Dunnan on Dollars Personal Finance Tips from Nancy Dunnan American Traveler
Working Around the Weak Dollar February 29, 2008 - Taking a vacation is still possible, despite the weak dollar...Here are four for under $1,800, including air from the U.S. (1) Staying near home, of course, is one way to deal with the strong Euro. Mayflower Tours (800-323-7604, http://www.mayflowertours.com/) offers a number of "American" vacations -- to our wonderful national parks as well as to many of our great cities.
For $988 per person, double occupancy, for example, you can take their 8-day "Monuments & Memorials" escorted trip in and around Washington, DC. You'll spend days 1 & 5 at the Holiday Inn in Monroeville (PA) and days 2-4 at the Holiday Inn in Arlington (VA). The package includes breakfast daily, several dinners and $30 in "Mayflower Money" good on future trips. The single supplement is $409.Highlights: Arlington National Cemetery where you'll see the Changing of the Guard at the Tomb of the Unknowns; National WW II Memorial, the first memorial dedicated to all that served during World War II; the Vietnam, Korean War, FDR and Iwo Jima Memorials; George Washington's Mount Vernon estate; National Marine Corps Museum. You'll also take the Panoramic Illumination Tour (Lincoln, Jefferson, Washington and Iwo Jima Memorials) and the scenic Lincoln Highway drive through the beautiful Laurel Highlands. (2) And then there's our neighbor to the north. Maxxim Vacations (800-567-6666, http://www.maxximvacations.com/) has a wide variety of Canadian vacations designed for Americans. Its 7-night "A Taste of the Maritimes" is priced from $1,799 per person double occupancy, including air from Atlanta, Boston and New York City. It's slightly more if you fly out of Chicago, Los Angeles or Miami. Upon arrival in Halifax, you'll pick up your free mid-size rental car (with unlimited mileage). The package also includes 7 hotel nights, breakfast daily, a lobster supper, dinner theater, winery tour, gourmet lunch, sightseeing. Highlights: Halifax, Annapolis Royal, Wolfville and Charlottetown. (3) Ireland remains a bargain, especially if you go with CIE Tours (800-CIE-TOUR, http://www.cietours.com/.) Their "Romantic Ireland" package is priced from $1,744 per person double occupancy and includes air from Boston, New York, Orlando and Washington, DC. It's slightly higher if you fly out of Los Angeles or San Francisco. Highlights: Dublin, Galway, Connemara, Cliffs of Moher, Kilarney, Ring of Kerry, Blarney, Cobh, Waterford and Kilkenney. You'll stay in old world deluxe hotels, enjoy candlelight dinners, music and sightseeing. It includes a full Irish breakfast daily and 6 dinners. (4) How about Hong Kong? This "Hong Kong In A Week" package includes 5 nights at the Knowloon Hotel or the InterContinental Grand Stanford, breakfast daily, airport/hotel transfers and a half-day sightseeing tour with stops at majestic Victoria Peak for panoramic views of Hong Kong and its harbor, Repulse Bay and Aberdeen's Floating Community. Put together by Ritz Tours (800-900-2446, http://www.ritztours.com/) it's priced from $1,519 per person double occupancy and includes air from Los Angles or San Francisco. The single supplement starts at approximately $500. Very reasonably priced add-on tours to Beijing (from $380 for 3 nights, including airfare and hotel) and Shanghai (from $430 for 2 nights) are also available. FOUR OTHER PACKAGERS Travel companies that buy hotel rooms and airline seats in bulk, such as those mentioned above, are able to keep costs low. Others I recommend include: o Boundless Journeys (800-941-8010, http://www.boundlessjourneys.com/) for walking tours in the US and abroad. o Collette Vacations (800-340-5158, http://www.collettevacations.com/) for escorted tours throughout the US and Europe. o Pacific Delight Tours (800-221-7179, http://www.pacificdelighttours.com/) for trips to China and Thailand. o TourCrafters (800-482-5995, http://www.tourcrafters.com/) for trips to Italy. - Nancy Dunnan
RECENT COLUMNS by Nancy Dunnan
Cuba After Castro - Fidel Out, Trade In?
Heaps of Free Information in the Consumer Action Handbook
Credit Card Fall-Out - Higher Rates and Fees
Boost Your Credit Score
Filing the FAFSA - Financial Aid for Students
Tax Law Changes from Late-2007
New 401(k) Rules for 2008
The Debt Set - Fixing that Holiday Blowout
Tapping Your 401(k) If you want to suggest a column topic for Nancy, drop her a line.
Like what Nancy has to say? you might be interested in the new edition of her book:
How To Invest $50 To $5,000: The Small Investor's Step By Step Plan for Low-Risk, High-Value Investing |
Weekly Newsletter
printer-friendly format