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Travel Smarts

Tanya Schliff — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 22:29:03 +0000

With so many travel sites popping up on the internet, good information is just a click away. Here a are some interesting sites to check out before traveling.

Find historical flight data like price trends at Farecast.com – If you are flexible, Farecast can give you great information with easy to see graphs on when the best time buy your ticket will be.

Airline Information & Seating Reviews at SeatGuru.com – I have been on a flight from San Diego to London and used miles for First class and was so disappointed with my first leg on Continental from San Diego to Newark where the seats barely reclined and there was no media entertainment. I would not have wasted my miles if I checked the SeatGuru first, where they give great information on in-flight amenities, seating details and sections to be aware of.

Flight Delays at faa.gov – Ever checked for a flight delay before you left home only to find that there was one, but the airline didn’t release the information? Check out the Federal Aviation Administration site, where they report ALL flight-delay information since they are the air traffic control system command center.

Weather is the most accurate at NOAA.gov – Before you go anywhere always check NOAA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration site for the most current and extended weather forecasts.

Consider Hotel Timeshares

admin — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 13:03:30 +0000

Consider Hotel Timeshares; an article by Timeshare Hot Deal
From Hong Kong to Montreal, there are thousands of vacation opportunities all over our vast and diverse world. These new destinations, while spectacular on their own can be enhanced even further with exquisite, unique lodgings. That’s why finding the perfect hotel is so important. We’re here to help you find the best-possible lodging for you and your family every time you travel. If you’re a first-time visitor to our site, please browse our wide array of worldwide hotels. If you’ve already used our services, welcome back.

Perhaps you’ve returned because you enjoyed your stay so much that you’re interested in returning again and again. Many hotels now offer timeshare units so that you and your family can secure annual or biennial vacations in the vacation destination of your choice. For the frequent vacationer, timeshares can save you thousands because you won’t be shelling out money every time you vacation. Rather, with a timeshare you’ll have secured and paid for your week long ahead of time.

Time shares allow vacationers to frequent a favorite destination for a fraction of the cost of other lodging options because they allow owners to share the cost of the vacation property. If, for example, you decide to purchase one week annually, that week will be secured for you. Other owners will also purchase time at the resort and then the cost will be divided among all of you.

Inquire with your favorite hotel to see if they offer timeshares for sale. Some hotels will offer these units within the same property, while others will have their own resorts dedicated specifically to timeshares. Buying timeshare with a hotelier that you’ve previously had a successful stay with is a great way to ensure that you’ll be happy with your long-term purchase. And just like their hotelier counterparts, there are timeshares all over the world.

But unlike staying in a hotel every time you return, with a timeshare you’ll have locked in one rate that you can comfortably budget for. Never again will you be at the whim of the lodging market, which fluctuates frequently based on any number of factors from local economy to vacation season. A timeshare will let you confidently plan for your vacation without having to worry about the cost of lodging. In fact, once you own your property outright, timeshares only ever cost an annual or biennial maintenance fee (respective to your usage) to secure accommodation.

Finally, a timeshare can help you escape the ordinary every time you travel because you can use your vacation property to travel the world. Vacation clubs like Marriott and exchange companies like RCI make it possible for you to trade your week at your home resort for a week anywhere in the world. Take a week in China one year, and a week in Napa Valley the next. With a timeshares, your vacations will never be ordinary again.

For more information visit TimeShare Hot Deals online.
www.timesharehotdeal.com

Eco Rider

Tanya Schliff — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 21:53:45 +0000

Transportation companies in the United States and Europe are finding new ways to win your hearts and get your business by going green.

Planet Tran available in Boston and San Francisco from $60 per hour; EcoLimo in Los Angeles also from $60 per hour and Executive Car Service in London from $60 per hour are available to chauffeur you and your conscience in biodiesel or hybrid cars with all the same luxuries that you are used to like GPS and plush leather.

Night, Lights & Snow

Tanya Schliff — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 02:37:38 +0000

Illuminating the slopes can be an awe-inspiring view, but experiencing the lighted trails at off peak times and often at a lower cost are some very enticing benefits. Of course, you have to brave the chill factor.

These mountains offer moonlight ski runs:

Zermatt, Switzerland for 63 Swiss francs and 47.50 for children, the price includes dinner and one-way transport.

Keystone, Colorado, $51 to ski from 4-9 and they also offer Full Moon Snow-shoe tours at $35, reservations required.

Whistler Resort, Canada offers Night Cross-Country skiing at 4-8 Canadian dollars.

Stowe Mountain, Vermont offers night skiing at $21-$27
Source: NY Times

For the hottest ski resorts, visit our Great Eight Hotels: North American Ski Escapes

Blissful Pre-Birth Getaway

Tanya Schliff — Mon, 14 Jan 2008 20:36:04 +0000

Also known as Babymoon, luxury pre-birth getaway packages are popping up on the menu’s of many high-end resorts as the perfect escape for expectant couples looking for some pampering before their bundle of joy arrives.

As a first time mother-to-be, planning our last peaceful getaway has got me searching for the perfect escape to take with my hubby. With so many choices, I am having a tough time deciding. Take a look at the W Hotel’s response to this new trend in travel.

