Best Cruise Deals Online

You’ve been dreaming about a cruise vacation for a long time. All your friends say it’s the vacation of a lifetime. But the fun can be significantly lessened if you don’t know some inside secrets learned by experience. Here are some pointers that will help make your cruise all you dream it will be. First, here are a few tips about stuff to bring on a cruise. Bring binoculars to see on-board shows up close, to view wildlife, and to enjoy the landscape. Make two copies of your passport, driver’s license, and credit cards before leaving home. If the ship’s purser holds your passport, take a copy ashore with you at ports. Leave the other copies with a friend or family member at home. If you’re prone to seasickness, bring a patch or medication—and consider requesting a cabin on a lower deck, midway between bow and stern. Don’t forget to bring an insulated mug. Onboard, fill it with your desired beverage and keep it hot or cold no matter where you go on the ship. Second, you must decide if you’re a destination passenger or a resort passenger. Destination passengers like the idea of a cruise but their greatest excitement comes from on-shore activities at the ports of call. The resort passengers love simply being on the ship. They like the idea of being fed and pampered and entertained on a sleek ocean liner. If you’re a destination passenger, you can schedule some on-shore excursions through a cruise critic board online for significantly lower prices than you’ll schedule on-board or onshore. Third, you must choose the type of cruise that fits you in regard to cost, ship, port activities, and stateroom. If you’re on a tight budget, brand new ships are more expensive than older ones, very short cruises (2-3 days) are usually more expensive than longer ones (7-14+ days). If you need less expensive but nice, you might want to consider Carnival, Princess, Royal Caribbean, or Norwegian. Don’t be too impressed if a cruise line offers you an upgrade. See if it’s really any better. For example, if they simply offer you a cabin a few floors up, you may be getting essentially an identical deal: same service, same amenities, same everything. However, if they’re upgrading you at no charge to a room with a window or a balcony, that’s something to get excited about. For lower prices, book either 3-6 months early or book last minute. Days before the cruise, the line is trying to fill up the ship, so you could get a nice discount. The only problem is that most of the nicest staterooms may be taken. Fourth, if you don’t want a cruise-full of kids, don’t book during Spring Break, the holidays, or summer vacation. On the other hand, if you have kids, find out what sort of free kids’ programs are offered. Inquire for what age groups programs are offered? What sort of activities are planned? How many hours per day does the program run? Is babysitting offered and how much does it cost? A great kids’ program can be terrific for parents needing some down time for themselves. Fifth, one of the most popular features of a cruise ship is the dining. Here are a few hints. Decide when you book the cruise whether you want early dining or late in a main dining room. Early dining could be at 6:00 p.m., late dining may be at 9:00 p.m. Early dining gives resort passengers time to attend both early shows and late; later dining is convenient to give the destination passengers plenty of time to get back from their shore excursions. You’d be wise to confirm early/late dining times as well as seating arrangements. Mistakes are easily made by cruise personnel and you don’t want to get stuck with eight strangers at a 9:00 p.m. seating when you planned for early dinner at a table for four. Sixth, a few little-known dining tips. One a given ship, there are burger grills, pizza shops, sandwich stands, and cafeterias, so try out different offerings at different mealtimes. At dinner, any pasta dish on the main entrée section of the menu is also available as an appetizer, so taste away! You can order as many entrees as you want at dinner. Even if they aren’t on the menu, Cappuccino and Espresso are usually free in the dining room for the asking. If you’re not crazy about the dessert offering of the evening, ask to see the children’s menu. They often list great favorites like banana splits and chocolate sundaes. Seventh, for mailing friends, they usually offer free postcards of the cruise ship at the desk. You can bring your laptop onboard, but compose email in Notepad before you connect—at 75 cents per minute, you don’t want to be composing letters and such. Alternatively, most ports will have an internet café somewhere with rates like $3.00 for 30 minutes. With all these clues, you probably think I’ve been on fifty cruises—wrong! I’ve cruised and I loved it, but most of this invaluable info I scoured from seasoned cruise veterans. So enjoy benefitting from what took them many years and many cruises to learn.

