This past Thursday, over 150 local Jewish singles attended our AJ party at The Barking Dog in Bethesda..and oh, what a night! Bill, Malori and Michele were honored by the showing of old friends and the attendance of new folks who came to learn more about the opportunities of travel with our group. Thank you to all who came to visit us (as well as each other) and to to those of you who brought friends to meet us to discover the wonders of taking an Amazing Journey.

What does any of this have to do with travel? I think of the worlds “the leading edge…” every time I read an ad, see a commercial, or step aboard a Royal Caribbean cruise ship. If you’ve been on a new Royal Caribbean cruise ship recently, you know what I mean. If you haven’t…you should. Royal Caribbean has been the leaders of passenger cruise ship innovation since the mid 90s. They have had a steady flow of new and different vessels on the assembly line since the boon of the cruise industry even earlier that decade…and have not stopped reinventing themselves (and the industry) ever since.

Their ever-changing fleet now boasts the some or all of the following in many of their vessels–all unique to the company and all for the taking and enjoyment of you, the passenger:
*FlowRider-Body Surfing facility * Cantilevered whirlpools * Rock-climbing wall * Ice-skating rink * Royal Promenade; literally, a city block down the heart of the ship over a football field long, with shops and restaurants and cafes * Full-size, flat-screen TVs in every stateroom * Full-size Everlast boxing ring * Full-size sports court * 9-hole miniature golf course * Johnny Rockets ’50s-style restaurant * Ben & Jerry’s ice cream
….to name a few.

Royal Caribbean keeps building newer and bigger ships and for many years have been able to boast having the “newest” or the “largest” passenger luxury ship ever built. Check out a little about their ships at http://www.royalcaribbean.com/.

Amazing Journeys patronizes Royal Caribbean (and their sister company Celebrity Cruises) for many reasons, but one very important one is their ability to lead the pack in the cruising industry. We have two cruises currently planned on Royal Caribbean (and two more planned on Celebrity) in 2009…most notably our 17th annual Winter Caribbean Cruise on what is truly “the newest and largest…and most innovative” cruise ship ever built; Independence of the Seas. Why not join us from February 1-7?

Amazing Journeys heads off to China this weekend; Bill, Malori and a group of 52 strong from all over North America (and the world!). All those great sights you saw on television during the Olympics will be seen by us, including The Great Wall, The Forbidden City, Tianamen Square, The Terra Cotta Warriors, the emperor’s Summer Palace, event Nanjing Road and a foot massage (there are foot massage facilities located throughout China like Starbucks is located throughout America) as well as a fascinating tour of Jewish China in Shanghai.

Even as American taxpayers bailed them out, executives of AIG enjoyed a $440,000 spa getaway to a decadent resort in California. If those guys think travel seems like a good idea now, who are we to argue, right?

While the still-unfolding global economic meltdown may seem like a major threat to your next vacation, the news may not be all bad. If you are careful, plan for contingencies, choose a good travel company, take a sensible vacation and look for the bright spots on the travel horizon, you can do very well at the moment — even if not “billion dollar bailout baby” well. Here are some tips on where to look, and where to look out when planning your next trip.

Reality Check Yourself:
Your first consideration, obviously, should be your own financial situation. Many of us need and deserve a vacation, and you should never undervalue the importance of the mental health factor For the cost conscious, there’s always the viewpoint of “you can’t take it with you”..but I’ve come up with a new motto: “you might as well spend it while ya got it”.
If you are inclined to treat yourself, which too few folks do often enough, taking a hard look at what a vacation actually costs you can sometimes be a good exercise. Thus,…

Do a Travel Budget:
If there was ever a time to do a proper travel budget, this is it. Most tend to do a quick accounting of the big expenses — airfare, hotel, car rental– add them up, and call it a budget. However, in a classic case of lots of small costs adding up to big expenses in the end, the less obvious costs incurred while traveling can turn out to be the actual budget breakers. Toward creating a more accurate budget, remember to research and include parking at airports, attraction entry fees, activity cost, hotel tip, ground transportation costs, food and more.

In cases like this, its often less expensive and duly more convenient to purchase a value-added vacation package.

