Naturally, when people first get excited about a trip, they start thinking about how they are going to get from here to there. They start looking to book airline reservations before it is time. All too often people rush into airline reservations and then wind up with plane tickets that they paid way too much for and they end up without any other details of the trip planned.

As a former travel agent, believe me when I say that I have seen these mistakes too often. One of my biggest warnings to potential travelers is to take their time and think through the details of their trip before booking airline reservations. many other details of a trip can be cancelled or changed, but airline reservations are often permanent once made or very costly to change.

Take time to look for potential places to stay and for activities to enjoy in a certain location before you make airline reservations. You never want to make airline reservations and then wind up in a boring location or in a spot without a hotel room. This just takes a little planning and a little patience.

Another huge reason why I caution people against jumping into airline reservations is that often novice travelers have no real idea where to look for good deals. Take your time and do a vast search of prices before making any airline reservations. Do not jump into the first offer that you see, but take your time and compare offers that are given. You can book airline reservations over the phone, through a travel agent, or online. So take time and do a search well.

I love nothing more than to see people enjoy a great vacation. But I also love it when they have taken time to plan or get help planning a great trip. I love it when they have been patient and then discovered great airline reservations. So take my advice! Be patient, ask around to other travelers, and then proceed to making airline reservations with caution.

Don’t Rush Into Airline Reservations is a post from: Travel And Touring

Navy Pier

While this attraction originally served the many freighters and water transportation on Lake Michigan in the mid-1910s, it is now recognized as one of the most well known of Chicago sights. On a daily basis, the pier features a wide range of entertainment options and interesting events. Before you even arrive at the pier, you may catch sight of the Ferris wheel, which stands 150 feet into the air. While an onsite 18-hole miniature golf course, musical carousel, and other indoor activities make a great distraction for children, adults also enjoy features of the site, such as the Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, which provides access to a 500-seat courtyard theatre.

Sears Tower

Decorating the Chicago skyline, the Sears Tower is recognized as one of the tallest buildings in the United States. As a long-standing symbol of the city, tourists often flock to this attraction to enjoy one of the best views of Chicago. When visiting the tower on a clear day, the amazing view may include up to 40 to 50 miles of sightlines that reach parts of Michigan, Indiana, and even Wisconsin.

Shedd Aquarium

Many visitors to the city really enjoy a trip to the Shedd Aquarium, where the display of marine life provides an exceptional opportunity. While an aquarium may seem like a place where only children will find pleasure, adults also encounter a delightful outing when touring one of the most popular sights in Chicago. A variety of species that hail from all over the world can be found on the premises, which present a range of ordinary creatures to the truly exotic. Popular exhibits at Shedd include piranhas, anacondas, and the Caribbean reef display.

Magnificent Mile (Michigan Ave)

If there was ever the perfect place to max out your credit cards, the Magnificent Mile, located along Michigan Avenue is situated in the great city of Chicago. Along this entertaining strip, you will find major hotels, such as the Four Seasons, Ritz Carlton, and the Conrad Hilton. The well-known Water Tower landmark is positioned on this same street, as well as a satisfying assortment of department stores and exclusive shops. Just to get an idea of the type of shopping awaiting your arrival includes the likes of retail giants such as Gucci, Coach, Chanel, Hugo Boss, Macys, and Tiffany & Co.

Chinatown

To explore an explosion of satisfying cultural finds, the Chicago Chinatown is the perfect place to enjoy a wide range of shops, restaurants, and neighborhood events. At any given moment, this section of the city may open to reveal exciting parades, entertaining festivals, and unique holiday celebrations. Many visitors enjoy a stop in Chinatown to get a good deal on a city-related souvenir or purchase an attractive Asian trinket. It is also the best place to savor the cuisine of the Orient.

