A local hit is Fungi the Dolphin, a dolphin who swam into Dingle Bay years ago and stuck around and

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My husband and I will be heading to Ireland in about a month for one week. We fly in to Dublin will spend two days there (we've all been before and are really only stopping there at all for the Penn State football game). We will then leave there and have a driver take us to Cork, where we are staying at Hayfield Manor. discount military airline tickets We'll be there from Sunday to Tuesday - any suggestions for us?
A bit about our group - we, first and foremost, love to eat and drink, so that's our priority. We also love taking in Irish culture (listening to live music, meeting locals). Not big on churches overly historical stuff. And, while we're not major outdoorsmen, we do appreciate beautiful scenery and taking in our surroundings through an activity (like a boat tour). My Mom has a bad knee, so no hikes for us!
From Cork, we'll leave Tuesday morning and we have a few days before we're due back in Dublin on Thursday night. If we're looking to stay East of Cork as we make our way back to Dublin, where would you stay for 2.5 days? We LOVED Galway, and are looking for something similar - a quaint, charming town that's got less of a city vibe and more of a small village feel, but that still has enough options for us at night for dinner discount military airline tickets and music. We will still have our driver/guide to take local day trips, but we're looking to pick our second "home base" ourselves.
The Connemara and the Dingle Peninsula would make great stops winding your way back to Dublin - these are similar to Galway but more remote, especially the Dingle Peninsula - a lovely drive around it.
A local hit is Fungi the Dolphin, a dolphin who swam into Dingle Bay years ago and stuck around and is now a major tourist attraction - a cottage industry has arisen wher local boat men take tourists out to meet and great the friendly dolphin.
From Dingle you could drive up the rugged West Coast, thru the Gaellecht (?) or Gaelic-speaking area where Gaelic is still the daily language for locals - hit the Cliffs of Mohair and the Burren and head back to Dublin.
Meeechigan fan here - did not know Nittany Lions were playing in Dublin - great - why start that game at 1:30 - meaning 8:30 am TV time back here - seems it should discount military airline tickets have been later for U.S. tellie audience.

Our tour bus pulled up a long, rutted driveway to a remote farm. As we stepped out of our bus, a doz

Our tour bus pulled up a long, rutted movie scripts the firm tom cruise driveway to a remote movie scripts the firm tom cruise farm. As we stepped out of our bus, a dozen eager border collies of all ages scampered to greet us. Then came the shepherd, movie scripts the firm tom cruise whom the dogs clearly loved and followed like a messiah. movie scripts the firm tom cruise He proceeded to sit us down in a natural little amphitheater in the turf and explain all about his work. With shouts and whistles, each dog followed individual commands and showed an impressive mastery over the sheep.
Our shepherd friend demonstrated why, for thousands of years, people movie scripts the firm tom cruise in his profession have used a crook. As he talked, he wasn’t shy about sharing the frustration farmers feel when “fancy people with numbers after their names from the city come to tell them how to manage their land.” And he explained how he believed that the worst thing you can do for the natural environment here is to make it a national park. The experience movie scripts the firm tom cruise was vividly real and fascinating.
No one at home would think of me as a softy for dogs. But when our group got to cuddle the dozen tiny border collie puppies, only a few days old and just starting to open their eyes, I fell in love. The shepherd said it’s good for baby sheepdogs to have contact with humans movie scripts the firm tom cruise like our group right from the start. I seriously considered a “puppy-napping.”
Looks like an entertaining and educational sheep farm visit. So I wonder, when everyone gets back home to the USA, will they check Yes on the customs entry form that asks if they visited a farm overseas? Unless your trip was strictly within some capitol city or you stayed inside a car on the Autoroute/Motorway/Autobahn, a visit to Europe will likely include being at, or very near, farmland. Even an on-site tasting at a vineyard in France, checking out a Stone Age fort in Western Ireland, or bicycling along a lane in Flanders involves visiting movie scripts the firm tom cruise farmland or stepping over or riding around sheep and cattle droppings out in the country. The deal is, checking Yes subjects you to intense scrutiny from the US Customs people at the airport at home, as if you must be smuggling contraband produce or you re transporting pathogens or noxious seeds or spores on your clothes, shoes, and baggage that will kill or overrun native American species. After our last unpleasant experience upon landing home following a bike tour thru West Ireland, movie scripts the firm tom cruise my wife has insisted I check no in the future, even if we ve stayed for a week at an agriturismo. I wonder if we lived in California if it would be even worse, where the one thing that can t make it past the state border is outside fruits/vegetables? US customs officials are far meaner movie scripts the firm tom cruise than any I ve encountered in Europe or Asia. I wonder how they treat visitors to the US, and if it s just travelling Americans who get such rude treatment movie scripts the firm tom cruise when arriving home?
I stayed on a farm in the north of England in the late 90 s that was right out of a James Herriot story complete with gates and dogs. In the morning I woke up to sheep everywhere. They had come down from the fell and were quite the noisy bunch.
I am not sure I agree with the farmer s condemnation of national parks. I ve walked in areas with sheep in Scotland and areas without. There s a difference and we probably need parts of Scotland for both.
I have followed you for years and frankly it upsets me that you go where you go, do what you do and, most important, earn a living form such a magnificent idea know as your profession. Of course, everything I say here is from pure jealousy and admiration.
Well, Nancy, I ve never smuggled in plants or beef (diseased or otherwise), so I guess we re both idiots movie scripts the firm tom cruise for following the rules. Having walked a short distance in a sheep pasture to visit a Stone Age fort with a Rick-Steves-recommended guide, thus visiting a farm in Ireland, I checked on my US re-entry form that I d been to a farm, although 2 weeks had passed and my bags and shoes had been on and off buses and planes, and back in urban areas. Our wonderful customs movie scripts the firm tom cruise personnel greeted me rudely and subjected me, my shoes, and my bag to intense movie scripts the firm tom cruise scrutiny, apparently testing for traces of some substance and found NOTHING. If the exterior of my luggage (which did not accompany me onto the farm) was so potentially dangerous, then every other bag in the plane s baggage compartment should ve been quarantined in case my suitcase had infested them, too. Glad you re so perfect that you can make assumptions about me, but YOU may have had a more negative effect on the condition of this earth than YOU realize. And, regardless, that still leaves the USA with comparitively movie scripts the firm tom cruise rude, surly customs agents I wonder if they re reacting to having encountered you sometime?

