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10 Questions to Ask Your “All Inclusive” Resort

By on October 29, 2011 in General, Slideshowable

All inclusive.  What does that really mean?  Is EVERYTHING included?  All inclusive resorts are a great travel idea for couples that don’t want to sweat all of the details.  All inclusives range from your classic sun and sand resorts to all inclusive winter skiing holidays.  We put together a little guide to help you ask the right questions before taking you first all inclusive adventure.

1)      Getting there-Believe it or not there are some all inclusive resorts that actually include airfare to and from your home!  Wow!  While this is truly a rare offering, you really need to know this upfront.  Travel to and from your destination is often the most expensive portion of your trip.

2)      Meals-This is one of the most common offering for all inclusives.  Meals are most often spelled out as breakfast, lunch and dinner.  It is critical to get a clear understanding, if one of the three is not included, ask about the on and offsite resort food options.  If you or your sweetheart have food concerns including: allergies, limited food likes, or have other food related medical/religious concerns its always best to call ahead before booking.

3)      Meals II-Another important consideration is how good the food is. If you have pre-paid all your meals, you are “locked” into limited options.  Ask questions like: how many food venues do you have on site?  What different types of food do you offer: Chinese, French, fast food?

4)      Booze-This is an important question.  Ask if beer and wine are included only with meals, just dinner, or for a short “happy” hour after dinner.  Ask if spirits and liquors are included, and if they are not, where they can be purchased.

5)      Fine Dining-Are you noticing a common thread on a number of these questions?  Food!  Another key question to ask is about the fine dining options.  When traveling, we always love to spoil ourselves a little one night.  Ask the resort of they have any fine dining options included.  If not, ask about restaurants in the vicinity.  It just might be worth it to venture off “campus” to get some really good food.  Again, know your options.

jet ski

Image via Wikipedia

6)      Fun!-Is fun included?  Sure there is unlimited use of the jet skis…but…you must rent a helmet $$$.  Ask about massages, spa treatments, access to swimming pools and saunas.  Most include the basics and then you pay for the extras.  Find out what is included before your get your final bill.

7)      Kids-Some all inclusive resorts really specialize in traveling with children.  Some resorts even have infant and toddler programs!  For a new parent, an all inclusive is truly a relationship savior.   Keep in mind, not all inclusives are family friendly.  Many such resorts cater to adults.  Everything from evening entertainments, libations, and even the dress code might shock you.  Know before you go!

8)      Sight seeing/side trips–  While sitting on a white sand beach all week sounds great, you may want to see the locations further afield.  Are these side trips included?  Do you have to pay for the guides?  Is the transportation to and from the side trip included?

9)      Taxes/Fees-We saved this one for the end, we don’t want to rain on your parade, but this is a key factor in selecting the best resort for you.  Many resorts advertise with a sexy “base” rate that looks too good to be true.  Take the time to read the fine print.  Be aware that if you are going to an offshore resort, the fees and taxes might be a true shock.

10)   Tips/gratuity-this is certainly one area where you would not expect to be included in the all inclusive, but it never hurts to ask and understand what the standard practice for the resort is.

If your are looking for a vacation from your typical vacation, an all inclusive can be a great couple travel option for you.  Regardless if you are seeking the beach or all inclusive winter skiing holidays, ask the questions.  We just want you to enjoy your hard earned vacation by asking the right questions before you go.  Have fun!

 

Two Must Have Travel Gadgets

By on October 7, 2011 in General, Slideshowable

Periodically the Fighting Travel Couple reviews helpful travel  gadgets and gizmos.  This installment features two items that make couple travel easier!  We are even going to give you one of our lucky 1000 Fighters one of them!  Sweet huh?

 

The Travalo–

Problem:  Fancy perfume and cologne  is extremely expensive, comes in fancy glass vessels, and is heavy!  On top of that, try to get that much liquid on an airplane.  Not gonna happen.  So what to do?

Problem Solved:  The Travalo is one of the most unique  travel products we have come across.  It is a great solution for the chic traveler.  So heres how it works, take the Travalo, uncap your fave fragrance place the little Travalo over the straw of the fragrance and gently pump it full of the elixir.  Its just that easy.

