It's hard getting the most out of a strange destination if you aren't a seasoned traveler. It's even harder being a seasoned traveler if you're just now making your inaugural international or interstate trip without the safety and schedule of a family or school administered trip. For example my good friend Ben, fresh out of college, just got back from his first trip to Cancun with his girlfriend Linda, who had never been either. When they returned I picked them up at the airport, and for the whole ride back I was given a lesson on why to avoid Cancun.

Apparently Ben and Linda had been suckered into a timeshare tourist trap within minutes of their arrival into the Mexico metropolis, losing more than two hundred dollars in less than two hours. The hotel was apparently teeming with similar cons that target tourists, and the restaurants and shops they visited were sub par, expensive, or both. Even attempts at visiting historical sites were attached with anecdotal evidence indicating that Cancun was only worth visiting if you want to lose money and have a bad time.

But I refuse to believe that a city as notable a vacation spot as Cancun, albeit for American party-hardies, could be so miserable if you executed your visit properly. Unfortunately for my young friends Ben and Linda, the tidbits of necessary travel know-how had to be learned the hard way. They had no experience traveling to anywhere exotic, and were virtually unprepared for the kinds of scams and logistical errors that come with most trips to an unfamiliar place. That's why before they got out of my car I told them next time they should look into vacation packages.

For young inexperienced travelers I don't see why a packaged vacation wouldn't be the ideal option. Don't get me wrong – I love spontaneous travel decisions, and nothing is more exciting than simply stepping outside of your hotel and blindly heading in one direction. But if you aren't used to the emotions of experiencing exotic locales on your own, or haven't developed the street smarts that deter the dilemma of con games, then researching a vacation package is a perfect way to get some practice in. When I got home from dropping Ben and Linda off I got online and did some quick research, and found dozens of Cancun vacation package just by doing a quick Google search, plus sites where these packages are reviewed. None of the packages I saw came with a clause including a $200 fee for a timeshare scam, either.

No matter where you choose to take your travel bug, I'm certain there are several vacation packages that can be picked from that will take you there, fill your time with fun, and bring you back no worse off but a whole lot better. Whether it's all-inclusive or not, packaged vacations make great introductions to the world of travel. For us young voyagers a packaged practice makes perfect future trips. But don't count out the possibility that the practice can be a perfect time itself. If you're wary of wandering where you've never been, see for yourself why packaged vacations are great ways to experience pleasure without exhausting your patience or your purse.

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I'm definitely lucky in the fact that I get invited to some of the best events around town. There's never really a dull moment in my schedule, but the down side is that I'm "always" working in some shape or form…whether it's live tweeting from an event, or scheduling Tweets on Hootsuite in the evenings. Some days, I actually dream in 140 characters. I kid you not. 

A long time ago, I wrote an article for a publication about the death of the Drive-in Theater. It seems like a bizarre subject matter, but I really love Drive-in Theaters. Call me a romantic, but that era of drive-in theaters was pretty darn social. The entire family would visit a theater — including the house pet — enjoy an evening of fun-filled beer, pretzels and ice cream while catching a flick. Today, the stark reality is that teenagers are so used to TV dinners and watching Gossip Girl, adults are so used to running around feeling all stressed, and there's no Honey, I'm Home feeling in many households. 

Myself and Nichelle Pace, founder of StyleMom.com. Nichelle is someone who I look up to for style inspiration 

Upscale blogger events and socialization are key to a well-rounded lifestyle– at least, in my life. For many years, I was a complete recluse. I refused to go out, because I was scared and shy. I would get invited to events but felt they were out of my comfort zone, or that they really didn't matter. But today, after being in the beauty and travel journalism business for over five years, I would definitely say that socialization and events have played a pivotal role in my own personal development. 

Recently, I went to an event hosted by Nichelle Pace, the founder of StyleMom.com. Although I'm not a mom (yet), I wanted to go and support her efforts and to catch up with my gal pals. In New York City, when people are always on the run and no one seems to have time for you, events are organized social oases. At Nichelle's down-to-earth cocktail party held at Acqua Beauty Bar in Union Square, I saw faces I had not seen in ages, including my beloved friend Issa Mas. All the ladies who attended sipped Belvedere Vodka cocktails, received makeovers from BeautyAddicts and got manis on the house. Well-heeled ladies from every part of the blogosphere showed up with excited, happy faces. One of the event sponsors, Iced Orchid diamonds, had beautiful displays of their affordable jewelry everywhere.

It was a truly elegant, calm and luxurious experience in every sense.

