Two travel tips when traveling to Europe

Tipping

Although it varies throughout the country, a 15 percent service charge is generally added to the total in restaurants. It is customary to tack on an extra 5 to 10 percent, depending on service. In hotels, bellhops receive .50 to 1 EUR; chambermaids get .75 per day; tip a minimum of .50 for room service.

Staying Fit Along the Way

A vacation is a wonderful departure from the every day routine. But there's no rule saying you can't maintain an active and healthy lifestyle along the way. Here are some tips for staying fit during your vacation:

• Be realistic. You probably won't have the time to fully follow your weekly workout routine. Aim for 50 percent of your normal regimen.
• Be creative. You will be visiting some of the most intriguing cities and awe-inspiring landscapes in the world. Instead of calisthenics in your hotel room, try a stroll through the vineyards of Tuscany.
• Take advantage of every situation. Try your hand at a wide variety of seated stretches and exercises to increase flexibility and keep you agile during flights and on the motorcoach.
• Bring along a resistance band. Lightweight and easy to pack, a resistance band can provide a full upper and lower body workout on the go. 
• Replenish yourself. To maintain the energy you gain from staying fit and active while traveling drink plenty of water and never skip meals.

Overcoming Jet Lag

When traveling overseas, crossing multiple time zones may upset your body's natural biorhythms. But jet lag doesn't have to put a damper on your vacation. Here are a few tips to make the transition to a new time zone (and an enchanting new place) just a bit easier:

• Before your flight, get plenty of rest and drink a lot of water. Also, try eating light meal before you board so that hunger does not keep you from sleeping.
• As soon as you board your flight, set your watch to the time of your destination. Then act accordingly. If it is nighttime in your arrival city when you take off, try to get a few hours of sleep. If it's daytime at your final stop, try walking through the cabin to stay alert.
• On arrival, stay awake until an early local bedtime. A brisk walk will not only revive your body, but also serves as an invaluable introduction to your new surroundings.
• Wake the next day from a full night's rest, alert and able to get the most from your overseas experience.
   

Aruba - one of the famous ABC islands

People who know Aruba feel like they have their own secret hideaway. But a place this good can't remain the secret trove of only a few. The liveliness and abundance of casinos, discos, cabarets and dinner shows makes this resort a premium location for sunbathing, windsurfing and partying. You’ll enjoy the hot weather, the desert climate and the sandy beaches and crystal clear ocean. Most of all, you won't lack for something to do! They must do something right in Aruba. It has the highest hotel occupancy rates and the highest rate of return visitors of any destination in the Caribbean.

Aruba is a relatively small island. it is only 20 miles long and slightly less than 6 miles across at its widest point. It is one of the Dutch "ABC islands" consisting of Aruba, Bonaire, and Curaçao and only 19 miles off the north shore of Venezuela. It’s easy to get around in Aruba. The public bus is efficient and runs through the hotel zone. Taxis, cars, motorcycles and bicycles are also available for rent.

Aruba’s leading industry is relaxation. Over 500,000 people visit each year, bringing a lot of money to the island. As a result, Aruba is quite prosperous by Caribbean standards. The locals have good housing, healthcare and education. The city of Oranjested is the capital and was named after the first king of the Dutch Royal Family, Willem van Orange-Nassau, in 1824. Today it is known as the House of Orange. In Oranjested you’ll find the Aruba Historical Museum and the oldest building in Aruba, Fort Zoutman (1796). There is very little history of racial or social strife, so the inhabitants are friendly, warm and open with travelers.

One of the real graces of Aruba is its near-perfect weather - a nearly constant phenomenon of sunny skies, warm temperatures, and cool breezes driven off the Caribbean. This island's low humidity and desert like terrain is likewise nearly a full-time affair as it almost never rains and the island is far below the hurricane belt of the Caribbean. Aruba's beaches are some of the best in the Caribbean with miles of white, sugary sand. The nearly picture-perfect beach settings and gentle surf are what many people have in mind when they think of this part of the world. Aruba is a desert island full of cacti, iguanas, more cacti, a few aloe-vera plants and unusual boulder formations. While the resort area of the island has very calm, pristine beaches, the north coast features craggy limestone cliffs, caves, sand dunes, and a more energetic surf.
In Aruba, there are plenty of activities. It’s a great place to experience snorkeling, scuba diving, windsurfing or kite surfing. Both experienced and novice practitioners of all these sports find great outlets on Aruba. When you tire of the beach you can dine at the restaurants or do some local shopping. Aruba has two horse competitions each year. The horses are descendants of Andalusian and Arabian horses that were brought to the island by the Spanish conquistadors. If you enjoy nightlife, you’ll want to check out The Lounge at the Crystal Casino and the Alhambra Casino. You’ll be up all night, entertained by carnival shows and all-you-can-drink parties. Most hotels are located in the Palm Beach and Eagle Beach resorts. You’ll find luxury accommodations on the beach that also cater to sports, shopping and entertainment. Guest Houses and self catering apartments are also available.
Oranjestad is Aruba's only real town with an "urban" environment and a serious variety of restaurants and evening venues. Oranjestad's waterfront harbor will be filled with cruise ships, private yachts, and smaller native fishing boats. The architecture has a decidedly Dutch influence, with the multi-colored Caribbean color spectrum evident in its housing and buildings on the main routes. The food and entertainment options are excellent, and your travel agent will be able to chart out for you a most pleasant stay on this desert-island playground.

