Ultimate Vacation Spots

Lake Tahoe - Hiking And Climbing Vacation Spot

Lake Tahoe is planted at the northern end of Yosemite National Park on the eastern side of central California, in the densely forested Sierra Nevada mountain range. It really is California’s mountain country at it’s best.

Lake Tahoe is a year-round recreational haven for well over a thousand years to the people of not only the southern states, but the whole of the US - and beyond. The area offers hiking, climbing and water-sports throughout the summer months, and then becomes a winter skiing destination - with many Olympic-class resorts to choose from.

It is divided into 2 parts really, with the south shore focused on a mini Las Vegas around Stateline, while the north shore is fixed firmly on the outdoor life and has the US’s greatest concentration of ski resorts.

Getting There:
There are several roads that get from coastal California across the mountain chain to Lake Tahoe, but only one coming up from the south through Yosemite, so plan your route well if you are taking in a lot of the surrounding area as well. South Lake Tahoe also has it’s own airport for those who prefer the direct option!

Half of the Lake is also in Nevada near Reno, so across state routes can be planned to arrive here in the Interstate 80, arriving north of the lake.

Before you head out, request your free Visitor Pack from AroundLakeTahoe.com (if still available) so you have all the current local information you need before arriving.

Where To Start:
Peak tourist seasons here are July and August, so expect a lot of people on the paths - and on the road that follows it’s edge too. Must See’s include Emerald Bay and Inspiration Point (a steep climb from the car park) - and Cave Rock Tunnel on the Nevada side, where the highway penetrates the mountains themselves.

There are plenty of reasonable hotels and eateries around the lake, but plan in advance to avoid disappointment. If you are camping, however - check with the state regulations for camping in that area before heading off for regulated camping and any dangers to watch out for.

Fallen Leaf Lake has the most hiking trails in the south-west, but the Balancing Rock Nature Trail is certainly worth while on the south shore, and is close to the Rubicon Trail of spectacular lake views including Emerald Bay - the most photographed part of the lake with it’s own recreated Nordic Castle on the mountainside (www.vikingsholm.com).

Ed Z’berg Sugar Pine Point State Park on the western coast is the largest state park bordering the water, and is filled with old buildings to explore. Ehrman (pronounced ‘ermine’) Mansion has some stately grounds and includes a turreted mansion which was used in the making of the Godfather II if you’re interested.

Something Different?
If you are up for a challenge, then take yourself on to the Tahoe Rim Trail (www.tahoerimtrail.org), circling the lake from the lofty heights of the surrounding mountains! It covers 165 miles across the Sierra Nevada, and can take at least a week if you attempt the whole thing in one go. If you aren’t quite that adventurous, shuttle buses can transfer you to the key sites and you can walk a short stretch at a time!

This trail is open to all types, including mountain bikers, horses and cougars - oh, and in the colder months lots of snow (sometimes completely obscuring the path) - so make sure you a prepared for whatever comes your way if you take up the challenge!

For more information on any of the National Parks and their entry costs - please visit www.parks.ca.gov and navigate to the relevant locations.

Have fun!!!

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Joining a Charity Vacation was the best idea….

It was my partner who found the trip for me. I’d seen them advertised a million times before, but just never felt that final ‘tipping point’ - enough to make me raise thousands of pounds for a charity in a relatively short period of time.

But, somehow this one was different - I really wanted this vacation. And, I was in a position at work which I felt would help me raise the required funds more easily.

Most importantly, it was with a charity that I believed in, and felt that others would also share in. Some charities for animals can be off-putting for some, whereas other people would rather give to wildlife charities than desperate children overseas. I felt this charity represented me, and so I knew I could raise money for them.

First things First:
The application was a big step for me. Getting all the vacation details, as well as the payment plans in the starter pack was an interesting few days reading. Before I signed up, I wanted to know all the details - including the ‘get out clause’ if I couldn’t raise all the money. I certainly didn’t want to find myself owing the charity money if I didn’t get to go!

I had to raise around $5500/£2700 for the 10 day trip, plus I would have to supply my own equipment (walking boots, sleeping bag, rucksack, day pack, etc) as well as my own medication and toiletries, be up to date with my vaccinations and hold travel insurance that covered mountain climbing and camping etc.

The cost of the trip itself included all flights and transfers, accommodation and food as well as several guides and 2 doctors for the duration. It also included continuing support from the charity for fundraising ideas and travel advice leading up to the trip.

Before I signed anything, I wanted to know I had a head start, so I checked with my boss whether he would get the ball rolling with a $1000/£500 donation. He said ‘yes’, so I completed the forms and the challenge began.

