VISAS

In an article called, "Tips for Travel to Southeast Asia," Kent St. John revealed all of the most important information about attaining and having a visa.

He wrote, "In several countries in Southeast Asia, it is preferable to get a business visa rather than a tourist visa, even if your intention is just to tour.

CAMBODIA: A Cambodian business visa is $30 and can be extended indefinitely, a tourist visa $25 can only be extended once.

VIETNAM: Once you have entered Vietnam, you may want to go to a travel agency and obtain a business visa. Most agencies in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City can arrange the required "sponsor". In Vietnam, a business visa is good for three months, is easier to extend, and allows for multiple entries. All in all, it makes traveling Vietnam easier.

Some other facts on visa requirements:

Bangkok is the center for getting visas to anywhere in Southeast Asia.
Myanmar requires that all Foreign Independent Travelers exchange a minimum of $300 US upon arrival.

When landing at Laos’ Wattay airport, make sure you have $50 US in cash for your 15-day visa. Nothing else is accepted. For a longer stay contact Diethelm Travel P.O. Box 2657, Namphou Square, Vientiane, Laos, Tel: 856-21-3833

The visa situation is by far one of the most confusing matter concerning traveling Southeast Asia. The State Department can give you contact information at http://travel.state.gov/foreigntryreqs.html and will provide a run down on visa requirements.

Use the embassy contact numbers for up to date information. By far the best website for information on visa, health, and basics on Southeast Asia can be found at http://www.budgettravel.com/seasia.htm

If you want to arrange visas once you arrive in Southeast Asia, contact Diethelm Travel. They have offices in every country in Southeast Asia:
Diethelm Travel Kia Gwan Bldg II 140/1 Thaon Withayu Bangkok Thailand 10500 http://www.diethelm-travel.com...

Mexico's Mayan Chichen Itza

Located about a 1 ½ hr drive from Merida and 2 ½ hours from famous travel destination, Cancun lies the genius Mayan engineering of Chichen Itza in Yucatan, Mexico.

In an article by Patricia Shultz called, “A highlight of the Yucatan’s Mayan Heritage,” she wrote,“The most famous, spectacular, and consequently, most frequently visited of Mexico’s Mayan sites, the magnificent metropolis of Chichen Itza was the principal ceremonial center of the Yucatan.

If you are lucky enough to be here on the spring of autumnal equinox (March 21, September 21), you will marvel at the mastermind who positioned the temple of El Castillo de Kulkulcan: the play of late afternoon light and shadow creates a moving serpent that, over the course of thirty-four minutes, slithers down 365 steps to the giant’s head at the base of the pyramid’s principal façade before disappearing into the earth.

The 7-square-mile site at Chichen Itza was inhabited for about 800 years, beginning as early as A.D. 432 during the Mayan Classic Period and ending with the arrival of the Toltec people. No more than thirty of its buildings have been explored, leaving hundreds untouched.

Beat the bus caravan of day-trippers by staying at the romantic Hotel Mayaland set in 100 private acres at the edge of the ruins. Many of the rooms have views of the cylindrical El Caracol observatory. The flowering gardens and pools help pass the hottest part of the day; the only way to visit the ruins at night is with tickets for the sound-and light show…”

Hong Kong on $20 a Day

The Star Ferry on Victoria Harbour, Hong Kong

Chuck Chiang of the Associated Press wrote an article called "Fun on a Budget: Hong Kong on $20 a Day."

He said, "Visiting Hong Kong brings out the urge to splurge. Travellers are surrounded by glitzy shopping arcades filled with boutiques and stores selling the hottest fashions and the latest electronic gizmos.
But it's easy to have a great time on $20 US a day -- just over 150 Hong Kong dollars ...

Jump aboard a tram on Queen's Road in Central Hong Kong, climb to the second tier and sit back and watch the blue-suited office workers and the designer bag-toting shopping queens scurrying around in the canyon of skyscrapers. It's a wonderful urban show for about a quarter a ride.

During business hours, tourists can take the Central Plaza's (city's 2nd tallest building) elevator to the sky lobby, which wraps around the 46th floor, providing a free panoramic view of the harbour to the north, skyscrapers to the west, and mountains and the Happy Valley horse track to the southeast...

