Travel Around The World

Fly Drive USA

As much fun as holidays to America are; it is important to remember that each state is in fact like its own little country and has its own traffic laws.

Whilst driving is the most popular mode of transport and great deals on great car rentals (we hired a red mustang and drove through the Nevada Desert) can be found, please follow the below tips.

Tip #1 – Always ask your car agent if there are any special laws for drinving in the current state

Tip #2 – If driving through states, make sure you take a tour book for driving regulations.

ALWAYS follow and traffic laws that apply in school zones. If a school bus has lights flashing, thenchildren are climibing aboard - stop and do not pass the bus in either direction. Also, if a schools lights are flashing it becomes a 15 miles per hour traffic zone. In the US, children are well-protected by laws!

Rail Tours USA

If you are a fan of USA tours but don’t fancy driving the whole way across the states then USA rail tours are a must. For a small piece of luxury across a long journey, these hotels on wheels are affordable and very comfortable. Enjoy the stunning landscape of the US, whilst relaxing and resting being with serving staff attending to your culinary whims. The trains are very comfortable with seats that recline especially designed to help you relax after a tasty dinner and a drink. There are also sleeping cabins available.

Cruising America

If you want to try cruising round the Caribbean or Alaska, then a trip from normally Florida, by luxury cruiser is a fantastic experience and oftentimes a great deal. If you are looking for some particularly dramatic and stunning scenery, and fantastic wildlife then a visit to Northern Canada and Alaska is a must.

Popular Destinations

If you are trying to decide on where to go some of the best USA destinations are;

• Las Vegas, Nevada – like Disney World for grown-ups.
• Disney World (Florida) - Great for the kids.
• Alaska – a truly massive wilderness to get safely lost in
• San Francisco, California – Feel a touch of living new American history.

Bon Voyage.

Liverpool, once the British Empire’s second city, has, since WOrld War II been in decline. In recent years there has been a remarkable increase in investment with the city centre seeing regeneration. In 2008 Liverpool was the European Capital of Culture throughout the year there were countless events ranging from world class concerts to superb art exhibitions. No longer the European Capital of Culture what is there to attract visitors to this lively city? Well there are definetely a number of new Liverpool hotels to satisfy all tastes. In the text below I take a close look at three tourist attractions in Liverpool.

Tate Liverpool

Situated on the Liverpool’s waterfromt, as part of the Albert Dock complex, is Tate Liverpool. Since opening in 1988, the Tate, for a short space of time, was the largest gallery of contemporary and modern art in the United Kingdom, outside London. The Tate is a highly popular visitor attraction in Liverpool, seeing more than 600,000 visitors through its’ doors every twelve months. The gallery is in one of the 5 converted warehouses orignally converted by James Stirling. However, the building had to undergo further refurbishment in1988 to create more gallery space. In 2007 the foyer was redesigned, giving the gallery a  more modern appearance and better proportions in the reception area.

Albert Dock

Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg, whom the docks were named after, opened the docks in 1846. Over the years the docks were very busy, but eventually had to close to shipping in 1972. For many years the docks lay derelict and quiet, until the 1980’s when they were redeveloped with funding from the Merseyside Development Corporation. The dock consisted of five warehouse buildings, all of which are Grade I listed, making the Albert Dock complex the largest set of Grade I listed building in the United Kingdom. The docks are now home to a number of tourist attractions, including the Merseyside Maritime Museum and the Tate Liverpool.

Liverpool Anglican Cathedral

Liverpool is renowned for having two cathedrals: the Roman Catholic Metropolitan Cathedral and the Liverpool Anglican Cathedral. When John Charles Rye was appointed Bishop of Liverpool in 1880, ironically Liverpool did not have a cathedral at that time. Eventually, after a lot of deliberation, the powers that be decided that a cathedral was essential. In 1902, they decided to hold an open competition for the design of the cathedral. The winning proposal was chosen in 1903, and astonishingly, was a design by student Giles Gilbert Scott, who had no former building experience. Another architect, George F. Bodley, was nominated to work with Scott, and oversee all construction works and designs. King Edward VII laid the foundation stone in 1904, and in 1910, the first part of the cathedral, the Lady Chapel, was finished.