Debra Fortosis is a professional travel agent. You can book travel on her user friendly website. She can even help you easily launch your own turnkey e-travel business.
Book Travel: http://www.mndgetaways.com
Contact Debra: mndgetaways@comcast.net

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With the warmer months approaching, cruising will be one of the more popular summer vacations on people’s minds however, if it’s a cheap cruise you’re looking for, then you may struggle to find one.

The summer period, especially the holiday time is prime time as far as cruise companies are concerned. This is the time of the year they have little trouble in filling their cabins.

This doesn’t mean you cannot cruise cheap. Let’s take a look at two solid options which will help you land that bargain vacation on the high seas.

Travel Agents

Many people seem to overlook travel agents and one reason for this may be because they are such an obvious choice. They should be the first port of call simply because of their connection to the cruise companies. Connection as in receiving an order of tickets to fill that is.

Filling cabins is what it’s all about with cruise lines and their number one aim is to make sure there isn’t a vacant cabin left when the ship departs port. The travel agents job is to fill these cabins and they have the ability to be negotiable on the price of tickets.

A good tactic is to come up with a list of travel agents and then speak with each one individually over the phone. You are simply asking about the cruise you’re interested in, what’s the cost and what sort of a deal they can do.

Some may be hard to get on with and others will be very accommodating. This is simply shopping around for the best price and don’t be surprised if you can get your cost down anything up to 10% of the original quote.

It’s a great way to come up with a cheap cruise deal. How many travel agents should you contact? That’s entirely up to you but try to speak with at least five. Obviously time will be a factor but in the end, even if you are looking at saving $100 of your trip, it’s an extra $100 you can spend on your holiday.

Online Cruise Sites

This is a must alternative simply because of the power and competitiveness of the internet. Cruise companies proliferate the online scene all competing for your business but they also have the ability to locate and get you on a cheap cruise holiday.

Join some of the site’s who offer newsletters and correspondence with their visitors. This way, you can be kept up-to-date with what’s coming up and one of the advantages of these mailing lists are you’ll usually be the first to hear about the super deals.

Are you searching for the best travel deals? Do you need to buy airline tickets? Sometimes you will need to purchase some airline tickets whether for personal reasons or for business situations. There are two ways in which can individual can buy airline tickets. First, the individual can call around to all the airports can ask for prices. Or they can call to a travel agency to get help. The individual can also log on to the internet and search for the best travel deals. You can find better deals over the internet in a much shorter period of time.

There are many websites that you can use to buy airline tickets. The one we are going to discuss today is Optifly. Optifly is a very easy to use user friendly website which will allow you to find the best travel deals within a short period of time. The website is extremely easy to use. When trying to find a flight you will want to start out by inserting your starting city in the column provided. After you begin typing the city into the box you will notice that it will automatically fill in the rest of the location for you. You will want to do the same with the destination.

After inputting your origin or starting point and your destination then you need to press the Search for Flights button. After you push this button you will be shown a large map and a chart. The map will show you all of the available flight from your starting location to your destination. Each flight’s path will be color coded making it easier to tell apart from one another. After looking at the map you will notice a chart at the bottom which displays a variety of information.

As you will notice the chat will have a number of columns. You can use the chat to determine a bunch of different things. For instance, the box on the far left will have a color. This color represents the color in the map at the top. Each path will have a different color showing the path from start to finish. The flight segment box will provide more detailed information about the path. It will tell you the exact path from start to finish from airport to airport. The Expedia logo is where you will want to click when you want to buy airline tickets. Expedia will provide you with the best travel deals.

The other boxes will provide you with different information including the name of the airlines, segment distance, and total distance. The middle box is the one you need to use to buy airline tickets. By clicking on the Expedia logo which is a yellow airplane you will be shown the best travel deals. Expedia is one of the cheapest and easiest places to buy airline tickets. When you need to find the best travel deal, be sure to log on to Optifly and use their tools to help guide you in your search.

