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TOLL FREE 877 278 2142 USA
TOLL FREE 844 776 3727 USA & CAN
Making memories with friends and family is priceless, and enjoying relaxation and recreational time is something we all need. However, when you're not prepared, a beach trip, well, is no day at the beach. To avoid disaster and ensure your next sand and surf trip is the best it can ever be, these beach trip tips and hacks are invaluable.
Carry a sand-free beach bag. Sand is so much fun when you're at the beach. However, it's a huge annoyance when you get home and find that it's covered virtually everything you own. With this in mind, try getting a mesh tote bag for carrying your things. Just give it a few shakes at the end of the day, and the sand will fall out.
Always protect your face! Bring a mineral water facial spray along with you. This will refresh your skin when it's feeling a little jaded by the sun.
We know you care a lot about your hair, so apply leave-in conditioner to your hair. Both the sun and salt water can cause damage to your hair, and they can harm your color, too. To combat this, use a leave-in conditioner that contains a UV protectant.
Use lip balm. The sun, heat and salt water at the beach can dry your lips out, so ensure you regularly apply a lip balm containing SPF sun protection
Put Electronics, Medications, Toothbrush, and an Extra Pair of Underwear in Your Carry-on. A few important items should always go in your carry-on. A swimsuit is also a good idea if you are going on a beach vacation. You can buy most of these things if your bag gets lost, but having them in your carry-on will save you money and time if your luggage gets lost in transit.
Put your room number & Hotel Adress in your phone. It is better to prevent
Alert Your Bank and Credit Card Company of Your Travel Plans. This is a great habit to get into if you don’t want your credit card company or bank to put a hold on your card while you are overseas.
Leave Room for Spontaneity. Don’t plan your entire itinerary ahead of time. It’s tempting, I know, but those unplanned moments while traveling can be the best memories.
Let Someone at Home Know Your Plans. This is extremely important when traveling solo, but it’s still a good idea no matter how many people are in your travel group
Put your phone in a plastic bag when you go to the beach. The touchscreen still works through the plastic, so you can use your phone without ruining it in sand and water.
Take a vacation where you don’t have to worry about weather conditions, and where you can enjoy outdoor activities anytime of the day or night. The Riviera Maya is the kind of vacation spot where you can relax on white sand beaches or be active by snorkeling, diving, kayaking, and more.
Airplane Tickets
One advantage of traveling to this area is the airline access. With all the major carriers flying into Cancun (Delta, American, United, and so on), as well as direct flights from most major U.S. cities, getting here is easy and relatively affordable.
As with any vacation destination, demand will dictate flight availability. According to research from airfare tracking website Hopper.com, because Cancun is a leisure route, prices tend to be more stable and often fall until seven days before departure, though the difference between booking 35 days in advance and 10 days in advance is $8. But all that goes out the window at peak times—Christmas, spring break—when being an early bird pays off.
Visa
U.S. citizens visiting for less than 180 days don’t need a visa to enter Mexico. However, you will need to have a visitor’s permit, which can be obtained by filling out a form provided by your airline, travel agency, or at the point of entry in Mexico. Since 2007, a valid passport has been required to enter Mexico, whether you’re flying, driving, or arriving by cruise ship. Mexico requires that your passport be valid for at least 90 days following your departure date, but it’s a good idea to have six months’ validity on your passport at all times (not to mention unused passport pages for necessary stamps).
What to bring?
When you’re coming to the Riviera Maya, you might think there’s little more to pack than a bathing suit and flip-flops. But with its jungles to discover, ruins to climb, and underwater worlds to explore, this slice of the Yucatan Peninsula is a dream for adventurers. So depending on what activities you have planned, you might want to bring hiking shoes, diving gear, and outdoor clothing. And while it’s rare, the Yucatan can sometimes have cool nights in winter, so it’s always smart to bring a sweater, just in case.
The places you should consider if you're visiting Riviera Maya.
This walled city was one of the last built by the Mayans. The pre-Columbian cliff top ruins are among the best preserved coastal sites where you can see stunning ocean views. Tulum has been a favorite destination for yogis and surfers for many years, but more recently the stylish hippie town has gained a reputation with international foodies, too. Unleash your inner food-lover at Hartwood with its daily-changing chalkboard menu. The daily catch — including grouper, mahi mahi, and Caribbean octopus — is cooked over an open flame for a rustic sea-to-table feast. Another option is for you to visit one of the local favorites, Antojitos La Chiapaneca, for some addictive tacos. Keep your evening going at Gitano with excellent mezcal cocktails and an outdoor disco floor.
