Tired of the cold winter weather & looking for an escape but think your family budget can’t afford it, think again. I have just the prescription. Pick up the current winter issue of Vacations magazine for suggestions that fit your family budget. It will be on newsstands until March 31. The magazine has been publishing for 16 years. I took Vacations up on its offer for a free issue. When I found an inexpensive subscription deal elsewhere at magazinevalues.com, I decided to subscribe about a year ago. Here’s what you can expect to find inside issues.
About the magazine-Overview
Vacations is a consumer travel magazine that publishes quarterly. Each issue contains approximately 64 pages. The magazine has almost 1,000,000 satisfied readers. Inside every issue, readers find great suggestions for affordable weekend getaways and family vacations. Find free information about worldwide vacation opportunities. Some issues have a Retirement Planning Guide or suggestions for retirement town vacation visitations. Each issue has 7-8 features with exciting domestic & international destinations. There are adventure vacations, romantic inns, cruises & scenic drives. Read new ideas about undiscovered spots, unique lodgings, small towns & tours. There are many unique ideas, tips & hints to make your vacation memorable. Everything is cost conscious & practical - just don’t expect everything to be cheap. Some vacations are to plush resorts and on luxury liners but often at discounted prices.
Covers, Organization, Layout, Ads, Photography
Covers depict the exciting destinations described inside. Often they are taken at beaches or poolside. The Table of Contents is located just inside the cover after a single ad page. Spread over two separate pages, it cleanly organizes content into Features and Departments. The magazine has a good layout. Almost all articles are completed on succeeding pages. Just about 1/2 the pages are ads – all travel-related.
Departments
Every issue has the 2-page Weekend Getaways which opens issues. The trips are descriptive first person accounts of recent vacations. In the current issue, read about an interesting 5-island weekend in the Santa Barbara Channel. The article has all the information & source information including camping fees at Channel Islands National Park & charter boats rates. It’s an inexpensive vacation but there are no amenities – bring your own food, water & shelter. It’s great for campers. The previous issue has “A Beginner’s Guide To California’s Wine Country.” The tours are free & so are most of the wine tastings & you won’t feel pressured to buy. We have taken just such a fun excursion with friends. The magazine, however, doesn’t say where to stay & accommodations can be the biggest expense – especially in Napa Valley. The article does suggest staying in less pricey Sonoma Valley but, again, offers no suggestions. It does include some tips & hints plus source information for the wineries mentioned.
Family Vacations follows next with the same basic format. The vacations are descriptive first person 2-4 page accounts of recent family vacations. The current issue has a fun one called “Taste-Tempting Tours” about free or inexpensive factory tours. The previous issue has one on “Touring Paris With the Kids.” There really isn’t enough information on lodgings or dining. There is some helpful information on jump on & off all–day bus tours that stop at main attractions plus trip tips & hints. Some sightseeing is mentioned but very briefly – too briefly to be of much help. A side article has more helpful information on airports, transportation, currency & museum fees plus source information but again only additional general information on lodging & dining. You will need the source information if you plan such a vacation.
The Vacation Planning Guide and Retirement Planning Guide are really just advertisements as is Free Information From Our Advertisers. Readers can use the handy postage-paid post card, Fax or visit online for more advertiser information.
Features
The major part of the magazine is the features. In each issue the magazine takes readers to various US destinations & around the globe. Some are quite affordable; others are more luxurious. There is something for every budget. For example, in the current issue there are features on an 11-day luxury European cruise aboard the Crystal Symphony for $7,085. Vacations To Go, a magazine travel partner, discounts a third off that brochure price bringing the cost down to $4,660. Read about 4 upscale Hawaiian resorts with spas and other amenities - rates start from $360.
Yet, in the same current issue we also go along on inexpensive trips to Chaco Culture National Historic Park in New Mexico, a train ride on Edaville Railroad ($15 - adults) in Carver, MA through cranberry bogs and wooded scenery & on a romantic getaway to Las Vegas. “Get Your Thrill” is about adventure vacations for white-water sports, trail hikes, mountain biking and camping. The issue ends with my favorite feature, the 3-page “Offbeat & Cheap Retreats” that covers unique lodgings in forests, parks (rustic) & lighthouses (less rustic.) All accommodations are very inexpensive & great fun particularly for families. Sleep in a yurt (canvas-covered circular shelters,) lookout fire tower, secluded cabins or lighthouses and get away from it all. Past interesting features have been on Kenai Peninsula, Kangaroo Island, skiing in Steamboat Springs & scuba diving in Bonaire. Recent informative general travel articles have been on reliable online escorted-tour companies & travel photography tips.
Publisher, Website, Subscriptions
Vacations magazine has been publishing since 1987. Vacation Publications, Inc. is the publisher. I was disappointed with the magazine Website, www.vacationsmagazine.com as there really is very little travel information on it compared with other travel sites. There isn’t any database of articles or information about the current issue. There is a link to Vacations To Go, an online travel agency, but that is about it. The site is really just for subscribers & advertisers. The best thing of the site is the offer for a free issue of Vacations magazine or Travel 50 & Beyond magazine. Order a year’s subscription online – 4 issues @ $12.00 & save 24% off newsstand price. You can get a much better deal by going to magazinevalues.com. I got mine for only $4.97 – the price is a little higher now - $6.97. The newsstand price is $3.95. You may find that it is not sold at some local newsstands.
My final Remarks
Although the magazine bills itself as the best source for affordable vacations, many vacations are not really so affordable. Those that aren’t however may have family-friendly enticements. The magazine is really for all budgets – big and small. In every issue, the magazine has travel ideas for everyone. There are domestic & international destinations. Some travel ideas are for adventure trips; others are for more relaxing spa/resort trips. There are plenty of vacations that involve an appreciation of nature. Readers will find articles not only on luxury spas, resorts & cruises but also camping trip & inexpensive or free outings for families. Those that are economical are pretty rustic, however, usually involving camping sites with few amenities. Most sightseeing outings are inexpensive but exclude accommodation prices. Unless you live nearby, these can easily become expensive if affordable accommodations are unavailable.
Some articles are great at including tourist information; others leave out specifics. The magazine is just too slim for delving into in-depth tourist information. Many articles are too short to be helpful with specifics but do give readers ideas to research further through included source information. It is always advisable to check tourist information anyway since hours of operation and prices change. Other travel magazine competitors have many more pages of vacation ideas at similar newsstand prices. I recommend this magazine only if you get a good deal on the subscription, as I did. Otherwise, if you are very budget conscious, I recommend Arthur Frommer’s Budget Travel. If your budget is more moderate, Travel Holiday may interest you. For wealthy travelers or business travelers on generous expense accounts, I recommend Conde Nast Traveler. It also has great general travel information. For readers interested in offbeat vacations, this may just be the magazine for you.
What Coming Up?
Come along for scuba diving in Cozumel, a summer vacation at ski resorts or a cruise down the Rhine. How about rafting in the Grand Canyon or taking a horse-drawn wagon ride for breakfast at a ranch in Palo Duro Canyon? If anything I just mentioned sounds interesting, pick up the spring issue of Vacations magazine that will hit the newsstand in April. You just may find that ideal vacation to fit your budget.
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