For about 28 cents, the Star Ferries provide spectacular views of one of the world's most dazzling waterfronts. The best time to sail is during a clear night when the skyscrapers and billboards are lit up on Hong Kong Island. The ferry in Wanchai goes to Tsim Sha Tsui, one of Kowloon's most famous shopping districts...

Kowloon's waterfront has a variety of cultural venues for budget prices. The Hong Kong Cultural Centre has free performances in its foyer Thursday nights and Saturday afternoons. Next door, the bulbous Space Museum displays astronomy and science items -- admission is $1.28 -- and houses an IMAX theatre. The Museum of Art features calligraphy, paintings and jade artifacts, also $1.28 a ticket..."

So no need to empty your bank account to experience a wonderful trip to Hong Kong!

Escape from Civilization in Patagonia

Tucked away in a romantic corner of Patagonia, Chile is the Amilik Spa. In a press release written by Mexican Pacific Marketing, it describes the resort.

"Escape from civilization to the infinite shades of green at the luxury outdoor haven of Amilik, EcoTulum Resorts & Spa's newest property found in the lake district of southern Chile's Patagonia. Amilik is a luxurious wellness and healing center based on the unique holistic therapies of EcoTulum's Maya Spa, with an addition emphasis on mystical Chilean natural remedies and treatments inspired by local Mapuche indigenous healers...

Accommodations are in 10 luxury tents chosen for their light footprint on 586 magnificent acres of wilderness with over three miles of waterfront that straddles two lakes and a freshwater river fed by pure, glacial runoff, and emerald forest deep in the heart of Chile's fabled tenth region.

Tents afford total privacy and feelings of isolation - spaced at least 30 meters apart - and are connected by raised wooden walkways. But Amilik is nothing like the camping trips of youth. Each luxury tent is a romantic, draped dream world built upon raised wooden platforms with a King sized bed covered with a luxuriant goose down duvet, private bathroom with hot water, deep soaking bathtub and sink separated from the central living area. Ceiling fans provide air circulation during the day, and heating for cooler evenings..."

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid

Well, it was $500 well spent. GoNOMAD.com travel grant winner, David Atkinson documented his trip through Bolivia following the trail of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.

He wrote, "The story of Butch Cassidy and his sidekick, The Sundance Kid, is one of the great tales of the American Wild West. The tale was adapted for the1969 film, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, starring Paul Newman and Robert Redford, which turned the tale of the Wild Bunch outlaws who fled to South America with US$1,000 rewards on their heads into the stuff of Hollywood legend.

Unmarked Grave

Today, a scrappy unmarked grave in a remote Bolivian pueblo offers little hint to the romantic notions of the bandit’s escapades. Indeed, the legend of Butch and Sundance is a highly confused one: most people don’t even realize that the pair were even real people, while the rumor mill has for years fueled conspiracy theories about their eventual fate.

While officially the pair met their end in Bolivia , conflicting reports suggest Butch was stabbed in the slums of Paris , whacked after a bank raid in Uruguay and ate lead in a New Mexico brothel. Sundance reportedly met his maker numerous times between 1920 and 1940 in Venezuela, Chile and Argentina..."

The Romantic Road

In an article called, "The Romantic Road," the author writes about Bavaria, Germany's 'medieval countryside, restorative wines, and gracious inns' about 74 miles southeast of Frankfurt.

The article says, "The Romantic Road (Romantische Strasse), stretching for 180 miles from Wurzburg southward to Fussen, on the border with Austria, is more aptly named for the dozens of medieval towns, billages, and castles that line its way than for the scenery in between. Pity the peopleon the jam-packed tour buses who see it fleetingly in a day. They've missed the essence of what makes this road trip unique--the handful of towns forming a romantic chain of pearls must be appreciated slowly.

Before you even set off, a visit to Wurzburg and its glorious Baroque palace, the Residenz, sets the tone for the rest of your trip. Created when great wealth came together with the genius of architect Balthasaar Neumann, the Residenz was commissioned in 1720 by the powerful and pleasure-loving prince-bishops who would make this their home and who apparently saw little conflict between religious service and flagrant ostentation.