The nice people at Travalo have given us one to give away to one of our loyal readers.  That could be you.  All we ask is that you leave a comment below with your fave fragrance and where would you love to take your Travalo (Milan, Tokyo, or Paris).  We will pick a random reader and send them one of these!  So, who are you wearing?  Our lucky winner will also be entered to win a $400 travel voucher from Travalo.  YES!

 

 

 

www.idmybag.com



Problem:  You, like us and 99% of the traveling world bought a black piece of luggege.  Why do we do it?  We own three large black roller bags.  Occasionally we place bets on how many other colored bags show up on the baggage claim.  So black baggers, what do you do?   Tie string onto the bag and hope that it stays put?  Spray paint your bag pink?  NO!

Problem Solved: With a bag tag or bag strap from our friends at www.idmybag.com you will never again take the wrong bag.  we we love about IDmyBag is that they use really great materials and craftsmanship.  What good is a bag strap if it rips or tears?

The real value in these tags is preventing theft.  How likely is it that a thief is going to snatch a bag with a tag like this off the carousel?  Very unlikely.    The good folks at www.idmybag.com offers custom stitching and colors!  Cool!  Want to avoid couple fights?  Buy one, better yet buy two.

 

Do you want us to review a product?  Shoot us a message. 

 

Disclaimer:  We are not paid for our reviews.  That wouldn’t be very fair?  We do receive sample products to review.   We will do our best to give you candid and honest reviews.  We always put reviewed products to the test in the field.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The most opulent royal palace in Europe…is in Turkey?

By on October 6, 2011 in General, Slideshowable

Dolmabahçe Palace

The Crown Jewel of the Aegean

It’s not a secret that one of our favorite couple travel destinations is Turkey. She offers so much in the way of culture, history, and hospitality. Perhaps what we love most about Turkey is that it is a thinking person’s country. Short of a stopover in Istanbul on some cruise circuits, most couple travelers don’t put Turkey on their must see list. This is a huge mistake. Turkey has so much to offer couple travelers.  One of the many architectural highlights of Turkey is Dolmabahçe Palace. Come with us as we explore this palace of privilege and power.

Location

The country of Turkey and the city of Istanbul straddles two continents, Asia and Europe. The city is devided by the Bosporus Strait which connects the Black Sea with the Med. The Palace is situated on the north side right on the water level. The Palace is three stories tall including a basement. There are 45,000 square meter of “livable” space including 285 rooms, 46 hallways, 6 Turkish baths, 1500 windows and 68 toilets.

History

The Dolmabahce Palace was built by Ottoman Sultan Abdulmecid I. Construction stared in the early 1840s and was completed roughly ten years later. A father and son team of Garabet and Nigogayos Baylon were the principle architects. Ottoman Sultans and their Harems historically resided in the expansive yet Asian and Middle eastern designed Topkapi Palace. Six generations of Sultans called the palace home. Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder and first President of modern day Turkey, was the final full time tenant of the home. Atatürk passed away in the palace on November 10, 1938. All of the clocks in the palace are stopped at the time of his passing 9:05. This caused us a little panic during our visit as we kept thinking we were making great time on our tour.

Interior

Abdulmecid admired the grand palaces of Europe, and wanted a more Western, more ornaite, more modern residence. Enter one of the major flaws of the palace. Instead of picking from the tastes of other royal residences the contained Baroque, Rococo and Greek influences, Abdulmecid said, “I will take them all!” The collection of all of these styles crammed into one area leaves the viewer a little overwhelmed.

The interior of the palace is simply “over the top”. The world’s largest crystal chandelier hangs prominently in the entry hall from the sea. It was a house warming gift from Queen Victoria. It weighs in at four and a half tons! It is exquisite. To match this addition to the home, the sultan had a solid Baccarat crystal bannister leading up the stairway. Words cannot, and pictures even cant describle how beautiful this stairway is. Mike just kept starring at it. The guide finally asked us to keep moving.

The Rugs

This wouldn’t be Turkey if they didn’t have great rugs. It does. The royal carpet makers were located in seaside town of Hereke, located just up the Bosporus. Master rug makers from this hamlet used the finest silks, cotton and virgin wool in making some of the finest carpets on the planet. The rugs look like they were made yesterday. They are impeccably made for sure. Interestingly enough, not all the carpets in the palace are Turkish, a 150-year-old bearskin rug was presented to the Sultan as a gift by the Tsar of Russia.

