Look Who’s Joined BayCare Medical Group Pavel Capote, MD Hospitalist
Steven M. Jackson, DO General Surgery
Education: The Higher Institute of Medical Science of Havana; Havana City, Cuba
Education: Oklahoma State University College of Health Sciences; Tulsa, Oklahoma
Residency: Internal MedicineKingsbrook Jewish Medical Center; Brooklyn, New York
Residency: Surgery-Suncoast Hospital; Largo, Florida Board Certification: General Surgery
Board Certification: Internal Medicine 4211 Van Dyke Road, Suite 200, Lutz | (813) 321-6237
6633 Forest Ave., Suite 205, New Port Richey | (727) 375-2849
Sana Hussain, MD Hospitalist
Christin Taylor, MD Family Medicine
Education: University of Sint Eustatius School of Medicine; Bonaire, Dutch Caribbean
Education: University of South Alabama College of Medicine; Mobile, Alabama
Residency: Internal Medicine-Weiss Memorial Hospital; Chicago, Illinois
Residency: Family MedicineUniversity of South Alabama; Mobile, Alabama
Specialization: Internal Medicine
6901 Simmons Loop, Office 3014, Riverview | (813) 302-8388
Caroline Jackson, DO Family Medicine Education: Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine; Bradenton, Florida Residency: Family Medicine-Manatee Memorial Hospital; Bradenton, Florida
Board Certification: Family Medicine 646 Virginia St., 7th floor, Dunedin | (727) 736-2730
Seventy physicians joined BayCare Medical Group in 2017. If you’re a primary care physician or a specialist, we have exciting opportunities for you. Whether you’re a new or experienced physician, if you’re looking for a new professional home, consider BayCare Medical Group.
Board Certification: Family Medicine 17512 Dona Michelle Drive, Suite 5, Tampa | (813) 586-7600
To learn about employment opportunities, visit BMGPhysicians.org or contact a recruiter at (813) 402-2320. 18-305215-0218
Contents 6 8
8
5 Essential Steps to Successful Strategy Implementation
12 16 4
Feature 5 Essential Steps to Successful Strategy Implementation
12
Feature Healthcare 2018
14
Impact The Little Things in Life
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Feature Finding Value for Money in Florida’s Real Estate Market
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Feature 6 Spring Break Vacation Hacks
Advertisers
Healthcare 2018
Finding Value for Money in Florida’s Real Estate Market
From the Publisher
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6 Spring Break Vacation Hacks Doctor’s Life Tampa Bay
13 Ugly Men: The Derby Party 7 Anise Restaurant 3 BayCare Medical Group 2 CATI Healthy Meal Delivery 9 Cena 5 JW Marriott 23 The Meridian Club 21 Opes Health 17 PNC Bank 24 Point Grace 19 Tampa General Hospital: Alice in Wonderland 11
Issue 1, 2018
From the Publisher
www.doctorslifetampabay.com
S
pring is always a fresh breath of air. The New Year is well on its way and everything seems possible. Enjoy this issue of Doctor’s Life as much as we enjoyed putting it together. It is often said that change is good and there is one thing most of us will agree on is 2018 is offering up change. “A Light exists in Spring Not present on the Year At any other period – When March is scarcely here A Color stands abroad On Solitary Fields That Science cannot overtake But Human Nature feels.
TAMPA BAY
™
Published by
It waits upon the Lawn, It shows the furthest Tree Upon the furthest Slope you know It almost speaks to you.
Tampa Headquarters 1208 East Kennedy Blvd. Tampa Fl, 33602 813-867-0916
Then as Horizons step Or Noons report away Without the Formula of sound It passes and we stay –
Group Publisher Ed Suyak publisher@doctorslifetampabay.com
A quality of loss Affecting our Content As Trade had suddenly encroached Upon a Sacrament.”
Creative Director Rob Stainback Editorial Director Danielle Topper
-Emily Dickinson
Associate Publisher CJ Cooper
I hope all of your change is for the better and you have the best spring ever.
