Tips and tricks for travelers are always welcome.

Leave your pieces of value in your house.

If you plan a vacation, pick the best digital camera for that particulars of your respective trip. If you are going backpacking, you’ll desire to pack a rechargeable battery. You wish to pick out a thing that will focus very quickly.

Have a look at your hotels alarms once you get there. Set the alarm off altogether.

When you are traveling by air, it’s a smart idea to wear slip on shoes which are light and cozy. You should take them off off when experiencing security checks. Flip-flops or slip-on footwear is recommended for air travel footwear.

Luggage tags happen to be in transit.

The retail price per unit for such small products is disproportionate compared to the quantity of space which you save. Try simple folding techniques that can safe space and let you take less baggage along. These minimizing tricks will allow you create additional space within your bag.

When you are traveling by air, it’s a great idea to wear slip on shoes which are light and comfortable. You will need to remove them off quickly for security checks. Flip-flops or sandals are recommended for air travel footwear.

Booking trips online is a terrific way to start your vacation planning. Travel sites assist in the preparing your travel itineraries with little effort. You are able to book all you need for your trip, rental cars, and flights online. It is possible to access reviews and photos of most of the hotels along with other lodgings where you are interested.

Ensure that your passports are updated by checking the expiration date. Many countries have specific rules concerning passports. Some countries won’t permit you to arrived at their country if your passport expires soon inside a specific amount of time.

Booking trips on the internet is like one-stop looking for your getaway planning. Travel sites can help you from the planning of the trip’s itinerary. You are able to book everything you need for your personal trip, from rental cars to flights to rooms in hotels, and flights using your computer! You also have usage of reviews and photos of hotels for quick comparison.

Booking trips online is like one-stop shopping for your trip planning. Travel sites help with planning of your own trip’s itinerary. You can book flights, hotels, and flights utilizing your computer! Reviews and photographs of hotels are typically available.

Tip generously to anybody who make your trip special. Supply the steward a great tip when boarding the ship.You will probably have exactly the same folks waiting on your party all through the cruise, you could be well cared for.

Ensure you create copies of most important documents once you leave. Keep these copies of passports, passport, as well as other pertinent documents within a safe place as backups to the originals.

In case you are over a long travel journey, be sure to periodically rise up and stretch your legs. Sitting for prolonged amounts of time can bring about blood clots.

Always have a contact case wherever you travel. It is possible to fill these after some gel or lotion so there is no need to bring the trip.

Don’t be too rigid with the trip time, especially when someone needs anyone to pull over to enable them to go to the restroom. Your vacation won’t be ruined if you allow ten minutes stops occasionally. This can also help your fellow travelers and annoying.

Contact lens cases certainly are a case if you having a trip. You can preserve only a small amounts of gels and lotions with them.

If you are planning over a really remote and exotic trip of your life, consider purchasing an insurance that may cover emergency evacuation, rescue and emergency evacuations. This can be a real lifesaver if civilization will not be nearby.

One travel nugget is to ensure the alarm clock inside your room is scheduled on the room’s radio prior to going to sleep. You might have no chance of being aware of what the alarm is just not going to go off at night time and wake you up.

As stated initially of the article, many people travel sooner or later in their life. Being prepared for travel, whenever that point can come, is essential. Follow our tips and you simply might increase your next travel experience!

Traveling alone can be quite a great experience, but it is not without risk. There are some significant things you should do when it comes to ensuring your safety. This informative article will help you boost your vulnerability to crime while on the road.

Get Informed For Your Upcoming Travel Venture By Using These Tips

Hotels Report 73% Capacity Filled by Year End

 

The Costa Rican Chamber of Hotels (CCH) report showed 73% of hotel – rooms beach, mountain and city, will be filled by end and beginning of the year, according to a survey.

 

The research department of the CCH reported beach hotel still preferred by tourists is estimated to have an occupancy rate of 86% and 52% in the city and mountain locations.

