10 Best Beaches for Finding Shells

There was a story at Travel and Leisure about the best shelling beaches in America a few weeks back. These beaches are all over the country and you can find many kinds of shells and more. Especially after a storm, anything can wash up on shore.

Calvert Cliffs State Park, Maryland

Located on the Chesapeake Bay, you can find anything from shark teeth, to snails, to sea glass and even arrowheads.

Ocracoke Island, North Carolina

The Outer Banks are a beautiful, and sometimes empty place to be. Because it is such a long drive to the end, you could be virtually alone on Ocracoke Island. There are many types of shells to find including sand dollars, whelks and cowry helmets.

Sanibel Island, Florida

Because of its location by the continental shelf and the warm waters of the Gulf, you can find more shells than you can carry at Sanibel Island. Some of the shells you’ll find are coquinas, scallops, whelks, and sand dollars.

Point No Point Beach, Hansville, Washington

Located on Puget Sound, you can see almost everything from this beach, a lighthouse, whales and Mt Rainier. You can even rent a room at the oldest lighthouse in the sound. The shells you see there are dogwinkles, limpets, and geoducks.

Gulf Islands National Seashore, Pensacola, Florida

At the edge of the Panhandle on the Gulf Coast, you’ll find these islands off of Pensacola. They are apparently unspoiled by hotels and such, so you can find just about anything. They have comb bittersweets, coquinas, lucinas, sand dollars, and augers.

Shipwreck Bay, Lanai, Hawaii

Of course, just being in Hawaii is good enought reason to go, but if you are into shelling, then this is one place you can’t miss. You can find shells along with all kinds of treasure from boats and other man made things. Some of the shells you’ll find are violet snails, leopard cones, imperial cones, sea slug shells and even on rare occasions, blown-glass floats from Japanese fishing nets.

Cumberland Island, Georgia

You can take a ferry out to Cumberland Island and rent a bike from a park ranger. You can ride your bike down to Dungeness Beach and find all kinds of shells, even a mansion built by the Carnegies. The shells that are home to Cumberland Island are coquinas, shark teeth, heart cockles, ark shells and moon snails.

Point Reyes National Seashore, California

Just north of San Fransicso, you can find Point Reyes. It is home to many species that are beautiful, but also poisonous. The tidepools catch all kinds of animals and shells, including ocher stars, mossy chitons, razor clamshells, and goose barnacle.

San Jose Island, Texas

Along the islands of the gulf coast of Texas, you’ll find San Jose Island. With no cars, this island becomes a beautiful, quiet, relaxing beach. Add in some shells and phosphorescent plankton at night and you can have a great time. Some of the shells you’ll find are sundials, shark’s eyes, and caramel-rippled lightning whelks the size of your fist.

Silver Strand State Beach, Coronado Island, California

Silver Strand State Beach gets it’s name from the oysters that are littered across the shoreline. But oysters are not all that it has to offer. Other shells include sand dollars, cockles, limpets, and scallops.

Posted on July 2, 2009 Filed Under Beach Vacations, Beaches to go See | Leave a Comment

How to Relax on Vacation

Have you ever gone on vacation and then come back feeling just as bad as you did before you left?

Or have you felt that your vacation just wasn’t as good as it could have been?

Vacations come way too infrequently to not enjoy them to the fullest, and I have the answer for how to relax on vacation. Well, I have the answer that works for me. Everyone is different. Some people want adventure, like the Indiana Jones vacation. Others (like me) like to relax. In my last post, I explained how to make your vacation last longer.  In this post I will let you in on my secret list to relax.

1. Relax

Sounds simple, I know, but it’s true. If you want to get recharged and enjoy yourself, then don’t start running all over the place. Running around like a chicken with its head cut off is for back when you are at work.

2. Keep Your Expectations Low

Low? Seriously? Yes, seriously. If your goal is to sit on a beach and read a book, then don’t plan on doing everything you can. If you get out and see some sites, then great; you did more than you planned on. Just don’t try to plan too much when you don’t really want to.

3. Adapt, and Overcome

Things change. You have to accept it and deal with it. Sometime we make plans to go do something, and then you can’t do it. Don’t get upset, just go do something else. See #1 and #2.

4. Take the Day After Vacation Off

I know many people who, if they have five days of vacation, they will leave on Friday night, spend all week on vacation, and get home the next Sunday night. This is the worst thing you can do. You enjoy your vacation, then kill yourself by trying to squeeze every last bit out of it. If you get home, and have the next day or two off of work, then you are still technically on vacation, but you aren’t paying for it.

Do the same thing you were doing on vacation, go sit on your deck and read, find something fun to do. RELAX!

5. Don’t do the Tourist Thing

This can be a hard thing to do. If you’ve never been somewhere, you want to see all the tourist spots. However, if you go to a certain place a lot (like we go to Newport, Rhode Island) then stay away from anything touristy. Go and do things that the locals do.

