Luxury Cruise

By Carlton Payne

 The islands of Hawaii are a dream destination for many travelers, and a cruise that incorporates all four of the state’s beautiful islands could be just the ticket for your vacation plans. Each island has its own beauty and charm and is not the same as the others. From “Big Island” to Maui, to Oahu, to Kauai, there is something different and special about each local flavor. The best way to get a real taste of Hawaii, is to try the sample platter. Below, here is a little bit of what each individual island has to offer.

Kauai is the smallest and furthest from the “Big Island,” but do not count it out in terms of local culture. Nicknamed the “Garden Island” for its rich wildlife and beautiful scenery, the island of Kauai is home to all kinds of different nature-based activities. You can go kayaking, biking, tubing, whale watching, off road sightseeing, picnicking, snorkeling, on eco tours, dinner cruises, or see a little bit of everything from an airplane tour. The best that Hawaii’s nature ha to offer is on the beautiful island of Kauai, and it is often used in Hollywood films for its representation of the natural wildlife of Hawaii, from garden to beach to Waimea Canyon, which you can traverse on a day long tour while visiting the island.

Working your way back toward “Big Island,” your cruise boat will stop next at Oahu, the next largest island in the Hawaiian quartet. Home to the famous Waikiki beach resort, Oahu is known as the gathering place, and has been the dominant island in the chain since Honolulu was declared the capital some two hundred years ago. You can find most of the comforts of home on this developed island, but you can also go snorkeling or skydiving along the beautiful coast of the island. You can make a stop at Pearl Harbor for a bit of historical learning, and then go across the island to check out the Polynesian Cultural Center and fin out more about the rich cultural history of the island’s natives.

Like the rest of Hawaii’s islands, Maui has a host of outdoor activities, from kayaking, to biking, to ATV tours and more. Learn to parasail or surf off the coast or attend an evening luau. Some of the finest beaches and golf courses in the world are located on this island, and the summit of the Haleakala volcano is truly a sight to behold.

Moving on to our final island, your cruise will pull up to “Big Island,” which is also called Hawaii. It is actually larger than the rest of the three islands combined, and so there is a lot more to see and do. While Hawaii boasts much of the same activities as the other islands, including eco tours, island day trips, and surfing, there are things that you can only do on the island of Hawaii, such as touring the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. Whatever you decide to do, there is plenty of natural beauty around and lots of outdoor activities to keep everyone engaged and entertained.

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Getting a Good Travel Insurance Deal

By Mui Aponta

 When travelling abroad, nearly two thirds of people from the UK do not take out a travel insurance policy. But what would happen if you fell ill in a country outside Europe? Or what if they lost their baggage abroad? It’’s important to be covered against these worst case scenarios.

Travel insurance should be thought of as essential, rather than being optional. If you”re going abroad in the next year, and you need a travel insurance policy, then this article can give you some tips. Meanwhile, travel insurance from AA Travel is worth a look.

Check what cover you may already have

If you”re a premium customer with a bank or credit card company, then chances are that you”ll already have travel insurance included. This is particularly likely if you”re paying a monthly fee for your banking. Make sure you understand the terms of this deal if you find you have one.

You may not know for sure if you have a policy with your account. If you don”t, then contact your current account provider to see if they will provide one. You may be asked to upgrade to a premier service, but it’’s rarely worth getting one of these just for the travel insurance policy alone.

Check special circumstances

Anyone with ‘’special conditions” (over 65s, people with a history or illness) can get quoted ludicrously high amounts from most traditional insurers. This can often be to the point where travel insurance seems too expensive to consider.

It’’s important to check specialist insurers that may be able to give you a better deal. If you find the cover to still be unaffordable, then the price may drop if you ask the insurer to exclude pre-existing conditions; though you may have to go abroad abroad with limited cover.

Knowing what you need

When booking a holiday, it’’s quite easy to be sold a travel insurance policy that over covers you. For instance, you could be asked to upgrade to a platinum policy, which might offer ?200 million worth of medical cover ? but when would you actually need such an excessive amount of cover?

You”re never really going to need more than ?2 million worth of medical cover, while for personal liability (damage to other people and their property) ?1 million should be enough, and ?1,500 for baggage. Meanwhile, also make sure you have cover for cancellation and delays.

Mui Aponta recommends that you always take out travel insurance.

Taking the Family on a Cruise

By Carlton Payne

 Cruise ships are not commonly thought of as family vacation vessels. However, there are a fair amount of cruises, like Carnival’s “fun ships” targeted at fulfilling just this purpose. Look at it this way: you know the kids are not going that far, unless of course they have gone overboard. Also, there is a little bit of something for everyone in all age groups. From adults, to teens, to kids, there is are coordinated activities as well as focused facilities for all of the different age groups. You can rest assured that no one will be bored on a family cruise.

For parents there are the usual activities. Your rest, relaxation and rejuvenation is certainly the focus and you can spend all the time you’d like lounging by the pool or on the deck, as well as making appointments for a massage or facial. There is plenty of evening recreation for once the kids are in bed, and it varies from ship to ship. There are also great opportunities for socializing and networking, and it is a good idea to have either a small notebook on hand, or at least copies of your card to give to new friends and contacts. There are also wine tasting groups, exercise rooms and nightclubs are on the adults only agendas for most family cruises.

For kids, there are all kinds of activities on board family cruises. From special times in the pool, to special gym classes, the kids are at least seemingly the focus on a family cruise. There are also children’s centers focused on entertaining the kids and keeping them busy while the adults enjoy their alone time. There are craft activities and fully certified staff to work with your most precious commodities: your kids.

If you have older kids, there are also teen centers on board some cruise ships. This is becoming a more and more popular trend. In fact Coca-Cola recently teamed up with the Carnival cruise line to bring exciting new teen centers to their fun ships. These teen centers have been created out of extensive market research and include dance floors, jukebox listening stations, a mock bar with non-alcoholic specialty drinks and space for the teens to just hang out. This is a revolutionary concept, since teens are a previously untapped market in terms of cruise line focus marketing. Teens are also more likely to find things that they enjoy in the ports of call than will younger kids, simply because they are more independent.

One reason that cruises are a great idea for family vacations is that most of the costs are included in the base price of the trip. While you are on the ship, things like meals and activities are for the most part covered. This is great because you do not have to give per diems to your kids and you can know up front how much your vacation is going to cost. Of course, you will want to have extra money on hand for when you leave the ship and get to do some real travel.

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