african safari- luxury itinerary on an economical budget

In Spring of 2012, I took my dream vacation to Africa- Victoria Falls, Chobe National Park, Okavango Delta, and Cape Town- with an added bonus trip to Paris.  Here was my itinerary:

Day 1- Travel day

• 12 hr flight from LAX (LA) to LHR (Heathrow)

Day 2- Travel day

• 8 hour layover at LHR; check-in at Yotel in T4
• 12 hr flight from LHR to Johannesburg, SA (JNB)

itinerary, costs and misadventures in yucatan: dentite's 24 hr roadtrip to chichen itza, valladolid and ek balam

Secrets Maroma

So with much preparation and only a 24-hour period to get into, spend in, and get out of Chichen Itza, how much sight-seeing and unexpected "adventure" can one get into? A lot.

This was the original 24-hour proposed itinerary:

5:30pm - Land at Cancun airport and pre-arranged pickup by rental service.

8:00pm - Arrive at Mayaland Hotel (210 km drive from airport) at entrance of Chichen Itza.

8:00am - Enter Chichen Itza for a guided tour.

12pm - Check-out at Mayaland Hotel and drive to nearby cenotes (fresh water sinkholes).

3pm - Drive back to Cancun airport for car drop off by 5pm.

5pm - Pickup by airport shuttle to final destination: Secrets Maroma in Playa del Carmen.

What actually happened:

5 pm - Our plane landed at Cancun airport and we deplaned with much excitement. Including going through immigration, money exchange and baggage claim, it took us only 15 minutes from the time the plane landed to exit the airport. Prior to our trip, friends warned us not to speak to or go with anyone who did not have a sign with our name (easyway car rental greeter) at the terminal because we could be waylaid with timeshares sales pitches. Sure enough, while trying to find our greeter, inside and outside the terminal, other greeters and drivers swamped us to try to gain our business and our attention. We politely refused people’s offer of assistance. After looking for our greeter at the airport exit for 30 minutes and trying hard to ignore that inevitable panic feeling, a rep for a competing company told us that someone on the other side of the terminal gate was holding a sign with our name. It turned out the easyway greeter was waiting at the terminal entrance, not the exit, and thus not visible from where we exited. We felt relieved to have been given genuine assistance and not led astray.

cost breakdown on how i travelled for two amazing weeks in morocco under $1200 (excluding shopping)

The night market at Jemaa El Fna.

I recently visited Fes, Meknes, Merzouga, Ouarzazate and Marrakech in Morocco over a two week period. This was a budget trip and technically I did carry a backpack, but I wouldn’t label it as a backpacking trip. True backpackers would be offended, I think. I stayed in very centrally located and comfortable bed and breakfast lodgings where I (and my travel companion, sazy rock) had a private room and bathroom. We didn’t skimp on other comforts or conveniences when warranted. Although we bought food from street food vendors, we also ate at pricier tourist spots (for access to their bathrooms and willingness to let us linger and rest). Also, while we walked a lot, we didn't shy away from hiring private taxis and guides. We did inter-city travel via Supratours bus, a luxury coach service connecting areas between train routes, because internal travel in Morocco is convenient and affordable.