Our Best of Europe in 21 Days tour hits all the biggies: and one of those is certainly Florence. Wit

Our Best of Europe in 21 Days tour hits all the biggies: and one of those is certainly Florence. With just under two days each in Venice, Florence, Rome, and Paris, ever hour needs to be carefully planned. Hotels are central, restaurants are artfully chosen, and reservations hotels venice are made for the major museums and sights (e.g. David in Florence, Vatican Museum and Colosseum in Rome, Louvre in Paris) so not a minute is wasted. Intense? Sure. Exciting? Absolutely.
In Florence there’s always a long line to see Michelangelo’s masterful David. With reservations long in hand, our group walked directly in. Tour Guide Reid Cohen covered the context and the story before giving us quality time to be on our own with perhaps Europe’s greatest piece of art.
A big challenge when traveling with groups of 25 people is to find restaurants hotels venice that enthusiastically welcome groups but that don’t feel like “tour-bus restaurants.” That’s why our guides love Ristorante Giglio hotels venice Rosso. A pet peeve of mine is a tour that feeds you what’s expedient oblivious to the region and season. In my early days escorting groups on big, cheap, European hotels venice bus tours run by other companies I was amazed at how the food fed to the groups had nothing to do with where we were. On our tours, we eat what is seasonal and we eat the regional specialties throughout.
As a tour organizer, I feel a real triumph when we connect Europeans who have a passion for their work with appreciative travelers. At restaurants I never let a good dining experience go by without inviting the hard-working chef and kitchen crew to come out for a round of applause and to take a bow. And our groups enjoy personally thanking them for a meal they’ll remember fondly all their lives.
All over Europe, old Industrial Age, iron-and-glass farmers markets seem to be celebrating their hundredth birthdays by getting a new lease on life as trendy food halls. Here in Florence, the old Central Market has been particularly enjoyable hotels venice as a thriving local market, and now its long-neglected upper level hosts a wonderful collection of quality eateries it s as busy as the produce stalls on the ground level. Central Florence has new, extremely restrictive driving and parking laws which keep most locals eating dinner in the suburbs. But Florentines seem to strive for good eating at lunchtime as a result. This new food court is a real hit with the neighborhood s office workers.

