Ultimate Vacation Spots

posted by Travel Cat on Jan 25

Not often thought of as a great European destination, I have been finding out a bit more about this large and historic country.

Having only travelled through a small area the north of the country bordering the Netherlands, I was a bit disappointed with what I found and seemed to be constantly passing road signs saying ‘Centrum’. I got stuck on a never-ending ring road and ended up driving straight back into Holland without stopping for the night!

Since my recent studying of the country, however, I have found out where I went wrong on my journey (I was driving through the most industrialised sprawling conurbation in Europe – around Dortmund and Essen) and am regretting all the great locations that I had driven right past!

Below I have just offered an overview of the highlights of this beatiful and friendly country and hope that it’s not only me who is going to visit them this year.

The Castle or Schloss (spelt Schloß in German).
You will not believe some of the castles you will find across this country! They are like a fairytale come true. Many are perched precariously on hill tops, with giant towers and hundreds of windows. Most are also painted bright colors and some have secret caves beneath!

In the northern lowlands, they used water as a defence and needed to be stronger, so you will find huge moated buildings with gigantic wide towers, with wonderful symmetry and extensive gardens. Some look more like enormous English stately homes and are more plain in colour.

In cities and larger towns, there was more call for grandeur and less for security, and some of these are the most amazing buildings. They cover vast areas of land, with a whole array of supporting buildings for staff and guests. Many of these were commissioned by more modern rulers and were used for grand balls and for entertaining visiting nobility, all displaying the most ‘fashionable’ architecture of the time.

Medieval Houses:
Many towns in Germany – particularly in the west of the country – have a medieval history and you will find streets filled with white-washed half-timbered buildings. You will have to navigate your way around dozens of tiny winding streets packed full of history and 1000 year old architecture.

Old towns were originally small and circular – some within their brick-built city walls, and often beside a river for trading or on a hill for defense. Most towns today have outgrown their original city limits, but have kept their historic Aldstadt (old town) for all to enjoy. Industrial buildings are still in use or have been used a museums, and tourism is booming! And street names like Buttermarkt (Butter Market) and Domplatz (Cathedral Place) reflect their history.

Spa Towns and Volcanic Mountains:
Germany is filled with mountain ranges – many with a volcanic twist. As a result where these rocks hit the surface you will find thermal waters and mineral spas.

Nearly all locations will have the name ‘Bad’ at the beginning or less commonly at the end, and are famed for their medicinal or financial purposes. A large number grew up through the Roman period and as a result have great towns around them and are usually on show in some ornate gardens and decorative buildings.

The mountains themselves are a huge draw for the outdoor types, who want to explore hill top castles, deep valleys and volcanic crater lakes.

Large areas are covered by National Parks or smaller NaturParks, and there are endless trails and routes signposted across vast areas, with huge networks of further trails and cycle routes. Many are famous such as the Reinsteig across the Thuringian Forest and the Rhine Peaks Walks in Rhineland-Palatinate.

Wine Growing:
Huge numbers of people travel to Germany to see the vineyards – and to sample the fine wines. Many regions have implemented special ‘wine routes’ through their regions to help you pick your way across their countryside.

The most famous region is of course on the banks of the Rhine in Hesse and Rhineland-Palatinate, where huge tracts of land are cultivated for fine Rieslings among other wines. May to October is the best time to visit if you want to take advantage of the ‘free samples’ on offer and to see the grape harvests around September.

Join a tour or just follow the yellow signs with the grapes on them to see the best sights and get involved!

There’s plenty more to see in this vast country, but this was just a quick summary. If you want to know more, then watch out for further articles on Ultimate Vacation Spots in the future!!!

posted by Travel Cat on Jan 17

With their economy at an all time low at the moment – why not take advantage! The UK£ is very low compared to a lot of currencies – including the US$ – so why not hop on over to the little ‘vacation island’.

Accommodation will be cheap at the moment as so many people are trying anything to get the customers – including the stores – they have gone ‘discount crazy’ – even some of the great big companies like Marks & Spencer, a cornerstone of any British High Street.

Although you may have to search around for a cheap flight anywhere at the moment, they are out there. Sometimes it is cheaper to get 2 singles – or stop off somewhere on the way over – but it’s worth it if you want to see this wonderful little country.