Advertising Account Executive Ryan O’Neil
Be well,
Contributing Writers Nick Hernandez Melanie Hicks, PhD
-Ed Ed Suyak Group Publisher publisher@doctorslifetampabay.com
Doctor’s Life Magazine’s mission is to provide physicians content and information that may assist in creating a better professional and leisure life. Our focus is to provide articles that can help to better your practice and your lifestyle outside of the white coat. We want to be your source for inspiration and content on living a good life. Doctor’s Life Magazine wants to know about extraordinary physicians and staff, upcoming events, and article ideas or contributors. Please email us if you have an event, idea or know of a doctor making a big difference. We want your suggestions and feedback. For all comments, ideas, advertising inquires or to request a media kit contact publisher@doctorslifetampabay.com. Doctor’s Life Magazine, Tampa Bay does not assume responsibility for advertisements or articles published, nor any representation made therein, nor the quality or deliverability of the products themselves. Reproduction of articles and photographs, in whole or in part, contained herein is prohibited without expressed written consent of the publisher, with the exception of reprinting for news media use. Doctor’s Life Magazine is considered a form of entertainment and should not be deemed as medical, legal or business advice without consulting the appropriate professional regarding the specific subject matter. Printed in the United States of America.
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5
Essential Steps to Successful Strategy Implementation Oftentimes physicians and administrators discuss strategies and may even devise a strategic plan, only to see nothing come of it. The most common reason for strategy failure is that they failed to build execution into their strategic planning process.
By Nick Hernandez
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e often see that budgets are not linked to strategy, staff incentives are not linked to strategy, and a very small number of employees understand the practice strategy. There are three reasons strategy fails to execute: • Practice initiatives don’t aligned with strategy • Practice processes don’t align with strategy • Employees and physicians fail to engage To ensure that your strategies are successfully implemented, you must build the execution into and across the strategy and the strategy planning
process. Below are the 5 steps to successful strategy implementation.
1. Align your initiatives A key road to failed implementation is when we create a new strategy but then
continue to do the same things of old. A new strategy means new priorities and new activities across the practice. Every activity (other than the most functional) must be reviewed against its relevance to the new strategy. A good way of CONTINUED ON PAGE 10
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doing this is to create a strategic value measurement tool for existing and new initiatives. Initiatives should be analyzed against their strategic value and the impact to the practice. Measuring your initiatives as such will help highlight the priorities and ensure the right initiatives are adopted for delivery.
2. Align budgets and performance Ideally your budgets are structured in such a manner as to protect strategic expenditure from being re-allocated to short-term requirements of operating expenditures while subjecting strategic initiatives to a rigorous review (e.g. forecasted revenue growth and productivity) much like is done for capital expenditures. The practice’s business performance should be closely aligned to strategy. Performance measures should be placed against strategic goals across the practice and each physician and staff member. All staff members will have job functions that will impact on strategy. Most staff members will have impacts across a series of strategic goals (e.g. financial, patient experience, operational, etc.). Ensure employees are aware of their role and influence on strategy delivery and performance. Likewise performance incentives should be directly linked to performance against strategy. They should include a combination of individual, team and practice performance measures that ensure staff recognize their direct and indirect impact on strategy performance.
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3. Structure follows strategy A transformational strategy may require a transformation to structure. Does the structure of your practice allow strategy to cascade across and down the organization in a way that meaningfully and efficiently delivers the strategy? Practices that try and force a new strategy into an outdated structure will find their strategy implementation eventually reaches a deadlock.
4. Engaging Staff The key reason strategy execution fails is because the practice doesn’t get behind it. If you’re physicians and staff members don’t understand the strategy and fail to engage, then the strategy has failed. So, how is this accomplished? Prepare: Strategy involves change. Change is difficult and human tendency is to resist it. So not matter how enlightened and inspiring your new strategic vision, it will come up against hurdles (cognitive, resource, motivation and political). It is important to understand each of these hurdles and develop strategies to overcome them. Include: Bring influential employees, not just managers into the planning process. Not only will they contribute meaningfully to strategy, they will also be critical in ensuring the practice engages with the strategy. Furthermore, listen across the practice during strategy formulation. Some of your best ideas will come from within your practice, not the management team. Communicate: Ensure every staff member understands the strategic vision,
Doctor’s Life Tampa Bay
the strategic themes and what their role will be in delivering the strategic vision. And enrich the communication experience. Communicate the strategy through a combination of presentations, meetings, emails, and updates. Continue strategy and performance updates throughout the year. And engage staff members emotionally in the vision. The vision needs to give people goose bumps – a vision they believe in, that they want to invest and engage with. Clarify: It is important that all employees are aware of expectations. How are they expected to change? What and how are they expected to deliver? Each individual must understand their functions within the strategy, the expected outcomes and how they will be measured. As mentioned above performance measures and incentives should be aligned with performance against strategic key performance indicators (“KPIs”).
