Amsterdam's canals charm visitors in any season.

Fewer tourists. More connections with locals. No summer heat. Way cheaper.

Welcome to off-season travel, which more and more savvy travelers are choosing every year for a multitude of good reasons.

Take Holland & Belgium, for instance — two European destinations popular in many packaged vacations. At the height of the tourist season – mid-April through September – these countries are overrun with travelers from around the world chasing beautiful bulbs or warm weather. But the weather in Holland & Belgium is rarely harsh, even in the dead of winter.  (temperatures average in the upper 40s in Amsterdam in March, for example – not too bad!)

And while you may not see as many bulbs traveling in March, you’ll more than make up for it in access to cultural experiences and conversations with locals. Yes, you might run into a cold rain while walking around Ghent. But imagine ducking into a café, ordering a stout ale or a plate of stoemp and sausages, and settling down for a robust conversation with a Ghent local about Belgian life. Many travelers cite encounters like this as the highlight of their trip – and it all happened off-season. With fewer tourists fighting for café stools and museum tickets, it’s quite possible that off-season travel affords travelers more exposure to “daily life” in Holland or Belgium than a high-season trip.

Don’t forget about the savings one can enjoy avoiding the high season. Vantage Deluxe World Travel, for instance, is currently offering March departures for its Holland and Belgium river cruise for up to $1600 per person less than May departures. And while you’re there, you’ll enjoy off-season prices at many restaurants and museums. You could use some of that money you saved to splurge for that afternoon coffee or tea to warm up in Amsterdam or spring for an extra optional excursion or two.

Whatever your destination of choice, you may want to consider connecting with the locals on their own turf … experiencing high culture without the crowds … and enjoying huge savings – by taking an off-season trip.

It might just become your best-kept travel secret.

PHOTO: AMSTERDAM CANAL BY LARS BRINKMAN VIA STOCK.XCHG.

Street vendor roasting chestnuts in Seville, Spain. To find the best street food, watch where the locals go.

Budget Travel Magazine recently released its list of the cities with the world’s tastiest street food. An eclectic selection of culinary treasure troves, the list features a number of Vantage destinations: Rio de Janeiro (#6), Brussels (#8), Vienna (#9), Istanbul (#10), Tel Aviv (#11), Bangkok (#12) and Hanoi (#13).

But while sampling a city’s delicious food can be one of the most gratifying aspects of traveling, smart travelers take special care to make sure what they’re eating won’t make them sick. Remembering a handful of general principles relating to food safety can make your culinary experience the best it can be — whether you’re picking up a fresh acai shake in Rio or a sabich pita sandwich in Tel Aviv.

1. Drinking water is the most common source of dietary problems while traveling. Because foods are often washed and cooked in water, water quality ought to be a concern for any discerning traveler. [Note: We recommend bringing along a reusable bottle to refill with water that has been boiled or purified with tablets, which are available at most outdoors stores. Plastic bottle waste is one of the biggest environmental crises in many developing countries popular to travelers.] As a last resort, bottled water is available in most places around the world.
2. Above safety concerns in mind, drink lots of water. You’re walking around a lot, often in warm temperatures, and thus your likelihood of becoming dehydrated is much higher than when you’re sedentary. Aim for drinking around 2 Liters of water throughout the day.
3. Live by the colonial mantra, “Cook it, wash it, peel it or forget it.” Foods that are cooked or in their peels are less susceptible to airborne contaminants than raw or uncooked foods. Any raw fruits or vegetables you consume should be washed in purified water.
4. Stick to condiments – like mayonnaise, ketchup and salad dressing – that are served in sealed packages.
5. Order meats and eggs well-done or medium-well and eat them while they are hot.
6. In certain places, avoid cold meat platters, cheese, buffet foods, unpasteurized dairy products and unsealed condiments.
7. Fish tend to accumulate and store contaminants from a variety of sources. Order seafood at your own risk and only from well-trusted sources.
8. A good snack food in most places are nuts and other shelled foods.
9. Not all street vendors or restaurants are created equal. Ask locals or a hotel concierge for their recommended list of restaurants or vendors, or else follow the crowds to the area’s better dining-out spots.
10. Bring your own plates and utensils, if you have them. This is a way to cut risk from food-borne illness due to improper washing.

Though these tips don’t apply in every travel situation, thinking about what you’re eating and drinking while traveling will ensure that you stay happy and healthy while on vacation. For the latest food advisories in your travel destinations, visit The World Health Organization’s Food Safety website before you leave home.

PHOTO CREDIT: CHESTNUTS IN SEVILLA BY SUE ANNA JOE VIA STOCK.XCHNG.