W Hotel San Francisco, New York, San Diego, Westwood – W hotel has really got it going on. Named the ‘Baby Me Package’ and is offered if you book and stay by April 30, 2008. The package includes; fashionable Skip Hop DUO baby bag, The MOdern Girl’s Guide to Motherhood book, Cute cotton Whoops Baby Onesie, subscription to Cookie magazine, Bliss Foot Patrol, 2 delicious delights from the Womb Service Menu, membership to modernmom.com. Book online and mention Baby Me Package.

Yoga 101

Tanya Schliff — Wed, 03 Oct 2007 16:49:43 +0000

Whether you have been practicing Yoga for a very long time or are ready to learn more about it, there are fabulous Yoga retreats found across the globe catering to all levels of experience. Before we talk about wellness resorts and retreats, here some Yoga basics…

Yoga is an ancient Indian body of knowledge that dates back more than 5000 years ago. The word “Yoga” came from the Sanskrit word “yuj” which means “to unite or integrate.” Yoga then is about the union of a person’s own consciousness and the universal consciousness.

Six Branches of Yoga
Hatha Yoga (Yoga of Postures) is the most widely known path of Yoga and you are probably most familiar with it because of its popularity in the West. This branch of Yoga uses physical poses or Asana, Breathing Techniques or Pranayama, and Meditation to achieve better health, as well as spirituality. There are many styles within this path – Iyengar, Integral, Ashtanga, Bikram, Kripalu, and Jiva Mukti to name a few.

The other five branches are: Bhakti Yoga (Yoga of Devotion) is the path most followed in India. This is the path of the heart and devotion. Yogis who practice this branch sees the “One” or the Divine in everyone and everything.
Raja Yoga (Yoga of Self-Control). This path is considered to be the King of Yoga and this may be due to the fact that most of its practitioners are members of religious and spiritual orders. Raja Yoga is based on the teachings of the Eight Limbs of Yoga found in the Yoga sutras. Jnana Yoga (Yoga of the Mind) is the path of Yoga that basically deals with the mind, and as such, it focuses on man’s intelligence. Karma Yoga (Yoga of Service) is the path of service for in this path, it is believed that your present situation is based on your past actions. So by doing selfless service now, you are choosing a future that is free from negativity and selfishness. Finally, Tantra Yoga (Yoga of Rituals) This Yoga is about using rituals to experience what is sacred. Although sex is a part of it, sex is not the whole of it since this path aims to find what is sacred in everything we do. Tantra Yogis must possess certain qualities like purity, humility, devotion, dedication to his Guru, cosmic love, and truthfulness among other things.

Types of Hatha Yoga
Ashtanga / Power – An athletic, fast paced yoga that is not recommended for beginning students. The core emphasis is on Vinyasa – incorporating Ujjayi Pranayama and linking the breath with each movement throughout the practice. Ashtanga has a rigid sequence of poses and uses the practice of Mula Bandha. Power yoga is a derivative of Ashtanga using a more creative sequencing of poses.

Bikram / Hot – Physically focused and athletic yoga practiced in a room heated to 100+ degrees. Bikram is a rigid sequence of 26 poses, while Hot yoga incorporates more of a variety of poses.

Iyengar – A technical yoga with a strong focus on alignment and a heavy use of props. Iyengar yoga also emphasizes the therapeutic properties of the poses. A good choice for the beginning student.

Kripalu – an therapeutic, gentle and spiritually focused yoga with clear alignment and a three stage approach incorporating Pratyahara (inner focus) and Dhrana (meditation) within the yoga poses. Great choice for the beginning student.

Kundalini – an dynamic, esoteric and energizing yoga incorporating pranayama, movement, asana, and chanting. The aim of Kundalini is to invoke the dormant spiritual energy at the base of the spine.

Sivananda – an traditional approach to yoga with a ridgid class structure of asana, pranayama, meditation and relaxation. Sivananda yoga teaches many advanced poses making it not the best place for a beginning student.

Viniyoga – a therapeutic and individualistic approach to yoga incorporating Vinyasa through the use of repetitious movements in and out of a posture. This highly adaptable yoga is good for students with physical limitations or injuries.

Galactic Space Resort

Tanya Schliff — Tue, 14 Aug 2007 15:17:15 +0000

“Imagine it”, they say.

Around the world in 80 minutes.
Watching 15 sunsets in one day.
A spaceship suite that goes from 0 km/h to 28,000 km/h in ten minutes.
Astronaut training while relaxing on a tropical paradise island.

Could this really take place in our lifetime? We have heard Branson talk about orbital flights with Virgin Galactic, now, Galactic Suite proposes an “out of this world” (literally) transcendental experience . Founded in 2007, Galactic Suite is a private space tourism company that intends to develop orbital resorts with modular bio-inspired space habitats. They aim to build the world’s first space resort in orbit by 2012.

Onboard the world’s first space resort you will have the unique opportunity to explore a whole new world of sensations: weightlessness activities, space sports, surreal sleeping arrangements, star gazing, views of the earth and the moon, take pictures of auroras and others to be discovered.

If this sounds like your dream, here is the lowdown…

The price will include 18 weeks preparation on a Caribbean island, the journey into space and three nights accommodation in the orbital hotel

During their stay, the space tourists will participate in international space experiments

Galactic Suite Project has presented the first space tourism package to include preparation, transport and accommodation in an orbital hotel. The Barcelona-based space tourism company was formed by various professionals in the aerospace industry.
The journey is likely to last 18 weeks, and the first tickets should go on sale in 2008 for around 3 million pounds. Read on…