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So Much To Visit In Barcelona
Sep 22nd
Each country in Europe has plenty to offer culturally, historically, artistically and even gastronomically, which also means all kinds of short city breaks to choose from such as a family getaway, an unforgettable stag or hen night with your mates, or a shopping trip with a best mate.
It is so easy now to plan your trip from the beginning to the end, and it is even easier with online reservations so accessible, so ready your travel plans, grab your bags and have yourself an amazing city destination to look forward to.
Gaudi and Dali, excellent museums, relics beside state-of-the-art architecture, fashionable apartments, exciting bars and fare, all on top of a stunning Mediterranean shoreline. Stretching from La Ramblas covering the old port of Barcelona and the Placa Catalunya, an entire day can be dedicated to exploring the Barri Gothic Quarter without venturing any further as there is so much to see and do. Roam around the mazes of the cobbled walkways sandwiched between tall buildings which lead to delightful courtyards, and then take a break in one of the open air cafes filled with bustling tapas joints in the vicinity. Take the Picasso walking tour and learn about his favourite places when he lived here for a decade, with a visit to the well known Sala Pares and Museu Picasso.
Originally planned by Catalan publisher Joseph Bocabella, who wished to attain Catholic Church triumphs via the guard of St. Joseph, this mammoth assignment ultimately landed in the hands of Gaudi at the young age of thirty one years old. Any architectural trip has to begin with Antoni Gaudi, the best Catalan architect there ever was.
Barcelona is still the birthplace for many progressive architects such as the award winning Ricardo Bofill, the man behind the iconic W Barcelona, shaped like a gigantic boat sail. W Barcelona beats other prestigious applicants to take the Best Hotel Architecture in Europe award in 2010, which honours his architectural structures that harmonise with local cultures. It will also be hard to miss the perfect geometric block of ME Barcelona Hotel, a glass building designed by French architect Dominique Perrault. There are lots of public spaces to enjoy in the city including the beaches and parks. Its public spaces can be enjoyed simultaneously by the young or old, from the boulevards to the famous Guell Park, another Park de la Ciudadella, and a park in Ciutat Vella famous for its museums and boating lake.
There are also plenty more modern architectural treasures in the area if you inspect closely, such as the Hotel Habitat Sky which is also part of the ME hotel brand, the extraordinary facade of the Barcelona Biomedical Research Park as well as Diagonal ZeroZero Tower, which resembles modern architecture of Japan. Besides architecture, Barcelona is also notable for its art of living it up at night, where there is a number of clubs and pubs comprising practically every theme for all palates and budgets. Barri Gothic and Las Ramblas, both centrally located, have a terrific Gothic ambiance hence exceptionally popular for foreigners as well as locals. The area is full of niche clubs and watering holes, and you will find and a great variety of chic venues mixed amongst the obvious tourist places.
Many of these clubs will only begin to get crowded after 1am and may start to close at 5, some at 6 or 7am, but do not fret as you can continue partying as there is always an eager crew handing out leaflets for even more after clubs which stay open until the afternoon. A couple hours catching some sleep at your apartment or hotel and it is time to start all over again! If you want more of the local culture then there are always the local hang outs to go to. These joints may be packed with elderly folks playing cards and there will be no banging music or bad manners there.
Hence it is easy to see why Barcelona appeals to everyone, with a wealth of art galleries, weird and wonderful architecture, one-off shopping boutiques, irresistible bars and food, night-time venues and more, everyone will be spoilt for choice. The abundance of studio apartments Barcelona and hotels makes reservation easy and convenient, so do not miss out on this captivating city.
Top 35 Free Sites for Europe Travel Tips Everybody Ought to Know About
Jun 25th
When planning a trip to Europe, there are a ton of available resources for travelers. With this is mind, it is often time-consuming to wade through all of the websites to find really valuable information.
Here is a list of some of the top travel resources for planning a trip to Europe.
