applevacations – Postcards From TLC

August 11, 2018

Making Travel a Priority

I’ve been asked so many times, how can I afford to travel as frequently as I do? It’s very easy–my husband and I have made travel a priority in our lives, budgets, etc. You only live once and this is a way we prefer to live.

We actually have a running list of where we’d like to go, how long of a trip it should be, and then we work towards making it happen. Some places are great for a long weekend–if we can drive there in a few hours or fly there quickly–like Las Vegas or Memphis, anything concerning the beach and relaxation should be a 1 week trip, and anywhere that will involve a long flight or a lot of exploration–Europe or Greece–will be a 2 week trip.

However, sometimes we have to sprinkle in unplanned trips which can set our list back a little. For instance, my British friends Matt and Emma will be on holiday in Mexico in October. I originally met them in Mexico, so we’ve decided to vacation at the same resort as a reunion of sorts. We weren’t planning to go to Mexico this year–we’ve been there so many times–but I can’t wait to see Matt and Emma!

How do we save for a trip? Easy, we have one bank account set aside, just for trip money AND we put half of every paycheck in there. Sounds like a lot , right? But we consider travel just as important as making the truck payment. We cut all other extraneous costs down to a minimum, so unless it’s a necessity, extra money doesn’t get spent. I never stop to buy a cup of coffee on my way in to work and I rarely eat lunch out. I usually bring a lunch to work with me. We use coupons to help keep the grocery bill down, and use our grocery shopper’s card to rack up our fuel points. We also work from a grocery list and don’t buy a bunch of stuff that’s not on it–this means very little junk food. It also helps that my husband is a bargain shopper–we rarely buy new clothes unless they are on sale. I’m not so good at catching clothes on sale, but I’m getting better at it. I love the beginning of summer when I get to stock up on sweaters for next year! Any extra money we receive also ends up in this account–bonuses, gifts, etc.

Keep in mind, this isn’t our only savings. We also have another account for saving for emergency or capital expenses. This way, if a big expense comes up, like the time I slid off the road in black ice and needed all 4 tires replaced at the same time, we take it from that account NOT the vacation account. And the first money that comes out of any pay is retirement/401K/mutual funds. We are paying ourselves and our retirement before anything else so that hopefully when we are retired, we have enough money to travel to our hearts content!

We will also bargain shop for the trip. I will do frequent comparisons of prices through Apple Vacations, Funjet, and Cheap Caribbean. Doing a search on Expedia will alert me to which airlines fly to our destination and what the flight schedules look like. Based on those results, I will then price bundled trips through the airlines. Typically, during these searches I can also determine if there are any sales on certain resorts or airlines which can also help us save money on the trip cost. I love a good fill-the-rooms sale!

Overall, if you are planning your budget wisely and sticking to it (it does take diligence and discipline), it’s pretty easy to save for vacationing.

February 23, 2018

Our Apple Vacation—Nuevo Vallarta

I’m on our flight home from Nuevo Vallarta and am reflecting on our trip through Apple Vacations. We stayed the previous week at Dreams Villamagna Nuevo Vallarta.

Here are what I consider to be the pros and cons of using Apple Vacations:
PROS

It’s relatively easy to put together your own trip on their website and prices are transparent. (You do have to pay for the entire trip to reserve.)

-check under flights to see when/if your airport has non-stop flights
-plug in the dates and location of where you want to go

Choose flight type and room upgrades.

-I only upgrade our room for special occasions or if they go on sale. For the amount of time we are in our room, a garden view is usually just fine

Add travel insurance if desired.

-I usually skip this as I get trip insurance elsewhere–see Why You MUST Buy Travel Insurance

You can add on desired excursions if you wish.

-I usually skip this as well, finding the prices on resort to be lower or negotiable

Apple always includes transportation in their packages.
I watch their sales and more often that not, they are priced better than the same trip on other travel sites.

CONS

While Apple does not have a loyalty program, they also own Amstar or AMResorts which offers a loyalty program for a certain group of resorts.

-the loyalty program gets presented as a way to get discounts on spa services and excursions–you just sit through a 90 minute meeting
-BEWARE–the meetings tend to last way more than 90 minutes and are pretty high pressure to sell you
-since AMResorts/AppleVacations own the loyalty program, it seems their resorts may be priced slightly better or given a higher rating. Comment below or check their link if you question which resorts are part of the group

AppleVacations tends to use different charters for their flights.

