All You Need to Know

TRAVEL INFO FOR YOUR NEXT ADVENTURE

Runaway Travels & Relocation Tours takes pride in helping our clients with all of their travel booking needs. We understand that traveling to a place for the first time can be a bit unsettling. That’s why we not only provide exclusive offers and vouchers, but also resources and tips so you can stay safe and travel smart.

BEST PLACES TO VISIT IN SUMMER

The BAHAMAS

While there is a risk of getting rained on during hurricane season, June generally sees mild weather, fewer crowds and significantly lower prices. While some resorts in the Out Islands close through November, New Providence and Paradise Island remain open year-round.

MIAMI

Also offseason in the summer, Miami continues to draw visitors, especially Europeans and South Americans escaping winter. To keep cool in the blazing heat, you need only take a dip in the Atlantic, Biscayne Bay … or an infinity pool. You’ll be able to spread out on South Beach, plus people-watching on Lincoln Road and Miami Beach’s epic nightlife will be as entertaining as ever.

Catalina Island, CA

Located just 22 miles off Southern California’s coast, Catalina Island welcomes visitors year-round. Getting here is easy with travel time to the Island as little as 15 minutes by air or one hour by boat. California’s only island resort, Catalina Island offers endless options for visitors to enjoy.

Mackinac Island, MI

Mackinac Island, 20 minutes by boat from either the Upper or Lower Peninsula of Michigan, comes alive on summer weekends. Most of its roughly 4 square miles is designated parkland, ideal for hiking and cycling.

Virginia Beach, VA

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Virginia Beach is a prime summer destination beckoning tourists from up and down the mid-Atlantic with its 35 miles of sandy beaches. An extra-wide concrete boardwalk stretches 3 miles along the oceanfront and boasts benches for people- and sunset-watching, as well as a separate path for biking and blading.

Bora Bora

If you conjure up images of the perfect island paradise in your head, it probably looks like Bora Bora’s stilted bungalows jetting out into the turquoise lagoon. A volcanic atoll, Bora Bora is surrounded by a circular coral reef, which makes it ideal for snorkeling and scuba diving.

Dubai

Don’t mind the triple-digit temps or humidity — you’re in Dubai, where you can ski (indoors) in the desert and shop at the world’s largest shopping mall. And if it’s shopping you want, don’t miss the Dubai Summer Surprises festival, where you can expect dramatic discounts, raffles and fireworks.

Hawaii

Thanks to Hawaii’s red- and black-sand beaches, lush sea cliffs, volcanic landscapes, abundant sea life and rich Polynesian culture.

Best for: Everyone — seriously. Each of the 6 major islands offers unique experiences tailored for a luxury, romantic, adventurous, eco-friendly or beach vacation.

Bocas del Toro

Why travel to just one island? Panama’s Caribbean epicenter is this, the islands called Bocas del Toro, a tiny archipelago that contains nine main islands and a host of cays.

Antigua

When an island has 365 beaches, it seems to get more beautiful every time you visit. And that’s particularly true in Antigua, where the beaches are calm, soft and almost always offer the feeling of privacy. But the island also has one of the Caribbean’s best collection of all-inclusive resorts — just not the ones you’re used to.

Martinique

What’s the best way to cool down on a summer afternoon in the Caribbean? Rum. And there’s simply nowhere better in the Caribbean than Martinique, the world’s rum capital and the envy of the West Indies for its artisanal, spectacular rhum agricole, made from fresh sugarcane juice. But there’s a lot more cool on the island than that, from the fascinating capital of Fort-de-France, which just saw the debut of the new Simon waterfront boutique hotel to beachfront resorts like Cap-Est.

TIPS ON HOW TO PACK FOR A TRIP

Use packing aid

Use them to shrivel your clothes into a vacuum-packed, tiny, tight bundle that takes up minimal suitcase space. Other packing aids that can help you organize better and fit more into your bag include packing envelopes and packing cubes.

Never check on essential items

It's terribly important to keep your valuable and essential belongings in your carry-on bag, not in your checked luggage. Your passport, identification, money, credit cards, jewelry, electronics, and other valuables should always be brought onto the plane with you. We probably don't need to tell you why you need to keep your passport and wallet on your person.

Use your personal item wisely

It's standard for airlines to permit each traveler to bring one carry-on bag and one personal item onboard planes. This personal item is subject to specific size requirements (these vary by airline), but something like a purse, laptop bag, or backpack is generally acceptable.

Know your airline's baggage-fee policy

Figuring out the airlines' tricky and befuddling baggage-fee policies is key to any budget-minded packing strategy. While most airlines permit travelers to check at least one bag on international flights, the majority of U.S. carriers charge big bucks for bags checked on domestic flights.

Make a packing list

When it comes to packing, procrastinators fall short. Start your packing process days or even weeks ahead of your departure date; this gives you time to craft a complete list, plus purchase any additional items you might need for your vacation. Creating a packing list is a fail-safe way to ensure that you never, ever forget to bring something important.

Roll, don't fold.

Many travel experts—including backpackers, who must stuff months' worth of clothing into a pack the size of a box of wine—agree that rolling is superior to folding. Tightly rolled clothes take up less space than folded ones. Plus, they're less prone to getting deep wrinkles from fold creases.

BEST PLACES TO VISIT IN THE WINTER

Rovaniemi, Finland

Fistfuls of Christmas clichés characterise Rovaniemi, the 'official' terrestrial residence of Santa Claus. Everyone's favourite bearded man hangs out in an atmospheric Arctic Circle grotto, and it's free to visit him (but photos are another story). Snow and reindeer add festive spirit, while the Arktikum museum gives insights into life at these latitudes.

Christmas markets, Germany & Austria

December sees these romantic historic markets pop up all over Germany and other Central European nations. Expect cute stalls selling everything from gingerbread to sleigh bells and plenty of good cheer, toasted with a glass of warming glühwein.

Abisko, Sweden

Almost as far north as you can get in Europe on a train, Abisko in Lapland is for lovers of serious winter. The sun doesn't rise for several weeks in December and January but that darkness makes it one of the world's best places to view the majestic aurora borealis.

Copenhagen, Denmark

For fairytale European winter, it's hard to beat the home of Hans Christian Andersen. Forget the over-hyped Little Mermaid and head to the city's cosy bars and cafes to watch snow flurrying outside. In the heart of town, the 19th-century Tivoli amusement park is a romantic, kitsch delight around Christmastime, with heartwarming illuminations and body-warming mugs of glögg.

Transylvania, Romania

You can’t visit Dracula’s lair on a sunny day with lambs bleating in the fields, right? Try steel-grey skies, bare trees and a smattering of snow. Braşov and Sighişoara, two hours apart by rail, are gorgeous medieval towns with various connections to Vlad Ţepeş, the historical Dracula, though it’s doubtful that he ever set foot in his so-called castle.

Venice, Italy

Hauntingly beautiful and rather weird, Venice's Carnevale in February is a European highlight. Elaborate costumes and spooky masks bring the canal city's colourful history to life. Costumed dances are pricey affairs, but you can have a ball enjoying the free events with a mask bought on the street, but be prepared for epic crowding.

TRAVEL INFO FOR YOUR NEXT ADVENTURE

BEST PLACES TO VISIT IN SUMMER

TIPS ON HOW TO PACK FOR A TRIP

BEST PLACES TO VISIT IN THE WINTER

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