Ultimate Vacation Spots

posted by Travel Cat on Feb 17

Rather than visiting a jungle to plant trees - why not visit a jungle that nobody has ever visited before - and discover something new!

Papau New Guinea has been recently declared as one of the most diverse region on the planet by the IUCN, and is filled with indigenous tribes and rare species surviving in an untouched landscape.

Sitting on the edge of the Pacific and joined to north-east Australia by the Great Barrier Reef, this island certainly holds a few secrets. With tree-dwelling kangaroos and waist-high flightless cassowaries, you won’t get bored of the wildlife and plants!

Wanna go there?

There is an ethical travel company that can offer the opportunity to venture deep into these unexplored jungles. Their motto is ‘tread lightly…. go far’ and they have a great reputation - TV traveller Bruce Parry worked for them for years…….

What Will You Do?
Well, apart from have the adventure of a lifetime, you can choose the length of your adventure from 2 weeks to 5 months and you will still not want to leave!

The expedition is in 4 stages starting with a week of intense Jungle Training - where you will learn skills to help you survive in the jungle and learn some of the native language, then you start the Expedition.

Supported by local non-governmental organisations, you will help local communities and the environment they depend on. They will offer their hospitality to you and your team in return for your support and skills. You will also be put to use teaching local children as part of a specific teaching program suited exactly to their needs.

Rural communities have different requirements depending on their location and needs - all this is taken into account - and the long term effects are crucial. It’s not a quick fix expedition - the work you do counts for more.

Sometimes you will be a long way from civilisation or even a small local town, but you are always in the capable hands of the trained staff and have emergency back-up as part of the package. You also get a taster of diving at the end of the course if you have any energy left!

Who Offers This Amazing Package?
Since emerging in 1990, TrekForce have been offering expeditions and adventures to many remote but needy destinations on the planet, always supporting local people and cultures to make sure that their challenges are worth while.

TrekForce also take credit for helping to create 100 new national parks across many continents, are among the first groups to record and maintain biodiversity studies in jungles and mountains where needed. They have also planted a quarter of a million trees in that time and are now a carbon neutral company. The schools they have supported and the teaching hours they have completed are astounding.

Is This The Only Course They Offer?
No, they have destinations in Central and South America, North Africa, Nepal and Borneo for you to think about.

The adventures range from as little as 2 weeks (for your basic jungle skills) starting at £1200 - or the whole 5 months full package for up to £4100 - that’s less than £30 a day for the pleasure of living and working abroad! That’s less than a meal for 2!

The whole deal, like all great eco holidays, doesn’t include the flights - allowing you to travel elsewhere before of after by whatever means you like - so saving carbon emissions!

However, it does include a pre departure meeting, all meals and accommodation while exploring, airport and local transfers, all training and 24 hour emergency back-up. There is even a little reunion afterwards if you want to catch up with everyone. Not a bad deal in my book!

Are you up for the challenge!!!

posted by Travel Cat on Feb 14

How To Budget For You Holiday Before You Leave Home!

In today’s financial climate, we are all thinking whether or not we can afford that apartment in Spain, or that cruise around Greece or even a weeks skiing somewhere cold. However, there is an easy way to plan for your spending when you get there to make sure you don’t run up your credit card bill.

All Inclusive Holidays
Many people still haven’t found out the advantages of such a deal and are looking for a bargain holidays in separate parts - thinking that if they book all the bits separately - they can save money. Well, that’s not always the case - particularly if you have children.

If you book a holiday without meals, or only bed and breakfast, then how many times are you going to have to tell the kids to wait for their dinner, or that they can’t have that ice cream. How many times can you tell them ‘no’ whenever they want another drink or some crisps?

With all inclusive deals - you don’t have to. Once inside the complex, they can have whatever they want from the restaurants and cafes all day long until bedtime!

They work out as very cheap holidays, you can eat and drink as much as you like on every day of your holiday - now that could save you some money. Basically - the price you pay before you leave is your entire budget - you needn’t spend another penny while you are there, yet can enjoy yourselves completely, and the kids won’t go without.

Of course, all travel companies offer slightly different packages including various deals: some offer buffet meals at set times, some offer 24hr eateries and all night bars - basically seek out what suits you and you won’t regret it.

Where To Find Them:
Basically, all inclusive holidays are available from all high street travel agents, and many smaller firms and independent companies, many of which are on the Internet and can be made to select all the holidays to your chosen destination in a few seconds once you have offered up some dates.

If you want the bargain holidays, then don’t be fussy with the destination. Whether it’s sun-seeking holidays to Greece or cultural holidays to Turkey, there will be an amazing choice of hotels to choose from. Global Holidays are one of many travel agencies on the Internet offering over 20 million holidays to destinations across the globe and their site is easy to use and offers a lot of advice from all areas of travel.

Using a travel agent such as these will save you endless searching for your cheap holiday, either online or over the phone. Why? Because established travel agents have been offering holidays and advice for years and have an in-depth knowledge of locations and know about the types of deals available that would best suit your needs and that of your family - saving you money along the way. They also know when the best times are to travel to those locations - for example avoiding local school vacations which could be busy or making sure you are there for the festivities you crave!

Make sure you consider booking an all inclusive deal through a travel agent next time you are considering a trip away. And if you still aren’t sure, try it your way too and compare the costs before booking to see how much you would save.

posted by Travel Cat on Feb 10

Hello again to the Kids Carnivals, and we have a great mixture today from different writers, from snow tubing to festivals in Argentina, from campsite games to time share tips.

So lets get started…..

Erika presents Events and Festivals in Argentina which briefly details what’s going on at what time in the country. So if you are planning a family vacation in May or a September horseback trip to South America, you can see what will be going on.

Similarly Travel Advocate lists some tips and locations for the best snow tubing sites in the following post: Top Snow Tubing Travel Destinations Revealed

But onto the things that happen when kids are involved are the following 4 articles, starting with 2 posts from Smart Camper. The first gives advice on planning a trip with Preparing for a Backpacking Camping Trip, and the second suggests things to do once there - Great Campground Games.

Here is a more common ‘kid’ dilemma - a story of disaster in the air with More than just a mother with her take on the delights of kids in tow - Flying high which has a few comments in agreement of it’s own already……

Finally 2 general articles which may be of assistance to families: Choosing a Summer Camp for Your Childby Kristen and the advantages (yes, there are some) of Time Shares as a family investment from Jim: Timeshares Are Good Investments

Have fun reading them and checking out other articles on their sites……