6. Eat Where the Locals Eat

This is the most important point to me. If you eat at tourst places, most likely you are eating the same thing you can get at home. Find where the locals go and eat with them. You enjoy finding new places, and you can relax because the local places will almost always be cheaper than the tourist or chain restaurants.

This list is made form experience. My wife and I have had our share of vacations that felt rushed and short. But last year, we had the best vacation we’ve ever had. We had no plans but to sit on the beach, and we fulfilled every plan we made.

Do you have any tips on how to relax on vacation? Let us know in the comments.

Posted on June 25, 2009 Filed Under Beach and Vacation Travel Tips and Help, Vacation Time | 1 Comment

Extend Your Vacation

I just read a great post on the Chicago Tribune about extending your vacation. The writer (Mary Schmich) gives 10 tips to make your vacation last longer.

I do think that these are some great tips, and most of them I have already done.

1. Start Your Vacation Early: By using the internet, you can look at where you’re going, and get yourself excited and in the mood before you ever start.
2. Clean the House Before You Leave: This one is easy as my wife can’t stand to come home to a dirty house even on a normal day, nevermind after vacation. Doing this means you don’t have to do any work when you get home.
3. Bad Habits: See #4
4. More Bad Habits: Basically, get out of your routine. Make your life different while on vacation. For the second part of this, if you can’t get out of your routine, then go somewhere that makes the routine impossible. Go somewhere without internet, or TV.
5. Do Something New: This sort of goes along with #4. Do something different to make your vacation special. If you do everything exactly the same as when you are home, what’s the point of going on vacation?
6. Get Some Sleep: This is a good tip, even if you think it might not be. A lot of people might say “I want to get the most out of my vacation, no sleep for me”, but that means you’ll be tired and not enjoy it as much. Also, it means that you won’t feel rested when you get home.
7. Act Like You’re Still on Vacation: Even after you get home, act like you are still on vacation. Relax, read a book, don’t work. This will make the transition easier and not so stressful. This is why I usually come back a bit before I have to go back to work so I can still have time to get back into the swing of things.
8. Don’t Buy Crap: Yes, everyone wants some souvenirs to take home, but don’t buy something that is just going to sit around and collect dust.
9. You Live in a Vacation Destination: This was written for Chicago, but many places are in fact vacation destinations. I live in a boring little town called Canton, but every year in July people come from all over the country (even the world) to Canton for the Pro Football Hall of Fame Festival. Most places have something to offer. Enjoy these places through the summer to get out of your routine.
10. Get Back Online: After you’re done, look at all those bookmarks that you had on you’re browser from when you were planning your vacation. Remember the places you went, the people you met, and the things you did. Keep the vacation memories alive.

So what do you think? Do you have any tips for keeping your vacation going?

Posted on June 10, 2009 Filed Under Beach and Vacation Travel Tips and Help, Travel, Vacation Time | Leave a Comment

Food and the Beach in Negril, Jamaica

With just around a month until our trip to Negril, Jamaica, I am really getting anxious. It’s hard to concentrate at work when all I can think about is the clear blue Caribbean water, jerk chicken and no work for a week.

It doesn’t help when I find a blog post from someone who is in Jamaica now. They have blogged two posts about Jamaican food. One is about jerk, and the other is about patty’s and coco bread.

It stinks when other people rub your face in the fact that they are on a beach somewhere in Jamaica, I can’t wait till it’s my turn to rub it in.

Soon…

Posted on June 1, 2009 Filed Under Food, Jamaica, Beaches, and the Caribbean | 1 Comment

Can’t Wait for Our Jamaican Vacation

Well, I have been having a hard time writing about anything because with just about a month until our Jamaica Vacation, I don’t want to do anything but actually be there.

I don’t want to write about the beach, I want to lay on it.

I don’t want to write about the ocean, I want to swim in it.

I don’t want to talk about jerk chicken, I want to eat it.

I really don’t have many other plans than that. We will go to Dunn’s River Falls, and maybe over to Margaritaville, but that’s about it. I only want to go to Margaritaville because it’s Jimmy Buffett’s. It’s not about the food, I can get the same stuff here in the States.

If you have any suggestions of what to do, where to go or where to eat, please let me know in the comments. However, I really don’t plan on doing much. My wife and I are not really into partying, we’d rather remember our vacation.

So far, the staff at Rondel Village has been great as far as answering emails and helping us with getting transportation from the airport. I hope it stays as good when we get there. The reviews I read about them were mostly good, but there were a few bad ones. That is normal though.

I can’t wait!

Posted on May 19, 2009 Filed Under Beach Vacations, Jamaica Vacation | Leave a Comment

Rondel Village in Negril, Jamaica

Well, after three years of trying, my wife and I are actually going to make it to Jamaica. I said in an earlier post that I was looking at places to stay in Jamaica, and I ended up going somewhere not on that list. Some of those places I never even heard back from. But I took a look at Rondel Village in Negril, and it looked pretty nice.