You might not think you could actually save money by cruising on your next vacation, but with some careful planning, you can do just that! Special packages can take you on a three-night cruise to some sunny locales for under $200 a person. (Of course airfare is separate and prices are based on adult double occupancy.)

Check out some of these specials:

A three-night cruise out of Miami, Fla., with stops at Cococay and Nassau, both in the Bahamas, for just $169 a person.
A four-night cruise out of Miami, stopping first in Key West, Fla., and then on to Cozumel, Mexico, for $179 per person.
Go a different direction with a seven-night cruise to the Southern Caribbean for $675 a person. It leaves from San Juan, Puerto Rico, and stops in Bridgetown, Castries, St. John’s, Philipsburg and St. Croix.
For still another direction, how about a seven-night cruise to the Mexican Riviera, starting at $499 a person? It leaves out of San Diego, Calif., and stops in the Mexican ports of Mazatlan, Puerto Vallarta and Cabo San Lucas.

These are just a few of the discounted cruise deals that can help you save money on your next vacation. Almost all of the major cruise lines offer some kind of discount package. And once you’re onboard, relax and enjoy all the amenities – from activities for the children to world-renowned dining to nightly entertainment. And don’t forget, once you drop anchor, get off the ship and explore the ports of call.

One word of advice – space on these discounted trips is often limited. You need to plan in advance and see what is available. And once you’re booked, try not to change the date as most cruise lines will charge a change fee.

Special packages are not the only way to cruise for less. There are other tricks for traveling in style and for less.

Book it now. If you’re on a cruise and you’ve had a great time, you can realize significant savings by booking your next cruise right there on the spot – or right there onboard. You won’t necessarily need to commit to the location, but the cruise line will be looking for a deposit to hold your place on your next cruise. If you’re not sure where on board to conduct this business, ask if there’s a cruise consultant or booking agent who can help you plan your next trip.
Repeat business. Some cruise lines reward their repeat customers with incentives or room upgrades. If not those perks, they may reduce the amount of your deposit or offer you onboard credits.
Transfer the booking. Even after you’ve booked a cruise, don’t think you’re locked into it. Often, you can transfer your booking to an online discount agent. These sites are able to help you monitor your booking, make changes and sometimes even find additional offers or savings. It’s nice to have someone on your side.
Cabin guarantee. When booking a cruise, you can sometimes get a cheaper price or a discount if you go with a cabin guarantee. This means you will be guaranteed to get a cabin in a certain category – inside, outside, with a verandah – for a cheaper price. In exchange, the company gets to select which particular cabin you’ll get – whether it’s midship, low deck, high deck, etc.
Get a consultant. If you’re new to cruising or you’re not sure what kind of cruise you want to take, where you want to go or what’s the best price available, contact a travel consultant. These are experienced travelers with an expertise in cruises. Let one of them help you arrange a floating family reunion, a quiet getaway for you and your spouse, or maybe a special group trip. Consultants can also help you make plans to fly into the port city and find you a hotel to stay in after you dock, if that’s what you want.

If you’ve not taken a cruise before, be good to yourself and make this the year you step out and step onboard!

The Cruise vacation you have been planning for a year is now a reality. You’ve packed your bags with the appropriate clothes for cruise travel. You have filled out all of the cruise documentation, do this at home, don’t wait to get to your cruise ship, and now you are ready for this highly anticipated cruise. There are a few cruises tips about embarkation day that you should know before you head for your cruise vacation.

Keep all of your documents with you, that includes tickets for the cruise, any vouchers, passport and any immigration forms that the cruise line has sent you. That includes bus vouchers from the cruise line that will deliver you to the ship from the airport. In is wise to pack a change of clothes in your carry on in case your baggage gets delayed. If you have purchased the vouchers from the cruise line, a cruise line representative will meet you at baggage claim and take you to the bus or van that will transport you to your cruise ship.

If you decided to handle the transfer on your own, check ahead of time to find out how much a taxi will cost from the airport to the pier. It is good to know how long it will take to make the transfer so you have timed your flights accordingly. Make sure you have attached your cruise line tags with ship name, cruising date, and stateroom number. When you arrive at the pier a porter will relieve of your bags. He will expect to be tipped. The going fare is one dollar per bag.

