Ah the magic of a cruise vacation!  If you’ve been on one, you know it’s a chance to relax, let go and enjoy being pampared from head to toe.   Of course if you’re new to the cruise scene you might want do a little extra planning beforehand.  Why?  Because there is simply so much to do and see during a fast-paced cruise that it can become nearly overwhelming.  

Your choice?  Decide before the cruise the most important things you want to do… or not do.  That’s it, plain and simple.   Maybe it’s the food you love and the almost limitless opportunities to sample international cuisine.  Or maybe it’s the intimate and quirky music shows, or the gambling, or the dancing…  or even the visits to new countries.  So much to do, and you can’t do it all.

How To Have An Unforgettable Cruise Vacation

So why this book? Because it offers insight that you may not find anywhere else. Most people spend hundreds of extra dollars on cruise vacations without realizing what the money has gone towards.  If you’re like most of us, you don’t want to waste your hard earned dollars on things you don’t need, or worse… vacation amenities you won’t even use.

This book gets to the point, and tells you how to make the most of your cruise vacation without wasting money.  Choices include planning on a shoe-string budget, and using proven strategies to find the key services and cruise extras.    So have a great time on your next cruise and relax… use these tips and insights to plan that unforgettable vacation!

How To Have An Unforgettable Cruise Vacation

Also look at Sterns Guide to Cruise Vacations for 2011. Timing is everthing!

Stern’s Guide to the Cruise Vacation: 2011 Edition

 As the end of the school year approaches, summer comes into focus for kids and parents alike.   Dreams of sleeping in, lazy days with friends and traveling come to mind.   And families plan on that special one or two week trip each year to somehwere like Disneyland, a resort at a lake or driving across the country.  

Maybe you’ve got more time, and will spend several weeks or more camping or hiking out west?   Maybe traveling overseas?   Whatever choices we make, there’s no substitute for planning and making sure we take care of the details.   

But here’s a thought:  Can we overplan our vacation?  Have you ever focused so much on the details or the intinerary that you forget to relax and enjoy the trip?   I think many of us have done just that… usually it’s a realization half-way through a trip somewhere that we need to slow down.

Maybe it’s when frustration rears its head or the kids start arguing more frequently.  Whatever the signs, it’s very easy to get so wrapped up in getting there, that we forget to enjoy the trip itself along the way.

Here’s a tip:  Include in your itinerary small blocks of time for… doing nothing.  That’s right, actually build empty time into your schedule- not just at night, but during the day so you have a chance to be spontaneous.   That time block can be used to relax, or to change the schedule, or simply to go your own way while everyone else is focused on a different element of the trip.

By ensuring you’ve given yourself extra time, you will make the trip seem longer… with a little time to slow down and perhaps even to increase the chance of enjoyment and reflection. 

The temptation to cram as much as possible into a week or two vacation each year is very real.   Just remember:  We don’t like our busy work lives filled with details every minute because we hardly have a chance to think while we run around getting things done.  Vacation is the same way… if it’s just too filled with activities, it may be a vacation that becomes too much.    

If you’ve got younger kids, you might enjoy watching this great Berenstein Bears video with them.  The Bears are always good for a few life lessons…  sometimes our vacations seem like a total mess and we wonder why we even went.  But when we look back, we enjoy the time we spent together.   Hears wishing you wonderful travels, and a chance to relax along the way!  

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The family getaway is a disaster: the cabin’s roof leaks, the lake is muddy, and the mosquitoes are ravenous. But when the bears return home and develop their snapshots, they laugh and laugh, fully enjoying the worst vacation they’ve ever had!

The Berenstain Bears and Too Much Vacation