Common sense goes a long way in keeping you healthy

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At a party the other day my sister in law said I might cancel my trip to Mexico, I don’t want to get sick. I said why stay home you might get even sicker!  Something like 400 kids called out sick at my son’s school the other day between stomach bugs and fall colds. I say get me away! Mexico sounds great.

I know the flu and water concerns may make people leery of travel. I say get over it.  That is my personal opinion. I’m not a doctor, but this is the advice I can offer from my personal experience. A conscientious traveler, who prepares and takes minor precautions, will have a great trip. I can honestly say, in my 20 years in the travel business, I have never gotten sick because of the environment I am in. Tequila, well that may be another story. But I do understand the concerns, I was worried taking my son away last year and packed all sorts of over the counter medications, but we honestly never needed any.

Keep in mind, your body is used to your own environment and any change it may have  – be it Florida, Europe, California or Mexico may make your system a little different. But here are some steps you can take ahead of time to have a worry free trip:  Continue reading

How to pack the essential travel bag

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As I sit here packing to go away, I thought I would share my tips on packing my in-flight bag. We are all allowed 1 carry on and mine is strategically packed like a true professional! As a mommy, who also does not really enjoy flying, the bag must be stacked and packed specifically so there is no searching or anything missing during the flight.

First, you need to select a good bag with accessible pockets. It should be big enough to fit all your items, but small enough to fit under the seat in front of you (where your feet also go). If you board a plane late or the guy next to you takes up the entire over head bin with luggage and souvenirs, you don’t want the bag rows away from you. Choose an affordable bag. The wear and tear of travel can quickly destroy a designer bag and will then put a damper on your vacation. Continue reading

Preparing Your Toddler for An International Trip

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090722_tipsIf you don’t have a small child, this blog may bore you or perhaps make you think I’m crazy; but those who know the challenge of traveling with a toddler, I hope you enjoy!

Although you know you are going to a foreign country, where the people look different and speak in a different language, don’t assume your toddler understands. Here are a few things you should prepare them for.

Start with the airport. Continue reading

Apple Vacations’ Family Getaways “Microsite”

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090716_micro2OK, I’ll be the first to say it. I know very little about planning a family vacation. As a single guy, the most important thing I need to figure out is who is going, and when can they go. However, I understand from co-workers and friends that finding the right kind of accommodations when taking your family requires a bit more planning.

So, we at Apple came up with the idea of creating a family- specific “microsite”, a scaled down version of our bigger website, to offer more in depth information to help address the different vacation needs of families.

Located at www.applevacations.com/familygetaways, our  site offers family specific information about several topics, including a variety of shopping options,  information on excursions, details about hotels and destinations, preparation tips, and specials offers and inclusions that are available at select times of the year.

We also understand that a family that travels together doesn’t necessarily want to spend the whole time “playing together”.  Continue reading

Confirm Your Travel Documents

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090713_documents1Customer Care is not just here to take care of issues that might pop up while you are on vacation; we are also here to prevent those same issues from happening in the future to other customers.  As Manager of Customer Care at Apple Vacations, I try to be proactive when it comes to improving our products and services. I spend a lot of time reporting back to the hotels and our representatives about what we can do even better.   Continue reading