Island Vacation Tips: Your First Travel Abroad Packing Checklist

Posted by Soren Breiting 20 August, 2008 (0) Comment

It can be so exciting to go abroad on vacation for the first time.
Island vacation is truly a very special offer. You have to cross water to go to an island so you will have to fly or to go by boat or may be just cross the water on a bridge by driving.
Be well […]

It can be so exciting to go abroad on vacation for the first time.

Island vacation is truly a very special offer. You have to cross water to go to an island so you will have to fly or to go by boat or may be just cross the water on a bridge by driving.

Be well prepared for your first travel abroad and remember a number of things. Some are essential for your safe travel. Other items and things to remember might just help you to get the most out of your first travel abroad.

If you haven’t found your choice of island to visit you will still have a lot of options to get good travel information and vacation tips here at IslandVacationTips.com and at our partner site Island-Vacation-Tips.com (Opens in a new window).

But do not forget the packing checklist:

Print and keep the packing checklist and bring it with you to the island - check off the list at home to remember everything. Use it again when your stay abroad is coming to an end and you prepare for leaving the island. This is my best island vacation tips today.

___ Travel tickets - check beforehand the date and time, and keep informed about changing schedules. If online booking remember booking numbers etx.

___ Passport – and valid in long time enough. Some countries demand at least 6 months.

___ Photocopies of your passport as backup and kept separately, for example in your suitcase or by a fellow traveller

___ Travel payment documentation

___ Phone numbers of travel agency and accomodation

___ Hotel vouchers or the like and their addresses

___ Local money for the island and may be transition countries

___ Some back up money in your own currenc

___ Credit cards - make sure you remember the needed pincodes

___ Visa or other needed admission document to the country of the island

___ Needed vaccinations and proper documentation

___ Travel insurance – make sure it covers all risks of health hazards

___ A hard suitcase with code lock or other save lock

___ Leave your itinerary and information about addresses where you stay at the island to people you trust (family or a friend)

___ Bring your driving license – an international diving license if you expect to drive on the island

___ List of phone numbers and addresses on paper – your mobile phone list isn’t enough if you loose it.

___ List of phone numbers for reporting problems with your credit cards on your travel

___ Your prescription medicine

___ Medicine to prevent seasickness or the like

___ Some emergency medicine and tools if you get problems with your stomach or infections.

___ List of addresses you want to send postcards from the island for friends and family

___ List of the emails you might need during your island vacation

___ Insect repellent and treatment of insect bites

___ Sun lotion with a high protection factor to prevent sunburn – often a big problem during an island vacation.

___ Cloths for the relevant kinds of weather conditions – often a big difference of the temperature from midday to late night on an island.

___ Different equipment for the different kinds of activities you expect to take part in: swimming, snorkeling, running or other kinds of sport etc..

___ Cloths for special occasions: parties, may be churches, mountain walking, running, dancing shoes …

___ A notebook – no, not the computer, I mean an old fashioned notebook of paper as you will often like to make some notes of people you meet during vacation, addresses for good eating places, booking numbers, or to tear a page to give some information to a person you have met at the island etc.

___ Electric adapter to fit your own electric equipment with the local options

___ Digital camera and memory card, battery and battery charger. An extra battery might be very helpful depending on the situation of electricity on the island.

___ Your iPod or what you use for music.

___ A good up-to-date guidebook about the island with travel tips. Find lists of many good travel guidebooks at Island Vacation Tips.

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Such a travel checklist is partly a list of essential items to include and partly a personal choice, but I recommend that you go through everything and make your final decision. Every packaging checklist need to be extended by your own extras. Here I just mark for 3 extra travel accessories but I am sure you have more.

Categories : Preparing Travel Tags : , , , ,

Early Retirement with Island Vacation

Posted by Soren Breiting 2 July, 2008 (0) Comment

‘Retired Syd’ writes about the big question, when your whole life is vacation, - what are you vacationing from when you go on an island vacation? - Is retirement a full time job that brings you in need for a vacation, e.g. to a nice tropical island?
 
Read on what this ‘Young retired bitch’ has […]

‘Retired Syd’ writes about the big question, when your whole life is vacation, - what are you vacationing from when you go on an island vacation? - Is retirement a full time job that brings you in need for a vacation, e.g. to a nice tropical island?

