http://articles.economycarrentalagency.com/rss.xml A blog about economycarrentalagency.com daily 365 1901-01-01T00:00+00:00 http://articles.economycarrentalagency.com/?a=35093 <p>by Gregg Hall</p><p>When it comes to making travel arrangements a travel agent can either make the process a dream or a nightmare. If you travel on a frequent basis finding a good travel agent that is reliable and trustworthy can be as important as a financial planner or a dentist. Here are a few tips to help you find a good one that won&rsquo;t have you pulling your hair out while you are trying to plan a relaxing vacation.<br /><br />One of the reasons for enlisting the services of is the fact that they can generally get better deals than the public due to the relationships they have formed with travel related companies such as airlines, hotels, and rental car companies. Their ability to get better deals is a great reason to use them but I like to use a travel agent just for the convenience. I can just call them up and tell them where I want to go and they will call me back with three or four choices to consider.<br /><br />Like anything else, the key to finding a travel agent you can rely on is research. You can start out by asking friends and family for referrals of travel agents that they have enlisted the services of. Another excellent tool at your disposal of course, is the internet. With the internet you can find a list of agencies in your area and peruse their sites along with reviews and testimonials of their service. Look for forums and message boards where travelers talk about traveling and their experiences with travel agents. Even though everyone will have different opinions you can rest assured that a travel agent that gest good remarks from most people will be someone you can work with.<br /><br />Another key indicator that can help in your search to find a good travel agent is whether they belong to the American Society of Travel Agents. The reason this is important is that allows the travel agents the ability to network with other members of the group such as cruise lines, airlines, hotels, and many other travel related companies. There are also certain minimum qualifications that must be met and maintained which means that the person involved will be more conscientious than one that is not a member.<br /><br />It is perfectly right and acceptable for you to interview the prospective agent and ask questions of their qualifications and experience in order to make up your mind if they are the right agency for you and that they will be able to satisfy your travel needs. You should also ask them for references of clients who have used their services so you can get a third part&rsquo;s take on them. By doing these things as you look for a travel agent it should help you to find one that will be good for you.</p><h3 class="popup">About the Author </h3><p>Gregg Hall is an author and internet marketing consultant living in Navarre Florida. For more on <a href="http://www.economycarrentalagency.com/">car rentals</a> for your vacation go to http://www.economycarrentalagency.com</p> 2006-07-16T21:13-04:00 http://articles.economycarrentalagency.com/?a=35083 <p>by Gregg Hall</p><p>Taking a highway trip can be fun and driving down the Pacific Coast Highway is no exception. This drive is one the most scenic anywhere in the world as it winds along the Pacific Ocean with bluffs overlooking the water.<br /><br />At the southern end of the highway lies the little town of La Jolla, just outside of San Diego. A well traveled and famous tourist attraction, La Jolla is set atop scenic bluffs overlooking the blue waters of the Pacific Ocean and draws millions of visitors to stay and play every year.<br /><br />The town has a small town presence and that coupled with the expansive views of the ocean and its easily accessible coast make it an in demand tourist attraction. There are three main sections of La Jolla to consider for the tourist wanting to see what the town has to offer, which are the beach to the west, the shopping areas, and the dining establishments.<br /><br />This area of Southern California boasts some of the most beautiful coastline in the entire United States offering beach lovers and sun worshippers an opportunity to enjoys some of the most pristine beaches in the entire state if not the country. If you are looking for a place to just relax and lay out in the sun you would probably have to go to Hawaii to find beaches with as much peace and seclusion. From the quiet beach off of Marine Street to the long white sandy beaches of La Jolla Shores there are times that you may be able to find a spot where you are the only one there.<br /><br />The restaurants in town are some of the best in the world with some of the best chefs in the United States and a training ground for up and coming chefs. The climate of the area makes for a growing season that is year round so the cooks always have access to fresh produce and herbs to help them create world class meals that you will not soon forget.