Ultimate Vacation Spots

posted by Travel Cat on Jan 1

Due to some great solar activity at the moment - the Aurora Borealis should put on a great show for your January holidays!

Anywhere in the North could have the chance of seeing these eerie green or red wavy Northern Lights filling the night sky, although popular sites in Iceland, Canada, Norway and Russia tend to publicise their displays more.

They occur throughout the year, but you cannot really see them when the sun is in the sky, so winter is the best time - and some of the winter scenes are the best for photography.  However, anytime up until March should still offer you a glimpse of these mysterious celestial light shows!

They can occur in short bursts several times throughout the night, or can last for several hours depending on a host of other factors - with viewings around midnight resulting in the best shows!

What Are They?
As with most things awe inspiring, they have quite a boring origin.  The lights are created by particles in the ionosphere that become ‘excited’ by solar energy in close proximity to the Earth magnetic fields.

The same phenomenon occurs in the southern hemisphere - creating the Aurora Australis, or Southern Lights - and there have also been auroras on other planets!  However, a vacation for this January sort of rules that last one out!

Anyway - it doesn’t matter how they get there - you just need to see them for yourself, they truly are amazing.  Just search online for some images of them then imagine how much better it would be to be standing under then yourself!

Where To Stay?
Taber Holidays in Scandinavia offer trips into the Arctic Circle to see the northern lights.  They offer more than 10 different January holidays to see the displays including boat trips that also visit whales, icebergs and even include dog-sledding!

Or look at the trips to Iceland and Lapland that Discover the World offer this winter.  They offer a choice of 3 day trips to a variety of lodges and hotels.  Simply choose your destination for a virtually guaranteed light show!

Or visit with a little niche company in Canada: Alta-Can Aurora Tours.  They offer inside viewing of the northern lights for your comfort with professional photographers, toilets and hot drinks - as well as a whole host of additional experiences you can become involved with during the daylight hours.

This is obviously only a taster of what you can experience - so get looking at the pictures, then think about visiting the arctic circle yourself - but wrap up warm!

posted by Travel Cat on Nov 20

As if they aren’t big enough already - here comes the biggest ever cruise ship!  40% bigger to be precise.

This baby boasts it’s own giant amphitheatre and even an outdoor park - just like Central Park apparently - with trees and everything!

So you can order a ‘park view’ room instead of the coveted ’sea-view’ which to be honest on a ship is a bit over-rated!

Weighing in at around 225,000 tonnes - the Oasis of the Seas mega-ship is due to hit the water for a show session shortly!

Costing an estimated £800 million to produce, The Oasis has already cruised across the Atlantic from it’s original dock, past The Solent in the UK then over to the US, although keeping it away from prying eyes wasn’t really an option!

Measurements and figures for this beast are astounding - but if you love cruises - then you really are going to enjoy this one!

OK.  They say that it can hold 6,296 passengers - that means that all the members of your extended family could be on board a weekend cruise at the same time - but never even meet!

It is 1,187ft long - that is as long as nearly 15 blue whales, or 12.5 basketball courts or around 200 women laying head to toe!

Stars present for the launch are set to include pop singer Rihanna who has already performed on one of the stages inside the ship, as well as Jane Seymour and Gloria Estefan being among it’s god-parents (?).

More to come from this one in the future!

posted by Travel Cat on Jul 6

Grab your bags and head off to the ocean next week!

It really could be that simple if you are looking to book a last minute cruise from near your home town.  There is a great website that allows you to search for those short-notice cruises from all the main cruise lines such as Royal Caribbean and Celebrity Cruises that you don’t often find in the same place.

Rather than searching website after website to find a cruise that leaves from your preferred port - you can just select your port and go from there.  I don’t think there is a better way to choose.

I mean, I wouldn’t normally want to specify an actual date - I just want to see what’s out there and what’s the best value.

