The British Virgin Islands are a paradise for sailing, snorkeling, diving, swimming, sunning, beachcombing, relaxing, and tropical drinks. Getting to the BVI isn't too hard, but there are options to consider. Here are some tips on how to get to the BVI.

Overview

• The British Virgin Islands are very close to the US Virgin Islands, and you may end up visiting both on the same trip. You can fly into either set of islands on your trip to the BVI.
• The largest island in the British Virgin Islands is Tortola, and the capital, Roadtown, is on this island. If you're doing a sailing vacation in the BVI, chances are that it starts somewhere on Tortola.
• The largest island in the USVI is St. Thomas, and its capital city is Charlotte Amalie. Many large cruise ships dock here.

Decision - Where to fly

Arriving in the BVI by ferry

You have two options on flights when you want to get to the BVI. Most British Virgin Islands sailing vacations leave from somewhere on the island of Tortola. Our BVI sailing trips usually leave from Roadtown, but make sure you check your own trip details, since some yacht charters do leave from different locations.

1) Fly to Tortola, British Virgin Islands. The simplest thing to do is to fly into Tortola / Beef Island airport (airport code EIS). The airport is on Beef Island, which is attached to Tortola by a short bridge, so even though it's a separate island, you can get a taxi from that airport to anywhere on Tortola.

Advantages: It's simple, with no ferry schedules or layover hotels to coordinate. Once your plane lands, you can just take a taxi to where you're going. Tortola is a pretty safe place, if you want to walk around or go out for dinner (though use normal caution, of course).
Disadvantages: Beef Island is a small airport, so there is a limited selection of flights going here.

2) Fly to St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands.  You can also fly into St. Thomas airport (airport code STT), in the USVI. If you land in St. Thomas, then you take a ferry from there over to Tortola. There are quite a few ferries, and it's not complicated to do, but it does make one more leg to your journey.

Advantages: St. Thomas is a bigger airport than Tortola / Beef Island, so you can often find better flight schedules or fares by flying here.
Disadvantages: The ferries don't run very late, so if your flight gets in after mid-afternoon, you could have to spend the night in St. Thomas. Charlotte Amalie has a higher crime rate than the BVI, so if you're staying here, you don't want to be walking around at night.
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How to get to the BVI, Tortola option

• Book your flight to Tortola, arriving at Beef Island airport (airport code = EIS)
• When you land in the BVI, you will need to go through immigration and customs.
• After you're through that, you can get a taxi from the airport to wherever you're going on Tortola
• Taxis in the BVI tend to be large vans

How to get to the British Virgin Islands, St. Thomas option

• Book your flight to /St. Thomas (airport code = STT)
• Check the latest ferry schedules before you go (see links below), to see if you'll get there in time to catch the ferry to Tortola.
• If you can get the ferry the same day you arrive, then take a taxi to the ferry terminal.
• Taxis in St. Thomas are large vans, and you will generally be sharing with a number of other people who are headed the same way
• If you arrive too late for the ferry to Tortola, then book a hotel on St. Thomas for the night. One near either the airport or ferry dock will be most convenient, then you can get a taxi to the ferry the next morning.

Ferries to the British Virgin Islands

It can be confusing knowing which ferry to take to the BVI, but they're not bad once you know how it works.

Ferry ticket counters in St. Thomas

• There are different ferry companies that run ferries from St. Thomas to the BVI. At the ferry dock, you'll see a ticket counter for each of them.
• When you arrive at the ferry dock, you may find that a helpful person asks where you're going, and takes your luggage to put it in a particular stack. While they will get you where you're headed, it may not be the option you want. He's there to steer business to his company.
• Some ferries to Tortola go to West End, stopping at Soper's Hole. Some BVI ferries go direct to Roadtown. Some will stop at West End on the way to Roadtown.
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  Catamaran ferry to BVI

  If you are going to Roadtown, the fastest one to take is the Roadtown Fast Ferry. This is a fast boat that travels direct to Roadtown.