-bear in mind that these planes have more limited space and luggage limits (you may only have a 45lb suitcase limit instead of 50lb–do your research)
-the air upgrades may be worth it for the first on/first off perk, but for this trip (with Swift Air) it wasn’t worth it for the snacks and beverages. Even though we paid a little more for the Preferred Perks they were out of “snack packages” both legs of the trip and the cocktail selections seemed to be off brands. Additionally, there were no selections that were coffee mixable, similar to Bailey’s, Kahlua, etc
-if you’d like to see my more detailed opinion of Frontier Air, click here

Overall, I believe AppleVacations offers a good deal online as long as you know what you’re getting. You can easily price out their trips before you buy and it’s easy to find frequent sales. You may even be able to choose luxurious accommodations, but you likely won’t be air traveling in style. Additionally, beware of their group of resorts in the loyalty program. If you are lucky enough to sit through one of these meetings (regularly longer than 90 minutes) be prepared to give up some of your vacation time and either buy a plan, or end up saying no, A LOT, repeatedly, and then again. But if you’re fine with that, enjoy the freebies! You will have earned them!

December 2, 2017

Flashback to Jamaica

Ahhh, Jamaica! One of my favorite places in the world to visit. It is an island in the Caribbean and is part of the Greater Antilles. When you fly into Sangster Airport, you land right on the beach on the North Coast. So, as your plane descends, you feel like you are incredibly close to the water. I remember being overwhelmed with the stunning blue colors of the sea. I had never seen such beautiful hues.

This past winter, we headed down for a week of R and R. Since this wasn’t our first trip to Jamaica, or the second, or the third (have I mentioned it’s one of my favorite places?) we knew exactly what we did and didn’t want to do this time. For this trip, we wanted to stay in Montego Bay, close to the airport, so I found a sale for the RIU Montego Bay on Apple Vacations. If you’ve never shopped for a vacation on Apple Vacations, you’ve been missing out. It’s one of the travel sites I watch regularly and they run some great sales on trips. While we’d never stayed at this particular RIU resort before, I am a fan of the RIU brand, so this was an easy decision.In Montego Bay, I knew we would be close enough to see our friend, Paul (see post Everyone Should Meet a Paul). I also wanted to take my husband Sonny to eat at Scotchie’s, which is known for their jerk chicken and pork. I also love breadfruit, which I was hoping was in season. Scotchie’s serves the majority of their dishes in tin foil or on paper plates, and with gravy (think hot sauce) made from scotch bonnet peppers. Also on the itinerary, was a trip to Luminous Lagoon, which I’ve wanted to check out for a while. The tour starts at sunset and takes you through the lagoon, which is home to phosphorescent micro-organisms that glow in the dark when agitated.

As the saying goes, ” the best-laid plans of mice and men, often go awry”, so did ours. We had some transportation issues and didn’t get to go to Scotchie’s for jerk and due to a small monsoon (flash-flooding, thunderstorm) our trip to the Luminous Lagoon was cancelled.

What we did get to do was hang out at our resort, meet new friends, and visit with old friends. Paul was able to come visit our resort on a day pass and he brought his wife, Tansia, and daughter, Talia, along. He also brought us a bottle of Sangster’s Chocolate Rum Cream. If you’ve never tried rum cream, you must–it’s what every good dirty banana is made from. I knew it came in flavors, but this was the first time I had had Chocolate. And since I can’t order it online back home, I was very grateful for Paul’s gift!

Paul, who is a jack-of-all-trades, entrepreneur, and a lifeguard, took us out for a quick sail around Mahee Bay in a small catamaran. We also walked up the beach to watch a wedding with Talia and our new friends Don and Stephanie. We sampled numerous frozen drinks “Jamaican style” compliments of a friend of Paul’s who was the bar supervisor. It was so nice to visit with Paul and his family for the day. Next time we hope to go visit the villa he is building just outside of the town of Lucea.The following day we got to take a snorkeling excursion/sunset cruise. We loaded up on a big catamaran, cruised west down the coast a bit, went snorkeling, and ended up at Margaritaville in Montego Bay.