Special Interest

So what does Dolmabahce mean? In the Turkish dolma meaning “filled” and bahçe meaning “garden.”

The Palace was divided into two areas, the formal government administrative areas and the Harem-Humayun or private section. The entry to the private living quarters of the Sultan were heavily guarded. No man was allowed to enter except for the sultan and his eunuch servants. The private Harem included bedrooms and baths for the queen mother, favorite wives, wives, and of course concubines. Talk about a 1000 Fights!

The construction cost of the palace was five million Ottoman mecidiye gold coins, the equivalent of 5 tons of gold.  Fourteen tons of gold in the form of gold leaf were used to gild the ceilings. Wikipedia.com

Visiting the Palace

The Palace is closed on Mondays and Thursdays. It is open between 09:00 to 17:00. Get there early, as this is a very popular site.  Entry fee is 20 Lira or $12usd.   Istanbul is an amazing city to visit, and it is super easy to get to.  There are a ton of great flights to Turkey.  For the best deals try going in Oct. or May.

 

 

We won! (well… kinda)

By on October 5, 2011 in General, Slideshowable

The couple travel bloggers at 1000Fights.com were recently invited to participate in the Accor Hotels City Blogging Tour.    Travel bloggers compete for a grand prize of a round the world trip.  FUN!  In additon to collecting votes (Please VOTE for us), bloggers must write four articles on different featured destination cities.  Every other week, the posts are judged and awarded bonus votes.

Our post titled:  “A love letter to Rio” won first place!  You can read the “award” winning post here.  One down three to go.  The next city is Rome!  What should we write about?

Ok 1000-Fighters, can you imagine how many fights Luci and I would have if we had to spend weeks together going around the globe?  That would make for some great fights!  Please VOTE  for us!  You can VOTE once a day per computer.  Dont make us beg.

Are you looking for cheap flights to Rio?  Look no futher.

 

 

 

5 Secrets to get your “Indoor Girl” Outdoors

By on September 20, 2011 in General, Slideshowable

Amazon River trip oneSo how do you get you indoor girl into the great outdoors? Not as simple as it sounds.   (I must first do a shout out to all of your outdoor girls, you rock!)  Luci’s idea of roughing it… is a hotel without room service! Seriously, I salute Luci, she has braved everything from taking a canoe up the Amazon to sleeping in a yurt in the African savannah. We came up with a few hints to make venturing into the wild a little easier.

Be Prepared

We have found an ounce of prevention can equal a pound of cure. Going into the wild, you are going to meet two arch enimies to indoor peoples: Dirt and Bugs. While you can’t pack all of the creature comforts into the woods, you and pack a few things that make the go of it loads easier. Item #1 insect repellant. This stuff is perhaps the most important thing in your pack. Buy the good stuff. If you are going into the really adventurous areas (see Amazon, Nile and other non-blackberry functioning areas) you need a strong concoction with lots of something called DEET. DEET is magic. If you are going in a little less extreme area , find some non-scent insect repellent. The pros of DEET juice: protects the really bad stingers. The negatives of DEET: it smells to high heaven, and it is sticky. YUCK! If the areas you are headed to don’t have mosquito borne illness threats, use the non-scent stuff.

Set Expectations

Some of our best/worst fights came from different expectations. One of the keys in bringing someone that is not an outdoors person into outdoors is they tend to see what they fear most. If they hate bugs….then they will see the bugs. They will see the dirt. They will “think” they hear the dangerous critters in the night. One way to help your spouse is to say paint the picture for them: “There will be bugs. We have the spray to minimize their presence. We will be sleeping in nets to prevent them getting at us at night. Yes, there will be dirt. But, at such and such a point, we are going to shower and at another point we are going to swim under waterfalls.” Building what to expect can go a long way to make the trip bearable for the non-out-of-doors folks.