The always lovely and elegant Felicia Walker Benson of ThisThatBeauty.com, Beauty Editor of Jones Magazine

You might say, "oh, what an era of product placement," but who doesn't want the finer things in life, really? While you can pretend to be a recluse who refuses to step out from the Left Bank to sunny (okay, well, material) side of life, isn't there a little part in all of us who wants to go to beautifully-curated parties and live La Vida Loca? I certainly do, but I realize that also means never taking such events for granted. A lot of hard work and thought goes in behind the scenes and I am so grateful to be a part of them.

So, socialization as a purely scientific travel experiment then, works in marvelous ways. You leave an event or Tweetup feeling energized, loved, and radiating positive vibes all around. While we may live in an age of Twitter and various social media channels, there's nothing better than a face to face encounter. You get a live Q&A experience and leave with profound memories. How many memories do you recall from your Twitter experience? I always remember the "in person" experiences the most.

Dana Humphrey and myself at the launch of MetroGuest.com, an online community of hosts and travelers looking for an easy way to manage properties (you can host guests through this site or find a place to live).

While I've toyed with the idea of relocating from New York City to a warmer climate several times, but there's no better city in the world in which to live and socialize than the Big Apple. I've formed friendships, visited every sleek and swank building imaginable and delighted in lazy evenings spent sipping wine and listening to stories.

These events may be the closest I'll ever get to experiencing that "Drive-in Theater" moment of days gone by, but in the most upscale and purely New York way possible.

- Charu Suri

Get budget flights to New York and save on your next trip.

While I may very often be a klutz, I really (secretly) like to travel in style. My wardrobe and dressing habits have improved over the years, in no small part due to my exceptionally chic friends who have a way of setting the bar quite high. One such style maven is Kimmie Smith, who has a fashion & luxe catnip blog called The Kitten Lounge. Read it at your own peril.

Everything Kimmie does is quite effortless and brilliant, in a modern Anna Wintour way. Recently, she had a blogger party at New York's Polished Beauty Bar that I had the privilege of being invited to, and unveiled a few "it" things. Inspired by these finds, I had a photo shoot of my own, on a sunny day in Weehawken, NJ.

Here I am, wearing a brightly colored Skagen watch, which I love because of the leather strap that's elegant and looks like it stems from a flower detail that's crusted with Swarovski elements. On my other wrist, I am wearing a beach-themed charm bracelet by Monet Jewelry that looks as though it was dipped in the shells of Sanibel Island in Florida.

And if you're a lady who loves a stately set of digits, consider splurging on Creative Nail Design's almost confectionary-like offerings. Here are the latest colors from the Jason Wu collection, which offer a mix of snow-white with dusky rose shades, and suitable for all skin tones:

If you're a girl who loves the finer things in life, but also wants a bit of the non-toxic beauty experience, you've got to get your paws on the bath fizzes offered by Lush Cosmetics. Here is the Comforter Bubble bar from Lush, which has blackcurrant extracts to soothe and relax (plus, because it's a solid, it won't get confiscated by the TSA):

And last, but not least, I can't live without my stylish traveling buddies from Amala Skincare. The line's new pewter-colored travel sachet contains some of my all-time favorite skincare finds, including the cocoa bean hand cream and soothing lip salve:

While these are not my only travel picks, they are certainly some of the most stylish. I also love to carry a hydrating mist by Gabriel Cosmetics and a strong bergamot-scented vial of Natori Fragrance with my while I travel just so I don't smell like cavewoman.

Are you a stylish traveler who loves shiny suitcases, or an inner Magpie? What are some of your tried and true stylish tips?

- Charu Suri

We were late to the cruise. The traffic through New York city was jam thick, almost impenetrable as Fort Knox. I was anxious. I just hated to be late for anything, let alone a murder mystery cruise. What if they decided we were the victims who would be thrown overboard? Game over.

It turned out that lady luck was on our side. Armed with a prayer and a very speedy cab driver, we took the West Side Highway and made it to the Battery Park Pier at 7:10pm –JUST as the "Respect" was pulling away from the dock. I was crestfallen.

"Please let us in," I yelled amidst the purring of the engine to the very handsome but suspicious-looking "Respect" employee who was dressed in a white suit. He was about to pull the rope and ramp in. 

We were lucky because we weren't the only two who were late…there were five others who seemed to have been caught in the traffic jam.

"You're lucky, you know, we were about to pull away." I saw this as a beginning of a beautiful friendship.

This was my very first invite to a murder mystery dinner cruise. My husband and I are actually really fond of murder mysteries and whodunnits. We are die-hard Monk addicts (you know, the TV series with Tony Shaloub), and have even hosted a murder mystery dinner party at our house once with great success (we turned off all the lights during the moment the victim gets shot and I blew a brown paper bag and busted it to simulate the sound of a gun shot). Guests loved it.