Cruise tips are always helpful so pay attention to this one. Let the cruise line make your airline reservations. The reason for this is that if your flight is delayed the cruise line will handle it. If there are several other passengers on the same flight the cruise line will delay the departure of the ship. If it’s just you and your traveling companion they will probably put you up in a hotel in the town of your embarkation and get you on the ship at the next port of call. If you opted to do it on your own, you will have to make all those arrangements. So, for safety and peace of mind let the cruise lines do it.

If you have decided to go to the town of embarkation a few days before the cruise, that will not be a problem, so make your own reservations. Some travel insurance companies will pick up these expenses but make sure you read the fine print on the policy BEFORE your cruise vacation.

When you get to your cruise ship, embarkation could be a little chaotic. There will be lines, especially early in the check in process. There will be a lot of stressed out people so just relax and take it in stride. After you have gone through the check in process you will be aboard and your cruise vacations begins. Here is where it pays to have all of your documentation completely filled out. Many of the cruise lines have loyalty programs so if you are a repeat cruiser many times they have preferred check in areas. Many of the cruise lines will have preferred check in for cruisers who have booked suites or mini suites. Check this out with your cruise travel agent.

This is a little off topic but it’s one of the best cruise tips you will hear. Use a cruise travel agent for all of your cruise travel. It is important to deal with an agent that has sailed on many different cruise lines so they can give you an honest opinion on the difference between cruise lines. Check and see if they are CLIA certified cruise lines organization. Be careful they don’t push you onto cruise ships where they have preferred status which means they get a higher commission. Scour the internet for cruise reviews on cruise travel to back up what your travel agent is telling you.

Now back to the pier. While you are checking in you will have to give the cruise line a credit card for any on board charges. Most times your room card is also your credit card and identification for getting on and off at ports while on the cruise ship. If you can get on the ship early in the process you get two benefits. One you get to have lunch and two you get the first shot at spa and beauty appointments. It will also give you time to peruse your cruise ship and then head for the pool. Having been a savvy cruise traveler you knew to bag a bathing suit into your carry on luggage.

Just before you get to the gangway you will be stopped by the ships photographer and a picture will be taken to commemorate your cruise vacation. It will be on display in the ships photo gallery but you are under no obligation to purchase it. Check in procedures will be different from ship to ship even within the same cruise lines. It depends on the experience of the staff and the cooperation of the passengers. Remember that these folks that are checking you in have been working since seven o’clock in the morning off loading the people from last weeks cruise vacation. Then they turn around and start putting on a whole new set of passengers for the next cruise.

The most important advice is to try to keep a cool head. You are headed for the best thing you can imagine, a cruise vacation.

Happy Cruising!

Copyright © Mary Hanna, All Rights Reserved.

This article may be distributed freely on your website and in your ezines, as long as this entire article, copyright notice, links and the resource box are unchanged.

Mary Hanna has traveled the world by Air and Ship while writing eBooks, Software Reviews and Practical Articles on Internet Marketing, Cruising, Gardening and Cooking. Visit her websites at: http://www.CruiseGold.com http://www.CruiseTravelDirectory.com and http://www.CruisingTips.com

There are many advantages of a Los Angeles Cruise ship accident lawyer when suing princess cruise lines. If you were injured on a Princess cruise ship, seek immediate legal advice from a competent Los Angeles Cruise Ship lawyer. It’s the best way to determine what course to pursue and to protect your legal rights. Also, a good Los Angeles cruise ship lawyer may help you obtain compensation for your injury.

Before retaining a Los Angeles cruise ship attorney, get together as much information as you can do regarding the injury on a cruise ship. Be ready to show your attorney bills, boarding passes, photographs and witness statements of the cruise ship accident location, some other evidence if you have, including special damage evidence like medical records regarding your injury, or receipts for charges you may already have paid in relation to your injury. Get your cruise ship contract, which may be on your ticket, you signed before boarding the ship. The passenger contract can help your cruise ship attorney determine where to bring suit, what your legal rights and obligations are, and whether it’s possible to file a Los Angeles cruise ship lawsuit.

