Hello all

I haven't posted here in a while b/c I have been working on other projects.

We have recently had a baby and are on a path to try and stay home with him full time.

Follow our progress, tips, and strategies in our new blog


Build Your Empire by following along with us. Its not the finish line, but the journey we're interested in.


Have a happy holiday season and even better 2007.

Joe and Angie

Well beach bums

Tonight is the big game between Florida and UCLA. Unfortunately I didn't have either team for the final four, but that is the way March Madness goes.

I believe UCLA has the edge but it will be a good game none the less. Sorry Florida fans!!

So, grab some brews and grub and enjoy the game. We'll be back to post in the next few days.

Til next time,

Joe

Now that vacation planning season is upon us (and has been if you are me)
and tax time is almost over, spring break is here, and the summer months
are shortly approaching many of you are probably scouring the net and outside sources
for deals and such.

Am I right? However, the popularity of travel sites has grown exponentially in the past few years which makes it easier and harder to search for, trust, and book a deal. The good news is that with more sites competing for your business there are an array of deals out there. They want to make money so they are trying to be the best in the industry to get your business.

On the other hand, there are a lot of terms and conditions to read now that you must do to protect yourselves. An uninformed/unprepared traveler will ensure headaches that you don't want. Examples include, paying for things you didn't want, non-cancellation/refund policies, crappy routes for airfares, terribly dirty hotels,
car rental issues, and so forth. You get the idea. I am not trying to paint a horrible vacation picture, just putting it in your mind to enjoy the planning process for your trips, but be careful of who you deal with.

So, on our website we have compiled our favorite travel sites that we have used or others have used with great success. There are hundreds out there and maybe there are some that are better than what we use, but I would be lying to you if I posted them here without knowing about each of them. If you would like to tell us your stories of booking online or off, let us know by contacting us at our site,
www.discount-florida-vacations.com (link to the right).

If you haven't visited us yet, or found our review page for travel websites,
then here is the just of our top 5 favorites...

Our #1 site for finding Florida hotel or airline reservation discounts is Trip Advisor.
I just discovered this gem and believe it is your place to research Florida!


Find the best Florida vacation deal, compare prices and read what other travelers have to say at TripAdvisor

Read what one traveler had to say about Trip Advisor:
Joan from the Midwest...
Great site for getting a true idea of where to book!,
I have booked several B&B based on the reviews I read on TripAdvisor and I have always found exactly what I was expecting or better! This is a fantastic site for getting true experiences from other travellers. I higly recommnend it, it will allow you to find truly excellent lodging and accommodations! I would not book anywhere without checking this site first!


Expedia gets a lot of praise from experts. This is a great place to
comparison shop. They provide excellent customer service, flexible search options, and have
been highly rated for satisfaction, price, and overall recommendation.
The site is very easy to use and provides a detailed privacy policy.
Overall, they are a safe choice and if price isn't your main concern, a great spot to
find hotel, car, & airline reservation discounts.


Travelocity is a close tie with Expedia. They offer many unique extras and alerts
available when prices drop (with FareWatcher emails). There is a booking fee, but it
is minimal. Hey, they have to make money somehow.
They have been rated one of the best for their privacy policy, disclosure information,
easy to search, great customer service, and extra tools and destination info.
Travelocity might not have quite the inventory, but you can still find hot hotel,
car, and airline reservation disounts there!!



Orbitz is a good choice to check. They provide a great privacy policy, they're well
organized, easy to navigate, and have useful tools to help make your search easier.
Just note that a credit card is required, the disclosures are lacking, and
you need to read the fine print.
There is a booking fee, but if you find a lower rate on the same
reservation within 24 hours, they will give you a voucher to use another
time.



Kayak is a search engine. They received 5-star ratings from consumers. Kayak is
very user friendly, provides low rates consistently, and are quick & accurate at
finding Florida hotel, car, & airline reservation discounts. One of the best for airfares, not
as good for car rental.
You can also get frequent flyer points with Kayak, where you can't with other sites.