As you enter the Residenz, a monumental vaulted staircase, the largest in the country, is a not so subtle reminder that you are in one of Europe’s most sumptuous buildings. To guild the lily, Giovanni Tiepolo was called in from Venice to cover the staircase ceilings—and others—with his colorful frescoes. The artist outdid himself in the already elaborate Throne Room, a profusion of delicate stucco and grandiose architecture enhanced further by his work, creating a space that is airy, opulent and magical…”

2005's Top 10 Cities and Islands

According to Travel+Leisure, the world's best cities for 2005 are as follows:

1 Sydney
2 Bangkok
3 Rome
4 Florence
5 Chiang Mai, Thailand
6 New York
7 Istanbul
8 Cape Town
9 Oaxaca, Mexico
10 San Francisco

The top ten overall island destinations are:

1 Bali
2 Santorini
3 Maui
4 Kauai
5 Great Barrier Reef Islands
6 Vancouver Island
7 Cyclades, Greece
8 Sicily
9 Hawaii
10 Mount Desert Island, Maine

A Trio of Bohemian Spas

In an article called, "A Trio of Bohemian Spas," Patricia Schultz wrote about Carlsbad in Bohemia, Czech Republic, which is about 76 miles west of Prague.

She said, "I feel as if I'm in some paradise of innocence and spontaneity,” wrote Goethe, who spent sixteen summers in Karlovy Vary, more commonly known abroad by its German name, Carlsbad. That Beethoven, Brahms, Bach, Liszt, and many others all found inspiration during frequent visits to this spa town speaks volumes. Thanks to the Czech Republic’s geological fault lines, there are more than thirty spa towns in the area still in operation. Carlsbad is the largest and most renowned…

For more than 400 years, the world’s rich and famous have come to “take the waters” of Carlsbad’s twelve natural thermal springs, which range from 76 to 161 degrees Fahrenheit.

Situated in a beautiful and wooded valley, Carlsbad retains an elegant, important air, dominated by handsome 19th century architecture…

Given its rather lazy ambience, the fact that the town boasts a top-ranked golf course (the country’s finest) may come as something of a surprise. For the curious with time and wheels, the third and smallest of the local trio of well-known spa towns is Frantiskovy Lazne (Franzenbad), almost at the German border.

'The Pearl of Africa'

Many people are not aware of the variety of sight seeing opportunities in Africa. Famous for its Mountain Gorillas, Uganda, Africa makes for an unforgettable vacation. Renee Pattle visited Uganda and was in awe after experiencing its beauty.

In an article called, "Discovering Uganda: The Pearl of Africa", Pattle wrote, "If you think that the typical Africa countryside doesn't offer you rolling emerald hills, snow capped mountains, misty forests and deep, crystal clear lakes then you haven't been to Uganda. Even though Uganda is a small country, it offers all of this and a lot more - white water rafting, gorilla tracking, game viewing and some of the best trekking in Africa. Most importantly, the friendly and relaxed locals all speak excellent English. What more could you ask for from an exotic holiday destination?

I arrived in Uganda after 2 months travelling in North Africa (Libya, Egypt and Sudan and another month in Ethiopia). The time spent in the desert definitely contributed to the initial impact Uganda had on me, but even after a week there, it was still as beautiful and friendly as it appeared on the day I arrived..."

Voluntouring

Looking for a good reason to travel? Feeling guilty about skipping out on your every day responsibilities to take a vacation? Well lighten up the guilt and have a memorable vacation, while doing something good for others. Voluntouring is a new trend where people travel and volunteer by doing anything from building homes, helping animals, or feeding homeless children. There are so many opportunities available.

In an article on GoNOMAD.com called, "Voluntouring: Doing More With Your Vacation," Mary Luz Mejia wrote, "Ever find yourself in some remote corner of the world, basking in golden sunlight, sipping a cocktail, only to feel a twinge of guilt? Care for a little philanthropy with your all-inclusive?

Well, not quite, but these days, “voluntouring” comes as close to this ideal as any vacation can. Part Peace Corps and part cultural immersion, voluntouring gives people from all walks of life a chance to lend a helping hand while experiencing vast and vibrant lands.

People around the world are drawn to the opportunity to do something more with their leisure time.

Ana Maria Quintanilla, a voluntourist herself, describes the people who participate in these kinds of programs as having 'a great sense of something bigger than themselves.'"

Read the Fine Print

I read an interesting article today, and I thought it pertained to travel in general. It's always a good idea to choose a travel agent, or a website that you trust when booking your trips. And always read the fine print...

In an article written by David Wilkening called "'Free' Airline Tickets Not Worth the Price" he wrote, "If you won a dozen round-trip coach tickets for two from the US to anywhere in the world, you would probably think it was a great deal. But for a New York man, the price was all wrong.

The contest was part of American Airline’s “We Know Why You Fly” marketing campaign for the best videos, essays or photos about flying experiences.

Fine print in the contest explained that winners must pay federal and state income taxes on the approximate value of $2,200 a ticket.

“I don’t know where they got that $2,200 from. I’ve never spent more than $1,000 for a plane ticket in my life, “ New York winner Jack McCall told The Wall Street Journal Online.

Taxes for each of his 24 tickets came to about $800, he complained.
He complained the tax bill could be higher than the cost of the tickets.

In the end, Mr McCall declined the free tickets."

Try booking airline tickets online. It gives you more flexibility and the ability to try out many different sites and airlines.

London's Changing of The Guards

Today was a rough day for London, but please don't be discouraged from traveling there. I have a trip planned to the great city at the end of the summer. Unfortunately, bad things can happen anywhere, but England is going to take every precaution to make sure that London is a safe place to live and travel to.

One of the coolest things to see in London is the Changing of the Guards in Buckingham.

On the London Walks website, in an article called, "The Changing of the Guard," the author wrote, "...bearskin-hatted soldiers, dressed in scarlet tunics march to foot stomping tunes played by a live military band above which sergeant majors bark their orders. However, there is much more to the ceremony than that which unfolds in front of Buckingham Palace...

The best way to enjoy the ceremony is to make your way to the traffic lights at the junction of The Mall and Marlborough Road at 11:05am. At a little after 11:10am, the Regimental Banner, escorted by the Old Guard's commanding officer and a detachment of the guards, will be marched straight past you en route for Buckingham Palace. The moment they've passed, cross over The Mall and make your way quickly through the gates of St. James's Park opposite, cross the bridge over the lake, turn right, and cut left diagonally across the grass to arrive at the Wellington Barracks on Birdcage Walk. Position yourself on the corner opposite the main gates, and at 11:25am the New Guard will march straight past you from their barracks and make their way to Buckingham Palace...

Once there walk along Marlborough Road, turn left at the end and a little way along you will encounter either one or two guards standing proudly to attention and completely at your mercy. This is the main gate to St James’s Palace and this is just about the only spot where you can actually stand alongside the guards and have your photograph taken trying to make them laugh or attempting to get them to talk! But once more never, ever, touch one of them as the results might not be quite what you expected.

Learn More about London.

Stratton Summer School

“If you’ve ever had a hankering to learn a new sport, then you are in just the right place,” said Myra Foster in an article called, “Summer Schools” in Stratton Magazine.

She attended Stratton Summer Resort and Stratton's Golf School. She said, “When a round of golf stirs up more stress than a day in the office, it’s time to seek professional help. I’ve played for years, but with neither patience to practice nor time for lessons, I hack along with just enough great shots to keep me coming back for more. This summer I decide to shoot for consistency, which leads me to the Stratton Golf School, for there I will find a better game “guaranteed!” According to the website anyway.

Before I am even out of the car, a crisply dressed pro appears to collect my golf bag. I head into the classroom and start reviewing our syllabus. We’ll rotate through four stations each day, from full swing to putting, chipping/pitching and trouble shots…

The welcome remarks begin. “While you are here, you can expect to hit between 400 and 500 golf balls, which exceeds the average 18-hole round by a few strokes…or maybe not.” The instructors introduce themselves in a light-hearted banter that borders on stand-up comedy.”

Stratton Summer Resort also has spas, beautiful hotel accommodations, tennis school, fly fishing school, shooting school, falconry, and many more fun options.

Stratton is only one of the many Vermont summer attractions.

Making Rail Travel Simple

In a press release titled, “Consumers Now Have Access to Inexpensive Train Tickets in Italy- Europe's #1 Destination,” it discussed a new website, www.ItaliaRail.com that provides low prices, many travel options, and the ability to avoid lines with prepaid rail tickets.