In some cases, filing a cruise ship accident lawsuit might be a waste of resources. If the injury was not a big injury, like a rape, or broken bone, it may be a good better to try and get free tickets, special discounts or a charge back credit. But you must first call a cruise ship lawyer to make sure your maritime and common law rights are protected.

Location is everything in cruise ship law, so be sure to inform your cruise ship lawyers your state and city and where to to file your cruise ship claim. Princess cruise ship cases are normally filed in Los Angeles by a Los Angeles cruise ship attorney Most cruise ship claims under that line are filed in Los Angeles, California; but others like Carnival are filed in Miami, Florida; or even in Seattle, Washington. Time is short to file your cruise ship lawsuit so you need to get an excellent cruise ship expert attorney as soon as humanly possible. Attorneys know you are bound by your cruise ship ticket,or contract, will want to get the case right away to properly investigate and begin documentation of injuries like oral rape, anal rape, or vaginal rape of a child on a cruise lines. The injury can be much harder to prove otherwise.

When searching for a Los Angeles cruise ship lawyer, he needs the experience of having handled many cruise liner claims. You should not just retain any lawyer. Get a Los Angeles Lawyer who is local to cities like Santa Monica, Long Beach and downtown Los Angeles where many cruise ship lawsuits are typically filed. Now that you known the advantages of a Los Angeles Cruise ship accident lawyer when suing princess cruise lines, you should also get a compassionate lawyer who cares about your unique situation, and about handling your Los Angeles Cruise ship accident claims by getting you the monetary compensation you deserve.

A lot of people simply avoid thinking about other aspects than passports and plane tickets when going on an international vacation and such an approach is not correct. Any international vacation will require a lot of research in order to have a healthy and safe trip and you do not want to forget anything so that your trip will be perfect.

First off we would like to emphasize on the fact that you need to be informed when thinking about health. You could start with looking at the Center for Disease Control web site to see if there are any disease or outbreak problems you should be worried about. Any doctor in your area could help you in getting the right prescriptions and immunizations you might require. Always know what you need before actually talking to the doctor. The same thing goes for any possible social or civil problems in the country you are visiting. We do not want there to be any conflicts that could put you at risk so tourist guides and the Department of State are also places you need to put on your prior to the trip research list. Combine this with a good knowledge of the location’s customs when talking about dress codes and legal problems.

The next step would be talking to people about your trip. There is a big chance that you will find someone that was already there. You can obtain email addresses or telephone numbers and you can ask various questions about what you might want to know. Word of mouth travel advice is invaluable when talking about any trip and learning stuff from people that were already there once. This is because these people have already been there and they can tell you what is relaxing and what is not, what is thrilling and what is not and so on!

Think about what you need to know when linked with your personality and plan your trip according to what you like doing. If you are a thrill seeker look for attractions you would love and would get your adrenaline levels to skyrocket. If you are fond of shopping look for the best shopping hot spots and so on. It all depends on the individual or the group of people that is going on the vacation. Make sure that there is a bit of everything for everyone so that the trip will provide a good setting for every single person and this is how you should do useful travel research.

If you are planning a cruise vacation, you can be sure of having a splendid vacation. Sailing in the ocean could be the best thing that your body and soul might be demanding at this point. Then serve your body and your soul. Best service you can give to them is taking a voyage. Both your body and mind look for coming out of the narrowness of life. Cruise vacation provides ultimate sense of freedom to your tired body and restless soul.

Before you plan to go for cruise vacation, you can travel around on the Internet and take a tour to all the useful websites which contain all the relevant information on cruise vacation. The online cruises is very useful medium for you to get your cruise ticket done. The online cruise tells you about all the top deals, while highlighting the most popular cruise destinations, sailing dates and ships. There are thousands of discount cruises and cruise deals from all major cruise lines. In fact several cruise companies offer exclusive bonus extra amenities like onboard spending cash, free cabin upgrades, and more. The online cruises give you information about all this.

