swimming pools, fitness and wellness centers, and golf courses. All these are open to the residents and their guests.

The residents who use the ship permanently have decided to make such an investment so they can enjoy their life more in a home that is unique and very special. For those who may have to think more about the investment and adventure, the ship has options for rental. This way they can still enjoy the luxury and thrill while they contemplate on a final decision.

The appeal of this seagoing residential community is targeted at the traveler who wants the world practically accessible when he wants to take the journey. For others, they use the ship as a vacation home, far from the maddening conditions of their hectic lives on land. This is an upscale community of travelers and adventure seekers.

Although this type of residence can’t be at all that affordable, many people who feel they deserve the pampered lives decide to pack their things up from their old, traditional homes and transfer to this new-age living that has the whole world at its grasp.

Explore the world

This floating home is truly one big adventure for each resident. The neighbors are just as eager to mingle and the socializing is just festive most of the time. The backdrop of their special events depends on where their itinerary promises them to be at any given time.

New Type of Travel Insurance for Independent Travellers

AXA launches new Independent Travellers insurance for growing market of ‘go-it-alone’ holiday makers.

Despite the increasing economic gloom, the holiday season is approaching and millions of Brits will be preparing to travel abroad over the summer months. But AXA warns that increasing numbers of people arranging their own holidays may be leaving themselves exposed despite taking out travel insurance.

Over the last few years the number of Independent Travellers has overtaken the number of Package Holiday Travellers. Internet access and low-cost airlines have helped escalate this trend – in 2006 over 16 million Independent Travellers headed overseas for holidays between April and September*.

However, insurance provision has not kept pace with the changing profile of the British holidaymaker and Independent Travellers can find that there are gaps in their insurance cover which AXA are addressing with their Independent Travellers cover, available with AXA travel insurance from www.axa.co.uk/travelinsurance.

The new product is an optional extension which costs as little as an additional £10 for annual European cover. It covers travellers for a number of areas such as problems with flight cancellations or delays, missed connections or the customer being denied boarding.

With a package holiday, the tour operator or travel agent is legally required to make suitable alternative arrangements for such eventualities, but the independent traveller must make and pay for their own arrangements.

Edward Dutton, AXA’s Personal Insurance Director said: “We are aware from our own claims area that Independent Travellers have run into problems with their travel insurance and a recent report from Defaqto underlined the need for insurers to offer cover that helps customers when things go wrong – the things that would normally be picked up by a tour operator or travel agent if it were a package holiday.

“We believe that the rise of the Independent Traveller is something that all insurers should be addressing – as the Ombudsman pointed out in his latest report ‘There is clearly a mismatch in … what insurers intend to offer and the cover that consumers believe they are buying.’”

The additional cover offered by this optional extension includes:

* delayed departure compensation for delays exceeding 5 hours occurring at the departure point of any connecting flights or booked public transportation on both the outbound and return journeys

* cancellation costs if you cancel your trip, or additional expenses to reach your destination because your flight from the UK was cancelled, delayed for more than 5 hours or you were denied boarding due to the flight being overbooked

* additional accommodation and travel expenses if you are delayed and miss any onward connecting flights or other public transport

* irrecoverable unused accommodation costs or additional expenses if your trip is affected by insolvency of the providers, an outbreak of food poisoning or infectious disease or natural disasters such as fire, flood or earthquake

* ONS – Travel Trends 2006: based on 69.5 million visits abroad in 2006, 65% of which were for holidays = 45 million. Of these 63% were taken between April and September = 28 million. Independent Travellers account for 58% of holidays = 16 million.

Grannies on the Go – Travel Insurance For Oldies

Many of the older generation are envious of today’s young people’s gap years spent travelling the globe and seeing different countries and cultures. Many have to wait until they are senior citizens before they have an opportunity to travel, and even if they don’t want to back-pack around India, they often find that getting insurance is a real problem.

Some companies won’t entertain insuring you if you are over the age of 75. But travelling without insurance is a risky business and if you have an accident whilst abroad you can end up in serious financial difficulties.

