10 beaches that should be on your bucket list. Yahoo! Yahoo! 5 short but sweet summer cruise getaways | Compass. (Photo: Bermuda Department of Tourism) Even if you’re short on time or money, that doesn’t mean coming up short on fun. Spice up summer with a last-minute cruise getaway that won’t break the bank. We’ve rounded up five quick and easy summer cruises that are setting sail soon from close-to-home ports.
Best of all, each of these three- to five-night mini-voyages — taking off to ports in the Bahamas, Bermuda, Mexico and more — ring up from as little as $219. 1. The itinerary: Five-night Bermuda cruises sail round trip from Bayonne, N.J. The cruise ship: Onboard the 3,114-passenger Explorer of the Seas, look out for fun features like an ice-skating rink (complete with ice shows) and the Royal Promenade, a nearly ship-length “boulevard” lined with restaurants, boutiques and lounges (it's also the venue for onboard street parties and parades). The deal: Rates for inside cabins start at $699/person, or nab a balcony cabin from $1,299. royalcaribbean.com (Photo: Adam Fagen / Flickr) 2. 3. 4. 5. Yahoo! Yahoo! You'll never believe where these waterfalls are hidden. One mile past the Supai Village, you will get your first glimpse of the breathtaking Upper Navajo Falls, which tumble over a 50-foot sheer cliff.
Photo by Travis Burke Although the Grand Canyon is cleaved by the Colorado River, it’s not the kind of place that conjures up images of tropical waterfalls and effervescent pools. While parts of the canyon do see snowfall and extreme cold, it’s known as a desiccate place. Dry—the kind of place that’s soul-stirring and awe-inspiring but that nonetheless leaves you with dirt on your teeth and red in your eyes. The GrindTV crew could have easily spent weeks in Havasu Canyon capturing the smaller waterfalls that are often overlooked by visitors. The great canyon’s desert clime makes the waterfalls of Havasu Canyon—which sits on the edge of the Grand Canyon National Park on land overseen by the Havasupai Tribe—all the more alluring.
If a trip to these falls is now on your bucket list, start planning today. The landscape surprises with every turn. Hidden cruise deals: how to nab flash sales | Compass. (Photo: Holland America Line) While researching a recent story on summer’s best Alaska cruise bargains, I was dumbfounded to discover jaw-dropping $299 rates for a last-minute 7-night Princess Cruises sailing to Alaska — one of the best-value fares I’ve stumbled upon during my many years of travel deal-hunting. The only problem? They seemingly weren’t available to everybody, with the $299 fares populating on the Princess website for me, but not for my editor, who was located in another region (fares there showed up from $599 for the same sailing). Intrigued, we decided to dig deeper on these fare discrepancies and uncovered a world of hidden cruise deals and short-lived “flash” sales. Karen Candy, media relations manager for Princess, revealed that the $299 Alaska fares were likely showing up regionally, since the cruise line sometimes has limited flash sales that are targeted to specific markets.
(Photo: blmiers2 / Flickr) Even smaller cruise companies offer flash sales. 5 U.S. theme parks under $50. With Disney parks recently raising their ticket prices to $89 for a single–park one day ticket—Universal Studios is just as bad—now is the perfect time to start thinking about smaller, regional theme parks where you can get your adrenaline fix for less. Here are five theme parks around the country where the daily price of adult admission is under $50. Luna Park, Coney Island, N.Y. The best deal on the list, Luna Park's prices correspond with the number of credits each game or ride is worth, so how much you spend to enjoy the park really depends on which rides you choose to go on. For anyone as indecisive as I am, stick with the $29 four-hour Unlimited Luna Park Ride Wristband or the $39 Ride and Play package, a four-hour unlimited ride wristband that comes with a $20 game card (both are valid only during weekdays before Labor Day, daily afterward).
