You will find some travel dates should simply be avoided around the holidays. This will allow you to avoid crowds which often equal substantial delays. You will also be able to get the same travel arrangements at a lower price just by carefully calculating the best times to travel.

You may not think that Valentine’s Day is a top travel holiday but it is. It is very important for people to be able to spend this holiday together. Since Presidents Day is very close to Valentine’s Day many people are able to take a long weekend. Avoid traveling during this Monday holiday and you will save money. Instead fly out in the next few days and then stay for a couple of days after Valentine’s Day instead of before.

Spring break takes place for about three weeks in March depending on which schools people are attending. If you plan to travel for spring break you need to plan it very carefully to maximize your time and to get good prices. Many colleges allow people to complete their final exams early. Try to do this and travel on a Wednesday or Thursday. Avoid peak days such as Friday and Saturday. You also want to come back on week days as they will be lower volume dates for travel.

Many people fly to see their parents for Mother’s Day and for Father’s Day. These are important holidays that take place on a Sunday in May and then on a Sunday in June. Traveling on the actual day will save you money over flying out on the Friday or Saturday before. This way you can arrive on their special day and hang out for several days. Your return trip should be for one of the weekdays following the holiday instead of on the weekend.

Thanksgiving is a common holiday that people travel for. Since it always falls on a Thursday, most people get an extended weekend so they can go visit for a few days or take a vacation. The peak of this vacation for travel takes place on the day before Thanksgiving. However, if you are willing to travel on Thanksgiving Day you can avoid the crowds. You will also find you save up to 50% of the price of getting there just by waiting less than 24 hours.

Most people return from their Thanksgiving vacation on the Sunday following the holiday. Try to avoid this day as well and return on the following Monday. Most employers want some people to be in the office on the Wednesday before so offer to do it in exchange for having the following Monday off.

Christmas is another peak holiday travel occasion, and you will find the fares get much higher the closer it gets to the 25th of December. Try to travel before the 19th in order to take advantage of the best possible fares. If you won’t be able to stay through New Year’s that choose a day in the middle of the week after Christmas. These are often slower days than the weekends and you will get better prices.

Avoid travel on New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day as they are two of the most popular travel dates of the year. Fares are often double what they normally would be so you will save yourself plenty of money and delays if you work around them when you travel for the holidays.

If you are travelling further afield, for example anywhere in the Caribbean, check the dates of local festivities as sometimes these are well publicized and travel near these times gets far more expensive.

Check out Flight Network to see how much thay can save you on your travel:

By Amanda Hamilton

Why I Want To Return To Grenada

1. Levera Turtles … I want to go on one of Ocean Spirit’s Educational Tours, and I want to take my son Zack with me. Levera Beach is one of the most important beaches in the world for the Leatherback turtles whose babies hatch there … I want to get up in the middle of the night with Zack and go and watch this annual miracle …

2. Bathway Beach – Grenada….

I want to play in the surf half way down the beach where there are the most extraordinary natural breakers that allow bathers to frolic safely. Opposite Angie’s Bar and the lovely showers, I want to show Zack that the windward oceans of Grenada are FUN to frolic in when you know how.

3. Belmont Estate …Leaders in Agri-tourism, I want to show Zack how even a remote and tiny island, compared with Spain, can put the environment and local needs first, and create truly home made produce from art and crafts to goat’s cheese and milk.

4. Oldest Functioning Rum Distillery in the Caribbean – I want to show Zack that not everything that is made needs to be made with sterile and pristine hygiene. I want to show him that some of the most simple utensils, wrought out of rough materials, can create extraordinary and delicious drinks. I want him to smell the stuff Jack Sparrow likes to get wasted drinking!

5. Petite Anse Hotel – I want to be pampered and adored all over again by Philip and Annie, Michelle and Donna, Aaron and Michelle. One of the world’s best hotels, with a view I’d be happy to die gazing at, from the hammock, with a rum punch in my hand, smiling ….

6. Sauteurs Market– I want to be hustled and grinned at as I walk through the stalls, explaining vegetables and fruits that Zack will never have seen in his life! I want to buy the ingredients to make a proper Oil Down …

7. Carib’s Leap – I want to watch Zack’s eyes pop out of his head as he peers over the edge of the famous “Leapers’ Point” near Sauteurs. I want to help him understand that not everyone in the world is willing to do as others tell them, and many are prepared to die rather than become slaves.

8. Grenada Chocolate Company – I want to see a small boy behave like the “Bisto Kid” and follow his nose through the tiny little Gingerbread Style house that is, extraordinarily, the Grenada Chocolate Factory! I want Zack to learn about where chocolate comes from – to see the pods growing on the trees right through to the final wrapping of the world’s finest Chocolate ready to be munched.

9. I want to take a day trip to Gouyave to the mysterious and haunting Underwater Sculpture Park with my snorkel and flippers. I want to teach Zack how to snorkel while watching fishes darting in and out of Rene and Jason’s fantastic work.

