Recent studies have shown that up to one third of employees who get paid vacation time don’t use it all. Many people said they would get too behind on the job if they took time off, while others cited not being able to afford to take a trip.

If you are in the first group, you should know that taking a vacation is actually beneficial to both you and your employer. First, it’s good for you. Time off helps to reduce stress levels and heart attack risk, prevents burnout, and improves performance and creativity. Secondly, you getting away from the office is good for your employer. Companies need employees who are performing at their highest levels and many employers also need to get that accrued vacation time off their books to further benefit their bottom line.

So do yourself and your employer a favor. Use your vacation time this year. Stay nearby, go camping or rent a vacation home.

You’re both bound to feel better!

Posted: July 31st, 2008 under Vacation Homes, Vacation Rentals.
Comments: none

Earlier this summer, PickPackGo CEO Felix Lin talked with LakeFront Radio’s hosts about lake-front recreation and business. That show got our family excited about trying a new adventure. Instead of heading to a beach house this month with our friends, we thought we’d try a lake-front vacation home. Our destination: one of the 10,000 lakes of Minnesota, specifically in the town of Nisswa.

Flying to Minnesota is relatively easy from almost anywhere because the Twin Cities’ airport (in Minneapolis/St. Paul) is a Northwest Airlines hub. From the airport, our three-hour drive to Nisswa took us through some beautiful country with lots of farm land. As we drove I-94 North to State Routes 10, then 371 to Brainerd and into Nisswa, I continued to be surprised at how flat the state is. I imagined Minnesota would be hilly with all of those lakes tucked into small valleys. I was wrong.

I wasn’t wrong when I imagined the beautiful lakes though. They are everywhere you look. Big ones with vacationers jet skiing and powerboating and smaller ones with people kayaking and rowing. Our Minnesota vacation home was on a smaller lake, perfect for canoeing, swimming, playing in the sand and fishing from the dock.

There are a lot of perks to a vacation home on the Lake. We enjoyed being able to swim, as well as paddle into the water from our yard, so we could go exploring the local wildlife, which included seeing a large blue heron flying near the shore! We loved playing in the sand on the beach during the day, and at night, hearing the loons call while we hung out by the fire pit toasting marshmallows and making somores.

We also enjoyed shopping and eating (The Chocolate Ox is definitely worth a stop!) in the quaint town of Nisswa, and learning a little bit about its history. With its 10,000 lakes, Minnesota is an absolutely ideal locale for a lake-front vacation.

Posted: July 28th, 2008 under Family Vacation, Travel, Vacation Homes, Vacation Rentals.
Comments: none

Now that I have a growing family, I have become more cautious about everything, including traveling. What if our daughter gets sick before our vacation? What if there is a natural disaster where we are going? What if our luggage with all of the baby items we need gets lost? What if…

Fortunately for travelers like me, there is peace of mind available in the form of insurance. Through AIG Travel Guard, anyone renting a vacation home through PickPackGo is eligible to purchase a Vacation Rental Protection Plan.

Sometimes referred to as travel insurance, the Vacation Rental Protection Plan covers trip cancellation or interruptions, delays, baggage delays, medical expenses, emergency medical transportation and also includes travel and roadside assistance. The best part is that it’s really affordable. We can cover our vacation rental fees, car rental, airfare and other travel components for just 7% of the portions of our travel that we want to have covered by the plan.

When you have little ones, having some additional assurances after saving, planning, booking and looking forward to vacation is nice. After all, with kids, things rarely seem to go according to plan.

If you’d like more information about our insurance options through AIG Travel Guard, contact us.

Posted: July 23rd, 2008 under Family Vacation, Vacation Homes, Vacation Rentals.
Comments: none

Parents traveling to San Francisco will find plenty to do with their kids when they get here. Yesterday, Wendy Perrin over at the Perrin Post on concierge.com wrote a fun post for parents of young children (ages 4 to 6) visiting San Francisco. Among her boys’ top 10 picks were the cable car, Ghiradelli’s, and Lombard Street. In addition, our PickPackGo San Francisco City Host not long ago outlined her favorite kid-friendly adventures in the City.

Having a house full of visitors with plenty of kids these past few weeks, our favorite San Francisco adventures have included:

• A ride on the San Francisco Carousel at Fisherman’s Wharf (Pier 39)
• A trip down the concrete slides at the Childrens’ Playground in Golden Gate Park
• A carriage ride down the historic waterfront
• A ferry over to and walking around Angel Island
• And just outside the City, a trip to see the giant redwoods in Muir Woods

The most fun of all for everyone though was the sheer screaming of childhood delight as we rode over the tallest hills and valleys of the City streets on our way to our next adventure.