• There's also a Tortola Fast Ferry, which can be confusing, but this one does not go direct to Roadtown. Make sure to ask at the ticket counter.
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  Blue ferries to BVI

  Depending on which ferry you're taking, it might look like one of these blue boats, or like one of the bigger catamaran ferries. While I like the more authentic feel of the blue ones, and hate to see everything turn into big business, this big white one is the Roadtown Fast Ferry, and may be most convenient.

• Whichever ferry you take, you will need to go through BVI customs and immigration on your arrival.

Here are a couple of good resources for more information:
BVI ferry schedules and FAQ's
Ferry schedules from the BVI
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Getting home again from the BVI

When your sailing vacation ends in the British Virgin Islands, you need to know how to get home again (although you'll be wishing you never had to leave)!

If you are flying out of Tortola / Beef Island, this is easy. Just take a taxi from wherever your trip ends to the airport and you can fly out directly.

If you are flying out of St. Thomas, while your sailing vacation ends on Tortola, then you need to check your scheduling to see how it will work with the ferries:

• What ferries can you catch after your trip ends?
• How long will that take to get you to St. Thomas? The fastest ferry from Roadtown arrives in Charlotte Amalie in 45 minutes, and some ferries take longer than that.
• You will need to go through immigration and customs when your ferry docks, so allow some extra time for that
• Add time for a taxi to the airport, and then plan to be at the airport at least 2 hours before your flight.
• If you don't have time to do all of this on the day your BVI sailing trip ends, then you'll need to plan on spending an extra night somewhere.

More questions?  Let me know in the comments, and I'll find out answers.  Other tips?  Let everybody know in the comments too.  Thanks!

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We just finished up our BVI sailing vacations for this year, and we'll definitely be back! We do these sailing trips every winter, and it's one of our most popular trips. If you try it once, you'll want to come back again!
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Related posts:

1. Back to the Balmy Breezes,Virgin Islands
2. Photo: Sailing away in the BVI
3. San Juan Islands - The ferry ride (video)

Influenza virus particle

If your travels are affected by a disease outbreak like swine flu, what does your travel insurance cover? We don't have any trips to Mexico now (thank goodness). However, this recent information release from Travelex (our partner for travel insurance) is great information on what would happen if YOUR trip were to be affected by something like this!

Here's a rundown on possible situations and coverage options from Travelex.
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If a traveler gets sick with the Swine Flu:

• Current insured travelers who become ill would be eligible for coverage under the trip interruption, medical expense and evacuation benefits of their plan up to the limits of the policy and subject to its general terms and conditions.
• If you are aware of any insured passenger in Mexico with flu-like symptoms or who has been admitted to the hospital, please make sure to contact the applicable assistance company -- contact information is also stated on the traveler's Confirmation of Coverage.

If a traveler is contemplating cancellation:

• Insured customers that are considering cancellation or have canceled arrangements due to travel restrictions, warnings or general fear of traveling, whether to Mexico or elsewhere, are not eligible for cash reimbursement under the provisions of the plan.
• Insureds who purchased the Cancel for Any Reason upgrade will be eligible for Trip Cancellation coverage under the provision of the plan.
• Specific to the Travel Select and Travel Max plans: Should the destination airport close and insured customers are unable to reach their destination, the cancellation benefit for losing 50% or more of their covered trip may apply, assuming all terms and conditions of the benefit are met.

If a traveler is being quarantined:

• Quarantine coverage is included under Trip Cancellation/Interruption and Trip Delay benefits in the event a physician quarantines the traveler/insured for any illness which prevents traveling.
• Quarantine means that the person is restricted to their home or a medical facility - not restricted from one country or destination.

If a traveler transfers travel dates:

• If the insured is allowed to transfer their travel payments (trip deposits or full payments) without charge, they can also elect to transfer the protection plan monies on the booking to the new travel dates as well. Typically the protection plan monies are non-refundable inside the penalty period but Travelex is making an exception for this specific case.
• Any expenses for change fees to move airfares to the new trips would not be covered, unless such move was predicated by the travel supplier's cancellation of the original trip.
• Transfers would only apply to trips that are booked within 12 months from the original departure date.
• If the trip cost increases as a result of the transfer, then the insured will have to make an additional insurance payment to cover the full trip cost in order to best protect themselves. Note: they would need to make the purchase within the required time to continue to receive cancel for any reason, pre-existing condition waiver and any other benefit with an advanced date purchase requirement.