5 Places To Visit When You’re In Chicago is a post from: Travel And Touring

Things to do before travel day:

1) Pack your bags. Make sure all your packing is done at least the night before and that you have all your bags in one central location for easy and complete loading into your car or taxi.
2) Have all your travel paperwork organized and in one central location.
3) Make a checklist of all the things you want to check to secure your home before you leave and walk through your home checking off each item. Do this at least an hour before you leave your house. Do this and you will never worry if you left your stove on or any of the other little nagging worries you might have while on your travel.
4) Be sure your pets are taken care of. Make any kennel reservations well in advance of your trip to be sure you have a reserved spot at a kennel you trust.
5) Call the AIRPORT and airline the day before to see how early the recommend you should arrive for a smooth, stress free check in. If they tell you to arrive three hours early and you arrive just 30 minutes early, you will probably feel great stresses about missing your flight. Also ask if there are any parking restrictions you should be aware of. Ever since 9/11, when we have a heightened threat level there may be car searches before you can park.
6) If you are just taking carry on luggage, many airlines let you pre check in right on the internet 24 hours before your flight. That means that you can get and print out boarding passes right from your home. And when you get to the airport, you can go right to the gate and your boarding area without getting into the long check in line. If you have to check baggage, you will not have this option available to you. But if not, it is a great time and stress saver.

Travel day:

7) Leave home in plenty of time to anticipate busy traffic or accident situations. If it is an hour trip to get to the airport, you may want to leave an extra half hour early just in case there are road problems.
If you are checking in bags, be prepared to wait in line. If it is a busy time of day at the airport and you are traveling with a popular airline, there could be a significant line. Don’t worry about how long the line is. As long as you arrive when the airport recommended, you will have plenty of time to make it to the front of the line and get checked in. It may look impossible but it will happen so just relax and be patient.
9) Make sure that any carry on baggage really is carry on. Otherwise you may get stopped at the gate and have your bag taken away to be stowed with the regular luggage. It will delay and stress you. And it will delay everyone else.
10) When boarding the plane, find your seat and stow your carry on baggage quickly. And then sit down and stay out of the way. There are lots of people trying to do the same thing and we’ve all encountered the folks who block the aisle for a long time fussing about something or other while a harried line of boarders is forced to wait. You don’t want to be one of those people. So just get your business done quickly and efficiently and sit down. You’ll have plenty of time to get up once the plane is in the air.
11) If you have to change planes, it can be a real challenge, especially in the larger airports. If you know the gate you will have to go to, ask the flight attendant for advice to reach that gate quickly. In some airports – like Atlanta – a Delta connection can be a huge adventure taking 30 minutes to get from one gate to another. If you know in advance how you have to get to your next airplane, it will be much less chaotic when you get off the first plane. And a much more relaxing walk (or run) to your next gate.
12) When the plane lands, patiently wait your turn. Whether you push or just wait, you usually won’t get off the plane any quicker. People tend to let the folks in the rows before them get up and go in a pretty orderly fashion. Trying to rush it will only get your blood pressure up and will not be looked upon favorably by your fellow travelers.
13) If you just have carry on baggage, you have successfully completed a pretty stress free flight.
14) But if you have carry on luggage, there is one more step – waiting for the luggage. Just pick a place around the conveyor belt and wait. Expect your bag to be the very last one to come out and be pleasantly surprised when it comes out early.

By following these simple steps, you will find that your stress levels from your air travels will be much less. A well planned trip agenda ensures that those little stress points stay little stress points and don’t balloon into a full blown crisis. Try it any you will be amazed how just a small amount of up front planning dramatically improves the enjoyment of your travel.

14 Tips for a Stress Free Flight is a post from: Travel And Touring

Beaver Ponds
One of Yellowstone’s shorter loop trails then wanders through both meadows and forest. Black bears and Wild Flowers usually dominate the flora and fauna of this part of the world.

Fairy Falls
197-foot Fairy Falls is one of the tallest waterfalls in Yellowstone, The longest and most scenic route starts at the Fountain Flat Drive barricade.

Grebe Lake
A trail used mainly by fishermen and backpackers, the trail goes to Grebe Lake, which make up the headwaters of the Gibbon River system. Deer and moose are oftentimes spotted along the trail and at the Lake

Grizzly Lake
Starting out in a meadow, then climbing 250 feet up a ridge and traveling through burned forest, the route offers excellent views of Mount Holmes and the Gallatin Range.

