05th Oct2011

Access America Wins Travel Weekly Magellan Award For Best Travel Insurance

by Sam

For the third year in a row, Travel Weekly has chosen Access America as the best travel insurance company. The Travel Weekly Magellan Awards honor the best travel industry providers in a wide range of travel categories including hotels and resorts, rental car companies, travel destinations, cruise lines, online travel services, airlines and airports, travel agents and agencies and tour operators.

Travel insurance can be a good thing to purchase if you feel that for any reason, your trip could be delayed or cancelled.  When you are making your travel plans, consider things that may come up that would require any change fees or cancellation fees, and then weigh the cost of the fees against the cost of the insurance.  Often times, the insurance premium cost is well under what you would pay out to the hotels, airlines and rental car companies if you have a change of plans.  Travel insurance companies offer different plans so that you can pick one that best fits your situation.

Some possible scenarios that may delay or cancel your trip, and would be covered with a travel insurance policy, are a sick child, severe weather, the death of a family member or even an important work related event you cannot miss.  Some of  the fees associated with canceling a vacation could be flight change or cancellation fees, hotel cancellation fees and rental car fees.  Make sure you find out what each of the cancellation policies are before purchasing.

If you are staying in a Bluegreen Corporation resort, the concierge will e-mail you their cancellation policy so that you understand the latest possible cancellation date without any penalties.  The closer your arrival date is , the higher the cancellation cost is.  A travel agent will also be able to help you determine what the airline, hotel and rental car cancellation policies are as well.  For more information about Access America, visit their website or go to Market Watch for more on the Magellen Awards.

 

Category : Vacation Planning
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13th Sep2011

Healthy Eating Tips For Travelers

by Sam

It can be difficult to eat healthy while you are traveling for business or on vacation but there are a few tricks of the trade that can help you make healthy choices.  The most important part of eating healthy is to plan ahead and be prepared.  Taking along a collapsible cooler or a soft shell thermal lunch bag will help you stock up on vegetables, fruits and water while keeping them cool and fresh.  Wash and pre-cut your produce so that it is bite size and you will not need plates or utensils.

If you are travelling on a plane, purchase your snacks before you get to the airport and pack them in a thermal lunch bag that can fit into your purse.  Choose items like apples or pears, carrot sticks, low-fat cheese slices for protein, or whole wheat crackers.  The idea is to stick with foods that deliver a lot of nutrition for fewer calories.  Eating natural foods, rather than processed foods, will keep you more alert and clear headed while travelling.
If you are travelling in a car and bringing your own beverages, pack water rather than soda or juice.  Purchase water above all other beverages, but if you need a shot of caffeine, choose coffee over soda.  The empty sugar calories in soda will give you an energy burst at first, but leave you groggy and cranky when the sugar makes you crash. When you stop off at a convenience store to re-load on supplies, buy the most natural items you can with the lowest amount of sodium and sugar such as fruit, dry roasted almonds or pumpkin seeds.  Beware of granola bars claiming to be healthy but really just candy bars with rolled oats in them.  Always read the ingredients in so called healthy foods like yogurt as hidden sugars can de-rail the best dieting intentions.

If you are staying in a Bluegreen Corporation resort, your resort will most likely have a kitchenette in the room or a restaurant on site. If you do have a kitchenette, this will make eating healthy a lot more easy as you can keep fresh produce and healthy meats like fish and chicken in the refrigerator.  Bluegreen resorts are conveniently located to most amenities, so finding the local grocery store should be fairly straight forward.  If your resort does not have a kitchenette but has a restaurant, try to order a salad with your dinner as the salad will fill you up and deter you from ordering desert.

Whenever you are traveling, try to plan your menu options for the day ahead of time so that you do not make poor choices on the plane, in the car, at the resort, or out at a restaurant.  Planning your diet for the day will help you stay on track and mindful of what you are consuming.  For more healthy eating tips while travelling, go to About.com.

Category : Vacation Planning
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29th Aug2011

Anniversary of 911 Spurs Airline Safety Standards

by Sam

With the ten year anniversary of 911 approaching, U.S. citizens are examining the measures now being taken by the airlines to improve security, and has us wondering if we are really any safer.  Although the measures taken by TSA certainly make us all feel as if we are being watched more carefully, the real question is whether or not all these measures deter terrorists.