I emailed them and they responded quickly. The only real problem I’ve had so far is that when I tried to book it on the site, the booking software they use is not secure. So you have to put in your credit card info in a non secure browser. I didn’t feel comfortable doing that, so I emailed them again, and they sent a credit card authorization form to fax back to them. I still wasn’t that comfortable with having a fax laying around somewhere, but they sent back a receipt within minutes, so it wasn’t laying around long.

I also have found a great price on plane tickets. I checked out CheapTickets.com, but the reviews about them aren’t very good, so I just went to Travelocity and got the tickets for the exact same price.

I am getting so excited as this is only two months away.

Posted on May 4, 2009 Filed Under Beach and Vacation Travel Tips and Help, Jamaica Vacation, Vacation Time | Leave a Comment

Discount Travel Secrets Without Expedia, Orbitz or Travelocity

I saw this article recently, and I wasn’t sure what to think of it since Don Buynack (the guy who wrote it) has made his website to help you book travel. It’s called www.freespendingmoney.com, which just sounds spammy to me, plus it’s under construction. You should never link to your site if it’s not up. He also says he’ll give you free money up to $500 or more. Yeah, right.

Basically the idea is that the big three booking websites are ripping you off. Between fees for booking, airline fees that are not added in, and prices that are not the lowest, he says you could do better without them, of course he says that you should go to an actual travel agent.

I think that if you are willing to work and do the research, you are better off to book your vacations yourself. Anyway, here are his five secrets.

1. They charge service fees on every booking. Sometimes that fee is disclosed in the “final price” listed online. Sometimes it’s buried in the Terms & Conditions. Need to change your plans? Be prepared to pay service fees of up to $30 on every phone call for a change or re-issue. This does NOT count the $75 – $150 airline penalty. These travel websites actually hope for bad weather, because bad weather means altered plans, which means extra revenue for them.

[You should check everything you book for hidden fees. Hotel, and airline. There is always fine print, and if you don't read it, you could get stuck paying a lot of money.]

2. The rate you see may not be the lowest rate available. That’s because large travel websites deal in bulk volume. As a result they concentrate on “national” and “public” rates. They don’t publish “private” fares, consolidator fares, or below-market fares because it’s not in their interest to do so. You can only get those fares from an experienced travel professional, who knows the system and where to find them.

[I do know that if you see a hotel for $100 a night on Travelocity, and see it for $100 on the hotel website, then the hotel is giving a discount to Travelocity, and you are giving that extra money to Travelocity. The hotel would most likely give the discounted price to you, it's worth asking.]

3. Their definition of lowest price may not match yours. Have you ever entered the exact same search on 3 different travel websites and gotten wide-ranging results? That’s because travel websites have special arrangements with certain “partners” and may give these partners preferential treatment or placement bias. That’s how they make money. Consumers, however, are catching on. According to Travel Weekly, bookings on the “Big 3″ have fallen over 10% this year. People are turning to airline and hotel websites directly because that’s where they’re finding the lowest fares.

[Half of the time I can't find the same packages on different sites, so they really can't be compared.]

4. A confused customer is their best customer. In the last 12 months we’ve seen a spate of new surcharges assessed by airlines to offset rising costs—from $5 for some aisle seats to $15 for the first piece of checked luggage. Unfortunately, these costs are not reflected in the search results of most airfare comparison sites. Consumers are left to do the research and the math on their own. As a result, they’re confused. What looks to be the lowest price may not actually be the lowest “total” price when all applicable fees are factored in.

[Again, this is why researching yourself is so important. I have found that a cheaper ticket from Northwest is the same amount of money as a more expensive flight from AA after the fees have been added in. Cheaper flights aren't always cheaper.]

5. Once you hit that SEND button, you’re on your own. What happens when you book online and your flight is delayed or cancelled, or if you miss a connection? Ever tried to get a human being on the phone? You may be on hold for a long, long time. Or when you do finally get someone on the line, you find out he’s in Bangalore (and English isn’t his first language). [Not my words, I'm just quoting.] Meanwhile, the last seat on the last flight out has just taken off. Travel has become more unpredictable than ever. Sadly, it’s not a question of if something will go wrong, but when. And when it does, do you want your fate to rest in the hands of the guy whose job it is to get you off the phone as fast as possible?

[I have never had problems with travel, but that doesn't mean it can't happen. However, are you in any better shape if you've booked it yourself? This is probably one area where having a real travel agent will help.]

So, those are his five secrets to discounted travel. Do you have any more tips? Let me know in the comments.

Posted on April 10, 2009 Filed Under Beach and Vacation Travel Tips and Help | 3 Comments

Planning My Jamaican Vacation

Yes, it is time to go to Jamaica again. My wife has never been there, so I need to make this a great trip for her. I have been looking at a number of places to stay, but I can’t decide which is best.

I also haven’t decided whether I want to use an online travel site such as Expedia or Travelocity or just do it all myself. I love to save money, and if that means doing all the booking myself, then I’ll do it. And I’ll tell you how I do it too.