What’s the UK like?
It is currently winter at the moment, so don’t expect to be wearing T-shirts around, but this means that you can snuggle up in a little cottage on a river with a real wood-burning fire warming the timber framed cosy front room!

You could be waking up to the view of a snow covered landscape or reading a great book while the rain and wind howl around your lodgings with you nice and warm inside. On the clear days, there will be plenty to keep you busy with horse-riding, hiring a canal boat, touring an ancient city with it’s castle or just wandering through cobbled streets and stopping for lunch in a quaint ‘tea shop’.

Scotland has plenty of winter sports to offer, including skiing, snowboarding, dog-sledding, reindeer tours, whale watching and even hunting with eagles! There is plenty of rare wildlife in these parts too, including seals, dolphins, red squirrels and of course – the Loch Ness Monster! Stop off in the historic hill-side city of Edinburgh to hear the cannon salute on your way past.

What about Wildlife?
Nature-lovers will love the coastlines of the British Isles for birding around this time. The Norfolk coast of England, the whole coast of Northern Ireland and estuaries of Scotland are all great locations for migrating birds – like the Barnacle Geese in the Solway Firth – and seabirds alike.

In more northern regions you will need to be on the look-out for bottle-nosed dolphins and whales as they hunt for food in these winter months – and the Scottish highlands hold reindeer, red deer and wildcats!

Man Made Fun?
Many theme parks are closed for the winter, but there are plenty of free museums in London and other main towns, and of course there are places that need to be seen to be believed. Take the Isle of Wight in the English Channel. This little island is filled with dinosaur bones – and you have every chance of finding your own while you are there. It also has brightly coloured sand making up one amazing cliff-line.

Many Zoo’s and Safari Parks are still open through the colder months, but you may not see many animals – they are no doubt hiding in their heated houses! On the other hand there are many native animals, like otters and wild ponies that can be seen better in these months as they depend on certain sources for food.

Ancient man-made landscapes are also amazing to see covered in snow, or on a frosty morning. The Tarr Steps in Exmoor cross a fast icy river, Stonehenge catches the low sunlight, and ancient castles and forts hide in a curtain of mist. You can even take a walk out across the sea bed at low tide to several islands on the south-west coast if it’s not too windy!

What Else:
Take your vacation in the UK and not only can you enjoy what it has to offer, you are also within touching distance of the whole of Europe. You can drive to Paris for lunch or have a weekend vacation in Italy. Many tour holidays are on offer if you want to go further.

If you only have 2 weeks then don’t even look at Europe – it will only tease you with it’s variety and make you consider ‘hopping’ around to destinations for a few days here and there. This won’t do any of them justice! Just select 2 or 3.

Consider at least a month, if you really want to soak up the atmosphere of several countries – and consider a flexible train or coach ticket. There are 60 or so countries in Europe – and there really is no need to rush them! They aren’t going anywhere!

Oui?

posted by Travel Cat on Jan 10

Welcome to new year of vacations – and perhaps a few more nearer to home this year.

Money is not something we want to give away so easily these days, so when booking your family vacation and traveling around with your kids – it’s time to think about how you can make the most out of a tight budget or a long drive.

Only yesterday was I sitting in the launderette finding a poor child having to entertain himself for the hour he was sitting there while his dad read a book!  Needless to say, he annoyed his dad (and everyone else) during that time by screaming, crying, running around and generally doing what a child would do anywhere else – but by the time he got to leave – his father had already cancelled all bed-time stories and taken his trucks off him!!

How can we expect children to behave if we don’t give them the opportunity to be good! And Emma Evans did the ‘travel’ equivalent of what the father should have done, and aims at the kids point of view to get her own satisfaction.  Read Family vacation can be fun or a disappointment – the choice is yours. to see how she did it.

However, Bridget Smith seems to have learnt things the hard way in her description of An Unexpected Adventure.  They got there in the end, but are not planning to make the same mistake twice!!

A final article is more on a serious note regarding Hidden Hotel Travel Dangers Safeguarding the Room for Kids as detailed by Travel Advocate.  Danger is all around when you have children, but if you plan ahead, you can avoid silly accidents and keep your vacation fun, rather than a terrible story to tell your friends when you finally get back home!

