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December 13, 2005 16:28 - Cheap Flights available despite higher fuel cost!
These days the rising fuel costs continue to have lots of pressure on the prices of airline tickets. The very stiff competition between the Airlines to get the passengers coming their way is keeping the rains on the horse of cheap flights according to a BTI Canada Benchmarking Study. "In efforts to recoup expanding operational costs, air carriers are increasing existing fuel surcharges, but, increases were minimal. We do, however, expect to see further increases in the second half of 2005," says Michele Ferrari, Senior Vice President, Client Management, BTI Canada.The corporate airline industry is still very strong, including Canada and the US.The number of airline tickets sold for the current review period, January to June 2005, rose significantly by 24 per cent. The low-fare carriers are putting the most pressure on prices as they expand into more markets and force the majors to keep their airfares cheap. The head to head competition posed on routes with multiple carriers has become fierce and its a jungle out there. Lots of customers are also purchasing vacation packages that include cheap airfares in order to save on money and booking hassles. Having the reality of expanding operational costs, the same carriers that participated in the price reform would successfully rally for industry-wide fare hikes of $10 to $20 over seven times in the past six months and you could expect further fare and/or fuel surcharge increases. "In order to control air spend, it is important now more than ever to negotiate and support corporate deals with preferred carriers," Ferrari explains. "BTI Canada encourages companies to work closely with their travel management company to assess their travel booking needs and patterns and ensure they have a carefully planned travel policy that reflects their business requirements and objectives. sitemap (Cheap Flight Home Page)
December 14, 2005 20:03 - Boston Vacations: Four Ways To Experience Beantown
Boston is a great destination city for a vacation. There’s plenty on tap to see and do, and it’s an easy city to get around on foot. And you’ll find Boston vacations a refreshing mixture of old and new. You can experience the start of the revolutionary war, take a bus on a river, and see a coral reef – and all before dinner.
The best way of getting around during Boston vacations is walking. That’s right the ole soft shoe shuffle. You’ll save time and see more by expending some shoe leather.
But for first time visitors I highly recommend an orientation tour first.
A SPLISH-SPLASH DUCK TOUR
One of the best, and most unique tours is the Duck Tour ride.
The tour is done in a renovated World War II amphibious vehicle. You get to not only experience Boston from the streets of the city, but also from the Charles River.
That’s right, during the tour, the bus you’re on will become a boat, and you’ll see the beautiful Boston skyline from the river that separates Boston from Cambridge.
You can pick-up and buy tickets for the tour at two places: The Museum of Science, and The Prudential Center in Boston’s Back Bay. During the summer the tours are usually sold out by lunchtime. The tour lasts about 80 minutes, and there’s no stops.
It’s a great tour and you’d have to be “quackers” not to do it! Sorry couldn’t resist it.
THE FREEDOM TRAIL
The Freedom Trail is a 2.5 mile easy-to-follow red brick line that links 16 historical sites together around the streets of Boston. It’s a one-way route starting from Boston Common and ending up at the Bunker Hill monument in Charlestown.
If you do the whole thing, plan on at least 2–3 hours, or better still take the whole day. You’ll pass by many landmarks on your trip, such as: The Boston Common, Boston Massacre Site, Paul Revere’s House, and USS Constitution.
The route takes you through Boston’s famed North End, where you’ll be sure to return during your Boston vacations to sample the superb Italian restaurants.
THE NEW ENGLAND AQUARIUM
As San Diego has its world famous zoo, then Boston has the New England Aquarium.
New England and its coastline have a history of fishing and whaling. But today instead of slaughtering whales, New Englanders spend most of their time saving them.
And the aquarium is a vital link in the area’s ocean preservation movement.
The centerpiece of the aquarium is the giant tank. The floors of the aquarium run around the tank and up four levels. At the top you get to peer down into a coral reef and listen as the staff explain about the tank and the fish that live in it.
You’ll get the answer to questions such as: “Why don’t the big shark fish eat the little tasty fish?” or “How old are those huge sea turtles swimming around down there?”
Your ticket will include a visit to the Discovery next to the main building, where you can see and learn about sea lions during an amazing show. A few years ago the Aquarium opened an IMAX theater that shows a mixture of sea-related and general science films.
A word of warning – this is a favorite Boston vacations attraction for families. But you’ll always get in, even when the ticket line seems to stretch for miles.