What Sort Of Deals Do They Offer?
Well, I looked at some last minute cruise deals leaving from 4 popular ports and saw what they had leaving in the next few weeks - and you will be surprised at the deals I found - bearing in mind that they include your meals:

• A 3-Night Cruise from Miami to the Islands of the Bahamas - from just £209! that works out at less than $70 a day!  You could just nip away for the weekend!
• A 4-Night Cruise from New York to the amazing coastline of St Johns, Canada - from just $459.
• A 7-Night cruise in a suite from Los Angeles down the coast or Baja to Puerta Vallata - from just $1329 - that’s just $190 per night for a very special vacation.

Or an 8-Night cruise from Southampton, England in a balcony cabin all the way up to the amazing fjords of Norway from just $1299 - that’s only $160 a night.

Most of these prices are much less than a few nights in a romantic hotel - but with the meals and all day entertainment!  And a much better view!

Who Are They?
Well, Direct Line Cruises are based in New York and have been trading for nearly 15 years and currently book for thousands of passengers each year.  They have destinations all over the world and work with some of the best known cruise liners:

Royal Caribbean for example, has over 21 cruise ships in it’s fleet - offering some of the largest and most inclusive liners on the oceans today.  Climbing walls, pool, cabaret and stores are all on-board and their reputation is well earned.

Celebrity Cruises offers you the experience of being rich and famous - but without the big prices!  They offer an unrivaled first-class service and guarantee that there is at least 1 staff member for every 2 guests!

And the well known Norwegian Cruise Line is included in their service.  These liners offer the freedom of flexibility.  You choose your meal times for whenever you want to eat - and there are no formal dress codes for their events and restaurants. 

And, if you book online - they even throw in some freebies - including complimentary wine, onboard credits and even travel insurance. 

Have yourself a look and see if you can hop off for a few days of luxury or adventure!

posted by Travel Cat on Apr 1

Fed up up lounging on the beach - and want a vacation with a difference?

CrewSeekers is an international sailing company that pieces together yacht owners and willing crew to sail the worlds oceans, either for pleasure or for racing and many other nautical challenges!

And you don’t need to be an expert to join in - you can apply even if you have never set foot on a boat before - as long as you are willing to contribute and get ’stuck in’.

Who Are They?
Established in 1990, they say they ‘offer a first class personal service to the sailing world’.  Basically, they allowed an easy-access membership site where people looking for yachting experience or challenges could find all the boats out there needing crew - and pick the one they wanted.

They now offer day sailing, offshore cruising, competitive racing, yacht deliveries and even professional staffing services - where captains and deck hands alike can get paid jobs.

Crewseekers have members in 50 countries worldwide, so there is something for everyone to find.

How does it work?
Basically, yacht owners or staff looking for crew will post their position on the website with details regarding experience, costs, salaries along with start and finish ports and general route being used.

People looking for jobs or experience (or just the holiday of a lifetime across the ocean) can have a look at all the vacancies.  You can search for the type of trip you want and where you are looking to cruise as well as filtering out all those positions above or below your skill level.

Current examples include:

X37 Solent Cruising/Racing - Weekend racing in the south of England - experienced crew only please.
Malaysia - Do you fancy being on a luxury 44ft yacht sailing around Malaysia - 30 somethings plus please……
Caribbean to Europe - Competent crew needed to sail from Bermuda to Azores then on to Europe.
Grenada to Australia - Looking for laid back crew for leisurely pacific crossing in 48ft yacht.

How Do I Join?
It is worth browsing the opportunities first, as membership is quite pricey if you aren’t really serious, or a planning a trip for more than a year away as many are short notice.

For 6 months access to the full details for each trip it will cost you £60 (or equivalent) for single membership or £75 for a couple.  Savings can be made for 12 month membership at only £85 single and £100 for a couple.

And, there is no limit to the number of opportunities you take advantage of during membership - it just depends on how far you are willing to go!!
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posted by Travel Cat on Mar 18

I have been to Turkey three times now, and to a different resort each time.  So here is each location and what was better (or worse) about each one - giving you some of my ‘Turkey tips’.

