Posts for Travel Tips Category

TOP FOUR REASONS TO GO FOR A LUXURY CRUISE TRIP

Travel Tips - Shelia - December 19, 2017

Luxury cruises have always been the go-to way if someone wants to enjoy a vacation full of luxury and ultimate comfort. Although cruise vacations used to be disregarded by intrepid travellers as ‘shallow’ and ‘not culturally rich enough’ in the past, that idea about cruise trips is changing. With the changing travel industry, cruise trips have also evolved to cater to the more serious travellers’ needs as well. Nowadays, cruise vacations also give you the unique cultural experiences that travellers seek from all their endeavours. From organising guided excursions at the shore to lending bikes for you to explore less travelled paths to taking you to remote, unknown destinations, you’ll get to experience all of these when you go on a Fred Olsen cruise or most of the other cruise lines. Here are the top four reasons why you should consider a luxury cruise vacation during your next vacation.

Uncompromised luxury

A cruise vacation is truly the ultimate form of a luxurious vacation that you can experience. The luxury cruise ships have all the amenities and the services a top-end hotel can offer you. The cabins of these cruise ships are fitted with luxurious furniture and modern fixtures to make sure that your stay on the ship is comfortable. You will get to enjoy gourmet delicacies prepared onboard by professional chefs, and sip on your favourite beverages as you enjoy the view of the ocean. From live entertainment shows to high-end bars, everything is present on the ship itself so that you can enjoy your holiday without compromising on luxury.

Unparalleled level of service

The crew of these cruise ships are specially trained to take care of every little thing that you need. The level of personalized service that you get to enjoy on a cruise ship is truly an unparalleled experience. From the moment you set foot on your vessel, all your needs will be taken care of by the friendly service staff and the crew of your cruise ship.

Hassle free vacation

A cruise vacation is the ultimate relaxing vacation that you will ever get to enjoy in your life. Apart from the luxury of service, cruise vacations take away one of the biggest hurdles of enjoying a relaxed vacation, and that is the planning. After you book the tickets for your cruise ride, you will not have to worry about anything else. Your itinerary, excursions, accommodation, food – everything else will be taken care of. This will make sure you get to relax and enjoy your vacation to the fullest.

Meet like-minded people

Cruise trips are a great way to meet new, like-minded people during your vacation. Most of the people who go for cruise vacations have already reached a certain place in their lives. You can be sure to find a lot of people having similar drives and interests as you when you go on a cruise vacation. That is why it is a great way to make new friends and new connections with people while enjoying your vacation.

Continue Reading

WHY YOU SHOULD GO ON A CRUISE TRIP DURING A SHORT VACATION

Travel Tips - Shelia - December 19, 2017

Cruise trips have always been the go-to option for the luxury tourists who want to enjoy a long relaxing break while travelling through the ocean and discovering new places. However, most of the intrepid travellers used to look down on cruise trips because of the mainstream experience they used to provide. But w with the ever-evolving travel industry, the idea of cruise trips also has changed a lot. Nowadays, the cruise trips provide some of the most culturally rich and unique travel experiences while being completely hassle-free. Also, cruise liners are also coming up with shorter cruise trips ranging anywhere from a night to a week long. These short cruise trips are great for enjoying a short vacation, and if you have a few days at your disposal, here a few reasons why you must unwind on a mini cruise during that break.

A truly hassle-free experience

If you only have a few days at your hand to take a break from the hustle and bustle of your work life, you wouldn’t want to spend any of that precious time planning and preparing for that trip, right? Planning a vacation isn’t easy. You have to decide where to go, what to see, where to stay, what to eat and so on and so forth. With a mini cruise trip, all of those problems just vanish from your life. You just need to pick your cruise and book the tickets, and everything else will be taken care of. From guided tours to must-see destinations, to fixing up the itinerary – you will not have to worry about any of these things. This ensures that you get to enjoy your short vacation to the fullest, and don’t miss out on any of the precious time you have for yourself.

A vacation full of luxury

Cruise trips are known to be luxurious, and these mini cruises won’t disappoint you. You will get to have one of the most luxurious vacation experience you have ever had if you opt for a mini cruise during your short vacation. From luxurious cabins to gourmet meals served onboard, from on house beverages to onboard entertainment – everything will be present on your cruise ship to keep you entertained during your vacation.

Get pampered by world class service

The service crew of these cruise ships are specially trained to help you in every way possible. The polite service crew will always be there to take care of all of your needs. So you won’t have to worry about anything during your short break and relax to your heart’s content.