Things To Do in Jamaica List:

These are some of the things I would really like to do (some I have already done, but my wife hasn’t).

• Dunn’s River Falls
• Cliff diving at Rick’s Cafe (only if we stay in Negril)
• Relax on the beach
• Stay at a place on the beach
• Go to the beach (the beach is important)
• Eat authentic Jamaican food (not Americanized Jamaican)

Places to Stay in Jamaica List:

• White Sands in Negril – A nice looking place with mostly good reviews. It is much cheaper than many other places, and it is right on the beach. White Sands would be more of an economical vacation. I don’t plan on spending much time in our room anyway. I’m going to the beach.

• Mom’s Place B&B – I just found this on TripAdvisor, and it looks like a really nice small little B&B. It is right on the beach in Negril, and not owned by a corporation.

• Taino Cove – This place looks beautiful with large rooms. It’s about twice as much money as White Sands, but it is also on the beach. It is in Treasure Beach area which is much further out than most touristy places. That is good (no crowds of tourists), but also means a bit less to do.

• Negril Beach House Villas – A little more expensive than Taino Cove, and also right on the beach. This place has very good reviews, and you can get a kitchen in your room. That is awesome, as my wife and I like to cook and save money by not eating out.

So that’s what we are looking at. If you have any suggestions, please let me know. I am not into partying, I am going to relax and enjoy the beach. And to drink some Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee.

Posted on April 2, 2009 Filed Under Beach Vacations, Jamaica Vacation, Vacation Time | Leave a Comment

Inexpensive and Cheap Vacations

I have talked about Cheap and Inexpensive Beach Vacations before, and now I want to tell you about Budget Travels top destinations for 2009. No, they aren’t all at the beach, but in this economy, you can’t have everything.

Austin, Texas

Why in 2009: For years, the capital of down-home cool (and Texas) has been working to become the nation’s capital of pop culture—at least among cities of a similar size. This city of 1.6 million residents has succeeded in its mission, especially as a venue for indie rock, bluegrass, and country music. Its largest music festival is South by Southwest, a multi-day, 1,700-band extravaganza that draws serious music fans nationwide (sxsw.com, Mar. 18–22, 2009). Austin’s economy, meanwhile, is well diversified between public and private sectors, which means that Austin is poised to weather the economic downturn reasonably well, says University of Texas at Austin economy professor Daniel S. Hamermesh. So it should be full speed ahead on spending for free and affordable cultural events. A bonus: In the past year, discounter JetBlue has added flights to Austin. Rival airlines are feeling the pressure to keep airfares low.

[Flights can be the most expensive part of a vacation, so a company light JetBlue can save you a lot.]

Main events: Thousands of music fans converge on the city each year for two festivals: South by Southwest (mentioned above) and the Austin City Limits Music Festival (aclfestival.com, Oct. 2–4). Art lovers come for the Texas Biennial (texasbiennial.com, Mar. 6–Apr. 11) and the open-air Art City Austin (artallianceaustin.org, Apr. 25-26). Even if you’re not in town for a big event, keep in mind that Austin has pretty weather for eight months of the year (summer’s the sweltering exception). With its extensive Greenbelt park as well as 10 miles of waterfront paths, it’s easy to get outside and enjoy a little nature.

[Music festivals are a cool thing to do. You can pay a lot less money for a bunch of people, than you could for one person by themselves.]

Price check: Round-trip tickets between Austin and Chicago recently started at $210, a 9 percent drop from a year earlier, says Farecast. Affordable lodging isn’t hard to come by. Hotel rates should average a modest $104 a night, says a forecast by PKF Hospitality Research. We like the stylish Austin Motel, starting at $70. 1220 S. Congress Ave., 512/441-1157, austinmotel.com.

Washington, D.C.

Why in 2009: It’s not just the presidential inauguration, the Capitol’s freshly minted visitor center, or the recently re-opened National Museum of American History—all reasons enough to drop by D.C. in 2009. It’s also the built-in, year-round cost containment: Free admission to national monuments, the Smithsonian’s many world-class museums, and the Smithsonian National Zoological Park make the capital a perennial choice for an affordable family vacation. (For other ideas, check out Destination DC’s list of “100 Free (And Almost Free) Things to Do in D.C.“)

[As nerdy as it may sound, I love museums, especially ones with medieval armor and dinosaurs.]

Main events: The popularity of the upcoming presidential inauguration is jacking up prices temporarily around January 20. [Yeah, I'm a little late getting this post up.] But there’s plenty else to see in D.C. during the rest of the year. On April 12, for example, a re-creation of contralto Marian Anderson’s famous 1939 open-air concert at the Lincoln Memorial will commemorate the bicentennial of Abraham Lincoln’s birth. This year’s rendition showcases Denyce Graves, the Chicago Children’s Choir, Sweet Honey in the Rock, and the Washington National Opera (lincolnindc.com, free and non-ticketed).