Thanks again for the contributors, and I hope you like their stories.  More next month.

Travel Cat

posted by Travel Cat on Jan 5

Which of these offers the better vacation? Well, in honestly, they are 2 totally different experiences and each has it’s good and bad points.

I have been on both types, and on numerous occasions. However, I would first determine what you want from your holiday before writing off one or the other.

Vacation Package: Pay – Fly – Blue Sky – Soft Sand – Relax.

This is the best form of ‘beach holiday’ you can get. You choose from one of the destinations on offer, pay the price, get to the airport – and that’s your hard work done.

Once you are on the plane – everything else is taken care of. No need to worry about cooking or cleaning – or even getting out of bed, there’s nothing for you to worry about except relaxing, getting a tan, sitting on the beach or swimming in the pool. Your most worrying choice will be what cocktail to try next!

Yes, they have a bad name in the ‘eco’ trade for polluting the world with the flight, funding companies that take all the money away from the local people and basically wasting resources, but they will always be popular with the people who work hard for a living and only get a few weeks holiday a year to themselves.

Some say that the vacation package is going into decline – but I don’t think it’s because they are ecologically unfriendly – I just think that people have changed their work-life balance so that they have different holiday options.

There are now millions of people who work from home and/or for themselves, so they can now choose longer trips. Technology has advanced to allow communication to be made between the boss of a small company and his workforce – freeing him up from being on call 24hrs – he can now organise things from some distance away. People can study or work abroad more freely now, and I don’t blame many for taking advantage of this.

Independent Travel: Research – Discuss Options – More Research – Pay For Flight – Research – Book Some Accommodation – Fly – Relax – Research Next Destination – Long Bus Journey With Screaming Baby – Book More Accommodation – Explore – Research…..

You can see where this is going! When travelling independently, be prepared for lots of research, changing plans, and one off experiences. All of which can make great stories when you get home, but if that was your only 2 weeks off all year, and your car broke down, you were stranded in heavy rain in the same town for nearly all the time you were there and then got bitten by a million insects as they didn’t have a mosquito net at your ‘temporary’ hotel – you won’t be best pleased.

However, independent travel can be great fun. You get to see life outside the resorts, see extraordinary things and can change you itinerary at a moments notice if you want. However, always set your expectations slightly lower than on a package tour. Not every room your book will be perfect – not every journey will be a pleasant one. As long as you remember that, you will still have a great time.

One thing to bear in mind is short notice can mean missing out on something, so to sample the best sights or hotels in your chosen vacation spots, you may need a ticket or hotel reservation. A letter or email in advance to a hotel or reserve/wildlife tour/etc may give you the best chance of a successful booking or visit. and won’t leave you disappointed.

Taking somewhere popular like Cuba for example, you may need to send letters to hotels for travel to the beaches of Varadero with the kids several weeks in advance as this is a popular time for Cuban families to take their vacations too. Also a trip to Havana in September is always popular for people from the UK as this is when all the kids have gone back to school, holidays are cheaper and resorts less crowded.

Travel to some locations may not be possible at all if booked too late, or not always pleasant! Due to this, it is always advisable to find out when tourists from other countries travel to worldwide destinations.

One example is when Cancun gets jam-packed with students on Spring Break. Noone from the UK is going to visit there at the same time unless they are also a student. Not only will the vacation cost more due to the popularity of the resort – but it will be overcrowded with noisy, drunken youths – and if that’s not your scene you could have a very unpleasant few weeks!

Of course, vacation packages can also ‘go wrong’ but you usually have someone to put things right if possible. Travelling by your own steam means that you can’t blame anyone but yourself when things don’t really go to plan. Well, you can try blaming that stray dog for eating your pack lunch on the beach, or that heavy rain for closing the main road – but you won’t get any compensation – just a great story to take away with you.

So, whatever option you choose – I’m sure you will bring back some great memories!

posted by Travel Cat on Jan 1

Just a quick note to everyone to wish you all a great 2009 – and may your adventures be better than last year!

I’ve already starting planning my vacation destinations, (Costa Rica again, Mongolia, an African safari, skiing in Scotland again and possibly Canada for starters) and really can’t wait to get going!

How about you???

Regards,

Travel Cat