Ultimate Vacation Spots

posted by Travel Cat on Jul 29

Have you ever just thought about driving into the sunset rather than going home?

You must have been sitting in traffic on the way to work - or stuck in congestion going to visit a friend - and just wanted to be out of there and off to somewhere different, so why not just do it one day?

You don’t need to plan a vacation and take time of work as such - just pick a direction and drive off!  Of course, if you have longer, you can get further - but a few days will do!  I did it once, just thought about a few things I wanted to see, and headed off….. 

The Trip:
I love historic buildings and wildlife, so when I set off on my 3 month road trip - I made sure that I joined a few societies (to get free entry) and then headed off into an adventure!

You can end up anywhere and for as long as you want - depending on your car and your ideas.  Even better the adventure if you just take a map and your bags!

Your only worry need be finding a petrol station and deciding where you want to visit next! 

As long as you have a hotel guide to hand, you can stop anywhere you want - 1 night or 2! There is no need to book a room way in advance - although you sometimes might have to make a few calls to find an empty room at the weekends - you can call as late as 3pm and still get a place.  This gives you more freedom to change your route and plans as things happen.

Staying in the same accommodation in places you like the look of allows you to leave your things in the room while you go out and explore - whereas if you only stay the one night, you need to have you stuff in the car while you visit places.  Not so much a problem on the shorter trips - but not so good to leave too much in your car while you head into a zoo or museum for 4 hours or more!

And most hotels offer breakfast included as well as a great place to eat dinner - so you don’t even need to wander around looking for food.  Or maybe stop off at a store on route and stock up on goodies for the room - there’s nothing better than feet up and a box of chocolates after a day exploring!

The Car:
Well, needles to say you are going to need a car you can trust to take you all those miles - and a car that looks good too wouldn’t be too bad either!

If you are only going away for the weekend - then just head off in whatever you have - but if you are going to make a habit of driving off whenever the mood takes you then why not start making your car look great too!

Make sure that the inside looks as good as the outside - whether it’s shiny bumpers or cool seat covers - you can drive in style wherever you decide to go!  No need to be embarrassed about your wheels!

Whether it’s a nice picnic basket for the back seat, a sleek bike rack for the roof or some brand new vw accessories for the camper-van - splash out and make it a trip to remember!

Sometimes, you wait so long trying to plan the ‘perfect’ trip, that you never actually get around to doing anything!  The number of people who say ‘I was planning to do something like that…’ or ‘I’ve always wanted to do that!’  But why can’t you just do it? 

Take a chance and just go do it!

So, get a collection of your favourite CD’s and grab your camera for the ride of your life!

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!

posted by Travel Cat on Feb 18

It’s funny what annoys us - but why don’t we do anything about it?

I think that we assume that the staff should be doing something - and that what really annoys us.  Why do they set these rules and guidelines if they aren’t seen to be upholding them?

There are a lot of things that we think are just a waste of time in terms of the whole ‘getting through the airport’ process.  There are endless queues and tickets and checks - so it’s no wonder we get so annoyed when we find that they don’t really care if you do what they ask of not!

Especially if we have to wait for longer because of it!

So here is a quick summary of the winners of the most annoying things on a plane!

Seat Backs:
We all know how annoying it is when someone immediately leans their seat back on entering the plane.  The ‘rules’ are that you need to have your seat back upright for take off - so why put it back before we take off?  However there is nothing you can do until the steward tells them to move it back - which they don’t always do!

And - why would be people be so inconsiderate to leave their seat back during meal times.   It leaves you with the smallest amount of space to eat your own dinner - as you need to lean forward to reach your tray!

AND - why do people leave their seats back if they are laying down across several seats asleep?

Seat Belt Sign:
Why do people wander about the cabin when the seatbelt sign is on?  Nobody seems to tell them off for doing it - yet they get to the toilets before everyone else after take off!

Raffle Ticket Sales:
Why do certain airlines spend the whole flight blocking the aisles?  They start by bringing around duty free trolleys, then raffle tickets, then drinks and chocolates, then the free meal, then more raffle tickets, then more drinks and chocolate!

When can we stand up and move about the cabin?

Kids And Babies:
I know they can’t help it - but noisy kids near you on a plane can really be annoying - even if they are just talking the whole time - you just can’t concentrate on anything else the whole time!

And kids tend to kick the chair in front all the time just because they have short legs!  Having your seat continuously banging forward for several hours really couldn’t be more annoying!

Drunk or Noisy Groups:
Just like the kids above - it really is most annoying to be near to a group of noisy drunk adults!

Regardless of whether the stewards have already spoken to them about the noise - it is still really annoying that they are not made to quieten down like the rest of the passengers!  Knowing that the stewards aren’t really stopping the huge distraction is the main annoying part of this.

