Ultimate Vacation Spots

posted by Travel Cat on Jun 5

Easter Island is a must see for anyone with a taste for something unique!

Stranded out in the Pacific Ocean just south of the Tropic of Capricorn - and around 3700km’s west of it’s mainland ‘owners’ Chile - Easter Island: Rapa Nui - sits proudly atop 3 joined volcano cones (all extinct).

This delightful island was home to an amazing but mysterious Polynesian culture who carved and mounted huge statues between 1300 to 1890 years ago according to current research, but have since died out.  Polynesian people have since repopulated the island and still live there today.

Easter Island Facts:
Technically the most remote inhabited island in the world, this tiny land mass is no longer than 25km long and around 12km wide at it’s extremities - perfect for exploring on foot, bike or horse.  The whole island is designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The island has moderate weather all year although July and August are the coldest months and January to March the warmest - and hence their busiest season.  Throughout the rest of the year, you could virtually have the place to yourself!

There is only really 1 town on the whole island - and this is where everything is - so if you are planning treks, hikes and overnight camping - you had better take all your supplies with you!  And as there is only 1 town - you can be sure that that is where everyone will be for the islands’ main Tapita Rapa Nui festival through February - so book ahead to be involved in this amazing festival - or make sure you visit at another time if you want a room!

As there is virtually no large scale development here, you will experience a real feeling of community, with everyone knowing everyone else and family run businesses on every corner.  Great for getting things done out there - just ask your landlady and she will know someone who can help!

The Easter Island Statues:
These huge rock structures are the main draw of Easter Island - and when you come face to face with them you will see why.  Hand-carved and dragged across the island these massive monuments are made of solid lumps of volcanic ash and can weigh as much as 82 tonnes!

Often referred to as the ‘Easter Island Heads’, these hand-carved monuments are mostly whole bodies and torsos - very few are ‘just heads’ and some of the ‘just heads you might see are actually buried whole statues - just swallowed up by the soil moving down hill over the centuries!

The statues are called Moai, and they can be found all over the island in groups or alone, facing the sea or facing inland, with or without brightly painted eyes and clothes.  But never-the-less majestic!

Some are not even complete - they are still laying on the ground half-carved beside the very rock face they were chipped from all those years ago.  It does however give us a valuable insight into their construction.

There are 887 Moai on the island or in museums - all completely unique faces and body size - so a few days on the island will allow you to find and admire several hundred of them - and many of them are found in groups on top of platforms called Ahu and are very symbolic to the local people (so please don’t walk on them!).

What Else Is On The Island?
Well, as with any ancient culture, there are traces of the past and here that involves much stone work including caves and a variety of petrographs - images etched into the surface of important stones.

There are many other stone structures and with possible astronomical significance (although not widely accepted as such) as well as wall, graves and other archaeology.

There is hardly any wildlife mind you - with no large or even small native mammals.  Infact nearly all the animals on the island have been brought in by local people either for farming or a stowaways on boats! 

And due to the nature of the islands history (very turbulent and very tree chopping) there are no remaining endemic trees or other large vegetation - most of the trees currently on the island were only recently planted.  It is a very barren place - with no permanent streams or rivers either!

There is plenty of open space though - and some amazing and isolated sandy beaches to enjoy - with some great surf too!  But is island life for you? 

Well - you should go there for a week or 2 and find out!

posted by Travel Cat on May 26

It is really easy these days to get information on any type of travel - so why not try something completely different! 

Imagine being in the absolute middle of nowhere - places that noone else you know has ever seen. places that aren’t even on your friend’s list of places to see this year - or in the next 10 years - like shark-watching 10,000 miles east of Australia, or watching a hit movie just miles from the Antarctic?

You want this?  If so - you need to get yourself on a cargo ship.  You can find them heading out around the world every day of the year from almost every big port in the world!

Now I know that doesn’t sound appealing to everyone - but the things you see will certainly be ‘once in a lifetime’.  Imagine the adventure of being 3 months at sea! Or sailing through the Panama Canal - and out past remote uninhabited Pacific Islands.

The Ultimate Vacation?
It could really be a vaction like nothing you have ever done before - or are likely to do again!

Of course it doesn’t have to be that long a time away, and you can choose some routes that are a lot closer to land and stop of at some pretty nice looking destinations along the way.   And you don’t need to stay onboard for the entire journey - you can hop off at any port along the way and just see where life takes you.

