planning

Planning Your Trip
The tour operators’ websites are where you can build your vacation and customize it to your lifestyle needs. Charters are usually the best
bargain and many cities offer convenient flight times. Traditional air is also available on their sites and their more frequent flights may
suit better than the charters. Using their websites is very easy and if you have any questions, I’m only an email away.

If your charter shows “A, B & C” choices, the “A” seats are the least expensive and they go up from there so always click on the “A”
choice if it’s showing available seats. If the “A” choice shows “A00”, that means all seats in that price category are sold out and you’ll
have to try “B” or “C”.

For scheduled air, try to at least allow 2 hours between return flights for customs. There is nothing more frustrating that arriving late
because of weather or other problems that delayed your first flight to find that your second flight left 10 minutes earlier. Generally, it’s
also best to NOT take the last flight out since this leaves you with no options but spending the night if your flight experiences weather or
other problems.

Flights that arrive or depart on a holiday, such as Christmas, Easter or Thanksgiving are often cheaper than flights departing earlier or
later. Flights that depart on a Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday are often less expensive. When pricing your trip, check different days of
the week and several weeks before and several after to get an idea of the best and lowest price. Spring break is generally from 2/15 to
3/31. Flights before and after that time period are generally cheaper. Christmas and New Years Eve are generally more expensive with
the big sales beginning just after the first of the year. Late fall is the rainy season and hurricanes are more likely in the Caribbean. Off the
Pacific coast, whale watching is in season in late January to early March. Cancun is often too cool for good sunbathing until late March
while Jamaica and the Dominican Republic are a lot warmer in January and February. Puerto Vallarta, Cabo, Mazatlan and other Pacific
coast get-aways are usually warm the first of the year also.

www.tripadvisors.com and ww.debbiescaribbeanreviews.com are great websites to check on resorts. The reports are submitted by real
people and not advertisers trying to make their resorts sound more posh than they really are. You can also search up to a year back to
get an idea of the temperatures. The weather channel also gives a monthly average for most locations. The west coast of Mexico offers a
great alternative for a vacation during the hurricane months in the Caribbean.

When you get to the Airport
When you arrive, go immediately to the check-in desk. Most flights abroad recommend you arrive at least 2 hrs. in advance of your flight.
Present your passport and tickets to the sales staff at the desk and they’ll check you in, tag your checked luggage l(luggage you can’t
take on board because of it’s size) with flight information and tell you what time the flight will be boarding and at what gate. You’ll then
take your luggage to the screeners and they’ll x-ray and scan for hazardous or forbidden materials. They will then put your luggage on
the conveyor belt to be loaded into the plane cargo hold. After you’re on the plane and shortly before your arrival, the stewardess will
pass out forms for customs and immigrations for your host country. You’ll need the name of your hotel, the flight numbers and “surname”
means your last name. Keep these documents in a safe place. Sure, you’ll probably be able to get out of the country without them, but
it’ll cost you big bucks. Check with your stewardess about the rules for bringing back several kinds of souvenirs, especially alcohol you
purchased.

When filling out the customs form, a rule of thumb is to put you have “nothing to declare” unless you’re bringing back 10 boxes of cigars
or some other large amount. Typically, if you’re bringing back a purchase for a gift or for yourself to enjoy and aren’t planning on its’
sale, “nothing to declare” is a pretty safe bet. Speaking of cigars, cigars with no wrappers (hint,hint) are allowed in the US whereas
Cuban cigars ARE confiscated.