<br />The village is also home to some of the finest shopping available anywhere in the world with something for everyone. There are shops spread about all over the town.<br /><br />It doesn&rsquo;t matter what you have on your travel agenda, whether you are looking for fine dining, shopping, or just relaxing on the beach you will find La Jolla to be the spot for you. The best season of the year to come is in the summer when you can most enjoy the beaches. Take a trip a little off the beaten path to the gem of the Pacific Coast.</p><h3 class="popup">About the Author </h3><p>Gregg Hall is an author and internet marketing consultant living in Navarre Florida. For more on <a href="http://www.economycarrentalagency.com/">car rentals</a> for your vacation go to http://www.economycarrentalagency.com</p> 2006-07-16T17:08-04:00 http://articles.economycarrentalagency.com/?a=35082 <p>by Gregg Hall </p><p>If you have never traveled to the islands of the Caribbean you don&rsquo;t know what you&rsquo;re missing, it is truly paradise if such a place exists. The Caribbean Sea runs from South America up to the Gulf of Mexico and meets with the Atlantic Ocean on the East. <br /><br />It is not surprising that it is the vacation destination of choice for North and South America with natural beauty rarely seen any where else on the planet. Some of the islands feature lush mountains lined with coconut trees and valleys filled with sugar cane and bananas but it is the beaches and the azure waters that bring people back time after time.<br /><br />When you see how beautiful the Caribbean Islands are you will understand why the British, Spanish, and the French fought over them for centuries after the area was found by Columbus when he got lost trying to find a short cut to India. You will still find the influences of the former colonial dictatorships on St. Croix, Bermuda, Aruba, and other islands with a mixture of both the native cultures and the culture of the colonists who settled there. <br /><br />There are well over fifty distinctive island vacation spots to choose from with some of them, like the Bahamas, having dozens of islands themselves. One thing is sure; you will never be cold in the Caribbean!<br /><br />The island of New Providence in the Bahamas is sometimes called Nassau by mistake because that is where the capital of the Bahamas is located. This island, which is a short hop from the east coast of Florida, is home to the majority of Bahamians and is also an offshore financial center with millions of dollars being invested and sheltered there. There is also of course, the famous shopping on Bay Street and the little side streets nearby. Be sure to take in the flavor of the local music as well, which is as famous as the azure waters around the islands.<br /><br />Another top choice in the Bahamas is Eleuthera, one of the outermost islands and also one of the least developed. If it is your goal to go to a beautiful place that is sparsely populated and a little more primitive, this would be my suggestion. Eleuthera has little night life to speak of, unless you consider the little bar, Elvira&rsquo;s where Lenny Kravitz is known to hang out sometimes. Lenny owns a house there, his mom is Bahamian.<br /><br />Almost anyplace you stay will be walking distance to the beach and the different areas of the island are so diverse you would probably have to make several trips to be able to appreciate them all. We stayed for a month and still didn&rsquo;t get to see everything we wanted. You will definitely want a rental car though because the taxi service is unreliable at best and there is no public transportation. Picking up hitch hikers is an everyday occurrence and a fun way to integrate into the culture.</p><h3 class="popup">About the Author </h3><p>Gregg Hall is an author and internet marketing consultant living in Navarre Florida. For more on <a href="http://www.economycarrentalagency.com/">car rentals</a> for your vacation go to http://www.economycarrentalagency.com</p> 2006-07-16T17:04-04:00 http://articles.economycarrentalagency.com/?a=35081 <p>by Gregg Hall</p><p>Start thinking of vacations as not just times to unwind but as times to participate in things you have never done or don&rsquo;t get the opportunity to do. Making one&rsquo;s vacation an adventure instead of just a vacation will also make it more memorable and create stories that will be told for a lifetime. Don&rsquo;t just go lie around on the beach, plan some exciting activities that will get your blood flowing and the adrenaline rushing. Here are a few ideas for some adventurous activities available in the Bahamas.