Playa del Carmen is one of the most popular places to stay in the Riviera Maya. This coastal town offers a relaxed environment and welcomes you to wander around the pedestrian-only Quinta Avenida, or Fifth Avenue, that stretches 20 blocks. Here, you can enjoy many shops and bars. You can also walk a little further and enjoy beach-front hotels, restaurants, and clubs while taking in the beauty of the Caribbean Sea. Playa del Carmen is located in the center of the Riviera Maya which makes it a great home base for you to explore the historic ruins and natural wonders of the surrounding area.
Between Playa del Carmen and Tulum is this small beachfront community. Akumal translates to "place of turtles" in Mayan. You can see where the town gets its name each summer when hundreds of endangered sea turtles return to the shores to lay their eggs. You can scuba dive and check out the beautiful coral reefs that are home to countless tropical fish, or, if you're not scuba-certified, you can enjoy the ocean landscape by snorkeling. You also have the option to dive and explore the fresh water cenotes and shipwrecks. If you prefer to stay on the land, hiking the caves and zip lining at Aktun-Chen National Park is a great way to spend your vacation.
This mysterious Mayan city is surrounded by five cenotes, which is fitting because Cobá translates to "muddy waters." At this archaeological site, you can see the hub of an intricate system of paved stone causeways — called sacbes — that once connected Mayan city-states. Climb the steep steps to the top of the Nohoch Mul pyramid where you can survey the land. You can also purchase local crafts from artisans in the adjacent pueblo. Cobá isn't overly crowded because of its remote location, and many of the structures have not yet been excavated. This makes it a great option if you're looking for history without a lot of tourists.
Nature lovers will find peace and immense beauty in the "place where the sky is born," or Sian Ka'an in Mayan. This protected biosphere reserve, the third largest in the country, offers you days of swimming or rowing through picturesque lagoons and hiking into the jungle. You can spot 800 species of plants and 360 different animals, including monkeys, jaguars, ocelots, crocodiles, and turtles. The vibrant ecosystem is filled with a kaleidoscope of color and is still off the beaten path for most visitors — it will make you feel like you have the whole place to yourself.
SQN Getaways offers you the best lodging options whether you are traveling with your family or your special one.
Source: How to Travel to the Riviera Maya, The 6 best destinations in Riviera Maya
While it seems from Instagram that literally everyone you know is on a vacation or preparing for one, the statistics don't bear that out, especially for Americans.
Do any of these sound familiar?
"My team will flounder without me there."
"There will be too much work to make up for when I get back."
"I try to take vacations, but by the time I realize I need time off, everything's booked."
These are just some of the reasons my American friends give for not using their vacation days—if they're lucky enough to get paid days off.
Unlike every other developed nation in the world, the U.S. has no mandated number of days off for employees. About one-fourth of American workers get no paid vacation at all. Those whose employers offer it receive an average of about 10 days a year. And 54% of American workers didn't even use the days off they earned, according to Project Time Off.
Meanwhile, workers in the United Kingdom get 28 days off, most of western Europe gets 25, laborers down under in Australia and New Zealand enjoy 20—and none of those totals include public holidays, which add on another 10 to 13 days per year in most countries.
While China only gets 5 mandated vacation days for the youngest workers (more as you advance), that doesn't include semi-annual chunks of time off called "Golden Weeks."
Why do so many Americans eschew vacations? It could be that because vacation time isn't mandated, but up to employers. Perhaps it's seen as some kind of bonus, rather than earned time off.
Or maybe it's because the United States doesn't have a strong vacation culture: Many American kids grew up with parents who didn't receive it or were also too busy to take time off. When those children start working themselves, they don't know what to do with their time off because they never learned it from their parents. It's hard to value something that's never been experienced.
The 1992 Framingham Heart Study, which still stands as the gold standard for long-term health studies, tracked workers over 20 years. sIt found that "men who don't take vacations were 30% more likely to have heart attack and for women it went up to 50%," according to Brigid Schulte, author of "Overwhelmed: Work, Love & Play When No One has the Time" and the director of the Better Life Lab at the New America Foundation.