Share Your Glasses

One of the main barriers for indoor people is that they flat out don’t understand what drives outdoor people to go out doors. We encourage couples to find ways to communicate effectively. Sharing ones passion for the great outdoors can really help one spouse understand the other. One of our experiences in the Amazon really highlights this understanding. It was evening and we had been out on the river the entire day. Luci was swatting bugs in fine form. I invited her to sit on a bench overlooking the river and watch the sunset. Candidly, it was one of the most magnificent sunsets I have ever seen. The sky was lit up with dramatic reds and yellows. We just sat and watched. All of the sudden, the dirt, bugs and hungry jaguars in the distance didn’t really matter. She was looking through my glasses, she understood (for a few mili-seconds) why I love the jungle.

Wonderful Amazon SunsetMix it up

One of our little secrets for couple travel is to amplify. As our voyage progresses we go to better and better places. Start off with the camping trip, then end the trip at the lux resort. This does two things; it gives your spouse something to look forward to after roughing it. It also makes them remember the positive. Great idea huh?

Wanna see some more Amazon pics?  Including some spiders and creepy crawlies?  Just like us on Facebook.

Be a Hero

If your sweetheart isn’t really into the more adventurous destinations, and they suck it up and sacrifice for you, you gotta make it up to him or her. Slip her favorite luxury item into the pack. Do they love honey covered almonds? Stow some away in your pack and at the right time, bam! You are a hero. Even better, pack their favorite elixir… perhaps a bottle of 2009 Txomin Etxaniz (Basque country wine) and break it out at the right time and …..BAM! You are a hero.

That is it!  Our 5 tips for getting your “indoor” girl into the great outdoors.  Be prepared in advance of your trip, build realistic expectations.  Help you sweetheart understand what you love about nature.  Perhaps the best hint is to be a hero, look for little things along the way that will make the outing more pleasurable.  In the end, regardless if you are in the Amazon Jungle or taking touring caravans in the UK. Make the most of your adventures by following a few of the steps spelled out above.

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10 Things to Know for Your First International Trip

By on September 5, 2011 in General

We put together a little cheat sheet for you folks who are attempting your first international trip.  These little hints are the sum of all our knowledge from visiting a couple dozen different counties on 5 continents.  These are the things that we wish we would have known, but were painful lessons learned out on the road.

1)Roll with it

Ok, this is your first trip abroad.  You happen to be the type A, planner type.  Take a chill pill!  Regardless of how planned you are, things are going to be different than you expect.  Roads don’t exist that are clearly on the map!  This is a really good thing.  Experiencing another culture, another language, and another environment makes you a better person.  You can understand and cope with differences better after your return.  You become more deep as a human being.  Just to recap, things are going to be crazy.  A lot of things are going to come at you fast.  Savor every moment!

2)Speak the Language

If you are a loyal 1000 Fighter, you know that we always harp on this.  It is so critical in order to really get to know a new country, you must, must, must know some of the language.  You by no means need to be fluent.  Its better if you are not.  You do need to know enough to engage in a small conversation without relying on your native tongue.  Our goal is always to know enough to chat up a taxi driver for 10 mins.  Know how to talk about the weather.  You don’t need to conjugate every verb, you need to know how to ask a kid their name, and how old they are.

Turkish Breakfast

3)Just Try It

This little nugget of advice applies on so many levels.  Lets start with the food.  As you departing on your first international trip, you are going to see menus that look Greek even if you are in China!  When you walk into the food establishment, glance around,  pick out something that looks interesting and give it a try.  Why not?  (If your are in Cusco, Peru- give the guineu pig a try!) You have never been on balloon flights UK?  Follow rule number 3.  Just try it!   The beauty of experience days is stepping outside your comfort zone.

4)Ask a Lot of Questions

Luci is a real pro at this.  It is her reporter background.  Regardless if we are on a plane, in a museum, taking a nature tour, or just in a cab, she is always pumping anyone that will listen for information.  Why?  Frankly, you don’t know what you don’t know.  There may be another bigger unknown waterfall just around the corner.  There may be a cheaper place to buy your souvenirs just down the road.  The taxi driver might have a brother that runs a better tour.  All of these things have happened to us.  Only because we asked.