Lost Lake
An easy trail, which starts behind Roosevelt Lodge (Tower Junction) then, goes into the forested hillside, coming to a fork, going westwards to the Lost Lake which is about quarter of a mile away.

Monument Geyser Basin
This is short but steep hike, where you can see the stunning view of Elk Park meadow and the wandering Gibbon River leading to Monument Geyser Basin, a small geyser basin.

Osprey Falls
Whether you start south of Bunsen Peak on the Bunsen Peak road or north of Bunsen Peak on the other end, you will be traveling about three miles along the road to reach the breathtaking Osprey Falls Trail

Specimen Ridge
This trail takes us to the lip of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone at the one mile point, then to east reaching the top of 9614-feet Amethyst Mountain.

Storm Point
This trail offers a good view of Yellowstone Lake, off the beaten path.
Start from the Indian Pond parking area, then drops into the tree line until you reach Storm Point.

Yellowstone River
Starts at the Yellowstone River Picnic Area and rises up to the eastern lip of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. There are some spectacular views of the Canyon and River from this trail.

Backpacking in Yellowstone is a post from: Travel And Touring

Peterhof

As Tanya and I left St. Petersburg for Peterhof, I was in a foul mood. A pickpocket had cut through the bottom of my backpack and swiped my camera. The ferry taking us was packed and the adorable child on my right had just spilled his ice cream down my leg. Why, I oughta. My mood was soon to change.

Apparently, sensing my volatile mood, Tanya hadnt said a word on the 20 minute ferry ride. As we exited onto a long pier at Peterhof, she grabbed my hand and more or less tugged me down to what looked like an ancient French road. This was, in fact, the Grand Canal leading to Peterhof.

The Grand Canal is a water way with two paths cutting up the side of it towards Peterhof. The canal cuts through a forested area with trees nearly forming a roof over the canal. The atmosphere is very serene, particularly since I noticed the ice cream tike on the opposite path of the canal. Walking no more than a mile, one comes upon Peterhof and the Great Cascade.

The Great Cascade is aptly named. It is a collection of fountains and statutes sitting on tiered marble levels rising to the front of the palace. After living in Russia for eight months, I was use to seeing drab, grey five story buildings. The burst of gold, white and black colors was amazing and made me wonder what Russia must have looked like before communism.

After gaping at the Great Cascade for nearly an hour, it was time to take the tourist tour of the palace. We dutifully stood in line and made small talk with two German couples behind us. Compared to the general state of decay in most of Russia, we couldnt get over the fact the palace seemed to be in such good shape.

As the tour got underway, I kept getting the feeling there was something off about the palace. For a place built in 1715, Peter the Great sure seemed to know a lot about electricity. In particular, he seemed to have planned well ahead by creating some type of internal piping structure for the future electrical wires. Well, he was Great and perhaps the powers that be had done a little remodeling over the years.

Alas, one of our German friends was puzzling over the same thing. As we stood on the second floor of the palace, Jan asked our guide about the anomaly. He asked it in front of our group of about 20 people or which 75 percent were Russian. He asked in a heavy German accent.

Our guide dutifully replied the Germans had bombed Peterhof during World War II. Peterhof had been completely destroyed. The palace had subsequently been rebuilt, which explained its modern feel.

There was one of those pregnant pauses, which occur in such situations. Jan turned completely red. Taking pity on him, the tour guide immediately launched into an aggressive discussion of a particular picture on the wall while we dutifully paid attention and asked inane questions.

Oddly, the fact Peterhof is a modern structure doesnt really detract from the experience. The palace and surrounding structures simply feel like a real palace. With many palaces through Europe, you get the feeling Disney was somehow involved in the construction.

At Peterhof, there is a definite feeling of elegance, but elegance mixed with a practicality required by day-to-day living. In short, you can definitely image Peter the Great living there in the summer.