5. Monitor and Adapt A strategy must be a living, breathing document. As we all know: if there’s one constant in healthcare these days it’s change. So our strategies must be adaptable and flexible so they can respond to changes in both our internal and external environments. Strategy meetings should be held regularly throughout the year, where initiatives and direction are assessed for performance and strategic relevance. At least once a year we should put our strategy under full review to check it against changes in our external and competitive environments as well as our internal environments. Strategy is not just a document written by physicians and managers and then filed away. It is a vision for the practice, owned by the practice. And to succeed the whole practice must engage with it and live and breathe it. Strategy should inform our operations, our structure, and how we go about doing what we do. It should be the pillar against which we assess our priorities, our actions and performance. When execution is brought into strategic planning you will find that your strategy is weaved throughout the practice, and it’s from here that great leaps in growth and productivity can be achieved. Issue 1, 2018
Healthcare
2018 12
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The U.S. health care reform debate and the Affordable Care Act played front and center throughout 2017 headlines. Will the GOP and Trump administration back off until after the mid-term election? Are there more concerning issues to battle in 2018? Keeping the government funded, cost share reductions under Obamacare, Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), immigration, infrastructure, opioid addiction, prescription drug cost and this list does not even include the number of concerns circling world affairs. What is important in healthcare for 2018?
Medicaid and Medicare Time is ticking to attempt any type of reform with Medicaid and Medicare. Republicans have been very vocal about reforming the Medicaid and Medicare entitlement programs. The push to create tougher standards for eligibility, instituting premiums and even possibly having a portion of the Medicaid community purchasing coverage on exchanges are some the changes they would like to see sooner than later. The Republican Party has a small majority in the Senate and a more sizable one in the House of Representatives and come November that could all change. The 435 House seats and 1/3 of the 100 seats in the Senate will be up for reelection. They are looking for another win following the success of the Tax Bill.
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Individual Mandate Under the current Affordable Care Act (ACA) if you can afford health insurance but choose not to purchase, you may pay a fee called the individual shared responsibility payment or individual mandate penalty. Starting this year under the new Tax Cuts and Jobs Act the individual mandate will no longer be part of the ACA which eliminates the penalty starting in 2019. However, the 2010 Affordable Care Act or otherwise known as Obamacare remains the same. Almost 9 million Americans secured coverage for 2018 through the exchanges which demonstrate there is still a high demand for the ACA. Majority of the Americans who sign up through the exchange receive federal subsidies which decrease or level out the premium increases from insurers. This has provided a desirable way to maintain the cost of health insurance for close to 80% of the current ACA insured.
Cost of Prescription Drugs Express Scripts and Caremark are the two biggest companies that handle pharmacy benefits for more than 200 million Americans. Both announced the removing of more than 80 prescription medications from their formularies at the end of 2017. While in 2017 over 45 new drugs were brought to the market that all were introduced with very high prices. Prescription drug prices continue to rise; insurance companies continue to drop coverage which equates to fewer patients getting what they need. Making it easier for generic drug options to enter the market is a much better option for the Republicans over waging a battle against big pharma. The other trend that has picked up traction is preferred costsharing partnerships between insurers and large pharmacies. In 2017 Humana negotiated with Walmart and Sam’s Club to offer reduced drug cost options under a preferred cost-sharing partnership. Aetna and CVS recently announced a deal as well. The battle continues. Will the squeeze on prescription drug cost reduce the amount of new quality drugs entered in the market from the pharmaceutical companies in the U.S? Will a common ground of cost sharing be established through alternative methods keep drug cost level while still providing big pharma the incentives to continue to innovate and bring new drugs to the Doctor’s Life Tampa Bay
market? Is making it easier for generics to hit the market faster the answer?
Opioid Crisis in America There will a great amount of attention and pressure to develop efforts tackling the overwhelming opioid crisis in 2018. Funding will be needed and Congress will have little option but to address the crisis and approve funding for programs. Every day 115 Americans are dying from overdosing on opioids. According to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the total "economic burden" of prescription opioid misuse alone in the United States is $78.5 billion a year, including the costs of healthcare, lost productivity, addiction treatment, and criminal justice involvement. In 2015, more than 33,000 Americans died as a result of an opioid overdose, including prescription opioids, heroin, and illicitly manufactured fentanyl, a powerful synthetic opioid. Each year the numbers continue to rise.
