East Side of Old Town Square


Image by DDanzig
Looking east in the Old Town Square in Prague taken from the top of the Old Town Hall

No one can deny the importance of a proper travel insurance plan, which covers cancellations, medical expenses and other sorts of losses that a traveler may face during their trip. Travel insurance plans can be selected to cover your national vacation trip or you may choose a travel insurance that covers your international travel plans. There travel insurances can be classified in terms of duration of our travel. On the basis of the duration of your travel and foreign stay, the travel insurance can be divided in three types:

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IMG_8159


Image by UmmAbdrahmaan- away till Sunday

India is a renowned amid the most multihued and vivacious nations of the world. Its natural exquisiteness, its exotic edifying heritage and festivals formulate India as an exclusive nation. There are innumerable of tourist attractions, which attracts millions travelers and visitors from across the world; haughty mountains, long shimmering beaches, rolling plains, baroque valleys, striking lakes, lush green forests and much more. In addition to this, India is a destination to be at if anybody desires to witness authentic adventure. There are limitless sorts of India holiday packages obtainable to travelers from all over the world.

India has a speckled hill stations that are celebrated for their striking beauty spots. These hill stations are preferred amongst the tourists and travelers visiting India during the summers. Some of the prominent hill stations embraced in the holiday packages are Kullu Manali, Shimla, Ooty, Mount Abu, Ranikhet and many more. 

Backwaters travel packages form another significant part of the Indian vacation packages. The most famed among them all is Kerala, which is celebrated for its lush green pastures and crystal backwaters. This terra firma is also recognized as ‘God’s own country’ and has attractive landscapes and cuisines to cater. The backwaters can be better experienced through house boast and these come with the finest of skills along with a hint of Kerala’s customs. 

The pilgrimage vacation packages contribute a massive part in the Indian holiday. These packages envelop famous pilgrim spots and the sacred of destinations in the nation. Tourists get a chance to comprehend the religious facet that India has to furnish. The most common vacation packages cover the sacred cities of Haridwar, Varanasi, Puri, Kashmir and Allahabad etc.

As India is a giant nation with infinite destinations to opt from, travelers have long list of India holiday packages. All these India tour packages are planned keeping in mind the preferances, necessities, budget and expectations of diverse classes of customers. These travel packages are classified according to location or their theme. Making a reservation for a travel package of your preference is very convenient now. Tourists can book them through online portals within the console of their office or home.

To book a journey to India, one needs to visit any reputed travel website. Most of the premier travel websites and portals offer a well-made India travel guide to assist you choose your preferred destination. 

Once the destination has been chosen, one can search for all the holiday destinations in India along with its packages, which suits your requirements. In that case, online travel staff can assist the visitors. Travelers just require filling a query form providing all the required details such as the duration, number of people, date of travel and the budget and these people swiftly come up with the best travel solutions for you.

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Sleepy Hollow Hotel


Image by D.Clow – Maryland
Room 102 in the no-tell motel

Friday
Entry One

Flew out of work, the fleet flight of Friday before a holiday weekend. Everyone cracks a smile upon stepping out of the concrete and glass coffin of the corporate work week. The motorcycle is quickly gassed and loaded, I leave Washington DC at three-thirty, vowing not to check the time for the rest of the adventure. Adventure, the American adventure of the open road is what I seek. The road, my cameras, and escape.

Right turn off of 15th St. NW and I’m motoring past the Washington Monument and the White House. Harleys and clones are already lining the Mall for the annual Memorial remembrance that is Rolling Thunder. I’m soon over the bridge and on I-66 west. I plan on avoiding major highways when at all possible. Preferring scenic byways to drab highways. 66 is a necessary evil to flee the DC metro area as quickly as possible. At the start, 66 is a good quick run, for awhile anyway. Loads of Rolling Thunder riders are heading in 66 eastbound.

I keep the ubiquitous two fingers down to the side salute to fellow bikers out for extended stretches of time. In my experience, HD guys return the acknowledgement about 30-40% of the time. No big deal, some animosity exist though between different bike cultures. Motor-ism two-wheel stereotypes. However with the Rolling Thunder guys there is a noticeable increase in response, perhaps due to no longer just one biker acknowledging another, but a patriotic sharing of support and remembrance for those left behind, POW-MIA.

Traffic worsens further out 66 and I come up on a full HD dresser. Screaming Eagle back patch worked in with POW-MIA covers his vest and is topped by a “Run for the Wall” patch. I keep back a pace and we adopt the natural offset positioning of multiple riders.

After some 66 backup, stop-and-go, we strike up a staccato conversation in the pauses of the traffic flow. Where you been, where you going, see the rain coming? I tell him I’m headed out to the mountains, Skyline Drive and West Virginia. He says he’s just in from there recently, was in DC for Rolling Thunder for the day and will be coming back in on Sunday again. His license plate is obscured by luggage, so I’m unsure of his port of origin.

Later on we part ways and my thoughts turn. Of my parents friends only my step-dad was drafted for Vietnam. Luckily, for us, he only went as far as Ft. Hood, TX, and came back with some good stories about army life and venturing into Mexico (at least the ones he’s shared with me). I think about all the life he’s lived since then, all his experiences and joys. Thinking about what all those who didn’t return gave up, lost, when they didn’t come home. The loss felt by those who loved them, families that have a name on the Wall.

Rain is sprinkling before Manassas. Enough to cool you off but not enough to get you worried yet, at least for a bit. Whooooo. Then come the big drops. I head off the ramp to gear up with the rain paraphernalia under the gas station pavilion. Finally get it all on and get strapped back up and out pops the sun and the rain stops. Too funny. Now I have wet clothes on under the raingear. Rain gear now keeping the wind out that would dry me. I motor on as more rain is promised on the horizon.

This brings up a point about rain. People always ask, “What do you do when it rains and your on the motorcycle”. I reply simply, “I get wet”. Duh. Rain riding has never bothered me. On the straight highways it’s no big deal. Just give more cushion to the cars in front of you. Drive like grandma on the exit ramps.

My turning point is finally reached. Off of 66 west and onto 647, Crest Hill Rd. at The Plains, VA. Crest Hill Road is my first slice of motorcycle heaven to be had this weekend. I’m delighted to find that the squiggly line I traced out on the map when planning this trip has translated so well in reality. The road is still wet from the passing rain clouds, and I give a small rabbit and then a chipmunk a near death experience. My first of many animal crossings this weekend. The road is fantastic. A mixture of hilltop road and tree lined canopies that create forest tunnels. Speed limit is 45mph, 55-60 feels comfortable on most parts. Keeping an eye out for a hilltop barn to photograph that I’ve seen in my minds eye, lit by the sun breaking through the clouds and backed by the mountain vista. No luck on any of the barns actual placement to fit the mental picture I have framed.

Crest Hill Road and Fodderstack Rd is a long stretch. I take shots of a church and other buildings along Zachary Taylor Highway. Fodderstack gives more of the same as Crest Hill, just a narrower road. The asphalt is of my favorite variety, freshly laid. Washington, VA is a tiny town of historic bed and breakfasts. Local wineries appear to be an attraction here too. Right after Washington the rain returns while I’m in route to Sperryville. Then it really starts to come down, a full on summer thunderstorm. Visibility is down. Road and parking lots soon resemble rivers. Rain drops of the monster variety explode on the pavement, and you know it hurts when they hit you.

I quick soaking circuit of Sperryville confirms there are no local hotels. I duck into a barn shaped restaurant to wait it out. My drenched gear takes on bar stool and I occupy another. There’s a few flying pigs about. The bartender get me a hefeweizen, and recommends the angus burger. Locally raised and grass fed, we exchange jokes about my passing the burgers relatives on the way in.

Don’t freak about the beer. I have a one only rule when riding. It was followed by a meal (best burger of the weekend!), several coffees, and this bar top journal entry.