Those less adventurous might want to know exactly where they are going in advance - but that’s OK too - as the ship’s cargo has to go from A to B - that’s the whole point of them crossing the oceans in the first place - so you can guarantee a definite stopping point at the end - whereas you can’t always guarantee a stopping point in the middle!

Maybe you would prefer a trip from the UK to Australia like in the pioneering days of exploration - thankfully there is luxury these days, and it only takes around 84 days rather than the 6 months it probably took the average passenger a few hundred years ago!

Or maybe the 2 month trip from South America to the Far East, the 35 day trip from the US to the Mediterranean, or even the 7 day voyage around the British Isles checking up on all the lighthouses!

The Result:
Well, rather than telling your travel stories like everyone else - ‘when I was in Mexico…..’ or ‘when my family went to Hawaii’ - you can start your story with how many continents you cruised past, or how many miles you traveled in 1 day!

It will certainly be like nothing you have ever experienced before.  The people you will meet, the countries you will encounter - and the extreme weather you could get to witness first hand!  Imagine writing a travel journal of your voyage - just like Darwin did!

It might be worth trying out a few shorter boat journeys before you settle for something long-haul - as if you get seasick, this might not be the vacation for you!

Of course, check that your travel insurance covers your whole journey, and your passport is valid for the whole time you are away - and your vaccinations are current for all countries you might stop off at on the way.  Bad weather or maintenance could land you at any time in any country - so be prepared!

If you are still interested, then visit GeoCities Freighter for other peoples experiences on Cargo Ships and read their tips before booking your own once-in-a-lifetime ‘mega-cruise’. 

posted by Travel Cat on May 10

Wow - the sunshine has been fantastic this month, and the talk of the big summer vacation is increasing!

But what has everyone already been up to?  Rather than waiting until July and August, many of you are just heading out there anytime and enjoying yourselves.  So let’s hear about some of them so far…..

Jennifer Miner starts of this bunch of articles with her great little story about a family trip to one of the most child friendly spots in Florida.  Take a look at the article and photo’s right here: Universal Studios Orlando Animal Actors on Location Show.

Dee Andrews then comes along with her little story of technology!  When travelling to some of the more remote places in the world - you have to remember that you can’t have all the modern trapping at your finger tips - and what you might have to do to get it there!  So do enjoy My Travails in Gaucin as a warning for your own travels!

This third article is only short - but what a great game!  I’ve never heard of this, but it certainly sound like something that would pass the time - so join Tom Ranieri to read about The Ultimate Travel Game.

One more about a glad-it’s-over car journey from Laurie Thornton with her Tips for Happy Car Trips at And A Mommy In A Pear Tree. She makes it cound so easy!

And finally Sarah Travaglio finds out what it’s like on the other side of the fence once she started traveling with her young son on a plane!  She was one side and now she is the other: Traveling with Kids « Miss Capa Tosta.

Let me know your plans for the next few weeks - and maybe even feature your own articles right here!

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posted by Travel Cat on May 1

Visit 1 of the most talked about natural sight-seeing spots in the States - but you must look down!

This amazing landscape is something that draws crowds day after day, and is one of the locations on millions of peoples ‘Places To Visit’ list - and I’m not surprised at why.

Here are a few of your questions answered about this magnificent semi-arid gorge!

How Was The Grand Canyon Formed?
The Grand Canyon was formed by the natural effect of erosion on the (colorful) soft rocks of the Colorado Plateau - an action that is still continuing today.

Basically, the Colorado River is wearing away at the softer rocks of the Canyon as it head down to the sea.  What makes the Grand Canyon so deep, is the fact that the Colorado Plateau was raised up really high in the past that the river had no choice but to erode down so deep revealing over 2 billion years of geological deposits in the process!

Mind you, many scientists think that it has taken the river around 17 million years to do so!

How Deep Is The Grand Canyon?
Due to the raising of the sediments in this area, the Grand Canyon is over a mile deep along a great part of it’s route - that’s around 6000ft - about as deep down as Mount Rushmore is high!

