Your travel budget and a car rental

One of the biggest parts of a travel and vacation budget is often the cost of getting from one place to another. It is important to budget for this important expense, and to consider some unique options, in order to make your travel dollars stretch as far as possible. One budget travel option would be a car rental.

When choosing a car rental, it is important to choose the most economical and fuel efficient car that meets your needs. Obviously, the size of your family will impact the choice of a car rental, but compact and even subcompact cars can be great for motoring around cities, particularly when it comes time to park in those tight spots.

In addition, a smaller car will get better gas mileage, which is no small consideration, especially if you plan to do a lot of daily driving. And if you plan to travel far and wide, it may be important to choose a rental deal that provides unlimited miles, since charges for mileage overages can be quite costly.

When it comes to the decision of whether to accept or decline the optional collision coverage on a car rental, always be sure to see if you are already covered elsewhere. For instance, your auto insurance company may already provide insurance coverage for car rentals, as may your credit card company. If you are covered by these policies, there is no need to accept the costly collision insurance offered by the car rental company. And of course you will always want to top off your rental car with gasoline before dropping it off, as refueling charges by rental car companies are generally quite high.

Of course, there is a far less alternative to a car rental that few people take advantage of, but in many cities public transportation can be a far less costly, and far more convenient, alternative to paying to drive, and to park, a rental car.

Of course public transportation does not make sense in every location. Many small towns, and even some larger cities have public transportation systems that are infrequent, inefficient, inconvenient or even nonexistent. In other locations, however, using public transportation makes a lot of sense. In New York City, for instance, visitors can buy a pass that it good on all subways, buses and trains. The cost of a weekly pass can be less than what a visitor would pay to rent a car for a single day.

And public transportation provides an additional benefit as well; it frees the tourist from the hassles, and expense, of parking the rental car. Many locations in New York, for instance, charge $20, $30 or even more for parking, and other major cities are almost as costly.

Getting around using public transportation is not as difficult as many people imagine either. Many public transportation companies, particularly those located in major tourist destinations, publish guides which give the route numbers to popular destinations, and bus drivers a train conductors in these locations are often quite adept at getting tourists where they need to go.

Caribbean cruise: winter or summer?

A Caribbean cruise is very popular during the winter, especially in the great white north. This is perhaps because people want to feel warm when the weather back home is cold.

But cruise lines sail along the Caribbean waters all year round. If you don’t want to go during the peak season, try booking during the summer because this is the best time to go bargain hunting.

There are a lot of cruise lines to choose from. Some of them include the Royal Caribbean, Norwegian Cruise Line, and Crystal Cruises. For those who find this to be way out of their budget, they can inquire at Seabourn Cruise Lines.

Let’s talk a little bit about these companies.

The Royal Caribbean’s fleet offers to the Eastern, Southern and Western Caribbean. You could be away for a few days to a couple of weeks. The Radiance of the Seas for instance sails round trip from Ft. Lauderdale to San Juan, Philipsburg, St. Thomas and Nassau.

Apart from the good food on board, there are activities that you can do once you reach port like snorkeling, nature trekking, scuba diving and Catamaran sailing.

If you happen to book a trip in January, February, November or December, there are festivals that you shouldn’t afford to miss such as the Aruba Carnival Celebration, the Barbados Jazz Festival, Mustique Blues Festival, Bob Marley Week in Jamaica, Valentines Day, Tranquility Jazz Festival, Anguilla, St. Patrick’s Day, Bahamas International Film Festival and St. Nicholas Day in the Dutch Caribbean.

The Norwegian Cruise line offers almost the same itinerary as the Royal Caribbean. You can choose the three-day , seven-day or fifteen day package to the Western Caribbean, Eastern Caribbean and Southern Caribbean aboard its large ships.

Crystal Cruises only has 1 package and this voyage lasts for 12 days. You depart from New York, then move on to Bermuda/Hamilton, then to St. Maarten/Phillipsburg, Antigua, St. John, Curacao/Willemstad, Grand Cayman/Georgetown before heading home to Miami.

The Seabourn Cruise has only 2 packages. You can choose to go on a Caribbean vacation that could last 7 or 13 days. Apart from Fort Lauderdale, you can also catch a ride in New York City and visit Charlotte Amalie (St Thomas), and Bridgetown, Barbados. The best part about being in a yacht compared to a big ship is that it is not very crowded.

You can find out more about these shipping companies by letting your travel agent do the research or browsing online yourself.

By doing so, you will be able to know when are the scheduled their trips, compare their prices and find out what is inclusive in their packages. Once you have confirmed your trip, all you have to do now is pack your bags and leave.

For those coming from the west coast or mid-west, don’t forget to also plan your air travel so you don’t miss the ship before it leaves port. Some of these companies already have air fare and transfers inclusive so there is nothing to worry about.

