Archive for December, 2010

Being charity is one of Sundance Vacations’ core values we are constantly looking for ways to help out the community. Just recently the sales department stepped it up to help out the under privileged during the holiday season. This time our Dublin, Ohio sales office worked with the Columbus, Ohio Firefighters to collect and donate toys for children during Christmas. Dublin Sales Manager, Brian Kreindler said,  “Dublin Sundance donated the toys from our toy drive to the Columbus Firefighters for Kids Toy Drive yesterday (12/22). They were very happy to receive our donation of toys.  The toys go to underprivileged kids in the Columbus area.  Happy Holidays to all!”

Here is a list of other charities Sundance Vacations’ employees participated in, which totaled over $6000 in donations for the 2010 year:

Hazleton Marketing

• Gift of Life
• G Glove Foundation
• Catholic Social Services
• BMX Track
• United Way

Shamokin Marketing

• Rescue Fire Engine & Hose Company #3
• Susan G Komen NEPA Division

Tamaqua Marketing

• Rabbit Run Fish & Game Association

Wilkes-Barre Marketing/Sales/Administrative

• Ruth’s Place
• Domestic Violence Service Center
• Susan G Komen NEPA Division and 3 Day Walk for a Cure
• GNA Catholic Youth Group
• 1990 HHS Alumni for American Cancer Society
• Jr Achievement of NEPA
• Association for the Blind
• Salvation Army

Located in the Caribbean Sea, near the northern end of the Lesser Antilles archipelago, Nevis is the epitome of “island paradise.”  Surrounded by crystal blue water and white sandy beaches, Nevis is a picturesque sight.  The island is about 220 miles southeast of Puerto Rico and is a 36-square-mile isle, part of the inner arc of the Leeward Islands chain of the West Indies.

With a volcanic peak, called Nevis Peak, at the center of the island, the sandy beaches are composed of a mixture of white coral sand and brown and black sand that have been eroded and washed down from the volcanic rocks, which are the composition of the island.  The softly sloping green coastal plain of the island offers beautiful fresh water springs, in addition to non-potable hot springs

Located on the beautiful slope of Nevis peak, Monkey Rock is located around six miles from town, and approximately seven miles from the beach.  The Monkey Rock unit comes complete with a wrap-around patio that gives you a breathtaking view of the Caribbean Sea.

For a fun day with the whole family, take a trip down the Nevis slope to Pinney’s Beach.  The palm tree lined beach is surrounded by coral reefs, which protect the beach from large waves, making it an ideal place for swimming and tanning.  For the museum guru, visit the Alexander Hamilton Replica House and take a look at all of the Hamilton memorabilia.  Other exciting activities include horseback riding, hiking, mountain climbing, tennis, golf, water skiing, and wind surfing.  You can even explore the island’s multiple shipwrecks while snorkeling or scuba diving! Your stay at Monkey Rock is sure to make for an excellent tropical vacation.

An article was recently published on USA Today Travel titled “Three reasons why airfares are likely to rise” about exactly that – rising airfares! David Grossman, author of the article, writes “According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, the average domestic airfare (excluding checked luggage and other ancillary fees paid after ticketing) jumped 13% from $301 to $341 in the second quarter of 2010 vs. the previous year. That $341 fare was 3.8% more than the previous quarter and represented the fourth consecutive quarterly fare increase.” This fact alone is scary but the article goes on to discuss reasons why airfares are rising which include: capacity cuts and rising demand, prolonged period of higher oil prices and changing business models for low-cost airlines. It may be obvious that there are more reasons as well but for the sake of the article the author only discussed three. Anyway whatever the case may be it does not look like travelers have much of an option when controlling fees or at least getting fairly cheaper rates than before.

However, as a wholesale travel provider Sundance Vacations offers bulk vacation packages that make saving on vacations similar to the way people save when they buy a case of soda instead of a can. Because of this increase in airfares, budget conscious travelers are seeking cheaper travel alternatives to help them save. In fact, last summer when prices originally spiked we saw a considerable jump in demand for drive to destinations and we predict the same for this summer as well.

Sundance Vacations has a lot of destinations on the east coast in areas such as the Jersey shore, Ocean City, Virginia, Maryland, South Carolina and Hilton Head – all of which are within a days drive from any one of our east coast sales offices. When it costs double to fly anymore, consider driving to a Sundance Vacations destination – where you not only save on getting there but you save on the overall vacation as well.