Sailing is a great way to discover the beauties of several locations such as the Caribbean islands, Hawaiian Islands, Bahamas, Florida, Greece and many other archipelagos. People can go individually by hiring a bareboat. A bareboat is just a boat without any crew or cook. People on the boat have to do all the cooking, rowing and navigating. People opting for a bareboat may hire a captain, known as a skipper. The skipper would be of great help in navigation and providing information on local details.

However, many companies provide entire vacation packages for people who wish to go sailing. The most important component of this package is the transport vehicle. The transport vehicle may be a bareboat with a skipper. Alternatively, it may be a yacht of a size that will depend on the number of people onboard. For a large number of people, catamarans can be hired. Catamarans are motorized launches that can accommodate a big group. There are also the trimarans, which are more advanced and more spacious versions of the catamarans. There are also local transport like the schooners in Maine and the gulets and caiques in Greece.

Vacation packages also include all the facilities that may be provided onboard. Food and drink is provided. If it is a big enough catamaran, it will have its own kitchen as in a cruise. There is also scuba and snorkeling gear on board if people wish to pursue these activities when the boat is anchored. Binoculars are a must and are generally provided by the organizers. There are also other things like photography, live music, etc. which some organizers provide in order to make their offers more attractive. Children are provided with water toys.

Most sailing vacation packages have tie-ups with hotel resorts on the islands. During nights, people stay in these hotels and sail in the daytime. This is called as a stay-sail vacation package. The hotels may be three-star, four-star or five-star, depending on the budget of the vacation.

Prices of sailing vacation packages depend on the number of days of the sailing and the facilities that will be taken. It also depends on the kind of hotel and its service in a stay-sail vacation package. The destination itself is an important factor when a price is quoted.

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Where to purchase affordable vacation home?

I am looking to purchase an affordable vacation home, in a family friendly tropical environment. Any suggestions? I am thinking in the Caribbean. It would need to be a location easily accessible from Canada. 2 or 3 bedrooms, preferably a house, but condos are considered. By affordable, I mean no more than USD 200 000

Thank you

My little bit of advise.
Rent first. You can rent homes, extremely affordable, even large condos.
Ex: Puerto Rico
You want to know the area well before you buy.
You want to make sure there is little crime, be aware of how slow things move.
Also how expensive furniture is, since it has to be shipped.
Rent in about 5 areas (each vacation you take, stay somewhere different).
No need to buy.
And in actuallilty if you run the numbers sometimes it is much cheaper to rent than to buy.
(the same sized apartments or condos).
This will avoid that after you own the home for 4 or 5 years you won't hate the area and then sell.
This could be a financial disaster...

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"No time Toulouse" Prairillon's photos around Blagnac, France

 I've visited Grand Cayman twice. Today is the fourth day of my second visit and I have yet to meet anyone actually from this small Caribbean country. The woman who gave me a pedicure this morning is from northern England; the hairdresser, from Georgia (I admit to a fair amount of pampering); our hired driver, from Jamaica; waiters from Tunisia and other distant lands, but none from Cayman, most not even from the Caribbean.

I live in Barbados, where Barbadians hold the majority of jobs at all levels of society. I've always felt that locals give a country a sense of place. If not for locals, I figure I may as well be in an airport, easily the most place-less places on earth. 

However, after snorkeling the pristine Caribbean waters of Cayman, I really couldn't hold this place-less-ness against Grand Cayman. Each Caribbean island holds a certain magic, including Grand Cayman.

After two visits spent snorkeling, dining on delicious seafood, and walking the gorgeous and famed Seven Mile Beach, I take away the following knowledge and impressions of this small, English-speaking island:

About Grand Cayman

1. Grand Cayman offers some of the world's premier snorkeling and SCUBA locations. The draw? The graceful stingrays, sunken ships from its pirate days, and beautiful coral. The beaches are pristine and the Caribbean Sea are a pretty light blue, warm, very gentle, and as clear as a glass of water. 

2. Grand Cayman is a fantastic place to do absolutely nothing. Hotels line the soft white sand of Seven Mile Beach. Five minutes on this beach and I enter lazy mode; on one day of my holiday, my greatest exertion was holding my hand out to take my next iced beverage from the waiter.

