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As you dig into a spicy, citrusy ceviche and down a typical rum drink, you’ll know that coming to Puerto Rico was a fantastic choice.

An island of 24-hour fun, Puerto Rico is Spanish for “rich port.” Surrounded by temperate aquamarine waters and featuring a saucy blend of Latin culture and American ways, this Caribbean island is a popular destination for families, friends, and groups of all kinds.

The island offers a little for everyone: Outdoorsy types can go scuba diving into waters populated by brilliantly-colored fish, history buffs can visit El Moro, and everyone will enjoy a glass-bottom boat tour of the famous Phosphorescent Bay. Explore Vieques and Culebra, two islands just off the coast, full of incredible, indigenous flora and fauna. Take yourself out to a merengue bar late at night, enjoy local beats, and let someone teach you the basic steps.

Reasonable prices and startling beauty will make your trip to this lively island an experience you’ll never forget. Stretch your dollars and indulge in an oceanfront horseback ride, grab a massage at a local spa, or pack a picnic dinner for a startling sunset meal.

As an American territory, travel to and from is relatively easy, and communicating when on-island doesn’t present the same challenge as many other Spanish-speaking locales, so book your next group getaway to the beautiful island of Puerto Rico.

(Photo via flickr cc)

Though many of us dream of someday taking a cruise, sometimes our wallets don’t stretch that wide. Luckily, MSNBC has brought us 13 tips to save money on your next cruise.

1. Now’s the time to buy: We’re about to hit the cruising high season, so the best deals are available right now.
2. Buy your own airfare: Though the all-inclusive deal may be tempting, you may get a better itinerary, fewer connections, and a smaller price tag if you book your own flight.
3. Use a preferred agent: A travel agent who specializes in your preferred cruise line will be the best-connected, bringing up to a 20 percent discount.
4. Use logic: Booking an inner cabin (no window) on the shoulder season will be your least expensive option. And keep in mind, you only spend nights in your room, so you don’t really need that window, do you?
5. Buy some shares: Share holders get cabin discounts, so if you buy 100 shares of Carnival or Royal Caribbean, you’ll end up saving a bit.
6. Don’t be shy: Ask for a discount. Military, AAA, student, senior, you name it. If you think you might qualify, it never hurts to ask.
7. Private tours are great for groups: When traveling with a group (6+), a private tour on shore will probably cost you less than the generic individual tour.
8. Cruise often: Frequent cruise travelers are often offered perks like room upgrades, priority dinner reservations, etc.
9. Call yourself a VIP: Have your travel agent play you up, calling you a VIP. If the cruise line knows you’re a good customer, they’re likely to give you an upgrade.
10. DIY: Instead of hopping on the bus that meets passengers at the docks, opt for your own transportation. It’s less crowded, less confusing, and often costs less.
11. Buy a soda sticker: If you’re going to drink a lot of soda, buy the unlimited drink sticker and save a bundle.
12. Bring your own booze: Bring your own wine to dinner and pay the uncorking fee - you’ll get better quality wine at a better price. If you like the hard stuff, fill up a water bottle and take it with you.
13. Plan for your next cruise while you’re on this one: When you’re onboard, the cruise will offer special deals that you can’t get elsewhere. If you want to cruise again, take advantage now.

Sleeping away from home can be a expensive undertaking, so spending each dollar well is an important part of every traveler’s plans. Searching for the absolute best hotel rates is your key to maximizing luxury and minimizing costs, and CNN has come up with tips on how to do just that:

• Start using new search engines: There are plenty of search engines out there specific to travel, and chances are you haven’t tried them all out. Kayak.com, Hotels.com, and Farecast.com are all great places to start, but a quick search will uncover many others as well.
• Play with dates: Rates can differ greatly over just a few days, so use hotel rate calendars to figure out which days will be least expensive.
• Get it guaranteed: Many hotel chains promise to match any rate you can find, and some go beyond to match the rate and provide a discount. Mariott, for example, offers a 25 percent price reduction, Swissotel offers half off of the lower rate for your first night and matches the rate for following nights, and Starwood gives you a 10 percent discount. To lock in these special rates, make sure you file your low rate claim at least 24 hours in advance.
• Call the hotel directly: Instead of calling the generic 800-number, call the hotel directly and speak to one of their employees. Ask about last-minute specials and less expensive nights to stay.

Nothing can sour a flight like a child kicking the back of your seat, a stranger falling asleep on your shoulder, or a loud and drunk passenger regaling the entire plane with stories only she finds funny. Flying is frustrating, at best, and passengers without manners only make it worse. Thankfully, Delta’s finally supplied us with Miss Manners for Flying.

