When you are planning a vacation, a knowledgeable and experienced travel agent can be an invaluable resource. These individuals normally have the latest information on the places that will meet your activity level and budget. There are a few steps you can take to ensure that the travel agent you work with will be able to help you find the individual that will be most helpful in making your vacation memorable and fun.
Most travel agents focus on a specific types of vacations or destinations. Therefore, it will be important that you have a good idea of the type of vacation and destination you want to visit. These individuals normally have been to the destination several times and are very familiar with both the area and the activities that are available to tourists that may not be mentioned in travel brochures.
The professional you work with will also be able to provide you with many options within your budget. Some individuals want to spend their time in a luxury resort atmosphere where they can enjoy regular massage and relaxation at the beach. Other people are interested in water sports such as scuba diving and snorkeling, and will be at their room only to change clothes and sleep.
The agent will be able to help you meet your budget by providing you with the best dates to go. Even beautiful beach islands like Aruba, have an "off-season" when accommodations and activities are provided at a discount prices. However, without the assistance of a person who is knowledgeable about when the off-season is, you can easily miss these discounts.
There are some restrictions for flying in certain countries that your agent will be able to tell you about so that you can get proper documentation prepared before your flight. In some countries, you will need your passport as well as other forms of identification and will be restricted on the types of items you can bring on the plane. They will also give you important information about the type of clothing that will be most appropriate for your vacation and what you should include in your carry-on bag.
By choosing an agent that is knowledgeable about the area, you will not have to bring your own wetsuit if you want to scuba dive, or other sports equipment if you are planning on rock climbing or hiking. In many cases, the agent will be able to give you the contact information for the rental shops that provide everything you need for your vacation at the most reasonable price.
The Caribbean is a great place to relax and have fun. If you are planning on a vacation to a Caribbean island, there are many exciting and entertaining activities that can be enjoyed. The following information will give you some information about the activities you will find in the Caribbean, and help you plan your upcoming vacation more easily.
Whether you are interested in staying active throughout your vacation time, or you are just looking for great activities to enjoy as you recoup after a long period of hard work, you can find many attractive activities within the Caribbean. Some of the most popular activities tourists commonly enjoy here include dining, sightseeing, and water sports.
Dining and clubbing is a particularly popular form of entertainment in this region, because many people vacation in this part of the world to simply have fun. If you are looking for a satisfying dining experience, there are restaurants ranging from steak houses to themed hot spots that will certainly spark your interest.
Dining on the beach at sunset is generally considered to be the highlight of any day while staying in the Caribbean, but there are also many hot spots that serve customers who want to be even closer to the water during the day. You can visit bars and restaurants that allow for snorkeling and swimming between drinks while you are here.
Some of the more relaxing activities available today include sunbathing, swimming, and sightseeing. Sunbathing is a very popular activity amongst both tourists and locals. While you are sunbathing in the Caribbean, you will not only be showered in beautiful golden light, but you will also have a chance to see some of the most serene and attractive natural settings you have ever seen in your life.
With the bright blue waters, white beaches, and curved palm trees, you will likely find many relaxing moments where you feel quite at peace with yourself while visiting this island. Once you have had enough time relaxing though, you may want to check out some of the most popular sites on the island.
The large national park on the island is a rather popular area for tourists to visit, because it gives visitors a chance to see the island in its natural state. While you are here, you will likely have a chance to see an assortment of wildlife too. There are also many natural formations situated around the island that are magnificent sights to behold.
Once you visit this attractive destination, you will likely have many memories of a paradisiacal island that is full of entertaining activities. As you can see from this list of activities you can enjoy while visiting the Caribbean, you will be able to keep yourself fully occupied throughout your trip no matter what type of adventure you are looking for.
Are you planning a vacation in Aruba? Have you booked your room, made your flight reservations and packed your bags? Are you totally ready for your island get away? Before you leave for the airport, you may want to make sure that you have everything you need to get onto the island, as not meeting all of the Aruba entry requirements can prevent you from entering this small paradise. Nestled in the south Caribbean Sea, Aruba is a small island nation that is part of the Lesser Antilles chain of islands. It is an independent realm of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, and as such has its own stringent requirements for letting anyone visit.
Aruba entry requirements include having a valid passport and a return ticket. All people wishing to visit Aruba need to furnish a passport and anyone coming from one of the “List B”, or visa required countries will also need to provide a valid visa sticker in their passport. While in Aruba, tourists are eligible to vacation, go to school, attend religious ceremonies, visit family, seek medical treatment or even attend a sporting event. The one thing that they may not do is work. Another requirement to visit the island is to have a valid ticket showing that you will be returning to either your home country or another place that you are eligible for entry to.