Yesterday, I decided that I want to do a 21-22 day European tour (on one of those tour buses) by mys

Yesterday, I decided that I want to do a 21-22 day European tour (on one of those tour buses) by myself. Well, if I have someone to go with me, I’m not opposed tom cruise birthday to it, but I don’t need them to go. I am my own best friend right now and I love it. I’ve spent so much of my life holding my happiness and “good time” on the attention of others. In school (and who are we kidding, as an adult too) it was always a certain person that if I got their attention, on a field trip, would make my day (and who are we kidding, my existence). It was usually someone high stature or popular. But the Jamie Arbuckle’s of the world can’t give me self-worth; I have that on my own. So, I want to do a European bus tour, by myself is a-okay.
What made me think of the European tour is the trips I’ve been taking with the seniors (55+). We went to the Showboat Branson Belle yesterday. I don’t feel the urgency tom cruise birthday to have to sit by anyone on these trips and I’m completely fine being my own solo party of 1… and I really like it. It takes the pressure off. Besides I’m good enough to deserve and want my own attention. I’ll just have to be that high stature/popular person that I need attention from. I’ll just have to be. I found the bus to be very comfortable. I had a seat in the morning sun. It was a chilly morning so the sun felt delightful and also made me perfectly sleepy. I rested my eyes and my mind for the most part. The real excitement started when we got closer to our destination. The winding/twining cliff-ed roads overviewing tom cruise birthday Table Rock lake where absolutely beautiful, like a sight one might travel from a thousand miles away to see. I only journeyed 1 hour to see. These are the things I no longer want to take for granted. Majestic things can be found very near me. I want to see them and enjoy them as if I would enjoy Europe. I want to be a tourist in my own State. I want to see and appreciate tom cruise birthday thing the same way I would if I had traveled 1 million miles. I also want to start taking more day trips (in the meantime while I’m getting financially tom cruise birthday ready for my European Tour). My list of day trips includes: Dickerson Park Zoo, Dog Wood Canyon, Eureka Springs, Ha Ha Tonka, Little Grand Canyon, Silver Dollar City, and Crystal Bridges. Most of these are in Arkansas tom cruise birthday (and I’m in Missouri) but they are very close to me (only a few hours away.)
We parked the bus and departed, walked across a vibrantly green knoll to the docking area. The docking area is wonderful, it has a few shops and you can see the Branson Belle. The water rolls, like the ocean, into the shore. Once on board, they take you directly to your seat, it’s a small table for 2. You get coffee, and pink lemonade and iced tea and I think I drank so much that I had to use the restroom 5 times while on board. Every time the waitress came around I got a “fill up” and boy oh boy was the coffee good. They bring bread, then a salad, then your meal, then your dessert. tom cruise birthday While you are eating they have a Funny Hyper Magic preshow (wonderful) and then a band (wonderful). The food is wonderful. tom cruise birthday I was so full but I kept eating anyway because it was so delicious! After dessert you get 30 mins to roam about the vessel before the main show starts (and btw, the vessel is sailing). I tried my best to get all the way to the top. I made it to the 3rd deck, there was one more to go but I am so so so so afraid of heights that I was barely moving in the windy windy windy aisle of the 3rd deck… I mean I’m afrrrrraid tom cruise birthday of heights. I try to tell myself it’s not so bad and that when I get up there I’ll be just fine but then my body shuts down in fear. I feel like it’s physical and not mental (because my body doesn’t seem to want to listen to my mind telling me “it’s okay”).
The show started and it was amazing as well! Janice Martin is the big act, you might know her because she was on “America’s Got Talent.” She does an aerial act while playing the fiddle (pretty amazing). The host is so funny (Christopher James/ he is also the preshow magician), he has great improvisational skills. That’s the part I admire tom cruise birthday the most, the funny (somewhat improvised) host. I want to be a funny host and have my name sound off the walls under the big lights! I really really really do want that… there is something a little bit scary and a lot exciting about it. Jeff Jenkins, the owner of The Skinny Improv, is so good at it.
I watched, glued to all the talent and again found myself without urgency to be one of them. Like my urgency to hang with the “it” crowd, I’ve also always had an urgency to be “famously successful” NOW. I mean my heart beats out of my chest and I can barely stand it, I want it so bad and right now, right right now! I’ve actually never really been able to enjoy performances and etc because of this urgency …because it’s like torture. That’s why I rarely watch the academy awards, because I want to be there accepting tom cruise birthday my award. But, yesterday, I enjoyed it. Yes, I wanted it so bad but there was “no urgency” feeling, instead there was… what’s tom cruise birthday this, Grinch tom cruise birthday look out: “LOVE!” Maybe my heart has grown two sizes but this “love” thing is really taking hold.
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We shouldn t generalize and stereotype but there are men and women who don t like these type tours b

