Long Stays and Trans- Atlantic Cruises

I am a long way from retirement, yet I find myself considering certain vacations for that time in my life. When I see great deals that are more conducive to open schedules I often try and ‘sell’ my folks or other retirees, but these are the kind of trips that everyone with a bit of time should consider. From Transatlantic cruises to house exchanges, long-stays in the Mediterranean or a motor home holiday in New Zealand—some holidays take more vacation time than the average Canadian earns in a year, but are perfect for sabbaticals, teacher’s summer vacations or retirees.

As Canadians, we are one of the Counties with the least amount of vacation. CNN Money did an in-depth (and fascinating) review of the number of vacation days by country. Finland came in high with 44 days (vacation and statutory holidays combined), of the 49 countries evaluated, Canada came third from the bottom with an average of 20 days off per year. For the full report check out http://money.cnn.com/2007/06/12/pf/vacation_days_worldwide/
Do you recall the beer campaign that attempted to lobby for an additional statutory holiday? Until that happens, I’ll keep logging my favorite travel idea in hopes they still appeal when time allows.

So what’s top on my list? France, Portugal and Spain’s long stay program. During the European off season (November to March), this region is extremely affordable for Canadians to escape winter. While Europeans and visitors the world over flock to these Mediterranean shores in high-season, the winter is their off season and the accommodation prices are accordingly low. Often for much less than $100 per day you can rent self-catering apartments that would be perfect for any Canadian snowbird willing to spread their wings a little further and the cultural experience would far outweigh the hassles of the longer flight.

Have you ever cruised before? There certainly is a cruise itinerary for every traveller. Did you know that typically the passengers tend to become more mature as the itineraries become longer? If you have a little longer, there certainly are some great deals and interesting itineraries for the more open schedules. Each spring, many of the ships that ran Caribbean itineraries during the winter reposition themselves to the Mediterranean and then they return again in the fall. As these ships move across the Atlantic the cruise lines offer some amazing deals – quite often 10 days or more under $1000. These itineraries are often referred to as Transatlantics (depicting the routing) or repositioning (as they do reposition themselves throughout the world). It can be challenging to find the airfare to match up the departure and arrival (you’ll be buying two one-way tickets). But with a creative travel agent working on this, it won’t be a problem.

RVing holidays also speak to me (maybe it is the ad campaigns they run every summer… Go RVing). Ok, I’ll admit the exotic RVing holidays with the extended timelines have the most appeal, but I may settle for one closer to home. Called motorhome rentals in New Zealand, I can’t think of a better way to explore this relatively small country, given so many of the must see features are the great outdoors. I had a good friend who did one of these while she was on maternity leave just the three of them, she still raves about the motorhome approach to seeing a country with a young family.

Not unlike the cruise lines that reposition their ships, the RV rental companies located in the Western United States offer amazing deals repositioning their vehicles, one-way rates can be under $50 per night for your vehicle with no drop fee. These vehicles make amazing use of space and the special rates apply to some routes that are a must see. RVing up the American coast to Alaska and throughout Newfoundland (that is two different trips) also really appeal. I hope some of these trips are still a possibility in 20 or 30 years when I do retire, what is on your retirement travel list?

Until Next Time
Melanie