3. Grand Cayman is about 22 miles long and 4 to 8 miles wide and at sea level; like Barbados it is a coral island, not volcanic. My first impression was that it's a sandbar, so different from the varied geography of my home country of Barbados. The highest point on the island is the landfill.

4. Grand Cayman is the largest of the three islands comprising the Cayman Islands. The other two are Cayman Brac and Little Cayman.

5. Cayman is located in the Western Caribbean Sea, about 400 miles south of Miami.  (In contrast, Barbados is in the Eastern Caribbean, about 1600 miles south and east of Miami.)

6. Cayman was first sighted by Christopher Columbus in 1503. He named the three islands Las Tortugas after the sea turtles. The name of Cayman, a Carib Indian word, came later, after a local species of crocodile.

7. Cayman never had slaves (unlike Barbados, which after 1650, imported thousands of African slaves to work the sugar cane fields).

8. Cayman and Jamaica were governed as a single British colony until 1962 when Cayman became designated a "British overseas territory," one of 14 territories under the sovereignty of the UK but not part of the UK and Jamaica became independent.  (Barbados, also once a British colony, is one of the 53 member states belonging to the British Commonwealth.)

9. The Cayman Islands have more registered businesses than people (population is around 60,000). The government's primary source of income is indirect taxation: there is no income tax or capital gains tax or corporation tax. Based on income, the Caymanians enjoy the highest standard of living in the Caribbean. Locals complain there's not much to do on the island; they tell me it's a more enjoyable place for tourists (and corporations!) than people who live there.

10. The Cayman Islands have the dubious honor of having experienced the most hurricane strikes in history. Hurricane Ivan almost completely destroyed the unprotected island in 2004; within two years, the Caymanians had rebuilt their country.

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Where would be a nice destination for a late July/Early August honeymoon in the Eastern Mexico/Caribbean area?

I've heard the usual vacation destinations like Jamaica, South Florida etc. are unbearably humid at this time. This is the only time we can go - where do you suggest?

You're right about it be unbearably hot and humid in July and August. We went to Cozmel in August one year and swore never again. We were constantly outside with outdoor resturants and bars. An island may be a little cooler being surrounded by water. I always sugest Jamaica if you can stand upper 80's each day.

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Caribbean Vacation

Club Med is an all inclusive resort concept with locations in many exotic places throughout the world. The slogan for Club Med is "Where Happiness means the world". It is a French corporation by the name of Club Méditerranée or Club Med for short. Club Med operates over 80 resorts worldwide with locations in Europe, Africa, USA, Caribbean, Brazil, Southern Asia, French Polynesia, and Australia with plans for expansion of more resorts in exotic places all over the world. Club Med is a luxury vacation destination for families, couples, groups of friends or individuals. They provide a unique and special vacation experience that is personalized and detailed for each individual and families needs and desires. ClubMed offers an array of activities and options to choose from and partake in from its award winning childrens' clubs to expert instruction in various activities as well as spas and many other services. Each vacation can be personalized to your every desire and need from travel arrangements and room category to dining arrangements, vacation style and more.

Club Med was started in 1950 by former Belgian water polo champion, Gérard Blitz. It is a public company listed on the Euronext exchange with its headquarters in Paris, France and Coral Gables, Florida. The first resort village was opened on the Spanish island of Mallorca. The first resorts were simple and basic with vacationers staying in straw huts on a beachfront and everyone sharing community washing facilities. Today Club Med resorts have evolved into luxury resorts located in exotic places throughout the world with hotels and private pools and facilities. Each ClubMed resort offers its own unique activities and services that include dining, lodging, shows, games, spas, activities and much more.

