When looking for a vacation spot, there are so many things to consider. Like time to get there, costs of flying to get there and where do you stay and what do you do when you do get there. Puerto Penasco is your best place for every aspect of a vacation. First, it is only a short 4 hour drive from Phoenix or Tucson and with no waiting in long lines at the airport. Secondly it is not expensive to get here, third is we have the best deals for accommodation on the Sea of Cortez and last, there is a multitude of things to do here every single day. No over crowded beaches here, just miles of pristine sand.

Crossing the US/Mexico border is very easy (just make sure you have your passport or passport card for re-entering to the US). Buy your Mexican auto insurance either online or from your own agent.

A short 1 hour drive south of the border and you are here. About 30 kilometers south of the border you will pass the Pinacate Biosphere. Sometime during your stay, do go back out and tour the new visitor center Shuk Toak. It is very modern with a movie telling all about the craters and the surrounding area. The guide there will answer any questions that you may have and there are interactive touch screens throughout the building. Make certain to take your camera as the views from the center are gorgeous. This crater range is the largest in North America and if you feel like going up to see them, you can (4 wheel drive) is best. You may encounter many animals along the way.

Back in Puerto Peñasco if you are a seafood lover, take the drive out to the oyster farms and get some steamed clams, fresh shucked oysters or ceviche and have a cold beer if you like. While there take a dip in the water or just watch the Blue Heron and Egrets do a fly over along with countless Pelicans.

As you pass into town you will drive along the docks in the Historic Wharf District with all the shrimp boats moored and will be able to see nests of what we call Bald Eagles, but they are actually a little different. Both mom and dad tend the nests and dive in the harbor to get food for the babies. Again, camera time, as the boats make for awesome photography as well as the pelicans perched on the pongas (little fishing boats). Continue into the Malecon, were you can have your choice of food and very good service. A lot of history here as Al Capone use to stay there in the bootlegging days. As you leave the Old Port, make sure you stop into Mercedes Rusticos. Here you will find anything that you need for your home or as a gift. From the south of Mexico you will find blown glassware, Mexican table settings and weavings just to name a few things.

Sometime during your trip, venture out to what locals call “Rodeo Drive” and visit the many shops filled with everything from beautiful ladies apparel to upscale gifts for you home or condo. There is something there for everyone.

Look no further than the experts. In a study published in the Journal of Environmental Psychology, author J. Aaron Hipp, Ph.D., environmental health expert and assistant professor at the Brown School, pointed to the restorative environment of the beach.

"Studies have shown that natural environments like beaches and waterfront parks offer more restorative benefits to people than gyms, entertainment venues and the built urban environment," said Hipp.

His study goes further to suggest that we require specific conditions in that beachside environment to achieve the fully-desired restorative effect.

"Mild temperature days and low tides offer the most restorative environments when visiting the beach," he said.

"Beachgoers visiting on a day nearly 3 degrees (F) warmer than average were 30 percent less likely to perceive the beach or coastal park as restorative, compared with those visiting on average or cooler than average days."

1. Sun

We all know the risks of too much sun exposure. But there are benefits to getting some rays, too.

When our skin is directly exposed to the sun, our bodies make vitamin D, a vital tool that helps with calcium absorption and building strong bones. Some of it comes from diet, but a good portion also comes from the sun. And according to the Mayo Clinic, as little as 10 minutes of sun exposure can provide us with our daily dose. According to the vitamin D council, "your body can produce 10,000 to 25,000 IU of vitamin D in just a little under the time it takes for your skin to turn pink."

In one study, sun exposure was shown to offer other benefits in addition to vitamin D production — including an increase in endorphins and possible prevention of autoimmune diseases.

But despite these benefits, limit your exposure to excessive sunlight to avoid skin cancer risks. When you do head out into the sun for more than a few minutes, remember to wear protective clothing and apply sunscreen with an SPF 15 or higher.

2. Sand

Did you know that the soles of your feet have more sweat glands and nerve-endings per square centimeter than any other part of your body? And that walking barefoot stimulates them much more than walking in shoes?

