Instead of deal directly with the airlines, has it ever occurred to you to use a good travel agency to book your spring break vacation? Airlines will quote you fares and book your flights, but that’s as far as they go. A travel agency can offer discounted fares, advice on spring break destinations, and may have a great deal or two for you and your friends. Spring break is barely two months away, so now is the ideal time to start looking for a travel agency.

If airlines are offering huge discounts to lure money-weary individuals into traveling, imagine the larger discounts that a travel agency can offer. Since travel agents purchase blocks of seats, they can pass on the savings to their customers.

There are numerous travel agencies, but there is only a fraction of those agencies that cater to the special needs of the student travel industry. Although you can use any travel agency to book your spring break vacation, why not choose a travel agency that specializes in student tours and spring break vacations?

Looking for the Right Travel Agency: Tips

Before you book your next spring break vacation, the travel agency must satisfy certain requirements. You may want to look into the following criteria:

· Full Description of Services – Does the travel agency introduce itself adequately to potential customers? Do they have contact numbers, student packages, discount programs, and do they explain the procedures for their spring break packages as well as clearly state their refund policy?

· Variety – Does the travel agency have a wide range of destination choices and do they have hotel categories that meet all budgets? Some travel agencies like to specialize in a certain number of destinations – USA, Canada, or Mexico; some cover the world! When travel agencies can book spring break vacations almost anywhere in the world, that means that they’ve been in the student travel industry long enough and are confident that they can offer far away and exotic destinations without any problems because they belong to a large network of travel professionals;

· Discounts and Deals – Does the travel agency extend discounts for group travel or do they have frequent hot deals to offer? The capability to offer great deals can mean any number of things: they have good relationships with major airlines, hotels and tourist organizations, they receive discounted rates from suppliers and they in turn offer these to student travelers, or they are booking so many flights and vacation packages that they earn free points or free miles. You could be offered a deal to the Bahamas, your destination of choice, because the travel agency happened to receive a deal from a Bahamas tour operator at the time you booked!

· Photographs – Wouldn’t it be nice to see what you are getting into? If you are going to a spring break destination for the first time, you would want to know what kind of hotel you’re staying at, wouldn’t you? It isn’t enough for the travel agency to say, “You’re booked at a 4-star hotel”. You’ll want to know the name and location of that hotel so you can look it up on the Internet or ask people about it, plus you’ll want to see the rooms, dining facilities, and recreational facilities. Some travelers have been dismayed to find out that the hotel had only one treadmill, as opposed to what the travel agency described as a “full operating gym”. Or that the travel agency said 12 tennis courts, when in fact the hotel did not have any, referring travelers instead to a sports center a mile away!

· Interactive web site –Instead of spending precious minutes on the phone asking the travel agent about destinations, packages and vacation amenities, it would be simpler to do the search yourself on their web site by giving you the option to select a city and a package. When you’ve found what you’re looking for, that is when you call and ask for details that weren’t covered on their web site.

· Flexibility – some travel agents require you to pay for their packaged vacations to be able to receive discounts, but some travel agents are flexible in that they allow you to choose only air, or only hotel, or both.

A good travel agency is well organized. This important trait is evident in the way they present travel information. For example, there are websites that are designed to specifically cater to students. They list the cities they serve with a brief article about popular attractions and then you click on a link and the screen displays what their package covers plus costs for the city you selected.

So if you’re using a travel agency to book your spring break vacation, look for an agency that’s efficient, organized and capable of offing some fantastic deals.

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Choosing a travel agency to handle your next vacation as opposed to dealing directly with an airline presents numerous benefits. Here are a few of the benefits you enjoy:

Wealth of information

Because of their experience and wide connections with people in the hospitality industry, travel agencies are in the best position to provide sound advice when it comes to the following points: off peak and peak travel times, budget travel, hotel and meal deals, excursions, shopping bargains, and other tourism-related topics. Much will depend on your preferences. For instance, are you interested in a golf holiday, a fishing trip, a museum jaunt or a spa type of vacation?

Discounted fares

Travel agencies and online travel agencies are great for bargain hunting and usually get the best deals from their network of contacts. They also purchase air tickets on volume, consolidated tickets, enabling them to buy air tickets at considerably higher discounts.

