The perfect combination of sun and fun, Florida’s panhandle is lined with idyllic sugar-sand beaches and crowded with fabulous restaurants and fun things to do. From Santa Rosa to Panama City, Florida’s Gulf Coast is dotted with one delightful Panama City vacation rental after another like gleaming seashells scattered on the beach. The towns along what Floridians call “the big bend” offer a delightful potpourri of vacation styles to choose from. Each town seems to have a personality all its own and each offers visitors unique delights beyond the Gulf Coast’s universally gorgeous sandy beaches.

Vacationers to Florida’s panhandle will want to return again and again to sample the various delights of the Gulf Coast’s many vacation spots.

Whether you’re planning a romantic getaway at the luxurious Beachside Villas on relaxing Santa Rosa Beach or a week of family fun at the Destin West Beach & Bay Resort in family-friendly Fort Walton Beach or want to be at the center of Spring Break action at 1812 Shores of Panama in Panama City,  you’ll find an outstanding selection of Beaches of South Walton vacation rentals or Panama City vacation rentals.

Vacationers will find the largest and most eclectic selection of things to do, shopping, restaurants and nightlife centered on the panhandle’s “Emerald Coast” from Fort Walton Beach to Destin. If you want to experience the pristine, natural beauty of the area, pack a picnic, rent some snorkeling gear and take a day trip to St. Joseph Peninsula State Park on the eastern edge of the coastal barrier islands. A quiet oasis of breathtaking natural beauty, the park attracts more than 300 species of birds and offers picture postcard views, miles of white sugary sand, snorkeling and hiking. End your day with a glass of wine on the beach while you watch the sun melt slowly into the ocean. Vacationing doesn’t get much better than that!

Search for Panama City Beach condo rentals, Panama City vacation rentals or Beaches of South Walton vacation rentals today!

Public relations is too often overlooked and underestimated when it comes to business – at least, that’s how one PR expert sees it.

In an article written by PRNewsonline.com, Karen Hinton, president of the Washington D.C.-based public relations firm Hinton Communications, calls BP “the poster child for bad PR practices.”

“At the beginning of the spill, company executives sounded the right tone, but they couldn’t maintain it because of the lies, misrepresentations and careless decision-making revealed through anonymous sources, leaked memos and, in many instances, the company’s own utterances—many of which have been foolish, half-witted and naive”, said Hinton.

Two weeks ago, BP decided it would be a good idea to launch an ad campaign in relation to their oil spill disaster- they were wrong. Spending money on an ad campaign while oil is still desolating our beautiful beaches and their wildlife inhabitants, is never a good idea.

As for the ad campaign itself, Hinton tells PRNewsonline.com, ““It comes across as insincere and manipulative in the midst of 24/7 television coverage that hasn’t even begun to capture the destructive images on the Gulf Coast.”

This calamitous PR ploy by BP is going to be scrutinized by marketing gurus, and remembered by business owners and executives for years to come- hopefully as a lesson on what not to do in a crisis.

As a leading company in the vacation rental management industry, we here at iTrip.net have seen the affects of the oil spill firsthand and we are appalled by the actions of BP over the last couple of months. Honesty and loyalty are just as important to the success of a company as the income that keeps the company afloat. We understand that a happy client creates a loyal client, and that’s one of the many concepts we’ve built our business model upon.

We offer a “Worry-Free Guarantee” to all of our clients, and we have several testimonials from clients who have found solace in our services. We strive to be the poster child for good public relations, marketing and customer service, and we’re confident you will find that at iTrip.net.

Here is the horrid BP ad campaign via Youtube.

ITRIP.NET CLOSES OUT 2009 WITH A STRONG PRESENCE IN 10 MARKETS

Plans for 10 New Markets in 2010

Despite the tough economic climate faced by many businesses in 2009, iTrip.net, a full-service, web-based vacation rental system has grown its presence both online and in the markets it currently holds, including Destin, Panama City, Orlando, South Walton Beach and Perdido Key in Florida, and Playa Hermosa, Costa Rica.

The founders of iTrip.net, Steve Presley, Kathy and Todd Morrison, and Thomas Bissmeyer, who have over 20 years of combined experience in managing vacation properties, have created a unique rental management system, which they have coined “Vacation Rental Management 3.0.”

