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Jamaica Vacations: Get the Best Value For Your Money in 5 Easy Steps
January 3rd, 2012 by Henry, under Jamaican Vacations. No Comments
Jamaica Vacations: Get the Best Value For Your Money in 5 Easy Steps
Article by Tony Hagar
When deal seekers plan vacations, they typically go for the lowest prices. This is okay for those on a strict budget. On the other hand, if you have a little bit of wiggle room, do not think lowest prices. Instead, think best value for your money. Best value often translates into the best Caribbean vacation ever.
How can you ensure the money for your upcoming Jamaica vacation is spent wisely?
1 ? Ensure You Have a Valid Passport
This isn?t necessarily a cost saving measure, more of an important reminder of the law. You need a valid passport for Jamaica travel. If you haven?t glanced at your passport in more than a year, look at the date. If the date passed or if you do not have a passport, order yours today. In terms of saving money, do not pay unnecessary rush fees to get a last minute passport. Order yours at least two months before your Caribbean travel dates.
2 ? Compare All-Inclusive Resorts in Jamaica
The key to getting the best value for your money with Jamaica trips is to stay at an all-inclusive resort. With these luxury, yet affordable establishments, you get more than a roof over your head. In fact, you get much more. Your stay could include the cost of your room or suite, food, snacks, drinks, tips, qualifying airport transfers, and onsite entertainment. One travel arrangement preplans and prepays for most of your trip! Not only does this save you time, but money too. Towards the end of their trip, guests like to estimate the cost of their entertainment, room, food, drinks, tips, and so forth. When comparing the estimate to what they paid, many find themselves saving money!
You will find many all-inclusive resorts in Jamaica. Since onsite entertainment, food, and drinks are included with your stay, choose a resort that has a lot to offer. Look at the list of inclusions. The more inclusions you will use the better value you are getting. For example, if you want to snorkel, examine beachfront resorts with it listed as an inclusion.
3 ? Book Your Travel Arrangements
Since there are a many great all-inclusive resorts in Jamaica, you want to closely examine them all. Remember, find the resort with the best inclusions for your wants and needs. This gives you the better value. Once you have done that, make your Caribbean travel arrangements.
As previously stated, the cost of your room, food, drinks, snacks, tips, qualifying airport transfers, and onsite entertainment is included. This automatically means you get a travel package, but also consider airline tickets. Unless you have booked these separately, add them to your all-inclusive Jamaica resort travel package. It saves time and you may get a discounted price.
4 ? Return Back to Your Resort for Dinner
The key to getting the best value for your money on a Jamaica vacation isn?t just to choose a good all-inclusive resort with a long list of inclusions. It is also to make use of them. For example, your food, drinks, and snacks are already paid for. They were included in the cost of your stay. If you want to venture off the resort and sightsee, go right ahead. However, try to return to your all-inclusive resort for dinner. The more you eat and drink onsite, the more you save.
All-inclusive and super-inclusive resorts are known as ?no strings attached travel.? This means you will be provided with all information upfront. Review the resort?s list of restaurants and surcharges. Fancy sit-down restaurants may charge an affordable surcharge, but dinner itself should still be included. Snack bars and casual restaurants rarely impose this extra fee. Luckily, most Jamaica resorts have a long-standing history of not hiding fees, should there be any.
5 ? Make Use of Your Resort Inclusions
As with your food, drinks, and snacks, certain onsite activities are included too. To get the best value for your money and to save money, make good use of them. This is where comparing all-inclusive resorts in Jamaica to find the perfect fit is important. Do not pay extra elsewhere for what you already paid for at your resort. A scuba diving tour on the open waters sounds nice, but not at 0 a person and when you can do so without paying extra at your beachfront resort.
If you not only want to save money, but also get the best value for your money, book your next Caribbean vacation as an all-inclusive vacation. Compare resorts to find the perfect fit and then make use of what is available. This limits your extra spending.
About the Author
Super Clubs and Breezes can help you get the best value for your money on your upcoming Caribbean vacation. Examine their great selection of cheap, yet luxury all-inclusive travel packages today.