The atmosphere at ClubMed is laid back and relaxed you can choose to take part in numerous club activities or just relax and do absolutely nothing but recharging your batteries. The staff at Club Med are referred to as Gentils Organisateurs which means gracious and nice organizers or GO's for short and vacationers are called Gentils Membres which means gracious and nice members or GM's for short. The director of the resort is referred to as the chef de village which means Village Chief. There are also employees that are hired locally and are referred to as GE's. GO's are able to work and move to other Club Med resorts throughout the world. The resorts themselves are referred to as villages. The unique and fun thing about Club Med is that the guests and the staff vacation together by both partaking in all the activities ClubMed has to offer from playing sports during the day to dancing and dining together at night. It makes for a very festive and totally fun atmosphere for both the guests and staff. You can customize your vacation in many ways and the option for you to enjoy a lot of activities or just relax by yourself is what many guests like most about Club Med. Since Club Med has been around for so long it has developed some fun traditions such as the well known communal dance which is performed by the staff along with the guests each day at various times. The staff leads the guests in a display of different steps called crazy signs. There are also evening shows that are traditionally performed and which offer voluntary audience participation and interaction as well. The fun traditions are a commonplace among all Club Med resorts throughout the world. A small amount of villages are for adults only and or have no children activities but the majority provide supervised children clubs for all ages including a club just for teenagers to spend time together. The children clubs for different ages are called Baby, Petit, Mini and Junior. Each village is divided into six concepts with different slogans like "to discover" and "to live life to the fullest".

With so many resorts throughout the world ClubMed offers a variety of vacation experiences and possibilities for you to experience on your own or with friends and family. With years of experience in providing services and activities to guests, Club Med has been able to improve and optimize its efforts down to the smallest details in hopes of offering their guests the finest vacation experience possible. The slogan for ClubMed is "Where Happiness means the world" and happiness is exactly what you will find.

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What's the best island in the Caribbean to visit?

My husband and another couple really want to take a vacation to the Caribbean but have no clue which island to visit. Neither of us has kids. We would really like to avoid areas with high crime rates. Any suggestions would be helpful.

For a romantic and peaceful friends vacation, try St. Barts island : many beautiful beaches, good restaurants very secure nightlife. We stayed my wife and two other couples in Anse des Cayes area in front of Chevreau and Fregate Islands, in a virgin spot 5mn drive from St Jean's bay and Gustavia for nightlife, shops and restaurants. If you want to check some pic from Anse des Cayes sea view : http://www.stbartsluxuryvilla.com/amazing-seaview-from-the-hill-of-anse-des-cayes-st-barts/

Other useful links to discover the island, activities (restaurants etc.) :

http://www.saintbarth-tourisme.com/index_us.php

http://www.st-barths.com/en

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The demand for all-inclusive cruise vacations is increasing tremendously, as they are a convenient package for holiday makers. They are ideal for families, couples, singles, and honeymooners. All your vacation needs are accommodated in an all-inclusive price.

All-inclusive cruises are available for all types of travelers. The price of all-inclusive vacation packages depends on the various offers of cruise tour operators. The offers vary widely from one cruise operator to another.

Normally, the price of all-inclusive cruise vacation packages includes a stateroom or accommodation; on-board meals and snacks; entertainments and parties; onboard activities such as basketball and table tennis; access to discos, piano bars, and lounges; and port charges, government taxes, and government fees. But, vacationers have to pay extra for shore excursions, gratuities and tips, spa treatments, casino gambling, video games, and shopping.

Considered one of the most favored travel options, all-inclusive cruise vacations offer an endless variety of entertainment for every one. By booking all-inclusive cruise vacations, one can save a considerable amount of money and time.

Royal Caribbean, Celebrity Cruise, Caribbean Cruises, Radisson Seven Seas, Sea Dream Yacht Club, Sea bourn, and Silver Sea are some of the cruise lines that offer all-inclusive cruise vacations. Today, there is a range of cruise tour operators to provide assistance to vacationers seeking information about all-inclusive cruise vacations. Besides, there are several websites that can give all information about all-inclusive cruise vacation packages.

There are many factors to be considered while booking all-inclusive cruise vacations. The first and foremost thing is to find out what activities are included in the cruise package. Prior to booking, check out the discounts offered in the packages.

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All Inclusive vacation in the Caribbean. Best places to go? Will be my husband and I with our 1 year old?

Where have you gone? What was the resort name? Was it close to the beach? Anything tips or things that would help us? Anything you wish you knew before you went?

Where have you gone = Cancun, Riviera Maya, Bacalar, and Cozumel on that coast.

What was the resort name? = various.

Was it close to the beach = ALL were on the beach.

Anything tips or things that would help us = Find a Certified Travel Consultant that has access to packages (lower cost for same things) from a GOOD tour operator (where EVERYONE comes home happy) and ask for help.

