Knowledge is Power... planning your vacation

How do you plan for your vacation? 

While booking a last minute may seem like saving a lot and getting a good deal you may learn that is not always the case....last minute deals are generally done on things that did not sale....and you should ask yourself ...Why? 

Learning the basics and doing a bit of homework may be the difference between a vacation that you will always remember and a nightmare you will never wanna remember. A good travel agent can provide you with all the information and guidance you need, but there are thing that you should decide on your own and with sufficient knowledge and homework you can confidently book by yourself online. 

Choosing your destination... 

The most important step to any vacation....this will determine the quality of hotels available, the food, things to do, and things to see. 
Keep in mind that not the entire world speaks English, if you choose a non-English speaking country you should be aware that for the people you will encounter English will be a second language and they may communicate between themselves in the countries official language...if you are one of those people that get easily annoyed by this ( I never understood why someone would be) then stick to countries where English is the official language. Learning a few polite words in the countries official language is always a good idea. 

Now that you know where you wanna go lets decide how to get there.... 

If you decide on a flight you have 2 options: scheduled airlines or charter airlines. There are pros an cons to both and usually price is the biggest factor in a lot of peoples decision. 
A charter airline is usually a lot more economical which is a huge attraction...however there are a few things you should know about a charter airline...They may not flight year round to all the destinations they advertise, they may have limited number of flights a day/week, but the biggest things to keep in mind is that a charter airline may change the time or routing of your flight at any time. In Ontario they may make as many changes as they want as long as they keep them within 24 hours and not offer any compensation...so do not book them if you have to arrive at a certain time...and never book a charter airline if you are planning to make a flight connection. With the above in mind charter airlines never sell NON-Stop flight only Direct flight...the difference you may ask?....a Direct flight may have 1 or more stops, but you are not required to change planes... so even if you initially payed for a flight going from point A to B you may notice later that it changed to go from point A to B via C ...and no, you will not receive a compensation.... 

A scheduled airline is the opposite...it is scheduled to depart and arrive at a scheduled time and if a schedule change occurs the airline will compensate you...they are generally more expensive but they are flight that you can rely on if you are not very flexible. 

An important fact to remember is that no matter what kind of flight you take delays may always happen due to weather (acts of God) or mechanical...in these situations you will not receive any type of compensation. If you need the airline may provide you with a written explanation of why your flight was delayed....if such a letter is needed a polite and short letter may get you a better response from any customer service agent then one filled with improper language....remember you catch more flies with honey. It also helps your case if you are honest and tell them that you need the letter to justify the time you missed form work, the agent answering your letter will probably be more sympathetic and will most likely include all the technical details and not that send you a copy of the terms and conditions. 


Now where will you stay?.... 

Star rating may give you an indication to how the hotel you pick is in comparison with the rest of the hotels in the area....however 2 different hotels with the same star rating in 2 different countries may not have the same quality standard...While star rating may be a good place to start do not stop there....this is where a good travel agent may come in handy....if you decide to read other peoples opinion on sites like Trip advisor take everything with a grain of salt... 

Now you are ready to book your vacation....oh wait...when should you book it? 

When you are decided where to go, where to stay, and when to depart....there is no guarantee or secret formula to predict if the price will drop or raise....there is no point to ask such a question as no one will be able to answer...the only thing that is a well known fact is that the price are always subject to change and you are stuck at whatever price you paid....it is best to stop checking prices once you paid for your vacation and never ask other passengers what they paid, as one of the two things may happen they paid less and you will get aggravated or they paid more and they will get aggravated.....if you are in that situation where you are asked a simple white lie may do the trick..."sorry, no idea, the trip was a present" 

There are things that can affect the price...the product is not selling..and then you should ask why...and the prices are dropped so the Tour Operator or the Airline does not take a loss...or something major happens, like a company going bankrupt which will increase the demand on all the other companies and the price will sky-rocket....if that happens a good travel agent may suggest changing destination to a less demanded place or delaying the vacation until the storm is past. 

So to answer your question? you have the money?...book it know and do not look back. 



Happy Travels

Packing Smart

     Today's recession economy and oil prices forced most airlines to look at ways to cut costs. One places where they focus their attention is baggage allowance. To avoid additional costs, not to mention stress and hassle, you need to learn to pack smart for any vacation.

     There are 3 types of baggage that you may encounter in any airline baggage allowance notice: Personal Item, Carry-on, and Checked Baggage. The trick to pack smart is to understand these terms and what should go in each of them.

     Personal Item refers to a laptop bag, camera bag, purse...in the case of children a personal item can be a medium to small backpack with toys.

     Carry-on luggage is the piece of luggage which will travel with you in the airplane and has weight and size restrictions that MUST not be exceeded.