5) Follow your instincts

Traveling internationally, trust your gut.  One of our fave couple travel bloggers: Y Travel Blog recently did a post on safety tips for single female travelers, in this article Caz says: “Trust your intuition.  It always knows best. If something doesn’t feel right, then don’t do it. There is a reason why you get that unsettled feeling in your stomach when you meet that strange person on the beach.  Don’t freak yourself out by imaginary monsters, but definitely pay attention to those little messages our animal instincts give us.”

If you are in a place that doesn’t fell right, leave. Common sense kinda stuff.  We must say, be careful of situations where your instincts are dulled: “see drinking too much barley pop.”

6)Smile

We give you permission to forget every other one of our hints in this post, please don’t forget this one.  This is the most powerful hint to traveling abroad.  The smile is the universal language.  Attempt to speak Turkish,  compliment them on their beautiful country and then grin ear to ear.  Your feeble attempts at communication  will be supplanted with the power of the smile.  If you are struggling figuring out the exchange rate and what all of the multi-colored monopoly money means…flash a big toothy grin.  No problems.   Smile at everyone.  Give the little children you pass on the street a warm smile, the old man in the chair in front of his flat a big one as well.  The returns from this small gesture will pay huge dividends.

7)Be Prepared

The old boy scout motto applies to international travel.  If you are going to the Amazon, buy some medical evacuation coverage.  If you are going to Tahiti and you only wear a certain sun tan lotion, bring it.  Think through things on a couple of levels.  Put your money in a couple different places.  Another couple of our travel friends, Cam and Nicole have a great story about this!  “How I got robbed by a Thai prostitute on the streets of Bangkok.”  Cam shared this story with us when we were up in Vancouver, BC this summer.  We are still laughing.  The moral of the story is always be prepared!

8) Don’t Follow the Other Tourists

It is soooo tempting when traveling abroad to do what everyone else is doing.  But didn’t your mom warn you about doing this?  If not, we are!  Don’t go on a tourist bender.  If you are prepared, and follow the other tips above, wander out of the norm.  See the undiscovered sites.  Are they still out there you ask?  YOU BET THEY ARE.  Will you get lost?  We sure hope so.  Some of our best moments traveling are when we get lost.  Be a leader, not a follower.

9) Show me the Money

Every place you go, you are going to need rupees, pounds, yens, or coconuts…Be prepared.  Exchange some cash at the airport.  Have a couple different flavors of credit cards: Visa, MasterCard, and something else.  Anywhere you go, money will flow.  Have some.  The law of travel we have found that is that ATMs are never close, and they are finicky.  Having cards from different banks is literally a lifesaver.

10)Pack Light

We really hate to put this one in.  How can we preach something we don’t practice? Mike is the all time worst packer.  He packs a ton.  He is a child of the 1980s so he has to match the seasons, with clothes for every event, restaurant, and setting.  Don’t follow his example!  Here’s why it is so critical that you follow this suggestion.  Luggage is heavy.  On every single international trip we have taken, we have ended up walking long, long distances with luggage.  It WILL happen to you.  If you pack heavy, you will be tired.  Good decisions are rarely made when tired.  Especially if you are traveling as a couple.  You can always buy more clothes when you get there.  In fact, this is a really good idea.

So that’s it!  Our 10 ideas that will make your life a little easier making your first trip abroad.  Now go and book those tickets.  After you come back, please share with us the lessons you learned!  We would love to hear your ideas and suggestions.  Just leave us a comment below.  Bon Voyage!

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New York +Rockettes+Christmas=FUN!

By on September 5, 2011 in General
Radio City Christmas Spectacular

Image via Wikipedia

For everyone who thought that Christmas only comes once a year, think again!

The world-famous Radio City Rockette’s officially kicked off Christmas in August, unveiling the NEW 2011 Radio City Christmas Spectacular, the Rockette’s Magical Journey!

This year’s Christmas Spectacular includes 3 D!  (The rockets in 3 D….we have Mike’s attention!)  Not only that, the performance will include amaing special effects and more!  Get you plane tickets now!  The annual event will be showing November 11- Jan 2nd at the amazing Radio City Music Hall in NYC.

7 Questions with Here, There, and Elsewhere

By on August 29, 2011 in General

Do you ever get a kind of insight when you meet someone for the very first time? You say to yourself, this person is going places?  Is it charisma?  Well we feel this way about our 7 Questions featured couple this week.  They are really destined for some great adventures!   So… meet:  Bryan and Laura.

