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Welcome to The Traveler - The Travelers Guide to saving money on your next vacation by booking hotels with 1800Hotels.com. Enjoy our travel resources!
Travel Etiquette 101: Brazil
Watch Your Language – Don’t assume that the small amount of Spanish you learned in high school will help you with Portuguese-talking Brazilians. Take the time to learn key Portuguese phrases.
Talk the Talk – Brazilians are passionate conversationalists who interrupt each other often. Don’t take it personally when they cut you off mid-sentence to interject their opinion on the topic, because that often means there are interested in what you’re saying. Also, as opposed to India, keep the conversations light in tone and stay away from personal subjects.
Personal Space – Be prepared to get up close and personal with the locals, who welcome each other with numerous hugs, back-slaps and cheek-kisses. If you act offended by these actions, you may be perceived as difficult or unapproachable.
Not OK – The “OK” sign, where you make a small circle with your thumb and index finger, is an extremely rude gesture in Brazil. Instead, use the thumbs-up sign to show your approval.
Clothing Optional – While in Rio, you may be shocked at how little the locals wear. Don’t assume the rest of the country follows suit, as you will find much more conservative attire in the heart of the country.
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Shipping Wine From Abroad
One of the joys of travel is discovering new wines at romantic restaurants, bucolic vineyards or colorful markets. Unfortunately your neighborhood wine shop cannot possibly keep all the wines of the world in stock, so you may have trouble finding the shiraz you enjoyed at the outdoor café in Melbourne or the cava you picked up at La Boqueria in Barcelona.
So what’s a wine lover to do? One could simply savor the memory of the vintage like we would recall the vision of a painting in a museum. Or you can transport a few bottles home to relish once again, hoping it tastes as good at your dining room table as it did at the Italian winery.
Here are a few things to keep in mind before deciding if the wine is souvenir worthy:
Flying the Vino Airlines - Due to recent security restrictions, you cannot carry liquids—even delightfully fragrant sauvignon blancs—onboard, which leaves you with one choice: packing the wine in your checked luggage. Be forewarned: U.S. Customs limits you to one liter of alcohol free of tax, while more will be subject to a three percent duty fee.
While many would never consider placing bottles in their checked luggage (imagine the carnage upon opening your suitcase at home to discover three shattered bottles and a new all-pink wardrobe) the success rate is quite high if you thickly pad the bottles with clothing and use a hard suitcase. While this helps solve the breaking dilemma, it still exposes your wine to extreme temperature changes while in the cargo hold, which may alter the taste of the delicate liquid.
Shipping it Home - If you’re worried about your ability to transport wine home, leave it to the professionals, namely the retailer. Ask whomever you purchased the wine from to ship it to your home. They have experience shipping fragile items and navigating customs regulations, so they’re up to the task. You will still pay the customs duty on whatever you ship when applicable.
This option works best when you buy complete cases, for it needs to be in their financial interest to offer the service. If the wine merchant does ship your wine, be sure they use a certified carrier, and that you can track the shipment online. And don’t leave without the merchant’s contact information.
Last Resort - If you can’t take the wine with you, at least take the wine’s information, possibly its label, and then search for that exact vintage online. One way to do this is to keep the cork, which usually has the winery’s name on it—just be sure to write the exact name of the wine and the year on it.
Book your next voyage to Paris France for an unforgettable wine vacation with 1800Hotels.com.
Planning a Family Reunion Everyone Will Enjoy
To get your family together for a destination reunion filled with more delights than fights, follow these helpful tips.
Plan Early, Way Early - To coordinate a large reunion, start planning two years in advance. This gives all invited guests plenty of time to plan, save money, take advantage of discounted deals and clear their schedules. Plus, if the trip is out of the country, some family members will need time to get or renew their passports.