Extended network of suppliers and providers

Given that travel agents deal every day with hotel managers, restaurant owners and managers, bed and breakfast supervisors, tour operators, limousine companies, and other people who offer a specialized service, they know who and what are offering better prices and when. So travel agents have a wealth of information on just about anything related to travel, and because they network with other travel agents, they get to exchange valuable tips. Consider yourself fortunate if you happen to be dealing with a travel agent who seems to know â??just about everyoneâ? in the travel industry and who can offer you the discounts that she reserves for preferred clients.

Group discounts

If you tell your travel agent that you and your friends want to travel together or that youâ??re taking your family of four on a Kenyan safari, he or she might be able to slash off more dollars from your air tickets because you will be travelling in a group. Sometimes, when you buy three adult tickets, travel agents will let your four-year-old travel for free or at a much lower price. Travel agents can, at their discretion, extend courtesy discounts to groups. The more seats are bought and the more rooms are booked, the higher the discounts they receive.

Perks

Travel agents also have access to suppliers and service providers who hand out â??bonusesâ? or perks. These are the nice extra incentives that say, hotel managers would give to agents so that the next time the travel agency has a large group of travelers, they choose the same hotel. Meal vouchers are another example that travel agencies have a constant supply of to give to loyal customers. For example, if you and your friends like to visit Las Vegas a lot, your travel agency may give you slot chips worth $50.00 to use on machines, or free passes to a stage show or concert. So you see, it does pay to develop good relationships with travel agencies especially if youâ??re a frequent traveler.

Specialization

Some travel agencies specialize in certain types of travel and cater to a certain age group or specific professional groups. Some travel agencies have more strengths and capabilities than other travel agencies. One travel agency may know the ins and outs of Eastern Europe or may know what the best budget restaurants in Tokyo are. Other travel agencies may cater specifically to retirees, students or government officials.

When a travel agency handles a large account like a mid-size company whose executives travel weekly, you can be sure that travel agency is in a position to offer significant savings on plane tickets or hotel reservations. If you have a friend who works for a large company and his company uses one travel agency, you could ask him to request the travel agency for special deals. Because travel agents are grateful for the continuing patronage of their company clients, they will most likely share tips on how to travel on a shoestring budget for the executivesâ?? children.

Donâ??t let one unfortunate experience with a travel agency discourage you. Find another. If you deal with the airlines directly, youâ??re just another caller to them, whereas if a travel agent calls the airline on your behalf, the airline will recognize the travel agency as a regular customer and hence would be more inclined to extend courtesies.

What you need to do before calling a travel agency is to decide:

· Specific travel dates

· Where you want to go, where you want to stay and whether youâ??ll need a car or rail passes

· If youâ??re willing to travel on a restricted ticket or as a standby passenger

· What activities youâ??d like to do once you arrive in your destination

By giving your travel agency complete information, she can be more efficient in helping you plan your next vacation.

Traveling is the most expensive part in planning any holiday vacation. No matter what the reason, everyone needs to use air travel at some point and for many it is a great expense and worry due to the high prices and associated costs of flying. Finding discount air travel can be one of the best ways that you can manage to get a cheaper trip. Cheap flights are becoming a much sought after commodity and people are beginning to find many different places where it is possible to find affordable cheap flights without a lot of hassle, time and effort. Many people who wish to travel cheap will want to go online and offline to find the best deals on their desired tickets. There are many resources appearing now which are able to find cheap flights and compare many different routes and airlines so that you can be provided with the details of the best offers.

The invention of the Web portals plays an important role in promoting cheap airfare from websites. There are times where you can find good deals through online airline ticket purchase especially you are buying from low cost or budget airlines. Applying some useful tricks while buying your airline tickets, you can save a lot. Various web portals give you easy access to information, so that you can become familiar with various travel sites dealing with airlines and airline tickets. There are travel sites which claim to be the lowest fare, but you never know until you look around, and surfing the Internet for the best price may take some time, and time is money. Internet has become the most significant revolution in the tourism industry with the advent of commercial air traffic.

