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20 - The Oakville Beaver Weekend, Saturday June 28, 2008 www.oakvillebeaver.com SUNWING "ELITE PLUS" SERVICE Sunwing has introduced a new level of inflight service, "Elite Plus." For as little as $35 each way, travellers enjoy all the inclusions of the Elite service (hot towel service and inflight entertainment with "yours to keep" headsets, as well as a bon voyage glass of champagne and choice of hot meal served with red or white wine on flights to the Caribbean, Mexico and Central America), plus advance seat selection, extra legroom, 30 kg baggage allowance and priority check-in and boarding in Canada. Elite Plus service is available for bookings on Sunwing's holidays for winter 08/09. www.sunwing.ca G.A.P BUYS NEW ADVENTURE SHIP G.A.P Adventures reports it has purchased a new ship, the Expedition and will re-launch its polar expedition program on 04JAN09. Built in Denmark in 1972, the ship has been operating in coastal waters around Scandinavia for 15 years. The 105-metre-long ship can accommodate 120 passengers and will undergo a multi-million dollar refurbishment and refit in order to offer travellers a unique and comfortable way of exploring the Polar regions. This will include the installation of new cabins with ensuite bathrooms, a refurbishment of the dining room -- large enough to accommodate all passengers in one sitting -- the pub, lounge, gym and sauna. Guests will have a choice of five categories of cabins ranging from triples to suites. Each cabin will be outside facing featuring either portholes or windows and the ship will boast multiple viewing areas, including a 360-degree observation deck for wildlife spotting. Expedition will also be fitted with stabilizers to ensure as smooth a passage as possible. Cut down on expenses not on holidayss plans T urn on the TV or read any newspaper these days, and you'll get nothing but doom and gloom over increased gas prices and what it means to the traveling public. It may well be that gas prices will continue to rise, but some gurus say they'll go down. Does this mean we won't be taking a vacation? Not according to people I talk to. The travel agency I use is so busy it has hired another agent, and yes, it has started booking sun holidays for next winter. Other agencies say people are griping about fuel surcharges, but they are still booking. A spokesperson from Ontario Provincial Parks says the parks will be packed this year as usual, and a spokeswoman from the GO RVing Canada Association says people are still using their RVs and buying new ones. I checked air prices for my own holidays, and I'm paying the same price to go to Honduras Shores in Honduras as I paid last year. Just in case that changes I'm booking now. Every little bit helps, the more we save, the more we can travel. There is no question people are looking carefully at their spending habits. People taking driving vacations are cutting corners a bit by not going as far, or packing a picnic for one meal each day. I've talked to people who have decided to stay in a four-star resort rather than a five-star one. We're all passing along tips to cut corners. One of the easiest and cheapest ways to get cash while traveling is making a withdrawal from a local ATM. The advantage of this is that all cash withdrawals are exchanged based on a wholesale exchange rate, usually reserved for large interbank exchanges. This rate is often two to five per cent (plus local transaction fees) pay them for booking seats. Agents do get paid for booking your rental cars, coach tours, cruises, and hotels. You don't pay extra for that, you'll often pay less. And they know a bargain. A reader wrote, "The resort was not that well maintained, lots of broken lights, toilets etc. and the main buffet was dirty. The landscaping was almost non-existent, and the food was barely edible, tough meat, poor choices and so on. Also the coffee in the main buffet was light sludge. The air conditioning in the room kept the room cool, but the moisture was still there, so it was cold and clammy every night. We had to put towels down to mop up the drippings from the a/c. The rooms were, for the most part, very musty and stuffy smelling." She bought it on line, if she had talked to a qualified agent, that resort would never have been recommended, and it has always been that way. The winter sun books are coming out, this year even earlier and everyone has some sort of early-booking bonus. Signature is addressing Canadians' fondness for lastminute offers by introducing a price lowering guarantee called Signature Savers, Nolitours and Transat holidays has a "No Fuel