Skiing travel bargains are in big swing this year.  For instance, families flying American Airlines from December 1 to 17th into Colorado’s Eagle/Vail airport can receive one free child’s ticket for every adult fare purchased.

Vail, Park City, Steamboat, Breckenridge, Crested Butte and many more all have fantastic deals trying to gain your business.  Everything from free lift tickets to free nights are being offered for many family and couple’s packages.

Even Yellowstone National Park is offering packages at things like Old Faithful Snow Lodge and Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel.  Contact me at www.sunshintravelpro.com to talk about all of the details of your next trip!

Fares from $202 round trip are available on Air Jamaica. Book by November 9, 2009 from select cities to either Montego Bay or Kingston. Book now and get-away when its cold outside! It will be warm in Jamaica.

What a way to travel.  Combining the best of two fantastic destinations, Disney and Crusing.  The Disney Dream is the majestic third ship in the Disney Cruise Line fleet. Boasting 14 towering decks, a ship length of 1,115 feet and a maximum width of 125 feet, the 128,000-ton vessel includes 1,250 staterooms and has the capacity to comfortably accommodate 4,000 passengers—along with the over 1,458 Crew Members who tend to the needs of every cruise Guest each and every day.  The Dream will be ready 2011 and a sister ship ready 2012. 

Building on the classic style of the previous 2 ships, the Disney Magic and the Disney Wonder, the Disney Dream is a valiant vessel distinguished for its classic early 20th-century design—which harkens back to the golden age of cruising—and state-of-the-art technology. As can be expected from Disney, the cruise liner was specially designed with families in mind, combining sleek style and convenient facilities with splashes of magic and cruise-industry firsts—like the splashtacular AquaDuck, the very first water coaster at sea. 

Year-round, you and your family are invited to embark on an unforgettable cruise adventure aboard the Disney Dream. Discover for yourself the vast array of comforts, outstanding service and timeless beauty of a ship that captures the hearts and imaginations of everyone who steps on board.

Recent statistics show that Destination weddings account for over 16% of all weddings and that more than half of the wedding couples pay for the wedding themselves.  The weddings couples that have Destination weddings, on average, are about 5 years older than the average couple getting married.

These are incredibly memorable events and average about 50 attendees.  These are memories that all participate in and are generally more relaxing and less stressful.  But these events do have many moving parts and most rely on professional travel consultants to make and manage the arrangements.

With weather being a key factor in selecting your Destination wedding location, you can see why the top locations last year were Las Vegas, Hawaii, U.S. Virgin Islands, Jamaica, Bahamas, Mexico and Florida.

This is a fantastic idea that many couples are using to help them fund their dream honeymoon. That happiest day of your life deserves to be followed by a dream vacation that’s remembered forever and one that you will treasure.

Everyone is familiar with the Bridal Registry service where you list those essentials like towels and bed linen. But if you already have that stuff or are looking for something that will truly make a difference, the Bridal Registry service for your honeymoon is now available through Travel Counsellors.

Putting your honeymoon on the Bridal Registry enables your family and friends to help you meet the goal of creating a honeymoon memory that will last a lifetime. You’ll get great value, fantastic choices and guideance from a widely travelled and experienced local travel consultant. Enjoy the ultimate in customer service at a time that suits you.

Contact your Personal Travel Consellor today and let them make your honeymoon a trip to remember!!

Best Hotels in Chicago

Crain’s Chicago recently worked with Orbitz to identify the Best Business Hotels in Chicago. The list was based on factors that business travelors require such as business services, location and price. The top ten include:

1) Talbott Hotel
20 E. Delaware Place

2) Amalfi Hotel Chicago
20W. Kinzie

3) InterContinental Chicago
505 N. Michagan

4) Club Quarters
75 E. Wacker Drive

5) Hyatt Regency Chicago
151 E. Wacker Drive

6) Embassy Suites
511 N. Columbus Drive

7) Sheraton Chicago Hotel & Towers
301 E. North Water Street

8) Westin
909 N. Michigan Ave.

9) Palmer House
17 E. Monroe

10) Hilton Suites Chicago / Magnificent Mile
198 E. Delaware Street

You now need a passport if you are travelling otside of the US. Specifically:
ALL PERSONS traveling by air outside of the United States are required to present a passport book or other valid travel document to enter or re-enter the United States.

