Monday, March 22, 2010

Make Possible an Adventure Travel in Cape Town


Have an adventure weekend in one of the most beautiful cities in the world, Cape Town in South Africa. No doubt about it, this city is now one of the most favorite in terms of a vacation spot. Maybe, the weekend will not be enough. Some who visited even opted to live in this city due to its sheer beauty. Still others visit the city for the various adventure travel tours it can provide. This includes many types of sports and activities provided by this city to many tourists, one of them being the Cape Town cycling trips.
Another good reason for visiting is the tours held in many of its vineyards that have already become famous the world over. You can feast your eyes on the view and enjoy the free wine tastes given to busloads and shiploads of visitors. Of course, there is the safari which Africa has been known for. You can have a walking safari or be on a vehicle, whichever makes you feel safer or more comfortable.
What you may not know however is that Cape Town also is home to various heart-pounding activities like swimming with the sharks, that is, if you have the heart for it. No need to worry since you will be in a safe metal scuba gear that is shark-teeth resistant and will be placed in a cage that the shark is not supposed to access. You can just see it eye to eye. The whole exercise is safe though with a company that ensures your protection and safety despite the seemingly dangerous activity. You will have your adrenaline pumping and your heart jumping but you will surely not forget such an experience.

If you prefer to be on the safer side, you can opt to do other things. However, you will not be able to do everything that is done in Cape Town in just one visit. There are too many things you can do, e.g., sports, recreation, site-seeing, nature loving, the list never ends.
To make sure that you will be able to visit all the best spots and do all the fun activities during you visit, it is best to plan ahead and get information of the city. The data is readily available online. You can also prefer to give all the planning in the hands of an expert, particularly Cape Town travel consultants who will be able to show you how to have a good time in South Africa. They will be the one to present to you the possibilities and adapt it according to your preference and your budget. They can offer you a ready made package or have it custom made according to your requirements. They can give you a list of all you will need, provide you with the tickets and accommodations, even the equipment you will use if you prefer to join some of the sports events.

Best Travel planning vacation to Spain, France and Italy

If you are planning to go on a vacation, you may wish to consider countries like Spain, France or Italy. In each of these countries, there are beautiful cities, towns and settlements. Each city has its own heritage, history, and story to tell. It's easy to fall in love with the destinations once you get to know the place, the people, and the culture. Here are some highlights of the 3 countries.

-Traveling in Spain.

Spain has many major cities that you can consider visiting. Some must see cities include Madrid, Barcelona, and Seville or Costa Blanca. Compared to other major cities, Madrid may not have the same beautiful architecture. However, it is rich in art culture, and is endowed with beautiful natural scenery.

If you would like to visit magnificent churches and cathedrals, Barcelona would be a better option. This city started off as a tiny settlement surrounded by a defensive wall. It has evolved into a city that is bustling with activity.

-Traveling in France.

When you think about France, you can't help but think about Paris. Paris is the capital of France, and it's also the largest city in France. This city is well known for the artwork that is produced by numerous famous artists. You must have heard of the famous landmarks - Eiffel Tower, the Cathedral of Notre Dame and the Louvre Museum.

The Eiffel Tower is perhaps the most well known among the three. It is often seen in movies, magazines, and books. Everyone is saying that if you haven't seen the Eiffel Tower, you haven't been to Paris.
If you are into musical performances and plays, France has Moulin Rouge to offer. This is a world renowned venue for top class musical performances. Every night, two performances are scheduled. Be sure to book your tickets early so as to avoid disappointment!

-Traveling in Italy.

There are many cities in Italy that are worth visiting. Some examples are Venice, Rome and Florence. Powerful citizens once lived in Rome. In ancient times, it was a city that was without electricity or cars. Because many affluent families live in Rome, slaves were a common sight. Today, many of the magnificent manors, villas and sculptures still remain. The slaves are long gone though.

In Florence, the highlights are the Uffizi Gallery and the Accademia. These places are usually flocked with visitors though. You may have to make reservations to ensure that you are granted permission to enter. Tourists visiting Florence like to visit the museums as well as the town center and markets.
Venice is relatively small compared with the other major cities. St. Mark's Basilica and the Doge's Palace are usually crowded by mid day. When in Venice, you can choose to explore the city in a tour boat.
To get around these cities and visit more destinations, you may wish to hire a car. Car rental services are available at the airport. You can hire a car way in advance so that upon arrival, a rented car would be waiting for you.