Somewhere along Crest Hill road I decided to keep the cell off for the weekend. In addition no tv, newspapers, internet, or e-mail sound like a good idea. Of course I now am studiously avoid eye contact with the two beautiful plasma’s above the bar.

Entry Two

Hazel River Inn, Culpepper, VA, has the coolest street side seating in town.

The downpour let up at the Shady Farms bar in Sperryville and due to the deficiency in local lodging I quiz the bartender for options. Over the other side of the mountain, the opposite side of Skyline Dr via 211 is Luray with lots of motels, but I want to save the mountain for the morning. The waitress suggest Culpepper, there being a Holiday Inn etc.

Stepping outside the sun has broke through the clouds again. Enough for some shots of Shady Farms Restaurant and a bridge. Heading down 522, the Sperryville Pike, I keep an eye out for photo ops to catch the next morning as I’ll be rerouting back through. Following the mantra of Dale Borgeson about tour riding in the US, I aim to avoid large chain establishments, whether they are restaurants or hotels, and explore the mom-and-pop local variety businesses. I have a dive-ish roadside motel in mind, Culpepper comes through with the Sleepy Hollow Hotel.

Before check in I ride through downtown historic Culpepper. It’s a cool place. The Shady Farm bartender had recommended the Culpepper Thai restaurant. I see it but don’t visit, still full from the meal earlier. Cameron Street Coffee looks like a great place, located in an old warehouse. Unfortunately their closed for the night.

Shower and changed, room 102 at the Sleepy Hollow Hotel. I hop back on the bike, refreshed and dry and ride through the warm night air back downtown. The coffee at the Hazel River Inn comes with a sweet fudge confection on the side. The peach and blackberry cobbler with vanilla sauce is divine.

The reconfigured plan for this getaway is to shed. Shed worries about the job, career, housing, and relationships. My motorcycle is therapeutic. It’s 600cc’s of Zoloft on two wheels. The road lifts my spirits. This wasn’t supposed to be a solo run, and there are stretches of road where I feel the emptiness behind me.

The cobbler is finished and I can hear the sound of a band doing their sound check. The banging of the drum requires investigation.

Entry Three

I found Brown Bag Special in the cellar pub of the same restaurant I was in. On my way to the door the noise of the sound check floated up the stairs and directed my feet downward. Brown Bag Special opened the set, appropriately enough, with “I drink alone”. The ol’ man, Big Money, would have loved it. Drink alone started off a Big Money Blues trifecta to include “The Breeze” and “Mustang Sally”. Then they made the mistake a lot of bands make that have a great lead guitar player. They let him sing. The lead guitarist karaoke sucked his way through a Tom Petty hit. He was so off key in his singing it made you appreciate the guitar solo’s all the more for the relief they provided. Thankfully the regular singer soon resumed his duties and the night went on. More good stuff from the band.

Freebird
Folsom Prison Blues
Cheap Sun Glasses

“can’t you see, can’t you see, what that woman, what she’s done to me”

Off to bed now at the Sleepy Hollow Hotel with the ghost and shades of dead hookers and overdoses past.

150 miles today.

Saturday

Entry Four

Morning breaks on the Sleepy Hollow Hotel, a hot shower and I’m back on the bike. A quick stop downtown to shoot the Hazel Inn, then it’s back on the Sperryville Pike. More stops to capture some sights seen yesterday. Mr. & Mrs. Pump. The open mouth caricatures are an accurate representation of the current gas cost and the pumps eating your wallet.

I keep telling my daughter that her first car, college car, will be a hybrid. She thinks they are ugly. The bike isn’t so bad, averaging around 40mpg. At about 180 miles on the tripometer I start to look for a refill, although I’ve pushed it to 211 miles before.

A quick left in Sperryville on 211 and up into the mountain, Blue Ridge Mountains and Skyline Drive. Heading up the mountain I get the first bite of the twisties I’ve been craving. The fee at the gate to Skyline Drive is well worth the price. Great scenery and fantastic views. The only drawback is the 35mph speed limit that is well enforced by the park rangers.

I shoot some self-portraits at Pollock Knob overlook. They’re funny in that with all the scrambling and hurrying to be the camera timer, then trying to effect a relaxed pose. I’ve also broke out my old friend this trip, the Lubitel 166, a medium format, 120mm film, twin lens camera. I’m like Jay-Z with this camera, I have to get it in one take. There is no digital review after the click for instant gratification. As a fellow photographer it’s “Point, Push, and Pray”. I’ll be interested to see the results. Not that I’ve left digital behind. Carrying both cameras, I’m an analog/digital double threat.

After the self-portraits and some dead tree shots I’m about to pack back on the bike and leave when I meet the preacher and his wife. He offers to shoot me with my camera and I return the favor with theirs. Conversation flows and in a ‘small world’ moment it turns out that he works for same Hazel family that owns the restaurant I was at last night for his Monday thru Friday job. I get a friendly “God bless” and I’m heading south on Skyline Drive. I make several more stops and break out the cameras again at Big Meadow.

There is a gnarly dead tree in the middle of the meadow. It has burn damage at the base, either the result of some wild fire or perhaps a controlled burn done to maintain the field. I spot and shoot a few deer, they probably won’t turn out as they’re to far away for my lens on the D100. I shoot a bunch of shots of the tree with the D100 and then totally switch processes with the Lubitel. The picture setup with the Lubitel takes about a minute-and-a-half. Manual zoom, i.e., walking back and forth to get the framing I want. Light meter reading. Then dealing with the reversed optics of the look-down box camera. It is fun though, to switch it up, change the pace and the dynamics. Just one click though, hope I caught it.

It’s a long but enjoyable ride to the south end of Skyline Drive. Unless you really like slow cruising I would suggest picking which third of Skyline Drive you’d like include in your trip and leave the rest. I drop off the mountain and into Waynesboro. Finding Mad Anthony’s coffee shop for a late breakfast. I overhear that it’s around noon. The Italian Roast coffee is good, in fact, it would prove to be the best coffee of the trip.

One of the pleasures of traveling by motorcycle is that it’s an easy conversation starter. People ask you where your coming from, where you’re heading, ask about your bike, tell you’re about their bike or the one they wish they had. One of the peculiarities of these conversations is that if the person even remotely knows of anyone that has died on a motorcycle, they will be sure to share this fact along with details. These stories usually involve a deer, a car pulling out, or someone taking a corner to fast. The conversation goes something like this:

Stranger“nice bike”
You“thanks”
Stranger“my cousin Bob had a friend that hit a deer and died on his bike”

Short silence.

You“yeah, deer are dangerous, got to be careful”

I’m not exaggerating when I say I’ve held variations on this conversation many times. Luckily this isn’t the conversation I have with the owner of Mad Anthony’s. He’s a former sailboat instructor who now finds the same release and head clearing on his motorcycle that he used to get from his sailboat.

This brings to mind the same wave – don’t way dynamic that occurs between sail boaters and power boaters, very similar to the sportbike & HD crowd.

The proprietor is a coffee guru, we discuss roasting (my Italian roast was just roasted Wednesday this week). We talk about the good and the evil of Starbucks. We’re both in agreement that they over roast their regular coffee, but I think their foo foo drinks are tasty. He has in his shop both the Bodum press and the Bodum vacuum coffee pot that I got my mom for x-mas. A shameless plug here, the Bodum vacuum coffee pot makes the best home coffee ever. It’s also an entertaining crowd pleaser, no joke.

Leaving Waynesboro the plan was 340 northward to 33, then into Harrisonburg, VA (home of the Valley Mall and JMU). 340 proved to be boring so I jumped on 256, Port Republic Road, for a better ride to Harrisonburg. I don’t know if the coffee wore off or if I was just worn out. I pull over at Westover Park, pick out a spot of grass, and take a good nap in the sun.