The Caribbean cruise is the best if you are on your honeymoon, celebrating your anniversary or simply need time away from the real world. Once you come back, you will feel refreshed and ready to continue what you were doing before that.

The pros and cons of air travel insurance

Many years ago, the necessities of life would have been just food, water, clothes, and shelter. But in today’s modern times, the things that used to be called luxuries are now considered necessities. One good example is insurance. Before, insurance was considered a luxury because only the rich individuals can afford as it is quite expensive. But because of the market competition in the insurance industry, prices have gone down and now insurance policies are much more affordable, even travel insurance.

The usual way of traveling abroad or to a distant place is through air, by plane. Whether you’re traveling domestically or internationally, you will be protected if you have travel insurance. You will never know what’s going to happen in your vacation or travel so it would be best to have yourself insured.

By securing air travel insurance, you can skip some of the usual hassles of traveling. For instance, trip delay, flight cancellation, lost luggage, car rental cancellation, hotel cancellation, emergency needs, medical needs, and death are usually covered by travel insurance. Other types of insurance policies have an age requirement but with this type of policy, there is none. So how can you secure one?

You can either contact an agent or you can log on to the online sites of the different insurance providers and apply online. You need to provide some pertinent personal information and you can already get instant quotes online. Between the two options of applying for travel insurance, the online application is easier and a lot faster. You can choose whichever is more suitable for you because in any way, you can still purchase the travel insurance.

You have to understand thoroughly the coverage of air travel insurance. As the word suggests, it only covers the flight. So if you meet an accident while you’re already in your vacation, you can’t be covered by the insurance. If you need medical attention or you’re in an emergency state before and during the flight, your insurance will cover it but anything that happens after the flight, it’s all yours to shoulder. This may be one reason why some people don’t like to purchase air travel insurance. However, if you already have an existing insurance policy that covers your travel abroad, additional air travel insurance is a wise decision.

There are some advantages of air travel insurance. You see, the policy is considered a short-range accidental death and life insurance. If a plane crash happens and your either maimed or killed in it, your family will be compensated for it. Usually, the coverage is about $100,000.

The air travel insurance policy is then terminated once you get off the plane. Remember that the insurance policy can be used only in commercial flights and not in private air travel. The policy must be purchased before you board the plane. The cheapest policy can be bought for $12 for each individual but there are also family rates available.

When purchasing an air travel insurance policy, you must not forget to read the fine print. You must understand it fully so that in the event of an accident, there will be no untoward incidents once you claim for the coverage. Traveling by air will be safer and relaxing with your insurance policy, so get one now.

8 simple steps to improve your time management

Are you an individual who can’t seem to properly manage your time? If you are having problems at home or at work, there is a good chance that your problems may be caused by your inability to properly manage your time. The good news, however, is that there are a number of steps that you can take to improve your time management. In fact, 8 simple steps that you can take are highlighted below.

1. Know That You Have a Problem

Knowing that you have a time management problem is the first step in changing your behavior. Although it is typical to be late for work or a social event on occasion, it is something that should not be happening on a daily or a weekly basis. If it is, it is time for you to realize that you may have a problem.

2. Decide To Change

Knowing that you have a time management problem is important, but wanting to change is even more important. You need to set goals for yourself, as these goals can help to provide you with a source of motivation. Sample goals include showing up to work on time for a whole month, being on time for all dinner dates, and so forth.

3. Stick To Your Goals

Creating a number of time management goals for you to meet is advised, but it is important that you don’t give up right away or when you are faced with complications. Setting goals simply just isn’t enough, you need to stick with them.

4. Create Daily Task Lists

Creating a to do list for yourself is an easy way to properly manage your time. In fact, it is one of the easiest approaches that you can take. Outline what you need to do throughout the day. Be sure to list your tasks in order of importance.

5. Rely On Time Management Tools

Properly managing your time is important, but it can be hard for many individuals to get use to, especially right away. If you are one of those individuals, you will want to consider using time management tools to your advantage. In fact, did you know that many cell phones and computers come with alarm clocks, alerts, and so much more?

6. Learn How To Say No

In all honesty, there are times where you may not be able to refuse a project at work or a task at home, but try to not take on more than you can accomplish. If you must, look into using outside help. In the home, this outside help can come from a housecleaning. At the workplace, this outside help can come from a coworker.

7. Get Organized

Organization is key to being able to properly manage your time. If you are unorganized, you are likely to waste a large amount of time. For example, in the workplace you can waste time by searching for lost or misplaced documents. The same can be said for the home; if you are unorganized, you can spend hours searching for your glasses or car keys.

8. Consider Hiring Professional Help

As previously stated, if you are overwhelmed at home, you may want to call on a professional house cleaner. In addition to taking this approach, there are other professionals that you can target. There are individuals and companies who specialize in teaching others how to effectively manage their time and stay organized.