Smart Traveller

As today is Speak Like a Pirate Day (thanks for the reminder, pastymuncher!), here’s a guide to some of the best pirate-related attractions in Florida.

Florida has a long history of piracy and there are many different attractions and events to keep budding pirates occupied.

One of the best-known pirate-themed attractions in Florida is the Pirates of the Caribbean Ride at the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando. The ride, which opened in 1989, was the inspiration for the Pirates of the Caribbean movie trilogy, and has since been added to include more characters from the films. Take your seat on a boat and glide into the Captain Jack Sparrow’s world. There are some great animatronics and special effects, including a sea battle. You’ll find the ride in the Adventureland area of The Magic Kingdom theme park.

The Pirate’s Dinner Adventure in Orlando is also extremely popular and runs a “Talk Like a Pirate Contest” on Speak Like a Pirate Day. You can see the show throughout the year, however, and eat a hearty buffet followed by a Port of Call Pirate’s Feast meal whilst watching the performance, which takes place on a stage designed to look like an 18th century galleon. After the show, you can dance the night away at the Buccaneer Bash.

For something a little more sedate, you can also enjoy at round of pirate-themed mini golf at Pirates Cove on International Drive. You could also take a trip to Tampa Bay to watch the Tampa Bay Buccaneers American Football team at the Raymond James Stadium, which features a huge replica pirate ship.

If you head down to the Florida Keys, you can visit Pirate Soul in Key West, a fantastic interactive museum which houses authentic artefacts, including Thomas Tew’s treasure chest, the only pirate treasure chest left in the world. The best way to get to Key West is to drive, but it’s only about three hours from Miami and you can hire a car at the airport and enjoy the scenery as you drive through the Keys along US Highway 1. Easycar offers some great Florida car hire deals and you can book online.

There are a number of pirate ships operating off the coast of Florida that will let you join the crew. Try Captain Memo’s Pirate Ship in Clearwater or the Pieces of Eight Pirate Cruise which departs from Fort Myers Beach for the ultimate swash-buckling adventure.

Florida also hosts a number of pirate festivals throughout the year, including the Annual Pirate Festival in St. Petersburg in November, the Pirates in Paradise Festival in Key West in November, and the South West Airlines Gasparilla Festival in February.

Altogether now…..Arrrrrrrrrrr!

With autumn well on its way now, here is a run down of some of the best places to visit for a great Halloween holiday!

1. Los Angeles - Halloween is big business in the USA, and you’ll find a whole host of themed events to keep you entertained in and around the City of Angels. Universal Studios, Disney and Knott’s Berry Farm all have special Halloween events but if you fancy a break from the theme parks, check out the West Hollywood Halloween Parade, where you’ll see thousands of people in fancy dress wandering along Santa Monica Boulevard. Even dogs wear costumes and fairy lights! 
2. Massachusetts - The state of Massachusetts is steeped in history, some of which is distinctly haunting! There are a number of different ghost tours that you can take in Boston, including a haunted trolley tour, and you can also take a trip to nearby Salem, which is famous as the site of the 1692 witch trials. Salem has a fantastic programme of events each Halloween, but make sure you book early as it gets extremely busy. For a truly terrifying trip, you can spend a night at the Lizzie Borden Bed & Breakfast in Fall River, about 50 miles south of Boston. In 1892, Lizzie Borden was tried for murdering her father and step-mother with an axe in this property, although she was acquitted.
3. Transylvania  - For a more romantic Halloween holiday, take a tour of Transylvania, the home of Bram Stoker’s fictional vampire, Dracula. You can visit Bran Castle, the 14th century castle which was once the home of Vlad the Impaler, who inspired Stoker’s character, and have a meal in the restaurant in the building in which Vlad was born, in the historic town of Sighisora. Learn about the region’s folklore or simply take in the stunning scenery, including the magnificent Carpathian Mountains.
4. Prague - For a less commercial but equally spooky Halloween trip, try Prague, in the Czech Republic. It has a reputation for being one of the most haunted cities in Europe, and a number of different companies operate ghost tours, including McGee’s Ghost Tours of Prague. Don’t miss the Sedlec Ossuary in nearby Kutna Hora, a chapel decorated with the bones of more than 40,000 people.
5. London - If you are looking for a short break closer to home, you’ll find plenty to entertain you in London. You can visit the London Dungeon, take a spine-chilling tour following the footsteps of Jack the Ripper, or learn about the ghosts that are said to haunt the Tower of London. And if you’re worried about vampires, you can ease your fears with a meal at Garlic and Shots in Soho, which specialises in garlic-laden food and garlic vodka shots.

It’s been a rough few weeks for the travel industry. At the end of August, the low-cost airline Zoom, which flew mainly from the UK to Canada, collapsed.

On the 10th of September, Cheshire-based low budget package holiday firm, Seguro Holidays, went into administration, claiming that its problems were largely as a result of the fact that Spanish airline Futura, which provided most of the firm’s flights, had started insolvency proceedings.

The collapse of the XL Leisure Group, the third largest tour operator in the UK, on Friday, left an estimated 90,000 people stranded abroad. On Sunday, London-based K & S travel (which also operates as Travel Turkey) suspended its operations and there are growing concerns about a number of other airlines and tour operators, including Italian airline Alitalia, which has been losing more than £1 million a day.

Many travellers have been shocked to find that their travel insurance policies don’t cover them if the airline that they are flying with goes bust, and industry experts have been advising prospective travellers that the best way of ensuring that they will be protected in such circumstances is to book a package holiday through a major operator and to pay by credit card.

It’s not just airlines collapsing that can give holiday makers a headache, however. There are many different things that can prevent you from travelling or wreak havoc with your holiday, so it’s vital to do everything that you can to make sure you won’t be paying a hefty bill in the event of a holiday nightmare.

In August 2005, I booked a dream holiday to New Orleans. My friend and I were going to spend Halloween there. Less than a week later, New Orleans was evacuated as Hurricane Katrina headed straight for The Big Easy. I sat glued to CNN and Fox News as history was made for all the wrong reasons. My thoughts were entirely with the people of New Orleans, but as the days went by,  we also had to deal with the practical business of cancelling our bookings and transferring our flights.

As a result, I’m now extremely cautious to make sure that I know exactly what I can and can’t alter and what I can get refunds for when booking holidays. I also learnt a bit more about the US hurricane season and keep a much closer eye on developments at the National Hurricane Center.

Over the next few months, Smart Traveller will be featuring a series of hints and tips about what to look for and what to check when booking your holiday.

Image courtesy of www.freeimages.co.uk