 

According to the (CCH), this is normal behavior for the date , city hotels being the most “disadvantaged” because people search out of the capital.

 

By geographical area, Guanacaste is the region with the highest occupancy levels (87%), followed by the Mid-Pacific (86%) and the South Pacific and Puntarenas (82% each).

 

The Northern Plains and the Central Valley areas reported lower numbers with 69% and 56%, respectively.

 

Data released today by the House are slightly lower than those released in recent days by the National Chamber of Tourism (Canatur).

 

According to the study conducted by Canatur, the general expectation is around 78% occupancy for the hospitality sector during the season end and beginning of the year.

 

In this regard, the Central Pacific and Puntarenas and the Gulf Islands (including Monteverde) were the regions with the highest projections.

 

Credits for this news article go to 4CRV and their respective authors.

 

Traveling sustainably in Costa Rica & the world.

How to Travel Sustainably in Costa Rica

Choose a sustainable hotel that respects and protects the environment

Green, or sustainable travel is the responsible way to support local communities and the environment while on vacation. Traveling sustainably is a broad concept, and there are many ways to implement this travel philosophy, from packing a reusable water bottle to choosing locally owned hotels and businesses.

Costa Rica’s reputation for eco-friendly vacations makes sustainable travel easy. Here are a few of our top tips on how to travel green in Costa Rica:

1. Choose Sustainable Hotels

The Costa Rican Tourism Board offers the Certification for Sustainable Tourism (CST) to rate local hotels, resorts, lodges and boutique accommodations on a scale of one to five leaves (most sustainable). To earn their leaves, hotels must demonstrate not only a commitment to the environment but also support of local communities: water efficiency programs, partnerships with local companies, and the use of eco-friendly cleaning products are just the beginning. Ask your travel agent about the most sustainable lodging (there are more than 75 four- and five-leaf certified hotels!) – or search for yourself on the CST website.

2. Fly Nature Air

Costa Rica’s Nature Air is 100% carbon neutral

I know, we’re biased, but Nature Air’s commitment to the environment is pretty monumental. You might know Nature Air as the world’s first carbon-neutral airline, but did you know that:

• We help protect 500 acres of tropical forest on the Osa Peninsula.
• We are constantly working to improve fuel efficiency, and have achieved a 7% improvement in the last three years.
• We run the NatureKids foundation, which helps educate children in rural and impoverished communities.
• We run a recycling program at our San José office, to encourage all employees (and passengers!) to recycle glass, paper and plastic.

3. Patronize Local Companies & Communities

Tourism is booming in Costa Rica, and that means travelers have the luxury of choice. Always choose locally owned and run companies, from your travel agent to tours to restaurants. And if you want your dollars to have a serious impact, be sure to book a rural tour or two – not only will you have an awesome experience tasting indigenous chocolate or learning how the first Costa Ricans sculpted clay, but you’ll know that your tour cost and souvenir purchases directly benefit the communities you visit.

4. Visit National Park

This is what sustainable travel looks like in Costa Rica

Costa Rica’s national park system is vast – protected areas account for more than 25% of the nation’s territory – and introduce you to incredibly beautiful, startlingly awesome sights and sounds. Your $10 entrance fee helps support fragile ecosystems, endangered animals, and some of the world’s most spectacular natural riches. Bonus: Your contribution also helps subsidize the park fee for locals, meaning that even the poorest Costa Rican schoolchildren can enjoy the beauty of their native land. Now that’s giving back!

5. Drive Carbon-Neutral

If you choose to rent a car in Costa Rica, we’ll help you rent from a 100% carbon-neutral company. Likewise, if you choose to ride on shared or private shuttles, we’ll hook you up with carbon-neutral companies.

Your Turn: What are your top tips for responsible travel?

Credits for this guide go to Nature Air

A Perfect Vacation in Costa Rica

What do you consider to be the perfect Costa Rica vacation? Your answer is bound to reflect your personality, but many of you will probably think about achieving a perfect balance of thrills and relaxation while trying to have as much fun as possible. If you are looking for ideas on what to do the next time you are in Costa Rica, this 12-step guide by a young and fashionable woman from Spain will come in handy.