10. I want to stand under a famous Grenadian Waterfall with Zack – I don’t mind if it’s Concorde, Annandale, Royal Mt Carmel, Seven Sisters or Tufton Hall. I want to feel the water batter my brains and I want to scream with glee watching the rainbows dazzling and the dragonflies darting. I want to swim underwater with Zack and come out dripping and smiling.

I wanted to go on and on, but I said ten reasons — so here are my ten reasons … for today!

Grenada – The Magical Isle

Weather

Year round warm weather and sunshine make Grenada a great destination at any time of the year, Like most Caribbean Islands, Grenada’s summer like climate experiences few variations. The seasons are expressed not by winter and summer but by rainy season and dry season.

Grenada is covered in lush tropical vegetation and rainforests. The average year round temperature is 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Daily highs are usually around 86 and nightly lows around 75. The hottest months are from June to August, the coolest November to February. Northeast trade winds provide cool comfortable relief from the more humid weather during the summer, so if you travel during the summer you shouldn’t be overwhelmed by the tropical heat.

Grenada's Bathway Beach

Grenada’s seasons are measured by rainfall rather than by temperature. The dry season falls between January and May, when showers are few and sporadic. The rainy season is June through December, when conditions are more humid and Grenada experiences some heavy rainfall, but usually the showers do not last very long.

Weather in Grenada varies according to altitude. The island has very remarkable topography, with some very mountainous areas. Around the coastline weather tends to be more hot and humid, but as you travel toward the interior of the island, temperatures change drastically. The rain forests of Grenada are often shrouded in thick mists, and temperatures in the forests are considerably cooler than on the outer edges of the island. No matter what the season, light rains often fall in the mountainous and forested areas of Grenada.

Population of Grenada

Grenada’s population numbers about 93,000, comprising citizens of African, East Indian, and European descent. The largest proportion of the population, about 75%, is of African descent.
0-14 years: 33.9% (male 15,329/female 14,997)
15-64 years: 62.7% (male 29,711/female 26,436)
65 years and over: 3.4% (male 1,431/female 1,598) (2005 est.)

Government

The tri-island state remains within the British Commonwealth as an independent nation and the Governor General represents Her Majesty the Queen. There is a 13-member Senate and a House of Representatives with a Speaker and fifteen members are each representing a constituency.

Currency

The East Caribbean dollar is the currency used locally. It is linked to the US dollar.
At the banks you will get EC$2.67 for US$l cash and EC$2.68 for US$l travellers cheques. Shops will give EC$2.60. Currently (Dec 08) you will get about EC$4.2 to the £ Sterling.

Electricity

Voltage is 220 volts – 50 cycles. Appliances rated at 110 volts (US standard) normally work satisfactorily with a transformer.

Entry Requirements

A valid passport and return or onward ticket is required. However, proof of citizenship bearing a photograph is acceptable from British, Canadian and US citizens, if accompanied with a copy of your birth certificate. Visas are not required from citizens of USA, Canada, United Kingdom and its dependencies, British Commonwealth countries, Caribbean countries (except Cuba), European Community countries and their dependencies, Norway, Japan, and Israel. Commonwealth of Independent States such as Russia and the Ukraine and the Baltic States such as Estonia and Latvia, and other eastern European countries such as Hungary, Romania and Slovenia are required to purchase a tourist visa on arrival in Grenada and costs EC$ 25.

Duty Free Allowances – Personal items, one quart in total wines and spirits, half-pound tobacco or 50 cigars or 200 cigarettes. No restrictions on the amount of money that can be brought in. Restricted items are fruits, vegetables, meat, soil, illegal drugs, firearms and ammunition.

Medical Facilities

There is a General Hospital in St.George’s, a smaller hospital in Mirabeau on the east coast and one in Carriacou. A private small Hospital in St.Pauls. Clinics and doctors are available, and housecalls can be made.

Time Zone

Grenada, Carriacou & Petit Martinique are in the Atlantic Standard Time Zone, one hour ahead of Eastern Standard Time and four hours behind GMT.

Water

It is safe to drink the water here.

Geography

Grenada and its largely uninhabited outlying territories are the most southerly of the Windward Islands. The Grenadine Islands chain consists of some 600 islets; those south of the Martinique Channel belong to Grenada, while those north of the channel are part of the nation of St. Vincent and the Grenadines. Located about 160 kilometers north of Venezuela, at approximately 12° north latitude and 61° west longitude, Grenada and its territories occupy a total area of 433 square kilometers.

Grenada, known as the Spice Isle because of its production of nutmeg and mace, is the largest at 310 square kilometers. The island is oval in shape and framed by a jagged southern coastline; its maximum width is thirty-four kilometers, and its maximum length is nineteen kilometers. St. George’s, the capital and the nation’s most important harbour, is favorably situated near a lagoon on the southwestern coast. Of all the islands belonging to Grenada, only two are of consequence: Carriacou, with a population of a few thousand, and its neighbor Petit Martinique, roughly 40 kilometers northeast of Grenada and populated by some 700 inhabitants.