There are some other Aruba entry requirements as well. These may include providing proof that you have a reservation for accommodations while on the island and that you have the means to pay for your accommodations if applicable. Acceptable accommodations include having hotel reservations, owning a timeshare, owning property such as a home, apartment of condominium or having a yacht that is at least 14 meters long, moored off shore of the island. An immigration officer may also require that you provide some proof that you have the ability to pay for your hotel and living expenses while on the island.
Though the Aruba entry requirements may seem a bit intrusive it is important to understand that they are in place to help insure that Aruba remains the tropical paradise that it is. The island officials do not want to see their beautiful nation become overrun with vagrants and other undesirables and they want to make sure that visitors to their island home are safe from any outside danger. Now, if you have your passport, your reservation and your flight information, you’d best hurry and catch that flight! Have a great stay!
Have you ever gone on vacation in the Caribbean? If you have, chances are you enjoyed the beautiful beaches, the pristine water and the mild temperatures. You may even have ventured into the cities and towns and met some of the lovely people. And then you got on a boat or a plane and left, to go back to the real world. The funny thing is, all of those lovely people that you met, are still there. That is their “real world”. Islands in the Caribbean, like Aruba, have thousands of full time residents. They have hospitals and dentists. There are police officers and fire fighters. There are post offices and even schools in Aruba.
It may be hard to imagine, but the people that live on beautiful islands, like Aruba do all of the same kinds of things as you do. Except maybe shovel snow. They get up, go to work, get married, have kids and send their kids off to school. Those kids will go through 12 or more years of schooling and then start thinking about going to college. Many of them will go on to study at one of the colleges in Aruba. If they are university bound they may turn to the University of Aruba or the IPA or Teacher Training School as it is known. They may even decide to go to one of the two medical schools in Aruba.
It seems funny to think of people actually attending college or university or any other kind of school in paradise, but the fact is that there are some fine schools in Aruba. The University of Aruba offers a wide range of advanced degree programs. Although small and a fairly young school, it has a lot to offer both Aruban students and students traveling from other islands and countries to come and study. With comprehensive degree programs ranging from law studies to MBA programs, there is something for virtually anyone.
Though total enrollment is not very high at any of the schools in Aruba, the students don’t see that as a problem. The smaller class sizes that this allows them to have makes for great opportunities to have open discussions and ample opportunity to really get to know their professors. Both of the medical schools in Oranjestad, the island nation’s capital, offer medical programs that are equivalent to a US medical degree and must pass the United States Medical Licensure Examinations in order to get their degree. This means that upon completion of the program they will be able to practice medicine in the United States. Or in paradise, it’s up to them.
Aruba is a small island nation in the South Caribbean Sea. Famous for its beautiful beaches and delightful weather, this tropical gem has been an independent part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands since the late 1980’s. Prior to gaining its independence, Aruba has had a long history of being under Spanish, then British and then Dutch control. The culture of the island reflects these influences and today, as an independent nation, Aruba practices a Parliamentary form of government and holds elections every four years. Aruba has a multi-party form of government with two or three popular parties.
The island of Aruba is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Aruba’s government consists of a 21 member parliament known as the Staten and an 8 member cabinet. Aruba has a governor that is appointed by the monarch for a six year term, with a Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister that are elected by the Staten every four years. The members of the parliament are chosen through direct popular vote at the elections which are also held every four years. Like the Dutch government that it is linked to, Aruba’s political system includes 3 branches, the executive, legislative and judicial branches.
Aruba’s constitution was adopted in 1986, when Aruba gained its status apart, although the first version was presented to the Kingdom of the Netherlands in 1947. The first election was held in 1985 and Aruba became fully independent on January 1, 1986. In the last several decades there have been 6 elections, and nowadays the parliament is dominated by two parties – the People’s Electoral Movement and the Aruban People’s Party. There are a number of other parties that are active in Aruba, but at any given time they only hold one or two seats on the Staten at best.
The executive and legislative branches operate entirely separately from the judicial branch of government with all of the justices being appointed by the monarch. The legislative and executive branches are the only branches that hold elections. Although elections in Aruba are a fairly recent development in Aruba, the small island nation has handled the shift to being an independent nation very well and continues to thrive and flourish under its own rule. The next gubernatorial election is slated for the year 2010 and the next parliamentary election will be later in 2009. It will be very interesting to see the results.