Arizona Travel

Room rates drop dramatically during the summer months at luxury resorts like The Boulders Resort and Golden Door Spa

If money is no object, you can stay anywhere from luxurious five star resorts to rustic mountain cabins. Arizona has them all.

However, if you’re watching your budget, you’ll want to get the best Arizona travel deal for your money.

When is the best time to get an Arizona travel deal? That depends upon what part of the state you want to visit.

If you’re planning a Scottsdale Arizona vacation during the months of February or March, be prepared to pay top dollar for a hotel or resort room.

For everyday dress, what you pack will depend upon where you’ll be staying and the time of the year.

Even swimmers, like this family at the Oasis Water Park at Pointe South Mountain Resort in Phoenix, should wear sunscreen

However, Arizona’s desert sun is powerful. It seems like you can get sunburned just by walking across a parking lot!

Unfortunately too much sun exposure has damaging consequences beyond just sunburn. The cumulative effect of exposure results in skin damage and skin cancer.

No matter what the season, you need to protect yourself from the sun’s ultraviolet (UV) rays.

To learn the latest sun protection advice, check out our sun protection tips for you and your family.

If you're looking for a good source for sun protection clothing, hats and other products check out the Sun Protection Center.

Don’t hike desert trails like this one in Grand Canyon National Park without appropriate supplies of water

Our bodies are made up mostly of water. We typically lose two quarts daily - adults and kids alike - just in the course of our routine activities.

This loss, known as dehydration, accelerates rapidly when we’re in the arid, desert climate, especially during the hot summer months.

Whatever you do during your Arizona travel, make sure that you carry water with you, whether you’re hiking in Grand Canyon National Park or just driving Interstate 10 from Tucson to Phoenix.

Water is scarce in the desert, so if you were to become lost or stranded, your chances of finding water are slim unless you’re lucky enough to be near a convenience store.

One of the things we love about Arizona is that it does not observe Daylight Savings Time - only one of two states in the U.S. to do so.

The one exception to the Arizona time zone rule is the Navajo Nation.

Navajo tribal lands encompass most of northeastern Arizona, part of northwestern New Mexico and a portion of southeastern Utah. In order to maintain consistency throughout their nation, the Navajos have chosen to observe Daylight Saving Time.

Charred forest along the South Rim of the Grand Canyon

In fact, much of northern and eastern Arizona is forested.

And, where there are forests, there are forest fires.

Wildland fires occur in desert areas too.

The introduction of non-native plants and grasses has made large wild fires in these formerly low fire areas more common.

Many of Arizona’s largest wildland fires have been started by lightening strikes during the summer monsoon thunderstorm season.

When you travel in Arizona, be prepared for fire closures and restrictions.

Arizona has six national forests. They are the:

• Apache-Sitgreaves
• Coconino
• Coronado
• Kaibab
• Prescott
• Tonto.

During Arizona’s fire season, these public lands often put a variety of fire and smoking restrictions in place.

Restrictions may be in effect statewide and can include lands managed by:

• the State Land Department
• the wildlife areas managed by the Arizona Game and Fish Department
• Bureau of Land Management Lands
• Arizona State Parks
• Nature Conservancy preserves
• Native American Tribal Lands
• United States National Parks and Monuments
• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s National Wildlife Refuges.

As of May 1, 2007, smoking is no longer allowed inside the majority of Arizona indoor public places including resorts and hotels, restaurants and bars.

During your Arizona travel, it’s almost inevitable that you will go some place where you will need to tip.

As with the rest of the United States, tipping in Arizona is generally voluntary but customary.

However, some restaurants automatically add a 15% - 18% gratuity for large groups.

Here are some general tipping guidelines:

• Restaurant servers: 15% - 20%
• Spa and salon staff: 15% - 20%
• Taxi drivers: 15% - 20%
• Bellhops: $1.00 - $2.00 per bag taken to a room
• Airport skycaps: $1.00 per bag.

Some Arizona resorts, such as The Boulders Resort, dispense with tipping and add a daily service charge to their room rate in lieu of cash gratuities for their guest service staff (this excludes food and beverage servers and spa staff).

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Legal Disclaimer: Arizona-Vacation-Planner.com accepts no responsibility for any loss, injury or inconvenience sustained by anyone resulting from this information.

This page is intended for informational purposes only. It is not a substitute for professional advice.

This information is not meant to cover every possible scenario or outcome. Before you travel, do your homework.

YOU are solely responsible for your personal safety. Road conditions, weather and your personal knowledge and abilities all vary considerably. We cannot assume responsibility for you or anyone else’s safety that reads and uses this information. Safety really comes down to common sense and being aware of your abilities and limitations. Always inquire locally before traveling. Always be conservative when planning your trips and routes.