Not only are you stimulating nerve endings when you walk on the sand, but you're also strengthening the muscles in your feet, which don't get used nearly as much when you're wearing shoes. And according to Martin Zucker, author of Earthing: The Most Important Health Discovery Ever?, you may be better connected to the earth when you ditch your shoes, reaping vital mood-boosting benefits. "Earthing," argues Zucker, reconnects our bodies to the ever-present energy of the earth, which modern lifestyles have increasingly diminished.

And in a study focused on running and walking on the sand, researchers found that walking on sand requires 1.6 to 2.5 times the energy than it takes on a hard surface.

"Our muscles perform more mechanical work when running or walking on sand than on a hard surface," said study co-author Dr. Thierry M. Lejeune, M.D.

If treading on the unwieldy sand for too long sounds tiring, try alternating your walk or run on the more compact sand closer to the water, where the surface will be less challenging.

3. Surf

Sea water contains high levels of various minerals — including magnesium, potassium and iodine — which may help fight infection, offer therapeutic effects, and potentially help the body heal and detoxify.

Swimming is linked to decreased stress and increased sense of well-being; studies have shown swimming and water-based exercise help to decrease anxiety and depression.

Aside from its therapeutics effects, swimming provides excellent physical exercise, employing most of our major muscle groups, especially as the water provides gentle resistance.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), swimming ranks as the fourth most popular sport activity in the United States. Among other aerobic activities (like running and bicycling), swimming for as little as two-and-a-half hours a week may help reduce the risk of chronic diseases and boost heart health.

And since it's a non-impact sport, swimming offers a great way for people with injuries to get some exercise. For sufferers of arthritis, water-based exercise can help improve joint pain symptoms.

Source (Medical Daily)

A weekend city break, a big family holiday, or a last minute business trip: whatever the reason you find yourself stressed out at the airport, here are a few insider tips. From secrets on how to jump the check-in queue to how to get an upgrade.

Tips for before you arrive

1. Know where the airport is

Figure out where the airport is and how you get to it in advance. I find Google Maps travel planner useful but it’s always best to check directly with public transport sites for timetables.
Chris Sharp, Business Intelligence Administrator

2. Screenshot your boarding pass

If you’re using a boarding pass on your mobile phone, take a screenshot of it and save it in your pictures folder on your phone (rather than relying on the airline’s app or on a good internet connection at the airport).
Jon Thorne, User Satisfaction Manager

Or:

3. Always print out your boarding pass

Although we live in an age where you can check in with your smartphone and email, you never know when your phone may just run out of battery or pack in.
Sam Ayles, PR Executive

4. Get a flexible friend

Certain credit cards targeting travellers offer perks like free access to airport lounges. For example, I hold a card which gets me a priority lounge pass for two entries each year at Singapore (no minimum spending on the card required).

Another card I’ve got gives me free airport limousine transfer from my home to the airport as long as I’ve booked my travel on the card and I spend the minimum set amount.
Hollie Tan, Accounts Executive

At check-in

5. Skip the check-in queue

During holiday times airports like London Gatwick can get EXTREMELY busy. You could be standing the check-in queue for ages.

The trick in that case is not to join the queue but to go and sit in a café and read a book. When the airport is that busy they call out the flights that are due to depart first and let their passengers through as a priority. You can therefore sit and relax while you wait for your flight to be called. When it is you can go straight to the front of the queue.
Sam Heyman, Test Engineer

6. Skip the security queue

If you’re really cutting it fine for time, a polite word to an airport employee almost always results in a queue jump at security. Failing that, a plea to fellow passengers in the queue is your next best option.
Lisa Imlach, PR Executive

7. Remove your Crown Jewels

At security, if you don't want to set off the alarms after waving goodbye to your hand luggage, keys, mobile phone, laptop etc, make sure you remove all the Crown Jewels you are wearing. Apparently, my watch, earrings, necklace and ring MIGHT set off the alarms. On a recent visit to the airport, I was subjected to the most intimate body search of my 50 year-old life (bearing in mind I travelled back and forth to the Far East from the age of 10). And I was only travelling to the Shetlands!
Alison Stimpson, Executive PA

