The pundits are speaking and they are predicting tough times ahead. In fact, we are already feeling the pinch in our pockets, but should that stop us for traveling and enjoying ourselves??? No! In fact, in these tough times, we may need to take a break from our stressful and taxing lives before we go stalk raving mad. Wouldn’t you rather spend the money basking in the sunshine somewhere, than on a therapist’s couch? I thought so.

So here are some practical ways of getting every cent out of your dollar when you travel:

Booking your tickets in advance, no matter how you travel, will usually reduce your spending. If you travel by plane, be sure to do some homework. Shopping for cheap tickets on line can save you time and money. And, that will give you a chance to compare prices. E-tickets are popular now, so ensure that you have some kind of receipt you can print as proof of purchase.

If you choose to take the bus, make sure the distance won’t pose a problem. Buses can be a very economical way to travel, especially if getting there quickly isn’t your top priority. Plus, it’s a great way to see the country. Traveling cross country by bus can be a bit taxing on comfort levels, so you might want to bring along a pillow, blanket, snacks, drinks, books or magazine and music – or bring along a friend. There are rest stops where you can refresh, comfortably use the bathroom, and purchase snacks, but they are not too many stops. Find out which buses service your state as well as the cost of travel on the internet.

Lying just 55 miles east of the coast of Florida, beautiful Grand Bahama Island, 96 miles long from east to west and 17 miles across at its widest point, is a haven for tourists looking for adventure and laidback side of The Bahamas.

Spirit Airlines’ inaugural flight on December 13 from Fort Lauderdale to Freeport, the island’s capital, took the press to experience some of the island’s best offerings. Even the ride from the Grand Bahama Island International Airport to the hotel, The Westin and Sheraton Grand Bahama Our Lucaya Resort, was in itself a guided tour thanks to Paddy our taxi driver.

Shortly after arriving at the hotel, a quick change into comfortable clothing prefaced our exciting Safari Jeep Tour with the well informed tour guide, Chad Hepburn from Grand Bahama Nature Tours Ltd. We all set out in five Jeeps on traffic free streets on a Thursday afternoon – picture that! The Bahamas presents an interesting marriage of its European past and American influence, as people drive on the left side of the streets (English), yet the vehicles are left hand drive (American).

Chad, though versed in the history and geography of Grand Bahama, is originally from Nassau. However, the ease and comfort with which he guided us through his ‘office’ – the great outdoors, made it seem as if he was born to do it. Having been exposed to National Geographic as a child, Chad said he was always fascinated and inspired by the Ocean and that he has never had a boring tour in his six years as a tour guide, because, “The people change each time and come with different personalities.”

Our first stop was at the Taino by the Bay Restaurant for a well deserved lunch after which the tour took us through the Junkanoo Beach & Smith’s Point, a Dolphin Encounter and Casuarina Bridge, where we learned about the Canal system. The drive through the waterfront real estate, or the Million Dollar homes really piqued our interests.

Here are some tips to help you avoid the airport blues

For whatever reason, whether to see our families (which we love) or take a well deserved vacation, we sometimes get stuck traveling during the holidays.

Traveling, especially by air has become so cumbersome that even during regular time, it’s still stressful. Well, multiply that by plenty and you get holiday travel. Think overcrowded airports, lost luggage, constant announcements, gate number changes, cancellation and delays. While some of these are unavoidable, there are some we can totally remedy.

Update Travel Info: No, I don’t mean only your itinerary. I mean the weight allotment for check-in luggage, carry-on luggage which might differ from airline to airline and carry-on liquid, which seems to change from day to day. Knowing you have everything in order (passports, ticket information etc) before you arrive at the airport can save a lot of time.

Arrive Early: Cancellations you can’t help, but you can prevent some long lines if you arrive early! This means you can check in before the crowd for your flight and settle down a read a mag while you wait to board your plane. Or better yet, why not check in on line, from home if your airline offers that option?

Parking Anyone? As you might imagine, getting parking at the airport during the holidays might be a challenge. Unless you absolutely have no choice, think about taking a cab or having a friend or family member drop you off. You can offer gas money if you think that might motivate them.

Pathogens Everywhere: As a general rule of thumb, it’s more people, more germs. And you might not even want to hit the bathrooms, so take a hand sanitizer – the small one (for security reasons of course) – and use it often.

Officials at LIAT, the Caribbean’s lone inter island carrier, are rejecting suggestions that high airfares are responsible for a decline in intra-regional travel, saying that a more in-depth study of the situation is needed.

LIAT Chairman Jean Holder told members of the media here that in the absence of proper research some have resorted to simplistic explanations as to why travel was down.

"I believe that before we give our simplistic explanations when flows are down, we need to do a lot more research than what has been done previously," Holder said.

He said there had been a diluting of travel with the growth of the cruise industry, suggesting that more Caribbean tourists were taking cruises rather than flying to the various destinations.

The LIAT Chairman also pointed to LIAT’s "improved scheduling" for the decline in stay over visits within the region, saying that travellers were now being afforded an opportunity to visit a destination early in the morning and leave in the evening, cutting out the need for staying at a hotel.

"I think that while the cost of fares may have had some impact on the numbers, it is certainly not responsible for the total impact," Holder added.

He further stated that while capacity was down, and fares were higher, things under the previous regime of operation were not always rosy for the carriers.

He noted that up to eight months ago, when Caribbean Star and LIAT were involved in their fierce battle, there were up to 30 aircraft flying the various routes with very low fares but at off peak times these flights were operating with "two and three persons flying on them".

Celebrate with 2008 Barbados Jazz Festival

If you can’t make it to Barbados for this Independence Day celebrations, why not make plans to visit the island for the upcoming Barbados Jazz Festival.

Ever so famed artist Erykah Badu will get the crowd roaring with her sounds for soul at the 2008 annual Jazz Festival, now in its 15^th year. The spectacular 2008 lineup includes world renowned artists such as Bob James, Terri Lyne Carrington, John Patitucci, Stefan Walcott, Andre Forde, Venessa Rubin, Kenny Garrett, Lee Retenour and more. The Festival will be staged January 14 to 20, 2008.

The festival will be staged at some of Barbados’ most picturesque locations around the island, which include Sunbury Plantation House, Heritage Park at the Foursquare Rum Refinery, The Crane Resort & Residences and Farley Hill National Park.

Tickets are available for purchase at www.barbadosjazzfestival.com the official website of the Festival.

The island of Barbados offers the most authentic Caribbean experience with its exceptionally rich culture and history rooted in remarkable landscapes ranging from rolling waves on the Atlantic to those gently lapping the Caribbean coast. It is the first and only Zagat rated Caribbean island with numerous internationally-renowned chefs who masterfully put signature spins on local delicacies and traditions. Barbados is also an ideal stage for world-class events and has hosted numerous athletic championships, including the ICC Cricket World Cup Final 2007 and the 2006 PGA World Golf Championship-The Barbados World Cup.