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Sunday, January 15, 2017

Seafarers Family Vacation Tips!

TIPS  On SEAFARERS In Planning Their Vacation
 Abroad With Their Family


Hello This is Christopher Founder Of: cecventures.com
and today I just wanna share one of the favourite stuff of my fellow seafarers and one of those is a family vacation.
Seafarer's Travel a lot in every part of the world because that is a part and nature of our work and I know everyone likes it.
But who among us is very proud if we can travel some part of the world together with our loved ones such as your wife and children.
So I just wanna share what we have experienced from planning this vacation I will give all TIPS! that we can give so that every seafarer can benefit from it.
Please watch all the links that I will give because everything will be important during vacation planning.
Before I forgot I just wanna share my compelling reason why did I start my goals to have a family vacation abroad.
last time I join the ship I am in manila airport bound for Hongkong and I saw a family husband and wife together with their children and I look at them that they are very happy on their journey.
So I ask myself in this way " How many years I am travelling as a seafarer and yet  my family does not have an opportunity to travel with me.
So before I start my job at sea I set my goals last year that I need to start travelling with my family while I am young.
And I know no all seafarer's have the opportunity to travel abroad with their family so that's why I wrote this blog for you to have an inspiration and to start planning your next vacation with your family.
So here are my FREE Tips!

Tip #  1
Make a plan!
Do you remember our SMS ( safety management system ) onboard ?
" Plan what you do and Do what you plan "
Many things we want doesn't happen not just because lack of money but because lack of planning and goals if you want to achieve your personal goals you need to plan it ahead of time and work for it to make it happen.
This is the screen shot of my excel file when I started to wrote this plan when I'm still onboard on my last vessel.
wrote it and feel it that It will gonna happen.

Tip # 2
Save a budget for the vacation
How much you want to have a vacation with your family it will not happen if you will not save an amount for that, so for you to feel that it will happen you need to discipline yourself through savings.
every month we receive our cash advance from captain separate immediately your budget for family vacation.

Tip # 3
Make a list of your things to bring for travel

One of the most common mistake and problem you will encounter in family vacation is when you missed something at home like smart phone charger, medicine or whatever important thing we need during our vacation and that is one of my observation on my fellow seafarers they go onboard with lack of the things they need because they don't make a list for their stuff onboard and sometimes due to urgent joining the ship so that is one of my practice before I join the ship I have my list so that in my computer so that I can update it anytime and I will print it so that while I am preparing my stuff onboard I am sure that all things I need will be on my luggage.
and in fact some I generate small amount in selling onboard because my colleagues forgot the following like:
* Mouse
* Comb
* Nail cutter
* personal flashlight
* USB
and many more, some of my fellow seafarers in our company knows that I am selling these following stuff that they forgot to bring and they are glad that I bring something they forgot on their stuff onboard.
So here is my " List to bring "  you can click here to download your own copy
--->>>>  http://cecventures.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/List-To-Bring.xlsx

Tip # 4
Choose between the two vacation options:
1. Plan your vacation with the help of travel agency.
Advantage - You don't need to plan for your vacation you will just choose their vacation promo package and then pay for it.
Disadvantage - Probably it will be Expensive
2. Plan your vacation with your own booking style.
Advantage - You can plan your own travel with your own budget and you can save some money from it you are the boss of your own vacation.
Disadvantage - You need to plan diligently for you schedule, booking and you will experience a lot of effort from it because the plan came from you.

Tip # 5
Book your vacation ahead of time:
If you will book ahead of time your vacation becomes cheaper since you book your vacation ahead of time let's say 1 month ahead in this way you can avail some promo, so plan your schedule diligently and book ahead of time.
Make sure you will be there on the schedule that you book unless time and chance won't permit you to be there so we don't have a choice but to cancel the vacation when you cancel the vacation on your flights and hotels expect that re - book will be more expensive.

Tip # 6
How to have a sure vacation budget?
There are two options on how you can save your vacation budget
1. Is saving an amount every month when captain gave you your cash advance.
2. Try to ask an extension of your contract and then use that amount base on your destination you want to go, although this will be a sacrifice because we need to work more than our contract but who among us doesn't know how to sacrifice for our families sake? we work hard for them so why not ask an extension?

Tip # 7
Hotel Selection
In Singapore one of the famous and expensive hotel is in marina bay sands.
We did not book our hotel here since we have our specific budget but base on my fellow Filipino tourist came from Singapore what they did is they book first the cheap hotel for 2 days and after they book their hotel in marina bay sands for 1 day, meaning they will transfer another hotel which is in marina bay after 2 days in these way they can experience the expensive and well-known hotel in Singapore.
It's not important how much you spend in vacation what matters most is what you have enjoy and experience.

Tip # 8
Book your vacation out of peak season
If possible in your vacation schedule try to book in non peak season because peak season is not just only expensive but also it will make your vacation very tiring.
Because a lot of people is going on the place that you plan to go.

Tip # 9
Prepare for your cameras memory
Nowadays we preferred to post a picture and videos in our social media account on what's happening on our vacation but It will become a sad thing if you don't have an excess memory for the moments that you need to captured it.
By the way I will gave my list including my gadgets that I am suggesting that you need to bring on your vacation.