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We always recommend the purchase of trip insurance, especially for trips out of the country. I sincerely hope that none of you are being affected right now, but this is a great real-life example of how it would work. Personally, that "cancel for any reason" upgrade is looking pretty good right now!
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Save money on last-minute airfares

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Once you go to the Priceline website, there are 2 options when looking at flights. First, you can use the "Search flights now" option to see what the available fares are for your particular flights. After reviewing the flight itineraries and prices, you can either choose one of the listed options, or choose to "Name your own Price", and possibly get a flight for as much as 60% off of their advertised price.

There are a few things to keep in mind though, when deciding to use the "Name your own Price" feature:

First – you will have to be flexible on your travel times and connections. The website states that your travel may begin anytime between 6am and 10pm, so keep that in mind if you need to be somewhere at a specific time. Often, if you have the flexibility, it is a good idea to add in a day before on your itinerary, to ensure that you will arrive at your destination within plenty of time.

Second – you will not know which airline you will be traveling on until you know whether or not your bid has been accepted. If you love to fly a certain airline and are looking to accumulate your frequent flier miles, you probably don’t want to use Priceline.

Third – you will probably have flight connections, so if you definitely don’t like to change planes, then this isn't the option for you. And often, the flights you get may not be the most convenient times, which is why you are getting such a discounted rate.

With some significant downsides like that, why would you want to do this? Because sometimes you can really save a LOT of money!

(- - -  Side note from Deanna -- On a recent trip I took, standard airfares were showing $950 - yikes! I didn't want to pay that much, and was traveling on short notice, so went the Priceline route, and got the same trip for $350. Now that's worth a bit of hassle, isn't it? - - -)

When you commit to using the "Name your own price" option, you have to give them your credit card number before seeing what flight they find for you. Once you tell them your price and they have accepted your bid, there is no going back – you have just bought a non-refundable ticket. You are also unable to change the reservation, so make sure that your plans are firm before bidding.

Sometimes, people are unsure what amount to start with when beginning the bidding process. The website BidOnTravel.com is a great resource for the new Priceline bidder. This informative website walks you through each step in bidding for airfares, and offers a "Pros & Cons" section that helps you decide whether using Priceline is right for your particular situation. It also gives helpful hints for getting around the "one bid every 24 hours" limitation that Priceline has in place.

What if you're looking at one of our Adventurous Wench last-minute trip specials, and the published airfares for short notice travel are exorbitant?  Priceline can be a great answer in this case, but you'll want to be coordinated about it.

If you'd like to use Priceline in conjunction with an Adventurous Wench trip, give us a call first, and we can place a Courtesy hold to save your spot on our trip. This way, you are sure that we'll still have a spot for you before you book a nonrefundable airline ticket! If you find a suitable flight, then let us know and we'll finalize your booking. If you aren't successful at securing a flight, then just give us a call to let us know and we'll open the spot back up.

In this economy, we're all trying to save a little money any way we can. Whether you're an adventurous traveler or just someone who loves a good deal, Priceline is certainly worth a look!

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This is Renee's first post on our blog, but many of you know her from phone calls and e-mails. If you're looking at a last-minute trip to the British Virgin Islands, give the Priceline approach a try. Renee's a regular!
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Related posts:

1. Missed connections - c'est la vie
2. Reader tips - Baggage fees, hauling rocks
3. British Virgin Islands - How to get to the BVI

(If video doesn't show for you, see spy vest video on YouTube)
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Yes, these are available to the general public, not just "00" agents!

In the course of my travels, I run across numerous travel problems, and products that solve them (or claim to). I'll give you the straight scoop on my findings (with a touch of humor!), in our Travel Gear section. Stay tuned for more!