Finding The Very Best Tourist Rates Of Exchange


If you're traveling, you need to take a moment to make sure that you're getting an excellent deal on your tourist rates of exchange. When you're clear on the other side of the world, you really do not want to be stuck somewhere without enough money to get what you need while you're there. If you're not careful with your money exchange, you may wind up losing a bit of money in the long run and having far less to spend when you get where you're going. You need to make sure that the deal you're getting on your exchange is one of the best available because you really don't want to wind up with less money than you need when you get where you're going. Here's what to keep in mind in order to make sure that you're getting a good exchange rate.

-Do Your Homework

You should know the actual exchange rate before spending a single dollar switching your currency over. Look online at one of those financial news websites. They usually have charts to tell you how Yen stack up to dollars and dollars to pounds, so you can check any currency in the entire world against your own to make sure that the prices you're paying at the exchange companies are fair prices. Simply put: Know what the actual world average is in terms of exchange rates so as to make one hundred percent certain that you can't get ripped off, since you'll know exactly what you SHOULD be paying.

-Shop Every Where

Look at everyone's rates, don't just settle for the first people you find. Look everywhere, make them compete for your business. This way you can find the lowest rates and get the most money back for your travel money purchase. It's a competitive market so make sure you take advantage of that and make them compete for your business. Check out everyone, not just the first two companies you can find.

-Use the Web

The internet is what it's all about in this day and age, of course, as it really ties the world together and lets you have access to the entire industry when it comes to money exchange. You can swap any currency for any currency, and at any exchange rate. If you're using the phone book or, even worse, just hoping to find a place fresh out of the airport upon arrival, you're stuck paying whatever they want to ask you for. However, if you use the web, you can really find some of the best exchange rates in the world for any currency you could possibly hope to exchange.

How to buy cheap airline tickets?


If you are planning these holidays to some exotic destination, then you need to reserve air tickets for you and your family for a safe and comfortable journey. Though, you have made enough to help make your family vacation a marvelous one still you may still search for inexpensive air tickets in order to feel fulfilled that you have thought everything correctly and still ended up saving a large amount of income. Today everyone saves money for enjoying their lives. Almost all people like to go by air , rather than spend time in travelling by railways or roadways. Moreover, the discounted fare for air tickets has attracted millions of tourists worldwide as these tickets save good amount of money as well as save time. This way they enjoy more because they have enough time to spend to explore impressive sites while they are on their vacation. But the biggest question while booking your airline tickets is looking around for best possible deal to book cheap air tickets. Now how will you book inexpensive flight tickets easily and quickly? These are some essential tips with which you can easily book cheap airline tickets anywhere in the world.
- Stay away from booking flight tickets during the best time: Mostly, tourists love to plan their vacations when they are enjoying their holidays. However, even you would love to enjoy travelling during your breaks only. If you want a good deal, you should book your cheap air flight tickets either in the beginning of your holidays or during the end of your holidays. Lots of the people love to enjoy through mid-vacation and that is the best season for air travel industry. During this period, the air tickets are surely going to be higher. So prevent venturing during this best period because you will find flight tickets at very increased fees. It will be sensible to re-organize your trip to book cheap air tickets. Furthermore, the crowd won't permit you to take pleasure in your holiday place just like you might enjoy it in relaxing environment.

- Try to book your air tickets in advance: You know that these summers you are certainly going for holiday place. So if you plan an exotic holiday destination in advance, you can book your air tickets well in advance. This will allow you save income because majority of the on-line travel firms offer you savings for advance bookings. Now you can always grab this wonderful opportunity to book cheap air tickets.
- Prevent reserving air tickets during the weekends: The flight tickets during the weekends are quite costlier, so plan to book your tickets during weekdays. So you have to be aware that while arranging airplane tickets, schedule your excursion in the starting of the week or in mid-week. You can easily buy air tickets at discounted rates.
- Try on-line travel agencies: Though there may be many nearest travel services in your area, but you should always search for a dependable on-line travel agency. You can compare the prices offered by your online travel agent for different flights. You can easily decide on an flight journey that costs you minimum air fares. Moreover, booking air tickets through online travel agents not only help you save money, but you can book it quickly and easily.

Sunday, March 21, 2010

Six Good Reasons To Take A Family Vacation


When I was young, family vacations with my parents consisted of driving for a week from place to place in a hot stifling car. My parents had the knack of picking the hottest week of the summer to do so. In spite of that, we still had fun, managed to find interesting sites to explore and those are the memories that I still have.