Here are links to several web sites or travel blogs that can give you additional information about baggage fees:

• http://budgettravel.about.com/od/airfarescruises/tp/majors_bagfees.htm

• http://www.orbitz.com/blog/tag/baggage-fees/

• http://www.csmonitor.com/Money/new-economy/2010/0112/Delta-baggage-fees-go-up.-Here-are-three-ways-to-avoid-them

With baggage costs on the rise, it is also the perfect time to remind travelers about packing tips to help lighten your load and potentially reduce your costs:

• Pack only what you need, or put another way, bring only half as much as you will need
• Organize by packing for your “typical day” and make a checklist if you have difficulty deciding what necessities to bring
• Try to keep heavy, bulky footwear to a minimum
• Use every inch of luggage space
• Insert hosiery into your shoes
• Roll up sweaters and undergarments on the bottom and sides of your luggage, followed by layers of clothing that wrinkle more easily
• Bring sample sizes of toiletry items

Before flying, remember to phone your airline (or visit its web site) for the latest information. Happy and safe travels!

PHOTO CREDIT: LUGGAGE, ANYONE? BY LINDA DuBOSE VIA STOCK.XCHNG.

Spectacular view of ash plume & lightning above Iceland's Eyjafjallajökull volcano, source of the recent flight delays.

Given travel disruptions throughout much of Europe and other parts of the world following Iceland’s massive volcanic plume, it is the perfect time to discuss the topic of weather-related airline delays and cancellations. While extreme weather conditions demonstrating Mother Nature’s wrath are beyond everyone’s control, there are things you can do as traveler to reduce the negative impact of prolonged flight delays and cancellations.

Expecting the unexpected can go a long way toward helping you successfully manage travel delays and minimize stress:

• Before departing on your trip, know your airline’s policy for cancellations due to adverse weather.
• If you hear about probable weather delays and haven’t left for the airport, call your airline or visit its web site for the latest information.
• If you live nearby, go to the airport and speak with an airline representative. Work directly with your airline to reschedule any cancelled flights. Airlines have the most up-to-date seat information and know if they are scheduling extra flights and diversions to other airports that remain open.
• Use one of the airport’s often underused kiosks. These can be much faster than calling the airline’s 800 number which is likely to be overwhelmed with callers.
• As soon as you learn about a flight cancellation, check the departure screen and find the gates for the next two flights to your destination. Go directly to these gates and begin making inquiries about getting on the stand-by list.
• Fly as early in the day as possible, especially in the summer. You’ll be much less likely to encounter delays due to severe weather.
• Allow extra time whenever traveling, and if you absolutely must be somewhere by a certain date and time, try to fly at least a day earlier.
• In the event of extended weather delays, take a carry-on bag with sufficient necessities to last you at least two days.
• Bring phone numbers for a couple airport hotels so you can call them quickly if you need to book a room for a night or two.
• Have a debit or credit card with you to cover any additional expenses you might incur while stranded (i.e. meals, lodging, clothing, etc.).
• Be patient and flexible. Remember the airlines can’t control the weather or “acts of God” any more than you can.

Here are links to two web sites / travel blogs that include additional information to help you prepare for unforeseen flight disruptions:

• http://airtravel.about.com/od/flightdelayscancellations/a/policiescommon.htm
• http://www.tripwolf.com/en/blog/2010/04/14/flight-delays-a-captains-advice/

Wishing everyone happy, safe and on-time travels!

See a diabetes professional or your physician before you travel, especially if you have been recently diagnosed or if you are an infrequent traveler. If you are insulin dependent, advise your travel consultant prior to departure so that they may request refrigeration services at hotels and on cruise ships.

The American Diabetes Association publishes an excellent guide for diabetic travelers (shown to the right). And travelers with diabetes will also find that there are a number of nutrition bars for diabetic travelers made specifically for their needs.

More Informational Resources

• Traveling with Diabetes Supplies. A very informative post by the American Diabetes Association, including advice on bringing your diabetes supplies through airport security.
• The Diabetic Traveler. A blog devoted to issues faced by travelers with diabetes.

If you carry a smart phone or PDA, consider using applications on your phone to store this information, too. Your phone’s calendar program is a good place to store flight times and numbers. It’s good to have a paper backup of this information, though, in case you forget to charge your battery.

There is some information you definitely don’t want to include, though. Social security numbers, copies of credit card and bank account numbers, or other information you wouldn’t want to misplace shouldn’t be carried on your person while traveling.

PHOTO CREDIT: CARD INDEX BOX BY MELANIE KUIPERS VIA STOCK.XCHNG.

Protect your home.

Take steps to protect your home

This is the first in a three-part series of posts on how to protect your home while you’re out of town. Most snowbirds will already be familiar with these security suggestions, but they apply equally if you’ll be out of town for more than a week.