The main reason why travel insurance premiums are so high for older people is that they are more likely to have health conditions which might need treatment while they are abroad. That’s the explanation from More Than’s spokesperson.

But cancellation is another major reason for claims made by older holiday-makers. If you plan your trip quite a way ahead, as older people tend to do, there is more chance that you may have to cancel it due to illness or any other circumstance cropping up in the meantime. It is more important for our grey tourists to think about what might not be covered on the policy rather than just what it costs.

Saga’s managing director advises, “Don’t trade price over cover for medical conditions, which is the part of the policy you are most likely to use and tends to be the most expensive if you have to cover costs yourself.”

One simple way of virtually halving your premium is to make sure you aren’t paying for world-wide travel if you are only planning to visit Europe. Insurance that includes the United States will be a lot higher due to their expensive medical costs and their penchant for litigation.

World-wide annual multi-trip travel insurance could cost a 75-year old man anything from 106.20 pounds from the Halifax, to 319.68 from Intune. A 30-year old could spend around 30 pounds for the same policy.

European annual multi-trip insurance is a lot cheaper. The same 75-year old could pay American Express 168 pounds for his policy, or save 91 pounds by going to the Halifax for 77 pounds.

According to the marketing manager from M&S, once you hit 65 you are likely to start claiming for medical problems. She recommends that the over-65s take out a policy offering medical screening. She explains, “As a normal travel insurance policy automatically excludes any pre-existing conditions, travellers need to consider a product where they can be screened and potentially add on cover for any conditions they do have.”

A spokesperson from LV has a couple of tips to share. She warns people over 65 not to cancel any existing travel insurance policies without checking they can get cover from another insurer.

She also advises that a joint policy might be cheaper for a couple. She says, “Not only will it cost less, but if the person you are travelling with is unable to go on holiday, you will be covered for any cancellation costs you incur. However, if the polices are purchased separately you may not be covered.”

Specialist providers of travel insurance for the elderly such as Saga or Age Concern are often able to insure the uninsurable! One hundred and one year old Harry Patch, World War Two veteran, paid 40 pounds for insurance to travel to Belgium for four days. He couldn’t have got insurance from any other provider.

The head of products for Age Concern Enterprises, explained that Age Concern didn’t have a problem with insuring Mr Patch, except that their computer system didn’t recognise his birth date as it was pre-1900!

Information on Cheap Flights to Jamaica

Peoples mind instantly changes into vacation mode, once they hear an island. These people then hand in their schedule to their superior, start buying beach products such as suntan lotion, towels, board shorts and finally their airfare to their destination. The travelers who chose the island of Jamaica will start looking for savings in the form of certain specials and deals. This article will focus on the different ways to get cheap flights to Jamaica.

Jamaica is the largest English speaking island in the Caribbean. Only an hour from the United States, the island of Jamaica can be found in the Caribbean Sea. The climate is one that is tropical, which makes it a popular destination for people who are looking for fun, sun and relaxation. Discovered in 1492 by Christopher Columbus, it was under Spanish control until the English wrested control from them.

A good way to locate discount airfare to the island is by going on the internet. Countless travel sites exist that allow you a good choice in airline tickets. Looking at the available fares on the websites, you should be able to compare and then choose the flight you want. From there you can make an informed decision and get your ticket for cheap.

Travel agents can get you cheap tickets to Jamaica. Agents at times can get airfares for cheap prices. Airline companies often work with travel agents, and this often allows them access to discounted airline tickets. Using the central reservation system will give the travel agent the chance to find the best plane ticket out there.

Going on vacation should be about relaxation and easing your troubles away. When travelling, the idea is to save money and not overspend. Cheap air fares can be had, if the steps that were mentioned above, are followed properly. Using travel agents or internet airfare sites will allow you to accomplish this.

Cheap One Way Flights

To find cheap one way flights you can do a search on the internet and find one way inexpensive airline tickets. Search for discount airlines that base prices for one way flights. This is the best and easiest way to find cheap one way flights. Ticket companies buy one way airline tickets in large quantities and sell them cheap.

