Winter is a great time to plan national park trips because there is still a broad range of room options available in popular parks such as Yellowstone and Grand Canyon. Although some of the iconic lodges are filling up during peak times, there is plenty of availability.
National park concessioner Xanterra Parks & Resorts offers tips for successfully planning a park visit and securing accommodations.
1. Be informed. Visit Xanterra’s web site at www.xanterra.com for general information on the parks operated by Xanterra as well as lodging descriptions, rates and availability. Another good source of information on national parks is the National Park Service website at www.nps.gov.
2. Be web-savvy. Rooms can be booked online at:
- www.YellowstoneNationalParkLodges.com,
- www.grandcanyonlodges.com,
- www.zionlodge.com,
- www.craterlakelodges.com
- and www.furnacecreekresort.com.
Booking online is usually the quickest way to secure a reservation. Travelers can check room availability too via Xanterra’s online reservations calendar.
3. Confirm that you have the full online picture. Some lodges will list various room types as part of drop down menus. If you do not click on the down arrow only one room type will be visible. And guess which room type is the first to show up as sold out?
4. Be flexible with your choice of lodge. Some of the larger parks such as Grand Canyon and Yellowstone feature multiple lodges in spectacular settings. While Yellowstone’s Old Faithful Inn and Grand Canyon’s El Tovar are best-known and tend to fill up first, other lodges offer history, comfortable accommodations and their own appeal.
5. Avoid the crowds. Regardless of which park you are visiting, consider traveling during the first two weeks of June, the last 10 days of August or the first two weeks of September.
Ellen Barone is an American writer and wanderer. She co-founded and publishes the group travel blog YourLifeIsATrip.com and is currently at work on her first book "I Could Live Here".
Research, Compare, and Select the Best Tour Operator by Knowing the Right Questions To Ask.
It is summer vacation planning time again and knowing how to find and vet the best options is an important step. Following are Ten Tips to take you from research to R&R as you strategize when and where to spend precious vacation time and dollars.
A little time and energy spent on the front end helps ensure the vacation of your dreams. “The planning process should be a fun part of the overall experience,” says Dan Austin, owner of Austin-Lehman Adventures (ALA), named the World’s Best Tour Operator by the readers of Travel + Leisure magazine for the past two consecutive years.
To help guide you through the maze of vacation options, the tour experts at Austin-Lehman Adventures offer these useful tips when starting the trip planning process:
#1 Build Files Organize brochures, maps, notes from conversations to website links.
#2 Google is Your Friend! 96% of all travel research is now done online. Use long tail search terms to hone in on your questions such as: Best family adventure vacation to Yellowstone. Bookmark the better sites you visit.
#3 Shop for Information off-line Pick up travel magazines and regional guides reflecting your interests. Talk to friends and co-workers. Visit your local travel counselor for input.
#4 Create a bucket list Create a list of dream destinations and activities; cut it to a short list. Use logic. Is Mexico too hot in summer? Maybe. Then consider fall travel. Keep track of your thinking and why.
#5 Who Gets Your Business? Seek tour operators specializing in the kinds of vacations on your short list. Again, Google is your friend. For example, search for best bike tour operator in Italy and note results. Pour through travel magazines that often list the best of the best in special annual editions. Look for them online. In the end you will have created a list of operators that best match your short list of destinations and activities.
Ellen Barone is an American writer and wanderer. She co-founded and publishes the group travel blog YourLifeIsATrip.com and is currently at work on her first book "I Could Live Here".
article via partner site Divine Caroline by Emily Goligoski
When the Australian university I was studying abroad at announced a two-week fall break, three expat friends and I rushed to plan a road trip up the east coast of Oz. Before we departed, we fantasized about Sydney nightlife and tested how many bathing suits we could fit in our backpacks. While the trip did include great nights out and beautiful scuba diving, the day-to-day enjoyment was disrupted by disagreements about who paid for what, who had to drive on the “other side” of the road, and trips to hospitals with one of our companions, the extent of whose alcoholism was unknown to the rest of us. Had we had more discussions about splitting responsibilities and what we each wanted to get out of the trip, more of us might still be in touch now.
Clearly, there are more than a few headaches that can arise from going to new places with good friends, but they can usually be nipped in the bud or downplayed with a few honest discussions and planning.
Ellen Barone is an American writer and wanderer. She co-founded and publishes the group travel blog YourLifeIsATrip.com and is currently at work on her first book "I Could Live Here".
This week London got all dressed to celebrate the summer and the famous horse races at Ascot with Her Majesty the Queen. At It’s Your London they are celebrating the launch of something new for visitors to London with the start of their customised tours.
It’s Your London is a new tailor made service for visitors to London. The service is aimed at visitors who want their planning headaches taken care of, the first timers to London, the lucky ones on a very special occasion treat, those on business and their spouses, and visitors who just don’t have the time to sort it all out.
It’s Your London will design the perfect trip to London and make sure it really fits each person’s requirements. They can do the big sights, put together a unique programme or get you to the quirky one-off sights. It’s whatever you want. As the company strapline says - your visit, your interests, your London.
Ellen Barone is an American writer and wanderer. She co-founded and publishes the group travel blog YourLifeIsATrip.com and is currently at work on her first book "I Could Live Here".