     Checked Baggage is the piece/s of luggage that are checked at the check-in desk and will travel in the cargo area of the plane. While some airlines allow a small free weight for these items others charge a fee. There are also overweight fees that airlines implemented, these fees can be per kg or per item.

     So now that we know the terms, what do we pack and where?

     In addition to the extra cost of checked baggage there is always the risk of lost, stolen, damaged, delayed baggage that can occur at any point of your travel from check-in to the baggage claim point at your destination, and same can apply on the way back.

     There is a huge misconception that items will only be stolen out of bags in small airports and developing countries...there are thieves is any corner of the world therefore it can happen in any airport even with sophisticated security systems. Any baggage issue runs the risks to ruin your vacation before it even starts. That is why I travel with only carry-ons, but I understand that not everyone may wanna do that.

     If you decide to travel with checked luggage here are a few tricks that should avoid some issues and decrease the amount of stress that a delayed or missing bag may create:
- High value items such as electronics (even if the battery is dead), jewellery, documents, photo and video equipment should never be placed in the checked baggage. Not only that the airline will not offer any compensation for their loss (notices can be found most often in fine print on airline websites or at the check-in counter) they are also items that can easily be damaged not to mention exactly what a thief may be looking for.

- Medication should always be placed in luggage that you may have access at any-time (personal item or carry-on). If you carry medication for a condition that may require medication at irregular times ( e.i. allergy) you should have this medication on your person. While you may have your carry-on luggage close by there are times during a flight that you may not be allowed to get up from your seat, therefore your access is limited (take-off, landing, turbulence...). When travelling with a companion make sure that they are also aware of where your medication is located.

     When deciding what clothing you should pack where you are going and what you are planning on doing will be a huge deciding factor. While everyone likes to look good you may wanna leave home your most expensive dress, suite, or shoes. Packing items that can be combined and create different outfits will not only keep your weight lower but will increase your number of outfits available to you.

     

In you Carry-on, in addition to your valuables and medication, you should pack a complete change of clothes (including underwear), and bathing suite. Once these above items have been packed you should continue adding until you reach your carry-on baggage weight and size. A trick I learned from a friend is to roll the cloths instead of folding them, not only that they will take less space they will not wrinkle

.

     Decide on what you will wear in the plane. Wearing your heaviest shoes, and layering your cloths will help you pack lighter and make the transition from a climate to another much easier.

Until next time happy travels.

Arriving in Tortuguero and night tour

This secluded village located on an island surrounded on one side by a series of canals and on the other by the Caribbean Sea can only be accessed by boat or small propeller planes. This seclusion kept urban development away and still offers a pristine environment to anyone that is adventurous enough to visit.

There is a project in place to bring this wonderful place to the attention of more tourists, however the information was still limited and the accommodation photos where amateur at best and did not provide enough visual to do them justice.

Just like professionally photographed hotel rooms in the glossy magazines can provide a false positive, amateur shots with bad angles and poor lighting can provide a false negative impression, and with a place not as popular at Puntarenas it was difficult to find enough reviews to help my decision making.

 I knew from the research I did that Tortuguero was small and very basic in what it offered. There are lodges that offer more amenities, but are not located in the village, and accommodation in the village are not only more affordable, but also in the heart of the place....there are hostels as well, but we are not that adventures, and we like our privacy.

Using the village website I decided that it may just be easier to contact one of the local guides and request his assistance and services. The main reason for our visit was after all to see the turtles which you could only do if you hired a guide.

I decided to contact Rafael, mainly because he advertised that he can assist with transfers from San Jose (he arranged our transfer with Jungle Tom Safari).

What I requested as accommodation was very simple: a clean room with private bathroom and friendly staff. a local authentic feel to the room was a bonus. I knew it will not be comparable with what we enjoyed in San Jose...but maybe that is exactly why I picked Hotel Presidente in San Jose.

Arriving in Tortuguero my heart was in my throat looking for a reaction from my husband. I knew what to expect, but I was not sure how well did I manage to explain him that this place was "basic". I knew the village was small and that there are no cars at all, people here used the oldest form of transportation....their feet...and sometimes a bicycle...but was that enough to paint an image of this village?

We were met at the docks by the owner of the Taylor's Place, accommodation that Rafael suggested. The older lady did not speak English so our basic Spanish came in handy. I was very greatful that she decided to use simple basic words and did not rush the conversation which allowed us to understand most of what she said and fallow her. She told us to avoid all the other tourists she will use the back-road, my heart stopped when I saw the sand ally snaking between houses and gardens/yards with chickens, dogs, and cats walking freely...what will my husband say?...am I dead?...I said this village was secluded and "basic" but what did he envision as basic since we lived in Canada?...2 minutes later we were in our room....alone...

