Ultimate Vacation Spots

posted by Travel Cat on Sep 28

If it’s a once in a lifetime vacation - why settle for second best?

If you are planning your Honeymoon, special occasion, or an anniversary celebration and it is something you have dreamed of for ‘ever’, then why not do it in style.  And where better than the island of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean.

I know that everyone is watching the pennies at the moment, but if it is something that is so very important to you and a moment you cannot get back, then go for luxury - but make sure every penny counts. 

Mauritius:
Famed throughout the world as a luxurious tropical getaway, what better place to invest in that little ‘perfection’ you desire for your vacation.  You won’t find hoards of tourists here, watching the football and drinking the bar dry - here you will find peace and tranquility.

Never a location to sell ‘cheap, package deals’ and always a place that earns it’s 5 stars, there are some dream hotels here to make sure that you don’t have a worry in the world during your entire stay.

Finding the Right Hotel:
There are many agents that deal with this ultimate destination, but one stands out - offering exclusive vacations - and ONLY exclusive vacations.

Only Exclusive Travel are true to their name, offering an almost perfect service to some of the best hotels and resorts in the world.  Offering locations where privicy and intimacy are almost guaranteed, and the hotel staff offer a service second to none.

Take the One&Only Le Saint Geran Mauritius, with 60 acres of tropical gardens and a huge stretch of the white sand coastline.  The first-class service will certainly have you feeling as though you are in heaven!

The more contemporary hotel of Le Touessrok Mauritius is designed to have that ‘authentic island’ feel, with timber and white-washed walls.  Again the service here is as exclusive as it’s fine dining and hospitality.  And with it’s own breath-taking golf course set across an azure lagoon with mountains as their backdrop, there are none to rival it’s beauty.

With 13 stunning vacation spots on this amazing and exclusive island, you will not be short of choice.  Have a look at their elegant website, and start browsing their luxury holidays today.

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posted by Travel Cat on Sep 25

Destination Venezuela

One of the 9 countries bordering on gigantic Brazil, Venezuela sits to the north. It rests on the shores of the Caribbean Sea and has a whole host of pristine beaches,strands of coral reef and isolated tropical islands to it’s name.

To the east you find the Orinoco Delta weaving it’s way across the land into the Atlantic Ocean; and to the west you can find the snow-capped peaks of the Andes, which can be seen for miles around. Finally, the mighty Amazon sits to the south of this diverse destination and offers a whole host of tropical rain-forest and amazing wildlife to explore - including the highest waterfall in the world: Angel Falls.

Lets take a quick glance at what each of these locations has to offer the visitor.

The Caribbean:
There are several groups of islands in the Caribbean sea that are worth visiting and are inhabited. Of course there are many more islands that are uninhabited and are great for snorkeling and diving but there are too many to discuss here.

Archipielago Los Roques- This chain of small coral reef islands around 160km north of the mainland - about 40 of which are large enough for names - where as the other 250 or so are just rocks or sandbars. This area is a real paradise for divers and snorkelers and the infrastructure makes getting around very easy. The whole region is a National Park, so you will be charged an entry fee when visiting here.

Dos Mosquises Sur - This inhabited island is home to the Marine Biological Station which rears turtles from the surrounding area to be released locally. There are therefore some restrictions about activities in these waters.

Isla de Margarita- This large island is a vacation spot for package tours and is very popular with Canadians and Europeans. The island has some amazing white sandy beaches and 2 national parks. It is also a duty-free shopping zone so is very popular with Venezuelan vacationers too.

The Orinoco Delta:
This river basin is second only to the Amazon Basin in size and at it’s widest, the river is over 20km wide. It then splits into around 40 main channels that spread out across the delta and empty in the Atlantic Ocean.

It is easy to arrange a boat tour of the delta from most surrounding towns and even from some more distant destinations, such as the Isla de Margarita. Along the river banks you will find a whole host of wildlife species, including spider monkeys, caiman, hummingbirds and toucan to name a few. And in the water you are sure to find pirahna, but also pink river dolphins if you are out at dusk……

Many tour companies will arrange for you to stay overnight in an old oil prospectors cabins or local stilted houses on the river itself the very places that gave this country it’s name - Little Venice. Take some serious insect repellant though if you are out in the rainy season!

The Andes Mountains:
The very tip of this huge mountain chain splits into 2 and creeps into the western corner of Venezuela and can be snow-covered all year round. Many of the highest peaks are around 5000m and most towns between 2500m and 3500m. Hiking is risky at any time due to the changeable weather, but August to October really are the worst months here.

Merida state is nestled in-between the 2 ridges and does have an excellent infrastructure for travel and touring, however; neighbouring states can still offer some amazing landscapes and are probably less touristy - although you may have to be a bit more flexible with your arrangements.