Posted: July 18th, 2008 under Family Vacation, Travel.
Comments: 1

Boardwalks and beaches are part of summertime fun, particularly on the West and East Coasts of the U.S. As paths for pedestrians, boardwalks are great for walking alongside or to the water’s edge. In many places, they also provide a full day of amusement fun.

The Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, which opened in 1907, is the oldest amusement park in California and home to two national historic landmarks, the Looff Carousel and the Giant Dipper roller coaster.

If you are staying at a nearby vacation rental home, it’s easy for the whole family to enjoy a day at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. There are rides for big kids, such as the Logger’s Revenge, the Giant Dipper and the Hurricane. There are rides for little kids, including flying airplanes, electric cars, boat rides, and more. For the whole family, there is miniature golf and an aerial gondola ride that provides a view from above of the entire boardwalk. There are also plenty of arcade games and carnival foods!

When you get tired of riding and playing, the beach is just steps away with plenty of its own water and sand activities. Make a sandcastle, bury a friend, run into the waves, or just relax under an umbrella. Santa Cruz is an ideal spot for it.

On the other side of the country, New Jersey and New York boast some additional famous boardwalks. There’s Atlantic City, Ocean City, Asbury Park, Point Pleasant Beach and Wildwood in New Jersey, as well as Coney Island and South Beach on Staten Island in New York.

If you aren’t sure where to vacation yet this summer, check out a local boardwalk!

Posted: July 15th, 2008 under Family Vacation, Vacation Homes, Vacation Rentals.
Comments: none

With the popularity of vacation rentals growing, especially for families visiting the Disney Orlando area, MousePlanet.com’s MouseStation interviewed Fred Zorayq of Advantage Vacation Homes to find out what travelers need to know when they consider renting a vacation home.

According to the site, Fred says, “usually a group of people will rent a home, either a family, a golf outing or (increasingly so) sports teams. Occupancy is governed by the same laws that govern hotels, so it’s generally two people per bedroom, plus sometimes another two for a living room with a sleeper sofa. That gives you a total of generally 4-16 people per unit.

“Vacation homes in the Orlando area are generally located in Kissimmee, Claremont and Davenport, to the south of Walt Disney World. Travel times to Walt Disney World are anywhere from three miles to thirty minutes in heavy traffic.

“You don’t have the amenties of a hotel room such as room service, nightly housekeeping, etc. There are plenty of benefits, though. The smallest units are probably at least 3 times the size of a hotel room. If you’re going to be renting multiple hotel rooms, it can be much cheaper to rent your own place, with a two-bedroom home running in the vicinity of $100/night and a three-bedroom running around $150/night. Having the kitchen gives you the option of making your own breakfasts to save money, heating up late night snacks, etc. You also have communal spaces to socialize together, rather than trying to coordinate visiting among multiple hotel rooms.”

To download the show, visit MouseStation #19.

Posted: July 10th, 2008 under Web 2.0.
Comments: none

If you are looking for a great location to enjoy a vacation day (or two, or three, or four) on the links, you don’t have to look much further than Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

Avid golfers can experience the challenges offered by more than 100 fairways, plus greens created by world-famous course architects—including Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Robert Trent Jones and Greg Norman.

In the Myrtle Beach area, I think the Caledonia Golf and Fish Club and the True Blue Plantation are spectacular. They are both on an old rice plantation in the Pawley’s Island area and are real gems.

What’s even better is that many Myrtle Beach vacation home property managers will confirm tee times or include a round at a local course as part of their services. You just have to ask.

Keep ‘em down the middle!

Posted: July 7th, 2008 under Travel, Vacation Homes, Vacation Rentals.
Comments: none

Posted: July 4th, 2008 under Family Vacation.
Comments: none

Travel to summer vacation home destinations sometimes involves long car and airplane rides. During our extended family trips, everyone has their own ideas about the types of movies we should watch and music we should hear. When you want to tune everyone else’s preferences out, an iPod comes in handy.

Enter our July PickPackGo Getaway Giveaway contest and …

Congratulations to Colette of St. Louis, Missouri, the winner of our June Getaway Giveaway contest and a $100 gas card.

Posted: July 1st, 2008 under Contest, Technology, Vacation Homes.
Comments: none