Sorry so long but important info to know.

Visit their sites for more info or to start planning

Til next time beach lovers

Joe

hey there beach bums!

I have recently received a great story from a family member who took their 3 kids to Orlando and Disney. So if you have plans to head that way this spring or summer, then this article is for you. They highlight their time and what they liked and disliked.

So, here it goes from Michelle...

The best thing about Walt Disney World Florida was a restaurant called, Fish Bones!!! All the steaks and such were cooked on an open pit fired grill at the front of the restaurant! Everyone had an awesome Calamari (Octopus)...and we all had some of the best steaks in the world!!!

It was located there in Orlando right off the main strip, one block down!!! There was valet parking or you could park yourself, yet it was casual enough for us with jeans and shorts! If I could fly anywhere in the world for dinner tonight, Fish Bones is where I'd be!!!

Cocoa Beach wasn't far from Orlando & Walt Disney World Florida, 45 - 50 min., and the drive was beautiful. The bridge going over was awesome! So long and wide open...WOW, is the word!

There was plenty of public parking and the Florida beaches were breathtaking! The kids had a great time playing on the beach and we enjoyed lounging and walking along the coast.

We stayed in a Florida time share in Walt Disney World Florida. It was across the street from the Sea World entrance. We wanted to do the Sea World Swim with the dolphins and such, but I guess they are booked 10 and 12 months in advanced! So, get your tickets early!! It would have been amazing though!

We went to Walt Disney World Florida and it was so-so and cost LOTS of $$$$$$! Our 9 and 10 year olds had a great time, but it wasn't the place for a 2 yr. old!!! It was soooo hot for all of us and the lines everywhere were rediculous!!!!

You can now put your ticket in this machine at each ride instead of getting in line and it prints out a ticket for you with a future walk up time to come ride the ride but, some of them were HOURS away.

I think we were all kinda disappointed in the day! And sooooo much money was spent there, I know I already said that but, it's the truth and just...I'll stop there!

We wish we would have tried some of the other theme parks in Walt Disney World Florida. Maybe the Spring and Fall, maybe even Winter would be the time to go so the weather is more tolerable! We recommend hitting the pools and Florida beaches during the summer and choosing other activities accordingly!!

The main strip in Orlando had tons of stuff to go and do!!! Shops, outlets, festivals with TONS of rides, we did this the last night and should have done it all week! They had race tracks, three or four different levels, you had to be a certain age or height to get to the next level! It was so neat! The name of it was something like, Fun World? Anyways, it was a blast for all of us!!

The Ron Jon Surf Shop was amazing in Orlando and Cocoa Beach!!! Just BEAUTIFUL! They were on the main strip in both cities! The strip in Orlando was just packed with sooo much, especially at night! Live music, shops, food, drinks, magic, so on and so on! We had fun at City Walk in Walt Disney World Florida!

Our pool at our time share had activities for the kids every three hours, during the day. From painting projects, to ice cream socials, races - in and out of the water, face painting, nature walks - sunrise and sunset, scuba lessons so on and so on!

Some of the activities were free, some were a few dollars and there were some that were a bit more costly! It just depended on what the kids were interested in and how old they were! There was also babysitting services and movie night for kids and then parents! We let the kids do some of the stuff but, we had a lot going on already!



Hope you enjoyed.
We are currently looking for good news articles relating to travel,
so we'll get those relevent ones posted ASAP.


Til next time,
See you in Florida

Joe

Howdy Florida Beach Bums!

It has been quite a while since I posted, but I am back. Our baby boy
is expected any day and I can't wait to get him on the Florida beaches and have some fun with my first born.

It is also tax season and as a first year accountant, I didn't realize how much work it would be.

Finally, I completed a milestone- 10 years since high school and I finally finished college!! No more spring break trips for me, but I will be back to update our site and continue to battle the big Florida sites and give our visitors what they want. Great travel information for the Florida beach and travel lover.

So, although I don't have a lot of news for today, I will be updating this blog
again with Florida news and such for you vacationers heading down sometime soon!