[Woohoo Abe Lincoln]

Price check: If you plan wisely, free admissions should yield huge savings for your family. To save even more, fly into Baltimore/Washington International (BWI) airport, roughly an hour’s ride by Amtrak rail or by public transportation to D.C.’s Union Station. Southwest’s strong presence at BWI makes fares more competitive than those at the more central Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.

[Free admission to stuff can make a big difference in your budget.]

Hawaii

Why in 2009: The Aloha State received positive, high-profile press coverage when president-elect Barack Obama recently visited, but it’s still hurting from the downtown of the national economy. This always-popular destination saw about a 10 percent drop in visitors in 2008, a statistic that represents a tourism drought for Hawaii. Tour operators are responding by aggressively discounting un-booked rooms and car rentals and bundling them into packages. As we enter 2009, there are remarkable package deals, air inclusive, from both the west and east coasts.

To save a bundle, consider a timeshare rental instead of a standard hotel stay. Rental rates are dropping to as low as $100 a night for beautiful properties, says Timeshare Users Group (tug2.net), a site tracking timeshare rental inventory in Hawaii and elsewhere. Many of the timeshare properties are owned by people who are now anxious about making their mortgage payments, and you can rent their spacious units at a significant discount, without listening to any sales spiels.

[Great point, sometimes a hotel isn't the cheapest way to go. There are many people who have nice big houses and have turned them into Bed & Breakfasts. These can be great deals.]

Main events: It’s Hawaii—beaches, volcanoes, and luaus will continue to be the big draws. But this year marks Hawaii’s 50th anniversary of statehood, and a party is planned at the Capitol for March 18 (free, hawaii.gov/statehood). Obama watchers can take a do-it-yourself tour of the president-elects’s childhood haunts by using a map from Obamasneighborhood.com; or hop on a two-and-a-half-hour bus tour of his grade school, the Baskin-Robbins where he once worked, and several picnic spots that he loved (Guides of Oahu, obamatourhawaii.com, $40 per person).

[I'm sorry, but I don't get this. It's great that Pres. Obama broke the color line at the White House, but seeing where went to school or where he worked just doesn't make much sense to me.]

Price check: Pleasant Holidays has numerous Hawaii promotions, including three-night air/hotel packages starting at $427 per person from Los Angeles and $472 per person from San Francisco (pleasantholidays.net). Apple Vacations also has deals, such as a recent offer for six-night stays at the Sheraton Princess Kaiulani, including a $150 per-room voucher for meals at Sheraton restaurants. The package rates begin at $999 (applevacations.com, from Baltimore, Newark, and other airports).

[When tourism is down, it is a great time to go places. You can get great deals, and even better service.]

Budapest, Hungary

Why in 2009: Budapest has become the sort of expatriate haven that Prague was in the ’90s, back before the Czech capital’s cafés started charging $4 for an espresso and tour groups suddenly outnumbered locals. Recently, the U.S dollar has surged in hard-hit Hungary, gaining 30 percent against the declining local currency, the forint. In addition to savoring the city’s glorious art nouveau architecture, anchored by the imposing Museum of Applied Arts in the center of town, you can shop in the well-preserved Great Market Hall, explore the miles of caves under Castle District (former hideouts for soldiers during wartime), and catch a show at the Hungarian State Opera House, where standing-room tickets go for only $2.

[Budapest just doesn't sound like your average vacation spot, which makes it low on tourists most likely. Great to get away from the crowds.]

Main events: Budapest’s monthly design market WAMP is well on the way to renown as an international fashion destination. The market, which spotlights contemporary handcrafts, jewelry, prints, and other items from Hungarian craftsmen, is held in the summer and fall in Erzsébet Square and in winter at Gödör Klub (wamp.hu/en, free). Hungary’s two largest cultural and foodie events are the Budapest Spring Festival, a collection of 200 free and ticketed concert music performances (festivalcity.hu), and fall’s 18th Budapest International Wine Festival, which encompasses tastings and workshops at Buda Castle (winefestival.hu, free).

[Got to love food events.]

Reykjavik, Iceland

Why in 2009: The dramatic collapse of Iceland’s currency, the kronur, has hung a 48-percent-off sign on virtually everything for American tourists. A hot dog (an Icelandic specialty) in downtown Reykjavik, for example, runs about 210 kronur—that’s $3.50 in U.S. dollars at last year’s exchange rates, but about $2 today. Meanwhile, in a bid to lure tourists, Icelandair has recently rolled out steep airfare discounts. Published fares to Iceland for early 2009 are down 22 percent from a year earlier, says Expedia.

[Maybe not the best place for the beach, but they do have hot springs.]

Main events: Astoundingly, beer was illegal in Iceland until 1989. On March 1, Beer Day, Reykjavikers toast its legalization with parties at pubs, clubs, and restaurants (goiceland.org). On June 21, the summer solstice, locals cheer the midnight sun on the longest day of the year. Cuteness alert: Watch the island’s adorable baby puffins as millions of them leave their nests in early August for that first oh-so-awkward attempt at flight. See the event as part of many organized tours (visiticeland.com).