I had my motorcycle bug handed down to me by my step-dad. My kindergarten year of school we moved right at the end of the school year. Rather than switch schools at this inopportune time my Dad stuck me on the back of his Honda and rode me to school and back again for the last month or two. Even earlier than that I have a great photo of me in 1973-4 sitting on his chopper with him. Me in a diaper and him with his long hippy hair. The wild side of the Reverend indeed.

Refreshed from my nap it’s back on 33 westbound. Heading out of the Shenandoah Valley and Rockingham County is more glorious twisty roads and the George Washington National Forest. GW is a beautiful tree canopy lined road with a river off to one side. Franklin, WV is the destination, a return to the Star Hotel.

I stayed at the Star a few years prior when they first re-opened the historic Star Hotel. The owner, Steve Miller, is a great guy, friendly and conversational. I told him I’d be back again, but it’s been a few more years than I thought. Late lunch at the Star is pesto grilled chicken on ciabatta bread with roasted red peppers. Not the type of fare one might associate with West Virginia, but people have misperceptions about everywhere. Steve promises a prime rib later at dinner tonight to die for.

So that there is no misunderstanding, in as much as the Sleepy Hollow Hotel was a dive, the Star Hotel is a dream.

Dump the gear in the room back on the bike for some roaming around. I head back to explore a river road I passed on the way in, Rock Gap. It’s a gravel affair and I follow it back a little ways. Photo some river shots. Down further there is a large cliff face with some college aged kids de-gearing after a day of climbing. I’ll try to stop back in tomorrow and shoot some climbing action, as well as some fly fishing.

I pick up a bottle of Barefoot Wine, Cabernet Sauvignon, and drop it off with Steve at the Star to keep for later. I’ll enjoy that bottle later tonight from the 3rd floor front porch. South out of town I head, into some very secondary roads. I shoot an old decrepit cabin that would be right up Bobby Sargent’s alley. I put it in the metal folder for a possible future model shoot location, along with the river spots I’ve seen.

There are a couple more stops on this little ride. Once for what appears to be a feral chicken, and then for middle of the road stare down with a young doe. She’s camera shy though and is off before I can get a shot. Sportbike probably isn’t the best conveyance for nature photography. The pavement stops and gravel begins, I motor on. Rick & I once spent a full day just about on gravel roads, crisscrossing the back country around Cumberland, MD. So I’m comfortable with the less than ideal riding surface. A few miles on the road dead ends at a pair of chicken houses (source of the feral chicken’s ancestors perhaps?) and I turn around and survey the valley I’ve just ridden through. I have to stop the bike and soak in the scene. A picturesque farm is nestled in the corner of the valley, up against the hills. I meet some inquisitive cows, along with the farmer and his wife.

It seems that when you are in WV and you pass a sign that says “snow removal ends here” that the already suspect road conditions are going to quickly deteriorate and will soon resemble somewhat more of a logging road. I motor on through some back country, no houses, no farms, just mountains, steep roadside cliffs, and wicked gravel switchback curves. The part that gives you the willies are the downhill corners where the road grade is slanted to the outside of the curve and to the drop below. Yikes!

I creep along where a four wheeler would be much more functional. Although I still hit it a bit in the straights. Pavement arrives again and I’m unsure of my exact location. I follow the chicken farmers directions and soon discover myself back in Brandywine, intersecting the same stretch of 33 I rode on my way into Franklin.

Back at the Star Hotel it’s a shower and fresh clothes before heading down for dinner. Downstairs I find the prime rib to be as good as promised.

Entry Five

How beautifully staged is this. Barefoot on the 3rd floor patio, wine to ease the back and the ache in the knee.

205 miles today, the last 30 after check in, just to explore.

Sunday

Entry Six

Out early in the morning. I find no climbers at Rock Gap, unsure of the hours they keep. Out of Franklin on 33 west, looking for another squiggly line I had seen on a map. Bland Hill Road name is a misnomer. A single lane country road winding through German Valley. I got a few shots of German Valley from the 33 overlook before turning on Bland Hill. Now I find myself in the same location I had shot from above.

The road cuts through some open pasture land and I meet some cows standing in the road after rounding one bend. They’re pleasant enough, if in no particular hurry to cross, and don’t mind posing for a shot or two before meandering on. People talk about the danger of hitting a deer, a cow would really ruin your day! Off of Bland Hill and on down into the valley. I come up on the rock formation I had seen from the overlook previously. It’s not Seneca Rocks, but a formation of the same ilk. I get some more photos, then onto German Valley Road. I’m still staying at the Star, there is no real destination today. It’s relaxing to stop as much as I like.

German Valley Road puts me back on 33 west and not long after I’m ordering breakfast at the Valley View Restaurant. Dale Borgeson warns of places that advertise home cooking, but that’s about all you see in these parts. There are a fair number of cars here and that’s usually a good since the food will be alright. Hell, even the Army could make a good breakfast. It all works out and it’s a hell of a deal, for toast, two eggs, hash browns, bacon, and coffee.

From 33 I hit 28 and turn off on Smoke Hole Road, just because it’s there and looks interesting. Boy, what a find it is. Combining the curvy one lane country road with nice wide smooth pavement (gravel free in the corners). It’s great. Smoke Hole Road turns out to run from 28 across the Seneca Rocks National Forest to 220 on the other side. Going west-to-east it starts out all curves and hills, then ends by winding along the south branch of the Potomac. There are lots of fly fishermen here enjoying the catch-and-release section of the river.

Up 220 to Petersburg, I run into some Ducati guys at the gas station. We swap riding info and I’m soon on 42 north towards Mayville. Hanging a left when I see a sign for Dolly Sods. I’m back on secondary roads and I soon pass another prophetic ‘no snow removal’ signs. It’s gravel the rest of the way up the mountain til it breaks out on top at Dolly Sod.

I’m real happy with today’s roads, as both Smoke Hole Road and Dolly Sods were unplanned ‘discovered adventures’. I do some rock scrabbling at Dolly Sod and enjoy the cliff top views. A fellow tourist snaps a shot for me an I hike out well past the distance that the casual tourist and families go. Shot some more shots of the rock formations with both the digital and film camera. Do some more self-portraits. I then sit down to relax in the sun with the cliff side breeze steadily blowing and update this journal.

Entry Seven

Well, fellow traveler, if you’ve made it this far I am duly impressed. I thank you for your perseverance. The rest of the day was spent riding without incident. Just more fantastic roads. You don’t have to be an explore on par with Lewis & Clark to find great rides in West Virginia. Just be curious in nature and unafraid to leave the beaten path. Drop off the numbered roads and take the route less traveled. Soon you’ll be in your own undiscovered country. Blah blah blah.

Out of Dolly Sod and I find myself on 32. Rough calculations put the dirt road travel around 25 miles for the day. While we are on stats, here’s today’s animal road count:

1 rooster
1 dead fox
2 cows
8 chipmunks
7 alive
1 dead
3 dead possums
1 squirrel
1 dead blob (undistinguishable)
No fearsome deer
1 dog

I guided myself today by a rather non-descript map put out by mountainhighlands.com

Leaving Dolly Sod on 32 puts me in Dry Fork and back on familiar 33 west to Elkins. I cruise around Elkins on the off chance I’ll run into a guy I know named Dallas. Now all you need to know about Dallas is the following:

I don’t know his last name
I once gave him a hair cut with dog grooming clippers
I know he works at a bike shop making choppers

You figure the odds of me finding him, near zero.

If your curious it wasn’t the first time I cut hair, albeit the first time using dog shears. In Korea I cut in the latrine for a cut or for a 6 pack. Everything was barter in the Army. We had a cook that would make you a great custom birthday cake for a case of beer or feed you food out of the back of the chow hall at 3am when you staggered in drunk from the ville for the promise of a future round to be bought. Korea stories could fill another journal.