I still believe my husband could read the panic I was feeling as he turned around and said..." You were right...this place is "basic"....but nice"...and he was right it was more then nice...it was wonderful. Here, people and nature seemed to live in harmony with each other and there was a lot invested in conservation and Eco-friendliness.

Our room was a small clean room with a double bed and a twin one and a private bathroom with a walk-in shower....and we had A/C...There was no TV or radio in the room, but it would be a crime in this place to waste your vacation looking at one. One of the things that we quickly discovered inspecting our new room was that the shower and toilet were running on rain water....just another little reminder that we were in a country that really embraces eco-friendliness.

 Taylor's Place has a nicely groomed garden with tropical plants and coconut trees, it also has a nice gazebo with 4 hammocks, a great place to relax, read a book or just look at the birds in the tree.

We had a turtle tour planned, but that was not until 8 p.m. so we decided to go exploring.

The main road is the only road that is paved (cement) and most of the restaurants, souvenir shops, and the general store are found along it. The marina is also along this road found on the canal side.

Now, that I was no longer afraid of what my husband may say about my decision, I started taking in details that I did not notice on our 2 minute walk to our room. The property around each house was well groomed and said a lot about the hard working people owning them. The dogs walking around were very used to strangers walking around and as long as you did not step on their tail they were no bother to you (they do keep the wild animals away...or so I was told). I also noticed a few smaller roosters, very colourful ...I was so happy to see them walk around some of the yards as one of my uncles used to have some when I was growing up.

Just like anywhere else in the Central America it gets dark pretty early...a thing that we where not yet used to...by 8 pm it was completely dark and felt more like midnight...we were ready for the Turtle tour

Tortuguero is famous for the turtles laying eggs on it's beach...as a matter of fact the towns name translates to Turtle hunters....while hunting turtles for their eggs and meat is now part of the history of the place the turtles are still a very important part of this town.

There are a few conservation efforts in different stages of development that we learned about.

While the demand to see the turtles laying eggs and the baby turtles making their first trip to the sea is increasing yearly, conservationists observed that due to large numbers of people the turtles were getting scared and returning to the sea without laying their eggs. The Turtle Scout program is dedicating all their efforts and funds to minimize the negative human impact. A trail was cut through the jungle parallel to the beach with numerous connections to it every 100 meters. During the time the turtles lay eggs the beach is closed and closely monitored from dusk to dawn....the only way to gain access is by purchasing one of the 2 nightly tours with a registered guide.

One of the things that was going through my mind following our guide through the night was "competition"....I figured with a small village and numerous guides competition must be huge...I could not have been further from the truth. While there are a great number of guides, there is an even greater number of tourists that request their services. I was very pleased to see how the guides were working together not against each other. We were initially in a group of majority Spanish speakers and once we arrived at a resting spot on the trail where other groups where waiting our guide approached us and told us that he spoke with a different guide and they exchanged some tourists...this allowed him to have an all Spanish group and we were to join an English group.

We remained at the resting spot, a nice big covered area with many benches, for some time as designated Guides were combing the beach for turtle sightings. Waiting in the dark I noticed small lights flickering from the jungle...it took me a bit to realize that we were surrounded by fireflies....Fireflies had been a part of my childhood memories and I have not seen one since leaving Europe...

After some time we were taken to the beach where a giant green turtle was returning to the sea. We were allowed to walk behind it and observe it...apparently she came to the beach to lay her eggs but the spot she chose was not suitable as after digging a bit she reached some roots...so she returned to the sea. We learned that this is common practice and the turtle will return to a different spot on the beach.

Once the turtle was in the water we returned to the resting spot in the jungle, we were halfway through our tour. Because we were watching wild animals we knew very well that there were no guaranties to actually see a turtle laying eggs...but we saw a Green Turtle and we were happy. My thoughts were interrupted by the movements of the guides who gettered in a spot a few meters up the trail from the resting spots and were pointing their flash-lights into the deep jungle.

I later learned that there are jaguars in the area, but they are attracted by the turtles....the great number of humans is not appealing to them, but you should not venture out there by yourself. The jaguars feed on the turtles, they wait until the turtle is laying the eggs and then they attack.

When a turtle starts laying eggs it completely "relaxes" and it will not move until all her eggs are laid. This is when the tourists are aloud to enter the beach...it is also the time that if there are no humans around a jaguar may strike...so maybe we were doing something good as long as we were listening to the very strict rules set and enforced by the National Park.

It was almost 10 p.m. when the guide rounded us all up...I thought it was time to go, when he told us that we were going back to the beach to see a turtle laying eggs. I could not have been more happy as this experience was exactly why I came to Tortuguero.