[Beer day. Huh.]

Memorable moment: Soak in one of the city’s seven hot pots—outdoor thermal pools. Save by purchasing a Reykjavik Welcome Card, which includes admission to the hot pots plus five museums, a family park and a zoo, as well as transport on city buses and a ferry trip to Videy Island (a noted spot for bird watching). A 24-hour card is about $11 at today’s exchange rates (visiticeland.com).

Price check: Rates at the Park Inn Island Hotel, for instance, start from $87, and it has amenities that are roughly comparable with the ones offered at a Radisson in the U.S. Look to Icelandair.com for fare sales and air/hotel packages to Reykjavik. But shop aggressively for a rental car, which can be expensive in Iceland, by comparison shopping at metasearch websites such as Kayak.

[I would say that vacationing in Iceland would be much more less touristy than many other places, and it would definitely be different than anyone elses vacation that you know.]

Mexico

Why in 2009: Our southern neighbor has always been relatively affordable, but this year is special. The U.S. dollar’s exchange rate against the Mexican peso is at its most favorable point in 15 years. Prices should be down across Mexico, including in high-profile destinations like Mexico City, Oaxaca, and Cancun. Resort destinations that have become newly popular, such as Riviera Nayarit and Puerto Peñasco (Rocky Point) should be positively cheap this year.

[I don't know about this. There have been thousands of people murdered on the border, and Mexico City is the number one kidnapping city in the world, of course followed by Phoenix, Arizona. However, I'm sure that you would be safer n a resort area.]

Main events: Catch some sun in Riviera Nayarit, a trendy tourist region recently launched by Mexican officials. About 20 miles north of the Puerto Vallarta International airport, the new hotspot stretches along 100 miles of Pacific coast (rivieranayarit.com). March brings the 25th anniversary of the Festival de México, an 18-day celebration of arts and culture held in the country’s vibrant capital (festival.org.mx, free and ticketed). Starting May 10, residents of Oaxaca come together for a week of dance and processions (oaxacainfo.com).

[It's on the coast, which means beaches.]

Price check: Budget Travel’s Web tool can help you pinpoint the Mexican resort towns that are linked to your nearest airport by nonstop flights (budgettravel.com/nonstopmexico). For example, an all-inclusive package at the Tesoro Resorts in Ixtapa—on Mexico’s Pacific Coast—includes food, alcoholic and nonalcoholic drinks, and lots of entertainment, starting at just $170 per room, per night, and children under 12 stay for free (tesororesorts.com, 866-998-3767).

Berlin

Why in 2009: It’s the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. Plus, the city’s been on a long construction spree: Berlin now has one of the world’s most dynamic skylines, thanks to innovative buildings such as the swoopy O2 World stadium and the city’s vast, sleekly modern main train station. Despite all the moving and shaking, Berlin remains a bargain. Even in the financially flush year of 2007, four- and five-star rooms averaged €130 a night; comparable rooms in Paris and London priced out at more than twice as much. Splurge by opting for a fancier hotel than usual. Swissôtel Berlin, our pick for best value hotel in Europe, has rooms from $188 (011-49/30-220-100, swissotel.com/berlin).

[Growing up in the 80's during the Cold War, Berlin was never thought of as a vacation destination. But hey, the wall is down.]

Main events: Throughout the year, Berlin will commemorate the fall of the Wall with concerts, memorials, and an open-air-exhibition in Alexanderplatz. On November 9, at the Brandenburg Gate, a symbolic wall of hundreds of five-foot-tall stones decorated by children will fall like dominos, launching a fireworks display (mauerfall09.com). Also in autumn, the rebuilt Neues Museum will open on Berlin’s central Museum Island, displaying masterworks that include the world-famous bust of ancient Egypt’s Queen Nefertiti.

[That would be cool to be involved in the anniversary of the Wall coming down.]

Price check: Rooms in many of Berlin’s three-star hotels will go for about $90 this year. Pension ABC, for example, is a squeaky-clean, family-run inn near Potsdamer Platz with doubles from $89 (011-49/30-2694-9903).

[That is pretty cheap, even for this list.]

Vancouver, B.C.

Why in 2009: Americans heading to Canada finally have the U.S. dollar back on their side. Exchange rates have rebounded to 2005 levels. And fares into Vancouver for the first three months of 2009 are down 24 percent from a year earlier, says Farecast. Meanwhile, the city has been busy glamming itself up to prepare for February 2010, when it hosts the Winter Olympics. It’s spent lots of money to retool infrastructure and unveil cool new venues. The Vancouver Convention and Exhibition Centre, for instance, is now topped with a six-acre rooftop garden of 400,000 native plants and wild grasses that are partly irrigated by a sophisticated rainwater collection system.

[Still, it's cold in Canada.]