The Atlanta-based airline has developed “Planeguage: The language of traveling by plane,” a series of 25 videos that mix humor with basic airline etiquette. Episodes detail passengers we know all too well, like Kidtastrophe, which depicts the crying, whiny children whose parents do nothing to discipline them.

Delta has created these comedic shorts to help reinforce what we already know: things like:

• Remember to close your shade when the movie comes on, regardless of whether you’re watching.
• Politely ask your seat mates to let you out, instead of merely standing and expecting them to move.
• Cover your mouth when you cough and turn your head away when you sneeze.

These things seem so logical on ground, but we often forget when we’re in mid air and frustrate those around us. Planeguage might be just the friendly reminder we all need.

Winter is a time of fantastic ski vacations, exhilarating trips to snowboarding parks, and delicious sips of hot chocolate in between ski runs… unless you’re not a fan of powdery, white snow. Skisnowboard.com has come up with the 6 best resorts for non-skiers:

• Lake Placid, New York: The home of the 1932 and 1980 Winter Olympics offers something for everyone.
• Aspen, Colorado: Along with some of the best skiing in the country, this famous winter destination offers opera, incredible shopping, five star restaurants, and winter-themed activities like sleigh rides and sledding for the non-skiers in your group.
• Jackson Hole, Wyoming: Take a sleigh ride through elk country, or visit nearby Yellowstone National Park. While winter sport lovers will enjoy the slopes, others will enjoy nature and the resort’s first class spas.
• Heavenly, South Lake Tahoe, California/Nevada: A picturesque lakeside town, Heavenly offers casinos, clubs and gourmet restaurants in addition to some truly wonderful skiing.
• Santa Fe, New Mexico: Explore Native American pueblos, miles of trails, and luxury spas while your friends ski and snowboard.
• Park City Mountain Resort, Utah: A restored mining town, Park City is famous for its 2002 Winter Olympic bobsled track, hot-air ballooning, gourmet dining, and truly diverse array of vacation options.

(Photo via flickr cc)

Though your wedding day is all about you, you friends and family will be there to love and support you. When planning your destination wedding, with its romance and magic, don’t forget to factor your guest’s needs into the equation.

Issues to keep in mind range from having kid-friendly food to whether a hotel will be affordable for everyone, so you have your work cut out for you. If you’re inviting whole families, make sure that the invitation clearly explains that kids should come along. If the kids are invited, make sure the site has children-friendly policies and, even better, onsite babysitting.

Make sure that special needs — anything from handicapped-accessible rooms to special diets — are addressed for all of your guests. In addition, make sure to offer several suggestions on how to make travel arrangements since, chances are, you’ve done much of the research already.

Destination weddings are exotic and wonderful, but can be stressful. Keep your guests in mind, and your wedding day will be smoother, your guests happier, and your memories brighter.

MSNBC reports on the eight changes for travelers to expect this year:

• Convenience fees: You often pay them for event tickets, and now you must prepare to pay “convenience” fees to book hotel rooms, specific car rentals, and many other travel options.
• Energy surcharges: Last year, we paid extra for plane tickets, shipping, and more services, but this year, you can look forward to paying energy surcharges on things not even related to crude oil, like hotels and cruises.
• More expensive rental cars: American Express predicts that car rental prices will increase between 2 and 4 percent this year. Though it doesn’t sound like much, the increase, in addition to car companies’ famous ability to upsell their customers, will cause you to pay a lot more than you used to for your rental car.
• Traffic, traffic, traffic: Traffic got increasingly worse in 2007, and 2008 will likely be the same. To avoid this irksome problem, take public transport or, if you have to take a car, carpool so that there are less cars on the road.
• Extra cruise fees: Next time you take a cruise, you may find that the surcharges have really racked up, fuel surcharges in particular.
• Hotels are a seller’s market: Room rates will increase about 6 percent this year that increase, combined with high occupancy rates, means that your chosen hotel won’t need you as much as you need it. If they can get away with extra charges, some will, so be prepared.
• Airlines may not treat you well: If the Passenger Bill of Rights gets passed, it will be one with weaker language and, therefore, weaker rules over the airlines. The fact of the matter is that you can’t do anything about it, so we’ll just have to grin and bear the continued mistreatment.
• Broken promises: Though travel experts might make some pretty promises, don’t fool yourself into thinking that they’ll all come true. Keeping your ears open and reading all opinions on future mergers and consolidations is the only way to assure that you know what’s really going on.

There are few things worse than waiting in an airport on a stomach so empty that you begin to daydream wistfully of airplane food. That’s why it’s important to think ahead and pack some travel comfort food to accompany you on your journey.

