Travelling this Holidays?

Better get a move on with your travel plans now. Booking Holiday itineraries can prove tough when left too late, and more expensive too, considering that they're already more expensive to start with since you'd be competing with foreigners from abroad trying to get away from harsh winters, and Philippine honeymooners.

So iron out your flight details, buy some travel insurance, make babysitting plans if you're not bringing your tots with you and start saving for shopping and souvenir buys!

Experience the Fiestas of Mindanao for only P899!

That is the subject of the promotional e-mail I got from Super Ferry. You now have the sweet option to join the merrymaking in the Kadayawan Festival in Davao or partake in the Tuna Festival of Gensan for only P899 because their Todo-Todo SailSale Promo is back!!!

Selling dates (buy period) : July 30 - August 05, 2008
Sailing dates (travel period) : August 11 – September 30, 2008

For more info, visit their website.

Vegas on a Budget

Who hasn't dreamed of staying in one of the those luxurious Vegas hotels and throwing away money on tables and card games, as well as butler service, shopping, pampering and champagne?

Yup. I think we all have, even if we're not too keen on gambling. Vegas just really appeals to that darker side we all have to splurge and blur the edges of propriety. Then again, Vegas is also family friendly given the investments made there to cater to kids' whims as well.

And yes, it can even be budget friendly.

Aside from weddings costing really cheap there (plus, you get to be declared somebody's wife or husband by someone in a Darth Vader outfit), other free things you can do there include enjoying the:

~ fountains as well as the Conservatory and Botanical Gardens at the Bellagio
~ Hawaiian Marketplace Performers
~ Aquarium, Tropical Rainforest and the Volcano at the Mirage
~ Atlantis Water Show in the Forum Shops at Caesars
~ Lion Habitat at the MGM Grand
~ free drinks from your hotel or some/most of the tourist destinations
~ free transportation provided by the shuttles

Just do your research first and wear really comfy shoes when you're there so you can still enjoy it if you get lost orhave to travel on foot.

Google Happenings

If you're currently planning your vacation, say, already checking out Sea Pines rentals, take your planning a step further by also googling the happenings in the area you're going to. Knowing if there are concerts, bazaars, shows or festivals around the same time of your trip should entice you further, prepare you or make you consider other destinations instead.

If you're a fan of steaks and barbecues, taking a trip to Maine in May will probably make you drool already. But if you'd rather enjoy New Orleans quietly, you have to avoid Mardi Gras season (February). Knowing if the city's celebrating any feasts would also tell you that prices of rooms, food and souvenirs may be higher than usual. Or that, at least, you have to be prepared for long taxi queues or plan your itenerary to get you as far away as possible from the concert area.

Most travel sites list these info so make sure to include them in your research.

Visit Branson

Branson is the LIVE MUSIC CAPITAL OF THE WORLD! Why? Because the city offers around 100 Live Music Shows in about forty theaters!!!

bransongetaways.com is one of the more helpful sites on the area, with an intensive listing of what the City has to offer. I was helping a friend look up possible vacation packages for her and her husband and that's how I came upon the site. I especially love that their rates also include coupons/gift cheques to restaurants in the area as well as tickets to the shows. Not only would that save them money, the coupon book can even serve as a guide book or itinerary during their stay there.

I also checked out the site's listing of attractions since am big on those. I was absolutely thrilled (and envious, because it's my friends that are going there) to find out that they have a Titanic museum there (Titatnic is my favorite movie). I'd seriously love a picture of me taken at the grand staircase! My husband, however, is sure to prefer their Antique Toy Museum instead.

Branson sure does offer a lot of outdoor fun and i'd also surely like to try out the Outback Bungee. And its caves and nature parks cannot help but appeal to the mountaineer in me.

It seems there are a lot of things one can really do in Branson. Maybe I should get my friend to have the site customize a package for them for an extended stay since I doubt they'd get to enjoy even half of it on a 3 Days-2 Nights package.

So, anyway, if you're planning an affordable, fun-filled family vacation, consider Branson!

Go for Cruises

Say you and your intended are discussing what to do for your honeymoon, or rather, where to go.

You want to shop, he wants to relax on the beach. You want to check out old Churches and flea markets, he wants to try extreme sports. You want to immerse yourself in different cultures, he wants to sample differently-cooked seafood. You want a massage, he wants to party!

Plus, you both have a limited budget. And limited vacation time.

What to do? Hmmm.

You can consider cruises instead. Usually, cruise ships will take you to a different city/port of call everyday so you literally don't run out of things to see and do and will be able to manage trying different things in one go. It can also be one of the cheapest ways to visit many countries in just one vacation.

You even have the option of just getting cheaper accommodations on-board and splurging on shopping and dining in the places you'd visit, or getting a fine room to sleep in to ensure a comfortable night's rest after a busy day of sightseeing.

Work with the cruise line you're going with, however, to ensure that you get there on time for its departure, and that there'd be minimal unwanted surprises. Maybe they can furnish maps for each port of call, or at least a travelogue brochure.

Fontana Leisure Parks and Casino

Fontana Leisure Parks and Casino is a popular destination for out-of-towners wanting to unwind and get away from the buzz and hassle of the city. It's located inside Clark, Pampanga, some two-three hours away from Manila.

People stay in villas (one-, two-, three-bedroom ones) with a driver's room and separate CR/shower, a living room, a dining area, a kitchen equipped with a ref and a stove. All faucets offer hot water and there is some patio furniture at the back to extend the living area. Air-conditioning is centralized.