By her own account, Patricia Rodriguez is a Marketing and Administration professional from Spain who keeps a blog about fashion, style, shopping, and travel. She visited Costa Rica in mid-September and was able to experience more than most of us will ever hope to do in our lifetimes. Miss Rodriguez kindly allowed the Costa Rica Star to adapt her vacation experience for the benefit of our readers. If you read Spanish or want to see pictures of her vacation, please click here; her Shopaholic blog, which is very well-written, is highly recommended for fashionable Ticas interested in fashion, style, shopping, and other girly concerns.

Costa Rica in 12 Steps; Or How a Shopaholic Found New Ways to Release Adrenaline – Different from Shopping for a Pair of Miu Miu Heels on eBay

So, I must confess that of all adjectives that could describe me, adventuresome is not one of them. At least not until now. This summer I took the plunge, got my backpack, and set off to discover Costa Rica from north to south and east to west. It was an unforgettable trip; if I had to describe it with just one word it would have to be “amazing.”

Even if you have already visited, Costa Rica always has a surprise for you waiting at every turn. Many times it is a surprise that leaves you breathless with new sights and experiences. Here are some of mine:

1. Traversing the jungle in a quad cycle, going off-road on trails you could not even imagine. Enjoying an incredible tropical storm and still seeing a glimpse of the sun (the canopy is so thick that only 2 percent of sunshine reaches the ground). Stopping to take a natural shower in a waterfall is an added treat.
2. Visiting a desert island; spotting whales along the way. If there is anything that Costa Rica is known for is their commitment to nature conservation. The jungle is super-protected (illegal logging in national parks results in a year in prison) and this extends to tiny virgin islands where you can pretend you are part of the Swiss Family Robinson. You get to Cano Island by boat, land on the beach and there is nothing else you can do. This island is protected; you can’t even eat or drink therein. Bonus for me: I spotted two whales, and one was a mother and her baby -incredible!
3. Leaping off a tree 40 meters from the jungle floor. I will say this now: Costa Rica made me brave. I spent one morning swinging from the tallest trees I have ever seen in my life in Manuel Antonio National Park.
4. Yoga in Nosara. Too much adrenaline makes you long for a chance to take a deep breath, relax and enjoy your surroundings. There is nothing like a morning spent doing yoga in a beautiful nature setting and following up with a gallopinto, Costa Rica’s breakfast of champions, at the comfortable Harmony Hotel.
5. Flying a gyrocopter. This was the pinnacle of my fearlessness. This aircraft, which is similar to a convertible version of a small plane, actually flies and is perhaps the closest I’ve ever felt to bird flight. Very impressive.
6. Partying in Santa Teresa. This surf town has such a great vibe that it is impossible not to be drawn to its party atmosphere. The best is when you are dancing carelessly, and in the middle of the night a rainstorm pours with reggae music in the background, and you keep dancing until sunrise.
7. A real blue river. Rio Celeste is a perfect example of Nature’s incredible work. This is a river full of minerals and volcanic materials that turn the water blue. The people of Costa Rica say that this river is where God decided to soak and rinse the brushes used to paint the Heavens above. To get to Rio Celeste, the jungle trek is about three kilometers, which makes you appreciate the beauty of the river even more.
8. Impossible roads shared with oxen and mules, or roadways that end because a river overflows during the rainy season. Amidst all this chaos, you find the most beautiful sunsets.
9. Sea turtles returning to their birthplace. This ability is chemically implanted in them, and they lay more than 100 eggs and build a nest just a couple a meters away from your feet before heading back out to see. A beautiful full moon makes the moment even more magical. You want more? How about spending the night in Tortuguero and falling asleep as the howler monkeys that sound like dinosaurs (how would I know what dinosaurs sounded like?)
10. Rafting in the Pacuare River. Another experience that I would’ve never attempted before, but Costa Rica makes you brave like that. I learned that rivers are graded on the strength and dangers of their rapidsfrom 1 to 5, and my section of the Pacuare River was a category 4.
11. Meeting baby sloths, monkeys and cute raccoons in the Jaguar Refuge and Rescue Center in Puerto Viejo, where they are cared for before they are reintroduced to the wild.
12. Dining with the best views of San Jose. Maybe this is not the prettiest city in the world, but from a distance she is spectacular, and she is the best dinner companion you could hope for. I can actually say it and feel it now: Pura Vida!