1) Wikitravel
This is one of the best sites for travel available. It is open source, so it is constantly updated; further, it is usually locals or people who have direct, experience with an area who contribute information. Thus you get localized information you might not have gotten elsewhere.
2) World Travel Tips
This is a huge, comprehensive resource for world travel. It includes forums, articles, links, free membership and much more for every continent. Their European section covers every European Country and offer in-depth information about each one.
3) About.com: Europe for Visitors
This is a great site dedicated to travel in Europe from About.com. Geared towards everyone from first time to experienced travelers, it is a goldmine of European travel and planning information.
4) Virtual Tourist
This is a great travel guide. Their motto is ‘real travelers – real info.” This seems consistent with the site, which has everything from transportation reviews to the best travel deal and trip planners. The site also includes forums where you can read about other people’s adventures in Europe.
5) Travel Europe
This is an swicki (cross between a search engine and wikipedia) where community users can add, remove and improve the results. This particular swicki is geared towards travel in Europe and is a great resource fro planning a trip to or in Europe.
6) Visiteurope.com
This is the European travel commission’s guide to Europe and is packed with tons of useful information, articles, advice and much much more.
7) Europe for Visitors
This is a site that offer European news, general advice, specific country advice, hotels, links to city guides, tourist offices and much, much more.
8.) Europecities.com
This is a comprehensive portal site that offers European city reviews and guides to hundreds of European cities and over 40 European countries.
9) Travel Library
Travel Library is an impartial resource for travelers and offers a plethora of resources that offer in-depth travel information, from hotel and hostel ideas to travelogues and most popular locations.
10) Europa: Traveling in Europe
A huge site that offers tools and information for over 30 European Countries. Each country has their own site dedicated to travel resources, information news and more from that country. Categories for visitors include: documents you will need, choosing a time to travel, getting there, staying healthy, money, shopping, communicating, pets, and if things go wrong.
11) Europa: Your Europe
While this site is geared towards European citizens, it still offers tons of great information for visitors outside of Europe. Information categories include: working in Europe, education and study, living in Europe, traveling in Europe, consumer protection, European citizenship and diplomatic protection.
12) European Union Website
This is the official website of the European Union. It offers news, educational resources and tons of links to information about what’s going on in Europe and well as youth travel portals, travel guides, transportation information and much, much more.
13) Yahoo Answers
This is a great place to ask questions and get answers about anything Europe related. You ask the question and get a number of answers, then choose the answer that fits your question best. This site is great because it gives you several points of view to read and learn from and is focused on sharing knowledge.
14) Travels Wise
This site offers tons of information about travel in Europe and countries including Belarus, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Greece, Iceland, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Poland, Russia, Spain, Switzerland, and the Ukraine.
15) Rick Steves’ Travel Tips
This site is a large portal site that offers tips and advice for exploring Europe safely, effectively and confidently. From packing tips and safety to accommodations and communications, you will find what you’re looking for.
16) Travel Punk
This site offers travel tips and advice targeted at backpackers, budget travelers and tourists. Offers tons of great information as well as travel tools and resources for finding cheap flights and accommodations.
17) TERC Europe Travel Tips
Offers tips on traveling in Europe and categories run the gamut from packing tips and staying healthy and safe to money matters, budget planning, food and accommodations and much more. It is a huge site that is well worth visiting for any Europe travel-related needs.
18) Accessible Journeys
This is an awesome travel site that offers a wealth of information, tips and travel advice about accessibility and traveling in a wheelchair. With information on everything from traveling with your wheelchair or scooter to equipment rentals, handicapped parking permits in Europe and accessible ways to travel, it is a great resource.
19) Europe Travel Tips
A large portal with tons of travel tools, articles and information about travel in 40 European countries, from Austria to the United Kingdom.
20) Independent Traveler
Great site offering lots of travel tips and advice to independent travelers.
21) Travel-and-transport.com
This is a highly useful portal that offers basic and necessary transportation information for Denmark, Finland, Germany, Norway and Sweden. New to the site is a route planner that is especially handy.