Remember that the altitude here can easy reach over 3000m, so it is possible that you will need to take a few days to acclimatise yourself, otherwise you may find yourself feeling terrible the whole time possibly with some serious headaches and other unpleasant (and possibly fatal) side effects.

The Amazon Jungle and Angel Falls:
The Venezuelan Amazon is only small - just a 5th of the country’s size, but never-the-less it is a beautiful place to visit. It is predominately thick forest filled with networks of streams and rivers criss-crossing the land. Many indigenous tribes live here, and around 20 different languages are used.

Puerto Ayacucho is the main town on the Orinoco River and with a landing strip, but the infrastructure is poor and private guides are the only option here if you want to explore. Flora and fauna abound here, with birds, insects and reptiles fitting in every niche. Mammals such as the giant river otter and the ocelot do live here, but are rarely seen - but monkeys may be more frequently seen.

Salto Angel - or Angel Falls is the most visited tourist destination in the country - and I know why. When I flew here recently, the views from the ‘plane were amazing. We flew low over the tops of the giant outcrops of the ‘tepuis’ - the flat-topped mountains. Rather than the mountains coming up out of the ground, these 1000m high plateaus are what is left of the original ground when all the rest fell away!!

I though that was a great site until the ground fell away from under our plane in an instant and we tilted to the left over the falls. All I could see was the continuous drop of this amazing waterfall all the way to the ground below me!!!!! All that water, falling away into the depths of the jungle below leaving a rainbow behind as evidence of it’s beauty!

This is certainly a place to return to, over and over again. And I will.

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posted by Travel Cat on Sep 20

Travel With Kids Series - Essential Documents - Part 4

It may not even have crossed your mind until just now - but some countries require documented proof that any children with you are yours, and that the other parent has given their permission for their children to travel with the other parent.

It is very rare, but you could be refused entry to a country without it. Taking copies of birth certificates, passport pages or signed letters form the absent parent can all save you time when arriving in a country - so be prepared.

The same goes for adopted children - passport control may well ask for certified proof that the children ‘belong’ to you or that you are their legal guardians. Other family members (grandparents, aunties, etc) will also require written proof that the children’s parents agree to them traveling with you.

Younger children are more likely to be checked than older children, due to the huge trade in trafficked babies and young children across the globe. Unless the children are of a different skin tone to their traveling parent, there are not usually that many issues - but there is no harm in being prepared for all eventualities to avoid wasting time and hitting ‘red-tape’ on your journey.

2 parents traveling with their own children:
This is fine in legal terms, as both parents of the child/children are present, and agree for the child/children to travel.

Possible problems could be encountered if the parents have different surnames, and/or look very different from the child/children. In these cases, it may be worth carrying their birth certificates or a written confirmation from a solicitor to avoid any issues.

1 parent traveling with their own children:
Regardless of marital status - it would be wise to carry a letter of consent to travel for more unusual destinations from the absent parent. This would usually detail the child/children’s names, nationality and passport number, and the permission to travel statement.

Details of the mode of travel and destination could be included, and of course the signature and nationality/passport number of the absent parent. Ideally this should also be counter-signed or stamped by a solicitor or notary.

If you have no idea who the absent parent is, or the absent parent refuses or cannot complete this declaration, then you would need advice from a solicitor regarding an attestation to this effect.

1 or 2 Adoptive Parents or Legal Guardians with their Children:
You must travel with their adoption certificates or legal paperwork that attests to the fact that you are their legal representatives and that you give them permission to travel.

If there are 2 names showing on the legal paperwork and only 1 ‘parent’ traveling, then you would be wise to carry a consent letter from the other named person as well, granting consent to travel for the child/children.

Other Relative or Friend:
You will need a legally represented document from both parents declaring that they have given you permission to travel with their children.

As mentioned at the beginning of this article - problems are very rare, but for the sake of a letter and a copy of a passport, it is worth being over-prepared.

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posted by Travel Cat on Sep 15

If you travel without travel insurance these days - you must be mad…….

Everyone who has been keeping an eye on the travel news lately, must be more than aware of the changing face of the industry.

What Can Go Wrong? 
This season, prices seem to be staying unusually high - even last minute deals aren’t that cheap.   Destinations are disappearing from brochures as flights are re-routed or cancelled altogether.  Freak weather is pummelling coastlines and scaring off holiday makers.  Airline companies are going bust across the globe due to the unstoppable rise in oil prices.

You need to be covered if you are going away, in-case you are affected by one of these many problems - which could affect you at any time after you make the booking until you are safely back home.  And for those people who like to book their vacations in advance - that could be well over a year of waiting.

What’s The Best Cover?
As with anything you purchase, you need to find the policy that suits YOUR needs - and your needs only.  Don’t settle for a policy or company that worked for your friends and their family.  Why?