Luxury on a budget

Although these mini cruises do not compromise on the luxury and the comfortable experience, still they are much more budget friendly than longer cruises. So it is a really great way of experiencing the luxury of a cruise ship without breaking the bank. Also as all the meals, accommodations, guided tour etc. are included in the price of the cruise ticket itself, it gives you a much greater value for money.

Continue Reading

FOUR REASONS TO GO ON A HELICOPTER TOUR

Travel Tips - Shelia - December 19, 2017

Travelling around the world and exploring new places is a passion that many people possess. There is something truly meaningful about experiencing a new destination in its true glory and have all the authentic cultural, natural, historic experiences those destinations have in store. However, to truly enjoy the beauty and the scale of a destination, sometimes seeing the location from the ground simply is not enough. There are a lot of locations around the world which have to be seen from a bird’s eyes’ point of view to truly enjoy the sheer scale of the location. Sometimes an aerial view just provides a unique view of the destination which you couldn’t be able to see otherwise. That is why a helicopter tour of New York or Las Vegas has become extremely popular. Here are four reasons why even you should opt for a helicopter tour during your next vacation.

Helicopter tours are not as expensive as you think

Although helicopter tours provide a truly unique experience, they are not that expensive as you might think they would be. Copter rides once used to be an experience which only the rich could enjoy. However, with the evolving travel industry, these unique rides became really popular among the travellers. Due to the increasing demand, many tour operators started conducting shared helicopter tours which brought the price of these tours down by a lot. So now you can have this unique experience without breaking the bank, which makes a compelling reason for booking a helicopter tour.

Visit exclusive locations and have unique experiences

Helicopter tours offer you the opportunity of having some of the most unique experiences by visiting some of the most exclusive locations which you couldn’t have visited otherwise. Like if you take a helicopter tour at Las Vegas, you will get to have the experience of getting down at the very bottom of the Grand Canyon, explore the areas and have a gourmet lunch by the river. Or in New York, you will get to see the coveted skyline of New York from a completely new angle, which gives a clear view of the whole skyline. These unique experiences make going for a helicopter tour much more interesting.

Make your holiday memorable

No matter how cheap helicopter tours become, it is not something one gets to experience all the time. A helicopter tour will surely be one of the major highlights of your vacation. And if you are travelling with your family or your lover, sharing this unique experience together will surely be a memorable experience your lifetime, which you will cherish forever.

Incredible photographic opportunities

If you are an aspiring photographer or even a hobbyist, you will just fall in love with the experience of a helicopter tour. Helicopter tours give you the opportunity of seeing the ever known attractions from a completely new angle or take you up close to places which you otherwise couldn’t have gone. This ensures you get the opportunity of clicking some truly unique and stunning photographs which will surely make you proud.

Continue Reading

Things to do in Portugal

Travel Tips - Eric Anderson - November 18, 2017

Things to do in portugal

Portugal

Portugal is a southern European country on the Iberian Peninsula, bordering Spain and its location on the Atlantic Ocean. Portugal is a country blessed with excellent sandy beaches, rugged coastline, cosmopolitan and architecturally-stunning cities, and incredible weather. Use Portugal travel guide for a great food, lots of wine at cheap prices, and makes for a perfect holiday spot.

Portugal

Quinta da Regaleira

Quinta da Regaleira is one of the best Attractions in Portugal. This place needs at least 4 hours to go through the whole thing. Make sure you’re wearing comfortable shoes because there is a lot of walking and uphill’s there in your way. Visited in July and it is a perfect season for your trip to Sintra. You can ride on the bus tour and it will drop you off right in front of the place. The Portugal attractions give you a ‘variety, mysteriousness, beauty, history and general scenic of the place are breathtaking’. There are tunnels and “secret” passageways leading to coves, small lakes, and also maze to be discovered. This place is worth the effort as it makes more interesting Attractions in Portugal.

Quinta da Regaleira

Ponte de Dom Luis I

Ponte de Dom Luis I is a very beautiful bridge that was constructed by the same person who constructed Eiffel Tower. If you walk along the bridge, you can get the beautiful view of Douro valley and Porto city. It’s a stunning place, especially from the top. The views from both sides are just amazing and definitely worth a look and a visit. The lower level is transited by cars, while the upper one by the metro. The best thing to do is waiting for the sunset and sees fantastic view from the top of the bridge.

