In this video from www.TheExpeditioner.com which was shot in late June, 2008, you can see about the presenters trip to Scandinavia. His first stop was in Stockholm, Sweden, during the longest day of the year (the Midsummer holiday). In this video he explores this active, cosmopolitan capital of Scandinavia and head out under the midnight sun to check out its nightlife.
A friend of mine from work has just left Australia for a seven week European holiday. She is going with her husband and son. Before going she spent hours and hours researching options for accommodation while on holiday.
They are going to Rome, Paris, Barcelona, London and the south of France.
What she found was an option to stay in other people’s apartments. The accommodation in Rome and Paris was booked through something like that. The London accommodation was meant to also be home stay however she came across a scam listing on the site.
She did this as some of the data did not seem to match up and as she researched further it became obvious that the listing was a scam. She got onto the site administrators and they removed the listing.
I saw some of the properties that my friend booked and they look fantastic. Instead of just getting a hotel room my friend and her family will enjoy two bedroom apartments complete with kitchen. So much better than just a hotel.
If you are interested in booking similar accommodation you can do it at HouseTrip Holiday.
On the HouseTrip Holiday site there are thousand of accommodation options in many of the top cities in Europe. Some examples of prices are from 18 Euro in Berlin, 45 Euros for Paris.
Interested in a holiday without settling for just a hotel room then visit HouseTrip Holiday
If you are wondering what a ball park figure would be for 6 or 7 days in Beijing not including hotel or accommodation read on.
Beijing of course is now best known as the host for the 2008 summer games. That raised the profile of the city as a result of the huge coverage the Olympic games receives.
I was actually over in Beijing at the time of the Olympics and from that can give you a rough guide for spending a week in Beijing. I have also spent 18 months living in Beijing and have been there as a tourist on several occasions.
That time was most likely the most expensive time to be in Beijing so if you go now you could expect cheaper prices.
For a week in the city assuming you are eating out most of the time you would need around $500 US.
Meals can be cheap or expensive compared with US prices. If you eat like a local you can enjoy a fantastic Chinese meal for around $4 US. Eat at a western style restaurant and you could be looking at $50 for a meal.
If you want some KFC or McDonalds there are plenty in the city. You can expect to pay around $2 for a Big Mac and around $3 for a KFC meal.
To get around the city there is an excellent transport network. The subway costs 2 RMB for a trip with unlimited transfers except on the airport line which costs 25 RMB or around $3 USD. You would probably spend $2 a day on transport. You can even get out to the Great Wall for a couple of dollars.
Now the shopping in Beijing is an interesting experience. You can bargain at many shops and prices are low if you stay away from the name brands. I spent less than $50 for new jeans, a few shirts and a few other odds and ends.
While in Beijing you would want to visit some attractions such as the Forbidden City, Tienanmen Square and the Temple of Heaven. All up the cost would be around 100 RMB or $15 US.
For the week your food costs would be around $70. Transport $15 and shopping $150. Attractions $15. All up that makes it $250 US for a week in Beijing not including accommodation or a flight to Beijing.
San Francisco is one of my favourite cities in the USA. I spent four nights there in the late 90s and enjoyed watching many television shows that had San Francisco as the setting.
I also passed though on the way up to Canada when driving from San Diego. What I like about San Francisco is the bay and of course the Golden Gate bridge. I also enjoyed walking around the city centre and catching the tram from down at the bay.
My one tip for catching the tram is don’t jump off when it is still moving. I almost had an embarassing mishap when I jumped off while it was still on the go.
There is plenty to see and do in San Francisco. It is also a few hours drive from Yosemite National Park. A friend of mine and myself hired a car in San Francisco and headed East to the park. It was truely spectacular and well worth the visit.
Things to do in San Francisco include a visit to Fisherman’s Wharf, Pier 39 and Ghiradelli Square. A visit to Alcatraz and of course you have to take a drive over the Golden Gate Bridge. You can also do as I did and catch a cable car.