22) Travel Notes: Europe
Comprehensive travel notes and advice for traveling throughout Europe. Lots of links, resources and tools for travelers.
23) Open Travel Info
Great travel site with a large amount of travel and Europe related information. The forums and articles are especially useful.
24) Discover Europe
Another excellent portal site that offers a wealth of tools, resources and links for travelers to learn about different European countries and plan their trips effectively and efficiently.
25) World 66: Europe
This is a great wiki site that allows members (free) to change and information. It has a great travel guide, maps, and resources for getting to Europe and getting around it. Members can also post photos and there is a cool photo gallery of different places in Europe. Well worth checking out.
26) Backpacker.net
Geared towards backpackers, this is one of the better sites for information, advice and travel planning for backpackers. Users can submit and read recommendations for hostels, tours, bars, beers and much more.
27) WorldWideBackpackers.com
This site is another excellent resource for backpackers and other travelers. While it is geared towards backpackers, there is a wealth of rich information for all travelers, so you should definitely pay them a visit.
28) Gate 1 Travel
This is a travel site for Central Europe. there is a wealth of information that is super handy; they offer info from climate and clothing advice to packing, required travel documents, travel insurance, transportation, communication and much more.
29) Backpackeurope.com
This is another site that is geared towards backpackers in Europe but is highly useful for all travelers. Has Europe travel tips, advice on packing, hostels and hotels, transportation and links to other travel resources.
30) Gemut.com
This is a great travel site that offers visitors advice on everything from car rental and rail travel to hotel reservations, money matters and much more.
31) Travels With Friends: Travel Tips for Europe
Travel tips and advice from planning your trip to executing it. The site’s creators travel Europe and research sites, accommodations, destinations and much more, so there is great, first-hand information available on all aspects of travel in Europe.
32) Suite 101: Eastern Europe & Russia Travel
Travel, culture and trip planning and advice. This is an excellent resource for finding out more about Eastern Europe and its cultures.
33) Traveler’s Point
Europe advice, tips and travel help for all European countries.
34) Budget Travel Online
Great site offering ideas, how-tos, advice and tips for travelers.
35) Yahoo Travel
Yahoo’s comprehensive travel site offers a wealth of information on all European Countries and many of its countries. Another great resource to check out.
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How To Make Sure You Find The Best Holiday Travel Deals
Apr 25th
In today’s world, it seems that almost any topic is open for debate. While I was gathering facts for this article, I was quite surprised to find some of the issues I thought were settled are actually still being openly discussed.
You may not consider everything you just read to be crucial information about the best holiday travel deals. But don’t be surprised if you find yourself recalling and using this very information in the next few days.
The internet gives us access to just about anything we can imagine. This includes finding flights, trains, buses, hotel rooms, and rental cars that we can use to travel for the holidays. While most of these entities are more expensive when you travel over the holidays due the demand, you can still find some good deals if you take the time to look.
You will generally find that you can save the most money on holiday travel if you purchase a complete package deal. This is less expensive than buying each piece that you need individually. It also provides you with only one confirmation number that you need to keep track of instead of several different ones.
There are literally hundreds of sites online where you can look for holiday travel deals. You can search by your destination in a search engine or choose the various sites you have heard about. It is a good idea to keep a list of the sites you visit and the prices you are coming across. This way you can compare the prices and easily remember where you want to go back to.
Most of the time fares will be cheaper online than by contacting the place directly because it saves their business time of having to set up the travel arrangements for you. Make sure you carefully read all of the information though because some travel deals have hidden costs that you don’t want to be liable for. You also need to check into the cancellation policies and about rescheduling your trip.
Some online travel deals don’t offer any refunds at all so if a family member dies or you have an unexpected illness you won’t be able to get your money back. Even if you show up late for your flight because you got caught up at security they won’t honor your purchase. This can be extremely risky because there are too many variables that can affect holiday travel.