LAND AND SEA TRAVEL
ALL PERSONS traveling by land and sea outside of the United States are required to present a passport book/card, or other valid travel documents to enter or re-enter the United States.
The following summarizes information available on the Department of Homeland Security’s website:
Effective June 1, 2009, all U.S. citizens are now required to present a passport book, passport card, or WHTI-compliant document when entering the United States.Please Note: Children under age 16 will be able to continue crossing land and sea borders using only a U.S. birth certificate (or other form of U.S. citizenship such as a naturalization certificate.). The original birth certificate or a copy may be used. See the Department of Homeland Security’s Ready, Set.. Go! for more information on the changing travel requirements.

The passport requirement does NOT apply to U.S. citizens traveling to or returning directly from a U.S. territory.

 

ALL PERSONS traveling by air outside of the United States are required to present a passport book or other valid travel document to enter or re-enter the United States.

LAND AND SEA TRAVEL

ALL PERSONS traveling by land and sea outside of the United States are required to present a passport book/card, or other valid travel documents to enter or re-enter the United States.

The following summarizes information available on the Department of Homeland Security’s website:

• Effective June 1, 2009, all U.S. citizens are now required to present a passport book, passport card, or WHTI-compliant document when entering the United States.
  Please Note: Children under age 16 will be able to continue crossing land and sea borders using only a U.S. birth certificate (or other form of U.S. citizenship such as a naturalization certificate.). The original birth certificate or a copy may be used. See the Department of Homeland Security’s Ready, Set.. Go! for more information on the changing travel requirements. 

The passport requirement does NOT apply to U.S. citizens traveling to or returning directly from a U.S. territory.

The U.S. government reduced its alert to U.S. citizens regarding travel to Mexico on May 8. While the U.S. government alerts all travelers to take precautions to stay healthy and limit their exposure to the flu, the alert does not include limiting travelers to only essential travel.

 

A good website to stay abreast of any U.S. Government travel alerts for any reason can be found at http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/pa/pa_3028.html . This is the U.S. Department of State website.

In addition, on May 1 the World Health Organization (WHO) did not recommend any travel restrictions to any country regarding H1N1, stating that limiting travel does little to stop the spread of the virus. This announcement can be found at http://www.who.int/csr/disease/swineflu/guidance/public_health/travel_advice/en/ .

With the travel restrictions lifted, it will take the travel industry some time to gain back the regular travel volumes. Now is the time to take advantage of the discounts that travel companies have had to employ to attract travelers. This is good news for anyone wanting to travel this year!!

Carnival Cruise Lines has suspended stops at Mexican ports over concerns about swine flu. Carnival has suspended stops until May 4th and future decisions will depend on the development of the situation. Click on the links in this article to review the Cruise Line’s public travel alert statements.

Swine Flu Fact: Swine influenza (swine flu) is a respiratory disease of pigs caused by type A influenza virus that regularly causes outbreaks of influenza in pigs. Swine flu viruses cause high levels of illness and low death rates in pigs. The swine influenza A (H1N1) virus is contagious and is spreading from human to human. Like the seasonal flu, swine flu in humans can vary in severity from mild to severe.

Meanwhile, the Cruise Line industry including competitors Royal Caribbean International and Norwegian Cruise Lines focus on reminding guests how thoroughly the ships are cleaned.

Norwegian’s Pearl is on a special voyage with Mexico stops. The company says it is monitoring the situation and asking passengers about their health before cruises start.  Royal Caribbean suspended stops late on Tuesday although it’s monitoring the situation and telling passengers not to worry because the outbreaks are inland, not in the Mexican coastal cities popular with cruise tourists.

I’ve listed below the airlines with the best record for handling luggage last year. It should also be noted that it seems the airlines have gotten better at not losing our luggage. Although the actual “handling” of the luggage I think can still be improved, I’ve my share of destroyed luggage in my travels. At any rate, between 2007 and 2008 the number of reported luggage mishaps fell by 27%. The rate has dropped to 4.88 events per 1,000.

The major airlines with the best rate of complaints per 1,000 include:
1) Airtran
2) Hawaiian
3) Northwest
4) JetBlue
5) Continental
6) Frontier
7) Southwest
8) U.S. Airways
9) Alaska
10) United
11) American
12) ExpressJet
13) Delta
14) Pinnacle
15) SkyWest
16) Mesa
17) Comair
18) Atlantic SouthEast
19) American Eagle