I would imagine if I started singing out loud from the score of Mary Poppins, I would soon be asked to stop - but when there are more than a few people together, it seems like they can just do whatever they want!

Seat Stealers!
These are the people who see that a few seats near you are empty before take off and then move into them before the doors are even closed!

We all want a bit more space on these flights - but if the seats are next to you - then you should get first dibs on them - not have someone else rudely plonk themselves down in them!  I find myself now moving across a seat if no one else is there first - so that way no one else can get in it instead of me.  And if the real owner of the seat comes along at the last minute - I can just move back into my own seat having not lost anything so to speak.

I know it’s all a bit petty - but when you feel that someone is getting a better deal than you - or that you are getting a worse one because of someone elses actions - it can make your 8 hour flight even more painful than it already is!

If only people weren’t quite so selfish…….

posted by Travel Cat on Dec 21

It’s the gateway to Europe from the UK - and it has got everything you need for your vacation!

Whether the UK is the start of your journey, a hop along the way or your final destination - you need not worry about anything.  Ashford International in Kent is a hub of efficiency and international arrivals and departures - linking major European cities together by train or plane.

Getting to see the country you live in by rail is totally different to any other means of travel - giving you a glimpse of behind the scenes in cities, to large mansions or tiny villages along the way.  Especially if this is your last view of the UK for a long while!

Want To Leave The UK?
Leaving the UK to start your vacation couldn’t be easier.  First option would be to catch a train from your home town into St Pancras in London, which will then set you on the high speed train to Ebbsfleet, then on to Ashford Railway Station which takes you under the Channel Tunnel and into France.

Secondly, you could take a ride on any national coaches from wherever you are (including if you have just arrived at a major UK airport like Heathrow or Gatwick) and down to Kent.

Thirdly is the option of driving your own vehicle.  Ashford has over 2000 car parking spaces for your use - and it also has one of the largest shopping centers in Europe right on it’s doorstep - giving you a good reason to get there early!

And finally, you can fly to Ashford International Station from a regional airport!  There are also international flights available from here too - if you change your mind about the train! 

Planning That Journey:
Get yourself onto their informative website to see their departure times, prices, seating, connections, packages and hospitality!  They are not short on options!

It’s not just for departures either, Ashford can link you up on your way back from Europe adding that final country onto your ‘check’ list before heading home!

The more flexible you are with your travel dates will get you a better price, and if you can guarantee travel that day - you get huge savings.  Flexible tickets can be more than double the cost of choosing an exact train!

But, whatever suits your needs - this place has the solutions!

posted by Travel Cat on Dec 18

It seems as though we are the cause of the Earths demise if we fly off for 2 weeks in the sun these days!

I can read about all the evidence for global warming and the CO2 that causes it, and I know that flying is supposed to be one of the main ways that CO2 is leaking into the atmosphere, but should we stop flying because of it?

It seemed ‘ok’ a few years ago to buy carbon credits in exchange for your flight to ‘equal out’ the effect of pollution on the atmosphere and everyone was talking about it - but now it seems that that isn’t good enough anymore - it’s just a way to pay to pollute.

So, what can we do?

Stay At Home:
First choice is to stay at home for your vacation - a stay-cation, apparently.  You can find plenty of ways to enjoy time off work near to where you live - for example, camping.

Plenty of people are taking up this option with the rise in living costs and world’s current financial situation, and they are really enjoying it.  Local places are also seeing the benefits of these types of vacation.

Your local woods, parks, centres and communities are getting money and support from your visits which is helping to improve your own back yard, rather than just line the pockets of the big tour operators.

Take Less Vacations:
Why do you need to fly long-haul several times a year?  Why not have one sun-drenched vacation across the globe, but take your other breaks closer to home - visiting family for example.

Or, make that vacation longer, so it’s still only the one flight, but it’s for 3 or 4 weeks - or even 6 months in the case of a gap year!

It would be much better to spend the equivalent of your next 10 vacations in the same place than to fly back and forth every 6 months or so - and you will get so much more from the experience!

Travel Differently:
We can still visit far flung destinations if we choose to travel by boat, train, bus or on foot!  If we plan a route to where we want to go by means other than flying, we are reducing the amount of carbon we chug out into the air.

We can still visit a variety of great destinations, just with less of an impact on the environment.  I know catching a train to South America or to the other side of Europe will still throw out CO2, but it will be less per person than flying.

However, no matter how much you want to, this won’t always be possible for shorter breaks as buses and trains take a lot longer to get to some places than flying.  It isn’t always suitable.

Or:
Worry about reducing your impact in some other way and carry on flying on your vacations!

There are plenty of other things that you do that are (apparently) responsible for climate change, like buying excessive consumer goods, using products that cause deforestation, dropping litter, using coal, driving your car to work alone rather than sharing, voting for non-green political parties, eat too much foreign meat, use wildlife products, and many many more.

Make your choices, and stick to them!