Author: Lydia Evdoxiadi Verniory
Source: ezinearticles.com

Traveling with children in the Middle East is a wonderful experience. Throughout the Middle Eastern countries, children are welcome and they elevate your status to ’serious traveller’. This is because these cultures are very family oriented and there is much respect for the family and tolerance for children.

Follow these 5 tips to ensure a great and hassle-free trip.

1. Stock on staples such as nappies, medicine, hats, sun-block and bathing suits. These are available in major cities, yet this can save you trips back and forth. If you are worried about space, most of these items will be used up before the end of your trip.

2. Stick with bottled water. Children tend to get sick easier than adults and more easily exhausted by dehydration.

3. Assign children tasks while on the trip. For example one can be the official photographer. Another can be the official bag carrier. Older children can do the money conversion exercise and keep the wallet with the change. Another can be the official teacher of simple words from the native language every evening.

4. Kid’s meals are not very common in the Middle East. Instead, ask for a few empty plates and share with children your basic meal. This wonderful for the budget, and in exchange you can give them a small allowance for souvenir shopping in the afternoon.

5. When possible let your children play with local children. You will quickly realize that the cultural and linguistic barriers are totally indifferent to children. They always manage to make do of what they have got and you will be surprised at how many words they will have learned by the end of the day.

Give your children this great opportunity to meet others and spend time with you in a more challenging environment. You will not only discover more about others and your self, but you will see a totally different perspective of your children. Assign them tasks to help them build communication, skills, and self-esteem strategies. You will all return a much richer family.

Lydia Evdoxiadi Verniory is a Cultural Heritage Consultant. She advises states on promoting their national cultural heritage through the development of local tourism. She specializes in the Middle East and works to bring closer the East and the West.

Author: Carrie Lauth
Source: ezinearticles.com

You have spent awhile getting used to breastfeeding your child at home and getting into a comfortable routine. Traveling can really mix up this routine and present new challenges for a breastfeeding mother. Here are a few tips that can help ease you into a more enjoyable and comfortable trip with your breastfed baby.

Road Trip With a Breastfed Baby:

If your baby or toddler is already eating solids, this can be an option for feeding him on the road. However, if he only drinks milk, you might want to pump milk ahead of time into bottles to feed him along the way. If you are the passenger, you can even pump into a bottle and feed him during the drive, if need be. Some babies do not take bottles at all and only drink from the breast. In this case, you’ll want to schedule in regular meals and snacks for your child by visiting rest stops to nurse him. Do not remove the baby from his car seat as you travel on the road, as this is both illegal and potentially dangerous.

Breastfeeding On An Airplane:

While it may be frowned upon by some people, it is perfectly legal to breastfeed your baby in public, and this includes during a flight. As a breastfeeding mother, you even have an advantage over those who use bottles, due to the strict liquid regulations. While bottles of formula and milk are now allowed onto planes, the milk in your breasts are not subject to search and are quite portable, making traveling easier for you. One tip you’ll want to try is breastfeeding your baby during takeoff and landing. This can reduce his fears of flying and reduces the chance of his ears popping, which can feel painful for a baby. While many people aren’t thrilled about having a baby near them in flight, breastfed babies typically make wonderful flying companions!

Taking along a baby sling can be a huge help when traveling with a baby, especially when going through busy airports. You can even nurse discreetly in the sling and no one will be the wiser. The sling also helps to comfort baby and reduce fussiness, as well as helping him nap when he’s tired.

Bottle Feeding

Breastfeeding while traveling and doing activities is certainly different than feeding at home. For many breastfeeding mothers, bottle feeding is a new concept. If you do plan on bottle-feeding your pumped milk on outings, be sure you have a cooler that can keep milk fresh as you are traveling and be sure to abide by the guidelines of how long milk should be kept. If you are planning on being away from the baby for a period of time, such as a day at the spa, then be sure to pump ahead of time for baby as well. This can also be an adjustment for baby as well and should be introduced to him days before your departure.

