Be flexible! My favorite travel experiences happened when things didn’t go according to plan. It’s often these unpredictable adventures that are the most rewarding and offer an opportunity for the best stories.
~ 3-Time Vantage Traveler • Stephanie D. • Brookshire, Texas
When you arrive at your travel destination, follow Benjamin Franklin’s “early to bed and early to rise” philosophy, set your wrist watch and travel alarm to local time, enjoy a light supper with no caffeine, go to bed early in the evening…and awake refreshed, unjet-lagged, and ready to enjoy a full day of new vistas, adventures, and tempting cuisines.
~ 1 time Vantage Traveler • Forest R. • Inverness, FL
If you like to read and haven’t purchased an ebook yet, do so. They are wonderful –easy to use, lightweight and enable one to store numerous books without the extra weight and room that real “books’ require.
~ 5-Time Vantage Traveler • Brookshire, Texas
Do you have a tablet that you read eBooks on? Which one do you use? Which great books are you reading?
We are pleased to announce our new Jackpot Sweepstakes! Starting today, January 26th, you can enter to win a Patagonia gift card worth up to $500!
The prize amount will depend on the number of Likes our Facebook page receives during the contest. The more Likes, the bigger the prize– so encourage your friends and family to Like our page too!
It’s easy:
• LOGIN or REGISTER for Facebook
• Like our page here
• Enter the contest by February 7, 2012 and your name could be announced on February 8, 2012 as the winner of a $500 Patagonia gift card! Just think of all the great gear you could purchase and bring with you on one of our small ship cruises, escorted land tours, or European river cruises!
Prize:
1,000 new Likes = $100 gift card
1,500 new Likes = $150 gift card
2,000 new Likes = $200 gift card
2,500 new Likes = $300 gift card
3,000 new Likes = $450 gift card
3,500+ new Likes = $500 gift card
Don’t forget you can also enter our other sweepstakes for your chance to win a FREE Vantage Deluxe European River Cruise for TWO worth up to $8,000! We select a new winner 4 times a year! Click here to enter!
Here is a list of our top 10 destinations that have received raving reviews:
• Castles Along the Rhine & Danube 16 days from only $3299
• Waterways of Holland & Belgium 12 days from only $2399
• Imperial Russian Waterways 15 days from only $3199
• Danube Odyssey 12 days from only $2899
• French Waterways 14 days from only $3999
• Best of Africa 17 days from only $4699
• Eastern Europe & the Black Sea 12 days from only $2899
• Switzerland & the Heart of the Rhine & Moselle 15 days from only $3499
• Grand Norwegian Coastal Voyage 14 days from only $2499
• Heart of Africa 15 days from only $4899
For trip information visit our website.
To read Customer Reviews click here.
For great travel tips, check out 151 Travel Tips.
For information on Small Group Travel, click here.
You can also connect with us on Facebook, Google+, Twitter, LinkedIn,YouTube & Flickr.
Before you travel, download city apps on your mobile device for the cities where you will have free time or an extension where much time is on your own. These city apps give museums, historical sites, dining options, and other interesting places to visit. These apps give maps and directions on how to get to the best sites and other information. Download the app Flightboard or similar app for your mobile device. It duplicates the arrival and departure boards at the airports you will be traveling through and is updated every few minutes. It gives you arrival and departure times as well as gate info, delays, and other essential information for your travel.
Tip submitted by 2-time Vantage Traveler, Rodney S. from Neosho, MO
What travel apps do you use? Let us know with a comment below!
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You may think the language barrier is a large wall to climb, and it can be, so why not start small? Some important and common phrases you’ll want to know before traveling to a foreign country are: “hello,” “please,” “thank you,” “excuse me,” and “good-bye.” Once you’ve mastered those try: “Food,” ‘hotel,” “airport,” “train,” and “bank.” Although it is estimated that 1.8 billion people in the world can speak some amount of English, we think connecting with the culture and learning a thing or two isn’t so bad!
There are countless resources for learning a new language, but to get you started, try Google Translate and take a couple languages and words for a test drive!