BEACON HILL
Sandwiched in a small area between Boston Common, and the Charles River, are alleys and narrow red brick cobbled streets, where time has stood still for the last century.
This is Beacon Hill, and one of the most popular walks for people on their Boston vacations.
Quiet and bewitching, it's a delight to walk. You’ll find walled gardens and an authentic 19th century neighborhood feel. Even the original gas lights remain on streets lined with ancient elms.
A favorite haunt for taking pictures is Louisburg Square. A picturesque block of residences perfectly preserved.
After you ramble up Mount Vernon street, wind your way back across to the Massachusetts State House that sits atop Beacon Hill and get your camera out again.
AND THERE'S MORE…
Three other places to visit on your Boston vacations are Cambridge, just across the Charles River, and home to the universities of Harvard and MIT – THE J.F.K Library and Museum at Columbia Point in South Boston – and the Boston Harbor Islands, tours to the islands leave from Long Wharf and Rowes Wharf, both located near the aquarium.
Boston has tons of things to do and see, and I’ve really just started to scratch the surface for you. The rest is yours to discover and as close as your favorite search engine and booking on the Internet.
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About the author:
Cliff Calderwood is the owner and contributing writer of New England Vacations Online Guide. You can read other vacation articles and get a free travel report at his New England vacations guide site.
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December 15, 2005 22:02 - The Hotel Room Issue
Two items of utmost importance are at the forefront of any search for the perfect holiday! Where to go and where to stay! All the other little details like sun, sand, snow or sex are so very unimportant when faced with these two rather large and cumbersome issues. It is the second item that I am going to discuss here, the “where to stay” part of the holiday, the piece of the jigsaw that can make or break that once yearly trip that has so long been saved for and so long looked forward to. Only last week I went for a three-day trip to the Southern Coast of Taiwan (a bit like a trip to Brighton Beach for those living in England) to the holiday town of Kenting. It is not the first time that I have been there and it certainly won’t be the last but it might be the last time that I stay at this particular hotel! For some reason this hotel that has five-stars liberally plastered over all the walls and doors took vengeance against I, my wife and son. The television had no sound and the subsequent fix did not last five minutes, nor the second one or third. They seemed reluctant to change the set, the remote or the room. The hair dryer had a mind of its own and twice started itself, the shower kept on falling off the hook and I have witness to this by the lumps and bumps on my crown and the smell of wet paint was just a bit too much to bear! At the swimming pool an arrogant lifeguard made me see red by suggesting that we should leave the pool or wear a swimming cap. This in itself was understandable but the insistence that my six-month old son wear one too was pushing the limits of my temper. Oh, and don’t tell everybody but the soup had a cockroach in it!
I don’t let little things in life get me down, but that was taking poor service to extremes. In any hotel of any rating one half expects that something will blemish the stay, two mistakes are tolerated but three is pushing the limit. Simply put, I will find somewhere else to stay next time I am in town.
Anywhere in the world it is easier to find a place to stay if one has prior knowledge of the town or city. It is very hard to find the ideal room if the holiday is blind, to a new and unexplored city in a foreign country and especially were the language is Double Dutch!
Choosing a hotel is further complicated by the stars, a system that was developed to help those searching for a place to stay by giving an idea as to what lies behind the doors. But the rating system is so subjective, so open to taste, area and to individual opinion! A simple two-star can be an extremely friendly, clean, comfortable and central place to stay, yet the five-star resort down the road might be cold, large and so out of it all as to be characterless! The real Ritz Hotel certainly bears no resemblance to the Hotel Ritz in another country that I stayed in once upon a time - this one was cockroach infested, had an un-lockable door, no window and with extremely holy (in the literal sense) sheets that had seen many a guest falling asleep with a fag in his mouth! Yet both have five stars!
The price range of a hotel is a better indication of what might be found across the threshold! Not the price when compared to those found back home but to other hotels in the region or town that is to be visited. Photographs or pictures supposedly taken of the subject matter are no good, a wide angle lens might have been used, the shots might even be of another hotel completely and the building site next door might have been cleverly etched out!
An excellent check, one that has served me well in the past is to give the prospective hotel a quick call under the pretense of being an awkward customer, planning to arrive with a vegetarian and hyper active grandmother, a sick and large dog of indeterminate breed and with thirteen children and the kitchen sink! In other words ask questions, see how they respond. If they are polite and try to accommodate then things are looking good. If they get defensive or upset then ………. of course give a false name! Maybe also make two calls, one in the evening to check that no loud music is playing in the background and one in the daytime to check that no construction work is going on.
Magazine advertisements and articles more often than not tend to exaggerate a hotels stature and benefits.
A couple of years ago my wife and I decided to go to Bali. She booked the flights and I went all-out for the perfect place to stay. I researched and browsed, I studied and sweated through piles of information so that I would end up with the most perfect and ideal room, one that was cheap at half the price, central, cozy and safe. I eventually got around to booking one, a four-star villa, native style, including breakfast and in the heart of town. I can honestly say that prior to arriving I was a satisfied man but when I saw the bath at the end of the bed I realized that all was not as it seemed. How was I to know that “native style” meant that the bath was in the same room as the toilet and the bed, how was I too know that half the population of mosquitoes in Bali resided in our ‘native style’, open top villa? Lucky it was central though as we needed to get some insect repellant urgently!
Another means to gaining a good idea as to the value of a place is to ask somebody! Word of mouth is amazing and can give a far better idea as to what might be lurking in the shadows. Good places generally get bandied about; bad places never seem to be heard of! A good place for reviews is on the web. Certainly don’t believe everything that is written about the hotel, as the manager himself is quite capable of writings his own reviews which ultimately make his establishment fit for kings. Go to websites that are general or travel orientated and without advertisements, if the hotel receives one negative report and five good ones you might be onto a winner!
When on business I tend to stay at the chain hotels, the Holiday Inns, the Sheratons and the Meridians of this world. Either I book or my company books, simply because whether one is in Cairo, Canberra or Cape Town the hotels are identical, the standards are similar and the service repeated. It is not until passing out through the hotel doors that a person’s whereabouts in the world can be determined. These chain hotels are built like a Ford production line, “you can stay at any hotel you like as long as it is green”, without character or setting but certainly with a standard that can be easily slid into, a service that is ideal for what is required and a room that provides a comfortable pillow to rest the head on. These hotels give anonymity to all who stay; they provide a businessman the knowledge of were his mini-bar will be located even if he has never stayed at that particular hotel before! They don’t provide water games at 1800 with a host who speaks twelve languages very badly indeed or a discothèque that plays the latest in dance music but they give security and guarantee at a price.
If this is what is suitable, a service with a false smile, then these hotels might fit the bill for a holiday – just ignore the stuffy suited guys who meander around with brief cases and don’t trip over the wires of laptops perched on bony knees in the lobby – they give what is required, prior knowledge of a standard!
Well, in summary: do a bit of research. Get on the phone and do a bit of class acting. Sift around the Internet and pull out the hopefully honest opinions and if friends can give advice open the ears and listen carefully. Don’t believe all that the travel agents say as they want their commission as much as the next person. Don’t believe all that advertisements tell you, as they never give the negative points! Don’t believe all those lovely glossy pictures – strange to see a Black Cab taxi in Beijing and why is the New York skyline behind that lovely Hotel in Istanbul – pictures can be stolen, appropriated or cleverly altered to suit. If still in doubt opt for the chain hotels, if still in doubt cancel the holiday or find another town or country to visit!
Oh and when you get back from your holiday get on the internet and post some stories or anecdotes of your holiday. Tell people what the hotel was like; give out so that others may find it easier to locate the ideal place to stay. And hopefully if the hotel gets a bad name it will soon go out of business!
Hope you have a good holiday!
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About the author:
Author and Webmaster of Seamania. As a Chief Engineer in the Merchant Navy he has sailed the world for fifteen years. Now living in Taiwan he writes about cultures across the globe and life as he sees it.
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December 17, 2005 00:05 - Unforgettable Cape Cod Vacations: The National Seashore Gift
Take a captivating trip through the Cape Cod National Seashore with miles of white sandy beaches, trails and hikes to take your breath away, and majestic dunes. Just keep reading and you can visit all those places right now. The Cape Cod National Seashore is a 4,308-acre park set aside by an act of congress in 1961 to preserve and protect a unique geological area and wild life habitat of New England.
Cape Cod is about 60 miles south of Boston, Massachusetts. It was formed when the last glaciers to visit the region melted about 12,000-years ago leaving a large lake. Because of special features and material surrounding the glacial lake, the water drained out exposing the sediment and deposits left by the glaciers from earlier times.
With the rising sea level and the protection from the battering ocean provided by Georges Bank gone, nature started to reshape the whole of Cape Cod -- especially the Atlantic facing National Seashore area.
The relentless shaping of the Cape continues even today. But this is the place to come to escape. This is the place to come to experience nature.
So let’s take a brief Cape Cod vacations trip together. Are you ready?
Nauset Beach…
The first stop on your trip is Nauset Beach in the town of Orleans.
The entrance to Nauset beach is located in East Orleans at the end of Beach Road, where there’s a large parking lot. The lot is about 2 miles from Routes 6/6A. During the summer months you’ll pay to use the lot.
Protection is the name of the game at Nauset not just for the dunes, but the birds nesting in the spring. Always pay close attention to beach erosion and bird nesting protection signs anywhere during your Cape Cod vacations. Heeding the signs means the area could still be here next time you visit.
At the entrance to the beach you can turn left and walk North, or take the South walk by turning right. Both walks offer spectacular views and hidden areas of the Cape even many residents haven’t discovered. Time your walks to be at low tide so you’ll be walking on exposed sand bars on the North walk, or have a dry crossing to Pochet Island on the South walk.
In the summer Nauset beach is very popular with vacationers, but there always seems to be room even at the busiest times. Swimming is good -- but stay close to the shore. It’s the Atlantic Ocean so it’ll be a little cooler than on the Cape Cod Bay side or the Nantucket Sound beaches.
National Seashore Eastham Visitors Center…
The Salt Pond Visitor Center in Eastham is your next Cape Cod vacations stop. It'll orientate you to the park, and provides short films, a museum, and free maps for hiking and biking trails.
Note: The Salt Pond Visitor Center building has been closed for renovations since 2003. It’s due to reopen in 2005 – in fact right about now!
Starting from the visitor center is the short and easy 1-mile loop Nauset Marsh Trail that follows a path around the salt pond and Nauset Marsh before returning to the visitor center. It’s a varied terrain of salt marsh grasses, juniper and bayberry bushes, and a great place for bird watching due to the proximity of the marsh.
The salt pond itself is a glacial kettle pond that was once freshwater but the ocean has seeped through.
The Lighthouse Beaches…
Two wonderful beaches to visit in the Eastham area are Coast Guard Beach and Nauset Light Beach.
Coast Guard Beach can be reached by bike from the bike trail from the Salt Pond Visitor Center, or by car from Nauset Road off Route 6 directly after the Visitor Center -- just follow the signs to the lot on Doane Road. This beach is a favorite walk of mine at low tide, and was the area where Henry Beston wrote The Outermost House. Sadly the blizzard of 1978 washed the cottage where he lived while writing the book -- out to sea.
Yet another example of the awesome forces continually sculpturing the Cape Cod National Seashore.
But here's another gem of a beach for you...
Nauset Light Beach can be reached from Brackett Road also off Route 6, and then Cable Road and Ocean View Drive. The parking lot is small and fills up quickly in the summer.
Close by the beach is Nauset Lighthouse. Originally built in Chatham in the late 19th century, it was moved here shortly after, and moved again in 1996 when erosion of the cliff threatened to collapse the lighthouse.
The beach is popular for the imposing and towering cliffs and clean white-sand, and walks that create memorable Cape Cod vacations.
Great Island Hike in Wellfleet...
The Great Island hike in Wellfleet is a 6-mile hike, so allow yourself at least half-a-day to explore this wonderful area.
Located on the Cape Cod Bay side of the Cape in Wellfleet, drive to the trailhead off Chequesset Neck Road, and prepare yourself -- and camera -- for an exhilarating hike. The area is pretty open and so take sunscreen and a hat.
What will you see?
Marvelous views of Wellfleet Harbor and Cape Cod Bay await you once on the island (hint: it’s not really an island anymore).
Another hint: this is a real nature hike. There’s no sandwich bar or coke machine waiting for you at the end, so take your own snacks and drinks. Of all the trails in the Cape Cod National Seashore Park, this is perhaps the most remote -- and I like that!
Out on the Island itself there used to be a secluded Tavern used by Whalers and the like. Nothing remains of it today except for a sign to mark the spot where it was.
National Seashore Province Lands Visitors Center…
The visitor center in Province Lands is off Route 6 and on Race Point Road. This is the northern tip of the park, and marks our final stop together on this Cape Cod vacations trip.
The Visitor Center itself has an observation deck where you can view the majestic surroundings of ocean, forest, and the omnipresent towering dunes. The area includes two swimming beaches -- Race Point and Herring Cove -- a bike trail, and a walking trail. There’s also a beautiful lighthouse at Race Point.
The bike trail is a challenging 5.25-mile loop that you can start from the visitor center. I’d describe it as undulating bordering on hilly.
There’s also a fair amount of hairpin turns, and so helmets and a safe speed are a must. Believe me the downhill stretches are so exhilarating, but you can easily forget and misjudge bike traffic coming the other way. I’ve seen many a tangled mess -- Ouch!
And that’s the end of this brief trip.
Wow! You did a lot in a few minutes – from your chair. But now it’s time to do the real thing. Are you ready?
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About the author:
Cliff Calderwood is the owner and contributing writer of New England Vacations Online Guide. You can read other vacation articles and get a free travel report at his New England vacations guide site.
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December 17, 2005 18:32 - Unforgettable White Mountains Vacations – The Most Scenic 100 Miles in New England
This amazing drive through the White Mountains of New Hampshire has a gorgeous vista at every turn, oodles and oodles of family vacation fun, and a visit to the home of the world wind speed record. Just keep reading to discover a remarkable trip on your White Mountains vacation. The White Mountain National Forest is about a 4-hour drive north of Boston, Massachusetts. Deep in New Hampshire, the mountains are part of the Appalachian Mountain system that covers the Eastern United States. Within the forest park is the White Mountains Trail, and it’s a drive that’s arguably the most scenic 100 miles in New England. And so you’re in for a real treat. Let’s get started…
White Mountain National Forest Visitor Center…
Most people begin the drive from the White Mountains Visitor Center in North Woodstock on route 112 and head out on route 3N to the Franconia Notch area.
If you’re traveling with kids then you’ll want to pencil dates back in this area at the Clark’s Trading Post, and The Whale’s Tale attractions -- both in Lincoln on route 3N. At Clark’s you can see Bears, ride a steam train, climb towers, and generally keep the young ones happy. The Whale’s Tale is a water park with a wave pool, picnic areas, changing areas, and live entertainment.
Back on the road head north towards Franconia Notch. This is a good stretch of road to have your camera at the ready. I can’t list all the stops you can make, but I’ll mention just two of my favorites in this area of the White Mountains.
The Flume Gorge was formed over 200 million years ago when the White Mountains were molten rock. It just so happens in this area when it cooled quickly, softer material was forced into the fractures that formed. These fractures wore down with natural erosion much quicker that the surrounding granite rock -- leaving the gorge. And so now you get to enjoy a geological wonder at the base of beautiful Mount Liberty.
The Gorge has a visitor center where your tour starts and ends. And don’t forget to check out the covered bridge which crosses the Pemigewasset River -- it’s one of the oldest on the White Mountains Trail.
The famous attraction you can’t see anymore…
You’re probably thinking why would I mention something you can’t see anymore? Well, the truth is... you can see some of it… but you’ll have to imagine the rest.
The Old Man of the Mountain was a jagged rock profile formed over 10,000 years ago during the last Ice Age.
On May 3, 2003, admirers of the White Mountains region around the world were devastated, when this world famous monument to nature crumbled and crashed to the bottom of Cannon Mountain. How could this be everybody asked? Aren’t rocks and mountains... forever? Well, this incident proves they aren’t. Despite years of gargantuan efforts by many people to preserve it, centuries of the harsh winter climate found in the White Mountains, finally took its toll. It’s worth a stop as you journey on the White Mountains Trail to look and wonder at what once was. To me it’s a reminder that nature doesn’t play favorites.
Continue to head north on Route 3 until it joins Route 302 and follow 302 towards Bretton Woods. Here the mountains get taller and taller until eventually you see the grand daddy of them all -- Mount Washington at 6,288 feet.
The Roof of the White Mountain National Forest…
Depending on time available, you’ve got four options for experiencing this gift in the White Mountain National Forest. Just stare -- hey, there’s nothing wrong with that. Take the Cog Railway train ride to the top. Drive the auto road to the summit -- the quickest way. And of course you can hike if you’re well prepared. But just promise me you won't hike to the top unless you are in great condition and with somebody. This mountain claims lives every year as conditions in this area can deteriorate dramatically within minutes.
Is it worth getting to the summit?
All I’ll say here is… the view is stunning. Visit the museum at the top and learn about the day in 1934 when the highest wind speed ever recorded on earth was taken -- 231 MPH. You’ll learn why its unique geographic position provides the mountain with the worst weather on earth.
Now get back onto Route 302 and head south to the town of North Conway.
The North Conway Scenic Area…
Schedule enough time to take the scenic train, which you board in North Conway. The station is an authentic Victorian style -- it's hard to miss and smack in the town center.
The train rides are ambles and chugs along the scenic valleys and notches in the surrounding area. And as you wind through the rolling Mount Washington valley and squeeze through the notches under the gentle clatter of steel against steel, consider this was once the main form of transportation to the area, from Boston. Most of the trains they run are diesel locomotives now, but on special weekends and during fall they use their popular steam locomotive.
The valley train is a 55-minute roundtrip, and the Notch train is 5 hours. Both have a first-class car if you want to have a different experience. The notch train has a dome car as well, where you get magnificent views of the steep ravines and sheer bluffs. I’m not sure my kids have the patience for a 5-hour train ride so we’ve always taken the shorter excursion. But as I love trains -- especially steam trains -- one day…
The trains usually run from mid-June until mid-October. These scenic trains are very popular throughout the season and they accept advanced reservations for the Notch train and dinning cars on both trains.
This area of the White Mountains is full of shopping outlets, and also has plenty for the kids to do. Story Land and Heritage-New Hampshire, are right next to each other on route 16 in Glen. You and the kids will enjoy themed rides, live shows, play areas, and meeting storyboard characters.
The Kancamagus Highway…
Let’s finish up our White Mountains Trail tour by joining back up with route 112 at Conway and driving back to the White Mountain National Forest Visitor Center.
This part of the trail is known as the Kancamagus highway. There are just numerous photo shoot opportunities along this highway. In fact, your challenge is having enough daylight left in this trip so you can take pictures.
But you can always come back tomorrow, right? No prizes for doing and seeing everything in one day. You are booking your White Mountains vacation for at least a week... aren’t you?
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About the author:
Cliff Calderwood is the owner and contributing writer of New England Vacations Online Guide. You can read other vacation articles and get a free travel report at his New England vacations guide site.
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December 18, 2005 21:27 - Hostels in Germany – The Amazing Discovery of Irresistibility
Would you like to spend nights at the most beautiful, most exciting and most unforgettable places? Would you like to constantly receive TOP Insider Tips from natives, whose are really well versed - and this totally free of charge?
Would you like to save 50 to 80% of your usual overnight expenses?
If you answered one or all above questions with "YES", read on ; -)
Did you know that the youth hostels were "invented" in the year 1909 by Richard Schirrmann, Germany?
Did you further know that ever more adult and "smart” people firmly build hostels into their travel planning to get hold of the benefit from advantages which they would not receive with usual hotels?
Hostels in Germany offer far more to you than a low-priced accommodation.
Getting to know each other and intercultural meetings are motivating again and again not only grades, groups of children and young people, but also families, seminar organizers and many interested single travellers to consciously experience their spare time in a youth hostel.
Tolerance towards the other one, the helpfulness, open dialogue, and a strong environmental awareness make the hostels in Germany for its guests an unusual and experience-rich destination.
Beside small cosy old buildings or the experience in castles and residences you also find many houses in scenic delightful environments as well as in large cities.
At first sight it has even the appearance at some, that it would be a 5-star luxury hotel. But after all if you ask for the conditions you experience that you have been landed in a fantastically beautiful youth hostel and will feel at ease in the time of your stay.
Whatever you are looking for - whether conference atmosphere, sport possibilities, school experiences without classroom, or a particularly for families co-ordinated equipment - with the hostels in Germany you’ll find the fitting for you.
By the way, between youth hostels and schools exists a long active tradition. You find more about this on my page about the actual developed history of youth hostels at http://www.smart-travel-germany.com/youth-hostels.html .