Besides the 3 tourist attractions mentioned above Liverpool has a great many more. Besides this there are a great many more not too far from the city, perfect for a day visit. If you are planning to spend time in Liverpool you may wish to take a look at our web site which has a comprehensive list of Liverpool guest houses and hotels as well as a selection of serviced and unserviced apartments in Liverpool.

I am not really one that usually goes on bargain family holidays, simply because of the fact that I have always thought that I am in the UK non stop for 12 months so I at least deserve a break overseas.

My last few holidays overseas have been pretty abysmal to be honest; the thing about going abroad is that you always seem to end up picking a hotel which is just completely terrible. The thing about choosing hotels abroad is that they don't really obide by the 5 star rule. I have been to a hotel before that was labelled as five star accommodation, but it reality it was nothing but a two star.

So this year I decided to stay in the UK as I was let down overseas and also the credit crunch did not really help out too much. Torquay, Devon and Cornwall was a place that most UK holiday makers go too, so I decided to take a trip down there. My 1st impressions on seeing the accommodation was wow, it looked quite amazing.

Once I made my way into the room it was much better than previously imagined and compared to accommodation I stayed in abroad it was a lot better indeed. The rest of the trip passed by very beautifully and I found myself making my way to the beach where the water was as clear as a freshly run bath. The activities they have in UK hotels are non finishing, through the day they have a wide variety of activities to keep the kids busy then at night they have entertainment for the entire family.

I have already booked another UK holiday in a few months and I would definitely recommend it to anyone that is looking for a break, whether it’s for bowls holidays, dancing holidays or relaxation then UK travel is at its prime.

Disney imagineer Michael Eisner proudly declared in 1992: “To all who come to this happy place, welcome. Once upon a time… a master storyteller, Walt Disney, inspired by Europe’s best loved tales, used his own special gifts to share them with the world. He envisioned a Magic Kingdom where these stories would come to life, and called it Disneyland. Now his dream returns to the land that inspired it. Euro Disneyland is dedicated to the young and the young at heart… with the hope that it will be a source of joy and inspiration for all the world.”

There are a few subtle nuances that make Disneyland Paris unique. For one, there’s a subterranean dragon chamber beneath Sleeping Beauty’s castle! Not Cinderella’s castle here. There’s also an Alice In Wonderland maze for kids and a thrilling Indiana Jones and the Temple of Peril ride that can’t be found elsewhere! An updated 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea attraction can still be seen at Disneyland Paris, though it was scrapped from Disneyland California in the 1960s. Disney’s Haunted Mansion has been revamped as Phantom Manor and includes scenes from the Thunder Mesa “ghost town.”

In 2002, Disneyland Paris opened a secondary Disney park with a movie theme called Walt Disney Studios. The newest land is the “Toon Studio,” where guests can go behind-the-scenes of Disney animators, participate in a drawing course taught by Mickey and Donald and check out the film set of Finding Nemo via Crush’s coaster. One of the most popular rides is the “CineMagique,” which is similar to the The Great Movie Ride at Disneyworld. Guests travel through scenes from some of their favorite movies, including: The Magnificent Seven, Mary Poppins, The Hunt For Red October, Pinnochio, The Titanic, The Exorcist, Monsters Inc., Silence of the Lambs, A Fish Called Wanda and Robin Hood. Aerosmith’s thrilling Rock N’ Rollercoaster and Twilight Zone Tower of Terror are here for the extremely brave and adventurous too! Also, don’t miss Catastrophe Canyon, which gives you a back lot tour, putting you right in the middle of explosions, flash floods, fires, earthquakes and everything movie production teams have to offer!