Make sure you also pay close attention to the amount of time that you will be in the process of getting to your destination. You may find a killer price but it isn’t going to be worth it if you have several connecting flights and layovers along the way. Look for direct methods to get to your destination whenever it is possible. There are simply too many delays during holiday travel to ensure you can get to those connections on time.
Many of the sites you visit online will allow you to sign up for special offers and promotions. You should take advantage of these offers so that you don’t have to continually return to their site to check for changes in prices. Some of them even allow you to enter a price so that you can be notified if the price of the trip you want drops to that price. For those that can only afford holiday travel if it fits a specific budget, this is a valuable feature.
During your search online for holiday travel, be flexible with your dates. You will be able to save hundreds of dollars just by being willing to leave a day earlier or leaving in the evening instead of the afternoon. Those that want a specific travel arrangement will find this ties them into more expensive offers. Even if you travel a day earlier and have to pay for a hotel room that extra night you could save hundreds of dollars.
It does take some initial planning of where you want to travel and how you are going to get there in order to find the best travel deals. Investing a few hours of your time in getting the best price though is well worth the savings you will get from it. Millions of people travel each year over the holidays but some of them pay more for the same trip because they didn’t look for holiday travel deals online.
That’s how things stand right now. Keep in mind that any subject can change over time, so be sure you keep up with the latest news.
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The Advantages of Flying Using Air Charters
Feb 6th
Most of us have been used to flying through commercial flights from the major airlines. When we choose commercial flights, the only thing that we consider is if we are going to fly in the business class, first class or economy. Seldom do we consider that we subject ourself to airline policies and regulations that can be strenuous or affect our privacy. Very few people really consider flying through a private air charter. So, what exactly happens when you charter a private plane? Here are the things that will make you better understand flying through private air charters. Flying using a private air charter has a number of advantages, here are some of them.
1. Travel According To Your Schedule
Have you experienced trying to call airline after airline just to inquire if they will be able to book you for a flight so you can attend a business meeting in New York? Airlines offer you a scheduled flight that may not fit your schedule considering the other meetings that you have to attend before flying to New York. Finally, you no longer need to keep up with the schedule to keep up with the schedules that airlines give you. You can fly at whatever time you choose. This way, you wouldn’t have to cancel important meetings or family activities at home just so you wouldn’t be late for your next out-of-state business meeting.
2. Choose The Airport
Unlike major airlines that only fly to busy airports, flying using a chartered plane allows you to choose which airports can you land. Therefore, you don’t have to spend so much time traveling by car from the airport to your destination, if there is a nearby airport. Also, you can prefer to avoid landing in the congested airports to save your traveling time. There’s no need for connecting flights or to change planes. With a chartered aircraft, you have the convenience of traveling continuously from your location to your destination. Unlike with commercial flights where you have to change planes to get to the connecting flight, you can sit comfortably even from long country to country flights.
3. Be On Time
Delayed flights can really be annoying, especially if you only have a few minutes before you next business engagement. A few minutes of delay can cost you much money. And what could be worse that missing your flight? Nothing to worry anymore. Chartered flights help you keep up with all the things on you schedule because you can say when you would like to fly.
4. No Lost Luggage
Losing your luggage is a nuisance. What if you only have a few minutes to freshen up and change your clothes before your next schedule? You can’t spend so much time looking for your luggage which could be mistakenly taken by another flight passenger. And doesn’t help that the airport will just send the luggage to your place when they find it. Since you are flying on your own or with your associates in an air charter, the risk of having your luggage mistakenly taken by another person is very meager. What’s even better is that you know who you’re flying with.
5. Get More Privacy
Flying through a regular commercial flight doesn’t permit you to discuss transactions with your colleagues. What if you just thought of a better way to make your presentation? You restrain yourself from taking about confidential details of your transaction, as you might be heard by the people sitting in front or behind you. Or what if you’re just so tired and wanted to get some sleep but other people just keep on taking? Chartered airplanes give you the privacy to discuss business transactions with your colleagues. Or if you just choose to sleep and relax, you have enough room to rest and nobody will bother you.