My son and I crossed paths in Barcelona this week. Andy is finishing up his second year (fourth semester) of offering three-day weekends to American college kids on European study-abroad programs. This has been his best semester yet, with about 500 participants book las vegas travel in his various Weekend Student Adventures (also the name of his company). I spent a few nights hanging out with his gang. I couldn’t help but notice some similarities in our evolution as tour guides and tour operators. When I was in my mid-20s, it was generally me and eight girls on a minibus (this photo is from one of our very earliest tours must have been 1978). Thirty-four years later, Andy is enjoying a similar ratio. Actually, on this particular weekend tour, Andy had 23 girls and 2 boys. These are smart and fun kids, hungry for new experiences. And, with Andy’s guidance, they’re having plenty. At this stop on his tapa pub crawl, the gang ate about a hundred little anchovies—yes…heads, tails, bones, book las vegas travel fried guts, and all. For about half the kids, this was a first. (Later on, with my encouragement, out came the big plate of oreja —pigs’ book las vegas travel ears.)
Rick says right at the top of the entry (for those who don t already know) that Andy is his son. That s close enough to declaring an interest as far as I can see. If *your* son was running a similar, but non-competing, business to yourself (same niche, different target market) would you really refuse him a plug or three on your blog?
Rick, so glad to see Andy doing well. I dream about traveling more than I currently do so I m a little envious of him and his business. As a small business owner myself I know how difficult it is make it a success. You obviously know this too. It s completely appropriate for a father to support the business ventures of his children, especially when it s so closely related to your own subject matter. book las vegas travel The earlier post by someone who thought this was inappropriate should reconsider their point of view. Go get em Andy!
So happy to see Andy doing what he loves. I have been following you guys since they were kids and you were dragging them through Europe. It is so funny to see the similar book las vegas travel yet changes of the times. book las vegas travel I don t know about you, but makes me feel old! He is lucky to of had such great training ground early.
My son is also named Andy and he will be studying abroad for a year in Munich in next year, 2012-13. I ll have to tell him about WSA. His roommate is also going, and I m pretty sure they will find the male-female ratio perhaps even more appealing than the actual travel!
Those were great looking women of the 70 s. Go back and look at your old pictures! Different times. I think the ratio is normal. I am in an all women industry and a small percentage of my customers can get their husbands book las vegas travel to leave the country. Many times they just travel with girlfriends. For some reason a lot of men don t like to do that kind of travel.
I know you are proud of Andy, but more importantly, in his own way, even with similarities, he is continuing the good things about travel and helping students see a different world and a wonderful world. I wish I was young again.
We shouldn t generalize and stereotype but there are men and women who don t like these type tours because there is too much togetherness in too close quarters for too long. Some might not like being paired up with others and charged with keeping track of their whereabouts. Some might not like having to dress and make up each day to be sufficiently presentable to fellow travelers. book las vegas travel But there is a lid for every pot and that s why RS tours are desirable for many.

Something Fishy About His Smile Hardworking tour guides (like Ricardo Brochado) know how to make you

