Ultimate Vacation Spots

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!

posted by Travel Cat on Nov 20

Do you want to enjoy your vacations that little bit more than usual?  Then invest in your destination….

When you choose a pension group or a savings account for your money – why not check where it is going before you put your money into it – I mean why invest in mining in the Arctic if you want to make sure the rainforest is still there so you can take a vacation in it?

Why invest in banks in distant countries rather than new resorts in Dubai or Fiji?  Think about what you are funding and you could get yourself a much better vacation for your money – twice!

You are normally only thinking about your financial return when you invest – but what if the return was a bit less in the $$ department but rewarded you with great new resorts to vacation in!

The money you would spend on a ski trip or jungle adventure would seem all the more personal and better value for money if you had helped to develop it yourself.

Investments:
It’s not just about the money now with investments – people are expecting to know what they are funding with their hard-earned savings; I mean that money doesn’t just sit in a vault at your bank getting bigger - it is sent off around the world to generate a profit which in turn becomes your interest.

So what if your savings are growing into great new hotels and ski slopes rather than buying tomatoes or making coats?  It’s all still money in the bank isn’t it? 

Many people are finding out if their money is funding ethical projects – so why not trace yours and see if you can make your holidays all the better for it!

Your money is invested in all sorts of ways that you might not be aware of – as it’s not kept in 1 lump.  Your funds are spent or invested in whatever projects or companies that your bank or financial company decides on.  You often don’t have any say in the matter.  So why not start telling your bank what you want out of your savings by shopping around.

A bank certainly won’t be a very good one if all it’s customers head off to other banks for better value for money – and the only way they can win you back is to offer what you want: either the investments you are after, or a higher interest rate and returns for you.  So either way – it’s a win-win situation for you!

However, if you like wildlife instead of culture on your vacation: then look out for timber investments or water-purification projects to keep the wildlife alive and a rich biodiversity – rather than strip mining companies and biofuel farms which both strip your habitats bare and kill off the local mammals, birds, fish, reptiles and insects!

Think what you would like to see or do in the next 5-10 years (or the length of your investment) and pay towards it.  Not only will your money be building that new mountain spa – but you get that money back, plus more on top to spend at that resort…….

Protect what you love!

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…….