A Day at the Summer Palace of Peter the Great is a post from: Travel And Touring

This ship, which is scheduled to be completed in the fall of 2009 by shipbuilder Aker Yards of Oslo, will be 220,000 gross register tons. A gross register ton, a standard measure of a ship’s size, is a unit of volume equal to about 100 cubic feet. It is to be built at a Finnish shipyard.

Aker is to be paid 900 million euros ($1 billion) to build the ship, making Project Genesis the most expensive ship ever ordered in the history of commercial shipbuilding. The $1.24 billion figure includes all expenses required for interior finishing of the ship. Royal Caribbean contract with Aker includes an option for a second ship.

Richard Fain, the chairman and chief executive of Royal Caribbean said of Project Genesis, “It is exhilarating to take such a giant step into the future. Project Genesis truly is a remarkable ship. Its bold design, daring innovation and technological advancements will delight our existing customers and help us draw in new ones.”

Aker Yards Finland currently builds Royal Caribbean’s “Freedom” class vessels. However, the Project Genesis ship will be 43 percent larger than the present recordholder, “Freedom of the Seas”, which is currently under construction and scheduled to be finished by April 2006.

The biggest ship currently in operation is the Queen Mary 2, at 151,400 gross register tons. It is owned by the Cunard Line, a unit of the Carnival Corporation, which is the world’s largest cruise ship company. The British-registered liner is 1,132 feet long, more than 236 feet high, and can hold 2,620 passengers. The QM2 is capable of crossing the North Atlantic at a speed of 30 knots. The 14-day 2004 maiden voyage from Southampton, in southern England, to Fort Lauderdale, Florida on January 12, 2004, was completely sold out months before departure.

The QM2 has 17 decks which hold five swimming-pools, sweeping staircases, a grand ballroom, a 360-degree promenade deck and many luxury shops. Cunard Line built the ship in hope of reviving the glamour of ocean liners, whose mystique has largely been dispelled since jet travel made trips across the Atlantic routine.

A one-way passage from Southampton to New York ranges from $1,817 to $28,000 per person, depending on the type of cabin selected, as well as a daily service charge.

The original Queen Mary was launched in 1934 at Southampton by the queen’s grandmother — Queen Mary, wife of King George V. This ship was slightly more than half the size of the new model. In the second World War, both the Queen Mary and its sister ship, Queen Elizabeth, were painted grey and served as troopships, since they were fast enough to outrun German U-boats. Winston Churchill later stated that the military use of these two ships shortened the war by a year.

The ship was retired in 1967 and sold to private investors. It is now docked permanently as a seaside hotel in Long Beach, California.

The QM2 took the title of world’s largest cruise liner from Royal Caribbean’s 1,020 foot-long Liberia-registered “Voyager of the Seas,” launched in 1999.

As a sign of just how much passenger ships have increased in size during this century, the QM2 is three times the size of the Titanic, which at 46,300 tons and 800 feet was called the “largest movable object built by man” when launched in 1911. However, all the giant cruise ships are comparatively tiny compared to the largest of all ships – a 564,700-ton supertanker Seawise Giant built in 1979, and now called Jahre Viking.

A ship still in the planning stage would dwarf all current sea-going vessels : the Freedom Ship. It is essentially a plan for a floating city, a giant barge that would slowly circle the globe every 2-3 years. At 4,320 feet (1,317 meters) long, 725 feet (221 m) wide and 340 feet (103 m) tall, the ship is taller than the length of a football field and wider than two football fields put together.

It would hold 18,000 condominium units for full-time residents ranging from $180,000 to $2.5 million, including a small number of premium suites priced up to $44 million. 3,000 commercial units for vendors would also be offered in a similar price range. For part-time residents, there will be 2,400 time-share units and 10,000 hotel units. It will also hold a casino, a ferryboat transportation system, a medical facility offering both Western and Eastern medicine as well as preventive and anti-aging medicine. A landing strip for small jets will cover the top. An onboard school will give students a chance to take a field trip into a different country each week for academic purposes or to compete with local schools in sporting events. There will also be an International Trade Center to give on-board companies and shops the opportunity to show and sell their products in a different country every week. More than 100 acres of outdoor Park, Recreation, Exercise and Community space have also been planned.