Taking care of yourself

Although vacation is designed to be fun, it can also be physically and mentally exhausting. There is a lot of moving around from place to place that occurs, as well as eating at new places and experiencing new things. It is also possible you will be nursing on a different schedule, which can be uncomfortable for you. To counteract this, be sure you are getting plenty of rest, fluids and nutrition. If you are breastfeeding at odd hours or less than usual, you might need to carry along a small pump with you (or pump by hand) to release some milk and give you some comfort. Take along breastfeeding items you may need, such as breast pads, lanolin or hot packs if your breast get sore. Vitamin B6 can also assist in tenderness. Vacations are a common time for moms to experience plugged ducts or mastitis. Baby is distracted and you may be nursing less. Be sure to take care of yourself so your vacation is relaxing.

For more helpful tips to make breastfeeding easier, visit http://www.sexynursingbra.com/blog – just because you’re nursing doesn’t mean you can’t be sexy!

Author: Pamela Bradley
Source: ezinearticles.com

One of the main purposes of travel is to gain experiences that allow us to grow and develop as individuals and it is important that people travel the way that bests suits them at a particular time. For example, I like to go on adventure holidays and this invariably includes a small group and expert guide, and I frequently participate in writing retreats around the world with like-minded people. However for me, the real joy of travelling has always been to take off on my own and just ’see’ what comes along the way. Of course this can sometimes be fraught with frustrations, difficulties and even dangers.

Advantages of travelling alone

Freedom
Most people who travel alone generally cite freedom as the great motivating factor: freedom to please themselves, go where and when they want, change their plans on a whim when they hear about something that is a ‘must’ to see, and to accept spontaneous invitations by locals.
No compromises
This is associated with the previous point. Even if travelling with one other person, be it friend, colleague, lover or spouse, there will always be some compromises required. Not everyone has the same interests or the same energy levels, some people need to be emotionally supported all the time, others are apathetic, some have different attitudes to time. With solo travel, there is no peer pressure over finances, the unspoken need to divide up restaurant bills equally, or guilt trips when you want to go off on your own for a while.
Meeting people
Travelling solo does not mean that you will always be alone. In fact, it allows you to meet more people because other tourists and locals find an individual traveller more approachable than those in a tightly-knit group. Also, people in groups have very little need to reach out to others for communication. I have met more people, had more interesting conversations and invitations and made more long-term friends while eating alone in foreign restaurants or sitting alone at bars. But then I am gregarious. Travelling alone allows you to choose the people you wish to spend time with rather than having to face the day-after-day annoyances of the inevitable clowns and whingers found in any large group.
Discoveries
There is a real sense of discovery involved in travelling on your own, and that includes self-discovery. You don’t have to rely on an often ill-informed guide to lead you around on a leash, and there’s the surprise and thrill when you find something you weren’t expecting, like the time I became lost and ended up in a small Bavarian village with a monastery that contained a library with tens of thousands of Medieval manuscripts. Travelling alone allows you to discover more about yourself as you overcome simple challenges such as missing a bus or boat and realizing there is no other for a day or a week. Then there is the sense of achievement when solving much more challenging problems like finding yourself lost in a strange town at midnight or running out of money on a holiday weekend with no ATM in sight and the banks closed.Disadvantages of travelling alone

The single supplement
For those who like to stay in decent hotels, there is the unfair single supplement that can add thousands to the cost of your trip.
Lack of help
There is no one to watch your luggage while you go to the restrooms at airports or train stations, no one to help with persistent touts, no one to be there for you if you get sick or if you are being stalked or harassed by a determined male in the street.
Photos
There are times when I would like to have had more taken of myself in certain places, but there again, there are always people willing to snap one or two for you. I know there will be times in the future when I will travel as part of a group out of choice because I want to visit areas where it is just not possible or sensible for a woman alone, or because I wish to be with family or like-minded people. However, due to my particular personality traits, my preference is to travel alone. I guess it really doesn’t matter how people travel, but that they travel.

Pamela Bradley, also known as Zelda, is a noted author of nine books on ancient cultures and mysteries, historian, public speaker and passionate traveler. Follow her travels on http://www.zeldastravels.com and check out her profile, books, recent memoir, Nefertiti Street, as well as her observations on writing and women on http://www.pamelabradley.com.

Author: Patterson Bell
Source: ezinearticles.com

After celebrating a big event like a Wedding ceremony, couples are not left with enough money to have a splendid honey moon trip. A newly married couple planning for a honey moon trip has to wait for a certain time until their budget let them to move on, indeed. Wedding travel packages could certainly help such a couple to great extent in order to enjoy an inexpensive honey moon trip. Wedding travel packages include a number of facilities from booking of flights, accommodation or hotel reservations, travel guide as well as recreation until your return to your home. Book your wedding travel packages soon after your marriage or even few days before your wedding and get freed from at least this burden of hectic arrangements of your honey moon vacations.

If you are planning for a vacation soon after your wedding, Nailing down a choice from the following list of a few highly values affordable resorts in United States could help you a lot for making your vacation memorable:

1. Boulder Mountain Lodge, Boulder, Colorado
2. Blue Seas Courtyard, Lauderdale By The Sea, Florida
3. Blue Lady, Gamaliel, Arkansas
4. Meson de Mesilla Resort Hotel, Mesilla, New Mexico
5. Four Mile Creek Bed and Breakfast, Glenwood Springs, Colorado
6. Terrace by the Sea, Ogunquit, Maine
7. Coach House Inn, Salem, Massachusetts
8. Baker Street Harbor Bed & Breakfast, Grandbury, Texas
9. Whistle wood Farm Bed & Breakfast, Rhinebeck, New York
10. Tuscan Inn, San Francisco, California
11. Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, Nevada

There lies a wide range of locations for spending vacations soon after your wedding tastes from, a budget constraint person to a lavish traveler. Therefore it depends entirely how much your pocket allows you to spend on for this memorable time which you will be cherishing throughout your life. When you are about to take a decision of place to go for wedding vacations always consider your and your spouse’s combined area of interest.

For instance, the state of Florida is one of an inexpensive and popular honeymoon location. So rather making a hassle with having a passport to fly for abroad, enjoy being at South Beach specifically secluded in the keys or head to it or visit Miami for a partying atmosphere. For having a cheap accommodation in a resort or a hotel you better choose the summer time for spending your wedding vacations because it’s an off-season time and therefore you would be served with best services at comparatively low price. The decision

Say your heart is firmly set to spend your wedding vacations at a hot tropical place and its not affordable for you to go abroad or spend $700+ per night, there still lie a way to get what your heart desires. There lie a number of such inexpensive yet fabulous destinations inside United States which could have all those dreamy surroundings one craves for.

If you and your spouse have a leisurely interest for culture, then you people should surely go for some excellent museums in some of the larger cities like San Francisco, Houston, and New York. Sharing a love for cultural arts arena is a part of the glory of marriage and therefore should be considered when you are going to choose form a huge range of honeymoon locations.

Choosing from variety of honeymoon locations could be as easy as interlocking shared interests along with watching your available budget which dictates how far form your home or where you and your new spouse can go. It does not matter where you live in United States as there will always be accommodating honeymoon locations to suit your needs.

Patterson Bell, Awards Redemption Management

Find out how you can get two complimentary airline voucher. Call Patterson Bell at 1-800-371-3923 for more information. For more information please Click Here!

Author: Steven P Jonas
Source: ezinearticles.com

Is the group with which you are traveling a bit too big to handle with respect to transportation? It might have been easier to book a flight to the place. If the place is a little out of the way for a flight, then it is a very effective option to book a coach to the same place.

If you are new to the term, then the coach is a bus-like vehicle that is used for the renting purposes specifically. These coaches offer great comfort and luxuries comparable to those offered in the airplanes. Being very large, they offer quite some space and can accommodate up to 60 people at a time. It is almost like a private plane on roads. If you are going on a vacation with your family and the extended family, then the hired coach is the perfect alternative if the travel is to be a long distance one where it is difficult to go directly by plane. Hiring the coach is a sure way to a hassle free vacation and can make the trip a very memorable one.

Let’s take the example of Europe; it contains so many nations in which football is followed religiously. If you have ever watched a match, you might wonder how all those people who support the visiting team got to the place. Not all of them live in that city. Each city has its football team(s). London has five; Milan, Manchester, Madrid and Liverpool have two teams in the cities. The die hard fans who follow the team to cheer them at all costs utilize the coaches as the mode of transportation. They go on singing the team anthem all along the road and might even boo the rival fans.

If you are a coach traveling with a team that has its match, then you can use the time traveling in reviewing the tactics and also the opponent’s strengths and weaknesses. By this way you can further contribute to the preparation going on for the match. But if you are a group who wants to relax and enjoy, then the coaches have the perfect amenities to do the same. They are equipped with DVD players, TV’s and plenty such features to help make the ride better.

Another benefit of hiring the coaches is that you don’t need to worry about the directions. Most of the coach hiring companies have the best drivers on their payroll and they know their way around the place. These people will surely get you to your destination by the fastest way possible. If any problem should arise, they are more than able to handle the situation well and can get out of the situation well and safe.

You also have the option of bringing along your personal driver and this allows the company to grant you the vehicle for extended periods of time. Using the coach for occasions like weddings, family get-togethers or holidays is indeed a very good alternative and is also a very luxurious way to travel with the list of amenities that they have to offer.

Momentum Coach Hire offer a fantastic range of coaches, available for everything from school trips to stag parties. View the Momentum Coach Hire site for more information.

Author: Jason S Marsh
Source: ezinearticles.com

If you are reading this, chances are you are confused about ski travel, or you may need a little guidance in the area of booking a skiing trip. Generally, ski vacation packages cover all of your travel, housing, and resort costs. Visiting online travel websites can reveal some of the best kept secrets in ski vacation packages, and it will ultimately aid you in discovering the right deal ?most of them better than going through an actual travel agent.

Without ski travel packages, you are left to book your flights, your hotels, rental equipment, lift fares, etc. yourself. That means you would have to deal with 5 or more different companies when booking your trip, and with all of the costs involved, you would be spending a hefty sum of money. On the other hand, a ski travel package bundles all of these aspects of your skiing trip under one umbrella — you just choose the package that is best for you, and enjoy the savings and convenience that ski vacation packages have to offer.

When you search for ski vacation packages, you will be introduced to all of the major worldwide ski resorts ?some famous, some lesser known. Some of the most popular in the USA are the Big Boulder/Jack Frost ski resort and the Tanglewood Ski Area in Pennsylvania. In Canada, there is Whistler Resort, Big White Resort, and the Red Mountain Resort. Because there is a lot of competition in the field of ski travel, you can find a great bargain on any of these resorts with relative ease.

Many websites online offer ski travel bargains. By getting ski travel packages, you can track all aspects of your trip through one website. For example, all information about your flights, weather, tourist guides, hotels, and destinations are detailed when you access your online travel package.

You are the judge when it comes to choosing a ski vacation package. Always take into consideration your budget needs, and be aware of what is necessary and what is not. If possible, ask any of your skiing friends for recommendations, and ask them what you should look for in ski travel packages.

Because ski vacation packages cover all expenses associated with your trip, choosing ski travel packages will undoubtedly save you a great deal of money, and help you enjoy a smooth skiing trip without any complications.

Author: Lenette Nakauchi
Source: ezinearticles.com

Whether you are traveling for work or leisure-planning and preparation is key!

You’ve discovered that the raw food diet and lifestyle definitely allows you to feel your best. Now you need to maintain that level of energy as best you can while enjoying life in another city. It can be easy to fall into bad eating habits while traveling, so you need to make your raw lifestyle and personal health a priority when you’re away from the comforts of your home kitchen. I’ve found that bringing along dried, portable foods and supplements, as well as some fresh foods can be the difference between staying raw and completely falling off the wagon and experiencing a wave of regret. Planning ahead, some internet research before you leave, and getting to know the local natural food stores will help you enjoy the healthiest trip of your life.

These are all things I do and doing all of them allows me to never be apprehensive towards travel. I would hate for my diet to hold me back from traveling. I don’t think it would be worth it if it did! A couple days before you leave, start thinking about what raw snacks, superfoods, and supplements you’d really love to have with you. I portion my superfood snacks into small plastic baggies, and keep them in a larger zipped bag (for example: handful of almonds, goji berries, pumpkin seeds, dried figs, etc). I usually bring at least one raw food snack bar for each day I’ll be on vacation. Other handy (and super-nutritious) travel snacks could be sea vegetables (such as whole leaf dulse), bee pollen, and an old vitamin jar full of superfood powders (green powder, maca, a little stevia for sweetness). I always bring a glass jar with a screw top lid to shake up the green powders in water. I never go anywhere without my Celtic sea salt shaker bottle either. All this, believe it or not, will fit in a large plastic zipper bag.

If you take multivitamins and other supplements, bring those too! Most of us will need this kind of nutritional support the most while traveling because we may not have access to all the foods we’re used to. I love reusing the tin cases mints come in for toting around vitamins, enzymes, and other supplements. They’re the perfect size!

A couple more things you may want to pack: a thin plastic cutting board, silverware (including a butterknife or something similar-packed in your checked in luggage, please), and some herbal laxatives–a change in diet plus travel makes for constipation-you’ll thank me!

You’re almost set! If you’re staying in a hotel, be sure to ask if there will be a refrigerator in your room. There is usually no charge for one, especially if you say you have a special diet. If you’re staying at a friend’s place, let them know about your diet and ask them if they don’t mind you having a special area in their fridge for your foods. If you’re going to be in a car for a while, maybe think about bringing a small cooler. The bottom line is, you’ll want to keep your salad greens, vegetables, and fruit cool so they don’t go bad.

Also, before you leave, be sure to spend some time online checking out all the raw vegan, vegan, vegetarian, and/or organic restaurants near you. Write down the addresses and phone numbers before you leave. Find out where the nearest natural food store is and see if there are any farmers markets in town. These should be some of the first stops you make when you reach your destination. Natural food stores will be essential in supplying your greens, organics, and other fun snacks you’d like. Many times you can find a raw food section with prepared gourmet raw entrees as well!

Here are some great websites that will help you:

rawfoodrestaurantguide.com/blog/ (Enter your email on the website and the guide link will be emailed to you. )
sunfoodtraveler.com
.HappyCow.net (lists all vegetarian, vegan, and raw food restaurants)/li>

The key is to not feel nutritionally deprived at any point during your trip. The people you will be traveling with may have to make an extra stop just for you, but as long as you have what you need, you can hang out with them from that point on.

Some people have asked me if I travel with my Vita-mix blender or Magic Bullet mini-blender. I don’t. But I usually don’t travel for more than one week at a time. If I was to travel for two weeks or more, I would definitely consider bringing a blender with me because I love green smoothies in the morning. I could also make juice with the Vita-mix using a nut milk bag. But for trips of only a week or less, organic fruit in the morning is perfect.

I usually make a salad for the plane flight, or long car ride, too. I do this for several reasons:

I usually can’t go for more than three hours after my typical fruit-only breakfasts without eating.
I usually have plenty of greens, veggies, and ripe avocados in my fridge that will go bad while I’m gone, so why not use them?
I like to get one last awesome meal in before switching to more dried foods and possibly non-organic meals.
I like saving money on meals and snacks.
I need a couple of reusable plastic containers for salads I’ll make in my destination city anyway, so why not start using them now?Now you’re set! You have most of the non-fresh things on you and you’ll be buying your organic fruit, greens, salad veggies, and avocado (great to use for dressing) when you get there. Enjoy your trip, stay raw, and have the best time ever!

Lenette Nakauchi is a raw foodist who is passionate about teaching, coaching and demonstrating to others how to go and stay “raw” in a fun, healthy, sustainable way. Learn more about the raw food lifestyle and about superfoods by visiting her websites http://www.gorawchicago.com and http://www.eatsuperfoods.com.

Author: Larry Austin
Source: ezinearticles.com

The holidays next year will be to a great extent affected by the economic recession most countries suffered this year. That however does not mean that people will not go on holiday, but that instead they will be more careful with how and on what they spend their money. Holiday makers will spend more time searching for great deals, such as exploring new travel destinations to find the best bargains and joining Online Travel Agencies (OTA) to gain good discounts. Below are some of the predicted top travel trends for the year 2010.

1 – Looking for budget options

Economical holidays will the key deciding factor this year, with holiday makers searching out the best budget details and discounts. Make sure when you plan your holiday this year, not to just go for what looks like the best rate, but hunt deeper for complementary give-aways, such as a free night’s stay on a multiple night stay, gift cards, spa credits, coupons and free dining etc.

2 – Eco Travel

Humans are slowly but steadily becoming more aware of their impact on nature. Think ‘green’ is the trend these days, with its effects being felt even by the travel industry. Most travelers look for eco friendly holiday options, holidays that cause minimum damage to nature. Eco travel was born out of this need and is a continuing trend for 2010.

3- Mixing business with pleasure

The world is always on the go, with most travelers finding it more economical and viable to mix business with pleasure. Nowadays business travelers look for accommodation options that cater to all their business needs while providing leisure activities as well, so they can enjoy the best of both worlds.

4 – Latin adventure

Latin America is finding itself growing more and more popular with travelers as a luxury travel destination.

5 – Train Travel

Rail travel in Europe has grown popular, as this is an economical way of traveling while enjoying the wonderful scenery on the way. This has become even more popular with the new high speed rail links into Spain and Italy.

6- Going Mobile

With the growth of mobile applications and capabilities, it is now even easier to plan your travels, such as tracking flight information and planning itineraries. Mobile phones now play a very important role for travelers in helping them with their travel planning. They are used to receive information from travel agents etc and are fast proving to be invaluable to travelers.

7 – One platform for travel plans

With the busy schedules most of us have, it is easier to have one central platform from which to plan your travel details. This way you can keep track of everything happening in the travel industry, be up to date on the latest happenings and not just make one off purchases. The Internet offers strong travel centric sites where such central services are offered, so that people can plan every aspect of their travels, from creating the trip, to searching for accommodation, getting advice about the intended trip, finding the best deals down to updating profiles so as to keep friends and family informed.

8 – Adventure Travel

The year 2010 will find people looking for holidays with more action. Most now look beyond the standard and look for adventure such as jumping out helicopters, skiing, safaris, bungee jumping as well as more personalized holidays with private tours of museums and art galleries. For the more adventurous a growing trend is to take a high-speed car tour around major cities!

9 – Seeking out new hotspots

As with everything in this world trends change. As travelers expand their travel horizons, China, India and the Gulf States find themselves growing into the latest hotspots. This trend will grow more in 2010 as travel to the ever popular European destinations at the moment for most, is not economical. So traveling to China, India and the Gulf States gives the traveler an exotic holiday while being easy on the purse, with favorable exchange rates and low travel costs.

Roomsnet UK
Resources

Author: Sam Zivot
Source: ezinearticles.com

True, Tripadvisor, Frommer’s and the Lonely Planet are some of the best online travel communities going, but they’re far from the only ones amongst the greats. So go on, expand your travel community horizons and check out our 7 Best Off The Radar Travel Communities:

1. Travelistic

From YouTube to Hulu to Yahoo, were a video obsessed bunch. Travelistic has cleverly taken this to head and created a travel community wholly centred around video.

Log on and you’ll find over 10,000 user submitted travel videos, to view, comment on and inspire your future travels. Want to visit the Great Wall? Journey to the top of Everest? You can do it all on Travelistic, without ever leaving home.

2. Igougo

A masterful all in one travel community, where you can plan your trip, compare flights and hotels and share your travel experiences with the world.

Just type in a destination and you’ll be instantly connected to a plethora of photos, reviews and users who have traveled or reside there. When you’re ready to go, create your very own trip journal and give back to the community by sharing your own travel experiences.

3. Trip It

Less of a travel community and more a travel service, Trip It is perfect for the organization nut in all of us. Just enter your flights, hotel stays and destinations and let trip it create an optimized travel itinerary for you in seconds. Never miss another plane or train again.

For those who truly want it all, upgrade to the pro version and Trip It will automatically alert you if there are changes or delays in your travel plans. That means less time at the airport, and more time at the beach.

4. Dopplr

Create a map with the dates and location of your travels; share it with the Dopplr community, check out other’s maps, then meet up with those whose travel plans overlap with your own. If you’d like to keep your location a secret from some (mom, dad, a raging x), don’t worry, you can control who can and can’t see where you are.

Along the way you’ll get a wealth of location specific travel information, so you’ll always know where to stay, where to eat, and what to do. Taking the thinking out of traveling, we like that.

5. Travbuddy

Travbuddy’s got all the ingredients that make for a killer online travel community; helpful forums, honest reviews, stunning travel photos and a dedicated membership 1.5 million strong.

Travbuddy ups the ante by giving you your very trip blog, allowing you to easily post your stories, pictures and reviews as you go. There’s even a built in mapping feature that builds a map of your travels as you venture across the earth.

Wherever, you’re headed, this is one buddy you don’t want to leave behind.

6.Travellers Point

Besides being a great place to plan, book and share your next trip, Travellers Point has hands down one of the best travel resources on the web; wiki travel guides.

These 100% user created and edited travel guides, give you the collective wisdom and travel experiences of over 250,000 members, right at your finger tips. From country and city guides, to travel health and safety information, you’ll find everything you need to get in the know, before you go.

7. Travel DODO

Travel DODO takes travel reviews and puts them into a fun, easily digestible format, Travel Do’s, and Travel Don’ts.

Want to find out which restaurants, hotels and attractions are best avoided in France? Just click on the location on the interactive map, and you’ll be given a list of places to cross off your list (travel don’ts), so you spend your valuable vacation time wiser.

Frankly, you’d be a DODO, not to check up here before you GOGO.

-Sam

Sam Zivot is a blogger and Marketing Manager for Jurnii Car Rentals, America’s new travel focused online rental car company. He writes frequently for the Jurnii USA Car Rentals, Blog and enjoys travel both in the U.S and abroad.

Author: D. W. Brooks, MD
Source: articledashboard.com

If you are planning to take a vacation this year, think about what you really like to do, because this will make your trip more meaningful and fun. Travelers often take “safe” trips that their friends recommend, but is that always the best plan?

It’s good to ask yourself these questions before starting to plan your vacation:
- Do I want to relax?
- Do I want adventure or a learning experience?
- Do I want to get away from my job?

Once you know the answers to these questions, then you are ready to plan your trip.

Vacations are important for our emotional, physical and mental well-being and give a person a chance to relax, renew energy, and free oneself from the daily routine. Vacation destinations could be far away or nearby. Wherever the vacation may be, it serves the same purpose. It is the satisfaction that is most important.

Generally, there are some different types of travel according to activities involved. Here are some of them:

1. Rediscovering nature. Rediscovering travel is all about nature and everything in it. It revitalizes the soul while smelling and feeling nature.

2. Tribal cultures. In today’s world of high technology, it is fun to experience the simpler life of the tribal people who live close to nature in the same way for the past thousands of years.

3. Responsible Diving. Diving not only let travelers appreciate what is under the sea but also making the traveler more aware of the conservation effort.

The country one is planning to travel to also leaves a great mark on the traveler’s diary. Here are some of the more popular destinations today:

1. Thailand. It is an Asian country bounded by Burma, Laos, Cambodia, and Malaysia. Behind the back draft of Thailand’s jungles of bamboo, rubber trees and vines are five-star hotels with modern conveniences. In some parts of the country, elephants are still being used to lift timbers and buffalos are still being used in farming.

2. China. China is now the second largest country and fastest growing economy in the world. Many parts of China are still unexplored by tourists; however, the eastern portion is now popular with the western tourist. First class hotels now offer the best amenities.

3. Italy. Italy is a boot-like shape country bounded by Switzerland, Austria, France, and Slovenia. One main attraction in Italy is St. Peter’s Square where the Pope resides but there are lots other interesting sites to see such as the Leaning Tower of Pisa or the many basilicas (churches) throughout the country.

4. Caribbean. Caribbean is an archipelago of islands, 2000 square miles across. Most of the islands are plateaus and eruptions of underlying mountain systems. It has nice beaches of crushed coral and white or pink sand and the water at the shore is a deep blue.

The success of any vacation will not depend by how much the traveler spends or the destination. It will depends on how the traveler enjoyed it and how he/she was able to achieve his primary goal of “getting away from it all.”