To get one way tickets even cheaper, if you book your flight for during the week or at night, this will save you some money as well. A lot of people don’t like flying at night, but if you want to save money this is another way to get cheap one way flights. Also, buying your ticket a good two to four months in advance can save you some money as well.

You may be used to flying at certain times or certain days, but it’s a good ideal if you can be flexible with your days and times, this will help you in getting some of the better deals for cheap one way flights. Always compare prices with several travel directories that offer discount prices for airline tickets. Another good tip is try to avoid flying during the big holiday seasons as airline tickets will be hard to come by and you won’t get the best deals possible around these times.

Cheap one way flights are not hard to find, but in order to get the best deals, timing is everything. There are a bunch of different variables that determine the price of airline tickets. Do your research, book your flight for during the week and/or at night and try to avoid flying during major holidays. Keep these few things in mind when looking for cheap one way flights and you will be able to get some good deals on tickets.

Looking for London Cheap Hotels

One of the most visited cities in the world, London, is famous for its arts, education, commerce, finance, fashion and tourism.  London and New York are the world’s biggest financial center and home to some of the biggest international companies.  This global city will host the Summer Olympics in 2012 and will become the first city to hold this special sporting event three times.

London’s four renowned heritage sites are the Tower of London, the Palace of Westminster, St. Margaret’s Church and the Westminster Abbey. There is a variety in the architectural style of buildings in London such as the National Galley, which is made up of Portland stone and the western side of London, which is made up of whitewashed buildings. There is also a restriction in high-rise development to avoid obstructing the view of the revered St. Paul’s Cathedral.

London has several parks which are perfect for a walk or a picnic on a sunny day such as the Hyde Park, Kensington Gardens and Regent’s Park where you can also find the world’s oldest scientific zoo. Another tourist attraction is the Wax Museum in Madame Tussauds.

Film aficionados head down to the Leicester Square to witness world film premieres and the entertaining Piccadilly Circus, which is famous for its huge electronic advertisements. Aside from the theaters, there are also clubs, bar, restaurants and specialty shops in this area including Chinatown and Covent Garden. London is home of the renowned Royal Ballet, Royal Opera and English National Ballet which perform at the London Coliseum, Royal Opera, Royal Albert Hall and Sadler’s Wells Theatre.

London is an international center for fashion having famous art and fashion schools and world-class designers such as Vivienne Westwood, Stella McCartney, Galliano and Manolo Blahnik. There are also lots of museums and galleries in London such as the British Museum, Victoria and Albert Museum, Natural History Museum, Science Museum and the Bloomsbury National Gallery.

Looking for is perfect for those who are planning to stay in London for a longer period of time either to study or to go on training. There are lots of available in Otel.com and they guarantee that they have the lowest rates. Just click on the search box to get a comprehensive list of and choose the one that best suit your need and lifestyle. Each includes pictures and detailed information such as its facilities and services offered as well as nearby points of interests.  Otel.com offers discount rates of up to 70% on selected hotels. Just check out for the updated list of online to avail of the best deals in hotel. If you see another site that offers a lower rate, Otel.com would even match that rate and give you 5% points which you can use on your next hotel booking. There are also no hidden fees such as cancellation fee, amendment fee and booking fee unlike other hotel booking sites. Otel.com assures you of secured reservations without overpaying. Enjoy living in London without sacrificing your comfort with Otel.com.

Vacation In The Best Resorts For Free With Timeshare Exchange

Last weekend, I was showing some friends the photos of our trip to Spain, where we spent 10 days in Madrid and on the coast in Marbella. Photo after photo, we marveled at the beauty of the art and the landscape. It was so wonderful, and the photos just didn’t do it justice. My friend Chris also wanted to know more about our accommodations: a two-bedroom villa with marble floors, full kitchen with granite counters, king-size bed, and Jacuzzi tub. Since the trip, I hadn’t thought about the villa and how gorgeous it was, mostly because we’ve become accustomed to vacationing like that. We stay in the best places, and it doesn’t cost us very much to do it. What really confused him was that he knows how much money I make (certainly not enough to afford a place like that), and that I have kids too. Chris and his wife wanted to know how I pulled it off.

