All Inclusive Travel Tips: Travel Romance

Let's face it...it's bound to happen sooner or later...you down a few too many Pina Coladas and tequila shots and soon enough everyone's gorgeous. You feel a sudden surge of confidence and you realize you're in a foreign country and what happens in "Mexico" stays in "Mexico". At least that's the set of rules that you and your buddies joked about, but never really sealed...so you're not really sure if it still stands, but you secretly know you wouldn't rat your buddies out for scoring with the locals.

For the love of gawd...carry condoms (the unmentionables) with you when you're traveling. You just never know when opportunity will present itself so be SAFE! The last thing you want is to have to go visit your family doctor that delivered you and have to tell them about the "odd and tingling sensations" you're experiencing. And if you don't think it can happen to you, think again...anyone can get laid on these trips! :O)

Please use caution and common sense. If you are bringing your love conquest to your room, don't leave them out of your sight. It takes a fraction of a second to get robbed...and you don't want to get your identity stolen. It's a harsh price to pay for 2 minutes of pleasure. Do you realize how much trouble you'd have to go through if your Passport was stolen with all your credit cards and cash? I'm going to let you paint that pretty little picture in your own head because the one I'm seeing is ugly. I would never want to go through the pain and anguish of explaining that one to their local authorities...it's inevitable, you end up in the slammer. And for what...so you can have drunk sex with a local and get robbed and get left with the wonderful gift of "stolen identity".

For me, it's an easy choice...forget it! I don't think it's worth it. I don't care how sexy this little Dwayne Johnson look alike devil is, I ain't putting myself at risk like that. Nopers...not for me!

Travel Well!
Jennifer Boudreau

http://www.organizedbrainclutter.com
http://www.allinclusivetraveltips.com

All Inclusive Travel Tips: Protect your skin and avoid sunburn.

The one common factor that everybody shares is that we all want to look great on our trips. In fact, not only do we want to look great, but we want to look fabulous! Now in order to do that, we've convinced ourselves that we need to look tanned. I prefer to get a little shimmer and protect myself from the damaging rays.

If you are going to pursue getting yourself a tan, first thing you need to do is get an early start. Preferably, in a tanning bed. This will give you a head start to your base tan so you don't burn while you're on your holiday. I speak from experience when I say...DON'T burn on your holiday. I ended up spending a day in bed on my first holiday and burned both eyelids shut. They were so burnt and swollen, I couldn't open my eyes. That was from falling asleep under the burning sun with little to no protection and NOT laying under the shade.

Next, you'll want to invest in some good ol' SPF! Use your imagination and discretion here and do yourself a favor and get the highest one you can find. I've gone as high as SPF 60...and it was a great year. My burn was minimal and my tan was great! I prefer to use the spray on...my hands stay clean and sand particles don't seem to stalk me as much. Just remember, the higher the SPF, the thicker the cream and the longer it will take to absorb.

Try to stay in the shade. I can't stress this point enough...for our own comfort, find yourself a nice shaded tree, or even little grass hut with umbrella and pluck yourself down UNDERneath it! The more protection you get, the more comfortable you will be.

If tanning is just not an option for you and you want to protect yourself from the sun completely, you can always use a sunless tanning lotion. It is a bit tricky to use, you could end up looking orange and oddly streaked if you don't apply it properly. So for this, I suggest you take a nice long bath, exfoliate your skin, apply your favorite moisturizing lotion THEN apply a thin layer of your sunless tanner. You'll see results the next morning when you wake up. So, I suggest giving it a trial run before heading off on your trip. This way, you'll see the effects and perhaps learn to gage how much you need to apply and if there are any areas of your body you should avoid altogether.

Whichever tanning path you choose to follow, I suggest you stay protected at all times with the highest SPF possible. Also stay in a shaded area...and DO drink lots of water. After all, you do want to stay hydrated and healthy.

Travel Well,
Jennifer Boudreau

http://www.organizedbrainclutter.com
http://www.allinclusivetraveltips.com

All Inclusive Travel Tips: Tipping at All-Inclusive Resorts

I will share with you some my ideas on how to tip so your stay can be as comfortable as possible...of course with the assistance of those you've tipped well! The goal is for them to remember your generous tip and the promise of another tip by the end of your stay! Please use your discretion when you are tipping as to not let any of the other staff members see you doing so. I'm not going to get too elaborate on this, but some resorts frown on it. Or at least that's what people are expected to believe.

Ideally, you will have brought a small bundle of $1 and $5 bills with you for tipping and always keep a stack on hand with you at all times. When you arrive, you want to tip the Bellhop at least $1 per luggage. That's it. If everyone does this...they're making a fairly steep little bundle on the side of their regular low paying salary.

Next, you want to tip every server that's served you at each and every restaurant you dine in at your resort. They will appreciate this and make special arrangements for you later on in the week if you so happen to get food sensitivities or other sensitivities due to your new heavenly environment.