But I had no idea how my three-hour long dinner cruise would be. All I knew was that it was a chance to see New York City at sunset, and have dinner and drinks aboard a majestic ship called the "Respect."

On first glance, the two-level boat is large enough to accommodate banquets and bands. We were seated on the upper level, which of course, has the better view. This level has a fully-stocked bar, and as I relaxed with a gin and tonic on the deck and took in the view, I was so glad the sky was clear as a bell.  The large and spacious deck really serves a souped-up New York City skyline and a hefty side of wind (notice my wind-swept hair here). I was having the time of my life because I find the water very therapeutic.

We set sail at around 7:20pm, drank in an orange fireball of a sunset, and took our place at our designated table where we were served salads. We waited for some gory announcement to usher in the whodunnit portion of the evening.

It was an impressive turnout that evening, with people from all professions and all age groups. There were high school kids who were smiling and chatting among themselves in a quiet, dimly-lit corner of the room,  starry-eyed couples and professionals who looked they just punched out of Wall Street before boarding the Respect. I felt as though I was in an episode of The Amazing Race. 

The MC, dressed in a policeman's outfit (his job was to tell the audience about the murder, and to help us solve it) was hilarious and had us in splits. He turned out to be a talented singer as well. The whodunnit portion of the evening started off with him announcing that the Post Master General (another talented actor) had been shot. After a series of interrogations (including pulling people from the crowd and asking them hilarious questions), the audience was left to inspect the evidence on a table and come up with the conclusion as to who committed the deed.

All the work and entertainment is pretty much done for you, and we got to enjoy a curated buffet dinner while listening to the police officer and suspects sing, dance and prove their case for innocence. If you enjoy being a bystander and like a Broadway-style performance, then you really can't beat the cruise + dinner + entertainment value for $99 (note, you do have to pay extra for drinks).

By the end of the Murder Mystery Dinner Cruise, I felt thrilled that I had not only taken some pretty beautiful photographs, but had laughed, mixed and mingled –wedding style –with a fun-loving crowd at my table.

There are only a few more dates available this summer to book the Murder Mystery Cruise on Statue Cruises:

- Saturday, May 21st, 2011

- Saturday, May 28th, 2011

- Saturday, June 4th, 2011

The tickets are $99 and can be booked online  at Statue Cruises.

We ended up making some friends at our table and missed the drop off point at Battery Park City when the boat returned (our evening felt like a bookends mishap). Luckily, there are two places where you can get on and off, and the second drop off point was on Liberty Island in New Jersey, very close to the Light Rail that takes us directly back to Weehawken.

As we walked back home, we realized we had seen the entire skyline in the span of four hours and felt as though we had gone to the theatre district and back. And, I'm also so glad we weren't thrown overboard.

- Charu Suri; photographs by Matthew Minucci

Disclosure: Statue Cruises provided us with two tickets for the cruise.

If you're a cruise lover, you may want to hop onto CruiseLineFans.com and check out what all the fuss is about.  We interviewed the site's community director. Here is our Q&A and reasons why you should visit the site: 

Q: What led to the start of this site? Was there a need not being filled?

Tim Willoughby: In 2005, a company that published vBulletin forums began CruiseLineFans. They assembled some veteran cruisers, ex-cruise line employees and travel agents to serve as a team of Guides and Administrators. The site continued to grow organically for several years. In 2009, partners and I acquired the site and brought it to the founders of Dealchecker.co.uk. The team there wanted to get involved in the cruise information business and they went ahead and purchased CruiseLineFans.com and brought me aboard as the Site Manager. In 2010, we completed a massive overhaul of the site and have plans to complete another full upgrade beginning in May 2011.  

One of the most compelling parts of the site, for me at least, is that the core team of volunteers that helped to originate the community in 2005 are still around to this very day – interacting with members, helping new cruisers and keeping the "fun, friendly, and informative" spirit the site was founded upon alive and well.

A review of Queen Victoria's Atlantic Homecoming written on the site

Q:  What is the best way for someone to get the best experience from this site?

TW: The best way for someone to experience CruiseLineFans.com is to just jump right in.  Introduce yourself, ask a question, start a roll call for your next cruise vacation or write a cruise review of your last cruise voyage. We want our members to use the site as they wish – and we'll keep coming up with new features in response to their suggestions and activity.

Q: Would you say the cruise demographic encompasses all ages?

TW: The demographics of the cruise industry have shifted considerably over the last decade as more and more types of people are discovering the advantages of cruise travel. We see multi-generational travel taking in, as well as more and more family cruise amenities aimed at those with younger children. There is a cruise line, ship and itinerary for age group and activity preference out there – it’s a matter a finding the right one. We feel this is where cruise information portals like CruiseLineFans.com can be so helpful.

