One of the considerations for the cruise ports of call that are stops on any cruise that you take is how you are going to see or enjoy that cruise destination. Here are some tips that will help you. The first step is to ask yourself these questions:

Do you want to get off the ship or stay on and enjoy the food and amenities? You may have this dilemma as there is so much to enjoy on the ship or you might have a fear of leaving the ship in a foreign country either way that’s OK. Stay and enjoy what the ship has to offer you. You don’t have to get off the ship. Do you want to tour attractions? Do you want to take an escorted group tour, private tour or to tour independently on your own? Is shopping on your list of must dos? You may be an independent seasoned traveler who likes to get off the ship and do your own thing, go shopping, walk around the area, grab a taxi or purchase a tour at the dock. Do you like active adventure tours, history and culture, limited walking, or beach time?

I had a friend stop over to visit and said that she had booked a trip to Italy. When they got there the hotels she stayed in were “scary terrible.”

She said that when they got there it didn’t have a restaurant nor were there any in the area. Not knowing the area they thought they would have to go hungry that night. Luckily there were place that delivered.

She asked me how I find a good hotel. Here are some tips I gave her on finding reviews and being informed before you book a hotel:

Check my website and travel videos to see if I have reviewed the area that you are traveling to. I always try to give reviews that are fair but accurate along with area information that will help you enjoy your vacation but if I haven’t reviewed the hotel then check:

My first clue that I had antiquated luggage was on a trip to Holland. We took my mother-in-with us. We bought her new luggage because hers didn’t have wheels.

The luggage salesperson showed us the wheeled luggage we asked about. We like them because they were like ours and they had done well for us over the years. I told the salesperson we were upgrading my mother-in-law’s luggage. I told him that she was in her 80’s whereupon he said, “she should have spinning wheel luggage.” After walking a spinning wheeled suitcase around the aisles we bought those for her.

As we drug our two wheeled suitcases and she merrily rolled her suitcases around on and off trains, down streets and around hotels for 10 days we understood why dragging a suitcase is nothing compared to rolling along with no drag or weight on your arm. That introduction to spinning wheeled suitcases changed our traveling with luggage experience forever.

If you are still dragging around the two wheeled version or lugging around the no wheeled version of suitcase I encourage you to update to the spinning wheel suitcases. Then you can go merrily rolling along your luggage on your next trip. Here is one example of the many that are available.

Are you a lugging suitcase traveler, a drag along behind suitcase traveler or a rolling merrily along suitcase traveler? Until they make an air levitated suitcase, I am firmly a roll along on spinning wheel luggage traveler. Which one are you? Do you need a change? American Tourister Spring Ranch 3-Piece Spinner Set (21″/25″/29″) (Navy)

The Costa Concordia cruise ship sinking was a terrible tragedy for the passengers, cruise line and could be for you too. Don’t go running for the mountains because the ocean now feels unsafe. The statistics show that cruise ship travel is still one of the safest modes of vacationing.

If you allow the images and stories from the media to activate your fear and over ride your good sense then you will never travel. You won’t be able to watch movies, TV, the news or read a newspaper without coming unglued about all types of vacation disasters.

I just watched “When Vacations Attack” yesterday. It was showing a fishing charter in Alaska that had an explosion in the engine room and sank. The people survived but just barely. I am planning on going on that very fishing trip in Alaska this summer. Even though I am a seasoned traveler it still unnerved me.

Fireman Entering Room

Today I am going to cover how to be prepared to survive a hotel fire if there were a fire in the hotel, motel or resort you are staying in. Just like you do fire drills at home you need to know your hotel fire safety instructions and fire evacuation information.

Eliminating panic is one of the key factors in surviving any disaster including a fire. If you plan ahead what you will do in a disaster then you can remain calm at that critical time. Remaining calm allows you to think, function and in a positive way.

This is especially important if you are staying in hotels that are not well regulated or have little or no hotel fire safety preparation. I have stayed in many hotels where I wondered how anyone would get out from upper floors where they barely have a fire department.