Anyway, out of Elkins and south to Beverly. Scott, if your reading this you were on my mind as I went through town, never forgive, never forget.

So far I’ve only tried to write about the positive food experiences of the trip without throwing anyplace under the bus. C&J in Beverly however, served only barely functional burgers and the vanilla shake was of the worst chemical prefab variety. There are some things that I am stuck on, good vanilla ice cream is one. The others that I’m picky about are beer, whiskey, steak, cheese-steak, and coffee. It’s just so disappointing when something you usually enjoy turns out to be sub par.

After C&J it’s 250 east to 28, which heads back towards Seneca Rocks and Franklin. It’s a good haul through the Monongahela National Forest. A road of the scenic variety, with good twisties up the mountain and through the scenery. These type road have become quite a common occurrence here in WV. Back in Seneca Rocks and 33 east into Franklin. I never shoot Seneca Rocks, the light is never right, number one can tell you how I get about my light.

The Star’s restaurant is closed on Sunday, dagger, so I shower and head into Franklin by foot. About Franklin, WV. It’s a nice little town, quiet and sleepy. No bars other than the VFW that I could see. Everybody I’ve met and spoken too has be pleasant, friendly and conversational, both here in Franklin and elsewhere in WV. I’m sure there are a variety of characters much as anywhere, this is just my observation from the tourist level.

Following last night precedent I grab another vino from the Shell station. The Star being closed is a dilemma; I’m in need of a cork screw (having borrowed the restaurants the night before). I wander back down to the hotel, wine in hand, and past the hotel just a bit til I meet an old man sitting out front. I explain my situation, wine without access, and he says he’ll sell me a corkscrew. He goes in the house, shortly to return with the necessary implement in hand. I figure I have it for -4 or maybe rent it for a one time use for . That proves unnecessary however, he says just to take it, and keep it for any future need.

The sole booking for the hotel tonight, I’m like a wraith as I glide through the halls. On the front porch with my bottle of vino in hand. I have some cheap cigars I also picked up and there’s nothing to do but kick back and watch the sunset.

It’s been a great trip. Somewhat lonesome at times. The lack of someone to talk to surely let to the length of this journal. It was a trip to getaway, to reflect. There was no great revelation or anything, just time to get to know yourself. The road gives you time to think. I know who I am and I like being me. I know what’s missing.

I’m resolved to take more bike trips in the future. It’s definitely my preferred way to travel and vacation. Motorcycling is the way to go.

Tomorrow I have my route generally planned out, more scenic byways for a winding route home.

Miles today, 240.

Monday

Entry Seven

Just a short postscript. 20 miles east of Washington DC, on 66, the chain popped off the bike. It’s never easy.

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These shops are located mostly around the main street of South Pattaya and inside the upmarket hotels. Moreover, these hotels and resorts are located the most popular locations in Pattaya. Or you can just relax yourself on Pattaya beach; enjoy various services and food from numerous hotels and restaurants. Or you can just relax yourself on Pattaya beach ; enjoy various services and food from numerous hotels and restaurants. For detailed Pattaya hotels information or to make a reservation, select a hotel and let asiahotels.com be your Pattaya travel agent.

Read Pattaya hotels descriptions, reviews by former hotel guests or place your own Pattaya hotels review. Many Pattaya hotels are situated on the beach with magnificent sea views from room balconies. Amenities within Pattaya’s hotels are second to none, with fine dining in multiple cuisine restaurants and coffee shops, bars, pubs, karaoke and games rooms. For others types of rooms, please use the search box and check rates for Pattaya hotels. Sports were always a key attraction in Pattaya from the early days when hotels introduced tennis courts and clinics.

We have every kind of lodging, cheap hotels, discount resorts and villas, luxury accommodation in Pattaya and all over the world. The hotels are not so grand, the restaurants smaller, and here you will find the beginning of Pattaya’s bar-beers, or open-air bars. A thriving metropolis, Pattaya has a great many resorts and hotels to suit every pocket. Nightlife beyond Pattaya’s hotels is more liberated, with discotheques, transvestite cabarets, nightclubs, karaoke bars, go-go bars and open-air bars. http://www.rabbitresort.com/

Walt Disney World is a dream vacation for many people. It takes adults back to their childhoods and gives children a sense that there really is magic in the world. In order to know more about this recreational resort, check out DW Insider, your inside source for Disney World information.

Click Here For DW Insider Instant Access Now!

Disney World is the largest and most visited recreational resort in the world. The resort is located southwest of Orlando, Florida. It is owned and operated by the Walt Disney Parks and Resorts segment of the Walt Disney Company. It opened on October 1, 1971, with the Magic Kingdom theme park and has since added Epcot in 1982, Disney’s Hollywood Studios in 1989, and Disney’s Animal Kingdom in 1998. Each theme park is represented by an iconic structure: the Cinderella Castle for Magic Kingdom, the Spaceship Earth for Epcot, the Sorcerer’s Hat for Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and the Tree of Life for Disney’s Animal Kingdom.

It also contains two water parks, twenty-four themed hotels, and numerous shopping, dining, entertainment, and recreation venues. Examples of the various recreation venues are the five golf courses inside the WDW property. The four 18-hole golf courses include the Magnolia, the Palm, Lake Buena Vista, and Osprey Ridge. There is also a nine-hole walking course called Oak Trail, designed for young golfers.

This site, which is maintained by Beth Haworth, will give you the Disney World information resources to make your vacation an adventure of a lifetime. It discusses topics about planning for a trip, choosing theme parks, when is the best time to visit Disney World, setting a budget, transportation, lodging, attractions, shopping, how to find a Disney store, sample itineraries, and Disney World special events. This site will teach you some savings tips that will make your trip to Disney World more affordable, and vacation tips that will make your time more enjoyable.

Find everything you need about Disney World in DW Insider!

Click Here For DW Insider Instant Access Now!

Related World Hotel Reviews Articles

Holiday packages


Image by santheo
2005 Polar Bear Swim at North Avenue beach

If you are planning your holiday, you must be looking for some holiday packages. A break from work is good thing to share some time and moments with your family and friends. But an international vacation is not so easy to plan. There are various places to choose from, you have to look for cheap airfares, cheap accommodations and many other things need to be considered. Like everyone you also want to save your hard earned money. So choosing a cheap holiday package will be benefited.

If you are planning your vacation to Harare, there are various travel agencies which provide cheap holiday packages to Harare. Harare is the capital of Zimbabwe and home to some two million people. It is a good place to visit. Travelers will love this place as it offers a lot to explore. It is highly appreciated for its cultural and historical heritage. Harare has a pleasant and healthy humid subtropical climate. It is served by Harare International Airport for both domestic and international flights.

There are various destinations in the world, but visiting them can be very expensive, so every one looks for the cheap holiday packages. There are various companies which provide all kind of Holiday Package to Harare. Holiday packages combine fun, food, adventure and excitement in right proportion. Choosing a holiday package to Harare for the off-season period will be less expensive, as fewer tourists are expected to visit there during that period. You can also look for the discount packages for your vacation.

There are various website which will provide you all the useful information regarding your holidays and packages. You just need to navigate through web pages to get the most trusted website. It will help you to plan your vacation properly.

You can get your best deal of holiday packages to Harare with flybliss.co.uk. It is 35 year old company dealing in cheap flights, holiday packages, car hire, providing accommodation, etc. You can book cheap holiday package to Harare and cheap flights to Harare with through company. It will provide you holiday packages to Harare but for other destinations also.

As with all holiday home marketing sites, your property advertisement will be displayed in their standard format and will find itself amongst many other properties in the search results, but what can you do to make it stand out?