This property owner-centered system has revolutionized the traditional vacation rental marketplace by offering property owners and travelers alike the benefits of online booking, flexibility in rental periods and rates, hand-picked properties in order to ensure the highest quality standards, full-service maintenance of properties, reduced commissions and fees, exclusion of “rotation” practices, and the benefit from a large group with overage bookings.

The future is bright for iTrip, which has plans to expand to new markets in 2010, based on the changing needs and interests of both travelers and rental property owners.

For more information, testimonials, and resources for travelers and property owners about iTrip.net, please visit the company website, http://www.itrip.net, or contact Steve Presley at (615) 476-0902.

Following the attempted – and failed – Christmas Day terrorist attack on a U.S. bound flight, the TSA has released some new security directives as a reaction to the incident.  Of course, this means more strict regulations and procedures that you can expect to find the next time you fly, both internationally and domestically.  As many of you may have read about or seen on television, some of the new guidelines will affect the number of carry-on bags allowed, what may be contained in these carry-on items, and when and for how long you may be allowed to move about the cabin while in flight.  Instead of posting the entire document, I’m linking to it via Flying With Fish.  Here is the link if you have trouble opening the hyperlink:

http://boardingarea.com/blogs/flyingwithfish/2009/12/27/tsa-security-directive-sd-1544-09-06-the-fallout-from-nw253/

Even in these uncertain times, one thing you can be sure of is that when you book your next vacation rental with iTrip, it comes with a 100% worry-free guarantee! iTrip only provides you with the most top-notch, high quality vacation rental properties available.  Just take a look at some of our testimonials to see what our satisfied renters are saying about our service.

I came across this great article in the Orlando Sentinel about how to get through the sometimes stressful holiday travel time, and thought I’d pass it along.  Of course, make iTrip your first stop for first-class accommodations when you travel!

A Holiday Survival Guide: 5 Things You Absolutely Must Know

Chris Elliott, Orlando Sentinel

December 8, 2009

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/travel/news/orl-travel-troubleshooter-2-120809,0,1730658,full.column

Ask Suzy Bennett how she’s approaching the 2009 holiday travel season, and she’ll tell you she isn’t.

“We’re staying home,” says Bennett, who works for a water treatment company in Linwood, Kan. “Or we’re driving.”

Why? Like many other travelers, Bennett is tired of the nonexistent customer service that seems to be the standard these days, and which only gets worse as the inevitable crush of passengers descends on every airport, bus station and train terminal between now and New Year’s Day.

“It’s just not worth the aggravation of flying, except when absolutely necessary,” she said. “My husband and I will drive the 600 miles to our family for the holiday and not be any more tired or annoyed than by flying. Plus, we won’t have to worry about luggage and gifts.”

That’s the bad news. The good news? Travelers are a lot more optimistic about how they’ll get where they’re going during the holidays. A survey conducted by the digital marketing firm Zeta Interactive found that the online buzz about holiday travel is trending 84 percent positive, as opposed to just 68 percent positive a year ago. Among the top terms used by bloggers in association with the 2009 holidays were words like “enjoy” (14 percent), “relax” (12 percent) and “rest” (11 percent).

Ah, almost makes you want to drive to Grandma’s this year.

Snap out of it!

The upcoming travel season will be different than past ones in several important ways. You need more than promises of warm fuzzies. You need a survival guide.

Here you go:

1. MOST OF US WILL ONLY TRAVEL IF WE HAVE TO.

That’s the assessment of Juline Mills, who teaches at the University of New Haven‘s department of hospitality management. “The upcoming travel season will see people traveling primarily to visit friends and relatives, and not so much for leisure vacations,” she says.

That is a significant departure from previous holidays, in which Americans used Thanksgiving, Christmas or New Year’s to get away. For those of us who do decide to go somewhere, Mills predicts more people will cruise, because it’s “the best deal in travel,” adding, “meals, lodging, and most activities are included.”

Survival strategy: If you don’t stay home, steer clear of a cruise vacation. You’ll avoid the crowds.

2. LAST-MINUTE IS IN.

The time between booking and departure is growing ever shorter, to the point where the “last-minute” vacation is becoming the norm.

The 2009 holiday travel season will see more 11th-hour getaways than ever, says Helen Fullem, president or The Crown Collection, a Paramus, N.J.-based marketing group for luxury hotels. “Every year in the past that I can remember — going 30 years back — the best hotels in the Caribbean were virtually sold out by the middle of the year,” she said.