P.S.: I have a confession to make. I did not carry a backpack; it was a rather tasteful tote suitcase on wheels.

All credits to: Patricia Rodriguez

Experience Costa Rica to the maximum with 4CRV

This is just a small taste of some of the adventures that Costa Rica has to offer any visitor, you’ll be pleased to watch this.

4CRV Offers You All Inclusive Packages

You won’t have to worry about anything with this amazing all inclusive packages offered by CRV; here’s what you won’t be missing out on with a trip to this tropical paradise:

With the natural bandwagon more or less bursting at the seams with so many jumping on deck, learning any truth to the claims can be tricky. Most wonder what getting eco-friendly actually is and out of all the regions in the world  which country is believed to be the most ecologically friendly?

As the leaders in exercising their bit to safeguard the globe, Costa Rica proceeds to tap this by providing on behalf of the marketplace of eco- people.

All this environmentally aware and recognition has given birth to a new wave of vacation goers who are concerned with their ecological effect and how this play in to their holiday plans.

A current study has uncovered an increase in trending travelers who are concerned with how much of an bearing on the environment their vacations will have including hotels, transport and even tours.

It was during this research study that Costa Rica would be selected the most environmentally aware tourist locale on the earth.

Unmistakably this would have a beneficial affect on the Costa Rican vacations industry but also other sectors also.

An additional industry that gained from this new global ecologically friendly is the real estate industry.

Not that long ago — before the global economic crisis struck — Costa Rica real estate was a thriving industry alongside record numbers in sales including getting labeled “One of the hottest real estate markets on the earth” by MSNBC. Then slowly but surely the crisis reached the small Latin American nation.

And boy oh boy did it hit like a tidal wave.

But that was before and now today…

These days with the rise in consciousness on the subject of the environment, many individual investors and larger corporations alike are learning that the Costa Rica Real Estate market is worth their attention.

A huge factor when considering the marketing opportunities is the means for businesses to use the tag line “ecologically friendly” — in actual fact there are a handful of hotels and resorts in Costa Rica with Green Leaf status.

The point that Costa Rica possesses 5% of the planet’s flora and fauna, lush untouched rain forests, captivating beaches and a federal government devoted to protecting it all, really helped make this region the #1 on the list of environmentally aware spots.

4CRV – Costa Rica Vacations has ideas from a talking three-toed sloth? That’s precisely the point of the recent tourism marketing campaign coming out of Costa Rica.

After the initiation of the campaign, tourism board members would be surprised at what was to come — and to boot — from the most surprising place.

With preceeding Costa Rica marketing campaigns coming up short, the country had high hopes this time round compared to before when they were… well, not much to write home about. With the help of the US located marketing firm, 22squared, the Million Dollar Gift of Happiness campaign was successful in reaching the same target that assisted importantly in turning Obama president.

More and more businesses are realizing social media as a workable markerting channel. The power and reach of SMM is clear.

Mr. Sloth, the maven of the Million Dollar Gift of Happiness campaign, is setting the social web on fire.

Costa Rica vacations and tourism marketing has never seen such a “bang” like this fuzzy character.

Senor Sloth embodies what life in Costa Rica is all about… healthy and worry-free. Within the already released commercial segments this is obviously evident. He is becoming a recognizable figure internationally as a result.

So remember, if you are wondering how to book the best vacations in Costa Rica, don’t think any further and look for CRV’s website right here.