Write an interesting title for your property. Instead of “Two bed villa in Spain”, spice it up with “Beach front Villa with Breathtaking Views over the Mediterranean”. Try and limit the title to 10-12 words, more than 12 words becomes too much of mouthful.

Choose your best most attractive photograph to be used in search results. Remember at this point, this is the only picture of your property holidaymakers can see. Make sure it’s a complete picture of your property.

Your brief description should summarise the best attributes of your property. If you have a privately heated pool – mention it. Don’t forget to mention the location.

Now you’ve persuaded holidaymakers to view your property advertisement it doesn’t end there, you need to maintain the charm throughout the main body of your advertisement.

Provide lots of photographs of your property, the surroundings and any special features (pools, balcony with sea view etc). After all, people want to see where they will be staying during their holidays. With a rental listing site you are usually limited by the number of pictures you can add, so don’t cram your advertisement with too many scenic pictures – 1 or 2 is fine. Don’t forget to add a caption with each picture to help draw people in.

Take your outdoor photographs on bright clear days, preferably when the sky is clear and the sun is shining. Take your indoor pictures during the day with plenty of natural light, switch all the interior lights on to help improve lighting conditions if required. Remember dull pictures look boring and unattractive, use your imagination and create attractive & interesting pictures.

Let holidaymakers make an informed decision and provide lots of information describing your property and its location. Use short paragraphs with 3 to 4 sentences, and break up paragraphs by using bullet points and sub-headings. This makes it easier to read and digest the information.

If your holiday home marketing site has the facility, ask your guests to add their feedback to your property advertisement. Holidaymakers like to read about 3rd party experiences before deciding where to take their family vacation. If your property has been shortlisted with one or two other properties, your guest’s comments could win you the booking.

Don’t overprice the rental rates for your property – be realistic. Check out the market and compare other similar properties in your location. If you overprice you may loose a booking, and hence a weeks rental income which can never be recovered. The exception to charging higher rental rates is if your property has a unique feature or more/better facilities than other similar properties within your location. Regularly review and update your rental rates based on market conditions.

Once you have completed your advertisement, check it for spelling errors and ensure you haven’t repeated yourself. When your advertisement is live, check it again and also ask your family & friends for feedback – they can provide an unbiased opinion which can be invaluable.

Ensure you maintain your property advertisement and keep all your information & prices up to date and accurate. If you redecorate your property or change the way it looks, take new photographs and update your advertisement. If you use an availability calendar, keep it up to date.

These points are quite straightforward and cost nothing to achieve, but its surprising how many property rental owners overlook the more obvious and simple things. A carefully planned and well written holiday home advertisement will help generate more interest – leading to more booking enquiries.

So, how do you get the perfect outdoor vacation cruise experience and still get a good price? It depends on your destination. Some destination holidays are more popular than others at certain times of the year.

For example, if you are thinking of a cruise to Alaska, the May – September cruises are always full. This is the time to go to these regions, and everyone is clamoring for the best rooms. If you were hoping for a cabin with a balcony, you are going to have to sacrifice getting a good price deal and book your vacation rental room at least 6 months in advance (possibly more).

If you want a Vancouver to Anchorage Gulf cruise route, expect to pay even more as this is a very popular travel path.

The best chances you have to get a great deal on your Alaska cruise is to book either at the beginning or the end of the busy season (May or September). There are often more openings at this time, and you may still be able to pay a little more for the nicer outer cabins.

Another very popular destination for holidays are a number of outdoor vacation stops in the Bahamas and across the Caribbean. Why fly to just one island and stay in a vacation rental, when you can take a cruise ship to a number of them?

If you are thinking of using one of your holiday weeks as a time for your vacation, you must make sure to book that early. Holidays such as Thanksgiving week, Spring Break, and the week between Christmas and New Year always sell out quickly. There are rarely discounts for the prices on these trips either. It is the simple rules of supply and demand where everyone wants these cruises so they can charge top dollar for them. You may need to book these cruise times up to a year in advance.

If you have some flexibility in your travel schedule you can use that to your advantage. If you were able to book in early spring or late winter instead of the extremely busy summer months, you will be able to find better deals. Even February – April are a bit busy, so if you are looking at those times, you may still need to book at least six month early.

A lot of these trips are actually booked during the winter, no doubt by people looking to escape the cold winters where they live. Maybe they think knowing there are warm waters to look forward to will help the cold days go by more quickly.

Another time you can look for a good cruise deal is from September to the beginning of December. The only important thing to keep in mind about these cruise times, is this part of the hurricane season in the Caribbean.

Examples of cheap holidays

All over Michigan you will be able to find reasonable motels on the beach. The camping areas on the beaches of Superior and Lake Michigan are often cheaper and more scenic. You can find them in Michigan as well as in Minnesota and in Ontario, Canada. Here is a list of things you can do on your cheap holiday if you decide to try this type of vacation.

Treasure Hunt

You can buy two metal detectors for less than the price of a night in a hotel. You can spend your days hiking, exploring and treasure hunting. There are lots of things to explore when you take your metal detector to the beach. It is a lovable adventure especially for your children. If they get bored digging in the sand then there are lots of other activities that you could get your children involved in. Why not go for a walk in the warm sand, have a game of beach volley or go for a swim.

It is a cheap way to spend your vacation and the whole family will love it. You can find all sort of things washed up on the beaches.

Cheap Holiday Camping Vacations

If you can talk your family into living in a tent for a couple of days or if you own an RV, a camping trip is lovely and absolutely the cheapest of all cheap family holidays.

Other Cheap Family Vacations

There are lots of other ways you can have a fun but cheap holiday vacation. Cut the budget of your vacation and try to stay flexible. Cheap holidays are always in demand since we all want to spend as few bucks as possible. If you compare the two types of holidays, package holidays and do it yourself holidays, in terms of cost to decide which one is cheaper. You do not book your own package holiday instead you book it through someone. It could be a travel agency or a tour operator. When you pick this type of holiday it is always an all in one holiday deal. All you have to do is pay the money to the travel agency and everything about your holiday (arriving, boarding, lodging and so on) will be taken care of for you. On the other hand, lots of people actually prefer to arrange their own do it yourself holiday using the internet. You do booking of all your holiday needs, like travel and accommodation by yourself.

What are Charter Cancellation Holidays?

How do charter holidays work? You are going to book a jet or yacht to take you to the holiday destination you chose to go to. You will be accommodated with first class service and full crew who will accommodate you and all your needs during your trip. You can slumber on the relaxing chairs on the plane as you travel to far destinations, or you can watch the view in your yacht drinking champagne and sunbathing as you travel to a beautiful paradise island where you will have your summer holidays.

Benefits of Charter Cancellation Holidays

Cancellation holiday sites will help you choose your perfect holiday because they have connections to different airports and sea ports so you will have no worries when you’re traveling to the particular holiday spot you planned to visit. They have different connections around the world, so you have many options for your perfect vacation. Aside from this relaxing getaway, cancellation holiday sites have their biggest tour operators to accommodate you as you land on your tourist destination. Cancellation holiday sites have a lot in common to exclusive holiday companies. The only difference is they give you that same experience of a holiday vacation but at very reasonable price.

So if you’re in a tight budget but also want to experience a different kind of holiday vacation, then you may think about visiting some cancellation holiday sites on the internet that offers you with exclusive charter arrangements in the air and on the sea. You will really never get bored because these charter cancellation holidays sites will value your money’s worth and give you a vacation that you’ve always dreamed a vacation should be. You will never waste a minute of your time by searching on websites that offer charter holidays that entail a lot of your time and effort and give you a burden on your budget. You will not be wasting your time on planning your vacation but does not see the effective result of it. With charter cancellation holiday sites, you can forget worrying about your vacation and wasting your time on searching for expensive packages. Cancellation holiday sites will give you the pampering and quality of services in a jiffy. You can do it even on the last minute!