One of the easiest, most versatile, and tastiest treats to make ahead is a good, old-fashioned sandwich. You pick the bread, the condiments, and the fillings based on exactly what you want. When you make it a few hours or even a day ahead of time, packing it with your favorites, you’ll not only be treated to a delicious meal, but you’ll feel more comfortable and happy than you did just a minute ago.

Making a sandwich takes very little time, but offers big pay offs, so without any further ado, I offer some sandwich-making tips to make your next travel day a little brighter:

• Pick the perfect bread: Don’t go with the typical store-bought breads that come sliced in a bag; instead, choose a thick, freshly baked bakery offering. It’ll hold the sandwich flavors in better and make you feel a little pampered.
• Choose your condiments wisely: If your sandwich is going to be out of the fridge for more than a couple hours, don’t use any mayo. Instead, try some oil & vinegar, mustard, or anything else your mind can dream up. Don’t forget to add salt, pepper and oregano - just like your favorite deli does.
• Don’t forget the cheese: Most cheeses do just fine outside of the fridge for a few hours, but from a sandwich architecture standpoint, it’s important to remember that pasteurized, homogenized sliced varieties may melt, disintegrate, or sweat more than others. For your travel sandwich, treat yourself to some real deli cheddar, a thick-sliced Gouda, or a fancy Swiss.
• Fill up on fruits, veggies, and a delicious meat: You have to be careful keeping meats out of the fridge for very long, so if lunchtime isn’t happening in an hour or so, go with a well-cured meat like corned beef or salami. Also, stack those veggies high!
• Pack it up: In order to keep your sandwich fresh for longer, wrap it in thin deli paper followed by wax paper before you stick it in a plastic bag. That’ll keep the moisture out and the flavor in.
• Enjoy!

(Photo via flickr cc)

photo credit: ground.zero

In the city that never seems to sleep, you’re still going to need a soft pillow to lay your head on. The 30-floor MGM Grand Las Vegas, is just the place.

In Las Vegas, having a grand hotel with gorgeous rooms isn’t sufficient–there must be something to give you an edge. The MGM Grand has several, beginning with the fantastic glass-sided lion habitat within the hotel. The lions — six are shown everyday — do not live in the habitat, but rather at the home of Keith Evans, an exotic animal trainer. Beyond its exotic habitat, the hotel is also the home of the famous Cirque du Soleil show, KÀ. If you’re into shows, the hotel also features Crazy Horse Paris (formerly La Femme), a production said to celebrate the “artistry of the nude.” Finally, the resort features a full recreation of New York’s Studio 54 nightclub. The hotel also features five outdoor pools, rivers and waterfalls, a 380,000 square-foot convention center, the Grand Spa, the MGM Grand Arena, and the CBS Television City.

And then there are the luxury loft suites, SKYLOFTS. They’ve been awarded the AAA 5 Diamonds, and are filled with technological goodies such as flat screen TVs, DVD players, wine coolers, B&O sound systems, and 24-hour butlers, concierge, and housekeeping. Can you stand the luxury?

Check for discount hotel rooms at the MGM Grand

photo credit: Markyboy81

photo credit: Rojer

Vegas is an adult’s dream playground, filled with spectacular sites, images, and recreations of the world’s most famous landmarks. Located on the famous Las Vegas Strip at 3790 Las Vegas Boulevard South, the New York New York Hotel & Casino features one of the largest casinos owned by MGM Mirage.

The incredible New York New York Hotel, whose New York theme is so realistic that its architecture resembles the New York City skyline, boasts a half-scale Statue of Liberty, replicas of the Brooklyn Bridge, Grand Central Terminal, and the Whitney Houston Museum of American Art, as well as a functioning roller coaster. The hotel’s main casino area is modeled after Central Park and the “Village Eateries” food court strikes a startling resemblance to New York’s own Greenwich Village.

Perhaps one of the most unique and amusing aspects of the hotel is “The Roller Coaster,” formerly known as the “Manhattan Express,” which winds its way through the hotel’s interior and exterior. The coaster cars have been painted to resemble traditional Checker Taxi Cabs, but at 203 feet tall with a maximum speed of 67 mph and a heart-pounding 144-foot drop, The Roller Coaster is anything but traditional.

The New York New York Hotel is also host to Cirque du Soleil’s famed Zumanity show, the only Cirque show to restrict admission to 18+. The Zumanity theatre was created to resemble an old-time cabaret, with bar stools and sofas liberally sprinkled throughout the theatre seating.

All this, starting at $89/night promises to inject some fun into your next business trip to Vegas, so if you’d like some East Coast flavor on your West Coast trip, book the New York New York Hotel.

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