West Palm Beach, FL

Background:

Florida is considered by many to be Americas top vacation destination. On offer you have famous landmarks such as Disney World, Cape Canaveral, Universal Studios, and countless beaches and water parks. However if a heavily populated tourist area is not on your radar I would  consider going to West Palm Beach, Florida. West Palm Beach has many advantages over other southeastern Floridian cities. For one West Palm Beach does not find itself overrun with tourist, a problem faced by nearby Ft. Lauderdale and Orlando. However, West Palm Beach is still close enough to these cities to be able to do day trips to Disney World, or the many beaches in Ft. Lauderdale. Not only will you find the environment to be more laid back, but West Palm Beach has many activities that appeal to the casual traveler. For example there is plenty of shopping to do along West Palm's historic Clematis Street. You also have the option to take a deep sea fishing charter out of one of the many harbours in the local area. Many festivals and activities that take place at various times throughout the year can provide a fun alternative to the usual Florida fare. The Barret Jackson Collector Car Auction is a fun event that brings historic cars to the area, and puts them up for auction, however you do not have to be a bidder to attend this exciting event. If cars are not your thing than i recommend going to Sun Fest which is Florida's largest waterfront music festival. When it comes to these events though, make sure that you research the specific dates that the activities you want to attend will take place on.

Strategy:

To get to West Palm I recommend flying into PBI, or West Palm Beach International Airport. However, if the prices are to high I suggest trying Melbourne International Airport, or Fort Lauderdale International Airport as a price saving alternative.

Hotel:

I would highly suggest that you wait and book your hotel on a website that provides last minute deals such as hotwire.com this allows you to make the most of your money, and you can usually find a hotel that is normally out of your price range, at a bargain basement rate.

As always i hope this helps you on your road to casual travel. My next post will be about my trip to Washington D.C.

Airline Choice

I have decided not to bog you down with pointless get to know you post, rather i feel that we should jump right into the world of casual travelling. This first post will cover which airline could work for you. When it comes to choice in airline you really have five options as i see it.

• U.S. Airways
• Delta Airlines
• American Airlines
• United Airlines
• Southwest Airlines

Although there are other options to pick, many of the smaller U.S. airlines are region specific, and will be talked about later. For now though we are going to pick your overall airline.Firstly you need to decide what is important to you. Each of these airlines have unique pros and cons that may influence your decision to travel with them.
Pros:

• U.S. Airways->Generally low fares, "Americas largest low-fare full service airline", Easy to acquire frequent flyer status, Strong East Coast network.
• Delta Airlines->Large route network, Many aircraft have in-flight entertainment, Reliable.
• American Airlines->Business traveler appeal, Name recognition.
• United Airlines->Large route network, Many aircraft have in-flight entertainment.
• Southwest Airlines->Low cost carrier with very low prices, free checked baggage.

You may have noticed that Delta and United have similar pros, when it comes down to choice between these two airlines remember that they are the two largest U.S. carriers and for this blogs sake, virtually the same.

Cons:

• U.S. Airways->Smaller route network, Poor cabin amenities along the lines of in-flight service and in-flight entertainment.
• Delta Airlines->Harder to acquire frequent flyer status, service geared towards business not casual travel.
• American Airlines->Currently in bankruptcy, Older fleet of aircraft.
• United Airlines->Harder to acquire frequent flyer status, service geared towards business not casual travel.
• Southwest Airlines->Does not interline with other carriers, not current international network.

As you can see each of these airlines has their respective pros and cons, however a large factor in choosing an airline is where you live. Before choosing an airline to allege yourself to, check to see if they have a hub close to where you live. This can help with prices and ease of travel.

As always i hope this helps you on your road to casual travel. My next post will be a destination piece on West Palm Beach, FL

Welcome

A passion for travel is a passion for life. Many people like me have a passion for all things travel. Throughout this blog i hope to provide you with the insight and tools you need to plan your very own "Casual Vacation". This blog will provide  you with tips on everything from which airline to fly, to where you should fly to in the first place. I hope that you will find the information on this blog useful, and soon you will be on your way to being a casual traveler yourself.