TRAVEL RESEARCH Trip Description: 2 adults and 1 child flying from the Washington, DC area to Merida, Mexico. The planned range for the trip is March 8th, 2012 through March 13th. The length of the trip can be 4,5, or 6 days depending on the price. Purpose of the Trip: This will be a working vacation. My wife is a teacher and she is learning Spanish as an additional certification. I will be there looking at possible real estate investments and other business opportunities. Traveler's Names: William F. Riggs, Janine A. Riggs, Degnet Riggs (child, 5 years old) Departure days: Thursday, March 8th; Friday, March 9th; Saturday, March 10th. Return Days: Sunday, March 11th; Monday, March 12th; Tuesday, March 13th Length: Trip must be at least 4 days long, no more than 6 days long Departure Airport Codes: BWI, IAD, DCA (we can use any of these, but they are listed in order of preference) Arrival Airport: MID Departure Times: We prefer to leave in the morning and return in the afternoon. We also prefer nonstop flights but will consider a 2-hour layover for a significantly less expensive flight. Researching Airfare: start with Kayak.com, and Sidestep.com for pricing comparisons, then search Ortbitz.com and start bidding at 50% of the lowest Orbitz price, moving bids up in $50 increments to see if that results in a lower price. Finally, go directly to the lowest price airlines website and see if tickets can be purchased for less. We are looking for a summary of the least expensive flights as follows: top 3 direct flights with AM departure and afternoon or PM return top 3 non-direct flights with AM departure and afternoon or PM return top 3 direct flights with any departure and return top 3 non-direct flights with Any departure and return Lodging: We are looking to spend no more than $300 for lodging. We are open to a hotel, condo, or house. We must have at least 3 bedrooms in a house or condo and 2 bedrooms in a hotel. We will also want to do some sightseeing, dining out, and spend time in the pool or at the beach. We are active and enjoy walking and running. We would like to see at least 3-5 options in Merida and 3-5 options at a beach town/resort close to Merida. I am including web links to two options I found already to give you an idea of what we would find acceptable: /property/003493 /property/003622 Please include these two in your final report. Please also include web links with photos for any options you present to us. When you contact listing agents, ask them if they can negotiate lower prices, include a driver for while we are there, or any other discounts or concessions they can get us. For instance, if they are bilingual, we could hire them to tutor my wife in Spanish. I am also interested in hiring a local real estate agent who is experienced in working with real estate investors and in property management. I would like list of 3-5 candidates based on the following: working with expatriate Americans, owning/managing rental properties themselves, 5+ years working in Merida, very fluent bilingual English/Spanish. Additional: What is the weather usually like at this time of year, including average high and low temperatures? What are the most popular tourist attractions? Are there any US State department warnings/travel advisories for Merida? What vaccinations/immunizations are required? Desired Skills: Research, Travel Planning Keywords: Travel Planning, Travel, Planning, Research