We did a little shopping on the Hip Strip before heading back for a cocktail at Margaritaville, and then headed back to the resort for dinner which was right on time.I’ve never eaten so many seafood dinners as I have at RIU Resorts. It turned out this night was seafood night at the buffet restaurant and they had lobster tail available. My husband ate nothing but lobster and I think he topped out at 8 tails. I partook of the incredibly good lobster, but also enjoyed the shrimp and fish.

The next day was departure day. We got to the airport early, which is great because Sangster Airport has excellent duty-free shopping and we love to shop there. We picked up some souvenirs, and a little jewelry, and then finished waiting for our flight at Margaritaville with lunch and a beer!

Until next time Jamaica. Soon come back!

November 30, 2017

Where Should You Travel?

I frequently get asked the question of where should I go for my next vacation? That’s never an easy answer for me. Do you think you want to go where I’m going next? (I’m shooting for Barbados, but could end up anywhere.) Unless you do, you may want to take some things into consideration. Here’s how I decide.*How much time do I have to devote to my next trip? If I have a week or more, I’ll venture further from home and keep in mind that I’ll need to budget for more. If I only have a few days, I’ll stay closer to home and seek out non-stop flights so I don’t waste an entire day getting there.*What is my budget? If I have a lot to spend on vacay, I’ll upgrade to a nicer resort (there’s definitely a difference between a Sandals and others). If I have a limited budget, I’ll stick to a less inclusive or seek out a non-inclusive resort, villa, or studio to stay in.*Regardless of anything else, I will search for what’s on sale. In the past, this has landed me in a completely different country than I originally intended, but I can’t pass up saving money when it’s able to be saved. I like to use Apple Vacations, Expedia, Momondo, Southwest Airlines, FunJet, Cheap Caribbean, Room Scanner to help me price trips.*What activities do I want to participate in? Do I want an active, sightseeing trip? Do I want to do volunteer work while I’m there? Do I just want to veg by the pool and sip fruity cocktails? Activities will come into play when deciding on the where.*Do I want to go somewhere warm or cold? Or is the location more important than climate? If there’s a particular place I have on my list to visit, climate won’t really matter to me. But, if my goal is a restful, relaxing trip, you’ll find me by the pool or scuba diving in a warm, most likely Caribbean locale.

*What dates will I be traveling? Any travel around holidays, will tend to have a higher price tag. So, the trade off is usually pay more to travel when I have holiday days off, or save more on the trip, but use a vacation day to go during non-holiday times. And most trips during the summer months will tend to cost more.*Who will I be going with? If it’s just me and hubby, we can easily determine where we are going. If others are going, or this will be a group trip, we’ll need to determine if they are bringing children, what their budget is, and what activities they would be interested in. Is it a girls weekend or family trip? That adds other needs to consider.

All in all, it’s a loaded question when you ask me where you should travel to, but at least now you know why and may have some ideas of your own. Regardless of where you decide to go, the important thing is to just go!

July 5, 2017

My First International Trip

Once upon a time there were two 30-somethings who were ready to take a vacation. A REAL vacation, like for a whole week instead of a few days. Even better, they decided to go out of the US for this vacation. After researching several destinations, they decided to go to Jamaica because 1) English is spoken there, 2) they could get there non-stop and 3) there were All Inclusive resorts there, which sounded really appealing.
Before they booked their trip, they needed to get US passports issued.Anytime you travel to a foreign country, including Canada or Mexico you will need a passport. The easiest way to acquire one, is to work with your nearest post office or visit www.usps.com/international/passports.htm. Tips to remember:

Apply early–it can take 6-8 weeks to receive your passport
- you can get expedited service which gets your passport delivered in 2-3 weeks
- if you are traveling within 2 weeks, you will want to make an appointment with a passport agency
Prepare your application
- you can print a passport application online
- you can pick up an application from your local post office that has passport acceptance
Get a passport photo taken at your post office, Walgreen’s, or any other photo service shop
Send the appropriate payment with your application
Track your application until you receive your passport in the mail

