Orlando, Florida has become one of the top vacation destinations in the whole country, if not the world. Not only does it boast a plethora of attractions and amusements for the whole family, it’s also only a stone’s throw away from Daytona and Tampa Bay.

Recently one of our customers sent us this glowing testimonial of their stay at Cypress Pointe Grand Villas in Orlando, Florida.

My first experience of Orlando was when I was about eight years old. I remember my family all piling into the car and making the journey all the way from Virginia. I have such fond memories of the week we spent at Disney World, Gatorland, and all the other attractions in the area. Recently I vacationed to Orlando for the first time since then and it was just as wonderful. (more…)

There are a few suggestions from your doctor to keep healthy that have been fairly static for many years: drink 10 glasses of water a day, exercise, cut out the junk food, and get a good night’s rest. But now there is evidence suggesting that adding adequate vacation time helps just as much to preserve the health of your heart and reduce your overall likelihood of death by twenty percent. A collection of studies by Framingham and the State University of New York at Oswego found that men as well as women benefit from taking at least one yearly vacation. Also noting that Americans take less time off of work than their European counterparts, at about two weeks yearly compared to three or four in Europe.

The results of recent studies are astounding! Women who took only one vacation every six years were eight times more likely to develop heart disease than those who took two vacations yearly. More evidence suggests that women who take frequent vacations cut their overall risk of death by half! In addition, men who take yearly vacations reduced their risk of death by up to 20 percent and their risk of death by heart disease by up to 30 percent. Not only do vacations improve your health, but they are essential in reducing stress, improving marital intimacy, enhancing sleep, and balancing mood. Vacation time has always been highly desired, but with these findings it has become even more important to enjoy your time off!

One does not need to travel to the far expanses of the earth for a fix either. For many a direct flight to mexico can be the start of an all inclusive (and affordable) quick getaway. Or maybe a golf excursion with friends is the right prescription. No matter where you go it’s about time to take a vacation isn’t it?! We aren’t politely suggesting it…it’s doctor’s orders!

It’s finally summer and the vacation season is hotter than ever! We’re sure your air conditioners are running at max capacity and your sunscreen is within arm’s reach. But with all the talk about ‘going green‘ and ‘global warming,’ we’d like to take a step back and give you some simple tips to conserving energy, saving money, and reducing your ‘carbon footprint’ this travel season.

It’s all about reducing your impact on energy consumption, waste, and recycling. Sure, you’ve probably been hearing the same things for years…”reduce, reuse, recycle,” but that’s not all there is to it. There’s so many little things you can do on an everyday basis to shrink your environmental impact whether you’re on vacation or at home. Here’s some of our top tips for being environmentally friendly while enjoying paradise!

1. Go carbon neutral: Whether you travel by plane, car, bus, or even train, you can purchase carbon offsets from organizations in order to make your journey ‘carbon-neutral,’ meaning that there for every bit of waste generated by your drive, flight, or ride, that something will be done to counteract that waste. Examples include planting trees, alternative energy research, or even waste management initiatives. You can generally offset a flight for less than $40 and feel good about your trip and to the part that you’re playing to make our world a better place!
2. Cut your energy usage: For most of us, we only worry about energy usage when it’s coming out of our own pockets. As time goes on we’re all starting to realize that at some point we all pay a price. It doesn’t take much to conserve energy by simply turning off lights and electronics that we aren’t using! If you leave a room, switch out the light. When you’re not using your computer, shut it down. When you leave your accommodations, turn off the air conditioner and cover the windows. Check out these useful goodies to get on track to going green! You’d be surprised how much energy can be saved simply by getting used to cutting back a little bit! Best of all, when you start saving money from conserving you’ll have more to vacation with!
3. Recycle everything your can: In a world where almost everything we use on a daily basis is made of plastic, paper, or aluminum, it’s easy to recycle! Plastic takes hundreds, if not thousands, of years to decompose. This leaves a huge mark on our environment and it’s not going to go away all by itself. Instead of opting for plastic, choose paper. It’s much more abundant and is easy to replace and recycle!
   

It’s really not difficult at all, but it does take some retraining. It’s up to you to make a difference in your own world! This summer let’s all make it a point to conserve, protect, and prioritize in order to reduce our impact on the environment and shrink our overall energy consumption. Happy (Green) Vacationing!