Well, there are different types of insurance depending on your age, your health, where you are going, what you plan to do there and how many of you there are for starters.  So always look around for what YOU need and what they offer.

What Do I Need?
One great way is to go to a travel insurance comparison site that shows the breakdown of the policies - and one that has clear explanations of each clause - for example www.money.co.uk and hit the Insurance tab and select travel insurance from the list.

Select any of the options you require - the destinations you require, whether it’s ’annual’ or ’single trip’ you are after, etc. Then hit ‘Go’.  It will then bring up all the policies it has found for you or your family with general headings of Medical Cover, Cancellation Cover and Baggage Cover - plus the overall cost of each policy.  You then skim down the list looking for the amount of cover for each category and tick the box to their left.

When you have selected 2 or 3 that you are interested in, click COMPARE and it will bring up those policies in much more detail.  Every single detail of the policy is followed by a question mark logo which explains a little about what it is asking for - helping you to see what is being covered - and what could be available to you on another policy.

Spend your time investigating all the options and making a list of the type of things you are hoping for with your policy and then you are more than prepared to make an informed decision about what cover you want and what cover you can’t do without.  It is also possible this way for you to also make sure you are not paying a large amount for a clause that you do actually not need.

That way you will know that everything you had planned cover for is insured and you can enjoy your vacation - even if it is at the end of 2009.

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posted by Travel Cat on Sep 14

Every type of pet has different requirements at home, and it’s no different when travelling with them abroad.

However, some pets have legal requirements that need to be considered before they can leave the country or arrive in a new one. Some also have requirements to attend to even if they remain at home in kennels or other paid care.

To start with we will look at a few things you need to consider when taking your dog away with you, either home or abroad. Dogs seem to be seen as a ‘part of the family’ and so holidays do tend to involve our dogs more than other species.

Considerations With Dogs:
The most common pet to be taken on holiday is the faithful hound. And there are certainly a few things to consider when taking yours on vacation - either home or abroad.

Depending on the breed and size of your dog, it will or won’t be welcome in certain accommodations, or even certain states or countries. For example many hotels will allow small breed dogs to stay overnight, but Pit Bull Terriers, for example, are a ‘banned’ breed in the UK, so can’t even travel here.

The UK is also Rabies free, and to keep it that way, any dog (cat or ferret) travelling here will need to either stay permanently in a quarantine kennel for 6 months on entry - regardless of breed and without exercise. Alternatively if you plan in advance - you can apply for a Pet’s Passport (completed 6 months before travelling to the country) to prove the animal is rabies free.

Consider The Regulations & Costs:
All journeys made by your dog will probably cost you money - with air travel probably being one of the most expensive. Air travel costs are normally calculated by the weight of the dog itself, but some airlines have different pricing strategies. Travel by train and boat may well be free for shorter journeys, but overnight trains or boats travelling longer distances may have different regulations.

Top Tip - Always check with each individual transport company you are considering rather than taking advice from a local vets or pet store, a friend or just one travel company and assume others must be the same. The reason for this specific advice is that it will be you and you pet that may have to pay more money or delay your departure if you take the wrong advice. The person who gave you their advice won’t be standing there, frustrated, writing another check - it is 100% up to you to get things right.

Mode of Transport:

Air:
Dogs being transported by air need to travel in a suitably sized crate with water available for the whole journey - regardless of destination. The owner cannot visit them during the flight, and they may sometimes travel on a separate plane to the owner anyway. If anything is deemed incorrect before departure (for example the crate is too small or the wrong type for that airline), you will have to leave your pet there until everything is corrected, possibly incurring extra fees or missing your own flight as a result.

Train:
Dogs travelling by train are usually allowed to travel with the owner depending on the company being used, but restricting your pet to a crate for long journeys will probably better suit the animal, allowing them to remain calm by staying clear of all the distractions and noises in the cabins - and of course you can sit with them the whole way.

Boat:
Travelling by boat is a less usual means for long distance as it takes so long to get anywhere, but shorter journeys could work out cheaper. Again, travelling this way is best done with crates to keep the animal out of harms way and to keep them secure throughout. Always check regulations with the boat company before heading off.

Toilet trouble will be an obvious issue for any animal that cannot be exercised outside - and during a long flight or other journey, they may have to soil their crate. If your dog will not do this, then you need to consider regular stops - either by taking a route that has many stopping points or by spreading the journey over several days - and adding to the cost. Some people would rather just get it all over with on one journey, therefore only ‘upsetting’ the dog one time (but for a long time).

Alternatives:
Many people though, would rather not put their dog in this situation, and so prefer to travel with their pets in their own vehicle, even though it may take longer. Basically, they make the journey part of the vacation.

This way, you do not have to follow any regulations to take you pet, and you get to stop whenever you want for exercise and food. It is still wise to restrain or crate your pet for the journey, but you control everything else to so with the journey, rather than relying on others.

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