 

Read on what this ‘Young retired bitch’ has to say about an island vacation in Molokai, Hawaii, as part of an ‘Unfettered Pursuit of Happiness’ according to her blog at  http://retiredsyd.typepad.com/retirement_a_fulltime_job/

Categories : Hawaii, Vacation for retired Tags : , , ,

St George Island Rental

Posted by Soren Breiting 1 July, 2008 (0) Comment

St George Island Rental example with views on the island, environment and facilities.

 This short video from Florida, on TopGun on St. George Island Beach Vacation Rental Home gives some impression of St George Island Rental possibilities for the first time traveller and may be some extra ideas for the repeat visitor to St George Island […]

St George Island Rental example with views on the island, environment and facilities.

 This short video from Florida, on TopGun on St. George Island Beach Vacation Rental Home gives some impression of St George Island Rental possibilities for the first time traveller and may be some extra ideas for the repeat visitor to St George Island FL - one of the more popular travel destinations for Island Vacation in North America.

 

 

 

Categories : St George Island, Vacation Rentals Tags : , , ,

Top 10 Beach Destinations – not only for Island Vacation

Posted by Soren Breiting 20 June, 2008 (0) Comment

                                                                

One of the beautiful sandy beaches at The Seychelles.
According to the June 16 issue of TripWatch (the ezine from TripAdvisor) the top 10 beach destinations worldwide are

St-Tropez, France  

Sydney, Australia 

Fiji 

Corfu, Greece 

St. Vincent, Caribbean 

Seychelles 

Boracay, Philippines 

Canary Islands, Spain 

Maldives 

Ko Phi Phi Don, Thailand 

>>>  Read more about these selected island […]

                                                                Island vacation at the Seychelles with white sandy beach.

One of the beautiful sandy beaches at The Seychelles.

According to the June 16 issue of TripWatch (the ezine from TripAdvisor) the top 10 beach destinations worldwide are

  1. St-Tropez, France  
  2. Sydney, Australia 
  3. Fiji 
  4. Corfu, Greece 
  5. St. Vincent, Caribbean 
  6. Seychelles 
  7. Boracay, Philippines 
  8. Canary Islands, Spain 
  9. Maldives 
  10. Ko Phi Phi Don, Thailand 

>>>  Read more about these selected island vacation destinations at

1.   St-Tropez, France  N/A

2.   Sydney, Australia   N/A

3.   Fiji  - Fiji articles and vacation tips (Opens in new window)

4.   Corfu, Greece 

5.   St. Vincent, Caribbean 

6.   Seychelles  - Seychelles guide books, Seychelles articles and vacation tips (Opens in new window)

7.   Boracay, Philippines  - Boracay articles and vacation tips (Opens in new window)

8.   Canary Islands, Spain 

9.   Maldives 

10. Ko Phi Phi Don, Thailand 

                                                              The TripAdvisor archive is found here . 

Categories : Seychelles, rating Tags : , , ,

Seychelles Island Vacation for Low Budget Travellers

Posted by azfotos 15 May, 2008 (0) Comment

Normally vacation on the Seychelles Islands is regarded as a quite luxurious travel. But if you avoid the luxurious five star hotels or the like, you can achieve a much lower expense during your visit.

To go to the Seychelles you should anyway be focussed on the islands with their fabulous nature and beaches and […]

Normally vacation on the Seychelles Islands is regarded as a quite luxurious travel. But if you avoid the luxurious five star hotels or the like, you can achieve a much lower expense during your visit.

To go to the Seychelles you should anyway be focussed on the islands with their fabulous nature and beaches and not for enjoying the hotels as the main attraction. – Not to say that hotels on the Seychelles aren’t as good as anywhere in the world. Now, just take a look at these vacation tips for budget travellers.

 

If you choose a self-catering hotel you will also be able to reduce your running expenses. You will find a selection of rooms in hotels and in bungalows equipped with a kitchen and needed tools for cooking and eating on your own. Such a choice might be especially attractive for families on a budget. These types of accommodation are still serviced with cleaning and a reception, and normally you will find a swimming pool, too.

 

Accommodation at Seychelle´s main island Mahé

The two star hotel Anse Soleil Beachcomber would be a good choice. The small beach, only 150 m long around the laguna, is situated among the old weathered rocks and with fine attractive sand without any small stones. The Anse Soleil Beachcomber hotel is the only one here, supplemented with a small restaurant serving good food. The hotel has only 14 rooms so don’t plan to be a big travel group here.

