Would you buy a car without tires and plan to drive it that way?  Sounds pretty silly doesn't it?  The body could be great, the engine could run fine, but until you spend a lot of extra money on tires you are not going to be able to fully enjoy and use the new car.

As impractical as this scenario is, it is exactly the type of thing many people do every day as they search for and buy their leisure vacation and cruise travel arrangements.  They look for the best price by comparing many sources, find something that has a name like what they are looking for, and  buy; thinking they have a good deal. They don't realize until it is too late that what they have really bought is a "car without tires".

Consider cruising.  Just like owning a fine automobile, it is one of the greatest things you can do.  However, the price you normally see advertised is "without tires".  To the seemingly good deal must be added roundtrip airfares, luggage handling, airport/ship/airport transfers, government fees and taxes, optional shore excursions, sightseeing, some meals, and other miscellaneous charges that can easily double the price that originally caught your eye.

The same thing is true with land tours and packages. 

There are two ways to avoid this type of trap:  (1) compare item by item to make sure you know exactly what you are getting  and that you have a complete and total cost figure to consider; and (2) deal with a travel professional that stresses personal service and who will be "right there" for you before, during, and after your travels to "personally" address and answer any concerns and questions that may arise.  It's great to have someone on your side -- in our travel organization we call this type of personal service Small Town Caring -- Worldwide! 

We recommend every traveling U.S. citizen have a valid passport regardless of destination.  They are by far the easiest proof of identity and citizenship; and there are a number of additional benefits and potential problems prevented  with their use.

Originally, the U..S. Department of State Regulations stipulated that passports would be needed by January 8, 2007 for Air, Sea and Land Border crossings.  Recently passed legislation has deferred this date until at least January 1, 2008 for Land and Sea border crossings.  However, all passengers traveling by air between the U.S. and Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean and Bermuda will be required to present a valid passport for entry or re-entry into the United States effective January 8, 2007.

Warning!  Consider what would happen if you were on a cruise (passport not required at this time) but were required to fly back home (passport required as of January 8, 2007) because of an emergency.  Opinion -- if you didn't have a passport, even though not required at this time for the cruise, you could have serious challenges upon trying to reenter by air.

This is a changing situation -- up to the minute information regarding passport requirements is available online at www.travel.state.gov

Remember, too, that passport photos (a $15 per person value) and application forms are available to you "free of charge" when you make your qualifying travel plans and reservations with the full-time travel professionals here at Please Go Away(tm) Vacations.

Lubec, Maine is the easternmost city in the United States.  It's population is a little over 1,500 and you travel through the village just before crossing the Roosevelt Campobello International Bridge connecting the mainland to Campbobello Island.  The island is famous as the site of FDR's summer "cottage" and for having one of the most photographed lighthouses in Canada -- East Quoddy Lighthouse -- situated on the northern tip of the island and warning traffic on the Bay of Fundy.  Just before arriving in Lubec you can also view and walk right up to the equally impressive West Quoddy Lighthouse with its alternating red and white cylindrical lines making for a most outstanding photo op. 

We annually travel to Campobello Island en route from Bar Harbor, Maine on our LEAVES, LIGHTHOUSES & LOBSTERS Classic tour.  In the morning we experience cranberry bogs and blueberry barrens.  By noon our small select group of travelers is hungry and a stop for lunch at MURPHY'S VILLAGE RESTAURANT in Lubec has become a tradition.  Run by a young local couple (the wife received the restaurant as a gift from her husband), the eatery reflects Mainer hospitality and the food is abundant, wholesome and reasonably priced.  Although we're always there at lunch time the breakfast menu seems to get the most play. 

Two plate-covering blueberry pancakes are something this writer looks forward to annualy (the first year I ordered a stack of 3 and was unable to finish them because of their size -- the owner wife came out of the kitchen to visit with our group and commented, "so you are the sucker who ordered 3").  Even more impressive than their size is the amount of blueberries present in each cake -- a ratio of 50% batter and 50% berry seems to be in order.

The rest of the very complete menu is equally impressive, but for my money, the BEST BLUEBERRY PANCAKES IN NORTH AMERICA are what you get when you have them with our friends at MURPHY'S VILLAGE RESTAURANT.

Larry - Please Go Away(tm) Vacations