Archive for the 'Travel Insider' Category

I am sorta proud of this picture I took of another batch of tourists winging their way into Phoenix for some good times; spring breakers, baseball followers, horse people, golfers, and a whole bunch more.

I was on my way back home to Payson, AZ when I stopped to take some video of the wildflowers and giant Saguaros on the side of a hill about 30 miles north of Fountain Hills on Hwy 87 N. The Beeline, they call it here.

More From Lowcarb Vacations

• Best Overall Vacation Experience
• Explore the World Your Way!
• World's Weirdest Hotels

Lowcarb Vacations Recommends

• Your Favorite Cruise Line  (Lowcarb Cruising)
• Low Carb Cruise Coming In March  (Lowcarb Cruising)
• Cruise Vacations – A Great Way To Travel  (Lowcarb Cruising)
• My Favorite Things in Spring  (traveleatlove)
• Top 10 Spring Break Destinations for Anyone  (Cool Travel Zone)
• Spring-like Sunday  (traveleatlove)

Ask Lowcarb Vacations To Recommend Your Posts

A Vacation With No Surprises

When planning a vacation it is always a good idea to know just how much it's going to cost – before you go. Not just the vacation itself but things you might have to do prior to getting on that silver bird, like boarding Fido, transfers to and from the airport (get a friend to take you to and from). Use hotels that provide free shuttle service to avoid the taxi fees. If you do need a cab try to find others to share the ride (cost). Then, once those things are factored in (we are talking hard numbers here folks), you can start adding up all the other little costs involved; hotel taxes can be a big expense if you are staying for a week or more at anywhere between 12 and 18%.

Just What Is Included In That All-Inclusive Vacation

Watch out for built-in gratuities where you can find yourself tipping twice for the same service. If you are an American traveling in Europe and you spend money there you will run into the V.A.T. tax which is 15% of the purchase price of whatever you are buying. This tax is refundable when you get back home if you know the procedure. What activities or tours are included in the vacation package price and which ones are not. What meals are not included, etc? All-inclusive may not be exactly all-inclusive. A cruise can be all-inclusive and break you with the liquor and soda tab!

More From Lowcarb Vacations

• Best Overall Vacation Experience
• Look Great for your Next Beach Vacation!
• A Gym For The Brain?

Lowcarb Vacations Recommends

• Cruise Lingo 101  (Lowcarb Cruising)
• Your Favorite Cruise Line  (Lowcarb Cruising)
• Cruise Vacations – A Great Way To Travel  (Lowcarb Cruising)
• Getting Information About the Hotels in Aruba  (Cool Travel Zone)
• Planning a Scotland Golf Vacation  (Cool Travel Zone)
• 10 Tips For a Great Bahamas Spring Break Vacation  (Cool Travel Zone)

Ask Lowcarb Vacations To Recommend Your Posts

It is my opinion that vacations have become a necessity, rather than a luxury, due primarily to stress in the workplace and a world full of bad news. I have met so many Europeans on vacation (holiday) that take a whole month every year religiously, planning their year around their vacation. Us Americans are not so lucky. We tend to take our vacations in small doses no matter how many weeks we have available to us because the company just couldn't manage without us for a whole month! What utter nonsense! I, for one, would like to bring an end to that madness. The company will manage, the longer your vacation the lower the stress levels are when you return to the salt mine. And if a vacation is not about you, just who is it about?

So who needs stress on a vacation? If you do your homework, ask more questions, talk to someone who has been where you want to go and consult a travel professional, you can drastically reduce the chances of encountering just the kinds of things you don't need when you travel; mis-placed reservations, transfers that don't happen, construction noise no one told you about, hidden fees and taxes that are seriously annoying – the list is endless. And by being more prepared you can save yourself significant money on your next vacation. See if any of our favorite money-saving strategies would apply to a vacation you plan to take or that might have worked for you on your last vacation.

More From Lowcarb Vacations

• How to Decide on Where To Go on Vacation
• Best Overall Vacation Experience
• Strategies For Taking A Vacation Without Cashing In Your 401K

Lowcarb Vacations Recommends

• Your Favorite Cruise Line  (Lowcarb Cruising)
• Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Cruising  (Lowcarb Cruising)
• Cruise Vacations – A Great Way To Travel  (Lowcarb Cruising)
• Going On A Cruise  (Cool Travel Zone)
• How To Get Excellent Bargains On Cruises  (Cool Travel Zone)
• Royal Caribbean Ships – The Best Way to Spend Your Vacation on a Cruise Ship  (Cool Travel Zone)

Ask Lowcarb Vacations To Recommend Your Posts