Pete's Wicked Travels

Summer is not far away now and the chances are you’ve already made your holiday plans for this year. But if you’re still in two minds about where to go for a bit of sun this year, consider these firm favourite destinations and all they have to offer.

The South of France
A long-standing favourite amongst British holidaymakers, the South of France is blessed with a number of Europe’s best holiday resorts that offer a great variety of scenery, atmosphere and activities. From the glamorous marinas of St Tropez on the French Riviera, to the famous film festival city of Cannes, to bustling cities like Marseille and Nice, you will find no shortage of sun-kissed towns and humid nightlife along France’s south coast. Between these larger cities you’ll also find some beautiful coastal resorts where campsites and rental apartments offer something to suit all budgets. Whether you choose to travel across France by car, train or plane, worldwide travel insurance is a wise purchase to guard against any mishaps.

The Algarve
The summer climate in the South of France is hot enough for most people but those who really love the sunshine head to places like the Algarve, where temperatures in summer can push the mercury up over 40 degrees centigrade. Portuguese resorts like Albufeira, Lagos and Tavira are popular amongst families who love beach holidays, adventurous types who enjoy exploring the Portuguese countryside, and also golfers who head to the Algarve to play its exquisite courses. If you’re planning to head to the Algarve and need travel insurance compare prices and deals at online comparison sites to find the best cover for your needs.

Florida
If your family are feeling flush this year, you might be able to book a flight to Florida, where some of the world’s most famous beach resorts welcome summer holidaymakers from all over the globe each year. As well as sunspots like Florida Keys, the Gold Coast and Tampa Bay, Florida offers more adventurous getaways at places like the Everglades, Lake Okeechobee and, of course, Walt Disney World. In fact, there’s very little you could want from a summer holiday that can’t be found in fabulous Florida.

Cornwall
If your summer budget won’t stretch to the states but you still want sun, sea, surf and stunning scenery, consider Cornwall. Resorts like Newquay are hugely popular amongst young people who like to spend their days surfing or lounging on the beach and their nights partying, while places like Falmouth, St Agnes, Penzance and St Austell are steeped in the history of Cornwall and boast a wealth of excellent accommodation options, not to mention some half decent Cornish pasties!

Costa del Sol
Spain’s most famous suntrap runs along its southern coast and incorporates resorts like Torremolinos, Nerja, Fuengirola, Marbella and Malaga. The huge popularity of the Costa del Sol amongst British tourists has shaped the region in many ways, with plenty of ex-pats having moved out to Spain and set up bars and pubs that cater for those looking for home comforts. But the region remains a beauty spot, with spectacular white beaches, lush green mountains and meandering old town roads just waiting to be explored.

admin Travel Tips algarve, florida, france, holidays, summer, travel

I was recently asked to review HotelCalculator.com, a hotel comparison site that crawls all of the engines and delivers results.

Like many of the meta travel sites out there, users begin by putting their  travel dates in and comparing the options returned.  Upon choosing a hotel, users are sent directly from HotelCalculator.com to book the hotel at the hotel booking sites.

Comparing To Other Travel Search Engines
How does Hotel Calculator differ from the other sites out there?  First of all, they compare more than twenty hotel search engines.  That’s quite a few, and more than many meta travel sites.

Hotel Calculator has several ways to list results, including by price, star rating, distance, and popularity.  The popularity option is nice – rather than a biased “our personal picks” selection, like you see on other sites, it allows you to see just what other customers tend to book.  Additionally, it’s nice to have an easy currency changer at the top, allowing you to see the prices in several different currencies.

Hostels, apartments and B&Bs are all included as well as hotels and motels, and it’s easy to separate them by type or look at the complete list as a whole.  Beyond that, you can sort by amenities, including swimming pool, elevator, internet access (albeit not differentiating between paid and free internet, or WiFi accessibility), and accessibility for the disabled.

As far as the site design goes, it’s clean, basic, uncluttered, and very intuitive.  It’s hard to imagine anyone getting confused while using the site!

Hotel Calculator has also developed an iPhone app.  Integrating with the GPS feature on the iPhone or iPod touch, it’s a convenient way to find hotels nearest you.  I imagine this would be most useful when you’re in need of emergency accommodation.

Overall
Like most of the hotel comparison sites out there, Hotel Calculator works primarily with major hotels wired for the web.  If you’re looking for a tiny, family-owned guesthouse in a tiny, somewhat obscure beach town in Thailand, Hotel Calculator may not be the best choice for you.

