Getting The Most Out Of Spring Break

Spring break is a great time to get loose from the pressures of school and work that young people face. It's also a period of time in which you're likely to spend ridiculous amounts of money. For that reason, it's important to cut every corner that you can to keep your spring break costs low. In this article, we'll offer some tips towards saving hard-earned dough when it comes to vacationing in a party zone.

First, it's very important to shop around when it comes to your accommodations. Many spring break spots offer plenty of different hotels that can fit any budget, offering you dirt-cheap prices at dirt-packed motels and the finest accommodations at the more fancy spring break resorts. It's important to think about what you would value in your hotel; if you're planning on spending your days and nights on the town, location may be important but fancy rooms may not be.

To that end, there are usually a few low-budget motels situated relatively close to the main drag in spring break towns where you can save a buck at the cost of cleanliness. It's also key to ask any travel agents that you may be consulting if there's a special student rate. Surprisingly, many agents offer these rates, and if they don't, they are usually happy to offer you a group discount should you be traveling with a crew of spring breakers.

One trick that many spring breakers use to save money is the condo option. Many condos are often available for rent in popular spring break destinations, offering you the opportunity to split large accommodations amongst your group resulting in a lower cost. Also, staying in a condo gives you the opportunity to use the kitchen and refrigerator which can save you a wealth of cash. Once you get to your spring break spot, hit the grocery store and buy some things that you can cook so that you won't have to spend all your spring break cash at restaurants.

Traveling by car can also be a great option when it comes to getting to your destination. In addition to carpooling and being able to chip in on gas, you also don't have to worry about transportation or getting a rental car once you get into the city. Be wary, however, when driving in a spring break spot. Police officers are usually on the lookout for out-of-state partiers when it comes to pulling people over, and you may find yourself getting the third degree for the most minor of infractions. Drinking and driving is a definite no-no when taking your car on a cruise through the place that you are staying.

Have You Heard About Discount Vacation Packages ?

Anyone who thinks the days of getting something for nothing are over probably hasn’t yet taken advantage of discount vacation packages. Besides getting great deals on airfare, resorts, hotels, cruises, amusement tickets, attractions and more, you’ll find that many discount vacation packages sweeten the deal even more by including freebies.

Lots of free stuff !

What sort of freebies? Well, definitely not the kind you get from fast food restaurants, that’s for sure. The freebies being offered along with today’s discount vacation packages are items of real value. Free dinner tickets, free tickets to water parks, free amusement tickets to big-name places like bush gardens, and even free overnight stays at top-rated hotels and resorts in popular travel destinations are not unheard of.

If you know anything about the types of freebies listed above you know they can amount to a huge savings. If you’re unsure, go online and take a look at the regular admission price to bush gardens or any amusement park, golf course, or water parks in the area where you plan to travel. At the low end, tickets go for $30 and from there go up as high as $70 or more.

Savings galore !
Now consider what you’d pay to stay at top-rated hotels and resorts and the savings jump well over $100 – per night! And it’s rare to find regular-priced dinner tickets to those places that include entertainment along with a 4-course dinner for anything less than $50. But when they’re free, you pay nothing. Incredibly, as valuable as these items are, they’re the types of freebies being offered in conjunction with today’s discount vacation packages.

If you’ve taken time off from travel because you’re too busy, because you’re trying to save fuel, or because you think vacation packages are unaffordable, you have no idea the fun times you and your travel companions are missing out on. If you’re tired of saying no to vacation travel or if you need a quick escape to someplace relaxing where golfing, biking, fishing, sightseeing and all sorts of other leisurely activities are the norm, it’s time to check out the vacation packages – discount and otherwise – being offered to destinations all over the world.

Discount Vacation Packages are easy to find
The best part of all is that you don’t have go to further than your computer to find discount hotels, resorts, travel, amusement tickets, airfare and entire vacation packages. If you have a destination in mind, start searching for discount vacation packages to that area. If you know you’re in the mood for some serious golfing, search for golf discount vacation packages and choose the destination offering the best deal.

But if you’ve no idea where you want to travel or you don’t know whether you want to go biking, fishing or splashing at water parks, don’t worry. With a bit of creative cyberspace searching you’re practically guaranteed to find one or more vacation travel packages to suit your every need.