Cruise vacation is like spending holidays on a floating hotel, with a complete hospitality staff in addition to the usual ship’s crew. Most modern cruise ships feature the facilities like casino, spa, fitness centre, shops, library, theatre with Broadway style shows, cinema, indoor outdoor swimming pool, hot tub, buffet restaurant, lounges and gym. Everything inclusive in your cruise vacation package! Hence cruise vacation turns out to be much cheaper than other kinds of vacations where you pay separately for travelling, accommodation, food and entertainment.

Take advantage of the best deals being offered by different cruise companies and get your ticket booked today for a much awaited cruise vacation.

Cruising is fun, convenient, a good value … and easy. Right? Well, cruising is meant to be relaxing, but there are certain things passengers can do to get the very most out of their cruise vacation experience. Here are seven proven tips to maximize your cruise experience (and they don’t cost a thing!)

First – Travel with a like-minded partner or friends. Most cruise ships are like Noah’s Ark: people get on in pairs or in groups. While cruise lines will gladly allow you to cruise solo, it is not the best way to enjoy a cruise. Not only will you sometimes feel awkward during dining or cruise ship activities, you also get slapped with a surcharge since all cruising is based on double (or more) occupancy rates.

Furthermore, travel with compatible people. If you like to party, don’t decide to go on a cruise with a tee-totaler or a recovering drinker. Whether you are a sun bather or a casino denizen, you are going to have your best time if you travel with people who share your interests and values.

Second – Board your ship as early as you can and take any tours of the vessel or facilities that are offered. Most ships allow you to board many hours before the ship sets sail and during that time you may be offered free tours of the ship, the spa, and so on. Although they aren’t going to be the highlight of your vacation, these tours help you get oriented and can give you a glimpse of facilities on-board that you may have not known about.

If you can’t get an official tour, try to walk through the ship systematically. This will help you get your bearings plus you may find out about lounges, snack bars, clubs, meeting rooms, or other areas that you might not have known about.

On a recent cruise, I found out on the tour that the cruise ship had a guarantee program for purchases made in port. If you bought merchandise from certain recognized stores, the cruise line would guarantee them providing you filled out certain paperwork and turned it in to the onboard shopper. It was a great tip, and I never would have known about it had I not taken the pre-sailing tour of the ship.

Third – Do everything. This may sound counterintuitive to most cruise fanatics, who seek unstructured time and the opportunity to just lounge around and do nothing. Actually, most cruise directors will tell you the best cruises are those in which you really attempt to try and do everything offered.

This means you should extend yourself a bit. Sample the dancing, casinos, the pools, on-board games, art auctions, spa services, bingo, shows, and fine dining. Even if you don’t normally do those things, the more you try to take advantage of all that is offered, the more fun you’ll have.

Fourth – Don’t overeat. While some people do take cruises to gorge themselves, this is usually a rookie mistake. It may sound counter-intuitive to avoid overindulging on a cruise ship, since most cruises really emphasize the wonderful food they offer. But here’s how to handle it.

Do enjoy yourself. Order what you love. Chances are that cruise ships will offer it, whether it’s steak or lobster, ice cream or pizza, eggs benedict at sunrise, or chocolate decadence at midnight. Do, by all means, eat the foods you love.

But don’t stuff yourself. You’ll wind up feeling miserable during the cruise and fat after you get off the boat.

When in doubt, pass on food. Why? Because on a cruise ship, you’re never more than a few minutes away from the next opportunity to eat. Do try to sample what strikes your fancy, but don’t overeat and don’t be afraid to say no to many of the things that are offered to you to eat or drink. You really won’t be able to eat and drink everything on board, so don’t even try.

You’ll wind up feeling fitter and stronger and you’ll really enjoy what you do eat.

Fifth – Drink water. That’s good advice anywhere, but most of us forget about it on vacation, particularly on a cruise. Furthermore, if you drink alcohol or spend a lot of time in a hot climate, your need for water increases so you need even more water to avoid dehydration.

Even mild dehydration can cause headaches, aches and pains, and digestive disturbances. Why ruin your vacation? Drink lots and lots of water. It’s available just about anywhere beverages are offered on a cruise ship and bottled water is typically brought every morning to your cabin.