Childers’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) Funding CHIP is the insurance program that provides low-cost health coverage to children in families that earn too much money to qualify for Medicaid but not enough to buy private insurance. It has been deemed as a very successful program with strong bipartisan support. A recent 2018 survey of the existing research noted that the availability of CHIP coverage for children has led to improvements in access to health care and to improvements in health over both the short-run and the long-run. The program's funding ended in September of 2017. Congress has failed to reauthorize a longterm appropriation for it but was able to pass $3 billion dollars in funding to continue CHIP through March of 2018. The money was included in the short-term spending bill to keep the federal government open. The current program covers over 9 million children. Although the majority of both Republicans and Democrats fully support funding CHIP, it remains a difference in how to pay for it. It is safe to say the 2010 Affordable Care Act better known as Obamacare will not be going anywhere anytime soon and definitely no other changes in 2018. Should the whole Act be replaced and if so with what? 13
Impact
The
Little Things in Life By Melanie Hicks, PhD
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"The little things? The little moments? They aren’t little." - John Kabot Zinn
hen I was a child, each fall my grandfather would drive to the state line where the farmlands stretched out in beautiful expansiveness. We would purchase bushels of corn and huge sacks of green beans right out of the back of a farmer’s old green pickup truck. Back at their home I would sit on the front or back porch with my Grandma and snap beans together for hours. We would talk and talk. I have no recollection of the content of the conversations but I can remember everything about the feeling of those moments. Fast forward 30 or so years and I can hardly remember a time where I sat for hours and just talked with my loved ones. Long gone are the days where sweet tea, a front porch swing and warm sunny days were all I needed to feel completely alive. In today’s world of instant electronic gratification, endless entertainment and extreme connectedness there seems to be a black hole of real human connection. In the words of Dr. Rahul Medra of Metavist Health, we are in the midst of a crisis of loneliness. The electronic connections we have such ready access to do not provide
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the same authentic human connection that we need to maintain optimal mental health. Mental health is rising at an alarming rate. The CDC reports suicide to be the second leading cause of death of those between 17 – 24 years old and the rate has tripled between 1999 – 20141. Harassment and bullying have been linked to 75% of school shootings. Despite this real problem lingering under our noses, as a society we are trapped by stigma. The dictionary definition of stigma reads, “a mark of disgrace associated with a particular circumstance, quality or person”. Disgrace…what a troubling word. In Hillsborough County Schools, when a child is baker acted they are lead away in handcuffs via a marked police car. When did mental health alone become a crime? How does this traumatization help to heal our most vulnerable youth? In 1999 the U.S. Surgeon General labeled stigma as perhaps the biggest barrier to mental health care; this stigma manifests particularly in a phenomenon known as social distancing, whereby people with mental issues are more isolated from others2. When we see a child with no hair or eyebrows we feel empathy. When we hear a child has mental health issues like depression and anxiety, we feel doubt, fear or even suspicion. Although widespread, some still believe they are immune from mental health issues. Perhaps they are not looking at the economic view. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Economic Forum (WEF), mental illness represents the biggest economic burden of any health issue in the world, costing $2.5 trillion in 2010; this burden is projected to cost $6 trillion by 2030 with two-thirds of these costs attributed to disability and loss of work. And yet shockingly, of the 450 million people worldwide who suffer from mental health conditions, the majority (60 percent) do not receive any form of care, with 90 percent of people in developing countries receiving no form of care3. The National Alliance on Mental Health recently published an article by Laura Greenstein on 9 ways to combat mental illness stigma4. An excerpt is below:
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Talk Openly About Mental Health “I fight stigma by talking about what it is like to have bipolar disorder and PTSD on Facebook. Even if this helps just one person, it is worth it for me.” – Angela Christie Roach Taylor
Educate Yourself and Others “I take every opportunity to educate people and share my personal story and struggles with mental illness. It doesn't matter where I am, if I over-hear a conversation or a rude remark being made about mental illness, or anything regarding a similar subject, I always try to use that as a learning opportunity and gently intervene and kindly express how this makes me feel, and how we need to stop this because it only adds to the stigma.” – Sara Bean
Be Conscious of Language “I fight stigma by reminding people that their language matters. It is so easy to refrain from using mental health conditions as adjectives and in my experience; most people are willing to replace their usage of it with something else if I explain why their language is problematic.” – Helmi Henkin
Encourage Equality between Physical and Mental Illness “I find that when people understand the true facts of what a mental illness is, being a disease, they think twice about making comments. I also remind them that they wouldn't make fun of someone with diabetes, heart disease or cancer.” – Megan Dotson
