fbpx
Tag

Travel

Browsing
Destination Highlight Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico is a fantastic place to visit if you are a US Citizen without a passport.  Since it is a US territory no passport is needed to travel to this beautiful country. There is something in this island country for just about everyone–beautiful beaches, jungles and rainforests to explore, delicious cuisine, historic sites, and vibrant culture.

El Yunque Puerto Rico

El Yunque National Forest

Just one hour from San Juan is the El Yunque National Forest.  Feel free to wander through the 25 miles of trails through the rainforest and even up to the top of Mt. Britton.  After visiting you can check the only US tropical rainforest off your list of must visit destinations.

San Juan Beaches

There are beautiful beach options right in the city of San Juan.  You can choose to go to the more chic and trendy option of Condado Beach or Ocean Park Beach with a more laid back vibe.  Another beach you might love if you are dreaming of the gorgeous sand, crystal clear water and hundreds of palm trees is Escambron Beach.  Maybe you are up for a bit of an adventure. Seek out the hidden gem of Playa Pena right across from the Capitol Building.

San Juan Historic Sites

This Caribbean island has a fascinating history to explore.  Spend the day touring the Spanish forts right in Old San Juan.  Castillo San Felipe del Morro and Castillo de San Cristobal are within easy walking distance from each other and the cruise ship port.  Take yourself back to the time of the Conquistadors and imagine how they lived and protected the island from their strategic location. As you walk through Old San Juan you can also visit the second oldest church in the Americas and the home and burial place of Ponce de Leon.

Colorful streets of Old San Juan Puerto Rico

San Juan Culture

Puerto Rican culture is evident everywhere you look.  From just stepping off the ship you are treated to the gorgeous colors and architecture of the Old San Juan cobblestone streets.  Take a trip to the more modern areas of San Juan and enjoy the exciting nightlife, delicious restaurants, and world-class shopping.  

Put San Juan, Puerto Rico on your must visit list!

Ways to get to Puerto Rico:

  • Flights to San Juan are only about 3 ½ hours from many mainland US cities
  • San Juan is a port of call on many Eastern and Southern Caribbean Cruise itineraries

Fantabulous Resorts Options in Puerto Rico (certainly not exhaustive)

Cruise Specials Worth Noting:

Royal Caribbean:  60% off 2nd guest + Kids Sail Free (good until March 3, 2020) + Up to $150 onboard credit + get even more savings cruising Alaska

Celebrity:  1 Perk Included + Up to $500 saving/person for 1st and 2nd guest + 50% off 3rd, 4th, and 5th guest (in the same stateroom) + more perks with non-refundable fare

Norwegian:  30% off fare + Kids Free + Free Open Bar + Free Specialty Dining + Free Wifi + Free Excursions (on select cruises and some restrictions apply) + book NOW and get 50% deposit.

Princess:  Best. Sale. Ever! With Gratuities, drinks and wifi included!

Viking Ocean Cruises: Special Cruise Savings + 2-for-1 Deposit

River Cruise Specials:

AmaWaterways:  Triple Savings on select European, Mekong, and Holiday cruises–Up to $2000 savings per stateroom, complimentary stateroom upgrade, and $100 onboard credit per stateroom.  Also 5% 2021 Early Booking Savings.

Viking Rive Cruises:  Special Cruise Savings + 2-for-1 Deposit + Book Now, Pay Later + Up to FREE Airfare

Please contact me if you would like to start planning your trip to Puerto Rico or to take advantage of a cruise special! Please note: the above specials are available at the time of posting Feb 2020 and are offered for a limited time.

Happy travels to you…until we meet again!

Other posts of interest:

Travel philosophy title picture

Who’d have thought there would be a philosophy discussion on a vacation blog? What could philosophy possibly have to do with traveling? Well, let me enlighten you.

There are probably many philosophies people can have regarding going on vacation. The ones that I have considered throughout the years is between quantity and quality.

Quantity of Travel Philosophy

This philosophy of traveling is one that enables the traveler to go away as much as possible. People with this philosophy often travel on a budget in order to do so as much as possible. They stay in less expensive accommodations, eat mostly at inexpensive eateries, and don’t purchase many extra excursions, activities or events. Penny pinching on each vacation allows money to go more places more times.

Quality of Travel Philosophy

This philosophy is held by those who want grand, dream vacations. They will save and save for a vacation with all the bells and whistles. This type of traveler will not travel as often but when they do, they do it in style. First class accommodations are booked, excursions are planned, every activity they want to do is experienced.

The Alaska to Mickey Philosophy

In the past many, many years my philosophy has been plan budget vacations in order to travel every year (sometimes more). We have tent camped on many vacations, rarely eat at nice restaurants (packing food, cooking ourselves, and faster food options instead), stayed in timeshare resorts (although this certainly hasn’t been roughing it) instead of Disney Resorts, refrained from most extras (like cruise excursions, tours, and other activities). We bought and sold (in order to pay for the trip) an RV in order to tour the East Coast.

Camping in Wyoming

We have has so many wonderful family experiences with this philosophy. Our family has seen so many fantastic places without spending a ton. Only once in a while did we feel like we were missing out.

BUT…

One of the Ko Olina cove beaches

The last couple of days I have been going through the Disney College of Knowledge learning how to book magical vacations for families. Specifically, I have learned more about Adventures by Disney and Aulani. If you are not familiar with Adventures by Disney, these are spectacular tour vacations all over the world. They are geared toward connecting families together and then together experiencing the history, culture, and countryside of their tour destinations. Every last detail is taken care of as only Disney can. And then there is Aulani, Disney’s Resort in Ko Olina, Hawaii on the island of Oahu. This beautiful resort on this gorgeous island seems to just be calling to me.

Now, both of these vacation destinations would require saving for a while. But, after learning all the benefits, possibilities, and really cool things about each I am thinking saving up might be worth not traveling as much.

What do you think?

What is your travel philosophy? How does your family travel? Do you prefer dream vacations, many budget vacations or are you somewhere in between? Let me know in the comments!

Happy travels to you…until we meet again!

Other posts you might be interested in: