Holiday Tips

A Quick Holiday To Relax

Summary:
Sometimes it is hard to make it until the summertime vacation, isn’t it?  You can choose to take some short vacations to help relieve some of the stress, so that you can better make it to the long summer vacation.  It will cost less to take a quick holiday, too.  What are some options for short holidays that you can consider to help make the time between vacations go faster.


Sometimes it is hard to make it until the summertime vacation, isn’t it?  You can choose to take some short vacations to help relieve some of the stress, so that you can better make it to the long summer vacation.  It will cost less to take a quick holiday, too.  What are some options for short holidays that you can consider to help make the time between vacations go faster.
What about having a quick holiday in your own town?  There are most likely some activities that you have never even visited.  You may know that they are available, but you just don’t visit.  You can visit these attractions and pretend to be a tourist in your own hometown.
You can take a long weekend of three days to rest and relax from the hard work that you have been doing at work.  If you have some extra money that you can spend, you can get a motel room that offers an indoor pool.  This is especially fun if there is snow and ice on the ground.  A motel with a continental breakfast will save you a little more money, because you will not have to buy breakfast.
If you are on a tight budget, then relax at home.  Turn off the phone, leave the computer alone, and only use your cell phone for emergencies or turn it off altogether.  You can spend time at home catching up on movies that you have missed, eating popcorn, and relaxing.
Historical homes or museums could be a source of activity if you so choose.  You are sure to find something new to visit if you simply do a little research.  Whether you have a museum in your own town or one nearby, you are sure to have a relaxing and informative time visiting.
Do you have parks that you have not explored in your city?  Some of them may have free events that they offer, including movies and more.  If you enjoy hiking or biking, you may find some trails to explore with your family.  Check your local paper to see what activities are planned around and in your city at the parks and at other locations.  Check your local arts association as well, because many times they offer free events that you can attend.  
Look for things to visit that are within just an hour of two of your home.  Taking short vacations are a great way to get away from the stress of life without a huge expense.  You can pack a picnic and take a quick holiday any weekend that you choose.  You can leave in the morning and then come back at night after you enjoy an attraction.  Short holidays are a way to make that time between vacations seem shorter so that you can reduce your stress levels.
Taking short vacations of three days or less can be a great time for you and for your family.  You only need to research the options that are around you and plan a fun quick holiday for you and for your family.  They will appreciate it and so will your stress level!

A Pampered Holiday At Sea

Summary:
When the time has finally arrived to take off for your cruise, this may be a bit of a different experience from other types of trips you would need. Here are some of the things you can expect as you kick off the enjoyment of your cruise package.
While you may be used to self catering, it’s time to get used to pampering. That is what is going to happen as you begin your cruise voyage. As soon as you arrive at the cruise terminal you will notice this.
When the time has finally arrived to take off for your cruise, this may be a bit of a different experience from other types of trips you would need. Here are some of the things you can expect as you kick off the enjoyment of your cruise package.
While you may be used to self catering, it’s time to get used to pampering. That is what is going to happen as you begin your cruise voyage. As soon as you arrive at the cruise terminal you will notice this. Instead of you being forced to drag your luggage all over the place, it usually is taken from you by porters for the cruise line. You may have to be a little patient so they can get to you, since a lot of passengers are usually arriving for their holiday at the same time and the terminal can be a very busy place. Just as you would at the airport, give yourself a lot of extra time to get to the cruise terminal and checked in.
When the porters get to you, they are going to quickly whisk your luggage away and put it on a luggage cart. While you may be a little worried it will not get on the ship, never fear.  While airlines can lose luggage from time to time on flight transfers, the cruise line is the one taking care of your bags from start to finish, and the only place they are going is onto your ship. They will magically appear in your stateroom later in the day. It will take a while for them to sort all the luggage out once you get onboard, so be patient. If you want quicker service, it never hurts to tip the porter well, a $5 minimum tip is recommended.
Once your luggage is gone, you have to head into the terminal. This part of the process will remind you of being at the airport, because you will have to go through all the same security x-ray and metal detecting machines as you would at the airport, so once again, be patient.  Just be responsible, and respectable and this will go well. Make sure you do not have any taboo items, such as alcohol. Most cruise lines do not allow you to bring alcohol aboard with you.  This rule is not for a safety reason as much as it is likely so they can sell their alcohol, but you have to follow their rules.
Once you make it past security, you will be given a number and letter and sent into the Embarkation Lounge until the ship is ready for you. This is a great opportunity to start to meet other people who are going to be on the cruise with you. Many of them have likely sailed before and may be able to answer questions regarding what to expect on your cruising holiday.
Once aboard, find your stateroom, get to know the ship, and if you’re at a loss for where you are or where you’re going, you’re likely to find a staff member somewhere nearby to point you in the right direction.

