25
Sep
So your family has decided to make a family reunion out of that yearly summer beach trip. Uncle Ed and Aunt Edna are coming in from Timbuktue. The cousins are driving in from Eastern Michigan. Your brothers and sisters are planning on traveling in by car with their requisite families. Somehow you have been nominated to coordinate this spectacular event. So whare do you start.
Where do you plan to make this spectacular event happen? What type of housing do you plan on? What is the budget for all of the parties involved? What is the date of the event?
While to some these seem very simple in reality they are difficult and often times contentious issues. If Ed and Edna just want to go to the Mexican Riveria, that may make it difficult for those that are less well off to attend this event. A compromise must be reached. As you are the organizer this is your primary job. You should elicit suggestions from all the primary parties involved on the location. Then make a decision and inform everyone where you will be having the event. No negotiations at this point. You make the decision to have everyone in Hilton Head, SC and do not waver from this decision.
Now that the where geographically is decided it is time to determine the housing type that will be used. Under most circumstances you have several different options available:
Time Share Rental (Typically a 2 or 3 bedroom unit) – Each Family unit will need their own unit. Great for privacy.
Joint Beach House (Can range from 2 bedroom up to 15 bedroom) – Each family unit will have a room. Great for joint living spacies and getting the most out of group synthesis.
Hotel Stay (One family unit per Room) – No food prep. required as all meals will be eaten at restaurants.
Present these different selections and go with the group consensus. Make sure to outline the pluses and minuses of all the different scenarios. Then sit back and let democracy run it’s course. By this time you are more than likely 3-4 weeks into the planning stages.
Now the final decision to be made. What is the budget for the rooms and units. This will limit the exact location. It would be advised to have researched this item slightly when presenting the unit type to the group and possibly utilizing this as a bracketing system for the different types of accomodations. Take everyone’s feelings and concerns into consideration. Just because you are well off doesn’t mean that the cousins are so well off financially. Once everyone has agreed on the budget you should begin working with a local rental company in you choice of location. Describe the situation in detail and let them know that you will be allowing the different family units to book their own accomodations. Never book the accomodations yourself. Doing business with family is highly not advised. You do not want to be mad at Uncle Ed the rest of your life because he stiffed you $1000 deposit on the summer beach rental.
Now that all the necissities are taken care of make sure that everyone is kept up to date utilizing online correspondence. Make sure everyone knows everyones arrival times. Finally relax and enjoy your hardearned vacation. Take some time during the week to spend with your family.
Charles Cater
25
Sep
Road Trips Through Cape Town’s Wine Tasting Routes
Cape Town and surrounds has a rich culture of wine tasting and viticulture, boasting many wine farms, vineyards and wine routes which make up a perfect trip from Cape Town where you have ample time to drive and visit all the wine establishments and experience the tasting opportunities within its estates and farms.
When Jan van Riebeek arrived in what is now known as the Cape in 1652, he brought with him Dutch settlers, European culture, and consequently – wine. Just under four hundred years later, the Cape has become one of the world’s favourite destinations for wine production.
Discovering the Cape Wine Routes
There are many wine routes in the Cape to explore. Stellenbosch has four main routes: the Bottlary Hills, Devon Valley, Helderberg and Simonsberg routes. It is also one of the most popular routes to explore by car, not only because of the scenery, but because all the wine farms are in relatively close proximity, thus you are able to squeeze in more travel in a day.
A Typical Trip
An example of a vineyards road trip could be started in Cape Town in the suburb of Durbanville, home of the Durbanville Wine Valley and vineyards. The accommodation is always of a high standard at any point on the trip and Durbanville has hotels, guest houses, bed and breakfasts and much more to offer.
Explore the 9 wine farms, taste their produce, eat a wonderful lunch at one of the farms delectable restaurants and relax in the evening at the theatre, shopping mall or just having an early night as your next day’s trip kicks off with exploring Wellington.
Wellington is a quiet mountainside town, a figure of history and is situated next to the Kromme River in the Boland area of the Western Cape. Begin the day with the hour drive from Cape Town to Wellington. After checking into a local bed and breakfast, hotel, guest house or back packers, the Wellington Wine routes are yours to explore! Wellington has over 20 wine farms to offer and a brandy route. Explore wine farms, restaurants, beautiful scenery and outdoor activities for two days and two nights. On day 4, the journey moves on to Worcester.
Worcester is situated in the Breede River Valley, a picturesque town with historic buildings and sweeping parks with bright flora and fauna. After checking into one of the town’s guest houses, bed and breakfasts or camp sites, the tour of the Worcester wine route begins. Many famous wine farms are situated in Worcester, offering wine tasting, restaurants and shops. White water rafting is highly recommended as one of the best things to do in the town. After spending the night, the wine tour extends to the seaside whale spot, Hermanus, for two days of wineries and fun activities.