Main events: Olympic host cities love to premiere cutting-edge architecture in advance of the Games, and Vancouver is no exception. Visit in 2009 to get a sneak peek (vancouver2010.com). A case in point is the Richmond Oval, a new 8,000-seat arena with a speed-skating track and a glass façade that yields clear, expansive views of the rugged North Shore Mountains (richmondoval.ca). Vancouver will also be trading on all the Olympian attention to tout its local arts and entertainment scene. The Cultural Olympiad’s 400-plus events include ice sculptures, circus acts, and a concert by the band Arcade Fire (vancouver2010.com/culturalolympiad, Feb. 1–Mar. 21). Among the city’s other events, Grammy-Award-winning saxophonist Sonny Rollins returns to the TD Canada Trust Vancouver International Jazz Festival on June 29 (admission from $67, coastaljazz.ca).

Price check: The Listel Hotel, a highly rated, artfully decorated boutique in the city’s West End, recently put its rooms on sale via Orbitz starting at $65 a night—75 percent off the hotel’s average price.

[Probably the cheapest on this list of budget and inexpensive vacations.]

Cambodia

Why in 2009: It’s no longer a backpacker’s secret. In 2008, the country drew about 2 million visitors, more than 10 times the number it drew a decade ago. Cambodia’s still off the radar for most Americans, but it’s poised to take the same path as its better-known neighbor Vietnam, which saw a similar number of visitors nine years ago and now draws roughly 4 million visitors annually. Look for independently owned guesthouses because the major resort chains haven’t built much here yet; and by all means, go before the crowds get too thick.

[Like Berlin, I grew up in the late 70's and 80's in the aftermath of the Vietnam war, and Cambodia was just always thought of as a warzone to me. Yet it must be a very beautiful country.]

Main events: The sprawling Angkor complex and its magnificent Hindu and Buddhist temples between the 9th and 15th centuries will always be the star attractions here. Expect to spend at least two days exploring. In nearby Siem Reap, shop at the Artisans d’Angkor collective, where those making traditional handicrafts gain a guaranteed percentage of the profit (011-855/63-963-330, artisansdangkor.com).

Price check: For recommendations for independently owned guesthouses, turn to Asiarooms.com, which recently listed rooms at Monoreach Angkor Hotel in Siem Reap at a starting rate of $33 per night. If you’d prefer an expert’s guiding hand, consider Intrepid Travel’s Heart of Cambodia tour. A guide will escort you around Phnom Penh, arrange a sunset viewing over Angkor Wat, and walk you through the depths of the Phnom Chhnork caves. The 15-day tour costs $1,400 per person (whether traveling single or as part of a couple), covering lodgings but not airfare—less than $100 a day (intrepidtravel.com).

Panama

Why in 2009: Panama has led tourism growth in Central and South American countries for two years running, posting back-to-back 20 and 30 percent gains in 2007 and 2008, respectively. Last year, the country surpassed the one-million-visitors mark, welcoming 1.2 million leisure travelers. That’s about how popular Costa Rica was in 1999—before it emerged as a solidly mainstream destination. Compared with Costa Rica, Panama has more animal species and a larger amount of preserved terrain filled with colorful macaws, monkeys, and endangered shore birds.

[It's tropical, and it has beaches, on both the Caribbean and the Pacific. Good enough for me. Here is a map of Panama.]

Main events: The Panama Jazz Festival, held January 1–17, will feature saxophonist Wayne Shorter’s quartet (panamajazzfestival.com, from $10). Panama’s Carnival celebrations, running February 2–24, are some of the largest pre-Lenten parties in the world. The bulk of the parades and revelry will take place in Panama City and Las Tablas (visitpanama.com).

[Cool, music and food festivals.]

Price check: American Airlines Vacations has a three-night winter stay at the Veneto Hotel & Casino from $87 per person per night (aavacations.com). Keep a lid on costs by booking at locally owned inns. Among TripAdvisor’s top rated B&Bs in Panama is La Estancia (011-507/314-1581, bedandbreakfastpanama.com, from $75 for singles and doubles). It’s on a hill next to a nature reserve.

[That is a pretty good price for a tropical beach vacation.]

I hope you have enjoyed this list of affordable and inexpensive vacations. I would rather be visiting them than just blogging about them, but that’s just the way it is.

Posted on March 26, 2009 Filed Under Beach and Vacation Travel Tips and Help, Recommended Beaches and Places, Travel | Leave a Comment

10 Most Private Beaches in the World. Best Secluded Beaches

Forbes recently came out with a list of the 10 most private and secluded beaches in the world. As always, i love lists, especially when they are about beaches. Private beach lists are even better. I should explain that private in this post does not mean you can’t go, just that they are very low in visitors and that you will have privacy.

Molokai, Hawaii

This island, often called Hawaii’s “real” island, is so laid back there’s not a single traffic light and no building is bigger than a palm tree. Chances are, yours will be the only footprints you’ll find on any of its deserted white sand beaches. Travel authority Pauline Frommer says Molokai’s unspoiled, pristine beaches are among her favorites worldwide and she imagines they look a lot like the Hawaii Capt. Cook first laid eyes on. From Honolulu, it’s a 25-minute and $135 flight to Molokai’s Hoolehua Airport (MKK). A one-way ticket to Maui from Honolulu costs about $61. Unlike Maui, there are no direct flights to Molokai from the Mainland.