Norman Nixon, who developed the idea for the massive ship, has estimated it will take approximately three years to complete once construction begins. So far, this ambitious project has not been able to attract sufficient investment funds to get off the drawing board.

Biggest Cruise Ship For 6400 Friends is a post from: Travel And Touring

An August news flash via one of our daily emails alerted me of a “situation” in Europe with the Windjammer vessels. Apparently they were being held in port for non-payment of various bills, and I diligently forwarded this press release to my client, who had been booked for a January 2008 cruise with Windjammer for some time. Not only had we deposited $1,500 for three cabins, but we had pre-paid the hotel stay as well! I was very concerned when my call to the company went unanswered.

As my client was concerned enough to decide to cancel his vacation, I went to work quickly attempting to rescue him, as he and his wife, an adult son and his wife, and another son had arranged flights into St. Martin and home from Tortola. NOW what?

Google to the rescue! I plugged in “yacht charters”, discovered there were several different brokers we could consider from Tortola, and I quickly emailed several of them. As is often the case (we should all make note of this in our OWN business!), the first responder got my attention that day. Lynne Campbell of Carefree Yacht Charters was going to be my “lifesaver!”

What fun! I asked my client, Steve, if he would consider a sailboat charter, and he hesitated. “My wife and daughter-in-law are both worried about seasickness,” he replied quickly. “Let me see what they say about that.”

While Lynne worked quickly on her end to see which yachts were available, the next email from Steve revealed that the girls were a “GO!” I was VERY excited, and let Lynne know immediately that the client was game.

We discussed the fact that perhaps a catamaran-style boat would suit this family’s needs best, but Lynne also explained that the classic sailing experience found aboard a mono hull-style yacht might be an excellent option as well. Not only did she discuss this with me, but she was more than happy to talk directly with my client in order to answer questions, address concerns, and help determine the best boat and crew for this particular vacation – which turned out to be a mono hull in this case!

Carefree Yacht Charters takes care of EVERY detail. I cant tell you how many amazing amenities these boats have, right down to the great water toys. Of course, each yacht is unique, just as each crew is different. Some have just one crew member who acts as both captain and chef, while others have two or even more.

A yacht charter typically includes ALL alcoholic beverages and meals, and the course is often charted according to the clients preferences! A client preference request form is sent to the clients in advance of the charter so that all their requests and requirements are met. The price is NOT much more than the cost of a Windjammer or big-ship cruise. In fact, this family is bringing six people for just over $10,000, plus the customary 15 percent tip to the crew.

I need to share with you that Lynne and her husband owned and operated two successful yacht charters in the Virgin Islands for twelve years, so they are really well equipped to organize and book your clients vacations. And I cant WAIT to hear the stories when my clients return from this adventure. And, to think it all came about because of a potential cancellation!

Find Your Client a Private Yacht Charter is a post from: Travel And Touring

Whenever you can find out how to get these cheap airfare ticket deals you will simply be surprised at how easy it actually is to purchase them. The internet offers numerous choices available to you, for these purposes. One matter to keep in mind is that you need to look at purchasing a return ticket. Several of the airline companies will offer you some discounts on your returning flights, and they’re just slightly different than the one way tickets would be. Whenever you know the precise date in which you should be coming back, then you should consider trying to purchase these tickets in good deal early. You should realizing that a few airfare ticket costs are substantially higher when they are in higher demand.

By discovering the correct websites to browse through, when you are researching on the internet for cheaper airfare ticket prices you are allowing yourself the ability of noticing some of the cheaper packaged discounted deals that are available to you, for your world traveling purposes. Be sure that you visit at any rate some of these discount ticket sites on the internet before you make your final pick, because if you spring into something too quick, you could find that you have for certain missed out on some better deal offers.