The site features luxurious pictures as well so you can get an insider's POV

Q: Who are your biggest promoters? Are they reviewers of the site, Twitter followers or all of the above?

TW: Our most crucial supporters are our members – plain and simple. We try to offer a fun, friendly and informative online home for cruise enthusiasts and newcomers. In return, our members tell other cruisers about our site, share their cruise reviews on Facebook and come back day after day to check in with friends, learn about the latest cruise deal, as well as share pictures and videos of their latest adventure. We are a top 10 social cruise brand online, as well – and find many new members are attracted to our site via our social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter.

Q. What are some of the most popular cruise destinations?

TW: For US passengers, the drive-and-cruise method is becoming increasingly popular – there are 16 US ports and 24 in US and Canada combined that cruisers can embark from and not have to fly anywhere. Typically, the Caribbean and Alaska rank atop most visited cruise destinations. We're also seeing an increase in cruise to and out of Australia and New Zealand. One area that demand is softening in currently is Europe. Americans just don't want to deal with the hassle of flying into a European airport and transferring to their ship. As a result of the dip in demand, there are some quickly expiring discounts for European cruises right now.

This is a sponsored post. Check out Cruiselinefans.com for more information.

I didn't choose to live in Weehawken, NJ; it chose me.

There is an advantage to living a river away from the city crowds. You get your own backyard, and can keep a dog comfortably. The commute from Weehawken into the city is shorter than most subway rides I know (it's 15 minutes on a good day, and a scene from "Office Space" on the worst days). What I love about the one square mile town is that it feels impressively large, with a Cinderella castle-like library, Victorian homes dotting the cliff, a dog park, and a few restaurants. I've come to see how the town has slowly but surely adapted to modernization, and how its citizens too have changed.

Weehawken loves its salt and pepper haired citizens. In the church that I am Music Director of (this is a block away from my house), most of the frequent visitors are over 50 years of age. They've lived in this town all their lives, and have attended the same church since they were kids. There's something heartwarming in that story– knowing that even though they may have traveled all over the world, they keep coming back to their familiar surroundings. 

I've traveled to so many places with my "base" as the home we purchased nearly four years ago. It is the hub in my life. Whenever I get back from a long trip, be it a visit to India or a short jaunt to Texas, I'm reminded of the saying "a man's home is his castle" whenever I open the front door. Everywhere I look, there is work that needs to be done, be it replacing the well-worn linoleum, buffing the hardwood floors or dusting off the debris from the window sill. When I travel, I don't need to think of these things, but I cannot deny the aspect of calm that a sense of familiarity brings. 

Traveling is a highly sensory experience: I see so many people, places, coffee shops, restaurants and each one is so different from the other. Sometimes it's great to come back to the place you know best. You know where your mail is, where you can find your checkbook, and your computer. You feel happy when you pour fresh coffee from your own Black & Decker compared to the  one in the hotel that has likely been handled by thousands of visitors. 

I truly believe that your traveling experiences can only be richer if you know where you're coming from. The strength and depth of my "hub" dictates the richness of my travel experiences. I measure so many of my travel experiences against the comfort scale that my current home brings. Over the years, you also start to feel you are a part of the town's cultural fabric. For the past seven years, I've waved to the passionate Italian family next door as they sit on the porch soaking up every sunny day. I've taken Butterscotch (my Golden Retriever) for several walks and chatted with other owners of furry friends and developed valuable relationships just because I own a pet. These are suburban whimsies, small pleasures, but they all add up to a rich sense of place. 

My wish list for the summer is to hold a garage sale and become completely minimalist. This is also the way I love to travel: take only the basics, look stylish but be comfortable. These are also the qualities I avidly look for in a hotel. Since I'm trying to become a better gardner this summer (let's put it this way, I have more weeds than grass in my backyard), I look for places that have the gorgeous bouquet in their front or back yard, from the iconic crocus to the crazy colored tulip. These simple details immediately put me at ease in my travels and I'll always know when I find my second "home." 

A view from the cliff in Weehawken: the ferry taking passengers for a ride across the Hudson is a popular commute

The view of New York City during a slightly foggy day

A sunset, a million dollar view

The Hamilton Park is a popular place for brides to get their picture taken

After having lived here for more than seven years, I've realized how fortunate I am to live in a small, unobtrusive and uncluttered town that truly has a million dollar view. Each day, I try to make my home a bit more beautiful, whether it's adding more pictures to the wall, paring down the non essentials. A walk to the library, when everything is in full bloom and people wave and say "hello" is in itself a journey. I am grateful when I plunk down my suitcase after a long trip, right in the middle of my living room and just sit back and relax with a cup of fresh Cinnamon Apple Spice tea and give Butterscotch a big hug. A travel yardstick? Sure. It's called relativity.