Ultimate Vacation Spots

posted by Travel Cat on May 30

Why wait with everyone else at the airport – when you can choose your own plane!

If you fly a lot as part of your job or you just love travelling to new places – then why not consider buying into private jets?

Now this doesn’t mean that you have to buy a ‘share’ of one plane, or fork out for specific plane that you can only use for a few hours a year.

I mean join a Jet Charter scheme where you can pick and choose the private jet that suits your needs at the time.

They Are All Different:
There are many such schemes available for the frequent flyer – so make sure that you look out for the things that are most important to you.

I bet that safety is one of those things – so your first check should be to see that their entire fleet meet the high flight safety specifications of FAA Part 135 for example. Well, you don’t want to have to worry about any of the planes that you fly in – you want guaranteed assurances that they all meet strict safety regulations as part of the service!

Secondly, check things that relate to your own comfort and plans; like how quickly could you book flight at short notice?

Do they have a huge choice of different jets for larger groups or for just you and a colleague? Do they know about your dietery requirements in advance or do you have to keep telling them for every flight!

Do they expect huge deposits to ‘join’ and then fly – and are there certain time and cost limitations.

The Little Things:
And so what if you have a latest jet ready just 10 hours after ordering – what if they don’t have the drink you like?

What if everytime you called to arrange a flight you had to speak to a different person and go through all your details again time after time?

And what if your flight time was shifted at peak times to suit the airport instead of you?

You may as well check all of these things are covered with your jet company – otherwise you could be paying for a less-than-perfect service. Watch these Private Jet videos to get a taster of quality you should expect…..

There are plenty of companies out there that want your custom – so why not be a little bit fussy?

Only choose the company that offers you everything you would expect – plus a little bit more.

If you are going to be on the jet for 5 hours with an important client – that last thing you want is for them to be allergic – and you can’t give them any of the onboard food!

Expect More and make sure you get it – and it could be for a better price too!

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 Apr 9

Would you take a holiday in a jungle that was the scene of a Hollywood thriller?

There are plenty of horror and thriller movies that take place in a named location – but would it put you off visiting? Even if it’s only for this years vacation – would you postpone it for whatever reason – or just go ahead and look at the movie set instead?

Many places like New York, Paris and London have been in such films and we don’t mind going there for a look see – but alone in the jungle or down in a cave – or maybe staying in an abandoned cabin?

Would you be so sure?

Some Films To Scare You:
A classic travellers nightmare was brought to life in the film Paradise Lost (with Josh Duhamel) where a group of random travellers happen to be on the same bus in Brazil that breaks down in a remote location and the replacement will take hours. They see a party on the beach and end up getting drugged and hacked to pieces!

Fancy a trip to Brazil on your own?

Or how about a trip to Slovakia to stay at youth hostel there? Maybe with a group of friends, you could go to a local club with some total strangers you just met and see what happens!

Stay Out Of The Water?
Many people are still too scared to go in the sea after the wonderful Jaws series of films – even though they are now looked on a quite ‘silly’ films. I don’t think they are worried about a giant human-hungry shark – just the fact that it is just a reinforcement of a natural fear.

The same way that Jaws made people stay out of the sea of go to ‘safe’ beaches; ‘helpless tourist’ films can put people off travelling to more remote places and all congregate around the all-inclusive hotels and resorts.

Plane crash movies haven’t ever put me off flying – and I fly quite a bit – however I would never ever jump off the side of a boat and swim in the open ocean. What if I was eaten alive?

photo credit: Loren Javier

But then I haven’t seen a horror film where someone evil (and human) is lurking in a cave waiting to catch people – but I certainly wouldn’t be going underground either!

Why Do We Feel Safe?
However, saying that, I woud be happy to have a tour of a house, castle or wherever in a big city or close to one at least without a care in the world – even though there are more things to be scared of in the city than in the middle of nowhere!

So, back to the question of whether a scary film would put you off going somewhere?

My answer is a big fat ‘Yes’. Unless I was already all booked up to go and would lose a lot of money by NOT going, then I would change plans for the time being and head off somewhere else instead!

There is no way I would be heading off to a remote jungle or island location just after watching a film about dodgy goings on there.

It would just be too risky in the sense of the imaginary headlines afterwards ‘couple go missing on Island X after watching scary Island X film about couple going missing’! or ‘Girl eaten alive by shark in the bay where Jaws was filmed’!

What do you think?
Is it just me being silly – or do a few of you feel the same way??

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 Feb 28

If you love going to Festivals – then get to London for 2 weeks this summer!

There are 3 of these beauties still with tickets for sale and a chance for a great summer vacation – in the company of a multitude of music geniuses!

So, have a look at these festivals below and see if you can spare the fortnight needed to soak it all up – or whether you want to add a week either side and make a month of it to see a few more of the great sights in London and the UK!

Arcade Fire: Hyde Park – June 30th.
This 1 day event is something to get you started. There is no need for days of the unwashed in this place just to get close to the music – you can go straight home after and wash off your sweat (and any acquired food and drink stains) with the music still ringing in your ears!

Rather than being multi-tented and filled with event sites galore – it’s just the main band and a few friends singing their hearts out for you (and the other few thousand listeners).

Great for those of you who want to get into the spirit of things without taking a week off work and dragging round a holdall full of your underwear!

photo credit: Johnny Worthington

Bluesfest: London Venues – June 27th – July 3rd.
Rather than find yourself in a muddy field with 60,000 other people – why not try something more intimate.

Bluesfest is just the ticket, with smaller more personal venues on the menu. Great names in Blues and Jazz settle down for a great evening ‘in’ at some well-known and less hectic venues and play almost just for you.

The 100 Club and the Jazz Cafe are just 2 of the venues that will be welcoming some of the best inside during this week of live music – so make sure you find yourself on a comfy chair in at least 1 for a night to remember!

Wireless: Hyde Park – July 1st – 3rd.
After all the people from Arcade Fire have worn out the grass – now it’s time for the hardened festival crew. This 3-day event will mean some real mud, real music and real numbers!

With PULP, the Black-Eyed Peas and the Chemical Brothers taking to the stage – you can’t imagine this event not being great – and you could be there to experience it all first hand.

Fresh from the other events – and having made a few friends along the way – you will want to hang around and see some more of this country – even if it’s just to have a nice bath!

There’s More:
It doesn’t stop there for festivals – but you might need to travel a bit – or stick around a long while……..

T In The Park: Kinross – July 8th -10th – head to Scotland for this tasty looking event as most of the other T events are sold out! This might be your last chance to get in on the action with Foo Fighters, Coldplay and Arctic Monkeys on stages elsewhere……

Rewind: Henley-on-Thames – July 29th – 31st - for your retro ’80′s night-out with Bananarama, Rick Astley and Buck’s Fizz heading up the oldies listings!

End Of The Road: Dorset – September 2nd – 4th – with a ‘clean’ almost family-friendly festival with a limited 5,000 capacity – and showers! All very cosy – and that sounds great…….

Welcome to England!