Corporate Travel Destinations

Executive retreats are a mainstay in mid- and large-size companies, as well as many smaller businesses, and provide an environment that is dedicated to establishing new goals, revising policies and procedures that are no longer effective, determining how best to guide and grow the company, and choosing the best tack for moving forward into a strong, successful future. Whether or not your company is in need of a significant change in course, an executive retreat at sea is sure to provide the setting and motivation needed to deliver the results your firm needs.

Executive retreat cruises can be easily arranged for small or large groups and can allow for up to a 40% savings over planning your event at a land-based venue. Additionally, all-inclusive cruises are ideal for establishing and staying within your company’s budget with meals, accommodations, entertainment, drinks, onboard activities and meeting facilities included in one upfront price. At the same time, cruise ships offer many additional luxuries that your participants can choose to partake in, such as spa treatments, boutique shopping and land excursions, which increases the appeal this option will have to your attendees.

Executive retreats at sea have the dual benefits of providing well-equipped meeting facilities that will assist participants in staying motivated and meeting goals, while also allowing your participants to enjoy a memorable, relaxing vacation experience when not in meetings. This allows your executives to accomplish the necessary tasks and return to the office at the end of the retreat refreshed, revitalized and ready to implement the policies or changes agreed upon during the retreat.

Visit Seasite.com to find group cruise planning tools that will make planning your next executive retreat a breeze.

All companies struggle with the challenge of finding the ideal client appreciation gifts for the customers and clients who have helped them reach their sales goals or grow their business throughout the year. Smaller companies often opt for branded merchandise, gift certificates or other small gifts; however, this is really not an option for companies that cater to high-end clientele or provide upscale services. While branded merchandise or gift certificates may be included in your client appreciation package, they need to be coupled with a memorable appreciation gift that will appeal to clients with high disposable incomes.

This falls into the category of trying to find the perfect gift for the person who has everything, since your high-end clients are likely able to easily acquire items of interest to them. This being the case, providing your clients with an experience, rather than a tangible gift, is most often the best option. With this in mind, it is easy to see why upscale, luxury cruises are an ideal option for thanking your high-end clients. The key to making client appreciation cruises truly appealing to clients who can take a cruise whenever they like – and probably have – is to ensure that they will have a memorable experience that shows that your company truly put thought into providing a remarkable gift to show your appreciation.

You can do this by selecting one of the top cruise lines, opting for cruises that are at least 5-7 days in length and including luxury extras, such as spa treatments, excursions, personalized travel products and pillow gifts.

You can easily compare top cruise lines and their offerings by visiting Seasite.com and using the convenient group cruise planning tools available.

The first step in planning a group cruise is to determine either the time of year that the cruise needs to take place, or the preferred destination. This is because some destinations are available – and a viable option – throughout the year, while others are not. Therefore, if you want a group cruise to Alaska, but were hoping for a winter departure, you may want to rethink either the timing or the location.

Here are the most popular cruise destinations and the months that group cruises to these destinations should be planned:

• Alaska – April through September
• Bahamas – January through December
• Baltic/Scandinavia – January through December
• Bermuda – April through October
• Caribbean – January through December
• Costa Rica – January through May
• Dubai – January through December
• Hawaii – January through December
• Mediterranean/Greek Isles/Riviera – January through December
• Mexican Riviera – January through December
• Pacific Northwest – March through June or September through November
• Rivers of Europe – March through December
• Rivers of North America – January through December
• South Africa – September through April
• South America – November through March
• Tahiti – January through December

If you would like to learn more about the best time to cruise to different destinations or to take advantage of group cruise planning tools that make cruise sourcing and planning simple and convenient, visit Seasite.com, where you will find helpful information, ideas for planning cruise events and group cruise planning tips and tools.

When planning incentive travel packages, travel planners are always looking for great travel deals, tools that make planning easier and more convenient, and ways to save money without cutting quality. On top of all of the normal planning duties that corporate travel planners face, they must not only ensure that incentive travel packages are well-organized and the trip will go off without a hitch, but also that the trip will have the appeal needed to serve its function as a motivator for employees. In order to achieve this, the incentive travel package must have certain qualities.

One important thing to keep in mind is that the trip must be affordable for winners. Just because your company is footing the bill for transportation, accommodation and some additional expenses, that does not mean the trip will automatically be affordable to the winners. This is why it is important to pick a location that is enticing and exciting, but not so high-end that some winners may not be able to enjoy the destination.