Surcharge" promotion for a limited time. Sunwing Vacations has a TruCa$h MasterCard gift card preloaded with $100 sent to every couple booking a holiday before Oct. 31. It is also having a seat sale. Look for more prebooking deals in the next month or so. And maybe you can make your own coffee and carry a mug. Think about how much money you'll save that could be put towards that special trip. So if your doctor advises you to take a break, maybe this time, give it some thought. TRAFALGAR OFFERS DISCOUNTS Trafalgar Tours has released its first-ever Europe & Britain 2009 Preview Brochure to accommodate client demands for earlier booking times. The brochure features 73 first-class holidays, giving clients the ability to lock-in guaranteed pricing by booking their 2009 summer vacations early. Travellers can save up to 10% by taking full advantage of the Early Payment Discount by simply booking 12 months in advance, by 30SEP08, make a $500.00 deposit and the lowest price is guaranteed. Sample savings include the nine-day Treasures of France tour, departing 31JUL09, priced at $1,999.00 per person double. Travellers booking at least 1 year in advance can save 10% or $200.00. Contact us for more details or check out the tours at www.trafalgar.com Visit McTavish At: www.mctavishtravel.com Cruising with Special Needs Cruising is the most accessible way for people with disabilities to see the Caribbean. How else can you visit four different islands in one week without having to change hotel rooms? Most cruise lines today adhere to the "Americans with Disability Act (ADA) standards and some even go above and beyond to meet the needs of their disabled travelers. Cruise lines like Holland America, Royal Caribbean and Celebrity cruises are typically ahead of the curve, especially with their new Gina Cheng ships. Most wheelchair accessible staterooms are slightly larger than a regular stateroom to allow a wheelchair user to wheel freely. The bathrooms are spacious and include a roll-in shower. In the Caribbean, several ports require that ships anchor at sea and use a small boat, called tenders, to bring passengers ashore. Royal Caribbean is one of only two cruise lines whose tenders are accessible to wheelchairs and scooters. Allowing you to tour, shop or catch some sun in the ports. Whether you have mobility or visual impairments, are deaf/hard of hearing or you have other special needs. More accessible ships, affordable pricing and exciting destinations make cruising a perfect fit. Consider a cruise for your next vacation! 9 Day Cruise ­ December 12, 2008 ­ Explorer Of The Sea Cruise only rate for a balcony starts at $1327CAD per person including all taxes category E2. Subject to availability. PLUS... Book a Balcony Stateroom or higher and receive a Castle and Garden Tour of St Thomas Exclusively from us at Total Travel. Oakville Town Centre I 300 North Service Road, W. Oakville 905.849.0333 www.totaltravel-oakville.com Ont Reg No 2766538 better than what you can get from exchanging traveler's checks locally. But pay attention when making the withdrawal, some banks charge higher fees for international transactions, either a flat rate of typically $1-$5 and at times, a percentage of your total withdrawal. Have a chat with your bank before you go. Sudden pattern changes in your account activity will trigger a fraud alert and cause your bank to freeze your account. Yes, many of us, including me, do our banking and bill paying online, but your bank can be a great resource when you're traveling. My bank is always aware when I'm away, so they don't have any problem when I take money from my account one day in El Salvador, and a couple of days later in Paris. My wonderful BMO manager came to me last winter and said I needed an American currency charge card for trips to the U.S. It would save me big time. It was something I'd never thought about. Speaking of expenses the most expensive four words that are heard on a vacation are "I don't feel well." Don't scrimp by not buying travel insurance. If you want to get your money's worth, the travel agent is your best friend. Travel agents offer an essentially free service on most products, despite the fact that most airlines no longer Ont Reg No 2766538 Oakville Town Centre I 300 North Service Road, W. Oakville 905.849.0333 www.totaltravel-oakville.com Voted Best Travel Agency Best Cruise Company Best Travel Agent Thanks Oakville! Hopedale Shopping Centre 1515 Rebecca Street, Oakville Relax... you're with us 221 Lakeshore Road E. (905) 827-1100 fax: (905) 827-4982 e-mail: travel@mctavish.com 905-337-2228 www.hookedoncruising.com To advertise here call 905-845-3824