Ponte de Dom Luis I

Lisbon Oceanarium

The Lisbon Oceanarium is a must visit for anyone who is in Lisbon. This is located in the Park of Nations which is an improved area on the Tagus River which was constructed for Expo ’98. This is a modern waterside building that shows ocean habitats for ‘sharks, rays, penguins and tropical fish‘. This is an intelligent design of the oceanarium. They are aiming to provide the visitors, and the closest, and the most in-depth and offer them the best experience of ocean life. The Portugal travel guide gives you many travel tips for learning something new about the city. The architecture of the building is good and it is worth a visit with your families or friends. The inside is simply stunning as you wander through an endless seascape of diversity.

Lisbon Oceanarium

Caldeira das Sete Cidades

Caldeira das Sete Cidades is one of the beautiful places to admire. There are two different color lakes that were joined but didn’t mingle; colors are “Blue and green”. The scenery is absolutely breathtaking and even more beautiful. If you go to San Miguel this is one place you must visit. This is the most important and iconic site to visit. This place is the best attraction on the island Sao Miguel and also in the whole island group the Azores. It made it special when you knew the history of the area as well. Easy to have different views, walking or driving around the whole area made it accessible for anyone.

Caldeira das Sete Cidades

Ponta da Piedade

Ponta da Piedade has lots of attractive spots and sightseeing You can see fantastic views not only from above the cliffs but also from the beach itself. There are a lot of steps down to the water where boat tours are €15 per person. Take the opportunity to see this site from both the water and from the cliffs above. The rock formations including cliffs, caves, arches, pillars and blow holes are very impressive to see and most probably the most dramatic views you would see before anywhere in the world. Definitely worth spending some time there and there are lots of local boat trips that will give you a sea level view as well. This is a must if you’re anywhere near Lagos.

Ponta da Piedade

Falesia Beach

Falesia Beach is a wide and long (approximately 10km) sandy beach that sits directly below beautiful white and ochre cliffs with high pine trees, and that is perfect for taking long walks (you can even take a 1hr long walk to the next town on Vilamoura). The water is clear and free of stones or rocks, and the beach is well serviced. The cliff tops have regular clusters of conifers which add another dimension and another color, leaving only the blues of the sea and the sky to complete the range of colors. For more about this city use Portugal travel guide.

Falesia Beach

Continue Reading

Sampling the Wares: Visiting Vineyards Across the World

Travel Tips - Shelia - October 23, 2017

For wine enthusiasts, there is nothing quite like heading out to sample some great bottles across the world. Because the way a wine tastes is impacted by the soil and climate in which the grapes are grown, wines from different regions will taste very differently. For people who want to taste extraordinary wines right from the vine, traveling is necessary. If you are planning on visiting vineyards across the world, we have some suggestion to make your experience an even more positive one.

Turn to Smaller Vineyards

It can be tempting to stick to the larger brands, but you will get a much better sense of what wine-making is like if you visit smaller vineyards. You can get a look at what the process is like and to speak to the people who actually do the work. In huge vineyards, this is much more difficult to do, so if your goal is not only to sample wine but also to learn about the process, you might be better off in one of the smaller locations.

Ask Questions

It can be intimidating to walk into someone’s vineyard and ask questions, but most people are more than happy to answer them. They are wine enthusiasts who want to share their love for the process with you, so the more question you ask, the better. As in a classroom, you will be able to learn much better if you are asking questions.

Hire a Driver

Even the small mouthfuls of a tasting can add up, especially if you are doing a tour in the morning. If you are touring a certain countryside, like Italy or South Africa, where a lot of wines are made, you should hire a driver, since the locations will not be very close together and you will need to drive after each tasting. Many hotels, like the Marriott Protea Stellenbosch, are more than happy to arrange drivers for you so that you can enjoy your experience without worry.

Go Early

This is especially important in areas that are more touristy. One of the best things about visiting vineyards is getting to talk to the people in charge. When there are a lot of people, this can become more difficult to do. On weekends, go visit vineyards early, so that you can get the full experience of a working vineyard.

Do Not Drink Everything

It is important to know that you do not have to drink everything in your glass. You can spit it out into the spit buckets that all tasting rooms have. You do not want the alcohol to affect you, especially if you have a long day of tasting ahead of you. Being even slightly tipsy can affect your taste-buds and can make it more difficult to get the full scope of a glass of wine.

All of these tips can help make your experience traveling and tasting different vineyards much easier. You should always rise early to visit vineyards to avoid lots of people, and you should take the time to hire a driver so that you do not risk driving while even mildly intoxicated. There is nothing quite like visiting different vineyards around the world, so if you are a wine enthusiast, it is definitely something to consider.

Continue Reading