My Plans:
I had 2 important things to consider in the build up to the trip in a few months time, and they were raising the funds and getting fit. I didn’t want to be struggling to walk the 7 or so kilometres a day up and down the mountainside. I wanted to really enjoy myself, so I had to be as fit as I could. I joined the gym and started hill walking after work - well I had to wear in my new boots - I didn’t want blisters out there!

My work allowed me to arrange a few raffles and ‘open days’ in the stores, where the suppliers gave me some free gifts, and I was able to sell tickets for the prizes as well as promoting the store itself. Other customers were happy to just donate to the charity itself anyway. I sold other free goods at car boot sales, and was getting donations all the time.

Friends and family were also generous, and I put in $1000/£500 myself because that’s how much I would normally spend on a vacation anyway. The funds were starting to get very close to the final amount - and the deadline was fast approaching!

We did have a meeting for all the fundraisers to attend, and it was a way to meet people as well as get some more ideas for raising money - and we got to watch the video diary from a previous trek. One man there had raised well over the required amount (he ran his own bar and had been doing quiz nights) and others had been doing all sorts of things to reach their targets. It was a great day out.

The Final Week:
I was very fit by now and the boots didn’t give me any trouble at all - I was even walking sideways on hills in them to make sure that they really weren’t going to get sore whilst out there. But they really were absolutely fine - a great buy!!

And, after banking all the money - yes, I reached the target amount with a last minute push - I started to pack!!!! It was only a few days now to departure. I had read all the guide books and had packed everything on the checklist the charity had supplied - I just had to get myself to the airport.

When I arrived, I met a few of the other travelers that I had spoken with at the previous meeting, who all seemed very friendly - and then we were away……

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I had the absolute best time on the trip, and still keep in touch with several of the people who were in my little ‘group’ while we were out there. I certainly won’t forget this trip for the rest of my life - that’s for sure. And together (we were part of a large group) we raised over £72,000 for the charity!

Great work - and a great vacation!

from Sarah Nettleton

The first thing you need to ask yourself is - Why am I taking my pet?

I know this seems like an obvious question, but really think this through before you make any other plans. Are you taking your pet because you would rather not leave it with anyone else, you don’t want to pay fees for someone else to watch them, or because they are an essential part of your family and taking them will make the vacation 100 times better?

Travelling with an animal can be very time consuming on your part - it can also be quite restrictive and some times more expensive than leaving them with qualified and insured carers while you are away. So this must be considered very carefully.

Opposition On Vacation: 
Many holiday locations will not accept pets of any kind in their accommodation - so you can forget 2 weeks on the beach in an all inclusive vacation resort if you want to take your dog with you. That weekend break in the city will be off your list of choices if you want to bring your cat along. And don’t even think about taking your parrot to Las Vegas……

These may sound like silly choices, but when you travel with animals, there are only certain types of locations, accommodation types and activities you can partake in. From experience - even going into a restaurant for a spot of lunch during a long drive meant leaving my dog alone in the car.

Also, theme parks and restored grand houses and castles are off limits for pets - and you certainly can’t take them into zoo’s, shopping malls and children’s parks.

Will They Enjoy Their Time Away? 
Small animals, such as hamsters and rabbits wouldn’t be taken with you on day trips while on vacation anyway, as with budgies, etc - for fear of losing them - so they would spend the entire time inside the vacation home, caravan, RV or the car - and the latter choices will not only get very hot in the summer months, but can be very dangerous too.

Many holiday parks outside of towns readily cater for clients with pets and are usually self catering and miles away from any dangers. So, if you don’t mind a peaceful reading holiday or an energetic walking or cycling vacation away from the modern world, then you and your pet can have the best time.

I combined my annual vacation time between several local dog-friendly cottages with miles of walking space, with a couple of people-only trips overseas. You shouldn’t feel guilty about leaving your pets at home as long as they are in good hands.

Always consider what is best for the pet involved, rather than what is easiest for you.

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Travel With Kids Series - Essential Documents - Part 1

It’s not only a passport that is important when travelling abroad, there are another half dozen or more documents that need checking and updating before travelling anyway - then one or more extra if you travel with your kids.

Here, we start with the 3 basics - which no family can travel without.

Your Passports:
As adults, we know that once we get our passport all we need to worry about is that it needs to be valid for at least 6 months AFTER we return from a holiday. In general, you can’t travel into another country on an adult passport with less than 6 months remaining on it.

However, kids passport restrictions are a bit more volatile due to the fact that babies and small children look different every year - a baby in a photo could grow up to be just about any 10 year old.  There is no way to prove one way or another - unless the photos are constantly updated throughout your kids life.