Bigger airline companies will have more pricey airfare tickets available to you since the tremendous amount of advertisements and marketing that comes in keeping them so fashionable. Attempt to avoid purchasing airfare tickets from several of these larger airline companies because you will be shocked by the expensive airfare costs. By selecting a smaller airline company, you will be seeing to it that you will get cheaper priced airfare tickets and at the same time be offered with all of their highest services.

If you are completely determined in getting some cheaper airfare tickets for your flying purposes, then all you have to do is maintain your choices open and always be really flexible on your flying schedules. Investigate all of your possibilities since you may notice that finding cheaper airfare tickets is easier done some of the times by just purchasing a packaged vacation deal or by deciding to purchase a last minute airfare ticket. A lot of folks don’t know of all of the savings that they could be enjoying because they have perhaps never checked out their options. It’s time to set out doing the researching essential in noticing cheaper, more affordable airfare tickets, because it is available to you, if you actually want it.

Discover Some Tricks To Getting Cheap Airfare is a post from: Travel And Touring

Las Cuevas de Camuy National Park

This national Park features on of the largest cave systems in the world. visitors will walk into parts of the caves and explore a small part of the system. The surrounding areas feature some nature settings that make for very good views.

La Parguera, Bioluminescence Bay

Another very unique place to visit on the island. this bay has micro organisms on the water that when disturbed they “light up” and produce a beautiful display on the water. this phenomenon happens on various places around the world, but in Puerto Rico is the only place that is guaranteed for it to happen every night.

Arecibo radar observatory

In the north par of Puerto Rico you can visit the famous radio telescope, the largest of this kind of the world. Its large receptor plate it’s larger than 12 football fields, used to spot signals from planets and in the SETI research for extraterestrial life. Inside the Observatory there are science related exibitions of different subjects to watch.

Mayaguez Zoo

Mayaguez is home to the only public zoo in the island. The zoo 2 main animal selections are the African Forest and the African Savannah. Also it features a Beautiful bird sanctuary.

Ponce Art Museum

The Ponce Art Museum has the largest art collection of the Caribbean between pictures and sculptures. Its collection have many European works such as works by Velasquez, Rubens and Rodin, and others.

5 Nice Places to Visit in Puerto Rico is a post from: Travel And Touring

The first beach is known as Guacimeta. This 1,050m stretch of beach of toasted sand and calm waters is quite exceptional as beaches go, except that its a bit too close to the airport for my liking. Parking was good and it can be accessed via guaguas (autobus). There are Shops, Bar/Restaurants, Public telephones and a pleasant promenade so its nevertheless a beach worth a visit.

The second beach is in a semi-developed area beside the airport and the Guacimeta beach and is known as Playa Honda. At 1,900m.long and 85m wide it is the biggest in this area and consists of medium grained golden sand and calm waters making it ideals for families and creating good conditions for windsurfing. It is about 5 minutes drive from the airport, so the noise from aircrafts will not spoil your fun and its easy to park.

We call it our Last Day beach !

Do you have to be out of your accommodation early ?
Are you on a late afternoon or evening flight ?
Are you to do something with the children without them getting too worked up on the last day ?
Are you stressed at the thought of spending hours at the airport before you fly home ?

Then, trust me when I say, this beach and Playa Honda generally is a great place to visit en-route home.

Here are my views of it :

* The Beach is fantastic ;
* The whole area of Playa Honda is not directly aimed at us tourists, so you leave Lanzarote having experienced the canarian side of it ;
* There are a great selection of restaurants along the beach front serving traditional Spanish Tapas and the Spanish Omelette in to die for. There is other quality canarian food available as well as things for the children (if they the fussy type) ; and
* It has a range of other shops on hand to keep you well occupied (duty free goods, gifts etc).

Finally, we have La Concha, 250m Long and 10m wide, Fine golden sand, and calm waters.

La Concha beach is next to the development of the same name just on the outskirts of the capaital, Arrecife. Good parking again and accessible via guaguas (autobus) and a small promenade of shops and bar/restaurants.

14 Lanzarote Beaches – San Bartholme is a post from: Travel And Touring