Travel Tips

Safety is DIRECTLY proportional to sobriety. This is true for all travelers no matter their age or experience. So it is little surprise that parents worry about Spring Break trips. Enough bad things have happened to perfectly responsible people that the worry seems justified.

No matter how responsible young people are sober, parents will worry about what might happen when they are drunk or drugged. There is safety in numbers, but this can be lost if the group members do not look out for each other, or if they rebel against responsible behavior when dictated by perhaps more sober peers. Who in a group of young people wants to be the enforcer or will willingly follow one of their peers who advises the careful approach.

It would be an awful job, but for members of a group it might actually make things more relaxed if at least two parents accompanied you. I say two so they can entertain themselves and support each other when they want to agree to not interfere. You might want to consider them as the designated sober travelers. From the point of view of a group of young travelers, you want to recruit a set of parents (preferably not a married couple so all the responsibility does not fall on one family) who are relaxed enough to follow rather than lead, but solid enough in their reputation for responsible behavior to be a re-assurance to parents who will not be with you.

I realize that having some parents along, might interfere with the romantic idea of being off on your own and consequently lose you some potential group members, on the other hand it might help others to join. At least consider it. If you as a group decide to go this route, be pro-active. You might even interview potential parent travelers and offer to subsidize their expenses.

In general, "nice resorts" have a fairly generic international flavor that is to a large extent independent of their country location. They are often pretty isolated from the city streets and local populations. This does provide some safety. It can also result in a more relaxed break.

This means that it is less important which country you go to, than which resort you choose. To limit the hassles and uncertainty of cost, I think an all-inclusive would be particularly attractive to a group of young adults. "All-inclusive" usually means room, board, all drinks and some activities. It means less uncertainty (travel plans are easy) and more freedom for individuals to get up when they want, eat when they want, drink when they want and go to bed when they want. If you add to this airfare, the cost of a passport, and maybe $200 per person per week for souvenirs and expenses for special excursions or activities not covered in the "all-inclusive" umbrella you are set. (Maybe you add $30 per person to get the parents of your choice to accompany you,. . . or maybe not.)

The challenge is finding the right resort at the right cost. The most expensive is not necessarily the best, and the cheapest is not necessarily the worst. Start your search early. (You will need a little steering committee to make a choice.) A travel agent might help, but you will find the internet useful in any case. I would look at the Dominican Republic, Venezuela and Mexico for the best values but perhaps Costa Rica, Jamaica or one of the other Caribbean Islands will offer you a better deal. Remember to include airfare and air taxes in your evaluation of total cost.

There are three reasons to consider getting a travel agent involved when making plans of a group trip: 1) A travel agent may have access to special rates not found on the internet and personal knowledge of the quality of the resort. 2) A travel agent might know better how to get special services or perks for your group. and 3) A travel agent could handle the money insuring that everyone gets their deposit and final payments in on time.

The day when a travel agent could make their money by the hidden commission on airline tickets has passed. Now most will charge a service fee for booking. Depending on his/her knowledge or experience and the complexity of your needs this may or may not be worth the cost. Even though I have the power of the internet available and speak enough Spanish to call hotels directly, I have found that a local travel agent here in Florida can sometimes get a better price on hotels outside the USA even when including their commission.

It will be important to indicate to the travel agent how important low cost is to your group. In my experience most travel agents lean toward the more expensive well known name places and airlines. I think this is because many people who use travel agents are older and more concerned about comfort than cost. A good agent will respond to your desire for a low cost and use their knowledge of what the competition is offering to get the same from a preferred and presumable less expensive location.

In my opinion, in is quite useful for a group to use a travel agent to collect the money starting with a serious non-refundable deposit. Until you have this deposit you really have little idea of how many will be in your group. I think this service alone would be worth the cost of the small fee they will likely charge.
The sooner you have identified your committed travelers the better you will be able to negotiate the best deal. Good luck.

1. The more the merrier. Many airlines will give a free group leader ticket for groups of 14 or more. (The exact number needed to trigger this varies between airlines.)

2. Try to get your flights out of hubs where the airlines are competing for your business. A few extra miles on the road can lead to a lot of savings in the air.

3. Look at all the airline options. Remember that it is total cost that matters. (Airfare, taxes plus any ticket service charge.) For example, I recently found that the tax and fees for flights through Newark or Detroit were less than half the charges for flights through Chicago (ORD) so even though the actual ticket cost was a bit higher the total cost was much lower. Watch for special sales. Although flying all the way on one airline adds convenience, consider using cheap domestic airlines in larger countries to save money.

4. Use your numbers to negotiate savings or special perks. Start with requesting a special price. Then ask for free airport transfers, free city tours, special arrival reception, reservations at the special restaurant that usually requires a supplemental fee (Try for a discount or waving of the fee.), a birthday cake, a room upgrade (Ask if they can upgrade one room to a suite where everyone can gather.). Your chances of getting these and other perks or savings depends of the size of your group, how you approach the issues, and, of course, the seasonal demand for places at the particular resort.

5. When thinking about tours or other activities beyond the "all-inclusive" package consider going outside the hotel to independent guides or travel services. And remember to demand a discount.

See the discussion of "all-inclusives" in my other album on travel advice.

1. If you are traveling to many different places on a cruise, you can not very well buy a guide book for each stop. What you can do is create your own "Do it yourself" VT guide book by clicking on save tips or save forum posts found throughout VT to guide book and then printing them up later. Of course, this will not create a comprehensive book with complete history and cultural comments but it should give you some neat ideas for special things to do or see.
2. Cruises usually include a lot of travel time. Even if you have classes you will have time to read and relax. In my opinion, you should not spend this time reading science fiction, pulp fiction or old classic English or American mysteries not related to your travel! I would highly recommend novels by authors of the countries or areas you are visiting. I have always found that this type of reading enhances my travel experience and the travel enhances the pleasure of the reading.
Although I am sure that your cruise ship will have a library, if I were you I would not want to leave to chance that it or your fellow travelers would have the type of books I wanted to read. One of the advantages of cruise travel is that you do not have to carry your luggage wherever you visit.
I will not presume to suggest to you the books to buy; naturally our tastes and interests will be somewhat different. Some travel guide books include a list of recommended reading that might be helpful.
3. If you like to draw, take some basic materials so that you can do it while you travel. If you like to make music and can find a cheap very portable instrument, take it with you or take money to buy one. If you like to take pictures take a camera and lots of memory or film. If you like to dance, take your dancing shoes. . . .OK you get the idea -- There are things that you like to do that can help you connect with the people of the places you will be visiting.
4. Lastly, let me suggest that spending more time in or near your port stops may at times be more rewarding then traveling off for brief visits to other perhaps more famous sites. It will give you a chance to look, smell, taste, listen and even join in with the life of the city. You will be able to visit the small museum, gallery, market or neighborhood restaurant missed by most other visitors. Not only will you have time to smell the coffee, you will be able to drink a cup while you scan a local newspaper with no train or plane to meet.