It has been seen that you can get cheap flights from website, incase you book your airline tickets late night and early morning hours. There can be some great airline deals to be found during off peak hours. Follow the trick to book your cheap airfare during weekdays. Weekdays may cost you much cheaper instead of weekends. Prices can skyrocket unexpectedly, therefore it will cost you cheap if you’re willing to fly on Saturday and return on Monday, than if you need to leave on Friday and return on Sunday. Generally on online travel sites you can book you airline tickets along with your complete information about your destination like about your desired location, destination weather, perfect time to visit, tourist attraction, accommodations, entertainment places and when and where should you go in your destination.

One of the easiest places you should search is the major airline websites. One can come across cheap airfare online if they desire to break their flight journey. Most of the times it is more expensive to buy a direct flight than to buy a flight that stops one or two (or even three) times on the way. Such issues have been seen while using an online travel or flight agency. Various airlines display information about inexpensive flights offer on their websites depending on the season, destinations and departures.  Browsing and comparing various cheap flights from websites ensures a traveler to get the best deal available. Don’t forget to take advantage of airline miles from credit cards and other rewards programs to pay for your flights.

Including things like, visiting family, vacations, travel expenses, air fare, food, touring, and lodging?
Listing the average expense for your family would be appreciated too.

How do I go about searching for travel fare? I’m hoping there is a site similar to Priceline or Travelocity that deals with ground travel of this sort.

DETAILS: I’m hoping to travel a round-trip vacation between Portland, Oregon and Calgary, Alberta (Canada, of course). I’ll be travelling sometime this month.

Once again, I’m looking for help with finding places to get trainfare (or anything with ground travel) be it a Priceline-similar site or anything. I just need a way to find and compare prices for travelfare. Any hints, ideas, suggestions? Any help is much appreciated!

It is most likely because you don’t know what a vacation to the Dominican republic would be like.

You probably don’t know that the Dominican republic at 18750 square miles is one of the largest islands in the Caribbean. This only means that you need to do some research because on an island the size of the Dominican Republic has parts you will like a lot, and others that you won’t.

As an example the south east corner is the agricultural side and it has an exciting high quality night life. On the other hand the southwest part of the island is more arid, less crowded and more desert like. Research is important otherwise your Caribbean Vacation to the Dominican Republic could end up a major disappointment because you end up on a part of the island not to your taste.

Some of the top destinations for a Dominican Republic Vacation and ones that perhaps need deeper investigation could be the following.
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Cabarete on the north coast is the place to go if you are young, it is a fun place to be with good water sports, is considered by many to be one of the top places in the world for windsurfing and kiteboarding. It is also a great place to surf, mountain biking, horseriding, canyoning, and lots of other adventure sports.

Sosua on the north coast has a beautiful sheltered beach with white sand, and clear turquoise sea. This is the place if you want to go snorkelling and scuba diving, and there are good restaurants.

Playa Dorada is a gated resort community and is where most of the All Inclusive Hotels are found and is on the north coast. You can do almost anything in the way of recreation here, from golf courses to casinos, , and there is a long white sand beach, but get out of the community and there is a lot of things to see and do.

The Playa Grande Cabrera area has spectacular unspoiled white sand beaches and some exclusive villas. Playa Grande beach is one of the best ten beaches in the world, and there is a beautiful golf course here.

Las Terrenas is on the Samana Peninsula in the northeast, with a beautiful white sand beach and calm sea. This has a Mediterranean feel to it, and is a very relaxing place through the mountains.

Las Galeras also on the Samana Peninsula is a remote spot with boutique hotels, hidden beaches and is a real romantic getaway.

Punta Cana on the east coast is totally Caribbean postcard, and some good all inclusive hotels.

Bayahibe on the south coast has a really tranquil setting, a great beach, and the not to be missed National Park

La Romana also on the south coast includes the 7000 acre Casa de Campo with two golf courses and some very exclusive villas. The word luxury springs to mind here.

Juan Dolio on the south coast is the Dominican Republic’s Riviera

Boca Chica also on the south coast is a place with smaller hotels, where you are much closer to local life, and there is good diving here.

Finally Santo Domingo which is the sophisticated and cultural Capital of the Dominican Republic.