Regardless of the requirements of your home country for children’s passports, you need to check the entry requirements of the country you are visiting. Either way, it is advised that you carry current passport photos of your kids when travelling in case replacements are required at any time or for whatever reason.

In the UK, a child’s passport runs for 5 years and they can keep the same photo for that whole 5 years, and my nephew recently travelled with a baby photo on his passport when he was 4 years, 3 months old.

Kids are considered an adult from 16 in passport terms, and the renewal cost for each passport is the same, even if they do not run continually for you child’s life - therefore if you can leave time between renewals without affecting your travel - this could save you quite some money.

Top Tip -  Your passport details will always be required for visa forms given out at airports or on planes when arriving or leaving a destination. It is therefore a good idea to have a small piece of card to hand with all the passport details on for yourself and your children to avoid getting the actual passports out all the time, and fiddling with the pages and numbers while watching after your children.

The Visas:
Most visas are completed on the plane on the way there, or at the airport itself in a massive queue, but some need to be applied for in advance - up to 3 months in advance for some. There are visas that can be applied for either way, and applying in advance will save you queueing up with everyone else who was on your plane when you arrive there after the long flight - with you kids needing the bathroom and you needing to sleep!!

It’s also possible that to get the visa in advance you will need to send off your passports to the countries embassy to get stamped. This will obviously need to be done way in advance to make sure that they are returned to you before you depart. You could debate taking them to the embassy yourself to save the postal risk, if you find that that is an option for you.

Your Tickets:
Your tickets are obviously essential for your travel, so make sure that they are kept in a secure and waterproof wallet throughout your journey, and preferably get a copy of them if possible and keep the originals in a safe at your destination or at least in a body wallet while travelling. Put any important details on your passport ‘card’ if necessary to avoid getting them out while travelling.

Some tickets these days are e-tickets and are not even an actual ’ticket’, they are just your printed itinerary on a sheet of A4 paper.  For this reason - keep them really safe so they are not lost amongst others paperwork, in-case they get discarded.

Either way - on receiving the printed paperwork or email - always make sure that every single detail is correct for both the outward and return journey straight after booking - and contact the agent as soon as possible if there are any discrepancies. I once booked a return flight, only to find out that the outward and return airports were different!

I had assumed on booking the return flight from one country back to that same country that it was from and to the same airport.  Added to this, the agent made no attempt to advise me of the rather odd routing by way of warning.

It was a good job I checked the details asap - as this could have been a disaster if I was leaving my car parked at the departure airport, or had brought a return train ticket from that one place.

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Top 10 Reasons to Learn a Foreign Language

For some, learning a second language seems very easy - and to some learning a third or fourth is also easily achieved - however, for the majority it seems as though being fluent in a second language is a goal that is never truly achieved.

I was never very good at French at school - and that is all they offered to you - unless of course you were good at French, when they offered you Spanish and German???

I always wanted to learn Spanish, but was absolutely rubbish at French, really bad - to the point where I would try to hide in the lessons in-case the teacher (a French lady) chose me for any reason to answer a question. It was awful.

Time Flies….. 
Now as an adult, I have found that a second language is not so hard to learn (and how irrelevant French was to my adult needs). I am able to understand French and Spanish from text books and local signs when travelling - but it was the speaking of it that held me up - I didn’t have the confidence.

However - since spending a month in Costa Rica - I have found myself able to converse in basic Spanish and actually get things done like I would at home. I even had a word with the lady at the laundrette because she said that our clothes would be ready tomorrow but I needed them today!!! How’s that for courage. I really felt proud of myself and hope to improve for my return.

I am also part way through qualifying in my TEFL, so hope to live abroad at some point in a South American country, so will ‘keep up the good work’.

Basically there are too many good reasons to learn a foreign language, I have list 10 great ones, to hopefully get you spurred on as well. Some are standard, others are more personal.

1) To book a night in a hotel or ‘pension’
2) To order food and drink when you are travelling
3) To understand directions when trying to find places
4) To understand warning signs while adventuring and for your own safety
5) To have a grasp of local laws if you find yourself in a spot of bother
6) To be able to communicate about your health in times of sickness or injury

7) To befriend local staff in hotels and cafes, as a way of being polite
To become more involved in social events while travelling, and to feel more welcome
9) To chat to local children and help them to understand your journey and where you are from

10) Sometimes speaking the language can help you to get better service, advice and prices in certain locations. And it is no doubt one of the best ways to get the most out of your vacation abroad.

My trip to Costa Rica was certainly the better for my getting a head start on the language and culture. And to be honest, there were many occasions where the staff did not speak a word of English (and why should they really), so even parts of sentences were valuable at times!

I don’t think I’m ready for a 3rd language just yet - so I’ll stick the Central and South America for my travels for the time being…….

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