Anything you wish you knew before you went = The first time? YES!

You are looking at virtually wall to wall resorts, most 4 to 5 star, with all-inclusive packages, and day care facilities as well as family pools. I could rattle off a couple where you can't go wrong, but, it's YOUR vacation, YOUR time, and YOUR money. You should get what YOU want!

I may be able to help, if you like. I've spent some time there and love it. Let me know, and feel free to visit my site to research a little. Most packages change (as fast as airfares, fuel, and availability) frequently, so you won't see much there. Just ask for what's current in the properties you find interesting.

Joe

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Singles Cruises are a great way to fulfill your single adventures, and with Valentines Day just around the corner, cupid may have a few cruising tips up his/her sleeve!

We know that many singles get frustrated this time of year when passion and love hits the air with a fury, and they find it difficult every year to get out into their community to find that ultimate Valentine's Day date.

Some reasons could be that you're too shy, or you just don't have the time to meet people because of work, or personal commitments. So for all the singles struggling to find your special date, I suggest you save all your pennies, because a cruise vacation may be what the singles cruise doctor ordered!

When traveling alone you're complete strangers to everyone on a singles cruise, so normally many men and women tend to let their personal guards down during their vacation time, and become more relaxed and carefree.

This new attitude allows you to meet new people comfortably, and you become more open-minded and adventurous. While you're having fun encountering all your new acquaintances, you never know, this may be the moment you finally connect with your soul mate. For all the people who actually met, and fell in love with their special partners while on vacation, you know exactly what I'm talking about here!

Singles cruising has become extremely popular and affordable, and many single men and women take vacations by themselves because it provides them freedom, privacy, and offers them unique and exciting adventures of the unknown.

If you enjoy the hot sun, sandy beaches, and flowing rum punch, a Caribbean singles cruise may be the one for you. If you're a hopeless romantic, art lover, and enjoy relaxing while sipping on a glass of fine red wine, then possibly consider a European cruise. Whatever you desire, there's a vacation cruise right for you, and possibly someone waiting to meet you!

Sold on a singles vacation cruise? Here's Two Tips To Remember

Cruise Lines do acknowledge the growth of single travelers, and especially around Valentines week, they may provide special singles rates, unique singles events, and Valentine related activities. All you have to do is a little research on which Line out there offers the best singles special, and a few that come to mind are Royal Caribbean Cruises, Carnival, and Norwegian.

If you have never cruised with any of these ships before, you will come across specific terms in the industry that you should know in order to make sure you don't get confused on any of the offers the select Cruise Line's provide.

Tip #1: Individuals that are traveling alone will be subject to a single supplement charge. All cabins in most cases are based on double occupancy, so what Cruise Companies do to compensate for a stateroom not occupied by two people, is adding a supplemental charge for only one person in a room. It's not uncommon to see 150% or higher on top of the double rate, so it could get a little pricy!

However, during a promo or ship special, look out for the Cruise Lines that waive this additional fee, where if you tell them you're traveling as a single person, you will pay for the double rate, but they will place you in a stateroom with another person of the same gender. This program is called "Single Share", or something similar.

The second offer I mentioned is more common, and in my experience (no guarantees), they usually don't find a match, and you end up getting your own cabin. Good deal if it works out that way, but for some of you having a roommate might be interesting and fun!

Tip#2: Check your local newspaper, or go online directly to some of the exclusive cruise suppliers, and see if there are any group-cruises blocked for Valentine's week, or for any other week that you desire. There may be a Singles Club that has already pre-booked space, and is selling it to their current members and to the public.

By joining a group "Theme Cruise", you're still traveling as a single, but you get the advantages of the discounted savings, or reduced single supplement fees. They will also coordinate fun interactive singles activities, such as a singles night at the ship's bar, nightly dinner match-ups, and singles tour excursions, which is personalized for casual, and no pressure mingling.

The best feature traveling with a large group, is you're cruising with people that have a common interest; they're all single searching for love!

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Fun summer vacation?

My family (dad, mom, and i) are going somewhere out of the U.S. on vacation for next summer, 2008 - 2009. We don't want to go into Canada, Russia, or the Caribbean. Can anybody recommend a good place to go and some activities there?
Thanks(:

check http://www.bayareavisit.com/ you will find a lot of interesting places to go

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Info on All inclusive Vacations to Caribbean?