Til next time,

Joe

Welcome race fans!!

Thought we'd give a mention to one of racings biggest events coming this
weekend, the Daytona 500.

Festivities going on all week and we wanted to share a USA today article about the race and so forth.

I'm not a big race fan, but my late father and step mother were and I know they would be perched on the couch or down in Daytona watching the race themselves.

So, enjoy your trip if you are heading down for the race and come back and tell us your stories...

Fast lap leads Jeff Burton to Daytona 500 pole
By Nate Ryan, USA TODAY

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Considering he captures pole positions about as often as America elects presidents, Jeff Burton hadn't forgotten the last time he qualified first in NASCAR's premier series.

"There was a Busch race right after that," he said. "There was no time to celebrate, no time to do anything. (While they were taking photos), I remember thinking, 'I've got to get out of there.' "

The Richard Childress Racing driver had plenty of time to savor the moment Sunday at Daytona International Speedway. He will open his 13th Nextel Cup season at the front of the Daytona 500.

On a blustery day at the 2.5-mile oval, Burton swept to his third career pole — and first in 189 races — with a 189.151-mph lap in the No. 31 Chevrolet. Defending race winner Jeff Gordon's No. 24 Chevy qualified second at 188.877 mph, followed by the Robert Yates Racing Fords of Dale Jarrett and Elliott Sadler.

Only Burton and Gordon locked in their starting spots. The rest of the field for Sunday's 48th running of the Great American Race will be set after two qualifying races Thursday.

"It's a big, big deal to be on that front row," said Gordon, a four-time champion whose crew was shuffled after finishing outside the top 10 in points last year for the first time since 1993. "Sometimes it takes some beatings before you really get things turned around."

Burton, whose previous poles came at Richmond International Raceway in September 2000 and at Michigan International Speedway in August 1996, also is rebuilding.

The South Boston, Va., native is mired in a 148-race winless streak and hasn't been ranked in the top 10 the past four seasons. He won 17 races and was a perennial championship contender for Roush Racing between 1997-2001 but has only nine top-10 finishes since joining Childress' team 50 races ago.

"I'd love to say, 'All's right in the world and everything's perfect from here on out.' But I'm smart enough not to," Burton said. "Hopefully, this isn't the highlight of our year. Today went well, but when they drop the green flag, they don't care who's on the pole anymore."

The qualifying times of Jimmie Johnson's No. 48 Chevrolet and Terry Labonte's No. 96 Chevrolet were disallowed after failing postrace inspections. Johnson had originally qualified fifth, Labonte was 28th. The No. 96 car is owned by Roger Staubach and Troy Aikman.

Both cars will start at the rear in Thursday's qualifying races. NASCAR spokesman Jim Hunter left open the possibility that their cars could be confiscated by the governing body. Additional penalties also could follow

NASCAR officials said someone illegally altered the rear window on Johnson's Chevrolet after it passed through pre-qualifying inspection. The infraction was discovered when the car was presented after its qualifying run for a second inspection. Labonte's car was found to have illegal modifications to the carburetor.

Childress had one of the strongest teams in the sport until longtime driver and friend Dale Earnhardt was killed in a crash during the 2001 Daytona 500. Kevin Harvick had a good season for RCR after replacing Earnhardt the following week at Rockingham, but the team has struggled in the years since.

Childress was determined to turn things around, making numerous personnel changes and radically improving the team's equipment since the end of the 2005 season. This was the first big test.

"Yeah, it's emotional," Childress said. "We've struggled for the last few years. We've got to put it all together and we've got to start winning."

The drivers will start Thursday's first qualifying race in the back of the field, but NASCAR spokesman Jim Hunter left open the possibility that their cars could be confiscated by the governing body. Additional penalties also could follow.

"These were serious infractions," Jim Hunter said. "I don't think we would disallow the times if this was not serious."