Don’t be too hard on yourself! Give yourself a time to relax, enjoy life and escape from it all. Charter cancellation holidays sites have it all for you! With just one click of the button, you are one step towards the vacation of a lifetime!

Everybody’s busy nowadays since the Christmas Season is fast approaching and many are now planning where to spend a well deserved holiday vacation with their families and loved ones.

To help you out, some of our DWVC members have contributed their most exciting Christmas vacation experiences and here are the TOP 10 vacation spots that they have recommended that our clients can choose from:

I. BAHAMAS – By Keith Martin

As a member of Designer Way Vacation Club (DWVC), you can have an unforgettable Christmas by booking a week’s holiday starting Monday 24th of December in Nassau either online at dwvc or by phoning your account manager at Timelinx’s reservation office. Even in December you can expect temperatures from 26°C during the day to 18°C at night and under 2” of rain throughout the whole month.

For absolute luxury the Hilton British Colonial Hotel is hard to beat. DWVC can offer a week’s bed and breakfast for two adults and two children in a Colonial room for £847. Booking through an online agent South Travel, you would be paying £1,571 for the same room and dates but excludes breakfast. DWVC is £724 or more than 45% cheaper.

The hotel may look familiar to any James Bond fans reading this, as it appeared in both “Thunderball” and “Never say never again”.

It is ideally located on a beautiful private beach and is situated within 5 minutes walk of Nassau’s shopping and financial centre.

The hotel offers an array of recreational facilities, including a private beach, freshwater swimming pool overlooking the ocean, full fitness centre, lush tropical gardens, non-motorized water sports, snorkelling and scuba facilities and shops. Golf is also available nearby.

The hotel also offers various bars which include, the Blue Note Club which offers a unique flavour of Jazz and other contemporary music, The Palm Court Lounge is the perfect spot within the hotel to enjoy our their famous “Time 4 Tea” in a relaxed atmosphere, Portofino is a casual restaurant located on the first floor, serves Italian favourites with a Caribbean flare, The Patio Grill And Pool Bar, whether you’re sampling one of the many tropical mixtures, or diving into a tantalizing sandwich, there couldn’t be a better place to be.

The rooms are decorated in tasteful Caribbean style furnishings and feature an en-suite bathroom, mini bar, oversized desk and safe.

Due to its close proximity to Florida, if you have a young family, you could combine your visit to the Bahamas with a trip to Orlando to partake in the Christmas build up at Disney and the likes. After a week or two in Orlando, most people would need a week to unwind. Again you can get net cost accommodation with DWVC and have your account manager at Timelinx book/tie in all your flights and activities.

From Nassau, cross the bridge to Paradise Island where beaches are first- class and the resort selection is excellent — from upscale chic on stately estate grounds, to a yoga retreat, condo facilities (great for family vacations), and large luxury properties (one with a glass tunnel for viewing marine life and a low-key water park). Activity abounds at every turn. Paradise Island has an excellent golf course and its own small airport.

Grand Bahamas, with resort development at both Freeport and Lucaya, has the same features on a smaller scale. Golf, tennis, water sports and duty-free shopping are popular and plentiful. And the island moves at a leisurely pace.

II. KOS ISLAND – Sandra Patterson

Kos sits bang in the middle of the Dodecanese chain of Greek islands that hug the Turkish coast. Kos Island is about 45km long while its width varies from 2km to 11km.

This is a hugely popular resort with the British and it is a Greek island that has gone for mass market tourism is a very big way. Kos has its own airport and ferry connections.

Kos is a popular island with all nationalities, with some beautiful sandy beaches and good tavernas it’s well worth a visit.

The coast of Kos is swept by magnificent sandy beaches and the island has some of the most interesting archaeological sites in the Mediterranean.

The combination of sand and sightseeing give Kos a uniquely broad appeal, though most visitors will probably prefer island beaches to Greek history and, for an all in beach holiday, Kos must be considered one of the best of the Greek islands.

There are many empty coastal areas to be enjoyed by those who prefer to get away from the holiday crowds.

Members of DWVC (Designer Way Vacation Club) have access to net cost accommodation at numerous resorts in Kos. One such resort is the Alexandra Hotel, a weeks bed and breakfast for two in Nov would cost just £311 to members. To put that price into perspective it would cost a non member £599.90 booking through an online operator. DWVC is £288.90 or around 48% cheaper!

The hotel is an upgraded A class town hotel with high standards. The interior has recently been enlarged and redecorated in order to offer luxury and comfort to the guests. It has a conference room with 140 person capacity, pool, three modern lifts, comfortable and luxurious bar and a reception.

The Hotel Alexandra has 62 guest rooms. All rooms are equipped with a balcony, air conditioning, mini bar, coffee machine, satellite TV, safety deposit box, music, telephone and internet, WC and a hair dryer.

Breakfast is served in a buffet style. The hotel’s bar is the perfect venue to enjoy a cocktail and unwind or the place to meet for a pre-dinner drink. The hotel features a fully equipped fitness centre with the best gym equipment which is complemented by a separate sauna and Jacuzzi.

III. GOLF DEL SUR – Keith Martin

Ever since it’s 1987 inaugural event, a competition for professionals, the 27 greens and fairways of Golf del Sur have provided the backdrop for various international tournaments.

In 1989 they bore witness to Jose Maria Olazabal´s victory in the Open de Tenerife, a feat he repeated in 1992. The following year they watched as David Gilford won the event, as did Mark James in 1994. In 1995, Golf del Sur hosted the Shell Wonderful World of Golf tournament and its head to head battle between Ernie Els and Phil Mickelson.

Golf del Sur has also been the setting for two golf driving distance records, both of which were set by Britain’s Karl Woodward. First he set a new record of 398 yards and then, a few months later, he managed to break the legendary 400-yard barrier with a huge stroke, which sent the ball flying 408 yards.

This Tenerife golf course, designed by Pepe Gancedo, is a thoroughly enjoyable layout in which one’s attention is immediately caught by the black volcanic sand in the bunkers. The wide fairways are lined with such a wide variety of indigenous plants that, with it’s palm trees and giant cactus plants, this 800 square meter course beside the Atlantic Ocean is like a veritable oasis.

Particularly difficult is the 3rd hole of the course. To the right of the wide fairway is a water hazard, behind which lies an impressive ravine with an ochre-coloured rock face, while to the left is a gaping bunker of black sand.

You can dine in the Buffet El Patio which provides a selection of meals, all served buffet style. There is also a snack bar on site, La Corbeta and a number of other bars and restaurants including Legends Bar, The Sundowner Pub and the Caddyshack. You have a choice of three swimming pools, a main pool, a smaller pool (which is heated in winter) and a children’s pool. There is also a large sunbathing deck equipped with free sunbeds for you to relax. For the more energetic there is a tennis court or table tennis.

The apartments are good sized and bright, tastefully furnished and comfortable. They have a kitchenette which comprises of hob, fridge/ freezer, cooking utensils, bathroom with bath and shower. A TV and safety deposit box can be hired at an additional cost, also cots or highchairs can be hired. All apartments have a large private balcony or terrace.

This charming resort is situated on the southern coastline and is not only a golfers paradise but is also ideal for family holidays and couples looking for a relaxing break. You can spend your days relaxing and soaking up the sun on the new pebble beach and when the sun gets too hot you can cool down with a drink from the beach bar.

There is an excellent selection of restaurants and bars here but if you are looking for something a little more lively then Playa De La Americas and Los Cristianos are a short distance away where you will find a vibrant atmosphere with everything you need for your entertainment.