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You could buy one for a traveling friend. Or, you could point a friend or family member to this video, to give them a hint for your birthday or Christmas present. It's nice to give people clues about what you want... In a way, you'd really be doing them a favor...
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Related posts:

1. Toothbrush nightmares (video)
2. San Juan Islands by float plane (video)
3. San Juan Islands - scuba diving (video)

What is it about melody that helps us memorize words and lyrics?

This can be explained by "earworms," which are melodies that get stuck in your head. Advertisers use this with catchy melodic jingles. If you find yourself walking around singing the Baby Back Ribs commercial, you are the victim of an earworm.

Now, a series from Berlitz called Earworms Learning has put this annoying phenomenon to good use, by creating audio CDs designed to drill a foreign language into your head. They do this by using the same catchy melodies utilized by advertising agencies.

Are you a skeptic? Quick: How do you say, "Do you want to sleep with me tonight?" in French?

In case you're too young to know the answer: "Voulez vous coucher avec moi, ce soir?"

For you geeky types who need to know the science behind everything, according to the Earworms Learning website, extensive research has been conducted by the Bulgarian physician Georgi Lozanov, who discovered that "music puts listeners into a state of relaxed alertness, the alpha state, the ideal state of consciousness for learning."

The Earworms Learning Program comes in two volumes. In volume one, you'll learn basic travel dialogue, that will help you order at a restaurant, shop, ask for directions and other useful conversational tidbits. Volume two teaches you to hold a conversation and actually talk about yourself. Courses are available in French, Spanish, Italian, Greek, and more.
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About the article on baggage fees, here's an excellent tip:

There is a really great new website airlinealacarte.com with all the baggage fees (carry-on, checked & even overweight) including all the major US carriers and many International ones, too. I think this site would be really helpful for your clients." ~ Sandy

And in response to my praise for Southwest Airlines:

I flew to Spokane last weekend to visit a friend in Idaho. While there we decided to drive to Helena, Mt. to mine for Sapphires! Fun, fun day doing that. Well, we didn't realize how long it would take to go through our buckets of gravel and dirt. We had several buckets left over and my friend insisted on me taking some back. I thought she was crazy and politely declined.

She promptly called Southwest Airlines to confirm the number of bags checked for no charge, the weight, and then she asked the Customer Service Rep if we could check 50lbs of gravel and dirt on the plane. Of course she got some giggles and 'well I don't see why not but let me ask my supervisor'. The answer was sure, no problem. I hauled 40lbs (wanted to make sure I made the weight limit since we were using a bathroom scale) back to California! Southwest is still one of the friendliest airlines out there." ~ Kathleen

PS. Yes, they did find gems, too -- a 2-carat sapphire, and a 1-carat garnet. Now that's worth hauling rocks!

Related posts:

1. Atlanta diet & exercise plan

Most people will tell you that they travel to get away or to see the world. However, I believe that there is another dimension of travel that gets inside you, and can change you forever.

It's easy when we stay in one place to come to see that as the center of everything. We know there's a whole world out there, but we see the nightly news about our city, our state, our country, and these issues take understandable prominence.

Travel gives you a different perspective. All of a sudden you find yourself in the midst of people who focus on THEIR place and their government. They couldn't give a hoot about the Arizona budget situation, or the latest scandal in the US Senate. You start to realize that some of the "big issues" at home are just small potatoes in the world scheme of things.

Travel makes us more complex. Under the right circumstances, each time we visit a new place, we incorporate a bit of it into our own being. We are no longer the "typical New Yorker", "typical Californian", or typical name your stereotype here. If I hadn't traveled to the places I've been, I wouldn't be the same person I am today.

Travel also inspires a spirit of adventure and can give us the courage to take risks and make changes in our lives, like pack up everything and move across the country. Inevitably, travel will run into some sort of problem. This can actually be a good thing. It forces us to think outside the proverbial box and make quick decisions. And it gives us greater confidence that we can handle other problems in the future, too.

Sir Francis Bacon

So, while pondering deep thoughts about the reasons for travel, I came across this interesting article by Rolf Potts, with travel advice from Sir Francis Bacon, of all people!