6. Business Class Convenience
If you think flying through a chartered flight denies you of the personalized service offered by airlines, think again. You can also have catered foods and the amenities given to business flight passengers. So, if you want to have the convenience of flying when you want, wherever you want, the confidence that your luggage will not be lost and enough privacy to do what you want during your own time, flying using an air charter is the best option for you.
Spend Your Student Holidays Travelling
Jan 10th
There’s no time like your university years for finding your feet. Away from home and discovering how to make it in the wide world, this is the perfect period of your life to try experimenting with different things and trying out lifestyle choices. The long summer and winter breaks also make your student years good ones for fitting in some travel. There are very few jobs that offer such extensive breaks, so students are well advised to make the most of idle weeks while they can. Although, student status does make budgeting and choosing cost effective holidays a crucial part of the planning stage.
On the flip side, being a student can also often open up a whole selection of money saving opportunities – such as student rail cards and special deals. These special offers are sure to vary greatly from country to country, so make sure you do plenty of research before you travel to make sure you can get the best from them.
However, some investments work well in a variety of countries spread all across the globe, so an STA card could be a very good investment while if you know you’re likely to travel most in one particular region, such as in America or Europe, rail cards could be a good choice too. You can also trim your budget by buying an up to date guide book before travelling, as out of date information is like to send you on a wild – and expensive – goose chase.
If you’re not too worried about staying in luxurious surrounding, you’ll find that one of the best ways to save money while travelling is by staying in hostels. By choosing a bed in a dormitory you can drastically cut your costs, however you should be prepared for potentially disturbed sleeps. Hostels tend to suit younger travellers best, especially when they are open to making new friends, so your student years tend to be the perfect time for this money-saving ploy.
Of course, if you’re planning to travel the world during your student years, it’s important to make sure you’ll be covered for unforeseen circumstances. See if you can cut your costs by searching for specific student travel insurance policies and be sure to shop around to find the one that offers you the best cover for your circumstances and the kind of places you plan to travel to. Make the most of your chance to explore the world by preparing well and minimising risks.
A Paris Adventure
Nov 30th
No city is more exciting and romantic than Paris, the City of Light. Paris is one of the absolute must-see destinations on any traveler’s list, and the city is popular for good reason. Paris offers more to see and experience than perhaps any other city in the world and the list of attractions is quite long, keeping visitors coming back again and again to the historic and beautiful setting.
Paris has many of its most famous attractions crammed into a smaller area than the first-time tourist might have imagined. Within an easy walk of each other are the famed Louvre Museum, the Arc de Triomphe, the Champs-Elysees and, of course, the Eiffel Tower. Paris is a fantastic place for the pedestrian to explore – there is no better way to see the city than on foot. Don’t rush yourself, however, when it comes to the Louvre and some of the other great museums and galleries that Paris has to offer. One could spend many days appreciating the huge collections on display at the Louvre.
Dining in Paris is one of the most exquisite pastimes imaginable, with a galaxy of choices ranging from the simple and relatively inexpensive, to the absolute pinnacle of gastronomical artistry and prices to match. It’s worth splurging at least once in a lifetime on the unbelievably refined and astoundingly delicious creations offered by the master chefs the city is so famous for. Enjoy a fine meal at one of Paris’s hottest restaurants, like Le Grand Vefour or Maxim’s or just enjoy some French traditional cooking at one of Paris’s many less expensive, but still worthwhile, eating establishments.
Treat yourself to a luxurious suite in one of Paris’s renowned palace hotels in the heart of the city, like the Ritz or Victoria Palace, or choose the convenience of staying at the Hilton Hotel Charles de Gaulle, located in the airport with easy access to the city. A stay at the Hilton Hotel CDG will save the trouble of lugging all of your luggage into the city and for the jet-lagged traveler arriving to Paris, this may be a welcome choice.
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