Travel Tip

Here’s some great tips for renting a car abroad:

• Put a local newspaper on the dashboard and put away the GPS when you park.
• Keep your luggage in the trunk.
• Review local road signs in advance.
• When you head out for the day with your car, always let your hosts know where you expect to go and when you’ll most likely be back.
• Always check to make sure your rental car has a spare tire, and before you set out on your trip, make sure you know how to change it.
• Confirm if an international driver’s license and valid credit card (rather than a debit card) is required for the rental.
• Always over insure rather than under.  We sell collission insurance for rentals for as little as $9/day.

Trip Review

The Nunes Family of Boston celebrated a special and surprise birthday celebration of  Joan’s (mom) birthday at the Ritz Carlton Cancun this month with 23 family members and friends in attendance. A special adult-only birthday meal was arranged by Paul  (dad) in a private room at the hotel’s Fantino restaurant while a relaxed group meal for all was organized at the Sushi and Ceviche Bar. Overall the families  were all thrilled by the hotel’s service, attention to detail, quality of food  and dedicated staff. The group enjoyed a variety of activities and adventures including a dolphin swim at Dolphinarias, Wet ‘n Wild waterpark, snorkeling in Puerto Morelos, mangrove boat expedition and fishing. Other meals were also enjoyed by these foodies especially the hotel’s amazing breakfast buffet with fresh squeezed orange juice, dinner at nearby Destileria and even the iconic Hard Rock Cafe. Adults particularly enjoyed the hotel spa, tequila tastings and  cigars on the terrace. The children especially professed to having a blast!

Travel Tip

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has relaxed airport security screening procedures for children and the elderly. The new policies allow children, age 12 or younger, to go through airport security without taking off their shoes. To minimize the need for pat-downs, children are now allowed to go through metal detectors and body scanners several times to clear any alarms. Screening changes for passengers who are 75 years or older are similar to the screening process for children. Elderly people will also be able to go through airport security without removing their shoes. They can also go through a security checkpoint without removing a light jacket. To minimize pat-downs, the elderly will be able to go through the metal detector and body scanners several times to clear any alarms.  The TSA has also debuted a new program to help frequent travelers move through security checkpoints faster. The program is called “TSA Pre” and is available in more than 30 US airports to frequent passengers of a limited number of airlines, including Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Delta Airlines, USAirways and United Airlines. Travelers who enroll in the program do not need to take off their shoes and belts while going through security, can keep their computers inside their bags and can go through security without taking off a light jacket. To enroll in the “TSA Pre” program, visit GlobalEntry.gov.

Trip Review

Mindy’s family of 4 (2 adults and 2 teens ages 15 and 13) spent their winter break exploring the beautiful Central American country of Belize.  They started their journey in the jungle near Belmopan about an hour from the airport.  They enjoyed the small, intimate atmosphere of Caves Branch Jungle Lodge, an adventure resort which offers a variety of accommodation options.  Mindy’s family stayed in a Canopy View Tree house which sit 200 ft. (and 400 steps to reach) over the river.  Guests come to Caves Branch to experience the flora and fauna of the jungle, the incredibly diverse cave system and for adventure.  There are no TVs, radios or phones.  Just conversation with other families traveling from all over the world with meals at communal tables.  The staff is amazing.  The tour guides visit each family at dinner to see what activity you want to do the following day.  The adventures range from fairly easy to hard in terms of physical activity, but they all require that you lose your vanity and be comfortable being muddy, soaking wet and up to a challenge. At the end of the day, the outdoor shower and jacuzzi in Mindy’s tree house had a wonderful appeal.  Mindy’s family really enjoyed river tubing and learning about the geology and history of the caves and their importance to the Mayan people. They also went ziplining and visited the Belize Zoo (the best small zoo they have been to anywere) where they got up close and personal with the jungle creatures.  The guides were incredible and had a wealth of knowledge about the birds, animals and their habitat. On their way from the jungle to their beach accommodations, their driver gave them a nice history lesson on Belize, the only English speaking country in Central America.  Along the way they saw lots of rural countryside filled with orange and grapefruit groves and pineapple farms.  They stopped to pick some fruit from the trees which is actually allowed (just don’t take too much).  At the beach they stayed in a two bedroom at Chabil Mar in Placencia, a sleepy village of thatched huts, several good dining options and white sand beaches.  The resort staff could not have been nicer or more accommodating.   For every meal you could order what you wanted from the menu and then let the staff know where to have  it served- in the villa, on your patio, by the pool, on a beach lounger or on the pier.  On their first night, they enjoyed a private family dinner on the pier.  It was wonderfully intimate and delicious and the atmosphere could not have been more delightful. Belize has the second largest barrier reef in the world right off it’s coast; so diving, snorkeling, fishing and snuba are all superb.  During a fishing trip, pods of dolphins joined them alongside the boat.   The fish were jumping out of the water and by the end of the day, they caught several varieties of snapper, jack and mackerel; enough to feed the entire resort.  The catch was prepared for dinner that night. The next day the family went to a private island for a snorkel trip.  The snorkeling here was by far the best they had ever experienced.  They also went on a tour of the Monkey River where howler monkeys live and breed. Along the way, they also learned of the medicinal values found in the jungle.  They were offered a chance to try nuts, berries and drink water from vines along the way and even offered live termites!  On the return boat ride they were able to get up close to the manatees who live near the mangroves.