I discovered the joy of travel to far reaching destinations on my own by the time I turned 18. Jumping on a plane and heading off to Brazil, Europe or cruising the Caribbean, has turned into a life long passion my whole family now enjoys with me.

Family vacations have evolved over the years. There have never been more choices, more variety and more options available for family vacations as there is today. Especially since 9/11, the focus on family and community and played a strong role in our society. The travel industry has noticed and has geared up for families. From all-inclusive vacation packages and cruises, which are equipped with kids clubs and special activities: to resorts that supply a nanny for your stay, it's never been a better time for families to travel.

Still not sure? Here are just a few of the benefits of taking a family vacation:

1. The family that plays together, stays together

It is a time to get away from it all. Away from work, the phone calls, the kid's activities, the daily to do list. This is a great opportunity to spend time as a family and get to know each other. Go for a hike, build a sand castle, explore a museum. There is more time to talk and spend time together without the daily distractions.

2. Teach your children well

Travel is an excellent learning tool for kids. They can have the opportunity to learn about things first hand they may have learned in school, read about or saw on TV. Any destination can offer this learning experience whether it is a few hours drive away from you home or in Europe. Family vacations will teach children about different cultures, food, history, geography, climate, environment and so much more. The best part is that it's way more fun for them then learning it through homework!

3. New experiences they will never forget

Family vacations provide a whole new venue for experiences that your kids never would have had otherwise. We took a family cruise last winter, and it was my 9-year-old son's first cruise. We told him all about the ship and showed him pictures but I don't think he could quite grasp what it was really going to be like. We landed in Fort Lauderdale and as we were driving to the port, we could see our ship in the distance. He was excited but still very nonchalant. Once we got to the port and pulled up alongside the ship, he looked up and up and up at the enormous ship, his mouth dropped open and he gasped in amazement. That reaction was worth the price of the whole trip and is something I know our family will always remember.

4. Life is an adventure, especially on vacation

Even if you are not particularly brave there are still many ways to experience the adventures that lie in every corner of our planet. It may be as simple as going to the zoo at your destination and seeing the animals that are local to that habitat or taking a jungle tour though the Amazon. There is so much to see and do, pick the adventures that appeal to your family and do them together.

5. You kids won't be kids forever

Doesn't seem like yesterday that the teenager that just borrowed your car, was in diapers and day-care? Most parents agree that time seems to fly by quickly and those babies are grown before you know it. There will come a time that your children will have lives of their own and sad as it may seem, spending time with Mom and Dad will not be anywhere near the top of their list. Take the time for a family vacation while they still want your company.

6. Time to kick back and relax

Now this part is important. One of the main reasons to take a vacation is to get some rest and recharge. It is important for everyone so don't over do it. Try and schedule an active day followed by a more relaxing day. It's hard to do in some destinations where there is so much to see and do like Disney World, but trust me. The kids will be less tired and cranky and it will give you a reason to come back to the destination again!
I know this all sounds so good, it makes you want to book that trip you've been putting off doesn't it? Well, I will add in a dose of reality here and include a few negatives. There are some natural stresses to travelling. Planes get delayed, kids get cranky, families can have too much of a good thing and get on each other's nerves. The list can go on, but don't let that discourage you, the advantages are too numerous to ignore.

So whether you choose to pack the kids in the car or fly to more exotic destinations, the benefits are the same. As far as memories go, we tend to remember the good things; the time spent together as a family, the new things that were discovered, the new friends we made, the places we saw. This is what your children will remember and, the fact that you were there with them to enjoy it.
When I was young, family vacations with my parents consisted of driving for a week from place to place in a hot stifling car. My parents had the knack of picking the hottest week of the summer to do so. In spite of that, we still had fun, managed to find interesting sites to explore and those are the memories that I still have.
I discovered the joy of travel to far reaching destinations on my own by the time I turned 18. Jumping on a plane and heading off to Brazil, Europe or cruising the Caribbean, has turned into a life long passion my whole family now enjoys with me.
Family vacations have evolved over the years. There have never been more choices, more variety and more options available for family vacations as there is today. Especially since 9/11, the focus on family and community and played a strong role in our society. The travel industry has noticed and has geared up for families. From all-inclusive vacation packages and cruises, which are equipped with kids clubs and special activities: to resorts that supply a nanny for your stay, it's never been a better time for families to travel