I am really into “second cities” these days. For generations, several European Industrial Age powerhouses (Antwerp, Hamburg, Glasgow, Bilbao, and so on) were what we would call “rust belt,” as their elegant first city counterparts enjoyed the luster of the Information Age. But over the last decade or so, the rust has become an accessory, bohemian can be chic, and places where people once joked “the shirts are sold with the sleeves already rolled up” are in vogue and bursting with creative energy. The obvious example in Portugal is Porto, three hours north of Lisbon by train. Here are some photos from my fascinating time in Portugal s second city.
Ribeira View with a Port Buzz Lens Porto ages happily on the Douro River, along with the most of the world’s port wine. The harborfront, called cheap hotels in new orleans the Ribeira, faces Porto’s sister city, Vila Nova de Gaia, just across the river, where traditional boats that hauled the wine to the port lodges for aging and distribution decorate the scene. After visiting a couple of port lodges for a tour and tasting (as is the ritual for visitors to Vila Nova de Gaia), this view across the Douro of Porto s Ribeira looks even better.
A Room with a View My choice of hotels, restaurants, cafés, and bars in a city like Porto are places where the patina of the past comes with a little broken glass and rusty edges. Opening the window of my hotel room, I saw a view some would complain about. But this is why I come to Porto. Authenticity and heritage are the swizzle stick of my Porto experience.
Something Fishy About His Smile Hardworking tour guides (like Ricardo Brochado) know how to make your stroll through their hometown memorable. Porto is a city with a steady sea breeze, a seagull soundtrack, and sardine smiles.
Sausage Man in Porto Old Industrial Age markets (like Bolhão in Porto) are busy with activity under 19th-century glass-and-steel rooftops. cheap hotels in new orleans You can be on a diet, but your camera will eat this up — sausage man and all — with gusto.
Porto Food Tour — For an Edible Education All over Europe, food tours are trendy. They cost between €50 and €100, go at an early lunch or early dinner time, last around three hours, come with over a mile of walking, and include four to eight stops. The style varies: Some are standing cheap hotels in new orleans and sharing a plate of little bites, while others feature more sit-down dining experiences. All will fill you up, and should be considered a meal as well as a tour, wrapped up in one (making cheap hotels in new orleans the splurge easier to justify). Here, André of Taste of Porto Food and Wine Tours brings on dessert.

Took a taxi to Al Karama and went to an Indian restaurant called Bikanerwala for dinner/snacks at 5p

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I started off planning for this trip with 3 goals in mind - I wanted to go to the Cinque Terre, rental cars las vegas the Amalfi Coast and Lake Como. George Clooney had something to do my wish to go to Lake Como but that obsession is another topic altogether.
So having come back from my fabulous holiday I was in 2 minds about this trip report. Should I write it, should I post it?? In the end I decided that I get such enjoyment in reading trip reports on this forum that I had to post.
Dubai airport has good signage and I was through customs in a jif. I picked out what I thought was my bag and decided to throw my back pack inside. Oh oh not my bag! I quickly retuned it to the carousel and waited for my bag. There were a lot of Samsonite Cosmolite suitcases and a a couple of red ones!! The red suitcase might have to become a hot pink suitcase rental cars las vegas in future .
As I walked into the hotel my impressions were Hotel was really nice, very 5 star, huge room. I had landed at 5:15am was at the hotel by 6:15am. The reception staff asked me to wait in restaurant and had my room ready in 45 mins. I had a complimentary cappuccino in Liwan restaurant while I waited.
Once in the room which was huge I called home to let the family know that I had arrived safely. Then took a short nap and then shower before taking the metro to Dubai mall. Metro was clean and right across the road from hotel. Cost 11AED. I was in Dubai Mall in 20 mins.
Dubai mall was amazing! Saw the fountain show at 1pm. Really big and beautiful. I ended up buying 2 jeans from American Eagle Outfitters for 260 AED. I wore these on my trip so it was worth the extra weight in my suitcase. I saw the aquarium wall, the ice skating rink and souk section of the mall. It was so hot in Dubai. 40 degrees and humid.
Took a taxi to Al Karama rental cars las vegas and went to an Indian restaurant called Bikanerwala for dinner/snacks at 5pm. I had intended rental cars las vegas to go to the Gold souk but was too tired to continue. So after my meal I took another private taxi to the hotel because couldn't find a metered cab.
Had a very good flight from Dubai. It was a 9am flight and I had my boarding pass so no rush in the morning. I flew on the A380. It always amazes me that something of that size can fly. A comfortable few hours to Rome.
Outside the luggage rental cars las vegas claim were 50 people with names waiting to pick passengers. It was a free for all but I found my lady after a few minutes and we were on our way in a minivan! rental cars las vegas There was just me and another couple and I was first on the list. I had booked the shared transfer from Viator and had no issues or problems.
On the way the driver took us around the Roman Forum and Circus Maximus. Also saw the Capitoline Museum and Vittorio Emmanuel monument. He dropped me off on Via Del Corso as the hotel is down a pedestrian lane. All I had to do was cross the street and walk 50 meters.
Note:- Here I ll quickly mention that I used my phone for directions all through the trip. I have an Iphone on Aust Vodafone plan and an option which allows me to use the plan overseas for $5 per day extra.
I did the Rick Steves walking tour on my phone which worked really well. I can t really express this feeling that comes over you when you are inside the Pantheon. It is over 2000 years and so well preserved. But as I gazed up at the oculus I thought that we may have made progress in terms of technology but maybe lost something along the way.
I walked from the Pantheon to the Basilica Santa Maria sopra Minerva. This is the only gothic church in Rome. The ceiling is absolutely stunning blue with gold stars. This was one of the few peaceful quite churches I visited.
rental cars las vegas From there I walked to the Piazza Navona. The square was packed full of tourists trying to find a spot in from of the famous fountain for a photo. I decided to sit, relax and people watch for a bit. The Fountain of the Four Rivers is topped by an impressive Egyptian obelisk. Bernini s art is spellbinding. I had booked a tour of the Villa Borghese the next day and this was just a preview of what was to come. There are 2 other fountains at either end of the square in addition to the central master piece.
There were a number of artists selling art work. I was so tempted to buy a painting from one of the sellers rental cars las vegas in the Piazza. It would look amazing in my room at home but I worried about carting it about Italy. At 5pm I felt a few drops of rain and decided to head back to hotel. On my way back I stopped at a little grocery where they were doing free liqueur tastings. I went in and tried the Limoncello which was delish but once again too early in the trip for me to purchase anything.
I had a little rest before heading out at 6:30pm for passeggiata down Via del Corso. I popped into the massive Zara store. How could I not J Could have bought loads. Everything there I would buy and wear. European Zara is excellent! But wait - I m on a shopping diet so walked away. I'm still proud of myself of having so much self control. Ladies you know what I'm saying
I went to Il Leoncino on Via Leoncino based on Elizabeth Minchilli s Rome app. I had mixed feelings about this place. Grumpy waiter but pizza was nice. I had the margherita pizza. rental cars las vegas Soft drink plus pizza for 11E.
Oh, I am going to enjoy following your journey, ozgirl07! We've stayed twice at the C sari and couldn't agree more about its great location! I imagine you walked by the Pantheon many times during your visit in Rome. This city inspires wonder awe, doesn't it?

