It's just a matter of a few short weeks before we head down under for a four week extravaganza. It's a trip filled with beautiful hotels and resorts, top rated restaurants and crazy adventures. We start in Sydney, Australia then head to Cairns/Port Douglas where we will be attending a wedding for one of my husband's cousins. It's a bit of a family reunion, bringing together Colin's family from South Africa, Australia and New Zealand - all of which I've never met before, so there will be a lot of catching up to do! From there, we head to New Zealand's North Island where we road trip from the Auckland (at the top) all the way to Wellington (at the bottom), before flying back home to California. Here is a sneak peak of our itinerary and all of the nitty gritty details behind this crazy adventure.
Tripcipe
On a side note, I've just recently discovered an awesome new tool called Tripcipe - it's basically Google Maps marries Pinterest and births a beautiful Trip Planning baby. I love it because I can grab all of those pretty images of places I want to go to or visit on a trip, it will pin it with a description and info on a map and then allows me to pull those spots into a customized daily itinerary - whoa! You can create new trips online and in the app and take them with you wherever you go and you can even grab pieces of other people's trips to add to yours or copy their entire trip altogether. I've quickly become obsessed and started updating all of my previous Travel Guides with Tripcipe; it makes them so much easier to look at than just using Google Maps. Finally, a cool travel mapping tool for the organized planners out there! It's a new company with some awesomely smart people behind the scenes, so I expect it to continue to evolve and get even better with time. Check it out at www.tripcipe.com.
Check back for more updates and full reviews of all the places we visit. If you have any additional recommendations that I should keep in mind for the trip, please let me know! Cheers!
Punta Cana - 10 Things to Know Before You Go
CHECK OUT MY FULL TRAVEL GUIDE TO PUNTA CANA HERE
Punta Cana, Dominican Republic has everything you want in a relaxing vacation - sun, crystal clear water, white sands, swaying palm trees and floofy umbrella drinks. BUT before you take off, there's some important Type A details that you need to know to ensure the perfect getaway...
1. AIRPORT VISITOR FEE
Each visitor going through the Punta Cana International Airport is required to pay $10 as a visitor fee prior to hitting immigration. Cash only, so be sure to stop at an ATM before you fly (US dollars are accepted).
2. PRE-BOOK AIRPORT TRANSPORTATION
Similar to many Mexican travel destinations, the airport experience can be stressful if you're not prepared. Once you've grabbed your bags, you are immediately bombarded by men trying to offer you transportation services and working to sign you up for timeshare tours. If you already have transportation set up - go straight out, don't listen to anyone who asks where you're going and find the person with your name on a card. Everyone will try and "help" you, but they are ultimately trying to get you to go with them instead. Taxi's are safe, but you have to swim through shark infested water to find one on the outside (definitely doable). Instead, I suggest booking ahead of time either through your hotel or through a reputable company so that you don't have to deal with the stress of it all. Caribbean Dream is a well known transportation company with great reviews that we booked for a roundtrip transport prior to leaving and here's why I loved it:
- I was given the exact cost online prior to booking (the same price as taking a taxi!), $70 roundtrip for 2, but varies depending on your destination.
- I was able to pay ahead of time through Paypal so didn't have to exchange money
- I received a confirmation email with all of the info
- The driver waited for us outside with my name on a sign so I didn't have to deal with anyone else (and were there even though our flight came in 1.5 hours late).
- We were helped with our bags, put into a small passenger van with air conditioning and taken directly to our hotel with no issues.
- Since I booked a roundtrip package, they picked us up at our hotel at the time I requested and took us to the airport with no problems.
**One final note regarding the airport, don't let anyone random help you with your bags as they will be requiring a tip! Just say no thank you and move on.
3. US DOLLARS WORK
Unless you are planning on venturing into a non-touristy area, there is no need to pay the fees to convert your dollars into pesos. Most everyone accepts dollars as payment, including tips and excursions. I just suggest bringing small bills so you don't have to break a $20, which could be harder to do.
4. IGNORE THE CLOUDS ON YOUR WEATHER APP
Because this is a tropical place, occasional rain and clouds do appear for short periods of time, just don't be scared away by your phone's weather report. If there is even a slight chance of clouds or rain, the weather report will look like it's cloudy all day, which is never the case unless there's a rare major storm rolling through. So set your mind at ease and know you will enjoy temps in the high 80s with sunshine throughout.
5. KEEP YOUR TOP ON
It's important to respect the customs of any location you visit... Including when it comes to acceptable beach attire. The DR is an island with strong Catholic roots and beach nudity is not ok. So all you middle aged European ladies who like to "hang out" at the beach (pun intended), please keep it locked up when in Punta Cana.
6. THE TOWN IS FAR
For anyone who watched The Bachelorette 2014 season finale, they were in Punta Cana and whisked over to a beautiful town for the day to enjoy the Dominican culture, colors and music. Well unless you plan on helicoptering it over there, think again. It's a 2.5 hour drive from Punta Cana to the capital city, Santo Domingo, and there aren't any small towns worth visiting in the tourist areas. Damn reality television.