IV. ALGARVE, SOUTHERN PORTUGAL – Keith Martin

The Algarve, in Southern Portugal, with its year-round sunshine, miles of golden sand beaches, and picturesque villages, has become one of Europe’s most popular golfing destinations. But while there are many courses suiting all abilities, the Algarve is also perfect for non golfers, especially the eastern region around Tavira, with its stunning nature walks. At the other end of the scale, resorts such as Vilamoura and Vale do Lobo are mega destinations with all the golfing and sporting options you could want. Then, in Western Algarve, around the bustling holiday destination of Albufeira, you can holiday 24/7, combining championship golf with a hectic nightlife.

Golf holidaymakers should check out the renowned Pinta, one of the best courses in the Algarve, designed to retain natural valleys and undulations.

Vale do Lobo, Portugal’s biggest luxury golf and beach resort, around 20 minutes from the airport at Faro, is one of Europe’s finest. Its two golf courses, the Royal and Ocean, provide stunning views of the coast, and its 5 km-long sandy beach, with dramatic red sandstone cliffs, provides non-golfers with seriously good beach and swimming options. The resort also offers tennis courts, a gymnasium and health and beauty centre, as well as restaurants and shops.

Members of DWVC (Designer Way Vacation Club) can get a weeks accommodation at Barringtons Golf and Health Spa for two from now until 31st of March 2008 for just £105.

Barringtons Golf and Health Spa is centrally located within the Vale do Lobo 1,000 acre estate, Barringtons provides the complete holiday experience. The hotel is only a short walk from the pristine golden beaches of the Atlantic Ocean and some of the best golf courses in Europe.

The hotel offers fabulous year round facilities set amidst pine trees and beautifully landscaped sub tropical gardens. Whether you want a short golfing break or a two-week holiday in the sunshine, Barringtons can tailor make your holiday to suit you, giving you a complete flexibility. When the sun goes you can relax in the Beat Bar. The Eagles Café Bar at the Barringtons Golf Academy is open for breakfast, lunch and snacks.

The accommodation combines both style and comfort. The superb décor and thoughtful design create a peaceful ambience in which guests can truly unwind. The rooms are furnished to the highest standards with its own private terrace. The bathrooms feature large showers and double sinks. Other amenities include a telephone, air conditioning, satellite TV and a private sun terrace. Plus when guests stay in the hotel’s accommodation, guests have club membership which includes use of all the clubs facilities.

Unwind in the lap of luxury in the tranquil spa area featuring indoor and outdoor swimming pools, sauna, steam room, Jacuzzi and solarium. The Barringtons Golf Academy is a great place to fine tune and to improve all aspects of your game. The covered floodlit driving range has target greens and bunkers, which add realism to practice sessions. The highly equipped gym features the latest Matrix cardio-vascular and weights equipment to cater for all training needs. The hotel also offers add-on courses such as pilates, yoga, ballroom dancing and kick boxing.

Members of DWVC also receive a 50% discount at the Royal Vale Do Lobo golf course and a 50% discount on tennis sessions.

V. BINTAN HOTEL, INDONESIA – Allan Bond

To put all this to the test I choose one of the further flung resorts they have available and searched online to try to find like for like accommodation at a lower cost.

The resort I choose was the Bintan Lagoon Resort in Indonesia. It is a four star hotel on the north western shores of Bintan island.

Quality wise the resort is very nice, set in landscaped gardens and close to the beach, it offers golf courses, leisure centre, numerous bars, cafes and restaurants.

The rooms are tastefully decorated and equipped with air conditioning, satellite TV, mini-bar/fridge, safe and phone.

The cost for a weeks bed and breakfast in March for two as a member of DWVC is £441 all in.

Conducting an extensive search online, the lowest cost I could find offering the same accommodation and dates was £574 through either asia-hotels. com or hotelclub. net. DWVC is £133 or around 23% cheaper.

The savings are there as claimed and regardless of where and how often you go on holiday, everyone likes to save money. For more information on the company you can look on their website.

About DWVC (Designer’s Way Vacation Club)

A revolutionary new idea launched in 2000 as Dream Works Vacation Club, later becoming Designer Way Vacation Club when it was discovered that a very large film making company existed in the USA with a similar name; Designer Way Vacation Club is an exclusive holiday and consumer discount members club that has been growing rapidly throughout the early part of the new millennium. In that time it has established a very enviable reputation for both outstanding performance and trustworthiness.

Morris’ publication combines research and personal experience to share with her readers everything one needs to know when planning a trip to Tuscany. You’ll learn about all the great things to do and see there, both big and small, from museums and tourist attractions to rare finds.

The content of The Ultimate Guide to Florence flows effortlessly from broad to specific with tips for all kinds of travelers to Italy, whether you’re traveling as a family or planning a romantic get-away for just the two of you.
This travel guide for Italy is more than just places to see.

You can even secure the best hotel with the accommodations guide that’s included in the eBook. It also offers suggestions for authentic restaurants for every budget, as well as a comprehensive listing of wineries and vineyards that offer wonderful wine tastings. As well as all that, you can locate typical prices, operating hours, and other things to keep in consideration when visiting places in Florence.

Not only that, you’ll have hundreds of web links that take you to additional information on Tuscany and Florence, which will be absolutely essential to knowing enough about the place to plan a proper trip – you’ll also get two other eBooks, with tips on speaking conversational Italian, as well as beautiful pictures of the area you are planning to visit. When the moment comes to get your holiday organized, you’ll be good to go. The order in which [Morris has] written about everything is pretty clever – as well as informative.

Go to placestovisitinflorenceitaly.com in order to buy The Ultimate Guide To Florence and get going on the trip of a lifetime, learning what you must to make your visit to Florence one to remember for decades to come.

Click here for your free bonus travel guide for Italy.

For more travel guide for Italy information, click here:
Travel Guide for Italy From Exclusive Visitor Stories
Utilize This Travel Guide For Italy To Organize A Fantastic Vacation
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This piece has been written with the holiday home owners in Scotland in mind. But it can apply to any vacation rental owner, hotel owner, bed and breakfast owner, even caravan park and camp site owner.

You can see this and more features on the subject at www.holidayhomewebsupport.blogspot.com

Your site gets many hundreds of visitors, thousands, each year. The vast majority are not prospects, they just clicked on it out of passing interest, and a lot of the “visitors” are the search engines finding your site regularly each week.

We get probably about 3,000 genuine visitors to our site out of total 20,000 or more site visitors each year. So why don’t more of them book? Sometimes we are booked for the date they want, but most of them book with someone else. We lose their vote somewhere along the way. Yet we have one of the most successful vacation rental web sites in the country.

Every visitor is looking for something different.

We’ve just had a booking for two weeks for October. He found us through keying in “Kentallen” our local hamlet, into Google. Virtually no one searches for that term, but he did and he found us as the only self-caterer on page one. Why? Because he and his wife have just bought a house up the road and they want somewhere to stay while they move in.

Luck, sheer luck. We can’t base a marketing strategy on luck. But in a funny way each of our bookings are “lucky” in some way in that each guest is looking for something different from the next guest.

We’ve got to get them to vote for our site four times when they search. How, is the question.

The 1st vote is for the “description” of our site on page one of Google (or any other search engine but Google is overwhelmingly the most important). The “description” also carries our site name, our “url”

Our url is http://www.bayviewkentallen.co.uk and it is a poor one. If we were doing it all again we would have registered a better url name such as www.lochsidecottagescotland.com This might have helped us get up to page 1 or 2 of a bigger search term such as “Scotland”. The following is a new site and the url is a good one. http://www.loch-lomond-waterfront.co.uk. It registers the place which very high on search terms and offers a distinct benefit about the property – a waterfront location.

Tips

You’ve probably got your site set up already, but you may care to consider doing a new one for the long term. No reason why you can’t have two sites for the one property so long as they are different from each other. You may use a web designer or do it yourself, no matter, you need to know as much as he/she does. Web designers do not usually know much about marketing. Half of the problem is technical and the other half is your marketing approach.

