Ultimate Vacation Spots

posted by Travel Cat on Aug 17

Why not try a self catering vacation this year with your family and friends!

Fed up with having to find a new restaurant every night for something different; wandering around the streets in the evening trying to find the right place with the right prices?

I tried something different this year with a vacation in a villa – with it’s own kitchen! We looked at both villas in Lanzarote and Tenerife – as the Canaries always have good weather – and we also looked at villas in Ibiza (apparently it’s not all clubs and beaches).

The Decision:
However, we settled on Lanzarote – the quieter of the locations – and a place to get away from it all, but be close to the sun. We also had our own pool so didn’t need the beaches to stay cool.

Nothing to worry about on ariving on the island as the villa owner collected us from the airport and talked us through most of the basics on the drive to the location. He diverted through the main town and shops for us so that we could get our bearings on the place as we head to the villa.

We found the villa exactly as it had been described beforehand, and we also found a small food hamper to get us started and all the information on local events, tours, businesses and restaurants we could need – then without further fuss – he left us alone to get started on our vacation!

Settling In:
There was no need to squable over the bedrooms as they were all the same size, with 2 perfect bathrooms – and a shower outside as well – now let’s test out that pool……

There was so much space in the main area which was an open plan living, dining and kitchen area that it seemed totally natural to all be spread out yet still all involved with everything. Planning for 6 adult and 3 kids can seem really daunting – but when you all chip in with the little things – you really get in the spirit of it all.

Noone was left out – even if you were the one washing up after dinner! You could still hear everyone else in the room and watch the TV if so inclined – but this living space was far enough away from the bedrooms that piece an quiet could be found at any time.

There was even a little terrace out the front with a well cushioned bench overlooking the sea which was a little bonus too – as the youngster tended to go out the back!

Repeat Visitor?
We would definately opt for a villa again on a vacation with a group – and maybe even for just the 2 of us. It was so nice to all be together in the warm – and it was great to be able to change who you did things with – rather than doing everything with the same person day after day.

It helps that the villa owner was so helpful yet not intrusive. They had planned for everything – obviously having listened to previous guests – and they got it just right.

There was enough handy information dotted about the place to make sure it all went smoothly for us without the need for ‘orders’. Nobody wants a ‘do this/don’t do that’ list of instructions when they are on holiday – but we do need to know how the TV works, why the shower makes that bleeping noise and how to turn the oven on!

And the food we ate could rival any of the meals we found in the local restaurants – but you’re on holiday, you don’t want to be cooking every day, do you?
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posted by Travel Cat on May 7

What a great way to celebrate travel, than make your own ‘been to’ or ‘want to’ map!

I have a plastic coated roll-away map of the world and I put stickers on to all the places I have visited! Not only does it feel good to see all the dots across the map everytime I open it up – it also makes me want to visit new places for my next vacations so I can see the new dot rather than cover an older dot!

I also have differnt colours to, as I like to see where my close friends have been too – and it opens up new ideas for places for me to visit.

Get Your Map!Obviously, you need to decide on the scale of the map first as this can make a lot of difference in relation to your traveling style.

One major problem with my world map is that all the places I have visited in the UK fit under 4 dots – and Europe just looks like a great big blob as well!

With the tickers on top of each other and countries like Switzerland, Wales and Belgium being so small – once you pop a sticker in place, you can’t see the country anymore!

So if you were driving across the states, inter-railing acorss Europe or catching the Dragoman through Africa – you might want to get a smaller scale map to highlight all the details!

My World Map is great for an overall perspective of everything – as I can see my friend stopped off in Japan, Australia and Chile with some single dots – but having all been to Cancun and the Maldives – it leaves little space for new dots!

photo credit: Caitlinator

Give A Map Away!
And why not give a map of where you are going to a younger relative or whoever is interested when you go away for a longer vacation – like going around the World.

That way, everytime you send them a postcard, letter or email – they can put your dot on the map and follow you around on your trip!

They will know where you are and hopefully get to know a bit about the places you are visiting – and maybe even get them inspired to travel themselves!

Go get those stickers!

posted by Travel Cat on Apr 27

There is nothing more worrying than finding an injured person – and you can’t help!

Would you know what to do if you came across an unconscious person? Or if one of your party suffered a serious injury? What if a colleague started having an asthma attack – what would you do?

If you see someone close by on the ground unconscious, is it best to go and call the emergency services straight away? Don’t know the answer or said ‘yes’ – then you could have just made the situation worse!

Being the outdoor type – and the adventurous person who likes meeting others and taking part in organised activities – why haven’t you taken a first aid course yet? Wouldn’t you like to know what to do?

photo credit: North West Air Ambulance

First Aid At Work:
Most people wait to be told to take one for work or as part of a new job or volunteering opportunity – but why wait until then?

Do you not want to be able to help your friends and family in an emergency? Do you only want to know how to save the lives of other members of staff or complete strangers who pop into your shop for 5 seconds?

Why don’t we take a first aid course because we know it will save lives rather than because someone else has offered to arrange it all or it is free!

