Ultimate Vacation Spots

posted by Travel Cat on Sep 21

Why does travelling in or out of the UK seem like such a chore that needs loads of planning?

I always watch hit movies and think; ‘they only have to travel south in their own country and they end up in Florida or California’ – but catching the train under the Channel sort of seems different.  It seems further away – when infact it is quicker for us to hop to Paris or Rome as it is for them to cross the whole of the US from coast to coast!

I don’t know why a holiday to Scotland from London seems like ‘local’ travel, when mainland Europe is only just over an hour away – Scotland can take 6-10 hours to get to depending on location – yet historic Bruges or feisty Paris could be just a short hop!

Your Next Local Vacation:
So why not drag yourself to the St Pancras Europe Platform – and choose a city break with a difference this time.

I think airport travel has put a lot of people off leaving the country – even for a short while – as we have to queue for check-in and security this and that; shoes off, shoes on, laptop in, laptop out……

However, book yourself onto the train passing through Ashford International - and it is a breeze.  You barely even notice that you are passing through a border check point!  It is all set up for busy business travellers and express holiday-makers – with laptops points and all sorts of other top class services.

There are no tiny seats, raffle ticket sales and clunky duty free trolleys on these trains, no sick bags, popped ears or £2 plastic earphones to wear either.  Just quality, spacious seating, endless carriage space and great big picture windows!

It’s Like Any Other Day:
Because the trains that travel between the UK and France as on the same network as all the other trains – you can seamlessly transfer from the train you hop on near your home to the one that takes you intercontinental!

You don’t have to arrive over 2 hours before and wander aimlessly around a departure lounge staring at endless shelves of huge perfumes and giant chocolate bars with your family and a packed lunch for ages before heading off – you simply get off your own train and walk straight onto another one.  Simple.

The main transport hubs for these trains, St Pancras, Ashford and Ebbsfleet International cater for all types of travel as well – so whether you get there by coach, bus, train, car or even plane – you can check in without a hitch and you are on your way.  It could even be your ‘green alternative’ for the year; no need to fly short-haul anymore!

You also don’t have to worry about your family either, as you can walk your kids around if they get restless, and there are larger seats anyway and tables to cater for even the most fidgety of kids (or grown-ups!).  There will be no sore ears for the babies – and no life-vests under the seats either – altogether a better mode of transport for the family!

And if you need any specific requirements – just go to one of their websites (like: stpancras-international.co.uk) for more information and some contact numbers to get things started.

posted by Travel Cat on Sep 17

Watch Water Come Crashing Down All Around You!

Here is a little article for you to think about if you want to clock up a visit to the top 5 tallest permanent waterfalls in the world!

Everyone chases something around the world, whether it’s countries, football stadiums or hunting for wild animals!

So why not clock up some great water features on your holidays.  Travelling to the 4 countries that host these magnificent natural features will be an adventure in itself – and the landscapes that host these wetland wonders!

So, lets get started with some details about each of them!

1) Angel Falls – Venezuela.
Currently undergoing a name change back to it’s original name of Kerepakupai vena (meaning waterfall of the deepest place), this is currently the worlds tallest waterfall!

It really is beautiful and in the most strangest of environments!  Basically, there is a group of protruding land-masses rising out of the ground and this waterfall sprouts off the top of one of them. 

Even in the dry season there is still plenty to see as this landscape is filled with strange rock formations, many other waterfalls and its own weather patterns.  I’ve been there – I know!

And if you get the right pilot – you can fly right off the edge of the falls and down over the side!  Not for the faint hearted!

2) Tugela – South Africa
This second-place water feature plummets over rock formations in Natal National Park over Dragons Mountains!

You can follow 1 of 2 trails in the mountains around the falls to get a view from all angles – but this can take you around 8 hours round-trip and although not too difficult, will not be suitable for everyone.

This feature is best viewed in or after heavy rain due to the impressive width at that point.  In the dry season (much like Angel) the water can sometimes be so limited that it all evaporates in the air before reaching the bottom.

3) Utigord – Norway
Travel to the Nesdale region of this colder climate to view number 3 here – however its local name (Ramnefjellsfossen) isn’t so easy flowing!

This falls is fed by a local glacier and heads down into a beautiful lake – and can be seen from quite some distance (unlike Angel Falls which is quite enclosed and shrouded in clouds!)  You can approach it by boat, road or on foot for a great day to remember!

4) Mongefossen – Norway
Staying in the same country – the Monge Falls are apparently the tallest falls to be seen from a train station – which is certainly a weird thing to imagine!

However, this waterway has been harnessed for hydro-electric power (unlike Utigord) so the flow in peak rainfall is not as impressive as it used to be as the water is diverted off into channels way up high!

5) Mutarazi – Zimbabwe
And finally on our list is the 50 feet wide flow of this African waterfall in Nyanga National Park.

February to April is the best time to see this flow – but don’t forget that this one is only the 17th tallest waterfall if you count the falls that only have water in them for part of the year.  There are plenty in North America, South America and even 1 one New Zealand to visit if you want to really get addicted!