There are certainly a lot more hoops to jump through to get onto an airplane these days but are all of the hoops really necessary?  Are we really more protected now than we were before 911?  The only ones that are really going to know this are the terrorists, people that will look for loop holes in the system and then test them.  The rest of us can only hope enough check points are in place to prevent another terrorist attack.  According to an article written in USA Today,  every day citizens mostly feel that travel is becoming a bit more of a hassle than it’s worth.

More and more people are beginning to look at alternative ways of travelling, either by car or train, to avoid the hassles.  Luckily, Bluegreen Corporation resorts are located all over the United States, so you don’t have to go far to stay in one of their luxury vacation resorts.  Sometimes taking a vacation 100 miles away feels the same as going 1000 miles away and experiencing new sites, sounds and tastes can be refreshing no matter how far you travel.  But for as many people looking for alternative methods of travel, traveling by plane is still the quickest way to get from point A to point B, even with the early check-ins.

Category : Resorts, Travel, Vacation Planning
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24th Aug2011

East Coast Earthquake Not Likely To Re-Occur

by Sam

A 5.8 earthquake hit the eastern United States on August 23, 2011 and was felt from Toronto, Canada down to Georgia due to the hard, brittle quality of the ground.  The quake that struck mid-afternoon near Richmond, Virginia was the strongest in the state since 1897, and shook for almost 30 seconds.  Because the lithosphere is colder on the East Coast than in California, the shock waves were more severe feeling than the same earthquake might feel like in California.  When the ground shakes on the east coast, it is like hitting a bar of steel.  The numerous fault lines in California also help to alleviate some of the shaking that occurs in their earthquakes.  Although the east coast also has fault lines, the lines are so old and cold, that they are not as pliable as the ones on our west coast.

This earthquake does not seem to be the first of many for the east coast according to the USGS, so if you are planning on a vacation anywhere along the east coast soon, you should not have any problem.   There are numerous Bluegreen Corporation resorts all up and down the east coast, and none of them have reported any damage.

 

Category : Travel, Vacation Planning
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21st Aug2011

New Book On Travel Full Of Saving Tips

by Sam

Nicholas Kralev has published a book on travel tips that gives frequent fliers some good advice.  Nicholas is a former foreign correspondent for the Financial Times who visited 82 countries and traveled nearly 2 million miles as a correspondent.  During that time, he learned a lot about travel.

One great tip he offers is to shop for ticket prices between Tuesday afternoon and Thursday afternoon because that is when the airlines publish the heavily reduced fares.   The cheapest days to fly are Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Saturdays.  If you are planning on a vacation at a Bluegreen Corporation resort anywhere in the country, flying on those days reduces the fare because most business travelers fly on Sundays, Mondays and Fridays.

The new book Nicholas Kralev has published is Decoding Air Travel, A Guide To Saving On Airfare and Flying In Luxury.   You can download it on your Kindle eBook from Amazon for even more savings.

Category : Travel, Vacation Planning
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17th Aug2011

MetLife Augments Insurance Policy To Include Travel Benefits

by Sam

Metlife is known for it’s medical and life insurance coverage to employees, but they are now also expanding into the travel business.  Metlife is adding travel insurance now with their Travel Assistance program, which includes concierge services and web site access to important pre-trip and travel information such as weather conditions, necessary vaccines, security alerts, and other information.

If you are travelling more than 100 miles from home, the Travel Assistance program may be helpful to you.  Bluegreen Corporation resorts have very accommodating concierges that stay informed of area weather conditions, health concerns, travel conditions and local events you may be interested in.  Accessing this information through your insurance company may be a value to you as you can notify your insurance carrier of your travel plans while receiving helpful information as well.

Having the right insurance coverage is important for your ease of mind during your hard earned vacations.  Stephen Pontecorvo, vice president of Group Life at MetLife says, ”People want to optimize their time when traveling, whether for business or pleasure. Having access to important information before and during your trip along with local updates makes travel easier and likely more enjoyable and productive.  These new features are part of MetLife’s continued commitment to meeting our customers’ diverse needs and augment our existing medical assistance, legal assistance and identity theft solutions which are part of MetLife’s overall travel assistance program.”

For more information about Metlife, visit their website.

