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Vienna : Myra Marshall experience

March 7, 2009 - Posted in Vienna

Myra Marshall and her husband, John, from Hertfordshire, celebrated their wedding anniversary in Vienna. `Vienna is traditionally Strauss, the waltz and the Danube. We experienced all three, and more, on our weekend in the Austrian capital. It’s so easy to get around Vienna without having to join any guided tours or coach trips.

We were on a romantic weekend so we just had to take a Fiaker ride, in a horse-drawn carriage driven by a bowler-hatted and be- whiskered coachman. We felt very grand, but we’d also been forewarned that you have to agree the terms and price before setting off, otherwise it can prove quite expensive. The “Vienna Card” is a great way to experience the city’s S-Bahn railway, trams and buses. The ticket costs 16.90 Euros and is valid for 72 hours from the first time you punch it in the machine at the station.

We used it to visit the huge number of museums, galleries, churches and palaces. If there was a slight disappointment, it was the colour of the Danube! The song might say it’s blue but in reality it’s a murky grey colour, but that didn’t detract from the rest of a really beautiful city. Whenever we travel abroad, trying the local food and drink is a must, and Vienna was wonderful in this respect. It has a varied range that reflects its imperial past, when culinary ideas from all over Europe arrived in the city. We particularly enjoyed bauernschmaus — a plate of various meats — frankfurters served with sauerkraut, and gemischter salat, a simple but colourful mixed salad. But my favourite was the Ttaditional Wiener schnitzel — breaded veal escalope. We also loved the Landmann Coffee House, once frequented by Sigmund Freud. It’s said if you haven’t been on the Giant Ferris Wheel you haven’t been to Vienna. It took John nearly the whole afternoon to persuade me to go and, even though I really don’t like heights, I have to admit that the views over Vienna were breathtaking.’

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Cruise Ship Vacations on a Budget

December 5, 2008 - Posted in Travel

Millions of individuals and families wish to take a vacation; however, many are financially unable to. If a vacation does occur, it is often a visit to a local amusement park or campgrounds. These small vacations often occur because individuals limit themselves. If you are interested in taking an extravagant vacation, such as a cruise, you are advised not to limit yourself. With the willpower to do so, just about anything is possible with a budget.

If you and your family are interested in scheduling a cruise ship vacation, but you feel that you may be unable to, you are urged not to assume. This assumption could prevent you from enjoying the vacation that you want and deserve. To make a cruise ship vacation possible for you and your family, all you will have to do is a little bit of budgeting.

For many individuals, developing a family budget is a small sacrifice, but for others it may be larger. The more money you need to save for a cruise, the harder it may be to save. The first step in saving money for your cruise ship getaway is to determine where all of your money is going. This can easily be accomplished by documenting your spending habits. Everything from the mortgage payment, rent, car insurance, even that cup of coffee you purchased should be recorded.

After documenting your spending habits for a week or a month, you will have to examine your findings. Many individuals are surprised to learn how much money they are wasting on unnecessary purchases. These purchases often include, but are not limited to single serve beverages, cigarettes, alcohol, and out-of-home dining. To save money for your cruise ship vacation, you will need to cut all unnecessary purchases.

Cutting unnecessary purchases may sound easy, but the reality is that it often isn?t. There are some individuals who cannot do without their cigarettes or their morning cup of coffee. If you are unable to curb your spending habits, you are encouraged to change them as much as possible. For instance, instead of purchasing a cup of coffee each morning, you can brew your own at home. Additional alterations could be made to prevent your habits from impacting your cruise ship vacation fund.

When saving money for a vacation aboard a cruise ship, you need to make sure that you actually save the money. All too often, many individuals take the money they saved by creating a monthly budget and spend it on something other than what they originally intended. If you find it difficult to hold on to your savings, you may want to open a savings account at your local bank. In addition to accumulating interest, you are less likely to spend the money because it is safely tucked away.

Curbing your spending habits is one of the best ways to raise funds to take your dream vacation aboard a cruise ship. While saving money is important, it is not the only way that you can plan a cruise ship vacation on a budget. There are a large number of online travel websites. These websites may offer you significant deals and savings. Other cruise discounts can be obtained through membership clubs or your local travel agent.

Obtaining the financing needed for a cruise ship getaway may seem like a difficult task, but aftertime it may become a part of your daily routine. Saving money and obtaining cruise ship discounts are both great ways to obtain the needed financing, but together they can save you more money than you ever imagined.

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Cruise Ship Vacations for Seniors

December 5, 2008 - Posted in Travel

In many areas of the world, including the United States, we often view senior citizens as having limits. While health issues may plague some senior citizens, most individuals are healthy and happy. In fact, many consider their senior years to be the prime of their live. If you are one of those individuals, you could experience fun and excitement aboard a cruise ship.

One of the most common concerns aboard a cruise is safety. Many senior citizens and their family members are concerned with the health risks of taking a cruise. If you or your family has fears associated with extended cruises, you may want to seek guidance from your family physician. With a simple visit, your physician may easily be able to determine whether or not you are up for the voyage.

If and when you receive the okay from your doctor, you can begin to further examine vacationing aboard a cruise ship. When examining cruise ships, you are encouraged to examine a number of cruise lines and each of the ships that they have available. To get started on your search, it is advised that you examine Royal Caribbean Cruises, Celebrity Cruises, Carnival Cruise Lines, and Princess Cruises. The foresaid cruise lines are just a few of the many that service travelers; however, they are often considered the most popular.