For Paris Disneyland hotels, there’s the Davy Crockett Ranch camp sites for the budget-conscious outdoorsy types, but be aware that this is the furthest Disney resort from the parks. The Disneyland Hotel has been dubbed “European Hotel of the Year” by the British Travel Agents Association and offers castle-like accommodations, in addition to character breakfasts for the kids. Children also love the Western-themed Hotel Cheyenne where they can play in Indian forts and eat in “barns.” Adults prefer the New York Hotel with its swanky Manhattan Restaurant or Newport Bay’s yacht club atmosphere. Santa Fe and Sequoia Lodge are also available, but not recommended.

Arriving in Australia, you may only know a little bit of lingo, like “g’day Mate” or “throw a shrimp on the barbie,” or perhaps you came to see the Sydney Opera House and a kangaroo. There is so much to uncover in the many intriguing cities of this continent, each with its own distinctive charm. Some people prefer the “outback” experience, scouting for dingos and roos over bumpy terrain, while others prefer a soaking wet and wild journey under the sea, scuba diving down to the Great Barrier Reef. No matter what your idea of Australia entails, you can anticipate one of the most enjoyable trips imaginable!

Queensland Australia is a territory in the southeast corner of Australia that encompasses destinations like Brisbane, Cairns, Port Douglas, the Gold Coast, the Sunshine coast, the Great Barrier Reef and the outback region. The 70 kilometer stretch of Gold Coast City is sometimes called “the theme park capital of Australia,” housing Dreamworld, Movie World, Sea World, WhiteWater World and the Wet N’ Wild Water Park. Additionally, you can hang at Surfers Paradise, visit the behemoth Q1 tower, shop the bohemian markets, visit Australian wineries and eat delicious fresh seafood.

In the welcoming city of Cairns, you can snorkel the Great Barrier Reef, relax on the beach, shop duty-free, hike through lush tropical rainforests, see national parks of Green and Fitzroy Islands, ride on the Skyrail Rainforest Cableway or Kuranda Scenic Railway, experience flora and fauna at the Flecker Botanic Gardens, or take a stroll along the Esplanade, which is bordered by cafes and the Coral Sea. In Port Douglas, you can get a great view of the Great Barrier Reef, shop at Macrossan Street and the Sunday Markets in Anzac Park, visit the sugar cane farms of Mossman, or hike through the Daintree Rainforest, where impressive flora and fauna prosper.

While in Australia, you’ll want to see Brisbane, which is the capital of Queensland. Here, you’ll want to catch some local music, since Brisbane was hailed by Billboard as one of the “Top 5 International Music Hotspots” in 2007. If art and culture are your cup o’ tea, then you can also visit The Queensland Museum, The Queensland Gallery of Modern Art (GOMA), The Queensland Performing Arts Complex, The Brisbane Powerhouse, the Judith Wright Centre of Contemporary Arts and the war memorials in Anzac Square.

Melbourne Australia, on the southeastern coast, is the second largest city and was settled by the British; rather than by convicts. When gold was discovered in Australia the 1800s, a flood of immigrants came from Southeast Asia and the Mediterranean regions, which contributes to the modern diversity of shops, restaurants and architecture. Australian rules football, the Australian Tennis Open and the Melbourne Cup, which are all located here. You can also see some architectural wonders in the Queen Victoria Market or walk through a number of national parks with striking scenery.

Lastly, Perth, in Western Australia, offers visitors easy navigation around the high rises via motorized trams and courtesy buses. Situated in the city center is Kings Park, which is 400 hectares of natural Australian bush, providing you with a glimpse of Australia’s aboriginal past. Fantastic beaches and nightlife characterize this city that thrives by day and night. Some of the hippest art hotspots can be found in the Northbridge Neighborhood. To see all that West Australia has to offer, Perth is a great meeting point where you can travel to wineries, the ocean and port cities within 30 minutes.

A must see when you visit the New Forest is a trip to Bolderwood Deer Sanctuary and the Ornamental Drive. A beautiful drive to get here and a trip that is worth a whole day or to come back again and again. A very happy day can easily be spent here for the whole family.

