Informed Traveller Newsletter – January 20, 2012

 

If you are in need of some sand, sun & fun call or email us for some great Southern all – inclusive deals.

Now check out this neat video clip . It will definitely make you appreciate all the wonderful travel opportunities we have.

Everything’s Amazing & Nobody’s Happy

Travel Tips & Trends
* Travel Talk – geared to solo travellers, but ALL welcome – Our next travel talk is at a new venue -James Street Café, 3819 Canada Way (2 blocks east of Boundary Rd.), Burnaby. Sunday, February 5, 2012 - 10am - $15 for FULL English Breakfast (yum) which includes coffee/tea, taxes & tips. Plenty of onsite parking.

Come out to hear great travel opportunities in 2012. Meet potential travel companions – room mates or cruise mates – and find out about our Panama Canal cruise – Turkey - Britain & Ireland - Baltic cruising and MORE. Also, we are spotlighting the amazing Voyages to Antiquity cruises – small ship explorations – 350 passengers – unique itineraries – all inclusive pricing! We have over 35 booked and just a few spots left so reserve now.

* Keep your passport in good shape -  Passport Canada recommends that Canadians whose passport has been damaged apply for a new passport as soon as possible. The message is also out there with some travel suppliers, e.g. Westjet, where travellers Mexico-bound have reportedly refused entry to travellers with damaged passports. Passport Canada goes on to state that a traveler with a damaged passport may face significant delays at passport checkpoints: airlines might prohibit you from boarding, and you could be refused entry to a country with a damaged passport.

* Travel Tip –  Always leave the contact information of where you are staying and your itinerary with someone at home.

* Anything will help – By the Spring Break it will be easier for travellers to fly to the U.S.. E.g. passengers travelling there will be able to use NEXUS cards to expedite screening in the 8 largest Canadian airports. In addition, travellers will also benefit from the elimination of duplicate baggage screening over the next 3 years. E.g. bags will no longer have to be screened leaving Canada and again at the connecting U.S. airport.

* Travel Insurance Tip – Even if you decide not to insure the cancellation costs of your trip prior to departure you should purchase “low cost” interruption insurance – you never know what can happen while you are travelling. Call anytime for a quote.

Great Getaways

5 Night Coastal Cruise Getaway – Coral Princess – from $879CAD (single supp $590)
May 9 to 14 - L.A. To Vancouver
    

Celebrating a birthday, reunion or anniversary? Gather your friends & family and have a fabulous experience.

Enjoy gourmet meals, entertainment and more as you fly down to L.A. And cruise back 5 nights on the beautiful Coral Princess, with stops in San Francisco and Victoria.

BONUS! Add from $180/person for a 2 night pre-cruise stay at Harrah's in Las Vegas! (May 7 to 14, 2012)

Inside Cabins – from $879CAD  
Oceanview Cabins – from $1,009CAD
Balconies – from $$1,079CAD
Package includes:

Wynn in Las Vegas for 3 Nights - $529CAD + 109 taxes/person – March 4 to 7

We have 20% off on stays of 3 nights or more. Stay in the 5 star Wynn Las Vegas with this package that includes air from Vancouver and 3 nights at the resort. You’ll bet this is a great deal.

Say Aloha in Hawaii for 7 Nights - $859CAD _ 116 taxes/person – February 23 to March 1

This package that includes air from Vancouver, 7 nights at the Miramar at Waikiki in Oahu.  

Sun and Sand for 7 Nights – Get Away Without Losing Your Shirt. Even though you won’t need it.

These prices include the roundtrip air to destination, 7 nights in an all-inclusive resort and transfers. They are 4 star properties at 3 star prices. We have many more.

Punta Cana, Dominican Republic – VIK Hotel Arena Blanca – 4 star - $599CAD + 376 taxes/person

Puerto Vallarta – Friendly Vallarta Cameleon Gold – 4 star - $629CAD + 334 taxes/person

Riviera Maya – Catalonia Yucatan Beach Resort & Spa Cameleon Gold – 4 star - $939CAD + 265 taxes/person

Varadero – Barcelo Marina Palace – 4 star - $999CAD + 265 taxes/person 

For those that have more time – These are great value vacations

Delicious Deals to the Cook Islands – 14 Days - $1,789CAD + $400 taxes – Departures to May 31, 2012

Packages include: Roundtrip air from Vancouver, transfers, 12 nights hotel, free car or scooter rental or restaurant voucher, $500 black pearl pendant and $200 dining voucher.

21 Day Ultimate Yangtze Special - $3,499CAD + taxes/person – Departs May 21 & October 22

Experience 21 days of China’s most popular cities including the Yangtze River and an excursion to Shennong Stream, home to the Mandarin ducks and Golden Hair monkeys. You’ll visit the Forbidden City, the Great Wall, rock sculptures in Dazu, the Terra Cotta Warriors of Xian, the scenic cruise on the Grand Canal in Suzhou and many more highlights are included in this package. Of course, the trip also includes a cruise on the Yangtze River through the Three Gorges.  If you have the time, this is the ultimate China trip to take.