 

The hotel Anse Soleil Beachcomber was earlier owned by the Catholic Church and used as a holiday colony.

 

Accomodation at Seychelle´s second largest island, Praslin

Accomodation in Praslin at Les Villas D’Or would be a good choice. Les Villas D’Or offers 10 bungalows with nice interiors and facilities. The bungalows are lying close to the attractive sandy beach Cote D’Or with palm trees and (gule hav hibiscus).

 

A nice walk along the beach will bring you to a local shop where you can buy food for a reasonably cost.

 

Fresh fish and other seafood are available on many of the Seychelles Islands, contact the fishermen when they are landing their catch. Fish are easy too grill or to use for indoor cooking, like a fish curry and baked in the own and served with condiments.

 

Summing up

In general look in the Seychelles for the smaller, friendly hotels that offers a more local atmosphere then the big and expensive hotels of a more international style. Don’t worry for the food, the food in The Seychelles are delicious in general.

Categories : Seychelles Tags : , , , , , ,

Island Vacation on Paradise Island, Bahamas

Posted by Soren Breiting 14 May, 2008 (0) Comment

Many dream about island vacation at the Bahamas. Here are five suggestions to maximize your time and budget while exploring breathtaking Paradise Island in Bahamas. These are good to know if you plan your first trip to Paradise Island. Paradise Island, also known as Nassau, is great for couples as well as for families.
 
Paradise Island […]

Many dream about island vacation at the Bahamas. Here are five suggestions to maximize your time and budget while exploring breathtaking Paradise Island in Bahamas. These are good to know if you plan your first trip to Paradise Island. Paradise Island, also known as Nassau, is great for couples as well as for families.

 

Paradise Island for couples

For couples, Paradise Island is the perfect place to begin or simply enjoy your life together. Paradise Island offers several opportunities to explore nature with your significant other, including a quiet horseback ride on the beach or a gentle stroll in a canoe.

 

Watch the sunset together by taking a walk along Clifton Pier. Known for its rolling cliffs and majestic sea caves, Clifton Pier offers visitors a glimpse of the tropical sky like you have never seen before. A stairwell is carved into the cliffs and leads to a historical plantation; this provides the perfect spot for watching the sun go down as the waters roll beneath you.

 

Experience the unique island flavor of Paradise Island! Couples and families alike will enjoy the fine dining and innovative culinary creations offered by Paradise Island.

 

The Bahamas are known for serving up the best conch dishes on the planet, so stop by for dinner at Islands located at the Radisson Cable Beach Resort.

 

Islands serves a variety of conch dishes, including conch fritters and cracked conch.

 

The Arawak Cay Fish Fry, also located on Cable Beach, serves a variety of ice-cold beer, island-style coconut shrimp, and chowders only available in the Bahamas.

 

Snorkeling and diving at Paradise Island

For the water lover, Paradise Island offers exclusive diving and snorkeling opportunities. A great place to take in these underwater adventures is Stuart Cove’s Dive South Ocean. Stuart Cove provides a chance for even amateur divers to learn the fundamentals of diving, while novice divers can experience bubble sub excursions and night dives.

 

Snorkeling is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity here, as Stuart Cove waters are stocked with a variety of tropical fish and other sea life. You can even get close enough to these amazing creatures to take pictures and experience first-hand the wonders of underwater life.

 

To light up the night, visit Paradise Island Casino. Start your evening by sipping island cocktails along the beach and enjoying conversation with your family or friends. Enjoy an authentic Bahamian cuisine for dinner before heading off to the slots and game tables to try your luck at gambling. If you find you aren’t as lucky as you’d like, you can tear up the dance floor to some great island music at the casino’s disco club.

 

Paradise Island for families

For families, Paradise Island offers endless opportunities for everyone in the family.

 

Blue Lagoon Island provides up close and personal encounters with dolphins – children and adults alike will love swimming with these friendly creatures. Or, visit Ardastra Gardens and Zoo, where children will enjoy visiting with the beautiful animals or participating in the family-oriented activities.

 

… The name Paradise Island says it all - once you visit this tiny tropical getaway, you’ll leave with a desire to come back to the Bahamas – one of the most attractive travel destinations for island vacation!

Categories : Bahamas, Paradise Island Tags : , , , ,