What words or phrases do you think are most useful when traveling to a foreign country? What resources have you used to help you break that barrier?
You know those pesky perfume paper samples they stick in the magazines? Put them in your suitcase(s) in between trips. It makes the bags smell nice and keeps them from smelling musty in storage.
You can also save these perfume samples and bring them along with you instead of a bulky perfume bottle that could leak! Just rub them on and toss them out!
-Tip submitted by a 5-time Vantage traveler from Greenville, RI.
Do you have any great travel tips? Feel free to share them with a comment below!
We know avid travelers like you are bursting with great insights – and we want to hear them! To get started, visit our Facebook page, Like us, and submit your best travel tip to our Travel Tips at you Fingertips Contest! You have until Wednesday, November 9th (11:59pm EDT) to submit your best travel tip.
On November 10th voting will be open– so get your friends and family involved so they can help you win by voting for your tip! You can vote once per day, so return often! Remember: MOST VOTES WINS!
The travel tip that receives the most votes will win an iPad 2®! The second place winner will receive a Barnes & Noble gift card for $250, and third place will receive a $100 gift card to Barnes & Noble. All participants’ travel tips will be considered for publication in our new Travel Tips eBook!
Submission period: 10/26/11 @ 4pm EDT – 11/9/11 @ 11:59pm EDT
Voting period: 11/10/11 @ 10am EDT – 11/22/11 @ 4pm EDT
Winners announced: 11/23/11 @ 4pm EDT
Prizes:
1st Place: iPad 2®
2nd Place: $250 Barnes & Noble gift card
3rd Place: $150 Barnes & Noble gift card
1. Don’t request a non smoking room; request a non smoking floor: If you have breathing problems or just don’t like the smell, a non smoking room isn’t enough. Smoke can still fill the hallways around your room. Make sure you request a non smoking floor so you are comfortable in all areas of the hotel.
2. Avoid the mini bar: Ask the hotel to hold the mini bar key at the front desk. It can be very tempting and those little bottles come at a hefty price. Instead, go out to a bar to enjoy a drink. You’re getting more for your money with a better atmosphere and people watching!
3. Bring your own snacks: Bring something nutritious like nuts and dried fruit. Snack on healthy foods often to keep your energy and mood up!
4. Toss the bedspread: Hotels don’t often clean the top quilt. They can have bugs and allergens.
5. Disinfect: Bring some disinfecting wipes and wipe down the remote control, light switches, phone and other areas that may have been overlooked by the cleaning staff.
6. Use the gym: If the hotel has a gym, use it! If the hotel doesn’t have a gym, invest in portable exercise equipment to keep you fit. You can also bring good walking/running shoes and take a long walk around the city you’re visiting.
7. Avoid reusable glasses in your room: These glasses often collect dust and might not be clean. If you need a cup, stick to the cups that are packaged in plastic or use your own reusable water bottle.
8. Bring a fan: Incase you have a noisy neighbor, bring a fan for white noise. You’ll want a good night of sleep!
9. Renovation check: Nothing is worse that a jackhammer on a vacation. Ensure that your stay will be uninterrupted by checking in with your hotel prior to your stay.
10. Know the emergency exists: You never know when there could be an emergency. Make sure you know where the exits are!
(the list above was from a Today.com/travel)
What tips or tricks to you use to ensure you have a great hotel stay?
You may think the language barrier is a large wall to climb, and it can be, so why not start small? Some important and common phrases you’ll want to know before traveling to a foreign country are: “hello,” “please,” “thank you,” “excuse me,” and “good-bye.” Once you’ve mastered those try: “Food,” ‘hotel,” “airport,” “train,” and “bank.” Although it is estimated that 1.8 billion people in the world can speak some amount of English, we think connecting with the culture and learning a thing or two isn’t so bad!
There are countless resources for learning a new language, but to get you started, try Google Translate and take a couple languages and words for a test drive!
What words or phrases do you think are most useful when traveling to a foreign country? What resources have you used to help you break that barrier?
