Reduced-Rate FAM Tours – for Agents only

FAM or FAMiliarization Tours are free, highly-discounted, reduced-rate trips offered by travel destinations,  suppliers, and service providers to the travel professionals that market and promote them.  These tours acquaint the travel agents about existing, new and exceptional features they could highlight in developing travel packages and tours.

FAM tours abound in the travel industry, and are a great opportunity for travel professionals to travel world at the least cost. Consider these sample, currently available FAM Tours.

Three Nights in Vienna, from $177

Trip: Three nights in Vienna through March 31.
Cost: From $177 per person, double.  Includes choiceof accommodations, breakfast daily and a three-day Vienna card offering free public transportation and discounts on city attractions and shopping.
Noteworthy: Trips to the Czech Republic and Hungary are availbale and can be coombined.

Five Nights PERU Vacation, from $1,895

Trip: Visits Lima, Cuzco and Macchu Picchu.
Departure: March 13 from New York to Lima via Taca Airlines.
Length: Five nights
Cost:$1,895 per person, double.  Includes roundtrip air, accommodations, transafers, sightseeing and most meals.

Caribbean & Central America, from $399

Trip: A cruise on the MSC Orchestra visits Cayo Levantado, Domininican Republic; Philiburg, St. Maarten; St. John’s, Antigua; and Nassau.
Departures: March 14 and April 11 from Fort Lauderdale.
Length: Seven nights, cruise only.
Cost: From$399 per person, double. Includes choice of cabin accommodations.  Rate for oceanview cabins is $599, for balcony suites $849.

Worldwide stay in Fairmont, Raffles and Swissotel, from$69

Trip: Spend the night at any Fairmont, Raffles or Swissotel property through March 31.
Cost: From $69 at Swissotel properties, from $99 at Fairmont properties, and from $129 at Raffles properties.
Noteworthy: Members of the Fairmont FAMous agent program can book Fairmont rooms starting at $79 and are eligible for a one-level upgrade at time of check-in.

Unfortunately for the non-travel industry traveler, these are only available to travel professionals. However, should  you decide to join the industry as a travel agent for yourself, all these FAM tours, and hundreds more, will be at your fingertips.

Isla Shekhina: An island in a lake on a mountain

Location: Cavinti, Laguna Province, Philippines

Just discovered a unique and  little-known retreat from families and groups– an island in a lake on a mountain.

Isla Shekhina is a pearl on Lake Lumot, nestled in Cavinti, Laguna, in the Sierra Madre Mountain Range.

“Your paradise for the moment is just three hours away from the city.

Think of it – your own 3,000 square meter island for the weekend in the clear waters of Lake Lumot, Cavinti, Laguna.

Go boating, fishing, wading, strolling, bird-watching, star-gazing, isle-hopping or just meditating and counting your breath slowly while viewing blessed Mt. Banahaw in the distance. If you are a certified swimmer, you will enjoy doing laps on the eastern side of the island.”

I did check the website at http://islashekhina.angelfire.com and fell in love with the place immediately.  Isla Shekhina is like no other regular resort.  It’s very private, and allows for great communing with nature. Amenities are sparse, but then that’s the beauty of the experience, right. One can sleep in the 4-person cabin, or sleep under the stars, in tents or in the gazebo. Electricity is available 4 hours in the night, enough to charge your cellphone, or check mail on your laptop. Torches light your way the rest of the night.

What to do on Isla Shekhina? Swim in the freshwater lake, catch fresh fish for your lunch in the open lake, run around with the2  resident pet dogs, count the stars and constellations, practice your yoga or taichi exercises, watch the grass grow, contemplate on your life achievements,  “stare in amazement as the rising moon’s reflection becomes a pillar of light that breaks nto a million shards across the lake.” Of course work-a-holics will also surely have fun conducting mini-workshops on the island.

Suggest you bring you own pillows and beddings, sweater or jacket, flashlight, fishing rod, swim wear and towels, food supplies, a bible or your spirituality book.

Visit Isla Shekhina website to whet your appetite for a simple outdoors retreat, which is only a 4-hour ride from Metro Manila, via the zigzag road of Rizal Province through Pelilia and Paete, or via the SLEX through Los Banos and Pagsanjan in Laguna Province.  A motorized banca provides round trip transfers from docking to house,which is just 3 min.away from the barangay.

Top 10 Easy Eco-Effective Travel Tips

By IdealBite

1. Go Before You Go.
If you wanna avert a little CO2, use the airport lavatory, not the one on the plane, since, believe it or not, the fuel used for every mile-high flush could run a car for 6 mi. Plus, who doesn’t want to avoid the cramped, nasty-smelling airplane bathroom?

2. Do Not Disturb (the Earth, That Is).
Four-star green hotels show that eco-friendly doesn’t mean cockroach-friendly. You’ll get efficient lighting and water fixtures, alternative fuel vehicles, and recycling. If 10,000 people stay at hotels with efficient toilets, faucets and shower heads, each night we’ll save enough water to fill 11,263 whirlpool bathtubs.

3. Lighten Your Eco-baggage.
Most luggage contains eco-unfriendly materials (like the plastic PVC, which lets off cancer-causing chems during production) that make us wanna avoid the baggage carousel at all costs. We’ve got just as durable, just as attractive options in the bag, made from materials like veggie-tanned leather and hemp.

4. Your Hybrid, Sir.
Wanna get chauffeured around in eco-style? Even airport car services are going green, with hybrid or alternative fuel vehicles available in many cities across the country. If 10,000 people opt for a Prius car service for a 20 mi trip, we’ll keep the weight of 76 Priuses in CO2 from entering the atmosphere.

5. An Appointment with the Eco-Shrink.
If skyscrapers and concrete are driving you crazy, maybe it’s time to take a trip outside. One study found that post-op patients who had a view of trees needed fewer painkillers and had shorter hospital stays, so a little dose of the great outdoors could be nature’s Rx. Plus, trips like hiking and camping tend to be less expensive and more relaxing… ahhh.

6. White Powder, Green Resorts.
It’s ski season, and greener winter wonderlands exist in the form of eco-ski resorts. Realizing that global warming could cause shorter seasons, resorts are teaming up to go green, providing alternative fuel shuttles, introducing recycling programs, and installing solar panels. Check our list for the greenest of them all.

7. Skip the Plastic Bottled Water.
Americans use 4 million plastic bottles every hour – but only 1 in 4 is recycled. When on the go or in-flight, make sure to fill up a reusable bottle at the airport or in your hotel room, because believe it or not, bottled water isn’t always cleaner, and the production, shipment, and disposal of plastic water bottles are taking an enormous toll on the environment. The Bite’s team members use non-leaching, stainless steel SIGG bottles.

8. When Nature Calls.
Want to go wild on your next getaway? Choose from a huge variety of eco-adventures that get you off the beaten path, are sustainable, and support local economies. Not just for campers, you have the option of staying at boutique green hotels.

9. Globetrotting Gift Ideas.
Need a birthday or holiday gift for a jetsetting friend? We’ve got the perfect rundown of green gifts for people who just can’t seem to stay in one place…travel kits, travel guides, and goods to make travel just a little more comfy.

10. Chill Out; Get Eco-Pampered.
Rejuvenating, organic-oil aromatherapy and purifying enzyme baths sound like your thing? Check out an eco-spa. Eco-spas use non-toxic and biodegradable products on your bod, and some spas are even built using sustainable materials. The best eco-spas pay their workers fair wages and use non-toxic chems to clean their facilities.