Archive for the ‘Beach Vacations’ Category

Avoid those airline checked bag fees: Get smart with your carry-ons!

Thursday, June 26th, 2008

Photo by Sheree Zielke

No, not all the airlines are charging for the first checked bag, but will they hold out for much longer?  We may as well get used to traveling lighter now in anticipation of even higher fees down the road.

Those fees will really add up at $15-$25 per checked bag EACH way when flying to that dream destination.

But do you really need the extra baggage?  Probably not.  If you choose an appropriate carry-on bag and pack more efficiently, you’re likely to find that you don’t miss hauling around all those extra suitcases.

There are great travel sites with clever tips designed to help you beat the airlines at their own game.

Read on . . .

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Adventurous Travel or Dangerous Travel? Which would you choose?

Friday, June 13th, 2008

Queen Isabella Causeway Texas Morning by Sheree Zielke

There’s “adventurous” travel and then there is “dangerous” travel.  Since neither my husband nor I are members of the CIA, nor are we navy seals, we have placed limitations on our travel experiences.   Those limitations recently affected one of our travel decisions: an end-of-summer trip to Belize.

Having reviewed a recent Canadian foreign affairs travel report, we have decided that Belize is not the place for us – at least not this year.

Read on . . .

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Malaria? Alberta has mosquitoes but they don’t leave parasites behind!

Saturday, May 31st, 2008

Malaria? 

It’s a word I have heard, but I never really spent much time thinking about it.  That is until I began researching Belize (I am tripping there end of August).

I thought Malaria was prevalent only in far away countries like Africa and India, not the Americas.  But I was wrong.  Malaria is also common in South and Central America.

Yikes, I thought, what do I do?  Read on . . .

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Brownsville, Texas: You Must Crash a Mexican Wedding!

Saturday, April 26th, 2008

Photo by Sheree Zielke

Who are these people? We didn’t know them either, that is until we attended their wedding, uninvited. But you haven’t lived until you’ve crashed a Mexican wedding.

My husband and I don’t normally go uninvited to the wedding of strangers, but cheap happy hour drinks, great Mexican food, and authentic Mariachi music were too attractive to resist. An evening out at a local Mexican restaurant sounded like a great idea. We weren’t planning on the wedding.

Read on . . .

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Deep Sea Fishing: Hell on the High Seas!

Tuesday, April 15th, 2008

Photo by David Thiel

There is hell on earth, and it’s called, “deep sea fishing.” What was I thinking, or rather, what was my husband thinking when he agreed to a 5-hour deep sea fishing adventure?

We took our first deep sea fishing trip just off the coast of South Padre Island in Texas. To me, it was an adventure; to my husband, it was an unending journey into the depths of hell.

Read on . . .

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Elvis Fans? Vintage Memorabilia Fans? This Museum is a MUST-see!

Friday, April 11th, 2008

Little Graceland Museum in Los Fresnos, Texas

In the army, you never know who you’ll be bunking with. Except Simon Vega had a fairly good idea that the dark-haired handsome guy from Tupelo, Mississippi, was special. Back in 1958, Vega shared army duty with none other than the King of Rock and Roll, Elvis Presley. Vega remembers fondly his days with a young Elvis. But remembering his former army buddy wasn’t enough for Vega; only a museum would do. But what a place to put a museum!

Read on. . . (more…)

Brownsville, Texas: Smallest sit-down hamburger joint ever!

Tuesday, April 1st, 2008

Rutledge table

Don’t let the look of the ketchup bottle put you off.  You simply must visit this tiny 84-year-old restaurant hidden away in historic downtown Brownsville, Texas.  You’ll be able to say you’ve rubbed shoulders in a place where American President, Lyndon Johnson, once rubbed shoulders, too.

And rub shoulders is exactly what happens here – the walls are only about 6 feet apart.

Read on. . .

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How a Tilley Hat Nearly Caused my Husband’s Death!

Sunday, March 16th, 2008

Tilley Hat Man

Nothing proclaims, “This person is an adventurer” like a Tilley hat.  It’s true; look at a group of tourists – the ones in the khaki Tilley hats don’t look so touristy – they look more serious, more experienced, more like seasoned travelers.

Yes, it’s all good when you wear a Tilley hat unless, of course, you (like my husband and world travel companion) refuse to wear the hat’s chin strap.  That decision, or lack thereof, can get you into a lot of trouble.

Read on. . .

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All-inclusive Vacation Resorts: Luxurious Getaways or Velvet Prisons?

Saturday, March 15th, 2008

Martha Brae Rafting

If you are pining for a well-deserved vacation, an escape from the drone of the business world, you might be tempted by an “all-inclusive” vacation.  But think very carefully before you don that thong bikini or those Speedo trunks.  All-inclusive vacations are not for everyone.

Read on . . .

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Hana, Maui, Hawaii: Dramamine and Orchids – the Perfect Pair!

Wednesday, March 12th, 2008

Photo by Sheree Zielke The road to Hana may be a cruel drive for those who suffer from motion sickness, but for orchid lovers, it might be the pathway to Nirvana.

Driving the road to Hana in Maui, Hawaii is a trip that can’t be committed to lightly. Replete with narrow roads and endless curves, driving to Hana is not for the squeamish.

But it is the way for orchid lovers to reach one of the prettiest places on Maui.  You might even see Oprah Winfrey’s land.

Read on . . .

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