Show Compassion for Those With Mental Illness “I offer free hugs to people living outdoors, and sit right there and talk with them about their lives. I do this in public, and model compassion for others. Since so many of our homeless population are also struggling with mental illness, the simple act of showing affection can make their day but also remind passersby of something so easily forgotten: the humanity of those who are suffering.” – Rachel Wagner
Choose Empowerment Over Shame “I fight stigma by choosing to live an empowered life. To me, that means owning my life and my story and refusing to allow Doctor’s Life Tampa Bay
others to dictate how I view myself or how I feel about myself.” – Val Fletcher
Be Honest About Treatment “I fight stigma by saying that I see a therapist and a psychiatrist. Why can people say they have an appointment with their primary care doctor without fear of being judged, but this lack of fear does not apply when it comes to mental health professionals?” – Ysabel Garcia
Let The Media Know When They’re Being Stigmatizing “If I watch a program on TV that has any negative comments, story lines or characters with a mental illness, I write to the broadcasting company and to the program itself. If Facebook has any stories where people make ignorant comments about mental health, then I write back and fill them in on my son’s journey with schizoaffective disorder.” – Kathy Smith
Don’t Harbor Self-Stigma “I fight stigma by not having stigma for myself—not hiding from this world in shame, but being a productive member of society. I volunteer at church, have friends, and I’m a peer mentor and a mom. I take my treatment seriously. I'm purpose driven and want to show others they can live a meaningful life even while battling [mental illness].” – Jamie Brown It is perhaps unrealistic to believe any of us can live without our cell phones, Netflix or social media, but we can do one thing. We can recognize that these are tools for our convenience not replacements for the importance of real human connection. We might not all want to pick up the battle ax of advocacy for mental health issues but we can all reduce our own preconceptions. We can start each day with gratitude and spend a little less time in the virtual and a little more time focused on what is real. Let’s keep our focus on the small things in life, they make all the difference in the end. 1 2
Metavista Health Research Friedman, M. (2014) The Stigma of Mental Health is Making Us Sicker. Psychology Today May 13.
3
Friedman, M. (2014) The Stigma of Mental Health is Making Us Sicker. Psychology Today May 13.
4
Greenstein, Laura (2017) 9 Ways to Fight Mental Health Stigma. National Alliance on Mental Health. Oct. 11.
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FINDING VALUE FOR MONEY IN FLORIDA’S REAL ESTATE MARKET
A
s we mentioned previously in our article ‘Your Most Valuable Asset’, our homes are, well, our most valuable asset. In this article we will be focusing on finding value for money here in Florida.
If you are considering purchasing a property near the sea you also need to be aware of the potential drawbacks. In recent years Florida’s coast has been exposed to tropical storms and hurricanes that have damaged or destroyed property. For those in the medical profession, the location of their new home will depend on where they work. If you are situated in a coastal city or town, bear in mind the above points.
Photo courtesy of Doctor’s Life Magazine
First, you might want to consider property that is not on the coast. While this advice seems counterintuitive, more so when you consider Florida’s majestic beaches, there are two factors to consider. The first is the price of the properties. Coastal properties have a higher value, than those further inland. Purchasing a coastal property will likely mean a bigger budget.
Damage caused by Hurricane Irma (Photo courtesy of Bloomberg)
It is important that you find a real estate agent and home inspector that you can trust. Your agent will help you in finding the best deals available, while a good home inspector will CONTINUED ON PAGE 18
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make sure that the property you are interested in is in good condition. One of the biggest mistakes home buyers make is not thoroughly inspecting the property they are about to purchase. As a result, flaws and problems that could have been spotted right at the start go unnoticed, and this means you will have to fork out extra money for repairs. In our profession, time is very valuable, and unless you have accounted for the extra work, spending time and effort on repairs could be detrimental to a work/life balance. When looking for a new property you need to trust the process, and be prepared to say no to the first, second, third, and fourth homes you see. Your future home might be the eleventh property you see, so let things play out accordingly. Remember, though, that you ought to do your homework, too, and search long and hard for that value-for-your-money home you want. Property experts believe that 2018 will see a property boom in South Florida, so now is the right time to consider purchasing in the area. Real Estate news site Bisnow quoted a developer who said: "We are approaching 2018 with a very clear signal from most developers (with unsold inventory): a willingness to offer substantial buyer incentives/discounts now to accelerate sales". Now is the right time to start searching.
Downtown Miami (Photo courtesy of Getty Images)
South Beach at sunset (Photo courtesy of Bisnow)
Consider all options, from the type of property to its location, and whether you will buy or rent it. This pointer is especially important for doctors, primarily because the nature of our work means we need to move about quite a bit. That being said, you might want to consider purchasing or renting a condo unit instead of an actual house. If you purchase a unit, you may eventually turn it into an investment should the need to move to another city or state arises. Renting, on the other hand, gives you more flexibility to move whenever your work requires you to do so.