I told him that although Lynn and I love to vacation, we never want to worry about our safety or the cleanliness and quality of our lodging. We won’t budge on that. But we also have a budget that we have to manage very closely. And with the economy the way it is, it’s even more important to watch our spending. Lastly, we don’t like the “hidden fees” of travel that are tacked on every time you turn around these days. I told him that we use a technique that is available to everyone, but that is used by few people since many don’t understand it. It’s called timeshare exchange, and it’s actually quite simple. Let me explain how it works.

We purchased our timeshare in Hawaii years ago. As nice as that resort is, we don’t want to go there every year—we want to see new places. And as timeshare owners, we have the right to trade our unit with another owner. So we trade our week for their week, and they get to vacation at our place and we vacation at theirs. It’s kind of like swapping homes for a week, except these are gorgeous resorts in the best vacation areas. We always know the quality of the resort because we know people that have stayed there. And besides the annual cost to maintain our own place, with our method it never costs us a dime: no fees, no hidden fees, no taxes, nothing.

The fact that we don’t pay any fees surprises many people, since most timeshare exchanges today are handled by two companies that do charge fees. RCI is the largest, and Interval International is the other. As a member of their service, you pay an annual membership fee of about 0 each year, even in years you don’t trade. You also pay an exchange fee of 9–199 each time you trade. When you are ready to trade, you “deposit” your timeshare week into their “bank,” and then you get to “withdraw” a week at a property that they deem to be of equal value.

Chris told me that his parents own two timeshares—one in Aruba and one in Orlando. “My parents are always complaining about all the fees. So how do you do it for free?” Chris asked. It’s simple: We don’t use RCI or Interval International. We trade on our own. We’ve been traveling for years and created a network of timeshare owners that all want to trade timeshares but don’t want to pay all those fees. So each year we arrange our own trades. As the network got bigger, we created a website called TimeshareJuice. It links up timeshare owners around the world (some resorts have joined too) to enable them to trade for free. It’s easy and fun.

Today there are over 5,000 resorts in 100 countries, and over 6.5 million timeshare owners around the world. The industry has been around for over 40 years and admittedly has a dicey past. The timeshare industry is a provocative one, evoking images of unrelenting sales pitches, false promises, and lots and lots of hidden fees. But as my mom would always say, there are two sides to every story. Yes, even timeshare has another side. About 25 years ago, major hotel chains saw the potential of the business and began developing timeshare resorts called vacation clubs. The first prominent chain to jump in was Marriott, followed by Hilton, Hyatt, Disney, and others. Marriott Vacation Club invested heavily and was determined to bring prestige to the industry. They use the term “vacation ownership” or “vacation club ownership” instead of “timeshare” to distinguish themselves from the rest.

Using TimeshareJuice, the only costs we have are the annual maintenance fees (similar to condo fees) for our unit in Hawaii. Each place we stay in is already paid for by the other party. All we have to do is check in and start having fun. The resorts handle the check-in and check-out, maid service, maintenance, and so on, just like a hotel, so there’s nothing else to do.

Timeshare exchange has allowed us to sip wine as we gaze at the Mediterranean Sea from the beach in Marbella, Spain, watch the marvelous sunset from the sands of Maui, get pampered at a world-class spa in Palm Desert, and so much more. The juice of life is spending time with family and friends, having fun. We work hard all year and cherish our vacation time with our family. And when we do vacation, we want to make sure it’s the best value for our money. Vacation ownership and the ability to exchange have allowed us to have it all.