One way to ensure that all winners, regardless of their level in the company, can enjoy incentive travel is to opt for a group cruise event. All-inclusive group cruises provide a fun, luxury vacation, while also ensuring that all of your participants will be able to fully participate in the incentive travel awarded to them. Because all-inclusive group cruises cover accommodations, meals, drinks, onboard entertainment and activities and many extras, your winners can choose to spend on additional activities, tours and souvenirs, or can simply enjoy everything that is included in the price of the cruise.

The island of Aruba is part of the Dutch Antilles located in the Caribbean just north of Venezuela. Every year, tourists are drawn to its sun-soaked shores to enjoy relaxing beachside vacations filled with water sports, long walks on sandy beaches, sipping cocktails under a beach umbrella and SCUBA diving in the crystal clear waters of the nearby coral reef off of De Palm Island. A cruise terminal and international airport are located on the island, allowing corporate travel planners and event planners to include this Caribbean paradise as part of a group cruise, or as a single corporate travel destination. The Reina Beatrix Airport (AUA) is just 2.5 miles from Oranjestad, which is also the home to the main cruise port, which is located just a short five-minute walk from the city center.

The main cities on the island are San Nicolas and Oranjestad, each of which offers a variety of meeting and event venues, with two of the most popular resort hotels on the island being the Aruba Gold Coast and the Occidental Grand Aruba. Popular attractions and activities available on the island include water sports, horseback riding, biking, bird watching at the Bubali Bird Sanctuary, the weekly Bonbini Festival at the Aruba Historical Museum and an 18-hole championship golf course.

Whether you are planning a group cruise, incentive travel package or corporate event, you simply cannot go wrong with Aruba.

For a different kind of group cruise experience, you may want to consider barge cruising on rivers in Europe. This type of laidback cruising is ideal for groups of 12 or less and offers a casual, intimate atmosphere that is perfect for an executive retreat, a teambuilding experience or small-scale corporate meetings and events. Barges are often captained by the owner and cooking is often taken care of by the owner or the spouse of the owner, with local foods that are purchased daily before leaving the night’s mooring spot in the morning. This adds to the houseguest feel of barge cruising, and generally also makes for wonderfully outfitted barges that show distinctive pride of ownership.

During the day, guests will enjoy slowly making their way down Europe’s inland waterways, and then will have the opportunity to go ashore to visit quaint villages or wineries before heading to bed each night. Many barge cruises include tours of sites of historical or cultural importance and sometimes have eclectic, impromptu entertainment during the evening. Some barge cruises also offer optional extras, such as hot air ballooning, which can make your corporate travel even more memorable. Exclusive ship charters allow you to organize an intimate awards ceremony or relaxing incentive travel package that is sure to appeal to your attendees.

The Cyclades (or Kyklades) are a group of islands within the greater group of Greek Islands. These are the Greek Islands of the travel posters with the white Mediterranean-style architecture situated above pristine beaches surrounded by the azure waters of the Aegean Sea.

Make no mistake, these scenic islands are known the world over for their historic beauty, temperate climate and exciting ambiance. With that fame comes crowds, and in high season this is not the place to find a secluded retreat. This is; however, the place for people who know how to enjoy life. And for those people, the islands of The Cyclades are well worth the crowds.

The Islands of Santorini, Paros and Mykonos are excellent first-time visitor destinations and corporate travelers will find plenty of facilities for events or meetings. But on these islands, there are also plenty of opportunities for fun. The summers are hot with a bit of wind in August and September, so the beaches are full of sun worshipers. In the evenings most people go to the local taverns to sit and enjoy a drink while gazing on the beauty that surrounds them. There are regular ferries running between the islands and island hopping is a must for a Greek Islands trip.  In addition there are great Greek Island cruises that would be a perfect addition to your corporate meeting schedule or incentive travel package.  Many cruise lines offer itineraries to popular Greek Islands, so planners may want to consider booking an incentive cruise.  The group cruise planning tool at Seasite.com is the only online tool that will give you access to all cruise lines when sourcing a cruise.

Alaska is one of those dream destinations.  Imagine seeing the aurora borealis, or magnificent glaciers.  During the summer it is the land of the midnight sun, while in the winter months, there is little or no sunlight in many areas of Alaska – making summer the more popular time for visitors, although those wishing to see the aurora borealis will have to brave the winter months.

Why not think about hosting your next corporate meeting event in Alaska?  There is something for everyone.  Outdoors men will be in heaven!  Fishing, hunting, hiking, and many more activities are available.  Want to hunt for gold?  You can do that too.  Or why not book a group cruise through the inside passage to see glaciers and whales? 

The sky's the limit, and Alaska cruise events are always popular, especially for those attendees with families.  So give it some thought for your next corporate meeting event.  Cruise events are generally much more economical than land based events, since cruises are all inclusive.  So you can stay within your budget and plan a meeting event that your attendees will be talking about for the next year.