Skiing was invented as a way to travel through snow, but it has evolved into a popular pastime (cross-country skiing notwithstanding). At least it’s popular if you’re healthy, youngish, rich, and good looking, right? Well maybe, maybe not.

Most physical activity presumes a certain amount of good health, and younger people tend to go more for the active activities, so you can grant skiing that part of the stereotype. But know this—some handicapped folks are pretty good skiers, and you’ll find plenty of active older folks on the slopes, too.

Gotta hand it to this guy...

Whether skiing is for the rich or not depends on your approach:

Most folks prefer to rent skis. You can get pretty good equipment for about $40 for a weekend. (Go to your local ski shop for the rental. The lines are shorter.) However, if you are really serious about skiing and have some cash, figure you will drop a cool grand into a full outfit of good quality equipment. Most parts of the country have decent skiing within a day’s drive, so maybe you don’t need to fly there, but places like Vail and Aspen (and Switzerland) are probably a flight away for most people. Accommodations vary from the economical motel a short commute from the slopes to five-star resorts fancy enough to make you forget about the skiing, with prices to match. You need a ticket to use a lift (beats walking up the side of a mountain), and prices for those start at about $20 for half a day to season passes for considerably more.

Need to be beautiful? Just smile.

(Tell us about your ski adventures in the comments.)

Do you like warm climate and exotic locales, but don’t feel a need for the limitations of a cruise’s schedule? Don’t like the extra expenses that you didn’t think of? A cruise ship too small for you?

Consider an all-inclusive resort.

All-inclusives generally have a single price that includes airfare, all food, all beverages, all lodging, all activities, all tips. Cruises can take you to several locations, but the resorts try to make up for it by having a large enough (say, 20 acres) and interesting enough physical plant to make up for the variety of destinations on a cruise.

One resort's accommodations

At an all-inclusive resort you don’t need to go on a paid excursion to take in horseback riding, snorkeling, scuba, sailing, fishing, hiking, and guided tours into town or nearby historic sites. They are included, and generally offered several times a day. You won’t run out of things to do, and the schedule is yours. Not into snorkeling? They have a pool too big to fit on a cruise ship, and at least one resort features big-name video games that aren’t even on the market yet. Maybe you like active (volleyball, tennis) sports or sedate (billiards) games. Included. Not to mention lounging on a really nice beach, or spa services (some of the spa services might be extra), and food.

Maybe golf is your game

Food! All-inclusives have several restaurants, all part of the package. Calling them “restaurants” might be an understatement. Take your pick of these modifiers: exotic, themed, gourmet, high-class (or casual), always open, sushi, French, Italian, western, seafood, even local.

Beaches is the foremost family-oriented resort, and they have several attractive locations. Sandals is a popular couples and honeymoon location. Do a quick internet search and you can find a pile more.

You can even get married at an all-inclusive. Included, but you have to bring your own spouse-to-be.

The goal of an all-inclusive resort is to offer so many things on site that you feel no need to go elsewhere. Eventually you have to come home, though. When you do, come back to this site and tell us about it.

You pay a premium for cruise-sponsored shore excursions. In exchange, you get pretty good security and value. Are you willing to be a little more adventuresome in exchange for a lower price? A lot of islands have destinations (such as beaches, towns, and countryside) that you can get to by private taxi, and private boats with captains willing to take you to the same places the sponsored excursions go. These people are generally competent, honest, and fairly priced. How do you tell who’s good and who’s not?

Here are a few tips from an expert:

• Look for several taxis from the same company. These are more likely to be legitimate and have a stake in giving good service.
• Ask to see their business license. No license, no customer.
• Ask to take their picture. On the one hand, it’ll make a good keepsake, and on the other hand, a bad guy won’t want his likeness available to the authorities.
• Avoid taxis and other services that sport a magnetic sign on the door as their evidence of being legitimate.
• Don’t go with anyone you have a funny feeling about.
• Pick a driver/captain whose grasp of English is good, unless you speak the local lingo yourself. Clarify everything in advance.
• Pay at the end, not up front. Tipping is okay.
• Expect something more informal than a sponsored excursion.

When you come back, come here and leave tell about your adventure.

The best cruises include activities off the ship (unless you’re out in the middle of the Atlantic or Pacific on the way to the next continent). Cruises around the Caribbean that feature daytime stops at different islands, for example, are extremely popular, and you miss out on a lot if you stay on board all day, free lunch on board or not.

The islands allow you to just get off the boat and walk around, and most (all?) ports have plenty of local taxis offering to squire you about and show you the sights. Shop carefully.

The cruise lines themselves screen and approve certain vendors, and even though you pay a premium for them, you are pretty much guaranteed a safe and enjoyable experience. Cruise-sponsored excursions come in two types. The ones that you sign up for in advance, and the ones you buy on board. The cruise company web site lists them all, and you are wise to look over  the sign-up-in-advance excursions and get on the list early because many have limited capacity (when the bus is full, they don’t stack passengers on the roof) and you can miss out.

Golf Outing

Here is some idea of that to expect to pay, per person:

• Golf excursions run in the $185 range
• Scuba dives start at about $100
• Snorkeling starts at about $35
• You can rent a Harley (motorcycle) for about $500
• Cheapest were  visits to some butterfly gardens, and a cable car ride, each for around $20.

Excursions vary considerably in content. You can get dropped off at a beach, go on a dozen kinds of bus tour, take a boat to a hundred good snorkel spots (gear provided), hike up mountains, and go horseback riding. And that’s by no means everything. The amount of included food and drink varies. The amount of shopping varies. The amount of exercise varies! The duration varies from about an hour to about 5 hours.

You can’t possibly do everything, but you short-change yourself if you don’t do something on shore. Take some of that money you saved on the boat tickets and go on an adventure!

And when you get back, come here and leave a few comments.

Well, not exactly hidden, but it’s not part of the price you pay to get on the cruise.

Everyone knows that the cruise lines low-ball the fare (and some travel agents, especially, ahem, travel clubs, can discount them even more), for which you get the cabin, the food, the evening entertainment, and many activities. If that’s all you care to do, a cruise is a really, really  good deal. You can stay fairly busy and have a pretty good time without ever leaving the boat.

However, the cruise companies also offer shopping, gambling, and alcoholic beverages on board, and those aren’t free. Justifiably, perhaps—after all, people have so many individual preferences that it’s impossible to include these in a way that would please anyone, much less everyone.

Don’t drink? Gambling against your religion? You’re satisfied with your possessions? You’re still not out of danger. If you’re not into any of those vices, you probably want to do some sightseeing or have an adventure while you’re on shore, right?  After all, you won’t find much snorkeling in Kansas, or catamaran rides, or a Georgian naval base. If you have any intellectual curiosity or spirit of adventure, be prepared to go on a couple cruise-sponsored activities. Every port of call has something worth doing, and unless you speak the language fluently, and have local relatives, you’re ahead to stick with the planned itineraries. Prices range  from $35 to $100, and they have something to suit every taste. They’re worth it. Sign up for something at every port. The memories are worth far more than the cost of the excursion.

Replica of the original Endeavour—the space shuttle was named after this ship

Here’s a pic of the Georgian (architectural style) naval base, on the island of Antigua in the Caribbean. You can go on a really interesting tour of the place if your cruise ship stops at Antigua.