We are pleased to announce our new Jackpot Sweepstakes! Starting today, January 26^th, 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.

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?

Packing for a trip can be a daunting task. What to bring? How much to bring? With help from a blog post by Jack Thomas, here are a few tips to get you started.

Pick two basic colors of clothing.

• Picking two basic colors of clothing will allow you to limit the number of shoes and accessories you have to bring.

Plan on doing laundry.

• Try to bring no more than a weeks worth of clothing.  When you run out of clean clothes, just do a quick wash!

Bring washable silk

• Washable silk is as good as cotton. It keeps you warm and cool. Washable silk dries overnight and 10-15 pieces take the same space as 2 pairs of jeans.

Bring a rain coat

• A plastic rain coat can double as a bathrobe or windbreaker.

Bring old clothes

• If you bring old clothing, you can discard it along the way! That way you can have more room for souvenirs!

Plan ahead

• Make sure you check the weather before you leave. Although weather can be unpredictable,  this should give you a good indication of what’s ahead.

Do you have any other great packing tips? Let us know!

Don’t Skip Meals!
You are going to need the energy for sightseeing! If you want to save money, try going to a local market and buying snacks such as bread, cheese and fruit to keep you going. Enjoy it at a nearby park instead of eating in a restaurant!

Don’t Overeat!
Since eating is a delicacy of many foreign countries, it will be tough to turn down the large array of cuisine offered. Try eating the healthier options provided!

Drink Plenty of Fluids
Bring water bottles with you everywhere you go! This will help keep you hydrated and ready to explore what your destination has to offer. Along with drinking bottled water, fruit juices can also help hydrate. Depending on your destination, there may be precautions to take with drinking tap water. Some countries do not have a clean enough water source to drink from. Be careful when ordering drinks to make sure you are not drinking water directly from the tap or drinking anything with ice cubes. Drink bottled water to ensure your personal health. You can never be too safe!

Don’t Be Afraid to Ask
When eating out, do not be afraid to try new foods. If you are hesitant, ask the waiter of the restaurant or your program manager on how certain foods are prepared. This will help you find which foods are right for your diet.

Record your passport number and the date and place of issue, and retain this information in your wallet. It is also a good idea to photocopy of the first few pages of your passport. Remember to keep this copy with you on your trip, but separate from your real passport. If your passport is lost or stolen, immediately notify the nearest American embassy or consulate and the local police.

We know you love to travel. And we also know that many of you enjoy taking photos of the places you visit and new friends you meet on tour.
These are just a few quick travel photography tips that will help when planning your next journey.

Show us your handiwork by posting your shots on our Facebook or Flickr pages.

Don’t load yourself down with camera equipment

If you own a large amount of camera equipment  (several lenses, bodies & tripods ), don’t load yourself down with all of it. It will only make for an uncomfortable trip. Carry the most effective , compact camera you  own, keeping all the “extras” to a minimum.

Ask permission before.

You’ll need to learn what the culture you’re in thinks of having their picture taken. Some people believe that if you take their photo you’ve stolen part of their soul. And in some places, taking pictures of the women, or the children, or the military or holy men will get you in some serious trouble.

Bring extra batteries, film & memory cards

These items can be hard to find in some areas of the world and in some instances can cost 3-4 more than at home.

Keep a haze filter over your camera lens

It won’t interfere with your photography and it will keep your expensive lens from getting damaged while you are traveling.

National Geographic have some excellent tips for digital photography here
If your looking to purchase a new camera CNET deliver some of the best reviews online

No matter how widely English is spoke, it pays (and is good diplomacy) to learn a few words in the native tongue. Learn basics such as “Please, thank you, you’re welcome, Do you speak English?,”

From Fodor’s:

Fodor’s has partnered with the experts at Living Language to provide you with Language for Travelers. This fun, easy, and effective method for learning key phrases will help you prepare for your trip, whether you’re reactivating a language you studied a long time ago or you’re starting from scratch.

Amazon has a wide range of phrasebooks & guides

While they do look nice, we don't recommend packing a steamer trunk for modern air travel.

Evaluate your luggage

Before anything else, get your suitcases out of storage and inspect them carefully for damage that may have occurred on your last trip. Many luggage brands look similar, especially the soft-sided variety. Mark your luggage clearly with a distinctive stripe, special strap, big red dot, your initials in large letters — whatever helps to identify it quickly. If you travel with Vantage, we’ll send you special luggage tags to help identify your baggage at the airport and during transfers.

Clearly label your luggage

Remove old destination tags, and then attach your name, address, and tour group to a prominent place on your luggage. The outside tag should only show your name and tour group — print your address on the reverse (concealed) side. To easily identify your luggage, attached a brightly colored handle wrap to each piece. Enclose a copy of your itinerary in each bag.

Tape your name and address inside your luggage

Be sure to include “USA” with your address. Include a phone number, with area code, that can be reached at home, and label what the number is (your office phone, for example). Do not use your home phone number, unless someone will be there to answer it. Put the phone number of a friend inside, too. If you use e-mail regularly, also consider including your e-mail address.