However, if you’re looking for mainstream hotel accommodation in reasonably known destinations, Hotel Calculator is excellent.  According to the site, the most popular destinations are European cities.

I could absolutely see myself using Hotel Calculator any time I need accommodation.  Even if I already know which hotel I want to stay at, it would be an ideal place to make sure I’m paying the lowest price possible.

admin Travel Tips search. travel companies, travel, Travel Tips

There are many places which we can go to experience wildlife within our own country. We can go to zoos, nature reserves, animal sanctuaries and farms amongst others. There are very few places, however, where we can experience wildlife in its own environment. It is for this reason that many people choose to travel in order to experience some of the world’s most amazing creatures first hand in its natural environment. Below are some of the best places to travel to in order to experience wildlife in its purest form:

Costa Rica
Costa Rica has a diverse and magnificent range of wildlife. It is renowned worldwide for its conservation efforts, which include a number of national parks allowing animals to live in their natural habitat. The national parks make for an educational and life changing experience as you will be able to experience an environment which is largely untouched by man. Amongst the wildlife at these natural parks you will find monkeys, crocodiles, jaguars and exotic birds amongst others. The majority of accommodation is built with eco tourism in mind.

South American Rainforest
Widely considered to be home to the largest number of species around the world, the South American rainforest is a magnificent environment which, despite increasing human destruction, still expands over vast areas and provides a home to some of the most amazing wildlife in the world. If you are concerned that you do not want to contribute to the human influence on the forest, there are a number of companies who offer eco friendly trips.

Everglades
Located in southern USA, the Everglades is the ideal place to view wildlife in its own habitat whilst remaining in close proximity to the western world. Amongst the huge range of wildlife to inhabit the everglades include reptiles such as alligators, crocodiles, snakes, turtles and moccasin. The mammals include otters, raccoons and panthers. The birdlife alone is well worth the trip to the everglades, which includes the famous bald eagle together with a range of other rare birds of prey.

Guest post by James who works in the Travel industry and offers Rome apartments and Rome Italy accommodation for European traveller

admin Travel Tips animals, travel, Travel Tips, wildlife

Source: Pimsleur Approach

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Las Vegas is an exciting, vibrant place to visit and to most people the main reason for travelling here is to visit the casino’s and all they have to offer. The Las Vegas strip which is the most famous part of Las Vegas is home to many casinos where you can gamble and enjoy yourself.
Many people think of a casino as just somewhere to gamble, but of course there’s a lot more to the casinos of Vegas than just gambling. Most are hotel complexes where you can enjoy an evening show of dancing ladies (or men), musicals, magic shows, and broadway style shows too.

They all want to draw you in, and so if you walk down the strip you can see spectacular shows designed to entertain you like at the Bellagio where they have a fountain which through the evening at regular intervals has a show of water, music and lights, or at the Mirage where they have an artificial volcano that ‘erupts’ through the evening spilling pina colada scented smoke out into the vicinity.

Las Vegas is home to the tallest free standing observation tower in America. Stratosphere towers (a regular casino and hotel on its lower levels), has a high up observation tower where you can see far out over Vegas and the surrounding area. There’s also a revolving restaurant up there called ‘Top of the World’ where you can eat whilst slowly revolving round to enjoy the views of city, desert and mountains, as well as several rides – The Big shot, a reverse bungee jump shooting you 160 feet up in the air at 45 miles per hour. Sky jump which is a controlled descent bungee jump style ride that plummets down 855 feet before landing you safely at the bottom, and Insanity, where you’re dangled off the edge of the tower and then spun in a circle while the ground revolves waaaay below you.

Although most of the activity is on the Las Vegas Strip, there are other places in and around Las Vegas worth visiting. There’s Madame Tussauds with its famous waxworks. The Shark Reef Aquarium with 15 different types of shark as well as many other animals. And away from the buzz of the city, out in the dessert, you can visit the El Dorado Canyon Mine where you can take a tour of a real gold mine and find out what it was like back when mining was the main industry for the area. If you’ve got the money to spend, or have a big win at the casinos, you could also take a Las Vegas Space flight. It’s not quite a space ship, but the Boeing 727’s that go up here, go high enough that they can perform a series of moves that give passengers the chance to experience true weightlessness, even if it’s only for a very brief period.

admin United States casinos, las vegas, nevada, travel, United States