It said, “ItaliaRail.com is the first site in North America to offer a comprehensive, online selection to making reservations on the Railroads of Italy at the lowest prices in the market. Consumers can now save money and travel smarter before they vacation in Italy by conveniently booking their reservations and tickets in advance.

Rail travel is one of the best ways to experience Italy. Touring Italy by way of Italian rail is an easy and inexpensive way to leisurely view the country's scenic beauty, cities and small villages, as well as a way to meet many of the local people. Whether travelers are visiting popular cities such as Florence, Rome and Venice or one of the more remote rural destinations, rail travel makes it simple to get around and see all of the sights without the hassles of traffic congestion, unsafe roads, parking problems and budget-busting gas prices. And given the current value of the Euro, many savvy U.S. travelers are buying as much of the trip as possible in U.S. dollars before leaving.”

There are so many great travel destinations in Europe, and the convenience of the rail system makes it even more appealing.

E-Tickets Take Off

In an article called, "Scottish agency adopts e-tickets", Phil Davies, describes the convenience and growing adoption of electronic airline tickets, rather than paper tickets.

He wrote, "Kenneth Macleod Travel is one of the first UK travel agencies to ditch paper airline tickets in one of its locations in favor of e-tickets.

IATA’s ‘Simplifying the Business’ strategy calls for the withdrawal of all paper tickets from travel agencies worldwide by the end of 2007. The organization has updated its regulations governing ticketing locations to encourage agencies down the e-ticketing path.

Kenneth Macleod Travel managing director Julian Stark said: “With nearly 70% of all tickets currently issued in the UK being electronic and the various savings and efficiencies available to ETL agents, we thought it was the right move to make for this location.

“The functionality offered by MySabre, combined with the fact that we no longer need to handle tickets, means the amount of time and money spent on after-sale administration has been greatly reduced. Our travel counselors are now spending their time selling to customers, rather than drowning in paper and administrative detail.”

Sabre Travel Network’s vice-president for the UK and Ireland Reet Wiseman said: …We’re focused on helping our agency customers streamline costs and processes. This, in turn, will help them provide the very best customer service at a time when the struggle for customer loyalty is tougher than ever.”

Venice of America

In a USA TODAY article written by Laura Bly, she discusses Venice, CA and it's celebration of 100 wonderful years, Venice's centennial.

She wrote, "When tobacco magnate Abbot Kinney set out to transform an unsavory swath of Southern California marshes and dunes into a tourist and cultural mecca like its Italian namesake, critics blasted the idea as "Kinney's Folly."

A century later, most of Venice's seaside canals — where an adjacent empty lot now goes for at least $1 million — have been filled in. The gondoliers were long ago supplanted by bodybuilders (Arnold Schwarzenegger pumped iron at an outdoor gym called Muscle Beach), scruffy bohemians (iconoclasts have found a haven here since the Beat Generation), and skateboarders (local teens who made the sport famous in the 1970s are fictionalized in the new movie Lords of Dogtown).

"Venice is at the leading edge of where post-modern, creative spontaneity reinvents itself," former resident Rip Cronk declares. The artist has painted about a dozen murals in town, such as a send-up of Botticelli's Birth of Venus (with a Venus on roller skates) and a portrait of another former Venetian, rocker Jim Morrison of The Doors.

And starting this weekend, the Los Angeles enclave honors Kinney's dream with a summer-long celebration that plays up its offbeat past and present.

The action kicks off Saturday on Windward Circle, two blocks east of Ocean Front Walk (aka Venice Boardwalk), a 3-mile stretch of preeners, gawkers and occasional chain-saw jugglers that ranks as one of the state's biggest tourist attractions. Along with entertainment by a fire-spinning and drumming ensemble from Nevada's Burning Man Festival, organizers plan a classic and custom car show and a costume contest. Nudity is officially frowned upon, but pushing the envelope is not: "I've heard some people are spray-painting themselves," organizer Esquire Jauchem notes. "Whether that qualifies, we'll have to find out."

As for the remaining, now-spiffed-up canals, don't look for a fleet of tourist gondolas anytime soon: Most water access is by small, resident-owned boats."