A Fun Vacation But Not An Expensive One

Summary:
When you sit down to plan your vacation, you want a fun vacation but not an expensive one and that is where the Internet comes in handy. You can search different hotel sites, airlines sites and travel agent sites to find a cheap holiday vacation package that you can afford without going over your budget. You can plan a fun vacation to any location if you do a little searching and plan your vacation in advance. The idea of planning in advance usually offers you lower prices be...

When you sit down to plan your vacation, you want a fun vacation but not an expensive one and that is where the Internet comes in handy. You can search different hotel sites, airlines sites and travel agent sites to find a cheap holiday vacation package that you can afford without going over your budget. You can plan a fun vacation to any location if you do a little searching and plan your vacation in advance. The idea of planning in advance usually offers you lower prices before the hotels and airlines book up for the holidays.
The first thing to do is look around at the different sites offering cheap holiday packages and compare the package deals to the individual deals. You will probably see that booking the entire vacation in one package will save you more money than if you were to purchase everything separate. You can visit sites like TripAdvisor to see what they have to offer as well as some of the other popular sites. You might even find some area hotels that you plan to travel to are offering accommodations and airfare for one low price. You can choose the type of room you need and for how many people as well connecting or direct flights.
By booking early, you will also save some money on your cheap holiday package. Hotels and airlines that are sure about occupancy will try to offer lower rates in anticipation that they will fill up early and allow them to have full planes when taking off for the destination. Buy checking the different sites you can compare and see where the biggest savings will be for you. You do not need to spend a big sum of money to have a fantastic trip to your favorite cheap holiday destination.
The best way to an affordable vacation is by searching around the Internet well in advance of your trip and finding the special that are offered for that particular area. You might even find something that is so affordable you can even afford to stay a few extra days without going over your budget that you have planned for the trip.

Airline Tickets & Travel

Summary:
Airline travel is not as pleasant as it used to be!
Over the last few years as airline profits have been squeezed by rising fuel costs, frequent flier programs, security etc. airline travel, if you want to do it at a reasonable price, could be likened to the cattle-truck effect. Planes have got smaller, the number of seats has been increased and in-flight service, especially meals, has become almost non-existent. Now, I do not blame any of the staff, this has become of tod...


Airline travel is not as pleasant as it used to be!
Over the last few years as airline profits have been squeezed by rising fuel costs, frequent flier programs, security etc. airline travel, if you want to do it at a reasonable price, could be likened to the cattle-truck effect. Planes have got smaller, the number of seats has been increased and in-flight service, especially meals, has become almost non-existent. Now, I do not blame any of the staff, this has become of today's realities.
So! What can you do?
I have written a series of articles with tips, tricks and information which, I hope, will help to make your flying experiences a little less stressful and more enjoyable.
To be able to use some of these tips you will have to plan and be willing to be flexible. You will have to shape your flight around airline programs, it's not going to happen the other way round. I have been able to save a lot of money by being able to fit within a certain flight schedule which would not have been one I would have normally taken. In the long run it really didn't make any difference to the experience of the trip.
To further make it easier on yourself make sure that you are the airport in plenty of time. On most occasions you will find that security checks will be much quicker and easier. Also, book your flight online as it's very simple these days. You will be able to, if you do it far enough ahead, choose your own seat. I love this service, as I happen to have a large frame,I like to have an aisle seat which will give me more shoulder room. This also helps you get through the luggage check-in a lot faster as you can also print out your boarding pass as well.
I hope you will be able to use some of the information and put it to some good use. Happy Flying.

Airline Miles Frequent Flyer And Some Tips

 Summary:
Airline miles frequent flyer programs were initiated in America in 1981 by American Airlines as a loyalty process to encourage people to use one particular airline for all their travel. It has grown and changed since then and is used by most airline companies today. It has come to a point where some airlines say that if they removed these airline miles programs ticket prices could be reduced by 10-15% as they have become very expensive
to administer.
These airline program...