When examining a particular cruise ship, you are encouraged to search for activities and services that you are attracted to. These services are important because they are often the only way for seniors to find the perfect cruise ship. At the current time, there is not a large, well-known cruise ship company that offers cruises specifically for senior citizens. That does not mean that you shouldn?t take a cruise. It does; however, mean that you may need to spend more time researching your available options.

You can and should search for cruise ship activities based on your own preferences. Many seniors prefer cruise ships that offer elegant dinning facilities and activities geared towards mature crowds. If safety is a concern, you may wish to vacation aboard a family fun cruise. These cruises are geared towards individuals and families of all ages. Many times, a family fun cruise has a more appropriate environment. Seniors, including yourself, may find this environment warm and welcoming.

Once you have made the decision to take a cruise ship vacation, you may be excited to book your reservations. Senior citizens are urged to refrain from purchasing tickets and making travel accommodations on a whim. This is because many seniors qualify for cruise ship and other travel discounts. Many of these discounts are offered by AARP, Triple A, and other membership clubs. Even if you may not qualify for travel deals and discounts, you should still see if they exist. Until you look, you never know if you can book a cruise at a discounted price.

Cruise ship travel is a fun, exciting, and rewarding experience, no matter what your age. All most all cruise ships are safe enough that you can even vacation alone. If you are concerned with your safety while traveling alone, you may want to invite along family or your senior friends. With a large number of discounts, it is quite possible that you can all enjoy a vacation aboard a cruise ship, without having to go broke.

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Creating a Travel Plan for Your Mexico Vacation

December 5, 2008 - Posted in Travel

Planning is key to enjoying a great vacation when visiting Mexico. Taking the time to plan your trip ahead of time is the best way to enjoy your vacation. Planning is not only needed to enjoy your vacation, but to stay within your budget, have access to entertainment, and have a backup plan should anything go awry.

When creating a Mexico travel plan, it is advised that you include the cost of your trip, as well as your spending money. If you are planning a family trip, you may want to let your children participate in the plan by letting them decide where they?d like to go and what they?d like to see. A Mexico travel plan is also important because it can and should be used to manage your time. Careful planning can prevent burnout. You are encouraged to make a list of the top destinations that you would like to see. Be sure to include museums, beaches, historical landmarks, and anything else that peaks your interest.

Planning your budget will help prevent spending on an impulse. You will find that there are many opportunities to purchase souvenirs in Mexico. With a preplanned budget, you should be able to enjoy the benefits of Mexican shopping. You can easily use calculators to determine the exchange rate between the United States and Mexico. Taking the exchange rate into consideration is the best way to effectively budget your money. You should also plan for tipping when preparing your budget.

If you decide to vacation at an all-inclusive resort, then the cost of airfare, hotel, and food will be provided for. However, it is important to note that certain restrictions may apply. At an all-inclusive resort, you will have to pay for the extras, so make sure that you include anything that you may to purchase. Extra money should be set aside for shopping in the markets and traveling outside of your resort.

Planning for your entertainment ahead of time will help to prevent overspending. You should determine ahead of time what activities you would like to engage in. Planning and budgeting for your Mexico vacation can be difficult, especially when it comes to entertainment. You may find that you and your family will want to make a last minute stop. This is why it is advised that you plan for unexpected stops and purchases. If you have already set aside some money for an unexpected activity, you won?t have to worry about the cost of a last minute decision.

Finally, your plan should consist of contact information and an emergency back up plan. Whenever you are visiting a foreign country, it is important that you create an itinerary with all of your information and the details of your trip. That itinerary should be left with a close friend, family member, neighbor, or co-worker. In addition, you should also register with the United States Embassy or Consulate offices when you arrive. If anything happens while you are in Mexico, seeking the help of the U.S. Embassy or the nearest consulate office will provide the quickest and most effective assistance.

Before leaving for Mexico, make sure that you have up-to-date passports for all family members, as well as other forms of identification. By creating a travel plan, sticking to your budget, and creating an emergency backup plan, you can ensure that you family will have a wonderful vacation in Mexico.

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Cotton House Beach Vacation

December 5, 2008 - Posted in Travel

The only hotel on the exotic island of Mustique, the
cotton house offers luxurious service, privacy, and
plenty of secluded beaches. You can spend your
days exploring the marine life, relaxing by the
pool, or getting pampered by the enticing spa.

The spa at the Cotton House offers an amazing array
of services, such as massages, facials, reflexology,
wraps, and fully body treatments. You can catch a
spa in one of the four treatment rooms, just steps
from the beach, or even in the privacy of your
own room.

Situated between the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic
Ocean, the 1,400 acre Mustique Island offers a
tennis club, nine secluded and beautiful beaches,
which are perfect for scuba diving, windsurfing,
and even snorkeling.

Rooms and suites
The Cotton House offers just 19 luxurious guest
rooms, cottages, and suites, most offering private
patios and panoramic views of the ocean. The
amentities offered by the Cotton House include soft
French cotton linens, a pillow menu, air, flat
screen televisions, and maid service twice a day.

If you are planning a honeymoon twist to your beach
vacation, you can splurge on one of the cottages
with a private plunge pool, or even book the two
bedroom Cotton Hill Residence which offers a
private swimming pool and its own staff that are
dedicated to you.

Eating
From dining in your cottage, ordering a picnic
basket and going to an empty beach, or just having
a romantic candlelit dinner, Mustique leaves the
choices up to you. A traditional afternoon tea
is served each day in the Great Room, while there
are weekly cocktail parties held by the Cotton
House as well.

Getting there
There are three ways that you can fly to Mustique.
You can go via Barbados, via Martinique, or via
Saint Vincent. From Barbados, you can take a
Grenadines Airways flight to Mustique for around
$400 per person - round trip flight.

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