July 01, 2004
Excellent Romantic Vacations “Trips and Tips” let’s you check in with romantic travel ideas, tips, and the latest online travel deals for those with “the bug”!
If you like this e-zine, please do a friend and me a big favor and send it along! If this issue was forwarded to you and you like what you see, please subscribe by visiting
Excellent Romantic Vacations Trips and Tips Newsletter
Hi Everybody,
It’s June 30, and we hope you’re having a great summer (or surviving winter well enough if you’re south of the equator…)
Table of Contents
1) We're Back from California2) New Pages This Month
3) Coming Next Month
4) Packing Tips for Couples
5) Catch Em’ Before They’re Gone: The London Double-Decker
6) Latest Travel Deals
We’re Back from California, and…
...We've discovered the joys of a sunny morning in Sausalito – it’s a great little place for a walk along the water, or sipping a cappuccino while watching the fog lift over the Bay area in the distance. A little further north, Napa’s vineyards are just getting more and more popular. Even our favorite little lunch supply stop, Oakville Grocers, was wall-to-wall with hungry pinickers at 1:30 in the afternoon! The traffic along U.S. 29 wasn’t much better – to get some breathing room, stick to the Silverado Trail and you’ll be fine.
Carmel is just as cute as ever (there must be more art galleries here per capita than anywhere in the world!), and what can you say about the Big Sur coastline? Rugged, gorgeous, and of course, windy! Look for an update to our Central California Beach Vacations page soon - we'll tell you about our favorite little B&B in the area too.
New Pages This Month in Excellent Romantic Vacations:
Discount Vacation ShoppingCheap Travel Guide to Air, Hotel and Car Rental
Shopping for Cheap Cruises Online
Travel Auction Websites Reviews
As promised last month, our "Travel Smart & Cheap" section has taken off! If you haven’t seen it yet, why not drop by. We’ve done quite a bit of research over the past several months on how romantic travelers can get the very best deals on all sorts of travel products online, and we’re anxious to share our findings with all of you!
Lake Tahoe Vacation
Skiing in the winter, cold, fresh alpine lake in the summer, and entertainment year-round. That’s Tahoe. Find out about all the recreation possibilities, including spas at a nearby hot springs!
Coming Next Month
If you haven’t yet seen the mighty Niagara from way up in room 1107, check out our tips and links for the honeymoon capital of North America in our Niagara Falls page, coming in July.
Destinations currently on our "cyberspace drawing board" include Palm Springs, South Florida, the Greek Islands, and Seattle!
Packing Tips for Couples
Arriving without your luggage can be an unsettling experience. In my line of work, I’ve seen many travelers over the years go through this, and the expression on their faces is about on par with losing your travelers cheques! And if you’re on a quick weekend getaway, the holiday could be over before the airline gets your bag to you!Here’s a couple things Maureen and I do when preparing to fly, “just in case”:
- we try take carry-on luggage only whenever possible. That way, you’ve got it with you at all times. The standard maximum size for a carry-on piece is about 43 cm wide (15 inches) by 55 cm high (23 inches), and 23 cm(about 9 inches) thick. Of course, this may mean traveling with less than you might like, but learning to stick to just the bare essentials is a great way to travel – you have more freedom, can move about quicker if you have to, and it makes all types of public transport to/from the airport much less of a burden too.
- In the few instances where you have to pack a full suitcase (like we did on our Bahamas cruise), here’s an idea: Use a combo of 1 big suitcase, and 1 carry-on each. Divide the contents of the big bag: each of you fill half of it. Next, put your essential items (toiletries, any prescriptions, travel documents, etc) in your carry on, as well as a small amount of clothing (and maybe a comfortable pair of shoes, etc) that could get you through a day or so if you needed to. That way, if the big case gets lost en route, you can still continue to enjoy your vacation while the rest of your luggage catches up with you!
Catch Em’ Before They’re Gone: The London Double-Decker
The famous red double-decker London Routemaster Bus is on it’s way out, sadly. The icons of public transport in London, complete with a conductor who dispenses tickets, are being phased out to make way for newer, higher capacity units. There’s actually not that many left right now, with plans to have them all gone by 2005 (except for perhaps a “tourist route” through the city).So if your travel plans include London anytime soon, catch a ride while you can on these great old buses. We’ve been on them several times – make your way up top for a better view of the city!
Hot Deals on Romantic Destinations This Month:
Golden Nugget Hotel & Casino: $59/midweek rates Las Vegas thrills abound at this Fremont Street locale! One of Vegas' most storied names, the Golden Nugget is located two miles north of the Strip.
European adventures: 4-night air/hotel from $919 European summer adventures: Find great air/hotel deals to your favorite European cities. 4-night air/hotel from $919 (Sample price – 4-nights air/hotel to Madrid).
Keep up-to-date on all sorts of online travel bargains from major sites like Expedia, Priceline and Travelocity! Visit our Bargain Bin of Travel Discounts!.
See you again in 30 days!