In case you didn’t know the New Forest National park was once the hunting grounds of the former kings of England, and some of the ancient traditions are still practiced today by the commoners.

The car park at Bolderwood gets really busy, so on a really lovely sunny day, plan your trip early to avoid disappointment. Adjacent to the car park and the woodland there is an open green which is great for having your picnic and a family/friendly game of rounders. You can get a delicious forest ice cream from the resident ice cream van here.

In the woody area at the entrance to Bolderwood you will find picnic tables, portable barbeque facilities and toilets. Here you will also find an information centre, often manned by a friendly forest ranger who can help with questions about the forest. Children and adults can have some fun seeing how many questions they can answer from the quiz!

Once you have entered into the Woodland area at Bolderwood there is a choice of variable well marked walks you can choose from. The shortest is about half a mile long and this walk will take you past the Bolderwood Deer Sanctuary. There is a viewing platform here where you can look out across the forest to see how many deer you can spot. The forest feed some deer from here, so if you get the time just right, you can often see a many a deer feeding and grazing.

If you decide to take the Jubilee Walk, this is a about half a mile and will take you through the Bolderwood Arboretum. This is a fabulous display of a range of trees which began as far back as the 1800’s. Unfortunately, because of the high winds we had here in 1987 and further more in 1991, many of the great trees were destroyed. A project of ongoing planting has since been put in place to return this area to its original beauty.

An alternative stroll through this beautiful ancient woodland area will show you many more varieties of trees such as Chestnut, Beech, Oak and Norway Spruce. This walk is called the Radnor Trail and will also bring you about to the marvellous Deer Sanctuary and the viewing platform, if you haven’t spotted any Deer already during your walk.

Cycling is a great past time throughout the whole of the forest. Bolderwood is no exception to this and it does in fact form part of the 100 mile New Forest Cycling network. The Bolderwood cycling trail is approximately 7 miles long and can take about 3 and a half hours.

During your visit to Bolderwood you must take the time to drive through Bolderwoods Ornamental Drive. This is at its most beautiful during the summer and its windy narrow road takes you through the tremendous ancient woodland. It forms part of the 100 mile New Forest Cycling network so there are many cyclists along this route and because of its beauty the drive does become quite busy, so please be careful.

If you are looking for friendly local accommodation visit New Forest cottages for local self catering holiday cottages or New Forest hotels for luxury and hotel accommodation.

While being one of the smaller countries in Europe, England has a huge amount of diversity that any traveller to its shores will surely testify. Whilst not the largest of countries, exactly where to base your stay often raises a bit of a dilemma for many but the Yorkshire area has much to offer even the most discerning visitor.

Most people consider Yorkshire to be an industrial county full of factories and jammed full of houses for the workers but nothing could be further from the truth and South Yorkshire is vastly different to what you can imagine.

Granted the region did grow and become well known for its coal mines and the steel industry but a lot of the mining was in east and the north of Yorkshire, although Sheffield is world famous for its steel.

South Yorkshire is also partially home to the outstanding area of natural beauty that is the Peak District National Park. The park is the largest of the thirteen national parks in the UK and one of the most visited in the world so you will be well catered for if you need some activities to do.

The national park caters for probably every possible taste and is very popular with the international climbing community, largely due to the excellent and varied climbs in the area. Climbing is only one of many activities though which range from casual hiking to mountain biking or even helicopter tours if you fancy a little extra excitement.

More Peak District Tourist Information can be found here.

If the more sedate pace of life is more to your liking then the area is also steeped in heritage and culture.

Cannon Hall museum and gardens are well worth a visit if you like to see the history of the country. The hall is a country house museum and was the home of the Spencer family. Exhibits in the museum include fine art, furniture and collections of glassware, and if you have an interest in anything of a military nature you’ll also be pleased to find a couple of regimental museums housed here as well.

The favorite main city in the area of course has to be the city of Sheffield which considering its steel and industrial heritage is surprisingly one the greenest cities in Europe and is known as the city of trees as there are said to be in excess of two million, as well as a large number of parks and even areas of scientific interest.