Hermanus has many hotels and accommodation options such as guest houses, bed and breakfasts and back packers. The town looks over the Indian Ocean where Whales venture in spring to mate and calve and provide the jolly atmosphere for the Hermanus Whale Festival. The Hermanus wine farms are situated in the Hermanus “Wine Wander” known as “Hemel en Aarde” (heaven and earth in Afrikaans). Hermanus offers many other activities to wine farming so if you feel like whale spotting, visiting a spa or nature reserve or even paintball, you can find all of these activities in this lively seaside town. After taking days 5 and 6 to explore Hermanus, it is time to relocate the tour to Somerset West for days 7 and 8.
Somerset West has many options in terms of accommodation: hotels, guest houses, bed and breakfasts. After checking into your accommodation, it is time to explore this lovely town. Somerset West is home to the Helderberg Wine Route: an exploration of over 30 wine farms and estates. The route boasts many famous cellars and farms: Vergelegen, Alto, Eikendal and Rust en Vrede to name a few. The town also has a shopping mall, Monkeytown, golf and a nature reserve. The trip stays in Somerset West for two days giving plenty of time to explore the activities and wine farms on offer.
On day 9 the trip departs for Cape Town to spend the last day and night visiting wine farms in Constantia, an area which boast the famous and oldest winery in South Africa: Groot Constantia. The area of Constantia boasts 5 top class wine farms, including Buitenverwachting, Constantia Uitsig and Klein Constantia. The area has the usual options for accommodation set in a charming suburb of Cape Town.
Road trips through the Cape winelands really do offer a great getaway and tour opportunity for all ages and cultures. The wines are first class and international standard yet even if you are not a fan of viticulture, the area has so much more to offer.
25
Sep
Is there a vacation that you have been dreaming of taking? Perhaps you have been dying to visit Vancouver Island in Canada’s British Columbia, or maybe you want to tour Europe with nothing but your backpack. Have a desire to relax on a Caribbean island or on the islands of Greece? Any of these amazing vacations could become a reality for you. Unfortunately, many people who dream of traveling are hindered because of the great expense and hassle of finding good airfare to make it to their dream destinations.
Obviously, you cannot get from here to there without airfare, and therefore, you can throw away any dreams of a great vacation unless you are willing to search for airfare that works for your budget and needs.
Finding airfare can be really easy or very difficult. One of the easiest ways to find great airfare is to talk with a travel agent. Travel agents are paid to help you find the best possible airfare for all of your travel needs. You can simply relay to them your travel desires and your budget and then trust them to come up with great deals. However, if you have the desire and ability to look for airfare on your own, you may be able to find better deals.
Finding your own airfare can be a great way to save some money and to be selective about the particular airlines and schedule for your flights. Just jump online and do a search for inexpensive airfare. You will probably be overwhelmed by the amount of options you have, but just begin somewhere and don’t give up too quickly. Be sure to compare prices, schedules and other details between websites. You may even be able to find great airfare by bidding for your own prices on certain websites.
No matter how long the process takes, press on to find great airfare. Why? Because your dream trip will quickly become reality when you find airfare. Once people overcome the obstacle of choosing airfare, often the rest of the trip details fall into place quickly. Details such as accommodations, food, entertainment and recreation never seem as overwhelming as finding airfare.
Take my advice: find your airfare first. Don’t let a flight get in the way of making your dreams come true.
25
Sep
Not everybody can afford to have a luxurious air travel. People who would like to travel with their family will often look for inexpensive air fares so that they can accommodate all the members of their family in the vacation trip. There are many ways to look for inexpensive airfares.
There are many websites that offer membership schemes where if you become a member you will be intimated of the best deals that are available for every week. You will get email offers from them about the inexpensive air fares available. You can use these offers to get cheap air fares. Lot of people are getting benefited with this kind of membership. If you are a frequent traveler then you can look for this option.
Most of the airlines offer sudden offers that might go unnoticed by many of us. The offers could be on any special occasion or a season. So it is better to check the websites of these airlines often to see whether there is any offer available for the destination chosen by you. Check out the offers by the airlines before you approach any agent for booking your tickets.
Some of the websites have tie ups with the airlines so that if you book through their websites you get some discounts in the actual air fare. Sometimes if you club your tickets for different destinations in a single purchase you might get some excellent discounts. Some websites allow you to bid for a ticket and if you bid is accepted then you get it at the discounted rates. When you bid it is better to check the actual rates and quote a price that is lower than the actual by at least 25%.
Group tours are some way to reduce your expenses during travel since a group of people are involved in booking. Due to bulk booking some travels may get you a reduced fare for such group tours. Some of the destinations may not attract tourist during a particular season. If you can make a trip during that season you can get reduced air fares. Off season booking always gives your reduced fares. Not only fares you also get some facilities free of cost such as pick up and drop from the airport to the hotels of your choice.
Try these methods to get inexpensive air fares so that you can have a good vacation with your family in some exotic locations.
