Having island hopped for over a decade, I consider myself a well-rounded cruiser, so I was embarrassed when a friend asked my opinion on the P&O Cruise Line. How had I managed to never board one of the ships in their luxury armada? P&O Cruises is the oldest cruise operation in world, having transported its first passengers in the 19th century. Originally known as the Peninsular and Orient Steam Navigation Company, P&O cruises has been operating for over 175 years. There was no way I could consider myself any type of cruise specialist if I had never gazed at the stars from a P&O deck. It is the jewel of the British cruise market, after all.

P&O Virgin Cruises operates out of Southampton, England, and my friend was alarmed that I hadn’t at least taken a weekend jaunt over to Bruges.

“I love Bruges,” he said. “They call it the Venice of the north. They have great beer in Belgium. The monks created it. It’s potent stuff. The glasses they pour it in are a bit silly. You know what’s even better than the beer?”

“Let me guess, I said. “Belgium chips?”

Bruges or no Bruges, I decided to plan a surprise holiday for my wife on the P&O Cruise Line. There are seven ships in the P&O fleet. These ships are divided into a host of subcategories. The idea is to attempt to cater to all types of clientele, and to provide them with the exact type of ship they are looking for. Let me break it down. The Aurora, Oriana and Artemis celebrate a more traditional cruise experience. The Azura, Ventura and Arcadia cater to a younger crowd. The amenities on these ships are more contemporary. Some P&O ships are child free, while others welcome families and children of all ages. This is an excellent model for a cruise holiday. Families will not have an excuse to blame partying twenty-somethings for their bad holiday experience, and twenty-somethings will not have to listen to screaming kids all day.

My wife and I opted for the Azura. Why did we choose that liner? It has four pools, an outdoor cinema, hi-tech gym, dance floors, twelve bars and eleven different places to indulge in some top-of-the-line cuisine. I spent the day sunning myself on the deck like some type of tropical snake, and in the late afternoon I went for a swim in a different pool each day. One of the pools even has a sliding glass roof in case it rains. British weather can be fickle. We left Southampton for a 10-day jaunt through the Mediterranean. Maybe next year we will pop over to Bruges for a quick Chimay.

Excited about taking a cruise? Book cheap cruises from Southampton with Virgin and see what it can save you.

You might say that it used to be hit or miss when you were traveling as to whether you would find the things you needed at the place you were staying. If you were looking at Paris apartments you may or may not have been provided with washing facilities. Or if you were interested in an apartment in London it could have been iffy as to whether the ones you were considering had internet, much less fully functioning and fast internet.

I know that both of those things have been rather important in my travels, one as a luxury I suppose, but the other as a necessity. Sometimes, I would have to just cross my fingers and toes and then hope for the best, and on more than one occasion it did not help. Now, I am talking about it in a rather lighthearted manner, but it was in fact important.

For, not having what I required proved to be more than simply inconvenient, and eventually led me to have to move on to another place. Frankly, I do not like to disappoint people, and equally I do not like to be disappointed, especially when my livelihood is at stake. Yet, that is just how things were.

Which brings me to today’s topic of facility and appliance clarification made with the click of a few keys. You can now do internet searches on short term accommodations that will confirm whether or not the proposed apartment has those extras that you need and want.

Thankfully, some of the people behind the accommodation websites have taken things up a notch. Their efforts have made me a more confident traveler. As they have taken steps to make it so you can isolate the facilities that have a lift, internet, washer and/or dryer and other appliances.

Just learned that at least a few lucky holiday travelers will be able to show up to their destinations with their gifts wrapped. As you probably know, it is strongly recommended that you not bother to wrap any gifts that you are flying with in your carryon bag. There seems to be a pretty strong likelihood, depending on the country of your departure, that wrapped gifts will become unwrapped gifts by the security workers as you go through their area.

