Cruises are a fun way to get away from it all and see a lot of sights.  Instead of having to fill up the car with a month’s worth of clothes and supplies so you can travel from place to place, you get to skip the supplies and extra clothes and take your hotel with you.

Imagine getting to see the wide open ocean and beautiful coastlines.  Imagine pulling into ports at exitic island locations that you never even dreamed of visiting.  Imagine not having to drive for hours on end but instead be able to play, eat, sleep, feel the sea breeze blowing in your face instead.

From a more practical point of view, you won’t get DVT on a cruise.

I just heard about one of the airlines doing a special with some tickets as low as $30 each way. Even a family as big as mine could afford to do something with the rest of the summer on rates as cheap as those. My kids keep bugging me to go back to Disneyland but I think Disney World is a better idea so I suppose I should look into Orlando vacations of some kind.

I’ve already been on two vacations this summer – what’s one more? This time around I should really try to stay on budget.

How strange online check-in for a flight is. They ask me on one screen if I’ll be checking any luggage so I said yes. Two screens later they ask again but this time they want me to pony up some dough. Wouldn’t it have been nice if they’d said something about how they’re one of the airlines that charge to check even 1 piece of luggage when I bought the ticket.

Grrr
Argh!

I suppose I should just look at it as a more direct way of paying them bailout money.

With the summer season fast approaching (and already here for us in the Southwest), get ready to find a place to park your RV while on vacation. With hotels expensive, airports inconvenient, and rental cars a pain, it makes sense to kill three birds with one stone and use an RV to solve all of the problems. All you need to do is choose one of many rv parks around the country near the area that you’re visiting on your well-deserved time off.

For the world traveler that’s bored of Europe, that is no longer intrigued by the Far East, or has seen the wilds of Africa, head south. From the wilderness of Patagonia to cruises to Antarctica, a trip to Argentina is a beautiful and very different vacation than what you’ve seen before. There are currently many options and packages for Argentina travel for all budgets and all travelers.

Some of the most popular resort destinations around the country have a Westgate resort nearby. You can relax in the famous Westgate luxury while you travel to all of the best vacation spots. No matter if you’re going to Park City, UT, Branson, MO, or even Orlando, FL, you can bet that their will be a Westgate to cater to your needs as you relax and revitalize.

Going down to your local strip mall and visiting the hobby shop isn’t quite the same as going down to the Strip in Las Vegas. Buy you can be as prepared for your Nevada vacation as you are making the short trip down to the corner store by doing a little bit of research ahead of time to ensure that everything is taken care of before you arrive with a las vegas strip map.

If you’re taking a really big vacation now that the summer is over, the option of protecting your vacation may be a worthwhile investment. Turns out you can insure just about anything nowadays. Insurance plans are available from a variety of different companies that can insure the cost of your trip, the cancellation of your trip, and even your medical coverage while on the trip to anywhere in the world. It may not be the best idea for every vacation, but look into travel insurance for your next vacation, especially big ones overseas.

I’ve always wanted to go on the cruise of a lifetime. Great food, great views, great destinations, and lots of fun the entire way. This website offers many cruises all over the world at huge discounts. The list of cruise destinations is just incredible. I’ve never been on any cruise before, but taking my first cruise through the fiords of Norway or through the warm waters of the Mediterranean sounds like a perfect and wonderful vacation. Especially if there’s a discount.

With the kids almost done with summer break, I could really use a vacation. Someplace that’s kid friendly but not as hectic as the theme parks around the country. A good place may be Hilton Head Island. There are plenty of Hilton Head rentals where we could live for a week or two and just relax in a nice place with up to seven bedrooms.

My son is going on his first boy scout camping trip far away from home. My husband’s going with him and right now, they are staying up late to get ready. We wouldn’t want to have started this any more than 12 hours before they’re leaving because that would have made it possible to find everything.

How am I supposed to know where the neckerchief that’s been missing for a week is in the middle of the night? It’s unlikely I’ll get up early to look for it more tomorrow. Alas, his uniform will be incomplete. The thought actually grates on my nerves but since I’m not going, I imagine I’ll find a way to handle it.