Airline miles frequent flyer programs were initiated in America in 1981 by American Airlines as a loyalty process to encourage people to use one particular airline for all their travel. It has grown and changed since then and is used by most airline companies today. It has come to a point where some airlines say that if they removed these airline miles programs ticket prices could be reduced by 10-15% as they have become very expensive
to administer.
These airline programs were initially set up to attract the business and first class users which were mainly individual company employees, not the corporations themselves. These users could accumilate points by using the airline and associated businesses ie. Accommodation and car rentals. At designated levels these points could then be used to upgrade seats or transferred to family members or friends for free tickets but could not be sold. These so-called "free" awards area attractive, addictive and, for all practical purposes tax free.
What is basically a bribe by the airlines these incentive airline miles frequent flyer programs are now costing the airlines approximately 6.3 billion dollars a year and now have become a major headache for airlines companies. When you think it through it's actually costing the end user in higher fares.
These airline frequent flyer programs have become so addictive to some users that they will take longer trips or, even purchasing the ticket just to get the boarding pass and not taking the trip at all, just to build up points.
The problem has become so wide spread that airlines have to monitor companies that have been setup to convert these airline miles frequent flyer points into other commodities. Also they also monitor online auction sites where users have become quite clever in converting these points into cash.
It Will Never Too Early To Book That Free Flight
There is a fair chance if you try to use your airline frequent flyer points to fly to a popular destination for next week you may hear a fair amount of giggling over the line. These types of tickets are treated exactly the same way as heavily discounted airfares as they are not given a very high priority. On the other hand if you want to go to a place that is not heavily travelled you may have a good chance of using your airline miles points.
Also major airlines limit the number of seats that are allocated to airline miles points so it will pay to give plenty of lead time if you want to use your free airline miles points. But not all is not lost!
One of the best ways to get around this problem is to get a generic frequent flyer credit card. These cards, and there a number to choose from, allow you to earn airline miles points that can be redeemed on any of the major airlines. The reason that these cards work is that the airline does not realise that they are giving away a free seat. When you go to the travel agent to redeem your free seat the agency will actually buy a discounted fare with your airline miles points (so a real ticket is bought with real money).
Another up side for these type of generic cards is that you can also rack up the bonus airline miles points by for things like hotel stays, restaurants and car rentals etc. So shop around and get a card that works for you. This will depend where you live, how often you fly, where you want fly to. Even if you don't fly all that frequent you can still build the airline miles points for lots of other purchases.
One thing to watch for is the fees, try and get a generic card that has no fees attached to it.
Make A Little Effort To make Sure That Your Airline Miles Points Don't Go Down The Gurgler!!
In their effort to make airline miles point more affordable airlines are setting shorter and shorter expiration dates so the people who do not use their airline miles points or keep track of them will find they will disappear into the never-never. Airline have figured that the less airline miles points to redeem makes the financial statements look much better.
But you don't have to do much to keep those airline miles points alive. One way is go to the airline web sites and check on the totals of your airline miles points and expiry dates or your could use a service like who will monitor all your points and consolidate them into one statement and even send out email alerts.
Another way, if you have to fly, is to book on the airline where the points are to expire and the expiry date will be upgraded. This can also be achieved by making other purchases with the associated companies to the credit card and this will reset the expiry date. You can also shop through online portals that are linked to the airline's site.
Also since airline miles points redemption provides an instant reactivation of airline miles points the purchase of magazines that cost fewer than 1,000 miles or the donation of some airline miles points to a charity will do the trick as well.
So In Summary
If you want to use airline miles points for free flights play the game properly, watch the airlines for a change of rules, and keep tabs of your points and reap the benefits of free airline miles

7 Top Camping Safety Tips

Summary:
No doubt about it, camping can be fun.  But, if you don't pay attention to safety, your fun camping outing can turn into the camping trip from Hell.  What are some of the most important camping safety tips you should know?
1.  Plan Ahead.   Do your research.  Make sure the campground you've chosen is a safe one.  Make sure there are no current fire dangers.  Check out the weather.  Any health alerts in the area, such as dangerous bacteria count in the water, or outbreak of...