Experience the Culture of Jamaica Through Sports
December 29th, 2011 by Henry, under Jamaican Vacations. No Comments
Experience the Culture of Jamaica Through Sports
Article by Maureen Wright-Evans
Sport is the fire that lights the Jamaican people and has always been important in their lives. To some it helps to make the hardships of life more bearable, and many poor athletes dream of climbing the economic ladder of life through the sport of his choice.
Can you picture going to a sports event that is like a carnival? If you can then this is what attending a football (soccer), cricket, or track and field event is like. These are the top sports played in Jamaica, but you can find many others. If you are a lover of sports and want to understand how Jamaicans take a sport and make it into a party, consider visiting the island during the season of your favourite sport.
Football (Soccer)
Football is arguably the top sport in Jamaica, and because of the easy access to a playing field, players everywhere can be seen enjoying this sport. This game was introduced to Jamaica in the eighteenth century by the British troops who were sent to the colony to keep peace. Regiments would play against each other, and soon the game spread all over the island.
Today football is played at every level in the island. If you are interested in school-boy football, the time to be in Jamaica is from September to November. During this season, the Manning and Dacosta Cup competitions are played. Here you’ll find the top players in schools, accompanied by the passion of the spectators, who cheer as if their very life depended on winning.
At the highest level are matches organized by Jamaica Football Federation and played by the premier team, the Reggae Boyz. In 1998, pandemonium broke out in every corner of Jamaica when the Reggae Boyz qualified for the first time in the finals of the Football World Cup. Since then, huge followers have developed around football, and the carnival-like atmosphere at the games make them feel more like a great party than just a game.
Cricket
Cricket was first played in Jamaica by only the rich and elite. Today Jamaicans of every background enjoy this game, which is also popular all over the West Indies. Jamaicans are passionate about cricket and at venues around the island, you can hear Reggae music and see people drinking the popular Red Stripe Beer.
During cricket season, Jamaicans are infected with cricket. Small groups can be seen hovering around radios in shops, in bars, and on the street corners. The causal observer can often hear groaning and moaning when a team has lost. Sometimes this is interspersed with shouts of glee and dancing when a player scores. Even if you do not understand the game of cricket, it is an exciting and thrilling experience just watching the carnival-like atmosphere.
Track and Field
The question has been asked over and over: “Why do Jamaicans run so fast?” Some say it’s the yams we eat, others say it is the mountainous terrain of the island, and many say it is the competitive spirit of the people. No one is sure of the answer, but one thing is certain: if there is a track and field event anywhere in the world, a Jamaican is sure to be among the medal winners.
Jamaica’s finest hour in track and field was at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China. With a population of only 2.8 million, this island was celebrating its new status as the fastest nation in the world. Pandemonium first broke when Usain Bolt broke the world record and became the fastest man alive. The next day, Shelley-Ann Fraser led a trio of Jamaicans for a clean sweep in the 100-meter women’s finals. It was the first time in the history of the Olympics that one country had ever swept the women’s 100-meter race.
If you love track and field and want to see the best events, the time to visit is from February through June. In March, you can see the Boys and Girls Championship, held at the National Stadium in Kingston. With the top schools around the island competing, chanting and beating drums combined with nail-biting races, you can experience track and field like no other in the world.
Other Sports
There are many other sports played in Jamaica, and although they’re not as popular as football, cricket, and track and field, they still have a huge following. Some of these are basketball, tennis, golf, horse racing, and swimming. Attending any of these events will be a different experience too. Everywhere you go, there will be the sound of reggae music playing. Be prepared to see “jerk” stalls scattered all over the grounds with spectators busy sampling or nibbling at a piece of the popular jerked chicken. For players and fans, it is not just a game of sport, but a great big party.
If you have never considered visiting Jamaica as a sports player or spectator, then it’s something to plan around your next trip. There are many opportunities available to enjoy your sport and see how Jamaicans make it different.
About the Author
Maureen Wright-Evans is the CEO of Jamaica Adventure Secrets – a company that specializes in packages designed for the Ultimate Authentic Jamaica Experience. Find out how YOU can have the adventure of your life or experience a volunteer vacation: http://www.jamaicaadventuresecrets.com