I’m making them take the camera in hopes they will take plenty of pictures so I can live vicariously through the images they bring back. Here’s hoping he doesn’t wander off into the night.

I once went to Las Vegas. It wasn’t one of those “What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas” visits since I went with my mother-in-law (and two sisters-in-law), but it was still a lot of fun and the most daring I’d ever been on a grown up vacation. (I make it out like they were crimping my style when, really, if anyone was crimping style was tea-totalling me.)

We went on a roller coaster that I thought I was going to fall out of and die, got massages, saw a show, gambled and toured the strip. I almost went on one of those gigantic rubber band things that shoots you into the air and you bounce up and down for a while but it was closed. Looking back, I’m kind of glad about that.

If you are thinking about planning a fun vacation for yourself soon, look into Trusted Tours & Attractions. They specialize in helping you figure out what you want to see in some of the countries most popular destinations. You can find Chicago things to do if you’re headed to the windy city or things to do in New York if the Big Apple has caught your fancy. You can find out about sightseeing tours or just general information about your destination.

If you’re interested, you can also sign up for their newsletter and enter to win a $150 iTunes gift card. The offer ends May 31, 2008 so you need to do it soon.

Oh what a beautiful day!

The sun isn’t shining; it isn’t warm except for brief periods when a ray or two of sun manage to break through the cloud cover; it might RAIN!!

Not exactly the description most people would give as their idea of a beautiful day but when you’re looking down the barrel of the 100 degree gun and you know those hot, sunny days are the only kind you’re likely to see for the next 6-8 months, this is your idea of wonderful.

We went to the zoo and walked until my muscles hurt but it had to be done.  It’s the last time I’ll be able to get there for (probably) several years.  Goodbye Reba (the elephant who replaced Ruby)!  Goodbye, orangutans (I always thought you were spelled -tang like the drink)!  Goodbye carousel and water-park I didn’t know existed until this year!

Goodbye, sweet, sweet rhino dung!

I know what you might be thinking. How exactly is a spoiled socialites noggin the topic of discussion?

Not that Hilton’s Head.

Hilton Head Island is a resort island just north and east of Savannah, Georgia, in the south east corner of South Carolina. The great weather and beautiful ocean make getting a Hilton Head rental the perfect vacation. So back your bags for sun, beach, golf, and relaxation.

As vacation season is quickly approaching, consider finding someplace relaxing, fun, and not too far away. I would much rather stay for two or three weeks in a great relaxing retreat than try to cram my entire vacation into just a couple of days.

Those quick vacations can leave you more tired than when you left, but renting a Branson condo this summer can be the perfect vacation. Save money on travel costs, get more vacation for your dollar, go golfing, go to the lake, and see a beautiful part of the country.

Everybody’s into saving money these days. Gas prices jumping and house values falling leaves everyone pinching pennies. Now that your tax refunds are on the way and summer is fast approaching, look into ways to spend that refund on your summer luxury vacations and save some cash.

Many sites have deals on airfare or hotels. This site can save you 40% or more on your entire vacation, as a package. Even if you’re looking to escape at the last minute, check out the deals and see what you can save.

If you’ve got an eye for Vegas, for a quick trip or a weeklong vacation, then the internet is full of sites to get great deals. But if you want the best deal on a Vegas hotel on your Las Vegas excursion, then the i4vegas site is the best place to find the absolute best deal. Las Vegas is built around money, so make sure that you start the trip off right by not wasting any of your money overpaying for a room.

Have fun in the desert.

I went to pick up my husband at work today and what should I pass, but a car fire. At first I thought it was just some crazy guy running into traffic. Turns out the crazy guy was trying to take a fire extinguisher across the street.

I probably should have told him it wasn’t going to work and that I know from recent personal experience.

Fortunately, I saw a fire truck getting there almost before I could get through the light so things probably had a happy ending (other than the car being wrecked).