Anyhow, it is important for them that they do not only offer touristic attractions. The youth hostels above all attach also importance to obtain conscious travel. The social, economic and ecological consequences of a blind mass tourism are very conscious to them. Therefore, you will still get expert consultation and insider knowledge, and all this free of charge. Fits somehow to my website concept ;-)
Good. Most hostels in Germany are located at places, from which you can discover a lot of beautiful things. Whether it is on a mountain from which you have a fantastic view, or in the country, where you can get to know the very German life, or in the middle of a city, where you can admire the attractive and historical points of interest.
There are even youth hostels with extensive wellness supply! By some I am inclined to call them Secret Resorts. (More about Secret Resorts and how to find them in my specific 4-part article or on my website)
If you however attach great importance to comfort, you should better book your accommodation in a hotel. In the youth hostels often no or little service is offered. Service you usually get in hotels.
Moreover, in Bavaria are lodgings which offer overnight stays only for humans up to 26 years. That is, they proverbially concentrate on the youth. You will find however sufficient others in which is also offered a cosy bed to adults.
Today we have youth hostels in the whole world (I even had the time of my life in the hostel of New York City!). You will however see, feel, and smell that the origin of hostels was developed in Germany.
Now still a few numbers of Germany Hostels: world-wide there are more than 4,000 youth hostels in 65 countries, whereby more than 600 alone in Germany. You need a membership card in order to be able to stay overnight there, which costs only 20 EUR per year and is world-wide valid! More than half of the 1.7 million members in Germany are adults. The average cost per night is somehow between 10 and 25 EUR. So you save a lot of money, don’t you?
You find more details on the official website of the German Youth Hostel Association at http://www.smart-travel-germany.com/hostel .
However, I wish you a lot of fun on your journeys!
Marcus Hochstadt
© Copyright http://www.smart-travel-germany.com/ All Rights Reserved
You may use this article in its entirety with the Author Bio and links.
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About the author:
Marcus Hochstadt travels extensively to countries, continents and Germany itself as a sales manager and entrepreneur since more than 14 years. He knows in almost each German city the points of real interest. In his free monthly Special Report at http://www.smart-travel-germany.com/smart-travel-guide.htmlhe reveales more valuable insider tips and travel secrets.
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December 19, 2005 11:57 - Cheaper Airline Tickets are Back to the US Virgin Islands
Before hurricane Maralyn hit the Virgin Islands in September of 1995, the US Virgin Islands was on its way to becoming a tourism Mecca until disaster struck.
In early September of 1995, the US Virgin Islands was a Tourism Mecca( particularly the island of St. Thomas). The Virgin Islands are made up of three small islands( St. Thomas, St. John and St. Croix) in the Caribbean next to Puerto Rico and about 1100 miles southeast of Miami, Florida. American Airlines and the Cruise ships have long since been bringing in visitors and stimulating the economy.
The 1980's were the days of Pan Am, Eastern Airlines( remember them?) and American Airlines shuttling visitors to the US mainland. LIAT, Areo Virgin Islands, Ocean Air and Prenair were commuter airlines shuttling visitors throughout the Caribbean from the main airport in St. Thomas.
Back then the airport was only about 4,000 feet long with a huge hill at the end forcing the major airlines to take off with limited fuel(to cut down on weight) and having to stop at other airports with longer runways( like San Juan, Puerto Rico) to be fueled for the trip to the mainland. These stops and lack of completion made airline tickets very expensive.
In 1990 the expansion and completion of Cyril E King airport ( named after the late governor to conceived the idea) changed the US Virgin Islands economy forever. The hill was excavated, a brand new state of the art terminal and the runaway was extended into the sea(from the excavated hill) to 7,000 feet. Eastern and Pan Am were gone but now Delta airlines began nonstop flights to Atlanta and New York. American Airlines began nonstop flights to Miami, New York and Boston. American Eagle came in with up to 33 flights a day to the major Caribbean hub of San Juan by itself( there popped up other commuters). Soon the airline tickets were a lot cheaper and the visitors started returning but on a cruise. Because of the choices of well over 80 airline flights a day( very good for an island of 32 square miles), St. Thomas became the #1 cruise ship destination in the world!....then came hurricane Marilyn in 1995.
Many businesses were completely destroyed and never came back. Some people were without power from September to January 1996. Airlines and cruise ships had major cutbacks( hotels had major damage). The island was completely dark at night for weeks with no phones( over 11,000 light poles had to be replaced). Recovery was not completed until 1997 but the Tourism Mecca was gone until now.