Get Your First Year Free American Express Sponsored Dorney Park, Knotts Berry Farm, (Photo: Jeremy Thompson / Flickr) Buena Park, Calif. Cedar Point, DiscoverAmerica.com. Find a hotel. 255,278 hotels worldwide. 17+ million hotel reviews. Billet d'avion et vol pas cher - Skyscanner France. Cheap Airline Tickets, Low Cost Air Fares & Tickets, Cheap Airfares | CheapAir. Best Travel Sites to Save You Money. Feeling too pinched by the ever-troubled economy to travel? You can still find good deals to get away -- if you know where to go online first. Here are the best travel sites we've found to help you bag the best bargains on airfares, lodging, car rentals and all your other travel needs.
Note: All but one of the following sites are free to use. 1) Kayak.com scours hundreds of online sources for the cheapest fare available. [More from Kiplinger: QUIZ: How Far Can you Stretch Your Travel Dollar?] 2) Bing Travel can help you bite the bullet and buy your ticket, or not, with its "price predictor," which forecasts whether fares will go up or down. 3) AirfareWatchdog works best for travelers ready to take off at the drop of a deal. Bonus: The site includes fares from Southwest, Allegiant and other small airlines that may not appear on bigger search sites such as Kayak and Bing. 4) Yapta.com tracks fares for you and will shoot you an e-mail or Tweet if the cost of your selected flight drops. Best secret beaches on Earth. Ibo Island (Photo: www.iboisland.com) Even for die-hard swimmers, surfers, and sunbathers, sometimes a day at the beach is anything but.
You know the drill: too many people, too much noise, not nearly enough serenity to enjoy the majesty of blue skies and white-crested waves. The good news is that there are still undiscovered beaches out there—blissful hideaways where tourism hasn’t yet eclipsed the local culture and there’s more to do, for those so inspired, than loll on the sand. T+L went scouting for such secret beaches and turned up everything from a quaint, affordable fishing village in Portugal to world-class surfing waves in Todos Santos, a cliff-side artist colony in Mexico. So look no further than our slideshow to find the guilt-free beach that’s right for you. Ibo Island, Mozambique —David A. Grand Haven (Photo: Denise Olrich) Grand Haven, MI Trolley cars, a 2.5-mile harbor-front boardwalk, and two 19th-century red lighthouses give a sweet, old-time feel to this Lake Michigan town.
Best airlines for families. As any parent of young children knows, flying with wee ones can be exhausting and, at worst, disastrous. The "what ifs" are almost endless: The cabin pressure could shift suddenly, causing infants to shriek with ear pain. Your two-year-old cries due to pent-up frustration. Older kids even revert to toddlerhood after hours and hours onboard. Add the disgruntled looks you're getting from other passengers and crewmembers, and you can see why some families forgo vacations altogether. After all, hyper-stressful travel spoils a relaxing getaway. But it doesn't have to be that way. EmiratesEmirates is an airline that helps families every step of the way.
British AirwaysBritish Airways operates under a "Feed Kids First" policy, so little ones will get their nutritious meals—plated with healthy portions of fruits and veggies—before you do. Photo: Singapore Airlines Singapore AirlinesSingapore Airlines wins points with families for its many kid-friendly amenities and affable flight staff. America's Best and Worst Airports- Page 13. News - ParkStamps. America's Greatest Main Streets. Driving across America, it’s all too easy to lose your mooring amid the commercial thicket of the same old fast-food outlets and big-box stores. But push on a mile or two beyond the interstate exit, and you may discover a town that’s anchored by a distinctive Main Street—one with grand architecture, eclectic small businesses, and community-oriented features like a park or theater.
Often it thrives thanks to locals who have made a conscientious effort to fight the general decline of Main Street. The work of such activists and preservationists is acknowledged each year by the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s Great American Main Streets Awards and by the American Planning Association’s Great Places in America: Streets.
We scoured their recent designations to select the most vibrant, distinctive downtowns worth the trip. You’ll find these great Main Streets across the U.S., from mining towns like Silver City, NM, to stately, red-brick Staunton, VA. —Wayne Curtis.