The U.S. Dollar:
While most Americans worry that each dollar won’t have as much clout at the local grocery store, it turns out that our currency will do much better internationally than it has in some time. Currently at $1.36 against the euro, the dollar is the strongest it’s been since summer 2007.An improving exchange rate directly decreases the toll of those day-to-day expenses that can pile up during overseas travel. These are some of the things you purchase on the spot in local currency, and which thus actually get cheaper when the dollar picks up a little strength.Gas Prices DownAs of this writing, national gas prices are pegged at an average of about $2.90 per gallon, down, over 80 cents from July. Gasoline prices are not quite the bank breaker that they were just a few weeks back.

Saturday Night Stayover: If you have been researching airfares lately, you may have noticed the return of the dreaded Saturday night stay requirement. The airline practice of charging more for flights that depart and return inside the same work week, which had largely fallen by the wayside the past couple of years, has recently returned with a vengeance.If you can book your flights to include a Saturday night stay, you may find significant savings. This may in fact be good news for leisure travelers, who usually include at least one weekend in their itineraries; it is less so for business travelers. Note that we may see this pricing practice scaled back once again if businesses curtail employee travel considerably.

Fuel Surcharges Going Down?!?
Astounding as it may sound — it must be a public relations trick of some kind — but on earlier this month Northwest actually announced that the airline is reducing fuel surcharges. North of the border, Air Canada and WestJet have done the same; as these surcharge rollbacks get more publicity and momentum, we can probably expect other airlines to follow suit.

We are living in the most uncertain times in the United States in nearly a century, so any and all of the above may change at any minute, and dramatically — to the point where one guy is walking to work just to keep his job, while the other guy is getting a pedicure with an ocean view at the same time … on the first guy’s dime. Just ask the guys at AIG.

One way to ensure a comfortable journey along the way of any tour to a land that is so genuinely different as China will be to ensure some safe eating habits while traveling in and around. Otherwise, the “uniqueness” of such a tour could enduce a whole new meaning.

Names for Montezuma’s Revenge (Montezuma was Emperor of Mexico, 1502-20) vary depending on the part of the world concerned, and these usually have comic names, which reflect the embarrassment felt by the sufferer and the amusement in the lucky non-sufferers. Montezuma’s Revenge is also known as the Gringo Gallop and the Aztec Two-step, but in Asia it can be known as Ghandi’s Revenge, Gyppy Tummy, Delhi Belly, the Rangoon Runs, and Tokyo Trots.

The sickness, more formally called “traveller’s diarrhea” (TD), is usually caused by drinking unsterilized or differently-purified water…or by eating foods that visitors don’t take care to consider. One rule of thumb is that if you didn’t cook it, boil it, or peel it…..forget it!

A few other helpful tidbits:
-Drink safe beverages — these include bottled carbonated beverages, hot tea or coffee and water boiled.
-use safe water (bottled, not tap) for teeth brushing.
-drink chilled beverages but avoid ice in your drinks.
-don’t buy your bottled water from a street vendor. Reports of locals filling bottles with tap water, then sealing them and then selling the bottled water as purified water have come out of several countries.
-Avoid eating raw fruits and vegetables unless they can be peeled.
-Well-cooked and packaged foods are usually safe. Eating raw or undercooked meat and seafood should be avoided.
-Dairy products, mayonnaise and pastery icing are associated with increased risk for TD.

TD is a bacteriological illness, always uncomfortable, but rarely serious. Most cases are mild and resolve in a few days with no treatment. If you’re particularly susceptible to stomach sensitivities, a single hit of an antibiotic like ciprofloxacin and knock out TD in a matter of hours. It has an outstanding track record, no severe effects and is widely available. Most TD can be cured by a single dose. Preventatively speaking, Pepto Bismol or an antidiarrheal called rifaximin can be very effective.

Be advised that the suggestions presented here are not not surefire remedies, nor are they sources of a professional opinion. Be sure to consult with your doctor for advice on what will work best for you.

Sojourners shouldn’t be discouraged by the prospect of getting sick. Its fun to travel and fun to discover and eat new local cuisines. The memories of these adventures, chance meetings and surprising experiences will outlast any possible inconveniences of an occasional belly ache.

Is it possible to travel responsibly when it comes to conserving natural resources, supporting local cultures and making a positive impact on the places we visit? Remember that by simply stepping on piece of land in Alaska where bears roam, or by tossing piece of gum into the ocean or leaving lights on the hotel ‘because you’re not paying for it’…you are effecting the environment. Or shall we say infecting it! Just because you’re out of your element, doesn’t mean the elements should be out of you. There’s no mistaking it; we gotta go green.