Now this is another VERY important one. You NEED to tip the water boy. I don't care what you have to do to flag him down...chase him, stalk him...I don't care, but for the love of gawd, TIP him at least $10 on the first day you see him with the promise of another $10-$20 on your last day of your stay. You will NEED him to stay hydrated. Sometimes the resorts don't provide enough water in your room to suffice for the day...be smart about this...especially on the days you will be hung over...you will worship your water boy then!

You sitting for this one??? This is the most important piece of information I will provide you on tipping. What you need to do is make friends with one of the bar people that work at the outside bar or pool bar. You tip them $20-$30 and tell them you and your friends want to be taken care of and never want to be left holding an empty glass. You also tell them that some days you will want to lay on the beach and will NOT want to walk down to the bar for refills, so you'd like to always have a full glass on hand. For this service, you will pay them the exact amount on the last day of your stay as well. Not only will your glass always be full, but you will make some friends along the way...who wouldn't want to be friends with the cool person that gets special service like that...! :O)

Lastly, all your day trips and excursions need to be tipped out at least $5 depending on how long it was and how much value you think it was worth. You may use your judgement on this one. If it's a large group of people tipping, then you know they will make more by larger numbers...so you will want to keep it low. However if it's a small group, you may even want to tip more. It's all up to you.

It may seem like a silly idea to be tipping so many people. After all, you'll be staying at an all-inclusive resort. However, keep in mind, it is a humanity thing. These people work their poor butts off to make your stay as memorable as possible working for peanuts a day. The least you could do is reward them for it giving them better quality of life for them and their hungry families. Or, you could just be a cheappo and not tip at all. It's totally up to you...I on the other hand can sleep at night knowing I've contributed at least a little to enrich someones life.

Travel Well!
Jennifer Boudreau
http://www.organizedbrainclutter.com

http://www.allinclusivetraveltips.com

Organized Brain Clutter: Hangover Cure/Prevention

Organized Brain Clutter: Hangover Cure/Prevention

This my friend is the best advice to take along with you on your dream vacation...you know it's going to happen...so take your precautions so you can be well prepared for the doom of the dreaded hangover! :O) Click HERE Now And Scroll Up To Read Article :O)

Travel Well!
Jennifer Boudreau
http://www.organizedbrainclutter.com
http://www.allinclusivetraveltips.com

All Inclusive Travel Tips: The Water Boy

The Water Boy is the one friend you want to make at your destination resort. I don't care what it takes for you to find him....do it! You want to make sure he's well compensated for keeping you hydrated during your dream vacation because water is the one thing that is NOT free flowing. Oh...the alcohol flows freely and abundantly, however water is a luxury that can cost you a small fortune. At most resorts, you will get a water bottle per day for each person staying in the room. Keep in mind you are in the blistering heat, and you are more than likely drinking a lot of alcohol, laying on the beach or by the pool roasting in the heat.

For the love of gawd....stay hydrated! You want to make this holiday as pleasant as possible and you don't want to make it memorable by creating memories of migraines. So do yourself a favor...and the Water Boy a favor and give him a $10 on the first day you see him and simply ask him to take care of you! Then tell him if he takes good care of you that at the end of your stay, you will throw in an extra $10-20. And please follow through with this promise. These people don't make a lot of money and little arrangements can mean a lot to them...it may even feed their entire family for a month! So yes...it is a big deal!

So, if you do happen to find yourself with an enormous headache, here are a few tips to help you through it with some ease.

Travel Well!
Jennifer Boudreau
http://www.organizedbrainclutter.com
http://www.allinclusivetraveltips.com

All Inclusive Travel Tips: What to Expect at Airport of Destination

First and foremost, the one recommendation I have for you is to make sure you use the washroom facilities on your aircraft prior to getting off and entering the airport. There's a couple of reasons for this. For one, there may be a big lineup and waiting in line for a couple of hours doing the "pee-pee" dance is NOT fun! Kinda cute, but unless you've got a bladder the size of a watermelon, it can be very uncomfortable! So...take care of business in that department first to save you the trouble of having to find one in the airport.

Depending on how many flight arrivals all arrive at once, you may have to stand in line for a long time. I was in line for almost 2 hours at the airport in Cancun, however on departure, it was much quicker. They herded us out very fast...in a military style manner...quite amuzing and ohh...what an adventure, but I'll get to that in a later entry! :O) So, if it seems like the lineup is long and you're going to be there for a long time waiting, I would recommend you make friends with the people waiting around you. I've made wonderful friends this way that I'm still in touch with today! And if the people around you are uninteresting, hopefully your travel buddy/partner can entertain you with their wit and chatter! :O) Pick someone you actually like to travel with!!!

One thing I must remind you of...try to be somewhat serious going to the counter when it's your turn. Your sense of humor may get you in jail for the remainder of your trip if you say something that will trigger something and set off the red flags. So, try to behave. Have all your documentation ready to give to the person who will be attending you. Something else to consider, they don't have time to chat with you. Their job is to get you through the process as quickly as possible so they can push some more people through. As far as documentation goes, I always make a photocopy of my passport and ID and even credit cards and keep a copy on me. Just a precautionary measure I take to assure me that if I happen to lose my documents or even worse, my passport, I can go to the embassy and they can give you a temporary one to get you back out of the country.