Costa Rica

Costa Rica is a land teeming with the paradoxes of its geographical location, bridging North and South America and the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. The resulting climate makes it ideal for year-round travel. The forces of nature are at their spectacular best here, churning out rainforest and volcanoes, great beaches and vistas. The animals and plants of the region are of two great continents. The diversity of flora and fauna, of geography and terrain all come together here in a mere 50,895 square kilometers.

The elevation of much of the country's landmass offsets the tropical setting of its location only 8 degrees north of the equator. Like Hawaii in the Pacific, Costa Rica hosts 10 of the 13 recognized climatic zones as well as local microclimates.
The equatorial position of the country means that throughout the year there is a fairly constant twelve hours of light between sunrise and sunset from 6:00 am each day to 6:00 pm. The county's location also maintains a fairly constant temperature, never varying more than a few degrees on a seasonal basis. If you are traveling from the Northern Hemisphere, you are used to giving due consideration to terms like "summer" and "winter".

However, in Costa Rica, the seasons revolve around a dry season, December through April and a wet season May through November. Costa Rica promotes their "wet season" as the "Green Season." This is not just clever marketing. The year-round nature of Costa Rica's travel opportunities has made it the Caribbean destination with the highest tourism growth. The Green Season is an excellent time to travel to Costa Rica. This is when the warm, wet climate brings the plant life into full bloom, and the country's verdant flora explodes with the vibrant life characteristic of Costa Rica. As we will discuss below, the green season means more wildlife, better visibility and rates that are easier on the pocketbook!


December, January, and February tend to be cooler as winds from the north lower temperatures. In the coastal regions, the average temperature at sea level is 82 degrees Fahrenheit on the eastern Caribbean side of the country and 89 degrees on the Pacific side. As you climb in elevation, temperatures begin to drop approximately one degree for every 100 yards. Thus, in the mountains, jackets, sweaters and coats in the highest elevations are definitely in order. Temperatures at night tend to be warmer in the wet season.

Costa Rica's mountain ranges, situated between two oceanic climatic and moisture zones mean that rainfall is a part of Costa Rica's ecology. Annual rainfall averages approximately 100 inches in the plains and 150 inches in the mountains occurring in the early afternoons in the highest elevations and late afternoon or night in the plains. While mornings during the wet season are often bright and sunny, by afternoon the rains typically fall.

There are real benefits to traveling to Costa Rica during the Green Season. Perhaps the best reason is the abundance of wildlife. The greener foliage and plant life offer a wider range of feeding grounds for the animals. Likewise, because the green season in general means fewer tourists, the animals are more relaxed in their habitat. If one of your reasons for visiting Costa Rica includes paddling sports and time on its rivers, the green season means banks that are consistently filled with fast moving water. The mountains tend to be more clearly visible as the rains carry the fog and haze away making volcano viewing particularly enjoyable.

The Green Season also means fewer travelers in the hotels, shops and dining establishments. As a result, general prices for accommodations and practically every aspect of tourism are less than in peak travel season. Packages in Green Season can be as much as 30% less than in peak, and the local population and shop keepers have more time to spend with travelers on an individual basis.

As a bridge between North and South America, Costa Rica's biodiversity is astonishing. Monkeys, sloths, tapirs and wildcats as well as an unrivaled collection of bird species numbering more than 800 make their home in the rainforest. With more than 25% of the country in national parks, there is great opportunity to leave the beaten path and to see the wide variety of plant and animal life year round.

The Costa Rican rainforests are vast, but accessible. The road infrastructure tends to be unpredictable outside of the major cities, and caution when driving is highly advisable, especially during rain storms. Many roads are unpaved and bridges are often single-vehicle width. The best advice in any weather is to plan ahead, take your time and enjoy the scenery.


Any experienced visitor to Costa Rica will tell you that there is no end to the amazing array of things to do. Costa Rica is a nature lover's paradise. Better yet, ecotourism is a way of life in Costa Rica. The country plays host to a wide variety of adventure sports and favorites of travelers include mountain biking, river rafting and scuba diving. Hikes through the rainforests include trips to active volcanoes, boat trips on rivers snaking through the rain forests and opportunities to ride a zip line through the forest canopy. You can watch live lava flows on Arenal Volcano, bird watch (some of the best and most diverse in the world), stand on mountaintops where both the Atlantic and the Pacific are visible, watch the marine turtles at Tortuguero or any one of a hundred other terrific outdoor opportunities.