1.Think hard about the Url you are going to use and relate it to the search terms people will use to find you. Don’t go for little search terms such as “Kentallen” but bigger ones such as “Scottishhighlands” More on this in a later piece.

2.Write and re-write your description of your site many times to make sure it fits the search terms they will use. The description goes into the html code used by the web designer, but the text should go also into the opening paragraph at the top of page one, because this is what Google uses. More about finding the best search terms in a later piece.

3.The search engines do not see your complete site, they see each page separately. So for the most critical pages in your site not all of them you need to get the right url, I mean the small extension at the end of the url which identifies each page and ends in .html such as www.yoursite.co.uk/tariffs.html You also need to get the right description for each separate page just as you do for the opening page.

This might win you the first vote. You have a fleeting instant to do this before they move on to another site or choose another search term. You need them to click on your site because it is high up on the pages they search and the description makes it look good.

Using a directory to list you.

If you are using a directory, such as Assc, then the same issue applies but in a slightly different form. You must, you absolutely must appeal to people with the finest looking photograph on the page they are looking at. This might mean not using a close up photo of your property, but rather to go for the surrounding scenery. We show our little bay. The property is there in the distance what they want from us is the beauty and the surroundings. They want a memorable holiday.

You might object to this and say they want to see your property, but what is the point of taking a moral stance if they are not going to click on your entry in the directory. You’ve lost them without even trying. Someone who does try hard to present their finest features will win them.

Now we have a click on our site and we are into the 2nd vote when they look at our opening page. They click on many different sites most of which at not at all suitable for their purpose. Now they decide either to move on in 5 seconds – or to examine our site a little further. Most move on. We can tell from our “bounce” stats on the web analyzer. (Analyzer explained later.). When they see our opening page they must be impressed straight away.

Questions:

·Does our opening page present visitors with an instant, wow! reaction? A picture of the property’s front door is not going to do it. I take it all back if you are offering them a castle or a mill, but for most of us the property itself, the building, is not what turns them on.

·Does the first page draw them into the site? Remember they are looking for a very memorable holiday, does your site tell them they are going to get this? This is where lovely design comes into play.

Our site visitors who stay with us for a bit longer are those who find the answers to their immediate questions within a couple of our site pages. Is the property available when they want it, how many will it sleep, does it accept dogs/smoking, does it look clean, is it in a nice situation, what about price?

They want fast answers to these questions. Later they’ll look again at the details, But for the moment we want to get on to their short list of properties. But they are more likely to stay on our site because they can see, for example, a wonderful view from the bedroom window which they will wake up to every morning. That’s the Wow! factor. See http://www.achnaskiacroft.co.uk/Acc.html

Grading is re-assuring to them but only half the properties in Scotland offer it. (Early results from a survey of Dmoz directory entries). It is not really powerful unless it is five star, although four stars get good bookings.

We’ve just had a honeymoon couple stay with us and they went diving in Oban harbour. That is our second pair of divers this year. The 3rd vote (5 minutes to make up their mind?) is more about “Is this area, this view, this situation going to give my family a holiday we’ll remember for a long time to come? We have this one big break a year, I’m determined that the whole family will love it” Does the area offer the kind of things my family is looking for? Is the property suitable for the family, is the kitchen equipment good, do the owners sound friendly and so on. Tricky this one, because each person is actually looking for something different to the next person and we have to meet everyone’s needs in our web site. At the end of this vote they might bookmark our site for their final short list and show it to someone else in the family perhaps. Relief.

At this stage they might e-mail us with an enquiry that’s one reason why I don’t like booking forms, I like the easy exchange offered by e-mails. I’d like to have them contact us before they’ve made up their mind.

Tips

·Have we got deep content in our web site, answering all their questions about the area? This is also important for the search engines. Does it cover every kind of guest interest adults, touring, small children, teenagers, special interests such as wild life, activities such as walking, cycling, fishing.

·Is every page well written, simple to read and contain its own wow! factor.

·Does the site sell the area, as much as the property. We are all competing with other areas of Scotland they could choose. Their alternative might be a short break in Spain – we’ve got to win them to us.

The final 4th vote is between their final short list of 3 or 4 properties. Notice it is still odds against us winning and this is an easy place to lose it with the small print or with poor photographs. How many enquiries do you get which do not turn into business? (Is the road outside the house safe for my children? Is there enough to do if it rains all the time? How far and how good is the local shop?)

For example, I’ve seen the most ghastly Terms of Business in s/catering web sites, written out as if the guests will be treated as potential scoundrels. There is absolutely no need for it, owners ought to relax and trust the guests. They can tie in Terms later in e-mails if they must. If we put them in the web site in a heavy-handed fashion, when people are comparing properties on their short list then we’ll lose the final vote. Pity.

Tips

·Take a lot of care with pages such as the booking form. I personally don’t use a booking form because as an internet user I absolutely hate and detest filling in forms. If I’m booking somewhere myself, I want to send sites an e-mail with the odd question and I want a reply quickly. If I don’t get a quick reply I move on fast. Not offering a booking form is what I call customer care. But then I haven’t got seven properties to fill.

·Get a friend to send your terms of business to half a dozen people who do not know you and ask them what they think of it and do they understand it, and does it put them off.

·Take care about putting unnecessary negatives and turn-offs prominently into your site, which you can reveal later, such as the need for a bond. In a nice way we do say “no smoking” and “no pets” up front because these are mandatory requirements for us but we also explain why, rather gently. Our terms of business are very gently expressed and are never needed.

The odds of winning each one of these four votes are against us. The odds of winning them all are very low indeed. That is why our site needs a huge number of visitors. We are each competing with Fife, Skye and the Highlands as well as with Southern Spain and other properties in our area.

There will be more detail on all of the topics later. The dark autumn nights are looming. Good time to review the web approach.

JW

You can see the way things have been sorted out if you look at the following site. I wish we had develop a better url site address.

www.bayviewkentallen.co.uk

Before you get started planning your vacation, it’s best to set a budget. This way you know exactly how much you have to spend, and how much you need to save in order to go on vacation. When you have a budget, it becomes easy to make choices on where you should save and where you should pay full price. For example, if you can save money by driving to Orange County, rather than flying, it will allow you spend more on accommodations or vice versa.

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Check for discount tickets for tours and attractions before you go. You may be surprised at the discounts available for savvy travelers who check around for prices online ahead of time. You may also consider purchasing an Entertainment coupon book for the zip code you plan to visit. That will save you on dining, and it may save you on lodging and attractions as well. If you belong to AAA or other groups, check the group’s website before you go to see if showing your card will save you money on attractions.

If your vacation time is flexible, consider traveling in the fall or the early spring. Crowds tend to be thinner during these times of year, and the weather is still nice enough that you’ll enjoy your stay. The prices drop around these times of year as well, so you’ll pay less than you would if your visit were during peak times. The large travel sites may, throughout the year, offer various coupon codes for their more popular destinations, such as Orange County, so get on the email list of your favorite sites so you can monitor any new deals.

There are a wide variety of hotels and motels surrounding the major Orange County attractions. You can stay at a smaller motel with fewer frills and be within the same traveling distance as you would if you stayed at a high priced hotel. If you plan early and travel in the off-season, staying at the Disneyland Hotel is very reasonable. You’ll also save money on travel because there are free tram services to and from the park.

Balance your visit to an amusement park with some free activities, such as visiting the beach or strolling down some of Orange County’s beautiful parks and natural areas. Since the weather is pleasant during most of the year, take advantage of simply being outdoors and taking in some nature during your visit. The beach and mountains are within driving distance of most Orange County towns and Southern California boasts some of the country’s most gorgeous national parks.

Traveling to Orange County doesn’t have to cost as much as you may think. With a budget in hand, a plan for your activities and an open mind to taking in some of the natural beauty in the area, you’ll be able to travel without spending your entire savings account.