16 Night Panama Canal Repositioning Cruise – Holland America Westerdam

 April 25 to May 11, 2012 – Ft. Lauderdale to Vancouver   

This is a great value and the prices include all taxes + port charges. Just add appx $350CAD for air to Ft. Lauderdale.

Only Inside & Balcony Cabins available.

Inside Cabin - $1,820USD

Balcony Cabin – $3,060USD

ITINERARY

DAY

DATE

PORT

ARRIVE

  DEPART

Wed

Apr

25

Fort Lauderdale, FL

5:00pm

Thu

Apr

26

At Sea

Fri

Apr

27

At Sea

Sat

Apr

28

Cartagena, Colombia

7:00am

2:00pm

Sun

Apr

29

Panama Canal (Full Transit) (Cruising)

Mon

Apr

30

Golfo Dulce, Costa Rica (Cruising)

Tue

May

1

Puerto Caldera, Costa Rica

7:00am

5:00pm

Wed

May

2

Corinto, Nicaragua

9:00am

5:00pm

Thu

May

3

At Sea

Fri

May

4

At Sea

Sat

May

5

Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

8:00am

5:00pm

Sun

May

6

Cabo San Lucas, Mexico

8:00am

4:00pm

Mon

May

7

At Sea

Tue

May

8

San Diego, CA

7:00am

4:00pm

Wed

May

9

At Sea

Thu

May

10

At Sea

Fri

May

11

Vancouver, BC, Canada

10:00am


14 Day Wonders of Turkey - $3,195CAD + $520 taxes – Includes air on British Airways

May 17 to 30, 2012 – Includes all transfers, breakfast & dinner daily.

Small tour with a maximum 16 people. Book your spot now. Non-refundable deposit of $300 due now and final payment March 15.

Ask us about full itinerary.

15 Day Wonders of Britain & Ireland - $2,899CAD + $499CAD Air + $511 taxes

Includes airport transfers. Using Air Transat direct, non-stop air to London Gatwick.
June 1 to 15, 2012

Ask us about full itinerary.

Exploring Britain & Ireland - Featuring England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales

London ● Stonehenge ● Bath ● Cardiff ● Waterford Crystal ● Blarney Castle ● Killarney ● Ring of Kerry ● Farm Visit ● Dublin ● Wales ● Lake District ● Edinburgh ● York Stratford-upon-Avon

Ponder the mysteries of mankind at the famous monument of Stonehenge.

Overnight in the capital cities of London, Cardiff, Dublin and Edinburgh.

Visit historic Blarney Castle where you can kiss the famous Blarney Stone.

See majestic Caernarfon Castle, where the future King of England was crowned Prince of Wales.

Join in the festivities as a guest at a traditional Irish House Party.

Something to Make you Smile and Ponder

Creative Puns?

The short fortune teller who escaped from prison was a small medium at large.

A chicken crossing the road is poultry in motion.

When cannibals ate a missionary, they got a taste of religion.

Airplane! Extravaganza

This comedy classic from 1980 (can it be that long ago!) never fails to elicit chuckles. Here are a couple of our favourite bits. Surely, we can't be serious!

Clarence, Roger and Victor
Techno-speak gets a poke in the Airplane! cockpit.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fVq4_HhBK8Y

Don't Eat The Fish
This film specializes in the escalation of single premise jokes into stratospheric heights of silliness.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DkGR65CXaNAY

Are these really true?

Albert Einstein was offered the presidency of Israel in 1952, but he declined.

The Mona Lisa has no eyebrows. In the Renaissance era, it was fashion to shave them off.

9 out of every 10 living things live in the ocean.

We see the Golden Gate but no Lions Gate Bridge on this list?

Bridges have a fascination for travellers -- the unique ones can become icons for their cities and a magnet for tourism and especially for those who appreciate historical and cultural themes. See great photos of these most famous bridges at Touropia at the link at the bottom of this article. Some will be familiar and others are in some very remote corners of the earth, but all are fascinating.

 

http://www.touropia.com/most-famous-bridges-in-the-world/

The Ultimate Bridge Failure

Watch the amazing "Gallopin' Gertie" November 7, 1940 film clip of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge. Slender, elegant and graceful, the Tacoma Narrows Bridge stretched like a steel ribbon across Puget Sound in 1940. The third longest suspension span in the world opened on July 1st. Only four months later, the great span's short life ended in disaster. "Galloping Gertie," collapsed in a windstorm on November 7,1940.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j-zczJXSxnw
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