But, for those flying on Virgin Atlantic from JFK International in New York, things are looking up. Virgin Atlantic has set up a station of “elves” at Terminal 4 following the security checkpoint. They will charge two dollars per package to be wrapped, and all of that will go directly to the Virgin Unite charity. This service is scheduled to be available from December 21 thru December 23, 2011 and sounds just brilliant. Wish other airlines would take a hint….these are the kinds of things that really make a difference in the holiday travellers experience. Hope this spurs others to do the same and that Virgin Atlantic extends it to other airports too.

For some, the time they get off from work for a holiday is determined by factors beyond their control. Plenty of us have kids, and as such we have to work around their school schedules. Others are low men on the totem pole at work, and are required to go when nobody else has a break scheduled. Still, there are times when nothing stands in the way of preselecting the actual dates for a vacation. While the first thought is that we are lucky to be able to choose, but there is a lot more to be thankful for in this situation. Being able to travel out of high season can prove to be super beneficial, both financially and for stress levels.

So, if you are fortunate enough to be able to cherry pick the dates for your time off, then do some research on the area you plan to go to. It is easy enough to find out the factors that concern you most. Look to see when the area is busiest, and if it has any poor weather seasons that you will want to avoid. Then you will have even more reason to gloat.

Not all of the canary islands are the same, in fact when considering canary islands holidays you will want to be thorough with your research. Of them all, the four most popular of these islands are Canaria, Tenerife, Lazarote and Fuerteventura. No matter which one ends up on your itinerary, you should not be disappointed if you love beaches, water, and activities.

Tenerife is the most popular of the islands for British travelers. It is renowned for its dazzling sugar sand beaches, but that is not all it has to offer. It is home to the highest peak in Spain, the Mount Teide volcano, and salt water lakes that should not be missed if you choose this as your destination. Fuerteventura seems to have made itself the water sport center of the bunch, and the possible activities will appear endless to water lovers. Lanzarote was the location for numerous scenes in the cult classic film Planet of the Apes. It has some very interesting lunar like landscapes, but it also has wonderful beaches to enjoy.

You may be asking yourself, why is there nothing on here about Canaria. Well as I said, you should really investigate each one of these places yourself prior to choosing. So, I am leaving that one all up to you to look into. Best of luck on your adventures, and have a fab time OnTheBeach.

Portugal is a beautiful and intriguing country and should be on your list of places to go. However, it is not one of the destinations that you will want to visit all year long. The country has a very defined rainy season, and it is concentrated enough to ruin your experience if you choose to travel there during the months of November to March. Now, this is not to say that there are not some warm and bright days sprinkled amongst the rainy ones, but chances are you will see more showers than sunshine during this period. Last year was said to be the most rainfall in over seventy years, and this winter appears to be following suit. So, take my advice, and save Portugal for April through October.

Dengue fever rates are increasing in leaps and bounds, but there is still no vaccine to prevent it, no a treatment once it is contracted. Therefore, if you are traveling to areas where this could affect you, be aware of precautions you could take to avoid it. The key is obviously to avoid getting bitten by the Aedes mosquito. The greatest threat exists of this occurring in the afternoon, or early evening because the mosquito is on the move. However, you can be bitten at any time, day or night, so do not let your guard down at any time. To be safe, cover your arms and legs with appropriate clothing and reapply repellant regularly. Be alert to the fact that the following places have been hit hard with this issue, Costa Rica, Honduras, Laos and the Philippines.

When traveling to the Big Apple, NYC, it is more than all right to purchase food from street vendors. In fact, the scents that waft from the numerous carts often are nearly impossible to resist. You will undoubtedly be pleased to find the intriguing variety that is within reach of your well traveled pathway.

While you can readily find hotdog, nut, and pretzel stands, be on the look out for what has been regarded as the best of the bunch, the middle eastern food trucks. Think steaming grilled chicken in pita bread drenched in tzatziki sauce. Then, and only after that treat should you opt for the sweeter fast food selections to cap things off.

And remember, you are going to burn each and every one of those calories as you pound the pavement of the city streets. NYC will have you going every which direction to see all it has to offer. FYI, bring comfortable walking shoes.