When I was still working, I'd find myself at Fontana at least once a year as it was a favorite venue for our Conferences. Mainly because a lot of the managers we support are members, plus, they love golf. The conference rooms are adequate and carpeted rooms. I never liked the food they serve though. Back then, everything tasted like buttered vegetables. But their breakfast buffet was okay. And do note that they could have improved where this is concerned.

I have only recently enjoyed their pool though. Entrance is P100 if you're a guest (I think it's P300 if you're not). Apart from not being allowed to bring in your own food, and in terms of water fun, i'd say their water park is a blast! They have a wave generator but it only generates waves at specific times of the day, and only for some thirty minutes.

The slides are superbly fun!








So if you're not really up for a beach trip, Fontana sure can entertain!

Oh, and they also made the resort Korean-friendly by simplifying the street names and putting up signs and stuff with Korean translations.

Travel on a Budget

The key to travelling on a budget is planning ahead.

First, decide on a destination or activity. Then do your research. Which place is nearer? Which would require more travelling time? Which offers more amenities? Which offers more activities for everyone going on the trip with you? Which offers complimentary breakfasts or tickets to local parks/shows? Are there guided tours you can join?

Come up with your itinerary months ahead. You get the cheapest fares and best cruise deals when you book ahead of time, mainly because that's already assured income for the airline or cruise line. Consider travelling during the non-peak season too (say, Boracay is absolutely filled to bursting with people during the summer, so go on the leaner months. It's also quieter then and you can have more of the white sand to enjoy).

If you're after the experience and not really the accommodations, consider just getting a day tour of a resort instead of actually staying there. Plus, staying in transient homes may just give you a better feel of the local flavor.

Lastly, consider using the rewards points or miles collected in your credit card or Flyer card. It might just land you on Business class seats you normally wouldn't be able to afford.

The Problem with Some Resorts...

... like Fontana, in Pampanga, for example, is that there are some things they prohibit you from bringing in. Like extra beddings for the others sharing the villa with you. Or food (snacks and drinks) in their pool. You need not leave your beer pong tables behind, but you also cannot bring in your own beer. I guess you can sit on them to go down the water slide instead... or as a raft of sorts in the resort's 'river'.

You cannot even use resort-issued towels at their pool area, you'd have to deposit it at the Entrance if you can't leave it in your car or villa.

To think that they're already charging you some P200-300 I think (P100 for members or those endorsed by members) just to go in the pool area!

I can rant further but I won't. But do consider yourself warned.

Tap Your Blogging Network

My Berk friends, who are set to meet and have a grand tour of several States this autumn, are scouring the internet for ways to maximize their Outer Banks visit.

Thank heavens that almost anything now can be googled. But I must be using the wrong keywords too because I was meaning to direct my friends to that site where bloggers all over the world open their own homes to fellow bloggers who may be visiting their country. This not only builds stronger friendships, this also saves travelling bloggers a lot of money. So my friends would really do well to check that site out.

If you're planning to go abroad, now's a good time as any to also get in touch with a blogger from that country. At best, you just might be offered free accommodations. At worst, you can immediately get information about places and sights, by asking the blogger or just by reading his posts. If you're lucky, you even get pictures to entice you or turn you away!

Your blog network is also good for other things, like party planning (even wedding planning!), research and idea resource. Don't know where to bring your date? Check other people's blogs! Don't know what to cook for dinner tonight? Check blogs! Not sure if you're breastfeeding right or digiscrapping right, or taking pictures right? Check blogs!

It would help though if you've already haunted a certain blog for a while, so you'd also be somehow sure that the bloggers tastes aren't weird. :)

Travel Tip: Get a Travel Kit

A travel kit for all your travel supplies (from toiletries to snacks as well as locks, adaptors, chargers, etc) saves you a lot of time in preparing for a journey. Travel supplies also include accessible holders for important documents and IDs.

This saves you from forgetting something on your list because these things never leave your kit and will always be handy wherever you go. Of course, once in a while, you have to make sure that your flashlight bulb and batteries are ready for use otherwise they would require some changing.

When buying or finding yourself a kit for these essentials, consider what goes together, which can come in individual packs, which can be left behind depending on your destination, which can accomodate the things you really need, no more, no less (because a loose bag might make you think you don't really need anything there and before you know it, you've just left behind your aspirator or something). And always leave these things inside your luggage, preferably in one kit (or for packing purposes, in containers at least).

You can choose to get a complete and matching set and just tag them properly, or you can use color-coded/design-coded containers (like a billfold in shocking pink which you can easily spot in a jumble).

For an added incentive, having an established travel kit will ive you more time to plan your wardrobe or revisit your itinerary.

Travel The World

Say you're not really that into planning your itinerary yet, but intend to go travelling sometime soon, what is something you can do that will help your travel plans but is really entertaining and enticing as well?

Watch Discovery Travel and Living Channel, of course! The many shows they have serve as travel guides to the most famous, the most exotic, the most adventurous and challenging and gastronomic places in the world. I especially love Samantha Brown and Anthony Bourdain as hosts. Whoever the writers are of their shows, I really thank them for the hours and hours of escape they give their viewers.

I can't think of more informative shows that literally get you making all these mental notes about the place they're featuring. Plus, it also gets me googling for more information. So if you're feeling lost about where to go and what to do, let this channel nudge you in the right direction.