Are There Any Other Facts About The Grand Canyon? 
Yes plenty, but lets just say that it is around 277 miles long from it’s start to the ocean - in Mexico, between the Baja state and the mainland.  It can be anything up to 18 miles wide - that’s 29 kilometers, or as little as 4 miles depending on the rivers course and the resistance of the neighboring rocks. 

The Native American people of the area were very familiar with the canyon, and believed it to be a Holy Site.  Infact the Pueblo people who lived in settlements on it’s steep sides called it ‘Ongtupqa’ in their Hopi language, meaning just that.  There storage caves and the dwellings of several other tribes can be found in the area.

Where Is The Grand Canyon National Park Located?
The Grand Canyon is located in the northern part of the state of Arizona, although the Colorado River passes through  4 further states (2 before reaching the canyon, and 2 after) as well as Mexico before discharging into the Gulf of California.

The Grand Canyon National Park surrounds the canyon itself, but also incorporates 4927 km2 of other land and reserves including land in Coconino and Mohave Counties.

Most visitors either drive to the area on Arizona State Route 64, where they arrive at the South Rim where the bulk of the sites and visitor facilities are; but the less visited North Rim uses the State Route 67 in.

What Is The Grand Canyon Skywalk?
The Grand Canyon Skywalk is one of the most thrilling parts of a visit to this amazing place - but isn’t something for everyone!  Basically, it is an unsupported glass platform, that juts out over the side of the canyon, leaving ‘air space’ between your feet and the mile down to the Colorado River!

Obviously it is fully secure and has passed numerous Health and Safety tests and re-tests - but would you have the nerve to actually step off of the side of the gorge and look past your feet to a tumbling white-water river passing underneath?

Is It Worth Going On 1 Of The Grand Canyon Helicoptor Tours? 
The thrill of flying over the natural feature is well worth the flight - but as with the skywalk - you don’t want to be afraid of heights!

You will be able to see an awful lot more of the Grand Canyon itself if you do take the helicopter ride, and you will come away from the site with memories that not many people are brave enough to earn themselves.  I mean if you are going to go all the way there to see the canyon in the first place - then make sure you save enough to get the helicopter ride when you get there - I don’t think you will ever regret it!

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posted by Travel Cat on Apr 24

Why do we wait until we are at the airport or even at or destination before we get to grips with the basics?

I have decided, that if you want to really enjoy your vacation (unless you are just going to be sunbathing the whole time), then you should read up way in advance - and more than just the travel guide.

We all have so much spare time everyday that we waste, which in fact could be used for any number of things - and I think that you could be using it to become an expert on the places that you love to visit.  And even add to your other skills…..

The Destination:
Most people only have 1 or 2 big holidays a year, so that gives you 6 months to read up on a place - and at only an hour a week devoted to your next vacation, that’s 26 hours you could be using to your advantage.

By reading about destinations, tourist sites and wildlife locations way before you book could make your trip the best ever!  I mean if you know which resorts are closest to the places you are going to visit you could save a lot of transfers, time and money by being closer in the first place.

Or, if you want peace and quiet, less rain, or more sand on the beach - reading brochures and travel guides in advance could really take the hassle out of booking.  By waiting until it is time to book your trip before you start reading the relevant information puts more pressure on you and could lead to you making a quick decision rather than the best choice.

The Language:
Imagine being able to order food in the local language when you arrive!  You may well get the better deals in markets and restaurants on your trip if you speak the language. 

And all because you took a few hours out of your life in the months before you departed taking a short course or listening to cd’s from the library!

And depending on the language you learn, it could benefit you on more than one vacation - take Spanish, English or French as some examples - and your short course could set you up for several trips in the future.

The Skills:
Planning in advance could also mean that you are able to scuba dive as soon as you arrive rather than having to take a learner course out there - imagine being out in the Maldives or the Caribbean on coral reefs the day after you arrive, rather than taking a lesson with 10 other people in the hotel pool!

Or, what about learning to horse-back ride, take great pictures or tango before you go - and showing off your new skills in style.  The things you can do when you look at it from a new angle might amaze you - for example riding a horse through a rainforest means you can stay clear of all the ants and snakes on the ground, film scenery as you walk (as you don’t need to watch where you are treading - the horse does that for you!) as well as cover greater distances faster and even walk across streams without getting wet!

So don’t wait until you have no time - space out your time in advance and you will be amazed at what benefits it will bring to you and your trips!