Bottom Bay, Barbados

But, when my auntie asked me for suggestions on where to go for her birthday celebration in September, instead of shying away, I accepted the challenge of helping her research location options.

My aunt is a seasoned traveler in her own right, she’s traveled to a variety of places from Egypt to Hawaii. We’ve also traveled together to Russia and Aruba. She’s a laid back traveler, and enjoys a mix of relaxation, cultural experience, and fun activities. She would be taking this trip with my uncle, so I wanted to find some places that they could both enjoy.

Island love
Her only requirement was that she wanted to visit an island and get some beach time in. After reading an advertisement in Conde Nast Traveler about Caribbean Getaways, I knew these locations would be up her alley - Turks & Caicos, Barbabos, and St. Lucia. When I presented the three locations, Auntie wasn’t too familiar with Turks, and seemed to be more interested in Barbados and St. Lucia. So we forged ahead with Barbados and St. Lucia, and started looking up travel deals on sites like Kayak, Cheap Caribbean, AA Vacations and many others.




The Best of Barbados
Through my research, I found out that Tourism Board for Barbados was promoting a country-wide Best of Barbados vacation package. The package details are…
Book either a 5-night all-inclusive or a 7-night special Best of Barbados package and receive the following:
- $200 airfare credit per person ($300 per person for travel in September)
- First night free
- Free full breakfast daily
- $25.00 (USD) voucher for dinner for two at Oistins Fish Fry
- Free car rental day with the rental of two or more days at participating car rental companies
- Buy one, get the second half price on all participating ground activities
- High value discounts at participating Bridgetown retail stores

My auntie was really interested in this deal, but I told her to do some reading up on Barbados to see if it was an island that she’d be interested in visiting. I was so proud of her! She did some great research and found things she liked such as:
- The fact that Barbados has a lower probabilities of Hurricane occurrences.
- The dollar is strong here. According to XE.com, $1USD = $1.99 BDS (Barbados Dollar)
- There are some interesting cultural ties between Barbados and South Carolina which will be exhibited in October.

She even found this little video about Barbados on YouTube. Go ‘head, Auntie! She’s so savvy.

So, I think she’s set on Barbados and will be booking the trip soon. It was nice being a part of the planning process, but great to see her ultimately make decisions based on her own research and preferences. Learning about Barbados makes me want to go now! Maybe next time. Stay tuned in the future for the final details of Auntie’s trip plans. I’ve given her the assignment of sharing her Barbados experience with us when she returns.

StarTreks:
Looks like Auntie’s not the only one with Barbados on her mind. Celebrity Bajan, Rihanna returned home to Barbados this week for a fun vacation with “friend” Chris Brown.

source: concreteloop

If you’d like to be a part our next “Get Me There” post…we’d love to hear from you!

Submit to us via email your top travel ideas and preferences, and we’ll try find some great destination/event options to match your style! Remember it’s up to *you* to do final research and trip planning, but we’re up to the challenge of helping you get started in finding some great places to visit!

During our visit to Italy last Fall, my wallet had a rude awakening. As the trip drew nearer, I knew it was time to face the music and research the currency exchange rates. Let’s not forget those service fees tacked on for good measure. At that time, it was going to cost me roughly $1.60 for every Euro I planned to spend. OUCH! I almost convinced myself that the pizza and gelato were just as good here at home. Nah.

A great strategy for overcoming the exchange rates and getting the most ‘bang for your buck’, could possibly be planning your vacation around them. There are still some destinations where the exchange rate is more favorable. The February issue of Conde Nast Traveler magazine uncovers some of these hidden gems in its article, Dollar Power, and I’m passing them on to you, my Divas.
Your purse can thank me later.

Some Currency Super Stars:
1. Costa Rica
Value of $1 five years ago: 384.70 Colones
Value of $1 today*: 495.35 Colones
Increase of nearly 40 percent

2. Laos
Value of $1 five years ago: 7,905 Kip
Value of $1 today: 9,297 Kip
Increase of nearly 20 percent
3. Egypt
Value of $1 five years ago: 4.6 Egyptian pounds
Value of $1 today: 5.51 Egyptian pounds
Increase of nearly 20 percent

Honorable mentions:
Maldives, Barbados, St.Kitts, St. Lucia, Turkey, Ecuador, Panama

Ever seen an $18 hot chocolate? Well, here it is…from Venice, with love.

For some perspective on my spending in Italy: $1 today is equivalent to .68 Euros…
Costa Rica, here we come!

To calculate more currency exchange rates, visit XE.com

*currency rate as of 1/20/2008

St. Lucia

Hey Divas, it’s the begining of the year and it’s time to get those travel plans in order. Are you looking for the It places to visit this year? Well, look no further.

Condé Nast Traveler magazine recently published its annual ‘2008 It List’ on its Concierge website. The list includes up-and-coming destinations and old favorites that owe another visit.

From islands in China to beachfronts in Mozambique, this ecletic list is sure to get you daydreaming about your next vacation. But, don’t stop there…make sure you turn those dreams into reality!

Mozambique

The 2008 IT List:
Mozambique
St. Lucia
Montenegro
Ecuador
Sicily
Oman
San Diego, CA
Hainan Island, China
Puerto Escondido, Mexico
Paris, France