“Travelers would pay any price in order to secure reservations for the entire family at some of the chicest and most expensive resorts and be grateful that they even secured the space, at whatever cost,” she added.

This year, those same travelers have more options than ever. And many of them aren’t deciding on a holiday destination until days before their departure. She’s seen customers booking their European vacations “two to three days in advance.”

Survival strategy: For the best flight and hotel options, book at least a week in advance, if not more.

3. TRY NOT TO MISS YOUR FLIGHT.

If you do, you might be unable to catch another plane until 2010. That’s particularly true if you’re flying over the Christmas holiday. Airlines have cut their schedules to the point where every last seat is spoken for — especially during the busy holiday season. Observers say we haven’t seen such tight capacity in many years, if ever.

“Fewer flights mean fewer ways for airlines to re-accommodate passengers, both those who volunteer to give up seats, as well as those who miss their flights,” says Seth Kaplan, a managing partner for Airline Weekly, a trade publication.

“Showing up on time is more important than ever, because the next flight to a destination will, on average, be further in the future than it would have been last year.”

Survival strategy: Call your airline to double-check your departure, and give yourself plenty of time to check in at the airport.

4. YOU’LL PROBABLY PAY A LUGGAGE FEE.

It’s safe to say more travelers than ever will pay extra to transport their luggage and presents during the 2009 holidays than at any other time. Airlines have discovered their money tree, and its name is baggage fees.

“I see this finally making an impact, not so much on the first checked bag but on the second bag,” says Susan Foster, author of “Smart Packing for Today’s Traveler.” She predicts air travelers will try to consolidate their bags to avoid additional fees, and more “bin rage” as passengers fight for increasingly scarce overhead space for their property.

Her advice? Weigh your bag pre-flight, get familiar with your airline’s luggage policies and ship any gifts ahead so that you don’t have to haggle with your carrier over fees.

Survival strategy: Bring only a carry-on bag.

5. IT’S A WI-FI WORLD UP THERE.

A recent survey concluded that 62 percent of leisure travelers would carry a smart phone this year, compared with just 19 percent a year ago. And nowhere will that change be more apparent than on a plane, according to Mike Benjamin, the chief executive of FlightView, a developer of phone applications for travelers.

Chances are better than ever that you’ll be able to access a hotspot on your plane during this holiday travel season, empowering you “with more information than ever,” he said. ” With no major changes in how air traffic works, coupled with unpredictable weather, travelers headed to the airport this holiday season will be armed with actionable flight information that they know how to access and use.”

Survival strategy: Pack your phone in your carry-on bag. You may need it.

While some things will be different this holiday season, others will remain unchanged. For example, there’s still a “peak season” when you may not find a room or flight, according to Scott Berman, a hotel analyst at PricewaterhouseCoopers. “For the two weeks between Christmas and New Year’s, I would not expect much discounting,” he told me. “Before and after those two weeks, there will be more value.”

Another thing that hasn’t changed: Even with a preponderance of bargains, you still have to shop carefully. “The key is to look at the best value versus the best rate,” said Matthew Upchurch, the chief executive of Virtuoso, a consortium of travel agents that specialize in luxury travel.

Of course, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that a Virtuoso agent — actually, any travel agent — can help you determine if a deal’s really a deal.

I wanted to end this story on a positive note, to say something like, “We don’t have to all be like Bennett and stay home,” but who am I kidding? The 2009 holidays will be unlike any we’ve ever seen, and are likely to see again.

Pack these survival tips — or don’t pack at all.

Christopher Elliott is the ombudsman for National Geographic Traveler magazine. You can read more travel tips on his blog, elliott.org or e-mail him at celliott@ngs.org

Have you stayed at Fine View Beach House Rental provided by iTrip? Please take a minute to rate and review iTrip’s Fine View Beach House Rental.

“Breathtaking sunset from the private deck of this beautiful beachfront home on Seacrest Beach. From the moment you enter this tastefully decorated 4 bedroom, 3 bath home you will be amazed at the stunning view from the four large sliding glass doors that display the pure white sand of Santa Rosa Beach along famous Highway 30-A.”

iTrip.net is proud to offer vacation rentals in Santa Rosa Beach located in South Walton, Florida!  Our Santa Rosa Beach Rentals are located along one of the Top 10 Beaches in the World!