No doubt about it, camping can be fun.  But, if you don't pay attention to safety, your fun camping outing can turn into the camping trip from Hell.  What are some of the most important camping safety tips you should know?
1.  Plan Ahead.   Do your research.  Make sure the campground you've chosen is a safe one.  Make sure there are no current fire dangers.  Check out the weather.  Any health alerts in the area, such as dangerous bacteria count in the water, or outbreak of any rodent-carrying viruses?
2.  Pack the Emergency Kit.  Be prepared for cuts, bee stings and allergic reactions. Bring antihistamines, antiseptic, bug sprays and insect repellents, pain relievers, bandages, sunscreen and if possible, a snake-bite kit.
An emergency kit should also include the following items:  Whistle, flashlight, compass, a small Swiss Army knife, razor blades, tweezers, magnifying glass, sterilized water packets for cleaning wounds, emergency blanket, thermometer, cold pack, and a mirror.  A mirror can be helpful when signaling for help.  Some people also use a CD.  If you can afford them, a pair of night-vision goggles can also be a help in an emergency.
3.  Arrive at the Campsite Early.  Arriving early, with ample daylight, allows you to examine the entire campsite and set up while there's still light.  Be on the lookout for sharp objects, broken glass, huge ant beds, branches, poison ivy, hazardous terrain and bees.
4.  Build your Tent on a Safe Spot.  Make sure your tent is flame-resistant and keep it at a safe distance from the campfire.  Try to pitch your tent on elevated land so it doesn't flood in case of rain.  In order to keep the bugs out, make sure you close your tent immediately upon entering and leaving.
5.  Go Over Safety Issues with Family Members. Make sure family members are aware of poisonous plants in the area.  Be sure the children understand that they should never drink from any stream or river, regardless of how clean it may look.  Finally, issue each member of your family a whistle for emergency use only.
6.  Be Fire Safe.  Make sure there are no current fire restrictions before building any fire, and don't build a fire if there are strong winds.  When you do build a fire, keep it in the fire ring, and make sure there are no flammable items near the fire.  Do not use heating devices or candles inside the tent.
Never leave your campfire unattended, and keep the area clear of leaves and twigs.  Before going to bed, make sure the campfire is property put out by drowning it with water.
7.  Be Aware of Wild Animals.  Be sure to familiarize yourself and your family with safety concerning wild animals.  Wild animals have acute senses of smell.  Make sure you keep your campsite clean and free of food or garbage which might attract them.  It is best to store all food, garbage and strong-smelling items (such as soap or toothpaste) in bear-resistant containers or your vehicle.   Keep your sleeping bag and tent completely free of food and food odors, and set up your cooking and eating area at least 100 yards from your tent.  Do not go to sleep in the same clothing you cooked in, as even the cooking smells can attract bears and other wild animals.
While it may seem like attention to safety takes the fun out of camping, in reality it helps ensure that your camping vacation is a fun time for the whole family.  And, isn't having fun the point of camping?

7 Tips For Couples Before Travelling

Summary:
In a life that is dictated by routines, vacations and travelling is a thing that helps keep us sane. The idea of taking annual leaves regularly makes a lot of sense. The last thing any of us want, on his or her travel, is a non-compatible travel partner. If you are on your own, traveling with a friend or looking for a travel companion, a few tips might help you from having a trip to hell. Here are seven tips for traveling as a couple:
• Decide upfront why you are going and...

In a life that is dictated by routines, vacations and travelling is a thing that helps keep us sane. The idea of taking annual leaves regularly makes a lot of sense. The last thing any of us want, on his or her travel, is a non-compatible travel partner. If you are on your own, traveling with a friend or looking for a travel companion, a few tips might help you from having a trip to hell. Here are seven tips for traveling as a couple:
• Decide upfront why you are going and what you want to get out of the trip.
• Money has the potential of destroying the best of friendships, let alone create problems if your travel companion is a mere acquaintance. Its best to decide what, where, and how much you will be spending on mutual expenses.
• Prepare a tentative itinerary; places you want to visit, things to do and time to be spent at each location.
• Travelling with some one has benefits, but even then, you should get sometime to yourself. Make allowance for time that each will be spending on their own.
• Every one enjoys different aspects of travel. It’s good to figure out each others preferences before getting stuck together on a rather costly trip. Some of us are night people while others can’t keep their eyes open after dark. Some like everything decided and planned, others are more spontaneous. Some like to indulge in the culture while others prefer to immerse in the sights only. Make sure you and your companion share some views, if not all, regarding travelling.
• Unless you are a 100% sure about the person you are travelling with, pack some earplugs, they can be a life line during an otherwise sleepless night.
• Have an open mind & a generous heart. Give the other person some space & make the most of your solo time as well. Have fun and keep it enjoyable for both.