Sixth – Protect your skin. Even if you cruise to Antarctica, you will still need sunscreen. The sun’s intensity is amplified by the water’s reflection, so ramp up your sunscreen protection for a cruise. Put on sunscreen when you go to the pool or beach or even if you’re just sitting on deck in the shade.

If you do get burned, use some of the after-burn products on the market. They should be available on board ship if you don’t bring your own. Whatever you do, protect any burned skin from further sun exposure. If you get a burn on top of an existing sunburn, you can do serious damage to your skin and may even require medical intervention.

Seventh – Don’t be cruise-stupid. That’s a term I made up for a behavior I frequently observe on cruise ships. For some reason, being on a cruise makes some people act foolishly or recklessly and do things they would never normally do. Maybe it’s the unreal experience of being on a cruise ship.

On a cruise ship, people wait on you. Everything is nice and clean. You don’t have to do any work at all. Everybody seems happy. You never have to worry about pulling out your wallet, cooking a meal, or even picking up after yourself. It doesn’t take long before the cruise experience literally becomes “another world.”

Some folks take that as a cue to start behaving irresponsibly and sometimes they get hurt. While I do not want to trivialize bad experiences or say that all bad events are deserved, we should also recognize the fact. People who start acting recklessly sometimes get hurt.

If you decide to pretend you’re a gymnast and balance on the guard rail, you just might fall off. If you leave your purse or wallet unattended in a public area, you can get robbed. If you decide to get roaring drunk in some foreign port of call and act like an idiot, you can wind up in a mess of trouble.

Observe the same good, common sense tactics you use on land or in your everyday life.

One of the most often asked questions from travelers about Costa Rica besides “How much does it rain in the rainy season?” is: “Do we really need a rental car?”. The answer depends very much on you, but by describing a bit more the conditions I can make the decision easier for you!

Driving in Costa Rica is not as difficult as it seems in some frightening reports. Nevertheless it is true that the Costa Ricans that are known for a laid-back and calm attitude seem to get into a hurry as soon as they sit behind the wheel of a vehicle. They are not alone on the planet with this particularity, the only difference is that in many other places the people seem to be always in a hurry.

The roads in Costa Rica are famous for their potholes and some destinations can only be reached on a gravel road. If you plan only to visit San Jose and Jaco you may be fine with a sedan, but it is highly recommendable to rent a 4×4. In the rainy season you will even have to cross some rivers. Even some of the main attractions for tourists in Costa Rica are only accessible with an all-terrain vehicle. The road to Monteverde is not paved and there are no plans for doing so. The local community wants to protect this unique place and does not want that to make their place accessible for huge tourist buses.

The big advantage of renting a car in Costa Rica is, that you are independent and can make a stop whenever you want. Fruits and crafts are sold along the roads, this is always a good opportunity to have some small talk with the locals.

You better get up early in Costa Rica, because the sun goes down around 6 pm. Driving at night in Costa Rica can be dangerous and is not recommendable. Most of the roads don’t have lights and road marking mostly exists on the main roads.

The alternative to renting a car is to travel with the extensive bus system. This is a good way to see the country and meet the Ticos. There are buses going almost everywhere in Costa Rica, connections between outlying areas are limited. The capital San Jose is the major transportation hub of Costa Rica, sometimes it is necessary to return and switch the bus here. Before you buy a ticket for the bus ask precisely if this bus really goes to the destination where you plan to go. There are several towns in Costa Rica which share the same name! You can assure going to the right Playa Hermosa by mentioning the Province where you plan to travel. There is a Playa Hermosa in Guanacaste and a Playa Hermosa in Puntarenas. There are several other examples like Naranjo and San Isidro.

Traveling by bus is certainly cheaper than renting a car, but is most often slower. There are several hundred bus companies operating in Costa Rica and unfortunately they don’t always work together. This can result in an unplanned overnight stay at a place where you missed your connecting bus.

So the decision is still up to you, but it should be easier for you take it now