Trip Review

Lauren and Evan recently returned from sailing the Star Flyer in Costa Rica, a tall sailing ship that is part of the 3 ship Star Clipper line.  Traveling round-trip from Puerto Caldera on the Pacific Coast, the ship sailed north to San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua before making its way back down the Guanacaste coast of Northwest Costa Rica.  The highlight of the trip was the beauty of the ship’s 16 majestic sails and four masts.  The captain is rewarded for saving fuel; so the ship sails as much as possible.  The other highlight was the comeraderie on board with the other passengers which makes this trip ideal for families, family groups and single parents traveling with or without children.  Holiday sailings see a number of children on board and with port dockings most days, there is plenty to keep everyone engaged.  Some of our shore excursions included a visit to Hacienda Guachelipin in Rincon de la Vieja National Park for a day of outdoor adventures (their unique zip line includes rappelling, rock  climbing and a Tarzan swing), a visit to a local village that makes pottery developed by the country’s indigenous peoples and a trip to an active volcano and colonial town in Nicaragua with an amazing history lesson provided by our knowledgeable guide.  Shipboard activities included climbing the ship mast, water sports, exercise classes, presentations on the ports and countries visited, library with games, ship tours, some evening entertainment and DVD rentals.  We also spent two days in San Jose prior to the cruise with a stay at the beautiful Marriott San Jose.  We visited the Britt Coffee Plantation and Inbioparque, a local nature park that describes Costa Rica’s biodiverse regions.  Overall the vacation was relaxing, educational and very social.

Travel Tip

If you and your family vacation several times a year, you may consider an annual travel insurance policy.  You can save money if you are planning three or more separate trips in a year.  Policies are also available if you travel frequently for business. Contact us for more details.

Travel Tip

Lonely Planet recently released their new Not For Parents travel book series – for budding travel lovers age 8 and up. These guides open up the world to a whole new generation of adventurers – with intriguing stories and fascinating facts about people, places, history and culture from around the world. From hideous histories to funky food, they cover all the cool stuff to know and are jam-packed with photos, illustrations and cartoons.  These books cover actually cool stuff everyone should know like where you can see Platform 9 ¾ in real life, why New York taxis are painted yellow, and – that burning question that every youngster is dying to ask – did the ancient Romans wear underpants?  The series includes The Travel Book – a visual journey through every country in the world – plus four city books that give the inside scoop on Paris, Rome, New York City, and London.

Trip Review

Part of the Baker family (two adults and two children ages 14 and 16) enjoyed a wonderful and quick 3-night getaway to London in early October.  This Boston family stayed at St. Ermin’s Hotel in Westminster in a family room (two connecting rooms each with two queen beds, one extra daybed and two bathrooms).  The family thought it was a great location for seeing the sights in London and ease in using public transportation.  Over the course of the week-end, the family visited the Globe Theater, Buckingham Palace, the London Eye and took the bus to the new Harry Potter Studios from Warner Brothers (allowing them to catch a nap in the process their first day there!).  To help the family even more with their sleep during this short getaway, they never got more than three hours off Boston time.  They easily used public transportation to get around except for one symbolic black taxi ride. 

Travel Tip

Check out a great website for keeping tabs on several frequent flyer accounts. One click can get you to all of your accounts where you can view current balances:  http://awardwallet.com/

Trip Review

The Averbook family of 4 of Highland Heights, OH (2 adults and 2 children ages 20 and 17) explored The Netherlands, Bruges and Paris in August.  The trip began in Amsterdam to visit friends living in and around the capital of The Netherlands.  The Averbook boyshad a great time in this unique city hanging with their local friends and enjoying the local evening entertainment.   They also rode bikes through the countryside near Harlem and they all rendezvoused at a yummy and authentic pancake house.  Dad really like the Van Gogh museum and visiting Anne Frank’s house (although not a joyful visit, the impact was intense).   Bruges was charming too and the family was impressed with the Chapel of the Precious Blood amongst other sites.  They loved their hotel, the Heritage Hotel.  It is the only Relais & Châteaux property in the city of Bruges. The decor was great and so was the service. The Church of our Lady was interesting too with the Michelangelo sculpture as well as the tombs of Mary and Charles the Bold of Burgundy. While in Bruges, there was a music festival; so every night there was live music in the city’s plazas.  The kids experienced a “headphone” dance where everyone got headphones to listen to music of their choice; so everyone was dancing to their own music. If you took off the headphones, you would be watching hundreds of people dancing silently.  In Paris, highlights included the Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe, The Louvre (where they had a privately guided tour) and the Rodin Museum. Dad’s interest in magic led him to an enjoyable visit to George Proust’s Magic Museum and the family had a privately guided tour of Versailles as well. The show How to Become Parisian in One Hour was really good and funny.  Overall the trip provided a variety of unique cultural experiences, easy travel by train from city to city and wonderful family time together.