Follow the Leader to Anywhere - Nominate a leader or committee to handle all the research and planning. Once the chain of command is settled, task number one is choosing the site. A destination family reunion is an exciting opportunity to spend quality time with loved ones at an incredible locale. With plenty of time to save for this important journey, family members will be ready to think big with a Caribbean cruise or a week in Cabo
Pick a Date, Keep that Date - Picking a date two years in advance eases the complications of scheduling, for most people do not plan their personal lives that far ahead. Ask for suggestions to find a time that works for everyone, especially those with school-age kids. Try to stay away from major holidays or busy traveling times when prices are higher. Once the date is agreed upon, set it in stone and ask everyone to schedule conflicting events around it. Changing the date later affects those who already started planning around it.
Keep Everyone Excited - Once the day and destination are chosen, keep the enthusiasm rolling. Send a monthly email with updates on who is coming, general family news and photos, and interesting tidbits about the destination (which you can glean from the destination’s official tourism site). Work with us to find travel deals to and around the destination and send them out to your family.
Plan Activities for Kids of All Ages - Have plenty of options on hand to keep kids active, parents relaxed and grandparents engaged. A scuba-diving excursion may sound great to you, but make sure you have an alternative activity for those who prefer to stay dry. Cruise ships and family-friendly resorts are great locations that offer plenty of activities, entertainment and space for all ages.
Have Fun! - Don’t get so bogged down in the stress and time-consuming nature of planning this event that you fail to enjoy it! We are here to take care of all the travel details—from air tickets and lodging reservations to car rentals and show tickets—so you can focus on attendance. Plus, often we can get special rates for large parties, cutting the prices so low that even stingy Aunt Edna will come.
Book your next family reunion vacation with with the travel pros at 1800Hotels.
5 Destinations for Travelers with Disabilities
There’s more to a great accessible destination than just wheelchair ramps and barrier-free accommodations. First, it needs to be a place you’d want to travel to. It must have that special combination of captivation, amusement, attraction and value. It must appeal to both people with and without disabilities. It must be impossible to find? Not any longer. Our agents know of many destinations that categorically fit the bill, making them wonderful candidates for your next all-accessible vacation extravaganza. Here’s a list of four of our more intriguing, accessible destinations.
Rocky Mountain National Park - While this jewel of the National Park System is mostly known for its 60 peaks that soar above 12,000 feet, travelers with disabilities will also enjoy its accessible campsites, trails, buildings, fishing piers and ranger-led tours. The trails are divided into fully, moderate and marginally accessible, giving everyone a clear idea of what lies ahead. Two of the three accessible campgrounds are open all year round, and all three have several ADA-compliant sites and fully-accessible bathrooms, along with some of the most amazing views you’ll ever see.
Las Vegas - The “Entertainment Capital of the World” knows how to entertain everyone, including travelers with disabilities. Las Vegas has more wheelchair accessible guest rooms than anywhere else in the country, many with roll-in and transfer showers and pools outfitted with lifts. Wheelchair seating is available at most shows, with many also providing assistive listening devices. Casino floors are spacious, with plenty of room to roll up to a slot machine to test your luck. Even getting around is easy. The Strip has several elevated crosswalks accessible by elevator, making sidewalk travel in a wheelchair a cinch, in addition to the availability of many specially-equipped taxis.
Morgan's Wonderland - There is no destination more amusing than an amusement park. And there’s no amusement park more tailored for fun-loving people with disabilities than San Antonio’s Morgan’s Wonderland. Designed to be enjoyed by those in wheelchairs or with cognitive disorders, Morgan’s is billed as the world's first ultra-accessible family fun park. Set on 25 sprawling acres, it includes rides, interactive exhibits, playgrounds, gardens, a fishing lake and live entertainment.
African Safari - A safari may not be for everyone, but thanks to a wide variety of accessible outfitters and accommodations, everyone can still enjoy this wild vacation experience throughout the continent. Many lodges found in or adjacent to national parks contain roll-in showers, wide doorways and support rails, and some tour operators feature vehicles with proper ramps and lifts.
Cruises - Bigger, roomier cruise ships are being launched every year. These new builds offer many accommodations and facilities for travelers with disabilities, making it easier to visit several exotic ports of call during one memory-filled vacation.