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If you are looking to buy in a city like Miami, you will need to find a neighborhood that caters to your career. Downtown Miami has reasonably priced condominium units, ranging from $300,000 to $1 million. It is home to several high-rise condominiums and apartment complexes, most of which overlook the ocean and Biscayne Bay. This 3.8 square mile-area east of Interstate 95 between Julia Tuttle Causeway up north and Rickenbacker Causeway down south is perfect for medical professionals as it is an urban, residential neighborhood. Education centers, commercial and entertainment hubs, major museums, courthouses, and private and government offices are well within reach, too. Again, a home is our most valuable asset, so we ought to be patient in finding one that actually gives us value for our money.
Doctor’s Life Tampa Bay
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Ad
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One Heart Magazine
www.heartbeatsaveslives.org
6 SPRING BREAK VACATION HACKS
We don’t watch snow pile up in Florida and our skies are not gray during the winter but for the majority of the rest of the county, they do. As much fun as sledding, building snowmen or donning a fashionable scarf may sound, most of us prefer Florida winters. However, at this time of the year everyone starts dreaming of sunfilled beaches, flip-flops and shorts.
No wonder spring break is so popular. CONTINUED ON PAGE 22
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Imagine a private island with a spectacular two-mile, white sand beach and the only footprints are yours. Such a place really exists. Just 13 beachfront units and several private rental homes. No cars, no crowds, no hassles. It will win your heart.
Elegant cuisine and as much or as little as you want to do. Daily Snorkeling Trips Bone, Reef, Deep Sea Fishing Off-Island Excursions New Spa Services
The Meridian Club on Pine Cay Turks and CaiCos islands For inFormation 649.941.7011 reservations@meridianclub.com meridianclub.com
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Whether you want to bring your family along, get away with a few friends or explore some new, tropical destination, packing up and taking off on an unforgettable spring break vacation is easier and more affordable than you may think. From finding deals to getting there, here is your six-step guide to a perfect spring break. 1. Get everyone involved. Unless you're planning a surprise vacation for someone, you want to be sure everyone who is going weighs in and has a say. This is especially important if you're going on a family trip. Giving your kids the chance to participate in planning and decision-making can help them feel more invested in the trip. For example, while the adults might choose the destination and accommodations, let the kids pick a couple activities to book in advance. This will lead to a better experience for everyone. 2. Book early. We've all heard the mantra "earlier is better" and generally, that's true for booking airfare. According to a recent report from the Airlines Reporting Corporation, for travel originating in the U.S., you should aim to buy tickets at least 30 days in advance. In other words: You should probably book your spring vacation now.
save an average of $600 when they bundle their flights and hotel rooms together. Oftentimes, when going to popular resort destinations like Los Cabos or Riviera Maya, the savings are even better, so don't leave that money on the table. 5. Fly on the right day. As many savvy travelers know, it takes a multi-pronged approach to find the best deals. Along with booking early and bundling, when you travel plays a big role in the price you pay. According to the same report from the ARC, booking on a Sunday often yielded the lowest average ticket prices for both economy and premium travel. Furthermore, depending on the itinerary, travelers departing on Friday may score a lower price.
6. Pack only the essentials. The beautiful thing about a beach vacation is the ability to pack light. Buy your sunscreen once you get to your destination, and opt for flip-flops and lightweight clothing that will all fit in a carry-on bag. Not only will this make life easier when you go to and from the airport, but you'll save on checked baggage fees as well.
An unforgettable spring break vacation for you and your family is more affordable than you think. So stop dreaming and start planning! Sunshine and sand are just a few clicks away!
3. Avoid peak travel times. If you have flexibility in terms of your travel dates, make sure you compare prices for different departure windows. Often spring break travel can have an impact on prices, and leaving a week or two earlier or later can save you money. The same applies for travel during and around the Easter holiday (April 1). Use a site like Expedia.com, which will compare rates from all airlines and often provide suggestions for alternate travel dates that yield lower fares. 4. Bundle to save. Always buy your plane ticket and hotel room together. Why? Because 1) it's convenient and saves you time and 2) you can save some serious money when you do so. For instance, those who use the popular travel websites to book their vacations 22
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AFRICA
ASIA
EUROPE
LATIN AMERICA
MIDDLE EAST
NORTH AMERICA
&