<br /><br />At the top of the list of spine tingling adventures we may as well get it out of the way, diving with sharks. That&rsquo;s right, you take a five hour dive with Caribbean Reef Sharks and you will even get to watch them feed, hopefully not on you! Seriously, there are four sites where you can dive with the sharks and they all have excellent safety records. I would not suggest that you attempt to recreate this scenario on your own, the professionals who run these shark feeding tours have years of experience and are also familiar with shark behavior so they recognize when the sharks may be getting too aggressive. Of course this trip is only available if you are dive certified, which can also be done in the Bahamas.<br /><br />If you love the water but either don&rsquo;t want to get dive certified or would rather opt for something less expensive, you can always go for a snorkeling adventure. Snorkeling in the Bahamas is a rare treat with the clear blue waters it seems like you can see forever. There are many coral reefs and diverse marine life to be seen and it will give you the chance to swim with hundreds, if not thousands of beautifully colored fish. As with diving, always go with a partner.<br /><br />Another cool adventure that you can take is the Sub adventure. This is an alternative for those who may be a little apprehensive about getting in the water and being exposed to direct interaction with the marine life. In this tour you will get an orientation on submarines where you learn the fundamental skills necessary to pilot a sub as well as the procedures for communication. After these basic instructions are done you will be taken for a submarine trip in shallow depths of around fifteen feet or so and be able to view coral reefs filled with tropical fish of many different colors while enjoying a safe climate controlled environment. This is an exciting adventure that will give you fond memories to take back home and make you want to come back.</p><h3 class="popup">About the Author </h3><p>Gregg Hall is an author and internet marketing consultant living in Navarre Florida. For more on <a href="http://www.economycarrentalagency.com/">car rentals</a> for your vacation go to http://www.economycarrentalagency.com</p> 2006-07-16T15:32-04:00 http://articles.economycarrentalagency.com/?a=35080 <p>by Gregg Hall</p><p>Airlines have had to be more and more competitive today with the increasing numbers of travelers heading to the internet to surf for the best deals in travel. In addition, airlines, hotels and rental car companies have come to realize that a lot of people seeking to travel can not meet the expense of certain perks, this is why there have been plans made to make more inexpensive travel packages available to those with more limited funds.<br /><br />One of the airlines leading the way in the fight for lower airfares is JetBlue based at the JFK Airport in New York City. The company was created in 2000 as a low airfare airline with the goal of making travel more affordable for the average person and now a few years down the road they have expanded to over thirty cities all over the United States including Las Vegas and Washington, D.C. JetBlue is putting and end to the myth that low cost airfare equals shoddy service and second rate planes with their practice of flying only new planes that actually rate newest compared to all other airline companies as well as focusing on their repeat customers who enjoy the low airfares.<br /><br />Southwest is another airline company that is offering low fares and making it more affordable to fly with special sales and deals all year long. Southwest Airlines currently serves nearly sixty cities across the U.S. and they have one way ticket specials starting under $40.<br /><br />If you need an inexpensive place to stay, check into the Super 8 Motel chain. They offer a guarantee that if another hotel has a similar room for less they will give you your first night free. There are over 2000 Super 8 Motels to accommodate you so there is a strong likelihood you will be able to find one for your destination. The also guarantee that you will be happy with your visit with them. There are other chains such as Holiday Inn Express, Red Roof Inn, and the Days Inn that have good specials as well.<br /><br />If you are going to be staying a few days at your destination you will more than likely need transportation so that you don&rsquo;t have to rely on taxi cabs or public transportation to get around. Finding a good quality rental car is the best way to handle this so that you can come and go as you please and not have to worry about schedules or waiting for transportation to arrive. If you rent by the day they will be more expensive, the rental cars will be cheaper by the week and the best travel agents will get you an all inclusive deal that will give you airfare, hotel, and rental car for one low price.</p><h3 class="popup">About the Author </h3><p>Gregg Hall is an author and internet marketing consultant living in Navarre Florida. For more on <a href="http://www.economycarrentalagency.com/">car rentals</a> go to http://www.economycarrentalagency.com</p> 2006-07-16T14:59-04:00