Last Minute Caribbean Deals

Wow, we are already 4 days into the new year. I had hoped to have the first post of 2008 up before now. As we ease into 2008 (or jump into it head first – depending on your view) I have a few changes to the blog that I’ll be introducing in the coming weeks.

• I want to make this blog more personal. I have received several comments from readers who feel this blog is a place just to find cheap deals. Yes the name of the site may lead you to think that, but I want to make this blog much more than that. I will be highlighting different places to visit in the Caribbean from personal experience and from research I have done for my future Caribbean visits.
• I will be focusing more on cruises. Taking a cruise is a great way to see the Caribbean and it’s now I was introduced to some amazing places in the Caribbean.
• Less typing, more video. I have been learning about vlogs (video blogs) and some of the finer points of publishing video on the web. I’m looking forward to bringing you some great information via video and screencam movies as well as other videos I find online.
• More than one voice. I want to introduce other authors to the site and allow you the reader to contribute to the content and the topics of the site. If there is something you want to hear more about, please let me know via the post comments or the contact page.
• Of course more great deals. As we move into the new year I want to bring more deals and tips to you. Many of the past tips have been very popular and I plan to continue with great tips and deals.

I’m excited about what 2008 has to offer and all of the great things to come. As always I’d love to hear what you think. Please leave me a comment below.

–John

I posted previously about how Google can help you find a cheap flight. Well, it seems the engineers at Google have taken that to the next level. According to them you can type your flight info into the Google search box and get updates on the status of your flight. Ok, I know Google is taking over the Internet but I am pretty skeptical about a search engine giving me realistic information about an upcoming flight. Well, I decided to put it to the test.So I headed over to the website for my local airport, Tampa International airport. I clicked on the current arriving flights to see what flights were coming in and the current status of their arrival. The TIA website has been pretty good for keeping up on flight delays. This will be a good test for Google to see how accurate they are. According to Google, you just have to type in the airline name followed by the flight number. Let’s check AirTran flight 163 from Atlanta. It’s scheduled to land at 8:36 and is on time.

Ok, I don’t see any flight status here. What’s up Google? The good news is the first search result is for flightstats.com to tell me about the flight. Ok, flightstats.com 1 – Google 0.

Let’s try another flight. I’ll go to one of the next flights which is Delta 1137 coming in from Atlanta. The flight hasn’t even taken off yet (it’s only 8pm here). Let’s see what Google has to say.

Ok, this looks more like it. Google tells me it’s on schedule. That’s good news. This feature was just released so I’m not surprised that it has a few bugs. If you are heading to the airport this could be a quick way to see if your flight is delayed. It’s interesting that Google links you to flightstats.com anyway. I give credit to Google for making things easier. Too bad there isn’t a single place to find all these shortcuts that Google offers. That sounds like a good future post

Airport security has become one of those time consuming activities in life that we sometimes take for granted. When I travel I have a ritual I follow every time and don’t put much thought into. For anyone who doesn’t travel very often, airport security can stop you in your tracks when trying to get to your gate. The folks over at Travelhacker have posted a great list of tips to make airport security hassle free.

Some tips that I thought were great:

Bring along some clear plastic baggies. You can help speed up through the line by making use of some simple sandwich baggies when going through security. Place all allowable liquids in your carry on into one, as well as all items from your pockets into another so they’ll be easy for security to check and easy for you to keep track of.

Dress appropriately. This may sound like a silly bit of advice, but you’ll save yourself a great deal of trouble if you aren’t wearing something that just screams “troublemaker” or makes you look suspicious. You’ll undoubtedly be subject to greater hassles from security and maybe even your airline, as passengers have been removed from planes for wearing clothes that were too sexy or offensive. It may be unfair that security gets to police your fashion choices, but you’ll move through much more quickly if you work with it and not against it.

Anything that saves time and reduces stress at the airport is a great thing.

Do you have any tips for dealing with airport security? Leave a comment below and share them with us.

The 2008 Air Jamaica Jazz & Blues Festival will be held January 24 – 28. Since its introduction in 1996 it has become the premier entertainment event in Jamaica. This years entertainment lineup includes Diana Ross, Anita Baker, Jill Scott, Billy Ocean, TAJ Mahal, and many others. Tickets are $75 – $80 depending on which days you want to go. A 3 day pass for the entire event is $225. You can get all of the details at Air Jamaica Jazz & Blues Festival 2008

JetBlue will begin its first international service from Orlando
International Airport this winter with the launch of nonstop service to
Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic beginning March 6, 2008
(subject to receipt of government operating authority). With 10 flights
a day to Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic, JetBlue offers
travelers the most nonstop service to the Caribbean of any airline at
Orlando International Airport.

This winter JetBlue will offer as many as 220 weekly roundtrips
between the U.S. mainland and 11 destinations across the
Caribbean/Atlantic region.