This 17th century English philosopher was famous for his essays on travel, and Potts interprets some of his travel advice into modern English. These include:

• Seek varieties of experience, even within a single location. This is something we always focus on in our Adventurous Wench trips - giving you a variety of activities and different ways to experience a place.
• Avoid “quarrelsome” travel companions. This might make be a good reason to try out a women’s travel group!
• Look for companions who will challenge you. It’s easy to only talk with your fellow English-speaking tourists, but why not stretch a bit? The best way to learn about a place is through its people.
• Keep your journeys alive by maintaining correspondence with people you met while traveling. This is great advice! As well as keeping the trip alive in your memory, you're building a circle of friends that you share things with.

Although these ideas were written by a man (and a long-ago man at that!), it's obvious that they're relevant today for the female voyageur.

World Hum: 10 Sizzling Hot Travel Tips from Sir Francis Bacon

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Travel has a marvelous ability to make our lives broader, richer, and deeper. Our women's travel tours can help you get out explore the world. If you don't have anybody to travel with, well... you do now!
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Related posts:

1. I wanna hang a map of the world
2. Air travel better than ever?
3. Your world is as big as you make it

I have a confession. When I lived in New York City, I was a gym-a-holic. This is a more serious distinction than being a gym rat. A gym-a-holic spends most of her time working out at an indoor fitness center. Ask her to go away for a hiking weekend, and she will worry about missing her Saturday 8am aerobic class.

I was cured of this affliction when I was introduced to the great outdoors. Much to my dismay, I discovered that while I might look good in ski clothes, hiking shorts or rafting gear, my indoor fitness routine did little to enhance my outdoor skills.

So much prettier than a treadmill!

• Use Balance Training Equipment: Many weight-training exercises can be performed on the ball, bosu or balance board.
• Go to the Playground: Hopscotch and other park games can enhance balance and agility.
• Play with a Kid or a Puppy: If you don’t have either of these, borrow from a friend. Nothing is more effective in increasing speed in reaction time!

A gym-a-holic trains her muscles to look good while lying on the beach. An adventurous wench trains her muscles for action, and ends up looking pretty darn good in the process. Which are you?

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This is a first post from a new guest blogger, Lisa Mercer. Lisa is a fitness expert who lives in Colorado, and she’ll be contributing articles and and then. If you're thinking of a women's adventure trip, check out her tips!
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Related posts:

1. One must have the adventurous daring
2. I have found adventure in. . .
3. The first post - Philosophy of adventure

And more concerning, were other people able to see (and poke around in) my files? I have my files set up to easily share between computers in the office. But that doesn't mean I want everyone in the airport to see them!

I found the answer in Ask Dave Taylor, who explained that a change in the most recent Mac operating system (Leopard, or Mac OS X vers 10.5) , leaves the Guest account enabled for file sharing by default. If you don't turn it off, you could be sharing more than you expected!

If you're a Mac user and haven't done anything about this yet, check out this post for simple instructions on how to close this security loophole.

Ask Dave Taylor: How do I completely disable the Guest account on Leopard?

No need for all those other travelers to see your business strategy or love letters, right?

Related posts:

1. PCs, Macs and the change slider
2. Atlanta diet & exercise plan
3. Glad I have a time machine!

It was late by the time I checked in to the hotel, so I decided to have room service and get a little work done before turning in. (I admit -- I adore room service! It dates back to when I used to be a room service waitress, and SO envied those people getting breakfast delivered.) Times have changed though, and it's amazing now that one chef salad, no drink, adds up to $25 by the time all the extra charges are added! So the Atlanta diet plan = raiding the minibar in the morning, since I balk at paying another $25 for a continental breakfast.

Tip: When you're planning a trip, it pays to check the price of add-ons too, when you're comparing hotel prices. Adding $17 parking + $15 internet + $20 breakfast makes a big difference in the price.

For this trip, I'm here for a conference with special rates, so it makes sense to stay at this hotel. In many other circumstances, I'd look elsewhere. Lots of other hotels have free internet and breakfast included, and you'd avoid that little "ouch" I always feel when I have to pay $15 to use the internet!

Related posts:

1. Are you sharing files with everyone in the airport?
2. Air travel better than ever?
3. Missed connections - c'est la vie