Another interesting place to visit is Lombard Street often referred to as the “crookedest street” in San Francisco. The best place to get that must take photo is from the bottom looking up.
For the sports fan you can take in a match involving the San Francisco 49ers in the NFL or the San Francisco Giants baseball team. Or you can head over to Oakland and watch the Raiders or the Golden State Warriors.
The video above shows some of the sights of San Francisco.
BBC News reporter Emma Simpson calls the Royal Caribbean Oasis of the Seas “Las Vegas on Water”. The ship was launched in December 2009 and can carry 5400 passengers double occupancy.
The ship is entertainment of water. It includes a 700 seat amphitheater and is a quarter of a mile long. Also on board you will discover that it has a carousel.
Captain Bill Wright has the honor of commanding the largest passenger ship afloat today as it mostly sails from Florida to the Caribbean and back.
The biggest challenge for Royal Caribbean is not navigating the high seas but navigating the global economic downturn. The ship was on the drawing board a bit over six years ago and back then no one saw the troubled financial times ahead.
Not only do Royal Caribbean need to keep the Oasis of the Seas full of passengers in the years ahead but they also have another mega cruise ship the Allure of the Seas which is the sister ship. The Allure of the Seas will make its debut on December 1, 2010.
Some of the entertainment options on board include the Casino Royale, Studio B, featuring ice shows, Opal Theater which is a 1380 seat venue and the Blaze Nightclub.
The Oasis of the Seas mostly sails for seven nights from Fort Lauderdale, Florida and then visits St. Tomas, St. Maarten and the Bahamas.
There is a special nine night cruise departing Fort Lauderdale on 30 December.
Visit the Royal Caribbean page on this site for more information about booking a cruise.
My wife and I recently booked a cruise with P&O cruise lines as we wanted a holiday together before the birth of our second child.
We booked so that we would be going at week 24 of the pregnancy. It was then after having made the booking that we then thought hmmm what is the policy relating to pregnant women on a cruise with P&O?
We then searched the P&O website and discovered that a pregnant women needed to complete her cruise before entering week 24 of the pregnancy. Oh dear we thought.
The cancellation period to get all of your money back had passed so we thought we had wasted some of our money as we could not get a full refund.
After that discovery we contacted our travel agent at Oz Cruising and explained the situation. They contacted P&O cruises who were then nice enough to offer a full refund after we showed evidence of the pregnancy.
This was good and bad news as we still wanted a holiday before the baby comes along so we looked at an earlier cruise and we were able to get onto that.
P&O allowed us to transfer the original payment across to our second booking and it is now not long until we will be off on our cruise. We both cannot wait.
The moral of the story is to always check the policy for pregnant women with whatever travel option you decide to use if going on a vacation while pregnant.
Here is the pregnancy information for P&O cruises.
Nick Vivion takes you on a tour of Panama. From Panama City to outlying areas of the country he takes you on a journey. In the end he does not want to leave himself. What does that tell you? Panama is fast becoming a popular tourist destination so visit now before the crowds take over.
Watch and enjoy this video from Lonely Planet.
Bucharest was once known as the Paris of the East. The city is 500 years old and has a population of around 2 million. Bucharest is the capital of Romania.
There are plenty of museums, art galleries and bars to keep all entertained.
WatchMojo.com presents… A helpful travel guide for anyone planning on visiting the Central European country of Romania.
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In this video you can take a look back in time when the White Ships were the ones to be soon on. This was the time of romance on the high seas.
The White Ships, by Canadian author Duncan O’Brien, is the first comprehensive history of the six classic white liners operated by Matson Navigation Company between California, Hawaii, the South Pacific, New Zealand and Australia from 1927 until 1978. www.whiteships.com
In this video you can learn what inspired the cruise ship Oasis of the Seas by Royal Caribbean.
It is a magnificent cruise ship and one that I hope to travel on in the near future.
The ship sails out of Fort Lauderdale, Florida for 5 or 7 night cruises to the Caribbean.
Want to learn more? Go to http://cheapflightscruises.com/royalcaribbeancruises.html
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