Generally we wanted to see wild Turkey as well as the cities, so we had read up before we booked our latest Turkey vacation, to make sure we experienced both.  All 3 times we got a late deal to Turkey from the UK, paying no more $400/£200 each time for all inclusive.

If you are planning to travel to Turkey yourself, I would definitely look into which tours you are most interested in before you choose your resort as there are many types across Turkey.  These include:

Biblical Tours of Turkey - these are very popular and usually offer taking in Mount Ararat where Noah’s ark was supposed to have landed in the far east of the country, close to the border with Iran.  You would need to check the security situation in the region before going here though.  Also there are the Seven Churches of Revelation dotted across the country. 

The region known as the Anatolia was where the first people to be call ‘Christians’ met together, and the St Peters’ Grotto in present day Antioch is one of the very first places where they held their secret meeting!  Mary Magdalene’s last resting place is also here and Tarsus is believed to be the birthplace of the apostle Paul.

General Turkey Excursions- including caves, snorkeling and dolphin tours.  You can book a trip to Turtle Beach and the rivers where the film The African Queen was filmed.    You go in a canoe to reach this spot if that takes your fancy.  Mud baths are also on offer.

There is a great deal of history in this country, spanning 2 continents and vast eons of history.  The ruins of Troy are here and the modern city of Truva is the closest ‘base’ from Istanbul, as well as the great Gallipoli battlefields - the site of a great Anglo-French battle against the Ottoman Empire also within a short drive of the capital.

A visit to Ephesus on a tour is always popular, and will take you to the best preserved classical city on the eastern Mediterranean.  This marble beauty is the location of the famed ‘Temple of Artemis’ - one of the 7 Wonders of the Ancient World!

Luxury Turkey Escorted Tour - this will include many great escorted tours of not just Istanbul tours, but out across the great sites of this country.

Istanbul tours are obviously a great place to start, and the sites of this amazing capital include the gemstones at the Topkapi Sarayi, the sacred Sultan Ahmet Camii - the blue mosque, and the Grand Bazaar - where you are sure to get lost amidst the 58 tiny streets and over 1200 shops!

Take a cruise up the Bosphorus (sometimes called the Istanbul Strait) which divides the European side of Turkey - Thrace, from the Asian side - Anatolia.  There are many legends along this river, and the sides are crammed with great Ottoman castles and palaces! 

Istanbul hotels are some of the most splendid I have seen - although there are many more boring accommodations available depending on your budget.  You will get the best if you book through a luxury escorted tour company - and the architecture and views of these locations can make every penny worth spending!

Marmaris - this popular resort in south west Turkey was once just a tiny fishing village - but the location is so beautiful, that it has become a victim of it’s own success.  In peak season the tiny town can fill with nearly 400,000 tourists - both local and foreign! 

As a result, this beach resort in an amazing natural harbour has some of the best shops and night clubs in the whole country.  You can still do fishing trips but it mainly is a tourist ’sunshine’ resort, with nothing much to do but sunbathe and admire the scenery.

Marmaris Fethiye cruises are a popular day trip.  This ruined town is still beautiful with boat trips taking you to 12 different Islands where you can swim at every location - and of course the many Lycian sarcophagi dotted around the place.

Marmaris Hotels are a-plenty and The BlueBays Hotel where we stayed was 4* and lived up to that with all free Saunas Gym and hot tubs.   Food was well displayed and very good choices to cater for everyone.   Rooms were up to a good standard and cleaned every day.  But there are obviously many to chose from at all * ratings.

Oludeniz -is another great beach resort and has one of the most photographed stretches of beach in the Med!  It is a National Nature Reserve so the building regulations are much stronger than in Maramis - allowing you to enjoy the natural beauty!

You can arrange Oludeniz yacht cruises to view the ’Blue Lagoon’ from both sides, and there is even paragliding available to get a birds eye view of the great landscape and clear seas!!! 

And Finally:
Turkey has been named as joint holder of the European Capital Of Culture for 2010 and much of Istanbul is now recognised by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. Now is certainly a time to visit!
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