Tip # 10
Be careful on your travel in crowd places
If you  have a child that needs to have a guardian you don't want to ruin yourself regarding on your vacation because you lost your child in your hand. before it may happen you need to bare in your mind that you did not go for vacation just for the place attraction you are there together with your loved once because you need to take care of them too while you are on vacation. so be very careful and also your belongings.

Tip # 11
Watch your daily budget
I learned vacation budgeting in my mentor Capt. Christopher Cervantes founder of cardinalbouy.com
I one thing he suggest is like this let's say if you will stay around 3 days and your budget is around 300 for 3 days probably you need to spent only 100 $ per day in these way your budget will be evenly distributed for 3 days.
if you spent more than your budget definitely your budget the following day is not enough.
You may buy an accordion enveloped because these tool is very effective in monitoring your budget daily.

Tip # 12
Observe for opportunities in Business and Investments

Some of great businesses and Investments came from other places that had bring it's concept in other places.
One of my friend when he travel he did not just make himself happy in his vacation  he also look and observe for other opportunities for business and investments that he can be learned and possible he can apply.

Tip # 13
Baggage Space:
You need to prepare some space in your luggage before you start departing for vacation or you can bring some extra bag for preparation for some souvenirs that you want to buy.

Tip # 14
Avoid broadcasting on social media while you are in vacation
Some people if they know you that you have a big and elegant house or they knew you have a lot of money if they will see that you are on vacation if there is someone who wants to make a bad thing like theft. be careful unless you have a lot of security guards in your house.
In our case before we leave my parents is in our house so we don't need to think about our house while we are enjoying our vacation.
If you will just leave your house alone make sure that all faucet are properly close refrigerator are only in # 1 setting to avoid to much ice or if does not have anything inside much better shut it down. close all window and all the doors properly.

Tip # 15
Prepare your local currency money on your destination
When I receive my unpaid wages in the office I did not change all my dollar currency I separate an amount for our vacation. In this way you don't need to buy a dollar in your place like banks which is more expensive rather than separating some amount for your vacation.
Before we fly in Singapore we change some amount of Singaporean dollars so that when we arrive in Singapore we have already a money for our taxi fare to travel in our hotel.
In our case we don't go in travel agency we book our flight and hotel through online.
Set your budget for how many days you will stay and when you arrive in airport of your destination you can change your money for their local currency.

Tip # 16
Prepare extra cash:
Though you have your certain budget you really don't know how much amount you need to spend when you are already in vacation since every stuff price tends to go higher and higher much better you have an extra cash than nothing.


Tip # 17
Padlock your luggage anytime you leave your hotel
Before you leave your hotel before you start your tour make sure you have your padlock and lock all your luggage as possible so that you are sure that it is more safer than to leave it open when you leave better than safe than never.
In addition much better to paint your key and padlock for colour coding in this way you can easily select the right key and you don't need to waste a lot of time.

Tip # 18
Plan your schedule
Sometimes you wanna go to look for some stuff that you want but the problem is your time is ruined because your partner or your family is busy looking for souvenirs for other people. make a schedule for buying time for souvenirs because you go there to enjoy your vacation not to please other people just only for buying their souvenirs.

Tip # 19
Additional savings for vacation
We all know that our salary onboard has it's different range from officers to ratings so if you think your salary is not enough to have your dream vacation with your family you can do some practical things such as cutting down your expenses onboard such as slop chest or expenses in going ashore you are not depriving yourself in this way you are just practicing discipline on savings that you probably the amount you can save will be for your family vacation.

Tip # 20
Bring extra clothes:
Don't think that you will just wear a one shirt for the whole day of travelling other country in their famous places most of them are outdoor so before you get sick of not changing your back with a new shirt. bring an extra at least you have two shirts per day.

Tip # 21
Try your new recipe with their signatures dishes:
Family vacation will be a lot of eating and drinking. but if you are a cook at your home it will be a good opportunity for you to copy their signature dish specially when it is a healthy food try to explore their dishes for you to serve a new taste at your kitchen.

Tip # 22
Charging Slot:

I know a lot of seafarers travel and spent some times in hotels when joining and signing off the ship. as you can see some hotels have a limited electrical slots.
If you want to charge you smart phone or power bank you may use the side slot of USB in their Led television it can charge our electrical device such as smart phones , MP3, power bank and many more.

Tip # 23
Travel Tax expenses:

We seafarers are tax free when we are joining our ship but being a tourist and spending your vacation in abroad is a different.
We need to pay our " travelling tax " when we travel.
 In our case from manila to Singapore adult travel tax is around 1,620 pesos or 33 US dollars about the children the tax is reduced up to 800 pesos or 16  US dollars.
for more info you may check this out in the Philippine airlines --->>
https://www.philippineairlines.com/FAQs/TaxesFeesandSurcharges


Do you want to have a copy of these blog?
Click It here! --- >>>  http://cecventures.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Seafarers-family-Vacation-Tips.docx


I hope you learned something on my Tips and I hope it will be helpful some of those I have written.
So I am happy not just to share my tips but also to share my FREE eBook on Seafarer's!
Which I called:
A Seafarer's Financial Compass
How To Multiply Your Income While You Are Still a Seafarer

I am offering these book for Free! Yes! Absolutely FREE!!!
These FREE eBook is all about income multiplier topic on how we can grow our hard earned money onboard while we are still a seafarer.
What the readers say about my book?
Read it her --->>>  cecventures.com
To Have my FREE eBook you can download your copy at cecventures.com
Goodbye for now!
Bon Voyage.






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