You have to be careful of the tours you take even through the cruise lines. Now if it is of Pompei i

Each morning our ship arrives in a new port — today we re in Livorno, the port for Florence. I stood on my little deck and surveyed the scene as buses, taxis, and security forces waited for the cruisers to disembark. When you re on vacation and in a cruising mind-set, it’s easy to be oblivious to the fascinating economic metabolism of the cruise industry.
Aggressive cabbies smell easy money when a ship docks — but it s still a competitive business and taxi drivers are eager to deal. Plus, more and more local governments are regulating taxis since rip-offs give a city a bad reputation. If you can organize a group from the ship ahead of time, a good plan for a day in Florence is to hire a mini-bus taxi that holds eight people and split the (otherwise high) cost of hiring a taxi. While spending 400 euros for a day trip into Florence cannon beach oregon hotels from Livorno is costly for two, for a group of eight, it’s just 50 euros per person cannon beach oregon hotels — which is a steal. While you could certainly cannon beach oregon hotels go cheaper by bus or train, with a shared taxi you’re dropped off in Florence in an hour (twice as fast as the train), picked up at an agreed-upon time, and zipped cannon beach oregon hotels back to the port.
While the initial cost of a cruise vacation may seem too good to be true, cruise operators earn their gravy with extra profit centers: mostly drinks, gambling, onboard shopping, kickbacks from shops on land, and excursion tours to places of interest within an easy bus ride from the port. I was struck cannon beach oregon hotels by how most cruisers are happy to pay the inflated prices ($150 to $200) for an excursion. Anyone cannon beach oregon hotels willing to hop the shuttle bus to the main square of the port town and survey the options for local sightseeing tours could easily plan their own day trip — and save around 50 percent. Here in Livorno, right on the main square where the shuttle buses drop off passengers going ashore who aren t taking the cruise excursions, is a tourist info kiosk staffed with an English-speaking person happy to explain your options. In most ports, there are nearly always local buses, shared taxis, and small tour operators offering plenty of good options to those who want to see a lot without spending a lot.
I found that the various cannon beach oregon hotels ports (Civitavecchia for Rome, Livorno for Florence, cannon beach oregon hotels and Toulon for Provence) had their own surprising charm. cannon beach oregon hotels While all three are generally panned as boring industrial ports, I found each had a gritty harbor character, a long maritime history, were substantially cannon beach oregon hotels bombed in World War II, and are legitimate urban representatives of their respective regions — just without the famous sights. In other words, if you’ve already seen Florence s famous art treasures, save yourself three hours of bus time and just enjoy slice-of-life Italy in Livorno.
Cruise travelers generally stampede through Livorno to head for nearby Pisa (20 minutes away by train), Lucca, or Florence. But the city of Livorno has a rough charm with a “Little Venice” district that is built around canals. A €10 hour-long boat tour leaves from the port s tourist info center, right where the cruise shuttle buses drop off visitors.
Could be you are right Rick but those who don t take the ship s tour may encounter (for a much lower price of course): a less vetted trip; a less safe tour; a tour which means they will miss the departure of their ship.
You have to be careful of the tours you take even through the cruise lines. Now if it is of Pompei it is really worth the time and money. A good guided cannon beach oregon hotels tour of sights that you may not get anything from on your own. But some are just like Disneyland, a bit made up. But if you are cruising with a family of kids, the kids might like a day that is just frivolous. It would take me a few times to be confident that we actually made it back on the cruise ship in time with a non cruise tour. I can t wait until you get to Naples and tell us how to navigate cannon beach oregon hotels the rif raf at the port. Also, you don t have to over eat on a cruise. They serve lots of options. No more than drinking and eating up every night in France, Italy and Spain. And also we had a guide in Lucca that was Michael a Rick Steves tour guide that also worked for the tours through NCL cruise line.
Glad to see you re discovering the ways cruisers, with a little research, can really enhance their on-shore experience beyond the oh-so-easy packaged tours and at a much lower cost. If you haven t already, check out some of the online cruise message board sites where cruisers write reviews of ships, itineraries and ports of call and participate in roll-calls for their specific cruise, where they swap experiences and frequently self-organize private tours for small groups before setting sail.

