World Tourism Blog

When Joel Simon was a kid, he and his brother began snorkeling around the pilings in murky Alamitos Bay near Long Beach, Calif. “It was one of the most intriguing places I’d ever been,” he says rapturously, nearly 50 years later. “These old rusty cans lying in the muck underneath the dock were actually like treasure chests containing barnacles and octopus and all kinds of wonderful encrusting organisms.”

He’s never lost his love of snorkeling. Today he runs Sea for Yourself, leading trips that combine snorkeling with marine ecology in places far and away from Long Beach, from Florida to Fiji.

Snorkeling can be one of the best ways to see a tropical vacation spot and gain an appreciation of its wild side — the kind that doesn’t do karaoke at the hotel bar until all hours of the night. It’s an activity that’s easy to do, there are myriad colorful, memorable sights to see and it’s a solid way to stay in shape when the daily routine’s been put on hold.

As a way to see the ocean, snorkeling has plenty of advantages over scuba. For one, it’s easy. If you can swim, you can snorkel with very little training. Second, it’s cheap, with no need for heavy, expensive gear purchased, rented or — worse — lugged onto the airplane.

“It’s not equipment-intensive — just mask, fins and a snorkel and off you go,” says Debbie Manos, co-owner of Salt Cay Divers in the Turks and Caicos. The minimum amount of gear can be liberating. And in some cases — diving with whales, for example — the lack of bubbles allows you to get closer to your quarry than you can with scuba gear. “It’s so peaceful. You can float on top of all the sea creatures swimming below and not disturb them in their natural environment.”

For casual snorkelers it’s possible to pick up a $20 mask and snorkel at a local dive shop, ask around for good spots — and jump right in. On the laid-back Puerto Rican island of Culebra, for example, world-class snorkeling is a short hike away via public transport. From the mainland, hop a ferry to Dewey, then take a bus to Playa Flamenco; Carlos Rosario Beach is just 20 more minutes away — on foot. Swim just a few yards offshore, and you’re snorkeling among a wild selection of coral, sea fans and reef fish.

Similarly, Makaha Beach Park on the Hawaiian island of Oahu  is located just off the main highway. Park the car and jump into fantastic snorkeling. Of course, at nearly every popular Caribbean and Pacific vacation spot, plenty of resorts and outfitters are ready to arrange half-day or full-day outings to the offshore reefs.

Then there are the snorkeling spots for real diehards who plan entire vacations around their dives and seek out some of the world’s most pristine coral reefs, often in remote places. Just getting to Rurutu in French Polynesia is a bit of an adventure (it’s 350 miles south of Tahiti); but then you still have to take a boat to find migrating humpback whales. Likewise, Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, one of the world’s great snorkeling spots, lies 12 to 50 miles offshore. In some places it’s possible to snorkel from an island resort; in other cases you’ll have to travel by boat for your day’s swim.

But what’s perhaps most satisfying about recreational snorkeling is that its joys are the same for those who do it on vacation once every few years as for those who live in tropical locales year round.

When Tori Cullins, co-owner of Wild Side Specialty Tours on Oahu, moved to Hawaii, she missed the “warm furry critters” from the mainland. “We don’t even have squirrels,” says the. “I took to the water to satisfy the nature disconnect I was feeling. Reefs are more diverse than rainforests, and what land animal can compete with the beauty, intelligence and evolutionary success of dolphins and whales?”

And on top of all that, snorkeling is a great way to get exercise on an otherwise sedentary vacation. “You are preoccupied with all the beauty of the underwater world and don’t realize how much swimming you are doing,” says Manos.

Whatever your level of commitment, a good snorkeling trip requires just four things: clear water, gentle currents, abundant aquatic life and the chance to get away from the crowds. Home Security Systems.

My friend and I recently booked a tour of Australia, New Zealand and Fiji through Grand Circle Travel. The trip never happened, and now it looks as if it never will, even though I bought travel insurance.

Our flight from Boston to Los Angeles was delayed because of a mechanical problem. When it was fixed, we couldn’t fly because our crew had timed out. The flight was eventually canceled.

The soonest our airline could get to Los Angeles was five days later. I called Grand Circle Travel, and a representative instructed me to call her back when I knew our new flight plans so they could connect us with the rest of the tour in Australia.

We found another flight from Washington, and took a bus from Boston to Washington. We made it as far as Maryland before the bus stalled outside of Baltimore — another mechanical delay. We missed our flight.

At this point, we had no connection on Qantas from Los Angeles and had lost the majority of the Australia portion of the trip. One of the most important things we were looking forward to was swimming in the Great Barrier Reef and taking underwater photographs. We decided to cancel. My insurance company only refunded me $750 of $5,400 I spent. Is there anything you can do to help?

Your trip really wasn’t meant to happen. Trust me on this. After two mechanical delays and a missed flight, can you imagine what would have awaited you in Australia? Think of that swim on the reef. Think great white sharks and box jellyfish.

Aren’t you glad you stayed home?

Grand Circle should have respected your choice — recognized that fate was preventing you from traveling — and helped you secure a refund. Instead, it passed you off to your travel insurance company, which returned only a fraction of your tour. Never mind the expenses you incurred trying to get from Boston to Washington.

Grand Circle’s terms and conditions — available on its Web site — are clear about its liability in a situation like yours. It has none.

“Grand Circle is not responsible if an airline cancels or delays a flight for any reason, including weather,” it says. “If you are unable to make your departure, it is your responsibility to work with the airline on which you are ticketed to reach your destination. Operator is not responsible for any additional expenses you may incur prior to joining your trip. Operator is not responsible for and will not provide any refund for portions of trips missed due to cancelled or delayed flights.”

What’s more, your travel insurance policy has exclusions that limit its liability, which explains why you only recovered a fraction of the cost of your tour.

An appeal to Grand Circle is your best option for a do-over. It sold you an insurance policy that covered a small part of your trip, but more importantly, the circumstances that led to your cancellation were truly extraordinary. The letter you drafted to your insurance company and sent to me was too lengthy. A tight, polite missive might have yielded a more desirable result.

I contacted Grand Circle on your behalf. A representative called you and suggested that if you had stayed in Boston, you might have been able to make your tour. Clearly, she wasn’t familiar with your case. After some more back-and-forth, Grand Circle sent you a voucher for $3,400 that can be redeemed for a future tour. Home Security Systems.

The magic of Fiji’s natural beauty is matched only by the world-famous friendliness of its people, and their diverse, captivating culture.

Fiji lends itself to all genres of travel. Honeymooners, divers, backpackers, families, bird-watchers, adventurers, independent travellers and tour groups all flock here to make the most of the stunning landscape and abundant sunshine.

Luxury beachside resorts and private transport cater to tourists looking for pure rest and relaxation with minimum effort.

But it’s also easy to get off the tourist trail and explore the archipelago independently, regardless of your age or budget. Travellers in this camp can make the most of good transport networks and plenty of accommodation in popular destinations, with minimum preplanning. Peak-season travel will require more thought, as will reaching remote areas such as the Lau, Moala, and Rouma islands. National Hard Money Association Conference