NORAD Santa Tracker

It's been a holiday tradition since 1955 and the 2010 edition of the NORAD Santa Tracker is up an running. And yes, it even has an app for your phones as well. The tradition started as the result of a Colorado Springs, CO based Sears placing an advertisement in the local newspaper that included a phone number that kids could call to talk to Santa.

However, the number in the printed ad was incorrect. The calls meant for Santa ended up going to CONAD (the Continental Air Defense Command), the forerunner of NORAD. On the night a December 24, 1955 the officer on duty that night, Colonel Harry Shoup, instructed his personnel to give all children who called in that night a current location for Santa Claus, and a tradition was born. Today it has morphed into the corporate sponsored NORAD Tracks Santa program which uses volunteers from Cheyenne Mountain and Peterson AFB.

The program also has Facebook and Twitter pages and is responsible for the Santa reports you see included in your local news outlet's Christmas Eve weather forecasts. And since Santa's workshops undisclosed location is somewhere near the North Magnetic Pole and is inside Canadian territory, the US based NORAD trackers get a helping hand from their Canadian counterparts as well.

And kids, to keep Santa safe on his nocturnal mission of present deliveries he gets fighter escorts while over United States and Canadian airspace.

So in case you were wondering how NORAD tracks Santa Claus on Christmas Eve and when the tradition got started, now you know.

What to Pack for Your International Surf Holiday

First, the essentials the things you can't or shouldn't even get on the plane without. Passport, airline tickets, travel or accommodation vouchers, and travel insurance policy. Other than your passport, all of these should have been provided by your surf travel agent. You will be confident knowing that you will be looked after should anything go wrong on your trip, ie flight delays or cancellations, natural disasters, or in the case of sickness or injury. Make sure you have policy numbers and 24 hour emergency assistance contact numbers for your travel insurance in case of emergency.

Regarding your passport, make sure it has at least 6 months validity from the date you are due to return from your trip and at least 2 full pages empty in case you need a visa at your destination. You should always take a couple of copies of your passport with you as well, keep them in a separate place, in case you lose your passport this may help at the embassy. You may also be required to give copies to your accommodation or boat charter operator.

It's a good idea to have taken a copy of all of the above and left it with your spouse or a close relative at home in case of emergency. Travel itineraries will normally have accommodation/contact phone numbers and they will show dates of where you will be and when  should anything happen at home while you are away.

Money - you won't survive long without this. Options will differ for each destination. Local currency cash is the obvious choice, but you don't want to be carrying around too much cash for fear of getting it lost or stolen. Best to just take enough to get you by for the first couple of days, unless you are going somewhere remote with no ATM or credit card access.

An additional essential you might need for your surf trips could be an International Drivers License, although most countries will let you hire a car just with your normal drivers license from home. Best to check before you leave though as it needs to be obtained from your home country.

Health and medical history records are a good idea if you have any health issues that might be a problem on your surf holiday, particularly if you are required to take specific medications with you. Some countries also require to see your vaccination certificates – especially yellow fever. Check these out with your doctor.

Next – carry on luggage on the plane. Generally most airlines will let you take about 5-10kgs carry on luggage (check with your airline or travel agent).You should always pack all of your valuables in your carry on bag, as you do not want these in your checked luggage. They will not be covered by your travel insurance if anything happens to your luggage in transit, and lost luggage is very common! As well as any jewellery, keep cameras and video cameras , laptops and ipods with you. You should carry a pen for filling out forms as well as reading material in case the movies are boring or your flight gets delayed! And don't forget your munchies/lollies for the plane!

Check in luggage can be anywhere from 15 – 30kgs in economy. Some low cost airlines don't even include any checked luggage – this has to be added onto the ticket price or prepurchased at the airport, again check with your airline or travel agent. Suggestions on what to pack here will depend on your destination – but generally for most surf holidays you will want to take : boardies/bikinis, tshirts, sarong, hat, sunnies, thongs, other shoes for when thongs are not appropriate (i.e the plane, hiking, remote villages), a fleece for areas when it can get cold at night, a waterproof jacket for boat charters when it can get rough and wet, a pocket knife, ear plugs (in case of snorers), sunscreen, and your toiletries.

If you are heading to surf areas with Malaria, it is a good idea to also take light cotton long pants and long sleeve shirts to keep the mozzies from biting. Don't forget to see your doctor regarding any medications suggested for Malarial areas or areas which might have other vaccination requirements.