I am looking for an all inclusive vacation to the Caribean does anyone know of a good place where drinks and food are all included.

There is a really good website called www.tripadvisor.com
just type in the name of a hotel or the area you want to stay in and it will give you the rating and personal comments of people who have stayed there.
I recently stayed at an all inclusive in the Dominican Republic on the northern part of the Island. It was ok but I feel I paid way to much for so so service and cold showers. Just use this web site above and take what people are saying as the truth and don't wing it. The place I stayed had mixed reviews and single people seemed to like it way more than families yet I winged it with my family and we were pretty dissapointed.
Hope this helps.

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A holiday becomes ideal when spent at a luxurious holiday cottage or villa. It has become really easy these days to contact holiday cottage owners directly through the website and search for the right one from several of them. It is always a better option to book your holiday trip one month prior to your trip to avoid any inconvenience. Obviously, the peak holiday seasons have jam-packed holiday villas and apartments and the more time you waste in choosing a villa for your family, the more you are going to regret later. It is necessary that one must compare the price list of several holiday rentals offered by different owners. This would help you to arrange and minimize all the charges including your trip fares as well as the villa rent.

Renting a villa is always going to prove fruitful for a person as it offers much more facilities than a hotel could ever offer. Cottages or rental villas are easy to manage and children and adults of a family both have a great time of their own in different spacious areas of a villa. Most of the cottages offer with a kitchen, a grand lounge or even a garden with exotic trees and flowers planted stylishly all around the lawn area. One can enjoy a walk in the green soft grass or even a cup of tea while sitting in the garden. Holidays are extremely enjoyable when you don't have to worry about the space and luxury of a rental house. Holiday cottages are thus preferred to other hotels and luxury villa for the advantage of privacy at hand. The humbug of residential area is left far behind when you are enjoying yourself in your very own secluded living house.

Holiday cottage owners should work according to the needs and wishes of their customers. It is easy for owners to provide with extra services at a private villa than to satisfy a whole family in a hotel. Hotel rooms are not spacious enough to accommodate adults and children in the same room. It is advisable that you book a holiday cottage that is surrounded by beautiful environment and scenic views. Enjoy your holiday trip to its fullest by renting a private home of your own from friendly owners at comparatively lower cost than hotels.

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I was reading about the second annual Chicago Pizza Fest which features a wide choice of pizzas from deep dish to thin to stuffed. It also has live music, wine tastings, a pizza-eating contest, a "best pizza" contest, dough tossing, and a cornhole tournament. Summer is here and so are Summer Food Street Festivals.

These festivals are a great way to taste a lot of different foods at a reasonable price and great family entertainment. When you go, be adventurous and make sure you record what you and your family really likes and give those dishes a try at home. Talk as much as you can with the owners and trade opinions with the other patrons. You will be amazed at all the great information you learn and the fun you will have. Street festivals are a great way to enjoy your community with all the family and experience food you would probably not eat if you go to a restaurant because of the many alternatives.

Look around your community for some of the upcoming festivals. I can vouch for the San Gennaro in NYC being a fun all-around experience and the Chowderfest in Newport being a great value and a lot of fun. However there are many others [http://www.zagat.com/buzz/Detail.aspx?SCID=40&BLGID=3070] nearby to you that you can and should take a look at. Get out there and have great fun for the whole family at reasonable prices. With the high price of food and gas this is an economical alternative the whole family will enjoy.

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Citizenship requirements to buy a Sunwing vacation package in Canada?

I'm a Canadian citizen, and my boyfriend is a citizen of Poland and currently lives there. If I wanted to buy a Caribbean vacation package for both of us through a Canadian travel provider, such as Sunwing, would I be able to? He would fly from Poland to Toronto, and we would then both leave Toronto together to go the Caribbean. What kind of complications would we have to worry about?

Call the travel package seller and ASK. He may need to apply for visas to the countries your cruise will stop in. I am sure they will not let him board unless he has proof that he has the appropriate visa for each stop. Cruises usually get "blanket " visas for citizens of the country the cruise sails from. Ask them... for yourself See site below to see that if he has a non-biometric passport from Poland, he will need to apply for a visa to Canada

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