Delta and American Airlines are now joined by US Airways, United Airlines, Continental Airlines and soon low-fare carrier Spirit Airlines. St. Thomas is now back to being the #1 Cruise destination because of so many nonstop flights to the mainland. You can now book a round trip to Fort Lauderdale, Florida on Spirit for around $250( including taxes) and the other airlines are sure to lower their airline ticket prices to compete.
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December 27, 2005 18:36 - If you are chasing the best opinion regarding cruises.
Often when you are looking for high-class advice concerning cruises, you'll find it hard separating superior advice from poorly sourced cruises proposals and help so it's astute to know how to qualify the information you are given. Cruises- Travelocity
Plan your dream cruise with the cruise experts at Travelocity. Book your cruise, flight, hotel, insurance and transfers in one easy transaction.
Here are a few tips that we believe you should consider using when you're searching for information regarding cruises. Please understand that any recommendation we may offer is only relevant to internet information about cruises. We do not give you any guidance or advice for researching in 'real world' situations.
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Offers travel insurance comparison information, including instant price quotes and online purchasing.
A terrifc piece of advice you can follow when you're presented with information and advice about a cruises web is to find out who owns the site. This may show you who owns the site cruises credibility The quickest way to work out who owns the cruises website is to look on the 'contact' page or 'about this site' information.
Any reputable site providing information concerning cruises, will almost certainly provide an 'about' webpage which will record the site owner's contact details. The details should tell you a number of indications concerning the owner's requisite knowledge. You can then arrive at a decision about the site owner's knowledge and skill, to offer recommendations concerning cruises
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About the author:
Tom Brown is the webmaster for http://www.cruise-control.com
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December 30, 2005 08:56 - Tropical New England
For New Englanders a tropical island seems about as remote as the Pyramids. A summer getaway to the beach usually means a trip to the Cape or to Maine where while the rocky shores may look beautiful, the water is somewhat less than welcoming. Few could imagine that just off the shores of Rhode Island near Narragansett Bay lies Block Island the closest thing to a Caribbean escape that one could dream of finding in the North East. More than ten thousand years ago the glaciers left behind a piece of land that today stands as a refuge from busy city life, or the harsh New England weather. As you arrive via a ferry from Point Judith, New London, or Montauk you are immediately immersed in a world quite separate from the one you left on the mainland. The beats and rhythms from Ballard’s Inn and club greet all arrivals, and the site of fellow travelers sipping drinks as they lie in the sand makes it difficult for anyone to continue on to their original destination. A boat half way up the beach which has been converted to a bar sits just next to the stage where live beach music forces one to question just how far that ferry took you.
The center of town is right off the ferry landing and provides numerous restaurants, shops, boutiques, clubs, pubs, and more. Many of the hotels and inns are within walking distance, but taxis await to take you any farther, and moped rentals offer a fun alternative. You won’t find a Marriott, Hilton, or any other corporate style accommodations on the island. What you will find is everything from small cozy inns to large manor like hotels, all providing some sort of island getaway mystique. Most places serve wine and cheese around 5:00, which acts as a great way to meet your fellow travelers, or to just enjoy a nice drink in a rocking chair overlooking the ocean.
If you came to relax by the water you certainly won’t have a hard time finding an open spot. With 17 miles of beaches there’s more than enough room for everyone. Thanks to the island’s natural springs there are also 365 freshwater ponds, and the 32 miles of trails will let you visit almost all of them. If you would prefer a faster paced tour a quick bike or moped ride will take you past beautiful rolling hills and beaches to both of the islands historic lighthouses. For those with more of a hunger for adventure you can get a great glimpse of it all in just one sitting while parasailing high above the waters.
After a nice day in the sun a nice night out is easy to find. There are many delicious restaurants, and just as many fun clubs and pubs. From the rocking live bands at McGovern's Yellow Kittens Tavern, to martini night at the Spring House there’s something for every night life seeker. Don’t worry too much about staying out late, as the biggest decision of the next morning is often which beach to enjoy.
Perhaps so few people know about Block Island because it’s hard to believe that such a place exists in the north. Perhaps it’s because those who visit are reluctant to share their tales, worrisome that too many visitors may change the atmosphere of their private paradise. Whatever it is, there’s something special, and something not to be missed about this unique island where New England meets the Caribbean.
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About the author:
Nate Soule is a travel enthusiast and helps maintain the travel website AcrossDistance.com
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