Blog:  Here, There and Elsewhere

Twitter: The DeLuca’s (follow them as they have hit the “2000 barrier”)

 

1) How many countries visited between the two of you?

Team DeLuca has been to 22 countries collectively…Bryan having visited 12 and Laura ten. Not too shabby for a pair of (strong to quite strongly attractive) amateurs.

2) If you had to travel with someone else besides your travel partner, who would it be? (this person can be living, historical or mythical?.)

He Said: Morgan Freeman, so he could narrate my entire journey.

She Said: I would travel with one of my best friends, Katie. She and I met six years ago at an alumnae gathering where I proceeded to unknowingly make fun of one of her high school acquaintances, and we’ve been friends ever since. She and I have similar interests – could sight-see one day, then watch a Real Housewives marathon the next while ordering room service in our PJs – and get into quite a bit of trouble when we are together.

3)What has been your favorite destination in your wanderings?

He said: Switzerland because it’s so tranquil and picturesque. And the sheep are cute, too.

She said: I feel like such a typical girl when I say this, but definitely Paris. The sights, the smells, the random men in their underwear splashing around in fountains. It’s just delightful.

4) If you had to eat one last meal, what/ where would you eat?

He said: This is a tough one, but I’d have to pick steak and lobster at a really nice steakhouse. You know, man food.

She said: Hands down, I would have a Tex-Mex feast. A little queso here, some sour cream chicken enchiladas there, and a nice margarita to wash it all down.

5)How do you pick the places you visit? Spontaneous vs. planned?

He said: A little bit of both. I like knowing what I’m doing but I like getting lost, too.

She said: I spontaneously let Bryan plan most things.

6) If you could solve one problem in the world what would it be?

He said: Cancer, that bastard.

She said: Human trafficking, those bastards.

7)You knew it was coming….What has been your greatest travel fight/disagreement?

She said: Well, I was working until the 11th hour prior to a weekend jaunt to New Orleans. Apparently I was the cause of us not only almost missing our flight, but also our bags having to travel on a later one. Then I got food poisoning and my husband went to a vampire party without me. I’d say that was quite the travel adventure and fight. Oops!

He said: Fighting about the fight Laura just mentioned.

 

1000Fights: Wow!  This couple has spunk! Ok, lets get the obvious out of the way.  We know that they are likely the odds on fav for our Hot Blogger Contest.  Luci says that they are going to make beautiful babies…I am not really sure what that means.  Anyway.  H T & E are headed on a whirlwhind trip and we wish them the very best in their travels and adventure together.  As a parting shot, we want to share one of their recent tweets:

HTandE The DeLuca’s
30 minutes ’til our guests arrive, and my hubs and I just slow danced in our kitchen. #lovebirds
5:27 PM Aug 27th

Bryan and Laura-Come back and tell us when the fighting starts!

 

 

 

 

101 “Other” Things to to in Holland

By on August 25, 2011 in General

One of our fave European cities is the “AMS” (Amsterdam, Netherlands).  Amsterdam is a collage of different feels-old and young.  After our first visit, Luci commented:  “this is the youngest oldest city I have ever been.”  She could not be more right.  Despite the fact that the architecture is so historic, the population of the city is decidedly dominated by the 25-35 set.  AMS loads of fun at all hours.  We recently did a post on great layover plans for the city.

Many travelers today taint their view of the country based on two vices: Pot and Prostitution.   Unlike other “escape” locales like Las Vegas, with AMS take away the “SIN” and you are left with an amazing “CITY”.  Holland has depth.   Holland has a multicultural, vibrant and rich history and tradition.

In part to counter the unsavory image being projected to the world, legislation was introduced recently to prevent foreigners from patronizing the “coffee” shops.  To counter the notion that all  the Netherlands is good for is a “weed-cation”, the Netherlands Board of Tourism enlisted  New York comedian/filmmaker, Mark Malkoff to show Americans that there’s way more to do in Holland than smoking pot in coffee shops!

Here a four short clips from youtube  that are hilarious!!!  Watch every one, they are sooo funny!



 

 

 

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