Those numbers hold true even after researchers took into account other health factors like diabetes, cigarette smoking, income levels and obesity. The conclusions from the study have been backed up by other similar research studies.
"It shows how the body reacts to a lifestyle of stress. This is real evidence that vacations are important to your physical health," Elaine Eaker, a coauthor of the study, told the New York Times.
Travel reduces stress
Researchers have also found that vacation is also valuable for mental health and well-being.
"Vacation is essential to reset and remind yourself that career is not the be-all and end-all. There are other facets to a healthy existence [outside work]," said Sherry Amatenstein, a New York City-based therapist and editor of the anthology "How Does That Make You Feel? True Confessions from Both Sides of the Therapy Couch."
That mental break doesn't just feel good. It also benefits businesses -- which is probably why even though Western European workers have more time off than the US does, generous vacation policies haven't been found to affect productivity.
Schulte says that all the research points in the same direction. Those who don't take time off are "sicker, less productive, stressed, and more anxious and depressed—that affects your work as well."
She says it behooves managers, CEOs and leaders to create systems that prioritize a culture of vacation. Requiring workers to take time off or including vacation planning as a part of performance reviews are two ways to make sure time off is used—all of which will benefit the bottom line.
For the individual, it might sound strange, but vacations take practice, said Schulte. "The more we take that time, the more we want it," she said.
So, how do you get in the vacation habit? Like any other goal, it requires planning.
"The key reason people give for not taking vacations is that they don't feel they can leave work," says Schulte, but you can if you're organized.
Start by "writing in your calendar beforehand when to schedule time for a trip," said Amatenstein. Once the vacation is in your schedule—even if it's six or eight months from now—you can organize around it. And then check our amazing packages to travel to the beach!
Look at your workflow. In your own schedule, "clarify your priorities, delegate, and talk openly with your colleagues about your time off," says Schulte, so it's not an unexpected surprise when you're out of town. Schulte says that planning will force you to prioritize your goals over time and can be a net benefit, helping you work smarter and more efficiently.
Start viewing vacation time as a non-negotiable—like the dentist or yearly checkup, it's a vital part of your health care, so start treating it as such.
Source: Why vacations matter for your health
If you’ve never snorkeled before, you may have some trepidation about giving it a try. But no need to worry. With just a few simple tips, you’ll soon be gliding among coral, turtles, tangs, angelfish, damsels, crustaceans, and maybe even octopuses and rays.
Since you may already be a bit uncomfortable in the water, it’s important that you feel as comfortable as possible with your equipment. Masks come in different shapes and sizes, so find one that fits properly so it won’t leak. Place it over your face – simply hold it, without putting the strap around your head – and inhale through your nose. If it doesn’t leak air, it won’t leak water.
If you choose to wear flippers (they are optional), try them on to make sure they are not too tight that your feet hurt, or too loose that you’ll lose them in the water.
Snorkels are fairly generic; if you’re using rental equipment, make sure it’s dry with no water inside. If it makes you squeamish thinking about putting something in your mouth that has been in hundreds of other mouths, you might prefer to buy your own. A simple mask and snorkel can be purchased for about $20.
You definitely shouldn’t be in the open sea the very first time you try snorkeling. Practice first in a pool or shallow water. Your mind tells you that you shouldn’t be breathing with your face in the water and you have to get used to this. Get comfortable with the mask and snorkel. Put your face in the water, breathe a few times, and take it out. When you’re comfortable with this, try swimming while doing it. Some water will inevitably get into the snorkel while you’re swimming, so learn how to purge the snorkel by blowing hard to get the water out.
You should do this both physically and mentally. Don’t go snorkeling on a full or empty stomach. Also, avoid alcohol before snorkeling; it will not enhance your experience and may make it more difficult. Your body can react differently to alcohol when in the water. Go with an open mind and a sense of adventure and anticipation too. If you’ve done your preparation and take it slowly, very little can go wrong. Focus on the new world that awaits you.
Choose a calm spot with minimal waves. Relax. Breathe slowly. Float, if you feel uncomfortable in deep water, use a floatation device. And always go with someone else, preferably an experienced snorkeler. It makes the experience more enjoyable, but most of all, it’s much safer. Relax, float, and enjoy the enchanting world beneath the waves!
Source: Beach