7. TOURIST DESTINATION
Keep in mind that Punta Cana is largely a tourist destination, developed specifically for tourism. This means that while there are beautiful jungles and other interesting sites, most are far from the hotel areas. It's very similar to Cancun where it's just hotel after hotel, with very few secluded beaches or areas. There are beach vendors selling everything from bracelets to braids, but are relatively respectful and a simple 'no thank you' will move them along.
8. TIPPING
As in many third world countries, wages are low so tips go a long way. Consider tipping 10-20% unless service is really bad, even when at all inclusive resorts. This is a great way to show your appreciation and will ensure that you are well taken care of during your visit.
9. YOU CAN DRINK THE WATER
The majority of hotels and resorts only serve filtered water and ice, which is perfectly safe to drink. Be sure to ask first, but it's rarely a problem for tourists.
10. SOUVENIRS
Consider forgoing the typical palm tree magnets and seashell necklace and bring home one of these Dominican specialties - coffee, rum or mamajuana (an alcoholic beverage mixture of rum, wine and honey soaked in tree bark). You can pack up to 5 liters of alcohol in your check in luggage, so stock up!
For more info on Punta Cana, check out my Full Guide here packed with even more details on what to know before traveling to Punta Cana. If you have any questions, please leave a comment below or shoot me an email and I'll be sure to get back to you. Happy Travels!
Travel Planning - My Top 6 Tips for How to Prepare for a Major Trip
In a very short few months, my husband and I will be taking an adventure of a lifetime - 4 weeks in Australia and New Zealand! I've been in hard core planning mode since November (yes, 7 months!) and I can finally see the landing gear in the horizon. People ask me all the time, what now? Now that all of the hotels are booked and reservations are made, what's next? Well, in my opinion, reservations are just half the battle - it takes well executed end game that really solidifies a perfectly planned trip. So, here's a glimpse into the mind of a Type A trip planner...
1. Print all confirmations and communication.
Go through an highlight important details (dates, addresses, confirmation numbers, check in/out times, etc.). I realize that you can use TripIt and you can absolutely put all of this information into a spreadsheet, but I can't trust electronic connectivity overseas, so I prefer to print them and always have them handy. I'm sorry if my paper waste offends you, but I do buy recycled paper.
2. Create a Packing List.
Include items based on necessities, weather and activities. Keep it accessible so you can add items as you think about it. I prefer to create a Google Doc spreadsheet that I can share with my travel partners so they can add items to the list as well. I also go as far as scheduling a test pack 1 week prior to leaving so that I'm not freaking out because I can't fit it all the night before we leave.
3. Create a Wish List.
This is the items you'd like to buy before going, but are truly optional. Some items on my list include a new bathing suite, an underwater camera, a new wide angle lens, a small collapsable cooler (so I can buy perishable goods along the way), etc. This way I can start accumulating them as budget and space allow.
4. Start a To Do List.
These are all things you don't want to forget before leaving. Your mind turns to mush with excitement and anxiety right before a trip and you end up with Home Alone moments where you leave your kid behind if you're not careful. Ok, that's a bit extreme, but this is a piece-of- mind list that helps you to not forget the important little pre-departure details. Items on my list include: Get $100 cash and small bills, call credit card companies, make copies of passports and insurance cards, give a copy of itinerary to family, lock all doors and windows, buy extra pet food, put away message on email, etc.
5. Map Out Your Destination.
Create a customizeable Google Map of all the places you will be going and want to go including hotels, restaurants, sites and attractions, etc. You can click here for a full post about how to do it. I use this as a constant reference tool so that wherever I am, I have a list of places nearby to eat, shop and see based on my personal preferences and research. I also print detailed directions/instructions for getting to/from the airport and any locations you may have trouble finding along the way. Like I said, I don't trust having cell/wireless connection while traveling abroad so I prefer to be extra prepared so I don't end up lost, wasting valuable travel time.
6. Finalize Your Budget.
Setting my travel budget is one of the first things I do at the beginning of my trip planning process, but it always changes over time and money is not something I ever like to be surprised by. I start by listing out expenses by day... hotel cost, activities, rental car, flights, food, etc. Many of these are estimates based on the itinerary, so it won't always be exact, but at least it's close. I also include a column to mark what items have already been paid so that I can have a strong plan for what bills I will be returning to after the trip. The last thing I want is to come home to thousands of dollars in credit card bills unexpectedly - so planning and saving for the right amount is key. This is also the point that I make sure to talk through the final budget with my travel buddies (in this case my husband) so that we are fully on the same page when it comes to what the end cost will be and how the money is being allotted. Sometimes we agree to cut costs in certain areas to increase in others or we decide that we are under budget and can make reservations at that really nice restaurant we heard about. Budgeting can be annoying, but it's way scarier to come home to a pile of debt - definitely not a souvenir you want to bring back!