Cancun Budget Hotels

Being a world esteemed tourist destination, Cancun has been able to provide the necessary infrastructure to accommodate the large entail of guests that expedition every space. This is especially true shelter regard to hotel rooms, thanks to the infinitely visculent combine shows that Cancun has about 26,000 hotel barracks for guests. http://cheaptravelpackage.blogspot.com

However, the eminent number of hotel rooms in Cancun has imaginary the search considering the right hotel room a bit additional challenging, as visitors may swallow to do a substantial unit of research on very much of the hotels to find the befitting one’s move whereas them. This is ultra true, especially for those looking thanks to more serviceable options with regards to budget accommodations. There are accommodations to fit all budgets, but if you are looking for really cheap rooms, make express you permit them out carefully. Conditions in cheaper accommodations tend to change day to day.Other ways to save on hotel accommodations are to book at least six months before your rush. adept are discounts over booking early, as truly as special travel discounts that you can jewel foreign about by checking hole up a search consideration. If you enthusiasm to spend a lot of time on the beach, you’ll find accommodations ulterior less sizable beaches are less serviceable than the more popular beaches.As noted, most of the cheaper hotels are located downtown Cancun, away from the beaches. If you know some Spanish, you are in luck, because you albatross good buy for exceeding deals prestige these downtown hotels. In order to end downtown, you have to be singular to spend to for taxis from the airport.

You might also consider renting a vacation home or a beach house. These are less expensive than staying at a beach resort. Also look owing to cancellations power some of the more expensive hotels. If experienced are empty rooms, the determination will give a tune out in order to fill the space.A few of the garish hotels in Cancun include the Caribe Internacional, City make clear Cancun, lordly Laguna Cancun, Imperial Las Perlas and the Maria de Lourdes. They are located downtown or in the Lagoon area, and a few are found near the beach. The trite proportion thanks to these hotels is around to per night.Cancun is a lodge that has hotels that dispense to every requirement and every budget. However, due to the large number of hotels in Cancun, finding the right hotel can be a challenge, therefore do some research before you take your game.  http://cheaptravelpackage.blogspot.com

Adventure Travel in Kenya with African Home Adventure Safaris Kenya and Tanzania

These range from a person preference. Like in East Africa, most Kenya adventures Travel which are rapidly growing in popularity and which has gained love from people all over the world are, adventure Camping, Mt. Climbing, Cultural adventure travel, Beach Vacation, Voluntravel e.t.c. These adventures gains much of their excitement by allowing participants to step outside of their comfort zone.This is because it involves exploration or travel to remote, exotic, bushy and possibly hostile areas. African Home Adventure Safaris is aware of how people are willing to try out different adventures. Its also aware that travel is no longer considered  for elites only as it used to be some years back. Due to all thris, African Home Adventure Safaris has come up with activities that suites everyone. Be it kenya budget travel, kenya Luxury travel or mid range kenya travel.
Ultimate Travel is where you’ll get adventorous trips that are going to change you, enchant you and ensure memories for a lifetime.

Accommodation

Kenya is worldly known for offering adventure in safety and comfort in Accommodation.
Any type of accomodation one desires during their stay in East Africa, African Home Adventure Safaris does it all from reservations to picking and dropping you to the accommodation of your choice. They range from basic camping, tented luxury camping, luxury lodges, budget hotels, cottages and villas. As the name itself “Home” it really is and one can only experience this once you are in hands of them. Some of these are at the cities, where on arrival one can have an overnight before embarking on an adventure, These are superbly equipped hotels, offering varied amenities and conveniences to make your stay a pleas in Nairobi. You enjoy a perfect location in the heart of Kenya’s capital and provides for the business and leisure travellers’ needs with a superb selection of facilities. There are also budget hotels that caters for budget travelers as well.
Other accommodations are at the centre of Kenyas National reserves where one spend days and nights in the wilderness at close quarters with the greatest and most fierce natural predators on earth with all the luxuries on hand and nothing to fear.
Other amazing accommodation are Treetops Hotels. The Treetops is the original tree lodge, and is world famous for its location facing a water hole and a salt lick in the Aberdares National Park as well as its historical royal connection.
When the sun sets, you can sit and look at wildlife if at all you want, since the lights of the lodge keep the area floodlit at night. Elephants, buffalos, waterbucks, mangroves and warthogs are common visitors to the Treetops water hole. Sometimes some rhino would step out of the darkness and come into the light, however, presently the possibility to view any of the many Aberdare’s animal eaters is fairly remote.
All these are well of well-trained chefs who prepares international and local delicacies.