8. Take a spare plastic bag

Take a spare ziplock bag or two to get your toiletries through security checks – it’s ridiculous and annoying that some airports will charge you a few quid if you forget one!
Rachel Evatt, Product Director

9. Never join the security queue with kids in

Go for the one with the ‘suits’. It will move much quicker.
Alistair Hann, Skyscanner Chief Technology Officer

10. Wear matching socks

I make sure I wear socks of the same colour and don´t look to old! Just in case I have to take off my shoes.
Angel Guirado, Market Development Manager, Spain

In the departure lounge

11. Fly at a time when it is socially acceptable to drink whisky

Try to fly at a time which means it’s socially acceptable to taste the whisky samples at duty free - i.e. not 6am.
Chris Sharp

12. Set an alarm so you don’t miss your plane

Set an alarm on your phone to go off at boarding time, it’s easy to get distracted in the departure lounge.
Chris Sharp

13. Keep the kids entertained

If travelling with kids, ensure you have their game consoles handy (and FULLY CHARGED) to allow you to have as stress-free a time while waiting to depart. Having three kids myself, it’s definitely on my MUST DO list for the airport. Each of the kids has a small backpack containing game consoles, pens, pencils and a pad of paper so they can draw etc. Plus it saves on the wallet if the kids happen to spy those $1-a-go arcade machines. I’m now a master at noughts & crosses, hangman etc…
Ronnie Walker, Senior Engineer

15. Get some work done

Connect to WiFi and get some work done.
Or:
- read the economist from cover to cover. It's something to look forward to.
- Get your shoes shined
- Buy clothes, and do other things you would have to do anyway, so use the dead time.
Gareth Williams, Skyscanner CEO

At the gate

15. Don’t queue to get on the plane

Sit comfortably in departures where you can see the boarding desk and (assuming you have a pre-allocated seat) read your book until the last possible minute. When the queue is down to one person, get up and casually stroll through the departure gate onto the plane. The plane won’t leave without you until they have at least called out your name.
Dom Porter, Software Engineer

On the plane

16. Bump yourself up to business

Always wait until the ‘flight closing’ announcement before boarding the plane. Then, if you see any empty seats in Business Class, as you work your way through to Economy, sit in one of them, on the basis that it must be available, given that the flight was closing. Hope that the flight attendants won’t question it. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t!
Mark Logan, Chief Operating Officer (Mark says this is a tip from a ‘friend’. He would never do this!)

On arrival

17. Make a good impression at immigration

I’ve had some very varied experiences arriving at immigration, particularly in the USA, ranging from being processed quickly in a few minutes to being asked to go off to the interview room for a secondary interview (that was a fun start to my honeymoon). Be smartly dressed, polite and well spoken, make good eye contact with the immigration official and have a clear idea of where you are going next (name of hotel, car hire). Never ever make jokes and do not use your mobile phone. Also make sure you have a credit card to hand and if possible local currency as you may be asked to prove you are able to pay your way If you are travelling on business, never say “I am here to work” as they will be concerned that you are going to be working illegally; a better phrase is: “I am here to have some meetings with business colleagues”.
Robert Smith, Technical Manager

18. Look before you leave

Whenever you get up to leave somewhere at the airport - in a café, a bar or at the gate - always turn round and make sure you haven’t left anything behind - like your tickets.
Suzanne Morrison, Skyscanner Project Manager

19. Travel with a fancy friend

That way you’ll gain access to the lounge as their guest, where you can stockpile glossy magazines, packets of biscuits and condescending looks.
Lisa Imlach

20. Be better than George Clooney

Either get there early or know how to get through the airport better than George Clooney in Up in the Air. When you add people who are unpredictable to a controlled environment, it’s organised chaos.
Matt Smith, Content Partnerships Executive