Following the guides red flashlight and trying not to fall behind we were headed back to the beach to a spot not far from where the first turtle tried to dig her nest. We gettered around the Green Turtle and watched her lay her golf ball size eggs wondering how may will make it to the sea...knowing that in this place the human interference was playing a positive role in ensuring that a great number of babies make it.

When the eggs are laid and covered the nest will be marked and when it is time for the babies to hatch there will be other tourists welcoming them into the world. Those tourists will keep the birds and other predators away just like we were keeping the Jaguars away from this turtle increasing the chances for this species survival.

After some "valuable time" spent with the mama turtle we made our way back to the village. We were not even 2 minutes from our room when the rain that threatened us for the past 10 minutes started poring, by the time we got to our room we were drenched. I could not help but wonder if contacting a guide prior to our arrival and asking for assistance may have been what brought us back to the room just as the rain started?...If asked I would have picked the later tour because to me 8pm in the summer is to early for a night tour... Lucky?

We went to sleep early and woke up in the middle of the night because of the noises the rain was making...it was so loud that I thought there must be a great storm outside, but when I opened the door I realized it was not that bad. Most of the noise was caused by the trees and the wind, which was not even that powerful...back to sleep.

On the way to Tortuguero with Jungle Tom

While I prepared a very detailed itinerary for our vacation I decided that it may be better not to book all the accommodations in advance. This allowed me to alter the itinerary and if I were to dislike the accommodations I planned to use I could just move to the next hotel...no money lost...no issues.

Other then the airfare and the first night of accommodation which where purchased in advance I also contacted a guide from Tortuguero to assist me with a transfer to the village and guidance to find accommodations there.

Rafael, our Tortuguero guide, arranged our transfer from San Jose to Tortuguero with Jungle Tom Safari, a family owned tour company which offers day trips and transfers to various places.

 Tom met us in the hotel lobby and after he asked us if we speak Spanish (which we honestly answered...a bit) he asked us to wait for him in-front of the hotel for 2 minutes so he can run across to pick more passengers up. While waiting for him to return I started wondering how this transfer, which was part of a tour, would play out since Tom only spoke to us in Spanish.... The pleasant surprise came when we were all on the minibus and Tom announced us that since most passengers were English speakers the tour will be in English...and his English was perfect, no accent at all.

We were up for a long transfer first by minibus then by boat, but with Tom as our guide it turned to be the most wonderful tour we had so far, we learned so much from him about the history, geography, fauna, and flora of Costa Rica and the conversations did not stop there...from jokes to geology and philosophy I believe we touched all the subjects and Tom never ran out of a subject to talk about. The years of experience and love for his country and his job were really obvious...I would confidently recommend him to any friend.

The first wonderful stop was to view a point were two rivers join, one was coming from a volcanic mountain and was very rich in sulphur, from the top of the bridge it looked muddy and yellow, the other was coming from the jungle and had a wonderful blue/green colour.

Some time later we stopped at Rancho Roberto, a ranch style restaurant known for the traditional dishes. Located on the Atlantic road at a cross to Sarapiqui and Limon it is a must try for anyone driving by. Our breakfast included fresh fruit, eggs, the traditional Gallo Pinto (rice and beans), and a coffee to die for.

After breakfast we visited a banana plantation where we learned a few interesting facts like the use of blue bags covering the bananas to ensure all the bananas ripped at the same time avoiding a waist of crop, also that green bananas are toxic and can not be consumed off the tree....so if you ever wonder why you got tummy aches after eating an unripe banana, now you know... but what impressed me the most is that nothing was going to waist. Even the banana shoots where being sent to be transformed into paper, toilet paper and other things.

Going Green was a theme we encountered very often almost everywhere we turned in Costa Rica.












Leaving the plantation the minibus slammed the breaks and before anyone can start asking why we stopped so abruptly in the middle of an empty road, we were invited out to view a young Three Claw Sloth. We learned that this extremely slow animal has virtually no natural predators and that was attributed to the toxic algae growing on its fur, and if need be this animal would make good use of it's long strong claws normally used for climbing and hanging on trees.




A very short distance away from the sloth we also had a chance to view howling monkeys playing in the trees at the edge of the road.

Our last part or the transfer/tour was by boat...probably the uncomfortable part for my husband who does not swim and is uncomfortable when not on solid ground, but faced with a choice between a boat or a small airplane the boat won.

Once everyone was on-board the brim of the boat was very close to the water which did not help in adding any confidence, however once we got going and after a few relatively fast turns and no water entering the boat we relaxed a bit...at least I did.

The view of the jungle overgrowing on the sides of the canal was breathtaking. Tropical flowers, birds and animals welcomed us at every turn of the canal. We could not wait to arrive in Tortuguero and explore more of this wonderful place.









Until next time happy travels.