The top 35 teams in last year's standings are guaranteed starting positions in the race, leaving just eight positions for the rest of the entries. The two top-finishing non-qualified drivers from each of the Thursday's races will make the field, along with the fastest remaining drivers from Sunday's time trials.

Among the other big names before the disqualifications, top 2005 rookie Kyle Busch was 10th, followed in 11th by older brother and former series champion Kurt Busch, making his debut for Penske Racing South. Reigning Cup champion Tony Stewart was 18th, 2005 runner-up Greg Biffle 25th, third-place Carl Edwards 26th and fan favorite Dale Earnhardt Jr., 39th.

The fastest of the drivers not guaranteed a starting position was two-time Daytona 500 winner Bill Elliott, eighth at 187.715. Travis Kvapil and Hermie Sadler, 19th and 20th, were next fastest among the entries who must drive into the race.

Those three will make the 43-car field, either by racing in on Thursday or because of their qualifying speeds.

The Associated Press contributed to this report

Daytona 500 lineup

At Daytona International Speedway

Daytona Beach, Fla.

Lap length: 2.5 miles



Good stuff.

Til next time with more spring break and summer events.
Be sure you visit our site www.discount-florida-vacations.com
to find out more of what's going on for your Florida trip.

Joe

Hello Beach Bums and Travel Lovers.

Spring Break '06 is almost here so I recently wrote an article with tips
and to-do's for this years party fest!!

The big spots are always down in the caribbean, Florida, Mexico, Bahamas,
Jamaica and more...

So start planning now if you haven't yet and ensure you will have an awesome time and safe trip.

So, here it goes.

It’s almost here!! Spring Break Vacation Time is right around the corner!

The time is almost here when you take that last exam, pack your bags, and head on spring break for the time of your life. Although it’s still a couple months away, you should already be planning your trip, which of the top destinations you are heading to, and learning as much as you can so you are safe but still have a great vacation.

Hot bodies everywhere!! You're away from the parentals and ready to have fun, get some sun, sip on some cocktails (right age of course), and get away from home, the exams, responsibilities, and anything else students deal with.

There are a few things you must take care of before you go to the spring break beaches Florida. Obviously, you'll want to get a student travel package to make planning your trip to the Florida beaches easy and cheap and read over our tips and resources of things to do and remember to have a spring break to remember (Hopefully?!!).

Hey, I know what being a college student is like- long, boring classes, tests and papers that won't quit, working a part-time job that you hate, and having no money with a lot of stress.

So, without getting long winded, here are some tips for you spring breakers to remember before you head out and while you are at your travel spot…

1. Pick your top destination. Students usually travel on a budget so it’s important to know costs and so forth and always over-prepare. At least take Dad’s credit card just in case!! Some great spring break spots include, Florida, Cancun, Bahamas, South Padre Island, Arizona, and more. Whether East Coast, South, West Coast or Overseas, you’ll have a great vacation.

2. Pack wisely. Get everything you need before you go on your trip. Beach wear, beach accessories, club clothes, plus all your other travel needs. You don’t want to leave anything behind.

3. Search for travel deals. There are tons of websites and places to find a good deal. Be smart and do your homework on this one. I know you do enough research already but you’ll have a much better time if you hunt for deals and also read the terms and conditions before you book. Know what you’re getting into.

4. Be careful. Whether in your home country or not, be smart and watch out for suspicious activities or items. Things can get out of hand when you are in a foreign location and there are people out there waiting to prey on young college students. Also, drink responsibly.

5. Get in shape. Not mandatory, but right before spring break I always see the gyms fill up. You want to look good right?

6. Finally, make your money work for you. You can have one heck of a trip without spending a ton. Trust me. Be sure you keep important documents safe and have a travel budget so you don’t go overboard. I know I sound like a Dad, but one time we had to cut some corners to make it home from our trip to Florida.


There are many more spring break travel tips to go on, but this will give you a good idea of what you need to take care of before finals hit and you’re ready to head out. Most importantly have fun!!

Til next time and be sure to visit us at Discount-Florida-Vacations.com

Joe