You will receive a VERY important little piece of paper when you go through....this is a little country fee you have to pay to get back out of the country. I'm not really sure what it's for, but you can't lose this and they will emphasize this for you on the plane. Applying for a replacement can take weeks or even months. So make sure you keep it in a safe place at all times...(hotel safe is a great place to put it).

Once you're all done, you can now make your way to get your luggage. I often find this part a little confusing, as there's always a lot of people waiting around and even knowing which one to go to can be a pain! But just look around for familiar faces from your flight and you should have no problems finding your luggage.

After you've gotten your luggage, make your way out and you'll see a lineup of people from different agencies....go to the one you've booked with and they will tell you what bus to take back to your resort. Don't stray...this is important. And only talk to your travel package person.

You'll find that once you've gone through all the hoops and you enter the exit area, you will be enveloped in an atmosphere of heat and humidity, and all the locals will be more than happy to welcome you with their big smiles and exuberance...(they will try to sell you something...it may be something physical or a ride to your resort or even an excursion---DON'T do it!). All of these things will be provided at your resort, and your ride back to the resort is also more than likely part of the travel deal. So why would you want to trade off a ride in an air-conditioned bus to travel in a stinky cab with a cab driver with ulterior motives that may or may not even have a driver's license! Safety is NOT a top priority at any place I've ever been to. And you'll find that the driver's are heavy on their horns! A little irritating and scary!

The airport experience can be a little nerve-wrecking, but keep up your spirits...just think, your vacation has just begun and it's adventure time! So have fun and go get em' Tiger! :O)

Travel Well!
Jennifer Boudreau
http://www.organizedbrainclutter.com
http://www.allinclusivetraveltips.com

All Inclusive Travel Tips: How to pack for an All-Inclusive Resort Vacation

Hello friends, first of all...keep in mind if you fill your luggage going there, you won't have any space left to bring your new found treasures back on your return. So this is what I do. I fill 2 suitcases. One carries all of my clothes, shoes, accessories, etc, and the other one I fill with things I want to donate.

This serves two purposes. The most important one is that I get to donate some necessities and aids to daily living to folks in third world countries. (In a later entry, I will go into more elaborate details about this). The second purpose it serves is after the suitcase is emptied, I can then fill it with things to take home with me. Ladies...this is the best way to do it...pack light so you can come home heavy! :O)

Some of the things I pack on these trips are the necessary remedies to take care of miscellaneous ailments that may happen while traveling. These include Advil (for the hangover or regular headache resulting from too much sun), Tums or Rolaids (indigestion, acid reflux, stomach ache, upset stomach possibly from the food, water or hangover), Gravol (from nausea possibly from jet lag, or even the food or water, possibly hangover...and one heck of a great little pill to take for falling asleep...keep in mind I'm not a doctor nor am I prescribing anything here, this is only my personal experience I speak from), Kaopectate or Imodium (for treating diarrhea---I know, very unpleasant to even acknowledge this, but a serious possibility, and you want to be prepared, because if you're going to be taking some tours, washroom facilities may not always be available or even meet your standards), Aloe Vera Gel (for sunburn, or applying to skin in case of a small scuff), Sunblock (for obvious reasons---I've burned my eyelids on a trip to Punta Cana and couldn't open my eyes for 2 days), and a first aid kit. The cool thing about packing all these things with you is that you can add them to your donation pile because these things are hard to get for the local residents.

Here is an article I wrote a while back on Hangover Cure/Prevention. There is a lot of useful information in it...and if anything, it will definetly serve to amuse you! :-)

At your resort, there may be some restaurants that require you to dress up a little, so packing some nice outfits is highly recommended. I wouldn't go too extravagant with this because you may end up over dressed. Packing a long sleeved shirt, or fleece is also a great idea, because it always seems to get chilly and a little windy at night. The sun goes down a lot earlier as well, and usually by 7pm, it's dark out. If you choose to go out on excursions, you will need to bring a towel with you (you can usually use a poolside towel---I will go into much more detail about pool side towels in a later entry), shoes must be comfortable. Sunglasses are always a must, and cash in 5's and 1's should always be carried on your person. (For tipping purposes---I will explain tipping into detail later).

The most important thing you need to pack is your camera. You should always have this on your carry on luggage, for obvious reasons....it may get stolen if in your luggage. That's why, it's important to lock your luggage with thick locks. In your carry on, you should have your passport, and all your ID's as well as your money and anything important that you will need to survive the trip. One example of this would be medication.

Packing some books is also a great idea, especially if you're planning on spending some relaxing time at by the poolside. This is your ultimate trip, so plan big and plan smart...you will be creating memories from the moment you step foot in the airport even before the adventure begins.

Travel Well!
Jennifer Boudreau
http://www.organizedbrainclutter.com
http://www.allinclusivetraveltips.com