Your Choice:
You can take a first aid course when you are still at school these days – so why are you now in your 20′s, 30′s, 40′s or 50′s and have no idea what to do?

And even if you did learn something at school – it might not apply anymore. Medical advances and the success of current techniques can change how we should react to emergency situations – so it is a great idea to take a refresher at least every 6 months to make sure your knowledge is best applied.

Anyone can join a first aid course – but make sure that it is run by an accreddited body like the Red Cross or St Johns Ambulance. They may cost more – but you know that you will be learning the correct techniques rather than someone just running their own course from personal experience.

I mean, tipping the head back for nosebleeds, laying on your back with feet raised for fainting and putting creams on burns are all out of date techniques and are not recommended anymore.

Things are always changing for the better – so make sure that you are up-to-date with your skills – as 1 thing will never change:

Emergency First Aid Saves Lives!

posted by Travel Cat on Mar 4

Imagine that ‘dream’ yachting adventure you’ve always wanted – then just book it!

You don’t need to wait and see what each yacht can offer and then have to choose between them – you should be able to decide on the things you want your boat to offer and then find your perfect boat!

Whether it’s got to be large enough for 30 guests or small enough for just the family – no worries; whether you need to stay in touch with your business with a large wi-fi office space or you want to get away from it all with plenty of outside space – no worries; whether you want a large crew to supply your needs or if you want a small launch boat available so that you can entertain yourself on land – no worries!

On your hand-picked luxury yacht charter - you’re the boss!

How Do You Find The Perfect Yacht?
You could use a travel agent, ask a friend or trawl the internet looking for that perfect yacht – but I will guarantee that you will hit many dead ends before you do.

They might have the first few things on your list – like availability and enough berths – but then they might not be able to travel to the places you want to see, or they might not have an onboard gym or jacuzzi – so you have to start looking all over again. Or end up settling for something less than you wanted.

So, why not go straight to a website that can do everything for you; only offers the best, and which has the experience to know what you need – and to find it for you.

We are already busy enough these days – without having to waste time checking that everything we expect is included – so why not leave these things to the experts and you know you won’t be able to find fault.

And Fraser Yachts can offer you just this – an expert to find you the boat that suits your exact needs at a time that you want it!

photo credit: emuphoto

The Ultimate Yacht:
Just one look at their website will tell you how much they care about their customers and you can also see examples of their excellent standards with images of the crew and some of the smaller rooms they offer.

They haven’t just shown you a handful of the ‘best bits’ – they have shown you an image of almost every part of their yachts allowing you to get a true picture of all the boats they have to offer.

And they cater for all sizes too – whether you want a compact 26 meter yacht to cruise the South Pacific with a handful of friends or you want a 70 meter mega yacht charter for 30 friends in the Caribbean – it’s all on their website.

With access to a large number of the best boats on the water – your dream vacation could become a reality for you. So all you need to decide is when you want to go – and they will do the rest!

Looking at some of the boats available – this would be so much better than hiring 5 or 6 rooms in a hotel for your family – or conference facilities for that work meeting!

Imagine a week of totally undisturbed bliss in crystal clear waters on your super yacht charter! No interuptions during business, no other ‘tourists’ getting in your way and only having to unpack once – but getting to see as many different destinations as you want.

It puts ordinary vacations to shame!

posted by Travel Cat on Jan 11

When you next travel to the States – you can stay wherever you want!

Finding a place to stay for the night is no longer a problem – with the internet you can find somewhere to spend the night at the very last minute. Basically you can book a room, check in and be in bed – all within 10 minutes!

No longer do you have to book through an agent 6 months in advance, or call dozens of hotels from overseas to try to find an available room – just search online when ever you want to! You want Gainesville hotels Click Here! It is all so simple now that the worries people have around finding holiday accommodation is virtually eliminated!

This is made even easier in an English speaking country like the States, as you can read any hotel webpages for the area you are hoping to stay in – and make a choice at the touch of a button.

Want It Even Easier?
Now, if looking at individual hotel websites even seems like too much effort – then why not use one of the many websites that does all the searching for you.

You type in the area you like and the price range – and they find all the hotels with available rooms at a price you like! You don’t need to scan around looking for anything – it will all be right there in front of you!

You choose what you want included and they find it – and if you can’t see what you like and you want to view more Long Beach Hotels – then click a button, and more appear before your very eyes!

More Specific:
Sometimes however, you do want to plan things in advance as you have very specific requirements for your trip – say for example you have a large group travelling together, several young children, pets, or special dietary requirements. Sometimes you can’t be too fussy – so need to check out all the options.

You can still choose the area you want to visit obviously – but the lovely period hotel you like by the canal might not be suitable or have enough rooms; the hotel closest to your relatives or a themepark might not have your dietary requirements or allow pets etc.

And this is where searching online is a real bonus – it can allow you to do a massive all-inclusive search – so you can for example; see all Huntsville hotels, or all Orlando motels – so that you can pick out the features you prefer way in advance, and get the place you like!

If only everything you had to do was a simple as this – but then a vacation is all about relaxing isn’t it, so why not start as you mean to go on!