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traveler

Finding decently priced all-inclusives and beach cruises.

Dreaming of a vacation without thinking? All-inclusives and cruises are the way to go for you.  I’ve done my share of these and I can guarantee you, you can do this with a middle-class budget!

You probably have a week to spare and dreaming of the warm beach-y weather. Let’s get you there!

First, let’s choose between an all-inclusive resort or a cruise.

All-Inclusive Pros: All food and drink are included in the price for each night. You can have as much guacamole as you can possibly imagine while laying by the pool or on the beach, reading trashy books.

Cruise Pros: All day onboard entertainment, formal dinners, buffets (note: alcoholic beverages and soft drinks are usually not included). If you like a little movement, cruises will port at a couple of locations for you to get out, walk around, and explore new countries.

I guess it is mainly between whether you want to do absolutely nothing, or prefer to have a mix of exploration and relaxation. Either way, when you get home from this vacation, you will be so relaxed that you will need a vacation from your vacation!

Here is how I traveled like this affordably (check out the links below to schedule your trip!):

Cruise Information

I went cruising in the Caribbean for $350 for 5 days, not including flights.

Cruise: Carnival DESTINY Cruise

Date: Mid-March

Destination: Turks & Caicos, Nassau, Half Moon Cay Bahamas

Booking date:  Early October

Booking site: http://www.cheapcruises.com/

All-Inclusive Resort

I relaxed at an All-Inclusive for $818.50 for 6 days, including flights.

Resort: Riu Sante Fe

Date: Early May

Destination: Cabo San Lucas, Mexico

Booking date: Early January

Booking site: http://www.cheapcaribbean.com/

Creative thinking – Themed Vacations

When you have a little extra money, no longer a poor student, can actually afford to stay in a hotel instead of a hostel – travel becomes just a little easier.

If you are a middle-class traveler, it probably means that you have two weeks of vacation every year and you are looking to spend it somewhere new. Awesome, that is exactly what you should be doing!

So how can you make your travels just a little more unique? Well, whether you are domestically traveling or international traveling, there is an easy way to make your travels unique and fun – themes.

Now, different than a Disney World Theme Park trip, or cruise, or all-inclusive; I’m saying make your trip around a theme, get creative. Of course you won’t make every waking moment centered around the theme, but this will make planning your trip really fun and fulfilling. Great stories to bring back to friends and family.

Let me give you some examples and then you take it from there.

New Orleans, Louisiana – NOLA is famous for its dark history – you can do a Ghost Tour Theme. Do research on haunted hotels in NOLA and stay in one. Take a Haunted Ghost walking tour with a company that takes you around the city telling you haunted and historical stories of the town. Research restaurants that are supposedly haunted throughout NOLA and go there for dinner. Visit a cemetery. Read a haunted story based in NOLA before and go in search of all the locations. Plan your trip to go around Halloween.

Brussels, Belgium – Famous for its French Fries, Chocolate, and Waffles – you can do a Waffles topped with Chocolate Covered Fries Theme. Take some time to do research on the best chocolate, fries, and waffles places in Brussels. You can find information on the Best Fries in Brussels, the Chocolate Trail, waffles galore. Hit all the hot spots and take a picture of the chocolate. Learn to pronounce the words and try ordering always in both Flemish and French.

London, England – Famous for its literary background – you can do a Literary Theme. Stay at hotels that authors would frequent. Go on a Literary Pub Crawl. See a show at the Globe Theatre. Do a literary self-guided walking tour. Take a day trip to Stratford Upon Avon, home to William Shakespeare. Read the books of some of your favorite English authors and hit all the places mentioned in the book.

Buenos Aires, Argentina – deemed one of the most colorful cities in the world – you can do a Colorful Theme. Give yourself a “color of the day” and try to take pictures of all the buildings you see with this color. Try foods that are colorful. Buy the most colorful souvenirs. Get a colorful dress and take Tango lessons. Go around a time where there is a color festival.

 

Have you ever done a theme vacation? What are some of your favorite themes?