Category : Travel, Vacation Planning
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11th Aug2011

TSA to Train Screening Agents How To Question Passengers

by Sam

vacationsAirport security agents may soon want to have a conversation with traveling passengers if they feel it is warranted.   The TSA is going to begin training their agents how to open up a conversation with passengers displaying suspicious behavior.  This training is going to focus on how to use their judgement, ask pointed questions and what to do if further action is necessary.

An article written on PeterGreenberg.com discusses this method as a common sense approach to security measures and is something that is used currently in Isreal.  He describes instances we may have all noticed before, but were too timid to bring to an agents attention and even if we did, there may have been nothing they could legally do about it.

The TSA is going to test this program in Boston first, and if it takes off, other cities will follow.  If you are flying to a Bluegreen resort, with many locations around the United States, don’t be surprised if an airport agent asks you a few questions about your vacation destination or the resort you are staying at.

Category : Travel, Vacation Planning
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05th Aug2011

New Applications Great For Frequent Flyers

by Sam

Bluegreen vacationsIn a recent article written by David Pogue for the New York Times , he outlines some great new applications offered on cell phones that make travelling a lot easier.  These applications are great if you are a frequent flyer and can use up to the minute flight information accessible from your phone.

Another great feature of these new applications is that less paper is required for check-in’s and even boarding passes.  Delta Airlines is forward thinking when it comes to convenience and environmental factors with their new Delta app.  This new application allows you to check-in using your phone and displays your boarding pass along with your gate number, your seat number and even a Delta Customer Service number.  Once you have your boarding pass on your cell phone, you just show your cell phone at the gate check-in, the stewardess will scan your cell phone the same way she scans a boarding pass, and you are ready to board.  No need to keep track of that boarding pass any longer.

Bluegreen Corporation resorts are in-line with this forward thinking approach to travel, conservation and easiness as they too want your check in to be as simple as possible.  The staff at Bluegreen resorts are always ready to receive you and treat you like the valued guest you are to their resort.  A Bluegreen vacation will enhance your already smooth sailing travel arrangements.

Alaska Airlines, American, Virgin, Delta, Frontier, US Airways and United now offer in-flight wi-fi service.  SeatGuru.com by Tripadvisor will tell you if your airline offers outlets and wi-fi.

With all of these new applications coming out for frequent flyers, travelling and staying in touch is getting easier all the time.

Category : Travel, Vacation Planning
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01st Aug2011

Vacation Preparedness Is So Important

by Sam

summer vacations to Bluegreen resortsAn article published in the Washington Post reminds us all to do some preliminary maintenance on our vehicles before setting out for our summer vacation adventures.  With just a few simple checks, you can have confidence in your vehicle and therefore make the fun quotient on your vacation increase substantially.

Preparedness for a vacation makes all the difference in your ability to relax.   From notifying your credit card companies and bank of your travel plans, to letting neighbors and family know your travel plans and expected date of return, and making sure you are appropriately connected via iPhone.  If you are travelling to a Bluegreen Corporation resort, they are happy to help direct you to the nearest auto maintenace facility where they will check fluids, rotate tires if needed and look at your air filter.  Bluegreen resorts often have free wireless access in the rooms so that you can stay in touch with friends and relatives or contact your credit card company and bank if necessary.

Vacations are a time for new experiences and connecting with family and loved ones.  Make sure your attention is where it needs to be, on your vacation, and not on your vehicle.

Category : Travel, Vacation Planning
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29th Jul2011

Travelzoo Inc. Launches New Application

by Sam

Bluegreen CorporationTravelzoo Inc. today launched its first iPhone application, allowing Travelzoo members to access all kinds of travel deals from their phone.  If you aren’t a member of Travelzoo yet, you may want to consider becoming a member as they are entertainment experts that search out the best vacation entertainment venues and offer discounts to go see them.

If you are already travelling and staying in one of the many Bluegreen resorts, it isn’t a problem as you can now join Travelzoo from your IPhone at any location.    A few of the great items they offer members are “Top20″, a researched list of the most interesting places to visit picked by their experts, “Local Deals Near Me”, “Deals In Other Cities”, “Travel Deals” and “Inspire Me”.

Staying connected is now easier than ever with the new applications coming out for IPhones, even if you are already travelling and at your resort.

 

Category : Resorts, Travel, Vacation Planning
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