With regards to surf gear, again what boards you should take will depend on the destination for what will be best. You'll also need to check the airlines as to any limitations on lengths of boards they may have. If you are going on a surf boat charter, you should also check with the boat or your surf travel agent as to any limits on the number of boards you can take – due to storage limitations. It's a good idea for most destinations to take reef booties, and depending on expected wave heights and heaviness, you might want to think about a helmet, especially if you are going to be surfing bigger/heavier waves than you are used to.

Standard items to remember are spare leg ropes, wax and wax comb, Vaseline for chafing, long and short arm rash vests, duct tape and a ding repair kit, snorkel, mask and fins, and spare board fins and fin key.

Generally most surfers are also keen fishermen, so if this is you, don't forget to take your favourite rod and lures etc. Don't rely on existing equipment that might be at your destination as it is generally well used or not enough of it to go around when there is a number of people wanting to access it from a resort or surf boat charter.

Last but not least, a first aid kit. It's a good idea if you are travelling in a group to get 1 person to arrange this for the group. It is generally unnecessary for each person to have their own and it can take up quite a bit of room. You should consider : insect repellant, pain killers, diahorrea tablets, gastrolyte rehydration tablets, seasickness tablets, antibiotics to fight infections, betadine for reef cuts, bandages, waterproof bandaids, hydrogen peroxide for cleaning wounds, aqua ear eardrops, tweezers and scissors (make sure you pack these in your checked luggage as you will not be allowed to take them on the plane in your carry on luggage), after sun gel, stop itch cream, thermometer, cotton buds/wool, antiseptic wipes and safety pins……… I'm sure this doesn't cover every situation, but it should cover most!

Most of all pack your sense of humour, sense of adventure, respectfulness for the locals and make sure this is the best surf trip you have ever been on!

Walt Disney World Accommodation

It is interesting to note that every Disney World theme park have its own special personality and character. Disney World's objective is not only to entertain their visitors and tourists but also make their stay and accommodation at Disney World as pleasant as possible so that these visitors will return for more visits as well as spreading by word of mouth about their wonderful Disney World vacations. Disney World understands that word of mouth advertisemnents from happy visitors is the best advertisement and it is free.

It is for this intent and purpose that Walt Disney World now has about twenty themed vacation resorts catering to all types of guests catering their accommodation preferences as well as for different traveling budgets.

Disney World resorts are roughly divided into 5 accommodation categories. They are the deluxe class, moderate resorts, value budget types, vacation resorts, and cabins/campgrounds in the wilderness for the more adventurous visitors.

There are about ten Deluxe Disney resorts in Disney World such as those in The Animal Kingdom Lodge, Beach Club Resort, The Contemporary Resort, The Grand Floridian Resort and Spa, The Polynesian Resort, Boardwalk Inn, The Wilderness Lodge, and Yacht Club Resort? There are also 2 deluxe class hotels such as Walt Disney World Swan and Walt Disney World Dolphin, however these hotels are not owned by Disney World.

Although some Disney resorts are rated as "moderate class", they are still far more luxurious than a ordinary hotel accommodation. Rooms in these so called moderate class resorts are very comfortable and spacious. These accomodations come with themed pools and hot tubs and full-service restaurants. The Caribbean Beach, Coronado Springs, Port Orleans Riverside Resort and Port Orleans French Quarter are the moderate Walt Disney World Resorts.

Disney World's so called value resorts offer value for money as being very affordable. These resort accommodations are built for families on smaller budgets but are also often used by tour companies for tourists traveling together in groups. Although the amenities can be considered as basic, all budget value resorts have themed swimming pools and inexpensive food courts. Accommodation at Disney value budget resorts can go as low as $80 per night. Imagine that!

These resorts are like service apartments where guests are provided with extra facilities and amenities such as a kitchen, multiple bedrooms and even valet parking thrown in. Prices can range from about $200 per night to more than $1,000 per night during peak holiday season. If you have money to burn, then you may wish to stay at The Beach Club Villas, Boardwalk Villas, Old Key West Resort, Saratoga Springs Resort and Spa or The Villas at Wilderness Lodge.

If you enjoy the great outdoors and are more adventurous, then Walt Disney World Fort Wilderness cabins and campsites are just meant for you. The Fort Wilderness campground is home to one of Disney's most popular dinner shows, the Hoop Dee Do Revue. Guests staying in Fort Wilderness can go for nature hike, horse riding, swim, and enjoy boating on Bay Lake.

So there will be shortage of accommodation to cater to your taste and budget when you visit Disney World.