Don’t forget to take a picture of each one!

posted by Travel Cat on Sep 14

Don’t step any further than your own lap to find your next ultimate vacation!

There are so many holidays out there to search through – you need something these days to make things easier – and a travel search engine is the way to go if you are searching for cheap or last minute holidays.

No need to traipse around town into all the different travel agents – or to spend hours on hold listening to some terrible music from the ’80s. Just click a few dates and the computer does the rest!

1) The first way to start planning your next cheap vacation is location based thinking!
You decide on 1 or 2 places that you would love to visit and then search for them first in a search engine or travel website.  Usually you type the destination name and then a whole range of hotels come up and you then find ones you like and see if they have rooms for the dates you prefer – usually ranked on closeness to city centre, cost per night, or the websites favorite choices (sometimes influenced by sponsorship – sometimes influenced by other website users).

So for example if you wanted to find Barcelona hotels close to the city centre this would be the ideal way for you to search for your next trip.  You get to look only at the hotels that are in your price range within minutes walking distance to the sights you want to see. No one pressurising you to pick a hotel you hadn’t read all the details for.

What could be easier?

2) The second way is for group based thinking where your group size, available vacation dates or vacation budgets are the main interest points.

This type of searching require more specific details to be used before the searching begins – but can infact bring you up more holiday choices than you may have considered.

By inadvertently filtered out all those expensive 5* hotels and all the dates you can’t do – you actually end up with a wide spread of countries and a huge choice of locations and hotel facilities to choose from.

For example, there might be a lovely cabin in the mountains with a pool for a family of 6 that you would never have thought to look for in the first place, or a great harbour apartment for a September weekend in Croatia or Morocco that would never have even crossed your mind before.

And because you aren’t under any pressure from a sales person to make a decision there and then – you can open up a new window online and check out the location, hotels and even an entire country before you choose to book. Now you can’t do that in a travel agents can you?

So before you head into town or pick up the phone to book your next trip – consider doing the research yourself online – with websites specifically designed to make searching easier!

posted by Travel Cat on Sep 10

It has started raining here in the UK – so it must be the end of Summer!

We still have some great articles though – as it’s still warm and sunny almost everywhere else in the world I suppose!

Lets open up with a nice one that is great at any time of year – but especially when you don’t really want to go outside: so take a peak at Erin Lenderts 50+ Beautiful & Inspiring Books that Teachers Should Read This Summer to kick off!

If you still have the summer parties or birthdays/Halloween to consider, then maybe take some advice from Debra Jacobson who has strung together some great tips on How To Be Frugal: Saving on Child Entertainment.  And if saving money is your thing, then you may also find MoneyedUp’s article on Things to do on Vacation for Cheap if you have a trip already booked.

Then there are these 4 great articles about real trips that you have been on with your kids – as always with some great shots along the way! 

First up is Pamela with her interesting take on a trip to a Disney theme park with California Adventure, followed by Charla Pearen’s article with a ‘more pictures than words’ theme in High Park Home Daycare: Taking a Toddler to Paris.

And then One Family offers a short story on a day out hiking at a tourist spot in One Family’s Blog: Hiking in Oahu – A Trip Report and ending with a regular poster here with a though provoking article on overseas ‘petting’ zoo’s: A Tiger Petting Zoo « Travels with a Nine Year Old from Theodora.

See you in October!

posted by Travel Cat on Sep 4

Do you know all the local attractions right on your own doorstep?

The more time I spend in my local area, the more things I realise that I have never visited.  Yeah, I know all the ‘big’ things close by – but what about all those little places that will be just as good for a day out – but places that I always overlook.

The types of things I mean are the secluded parks in the city, the small ‘specialist’ museums that are really just a modified house or old church hall, old buildings that have been converted into coffee shops or tea rooms or an open garden just around the corner from yours!

To find out about these things you need to either take time to explore places on foot – walking down the smaller streets, alleyways and footpaths; or reading local newspapers and leaflets down the Tourist Information – which can hold a wealth of information that you can’t really get to know by just watching TV or listening to the radio.

Not all these places can advertise large scale as they are usually run by a single person or even volunteers – not the right profile for TV advertising!

Get Local:
So, make sure you seek these things out if you can, by scanning the local papers and any leaflets that fall through the door.

We all know you don’t have to travel for miles to have a great day out – so why not make an effort to search out the local beauty spots and attractions. 

Everyone dreams of jetting off to some great destination for a week or 2 to relax – but why wait until you can take the time off work?

Why not just take a series of ‘day’ vacations – 1 day to the countryside village for a picnic, 1 day for shopping in the city, another for a trip to the zoo – there are a whole host of things you can do to make your life a breeze.

Rather than wishing away your life waiting for the next long vacation – why not have a great day out every week?  If these places are only a short drive away, you can enjoy every spare day you have without endless planning, packing and time off work!

You don’t need to find a dog sitter, or cancel the milk to have a great day out on the beach!  You don’t even need to set the timer on the lights or inform your credit card if you take a long weekend in the mountains.

It’s all close to home – and it can be every week!

Think about it for your next day off!