The Caribbean Coast of Costa Rica

Frommer says this wildly beautiful region–with its pounding surf and prehistoric rainforests–is quite distinct from the others Costa Rica surfers and expats have been flocking to in recent years. Not only are the music and food different (think Reggae and spicy jerk chicken), gorgeous white-sand, coconut-tree-lined beaches are peaceful and desolate. To get to Puerto Limon, the capital of Limon province, from San Jose, take Highway 32 (also known as the Guapiles Highway) that connects this region to the rest of the country. Check out this map of Costa Rica.

Holbox Island, Yucatan Peninsula

Holbox (hol-bosh) is part of the Yum Balam ecological reserve, separated from land by the Yalahua Lagoon. The 26-mile-long island boasts many secluded fine white-sand beaches peppered with beautiful seashells. The Gulf of Mexico’s jade green waters are calm and swimmer-friendly. But don’t expect nightclubs or wi-fi. Or cars, for that matter, as everyone travels in golf-cart buggies. From Cancun airport you can take a taxi to Chiquila, about two hours away, to catch a ferry; or hire a water taxi on the spot to take you to Isla Holbox, 14 km (nine miles) away. Total travel time from Cancun is about three hours. There’s a rustic airport on Holbox for private planes. The more expensive hotels ($200 to $400 a night) will help arrange private launches.

Whitehaven Beach, Australia

Nestled on Australia’s dreamy Whitsunday Island (the largest of the Whitsunday chain), Whitehaven Beach offers four miles of silky soft, milky white sand courtesy of pure silica grains. A lush acacia forest backdrop keeps things as cool as the turquoise waters. Although this is one of Australia’s most photographed beaches, it’s also one of its less trampled thanks to strict visitation limits enforced by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (you must register with a tour operator to access the area.) A number of tour operators offer daytrips, overnight stays or scenic flights to Whitehaven Beach from the islands, Shute Harbour or Airlie Beach. A catamaran trip from Shute Harbour is $100 per person.

Oswald West State Park, Oregon Coast

At this state park south of Cannon Beach, the 15-minute walk through the woods to the beach keeps most people at bay–save for the die-hard surfers. The crescent-shaped beach is on a secluded cove backed by dense forest. If you like dramatic and desolate, this is your beach. Best bet is to fly into Portland, then drive a rental car to the coast.

Barbuda, Caribbean

Antigua may tout its beaches, but Caribbean travel expert Ryan Ver Berkmoes says it’s her sister island Barbuda that’s really got something to crow about: Its unspoiled beaches are natural, sprinkled with pink sand and miles long. On the deep blue Atlantic side expect driftwood and shells; on the calmer Caribbean side, you’ll find turtles and tropical fish in calm, limpid turquoise waters. But don’t expect to see anyone else. No wonder Princess Diana vacationed here several times. Fly to Antigua first, then hop on a small Carib-Aviation plane for the 20-minute ride–about $200 round-trip (two flights a day).

Colombier Beach, St. Barth’s

Accessible only by boat or a 25-minute hike along a rugged goat trail (take the path just beyond Flamands Beach), Colombier is a sweet little cove perfect for swimming, snorkeling or eating a French picnic. Private yachts and sailboats often moor here while their passengers frolic in the water. (If you have a boat or like to hike, this day beach is free.)

Playa Medina, Venezuela

Club Med has a reputation for staking out some of the prettiest beachfronts in the world, which is why it had its eye on this palm-fringed patch of sand on the isolated Paria Peninsula. Local opposition prevented it from happening. That, and the 10-hour drive from Caracas, explain why the gold-sand beach with placid waters remains as pristine as ever–save for a bunch of bungalows and a low-key restaurant. There is a very small airport in Carupano, an hour east of Playa Medina. The “fanciest” hotel on the beach–guest cottages about $150 a night–arrange for airport transfers.

Pink Beach, Bonaire

When people think of Bonaire, they think of scuba diving, says Ver Berkmoes, but this island’s bountiful beaches should not be overlooked. Since people tend to spend their time underwater here, you can find miles and miles of desolate beach on the south side of the island. Pink Beach is particularly beautiful, its sand tainted pink by Bonaire’s signature coral reef. Major airlines provide direct flights to Bonaire’s Flamingo (also pink) airport from Houston, Newark, Atlanta, and San Juan.

White Sand Beach, Bali

Most of Bali’s beaches are layered in dark black sand with the exception of this gem, tucked in a tiny cove on the East Coast. When travel writer Ryan Ver Berkmoes first discovered it, there were only a handful of fishermen on the beach. Now that seafood grills and day beds have arrived, the crowds are sure to follow.

Posted on March 11, 2009 Filed Under Beaches to go See, Recommended Beaches and Places | 5 Comments

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