Part of the volcanic chain in the Lesser Antilles arc, Grenada is more rugged and densely foliated than its outlying possessions, but other geographical conditions are more similar. Grenada’s landmass rises from a narrow, coastal plain in a generally north-south trending axis of ridges and narrow valleys. Mount St. Catherine is the highest peak at 840 meters.

Although many of the rocks and soils are of volcanic origin, the volcanic cones dotting Grenada are long dormant. Some of the drainage features on Grenada remain from its volcanic past. There are a few crater lakes, the largest of which is Grand Etang. The swift upper reaches of rivers, which occasionally overflow and cause flooding and landslides, generally cut deeply into the conic slopes. By contrast, many of the water courses in the lowlands tend to be sluggish and meandering.

The abundance of water is primarily caused by the tropical, wet climate. Yearly precipitation, largely generated by the warm and moisture-laden northeasterly trade winds, varies from more than 350 centimeters on the windward mountainsides to less than 150 centimeters in the lowlands. The greatest monthly totals are recorded throughout Grenada from June through November, the months when tropical storms and hurricanes are most likely to occur. Rainfall is less pronounced from December through May, when the equatorial low-pressure system moves south. Similarly, the highest humidities, usually close to 80 percent, are recorded during the rainy months, and values from 68 to 78 percent are registered during the drier period. Temperatures averaging 29°C are constant throughout the year, however, with slightly higher readings in the lowlands. Nevertheless, diurnal ranges within a 24-hour period are appreciable: between 26°C and 32°C during the day and between 19°C and 24°C at night.

Grenada, being on the southern edge of the hurricane belt, has suffered only three hurricanes in fifty years. Hurricane Janet passed over Grenada on 23 September 1955 with winds of 115 mph, causing severe damage. The most recent storms to hit have been Hurricane Ivan on September 7th 2004 causing severe damage and thirty-nine deaths and Hurricane Emily on July 14th 2005, causing serious damage in Carriacou and in the north of Grenada which had been relatively lightly affected by hurricane Ivan.

Grenada is a magical place, visit soon…

In Grenada there are many places to choose from, and all are accessable if you are willing to take a short stroll to where they are located. Depending upon your fitness level, you can choose between a gentle stroll through a well tended garden to get to Annadale falls, if you are feeling very energetic, a 20 minute hike through the rain forest to get to the seven sisters. On some of the trails to the waterfalls, we recommend that you take a hiking guide. The reason that we recommend this, is because, depending upon which falls is your final destination, some of the trails are not properly marked and a short stroll through the rain forest can easily turn into a long hike. Guides can be hired at the Grand Etang forest reserve, and most tour companies offer guided trips to all of the waterfalls.

Annadale Falls

This is the easiest waterfall to get to, with a well tended path which is lined with local fruit trees and flowering plants. It is also one of the smaller of all the waterfalls, and is a favourite stop off point of interest for bus tours.

Annandale Falls - Grenada

Concord Falls – West Grenada

If you like to hike, then this is a treat. The Concord waterfalls is not one, but three waterfalls. It is situated on the edge of the forest reserve on the western side of Grenada, and therefore the water is crystal clear and ice cold. Of the three waterfalls in this area, the first one is the most readily access able, with a paved road leading almost directly up to it. There is nothing like a taking a bracing dip in a cool mountain stream, so we do suggest that you walk with the necessary clothing. The second of the three falls is bigger and taller, and is reached only after a 45 minute hike. The trail goes through a nutmeg plantation and is readily marked, so a guide is not absolutely necessary. However, if you would like a guided tour with someone who can show you the different types of cultivated plants and their uses, then a guide is a must. The third falls is a little off the beaten track, but the trail is easily recognisable. If you are planning on visiting all three of the falls, then we suggest that you plan on spending a morning and pack a light lunch and some refreshments.

Marquis Falls

Situated two miles south of Grenville, it is our largest and highest waterfall. It can be reached quite easily, with a gentle 30 minute hike through a private plantation, where some of the local spices and fruits are grown. It is difficult to get lost, as the sound of the falls will lead you directly there.

Seven Sisters Falls – Grenada

If you are a hiking enthusiast, and are considering a hike through the rain forest, then you should make the Seven Sisters Falls one of your destinations. This is not a very difficult hike, and it will take you through a private plantation where you will get the chance to see cocoa, nutmeg and banana trees and how they are grown. The hike to the falls only takes about 45 minutes, and you will pass through part of the rain forest to get there. If it has rained recently, the trail can get a little muddy, so it is advisable to wear something you are not particularly fond of. Of course, when the trail is muddy, it is also a lot more fun. Don’t worry though, because when you finally get to the falls, you will be able to wash some of the trail off of your shoes. Once there, you can swim or relax by the water. The pools at the foot of the falls are quite big, and the swimming is very refreshing as the water is cool. Of course, don’t forget the hike back to civilization.

So there you have it, some of my favorite places to visit in Grenada, see you soon…