Whilst the rest of Europe is still experiencing cooler spring weather the Canary Islands are preparing themselves for the busiest holiday season of the year. As these seven specks of Spain that lie just off the coast of Africa are Europe´s only genuine Winter sun destination.

The most easterly of the Canary Islands, Lanzarote, is home to a population of around 127,000 people and is a unique melting pot of African, European and South American influences. Thanks to its historic position as a staging post between the Old World and the New.

UK tourist continue to flock to the island and as a result demand for Lanzarote villas and apartments has remained relatively stable. Whilst property prices have also started to fall on the island it is less noticeable than in other european destinations.

The fact that Lanzarote remains almost unspoiled is attributable to the works and efforts of an island born artist called Cesar Manrique. Who was studying in New York when package tourism first started to take off in Spain and hurried home to protect his beloved Lanzarote from over development.

understandable of the damage that this could cause to his birthplace Manrique returned home to ensure that his beloved Lanzarote was not buried beneath a sea of five star concrete.

As a result of his efforts Lanzarote has largely been spared the type of over development now commonly found in other Spanish sun spots and other Canary Islands resorts. High rise buildings are banned, advertising hoardings are outlawed and all of the islands three main tourist resorts are well contained.

Manrique´s other main initiative was to create a unique set of tourist attractions on the island that essentially fused art with nature.

In tandem with close collaborators such as Jesus Soto he lit an alternative path for island development with the creation of sites such as the Jameos del Agua, which embodied his desire to fuse art with nature.

Like most Americans, I like to journey a lot and I think, you too like to go on vacations. Just because you’re taking a vacation doesn’t mean you’re going to be safe. When we plan a vacation, we are too pre-occupied with what we are escaping from, like a job and all the accompanying stress, but there is always danger looming wherever we go.

It is most likely that you would carry a luggage with you when you journey but see to it that putting your address in your baggage is something that you would never do. Along with this baggage, there’s probably going to be a case tag and on this tag, you’re only going to want to put your name and telephone number. So if someone had found it, he is sure to call you and return the case.

The reason you won’t want to put your full postal address on it is because if the thief finds something worth of value, they may think there’s more at your home. The safest thing to do is to just put your full name.

Keep your case clean: When I say keep your baggage clean, I’m referring to essential documents. In fact your luggage should contain only things, which even if lost, does not matter, like clothes. Never place valuables in your baggage such as your charge cards, passport, essential papers, etc. As I mentioned it earlier, if somebody can access these items, he has all your personal details. As mentioned earlier, once someone gets hold of this, he can have the full information about you.

Stop showing off: Some people love to display their wealth in public, but in real life, probably are neck-deep in debts. If a crook sees that you’re wearing flash items of jewelry, they may want to stalk you and you may find yourself in an unfamiliar area you don’t want to be in. Since no body really cares about your appearance when you are traveling, there is hardly any point in wearing attention-grabbing travel gear. Take into the consideration the thought whether you really care enough about the way people look and with regards to their style.

Clean out the notecase: Before you go on your next trip, try and clean out your billfold. professionals say that’s it’s important that you don’t load up on too many charge cards and documents so try to keep these things at home locked up in a home safe. Most of the [travel] experts say that it is better to leave some of your charge cards and other essential documents at home in a safe place, so that you won’t load yourself up during your journey. It is a good idea to just carry at least one credit card during your journey. It is important to note down the phone number of the credit card company, so that in the event of the card getting lost or stolen, you can inform the company straightaway.

Considering all of the many available tips with regards to traveling and safety, your judgment at its best is needed for you to choose what’s effective and what’s not. Being not to flashy and avoiding the flaunting of valuable or costly things are just some of the most essential things to consider. If you can follow the tip that is to carry only the things that you can afford to lose, then no doubt that you will be one of the safest travelers ever known. If you can follow this concept, you’ll be the safest traveler around!

For more information about travel and useful tips for tourists, visit famouswonders.com and check out all about the Great Wall of China.