Further investigation by you of these area of the Dominican Republic will enable you to decide on, and then plan for the perfect Caribbean vacation to the Dominican Republic

For more information about Caribbean Vacation Spots go to http://www.caribbean-vacationspots.com/pages/Site-Map.html

Isla Canas, Los Santos: This small island just south of Pedasi in Panamaâ??s Azuero Peninsula is a gem waiting to be discovered. It is the home to a thriving native population, some of the most secluded beaches in the country, and the nesting location of giant leatherback turtles. Bring a tent as few, if any, accommodations exist.

Lago Bayano, Darien: This giant lake sits in the province of Darien which, on paper, is a dangerous place due to its proximity to the border with Columbia. However, this region is far north enough to void you of harm; its pristine good looks enough to impress even the most seasoned eco-traveler. Explore the caves surrounding the rim of the lake, or discover hidden waterfalls on perhaps on of Panamaâ??s most far-flung paradises.

Boca Brava, Chiriqui: An island, lying just off the coast of Boca Chica in the Chiriqui province, Boca Brava boasts white sand beaches and that great jungle-to-sea contrast. Hire a local boatman for the day (no commercial tours do this yet) and explore the surrounding coastal areas where, chances are, youâ??ll be the only one in sight. The sport fishing is world-class, the indigenous Indians are culturally rich, and itâ??s only an hour from the capital city of David!

Playa Chiquita, Colon: The Caribbean coast in Panama is developing at a slower rate than the Pacific, but there are still wonderfully quaint towns to enjoy. Drive up to Colon and head past Portobello to find this lovely beach area identified by a small fishing village and a tiny hotel. Itâ??s about 25 minutes by boat from the nearest docking area and sports that wonderful Caribbean calm; clear waters, rustling palm trees, and a beer on the beach are in order.

Torio, Veraguas: Veraguas in the only province in the world that coasts two different oceans. Wander down the Azuero Peninsula to the sleepy town of Torio for surfing, hiking, or simple beach relaxation. Itâ??s an easy drive from the hub town of Santiago on a finely-paved road. Stop at one of the roadside shacks for fried fish or enjoy some of the last remaining $0.25 beers in the Republic.

Itâ??s best to explore these unknown paradises by car seeing as though most tour groups donâ??t offer trips there. Also one can find easily panama real estate for sale. You will find locals to be friendly and the atmosphere to be far off the radar of traditional tourism crowds. They provide the perfect match against a night or two in cosmopolitan Panama City; showing how Panama, the hub of the Americas, is truly destined for tourism stardom.

The splendor of the Caribbean Sea is best soaked in by spending a night floating mid sea on a chartered yacht or boat with nothing but the calm sea, sky and stars to keep company. Chartered services sail out of Florida or British Virgin Islands and using the services of American Yacht Charter Association (AYCA) is a safe bet. Island hopping in a chartered helicopter or plane is another exotic option. Several airports in the Republic including Dr. Joaquin Balaguer airport in La Isabela and Herrera International in San Domingo offer chartered services,The Island’s spa experience soothes nerves, pampers senses and renews visitors. Ultra modern, oceanfront spas attached to resorts offer signature treatments blended with ancient wellness secrets of the Caribbean. Capital Santo Domingo is one of the oldest and most vibrant Caribbean shopping cities abounding in opaque blue Larimar, translucent Amber, native crafts, cigars and carnival masks and other exotic souvenirs. The several monuments in San Domingo commemorate Columbus’s epoch making journey.

Punta Cana, the Republic’s best beach has 20 miles of white sands and swaying palms which earned it the name ‘coconut coast’. Surfers will love Bani and Las Salinas beaches and those who love crowds can be at Boca Chica and Juan Dolio beaches. At Ocean World in Cofresi, visitors can swim with sharks or play with dolphins in the lagoon.

Visitors can experience tantalizing regional and international gourmet dining in the several hundred cozy restaurants. The Republic has world’s hottest glitzy nightclubs swinging to the vivacious beats of merengue and bachata. The rapid and fluid hip swings of Merengue and the romantic Bachata are best watched during the week long festivals ?Santo Domingo and Puerto Plata Merengue Festivals and the Dominican Republic Jazz Festival.