It’s a simple and basic fact:  You may go on vacation, but crime does not.  Just because you decided to take a holiday in some lush paradise, don’t assume that criminals don’t exist there.  (It may be that they just have better tans.)  You should expect to have a great time and enjoy your stay, but you also must expect to guard your safety nevertheless.

Don’t go crazy.  You don’t have to walk around as if you’re in a Marvel comic story.  Just keep in mind that whatever you do at home to maintain your safety, you also should do away from home – perhaps you’ll need to do a little more depending on where you are. In some cases, this could help you avoiding a life-or-death situation.

Don’t be afraid.  In Don’t Let Them Rob You of Your Holiday, we share some tips to avoid crime, and we’ll give you advice in case you do fall prey to some villainous character.  We have you covered.

Travel safely out there!

When planning a trip and choosing a hotel or resort most of us review websites and choose only those places that have high rankings or many stars.  One question, though:  Just what do those rankings or stars mean anyway?  What are their standards?  Is a 3-star the same regardless if we’re looking at Forbes or Michelin?

Well, the fact of the matter is that not all rankings are alike.  In fact, no two rankings are the same.  What matters to one reviewer may not mean anything to another.  You may think that five-star ranking for a Miami Beach hotel will mean that they have a bunch of complimentary services, but it could simply mean that the hotel staff goes above and beyond to make you feel at home.  It doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s an all-inclusive place.

So, how do we read between the lines?  How do we make sure that what we want is what we get?  Easy.  Do your homework.  “OK, but what should I be using for research?” you ask.  Funny you should ask because in Look Beyond the Rank, we give you some helpful advice.  Your selection is only a click away.

Bon voyage!

Remember when going to the airport wasn’t an endurance test?  Do you miss those days when planning for the two-and-a-half hour trip from Miami to New York meant leaving your house an hour before the flight time and not arriving at the airport 3 hours before?  Do you lament that not too long ago you didn’t have to pay for your in-flight meal, and it really was a meal?  Well, get over it.  Those days are over, and we have to accept the fact that we won’t see their like again.

Instead of brooding over it, we should consider what we can do to make the trip more pleasant.  After all, the reason we fly is so that we can get to our vacation destination and take it easy and have fun.  What we should do is find ways to make them as easy or as painless as possible.  Yes:  Make a NetJet flight out of an American Airlines coach experience.  So, how do we do that?  In Ramble On we cover some simple and even money-saving ways to travel and make the best of the patience-eroding world of airline travel.

Look, we do know why you fly, and it shouldn’t be the equivalent of CIA rendition.  You want happy memories.  You want simplicity. You want peace.  We hear you, and we’re here to help.

Bon voyage.

It happens.  You plan the most amazing vacation, or you finally get to travel to a place you’ve always wanted to visit and you’ve got a whole outdoor itinerary planned…, and it rains from the moment you land until you leave.  Suddenly, you feel like the Detroit Tigers trying to complete just one baseball game in New York (or Texas).

There’s no need to get upset.  After all, what can you do anyway?  Besides, when you think about it, part of the reason for taking a vacation is to get some rest and relaxation.  So, relax.  Check out our latest article, Mother Nature Regrets…, and rest easy. You’ll get that fun, and you may be pleasantly surprised by how much that turns out to be.

So what if it rains? Make the best of it.

Bon voyage!

For some, vacation is a great time get away, unwind, and let go.  No obligations.  No schedule.  No rules (for the most part.  But what do you do when you’re also in the middle of a fitness or weight loss plan?

Well, to be quite honest, nothing changes there.  Just because you choose to get lost does not mean that you also lose your mind.  After all, you may be gone for a week or a month, but life does not stop.  You still have priorities.  You will have to return home and get back to your regular life.  Don’t forget that your time away is a time to regroup, recharge or disconnect for a little while.  This is not a permanent situation.

You can still have that time off and work in a fitness plan.  The key is that you do plan.  Check out Have Your Vacation and Eat, Too! for tips to keep you on track.  You don’t have to get up at 5am, but you do have to set aside time to work out.  You don’t have to eat your regular Atkins bar or drink the SlimFast shake, but you do have to mind what you eat.  It’s easier than it sounds, and the payoff is great.  After all, you don’t want all the progress you’ve made to evaporate.  The only memory of your vacation you should have should be of good, happy times – not the regret of messing up.

Bon voyage!