The Basics

• Notify police and neighbors about when you are leaving and how long you will be gone.
• Suspend all deliveries: mail, newspapers, etc. Avoid ordering mail order merchandise that might arrive while you’re away.
• Put valuables in a bank safe deposit box.
• Leave a key with a neighbor in case of emergency.

Buy an automatic timer or two

• Set up automatic timers to turn your lights on and off and to play the radio at different times of the day.
• Use a programmable timer. Smart criminals may case a neighborhood days or weeks ahead of attempting a burglary. Programmable timers allow you to set up lights so that they don’t always turn on and off at the same time of day, making it much more difficult for criminals casing a neighborhood to tell that you’re away.
• Customers at Amazon.com gave good reviews to the two timer products shown to the right. Always check reviews on these products, as some of them are poorly designed and difficult to use.

Arrange for the care of your house, lawn and garden.

• Well-kept grounds give the impression that somebody’s home.
• Ask a friend or neighbor to make periodic checks of your house, or consider employing a house-sitting service.
• Have someone remove flyers or advertising circulars from your steps, entryway, and doorknob. When ad material piles up, it’s a dead giveaway that no one is home.

PHOTO CREDIT: HOUSE IN FLORIDA BY C. SPENCER VAN GULICK VIA STOCK.XCHNG.

The right hand page of this Thai passport shows an Indian visa.

Check whether you need to obtain a visa, which is required by some countries.

A visa is an endorsement made in a passport allowing entry into the country you’re visiting, testifying that your passport has been examined and found in order. It permits you to visit that country for a specified purpose and usually for a limited time.

While actual visa processing times vary from country to country, it is best to allow 120 days to ensure that you receive your visa for your trip. Vantage travelers automatically receive information and applications if the country they are visiting requires a visa.

Don’t wait until it’s too late to get your visa. While we Americans sometimes complain about the speed at which our government’s bureaucracy runs, many countries are considerably worse, and they don’t offer the option of paying an extra fee for rush processing as our State Department does.

For American citizens, the U.S. State Department maintains information on visa requirements for most foreign nations on its web site. Click here, then on the name of the country you’ll be visiting, for specific information on travel to that country. Visa information will be under the heading, “ENTRY/EXIT REQUIREMENTS.”

Finally, if you choose to get your visa through a private company that offers visa expediting services, caveat emptor (“Let the buyer beware”). Make sure you are dealing with a reputable company.

Important: Non-U.S. and Canadian citizens traveling with a U.S. tour operator like Vantage should always check with the embassy of the country or countries of destination for passport and visa requirements.

PHOTO CREDIT: INDIAN VISA BY JON RAWLINSON VIA WIKIMEDIA COMMONS. THIS PHOTO IS LICENSED UNDER A CREATIVE COMMONS ATTRIBUTION 2.0 LICENSE.

Happy Eustachian tubes, happy traveler!

If you suffer from earaches while flying, try these tricks:

• A half hour to 45 minutes before takeoff, take an antihistamine or decongestant.
• Just before takeoff, “pop” your ears by holding your nose shut, closing your mouth, and attempting to blow air through your nostrils. This helps to clear your Eustachian tubes, which can become swollen and blocked when cabin pressure changes.
• While in flight you should swallow frequently, chew gum or candy, and “pop” your ears when the pressure builds.

It’s especially important to take these precautions if you feel a cold coming on — if the tubes are blocked, fluids can become trapped, causing painful ear infections.

PHOTO CREDIT: EAR BY HELMUT GEVERT VIA STOCK.XCHNG

Pat (via Facebook) loves reading John Grisham novels when traveling by air, and enthusiastically recommended the following Grisham titles:

• The Innocent Man
• The Partner
• A Painted House

Susan (via Facebook) suggested:

• The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, by Stieg Larsson
• The Girl Who Played with Fire, also by Stieg Larsson

Apparently Susan is a fan of Scandinavian crime novels, which have been a big favorite with whodunnit readers over the last few years. Fair warning, though: crime novels in this genre are not always a good choice for more sensitive readers.

@Scottiegirl (via Twitter) suggested an interesting mix of novels, including:

• Face of Betrayal (A Triple Threat Novel), by Lis Wiehl
• The Beach House: A Novel, by Jane Green
• The Glassblower of Murano, by Marina Fiorato

Linda (via Facebook) suggested a mystery:

• Smoke Screen: A Novel, by Sandra Brown

And Jim (via Twitter) suggested a recent World War II history:

• With the Old Breed: At Peleliu and Okinawa, by E.B. Sledge

Do you have a favorite book you enjoyed on a long flight? If so, leave a comment to let us know about it!