They were all set to book their trip. After shopping around on the various websites, and with a travel agent, they went with the best price they found for the Grand Palladium Lady Hamilton resort, which was available through Apple Vacations. (Apple Vacations is still one of my favorite travel websites.) Apple included flights, hotel, AND transportation between the airport and resort, which set it at a better price point.
Things they learned about traveling internationally:

take smaller bills for tipping at an all-inclusive resort or shopping
take photo copies of your passport along so you can leave your actual passport in your room safe, yet still have ID with you
always take along insect repellant, band-aids, and tennis shoes (you never know when you will need them)
apply for a credit card that charges no international fees (just in case)
you do not have to exchange your money, but Jamaican dollars will go a little farther
you do not need to bring your own beach towel to an AI resort
sign up for US Embassy alerts here so you are aware of any dangers in the country you are traveling to

What they experienced on the trip:

what a banana tree looks like
some drinks are not meant to be drank
make new friends
play the crazy pool games
go on excursions
don’t be afraid to zipline
do the water aerobics in the mornings
the (coconut) water is fine to drink
stop and smell the hibiscus
experience the culture

They made sure to save some of their souvenir cash for duty free shopping at The Sangster Airport at the end of their trip which was a good call. There were shops for perfume/cologne, booze, including Jamaican Rum Cream which cannot be purchased on US soil, jewelry, t-shirts, and other souvenirs, all sold duty and tax free. I bought some Australian Opal jewelry that was the same color blue as the sea in Jamaica which has been one of my best bargains ever and will always remind me of this trip.
The trip home was topped off by a beautiful sunset flight and that was the first bite of the travel bug. I couldn’t wait to start planning my next trip.

June 19, 2017

To AI or not AI? That is the question

I’m a huge fan of all-inclusive vacations, which are common if you travel to a non-US locale. Even more specifically, I love all-inclusive resorts! I know there’s a large segment of dissenters who would argue that all-inclusive vacations aren’t “authentic”. Don’t get me wrong–I have vacationed a la carte as well as the rest. But I do think the all-inclusive vacation has created a niche that simplifies vacationing and make it more relaxing. As far as “authenticity” goes, any trip can be as “authentic” as you want. It’s your own opinion that matters anyway.
Here’s what I like about the AI vacation:

You can make all of your arrangements–airfare, resort, transportation between airport and resort–in advance, usually in one place if you’re using a travel agent or booking yourself with AppleVacations, FunJet, Cheap Caribbean,etc., and for one price.
You can choose flights that accommodate your time frames.
- I like to fly non-stop when possible (I don’t want to waste vacation time on travelling), so I shop for charters and typically have to fly certain days.
- I prefer non red-eye flights since our nearest international airport is 2 hours away.
You can shop your resort.
- Do you prefer a 5 star with a view of the ocean, gourmet meals, and decked out rooms or are you just looking for a place to lay your head for a few hours at the end of the day?
- Do you have to have your usual top-shelf drink or can you make do with the local beverages?
- Do you want to vacation with children (or without, and don’t want to share the pool with any)?
You can choose your transportation between the resort and airport.
- Do you need a quiet limo ride for only your group?
- Do you have a small group who all want to share a van or mini-bus?
- Do you want a fun-filled bus ride that you share with all others going to your resort and others nearby?
Once at your resort, your AI includes:
- your room–always ask for the upgrade at check-in.
- all food, beverages, and cocktails while you are there.
- non-motorized sports like kayaking, snorkeling, tennis, gym facilities.
- daily and evening entertainment which can be anything from games, sports, aerobics/yoga classes poolside to fun-filled evening shows that may be audience participated or musical/dance shows.
If you choose a Super Inclusive, or Luxury Inclusive you may even get:
- gourmet dinners, 24-hour room service
- American beverages and top shelf cocktails
- Scuba diving, golf, jet-skis
- evening performances by local celebrities
- sunset catamaran cruises, candlelight dinners on the beach
The AI eliminates the needs for:
- carrying cash on the resort.
- trying to compute the resort’s foreign conversion rate when paying for anything.
- accruing foreign transaction fees later after charging everything on your credit card.
- tipping. Be aware, some resorts don’t allow it.
- leaving the resort while you are there.
Things that cost extra:
- you can book any extra sight-seeing trips or excursions as you wish through your resort.
- most resorts have a spa that will offer massage packages.
- tipping–if you choose to.
- gaming in the casino and souvenir shopping

Basically, you can schedule a ton of activities (free and otherwise) if you want, or you can schedule nothing and sit at the swim-up bar all day. At an AI resort, it’s your vacation, your choice to do as much or little as you’d like.