We spent four days in Rekyjavik (fun! great! modern!) with a side trip to the Golden Triangle, and t

Iceland is trendy these days. My staff has been nagging me to incorporate it into our program with a guidebook and tours. One of our top researchers and guides, Ian Watson, quality accommodation bilbao is raising his family there. And until now I’d never been there.
This year I thought, finally, I’ll extend my trip a few days and stop in Iceland on the way home. I was flying Icelandair, which has famously liberal stopover privileges in Reykjavik — where I had to change planes anyway. I told the Icelandic Tourist Board I had a couple of days for Iceland and challenged them to show me the best of their country. They generously showed me a very good time. While I won’t write a guidebook to Iceland (the Lonely Planet guide is just out and is excellent) and we won’t be incorporating Iceland into our tour program, I had a great visit. I’ll be reporting on my experience in the next few entries.
Tourism is booming in Iceland — up 30 percent this year over its best-ever year for tourism in 2012. They enjoyed well over two tourist quality accommodation bilbao visits per resident for the past two years. About half of their tourist quality accommodation bilbao economy comes in July and August when the days are long, the weather is pleasant, quality accommodation bilbao and people tend to visit. But even on a sunny day during my visit, I layered on everything I had and envied the locals with their woolly ski caps.
While tourism is limited to summer (and always will be, regardless of how enthusiastically the tourist board promotes off-season festivals), other industries roll on. Two big businesses are fishing (obviously) and aluminum production (not so obvious). Using Iceland’s cheap electricity, factories produce aluminum from bauxite, which requires lots of electrical energy, or heat. They can actually ship in the raw material, use their affordable energy to heat it up, and then export the aluminum — and make good money.
Right off the plane, I took a taxi to the hotel and hopped on a whale-watching boat for a three-hour tour, a three-hour tour. We saw plenty of birds and little fish, but no whales. quality accommodation bilbao Still, I enjoyed the bracing and fresh North Atlantic wind, grand views, and a good chance to chat with the pilot and get my cultural bearings:
I m a Seattle-area person quality accommodation bilbao too, and with how cheap/easy it is to fly to Reykjavik from SEA now, I completely disagree with your tourism is limited to summer and always will be. I, along with many other people I know, have visited in the winter for a long (5-day) weekend and loved it. See the Northern Lights, attempt the runtur, go on the Golden Circle Tour, hang at the Blue Lagoon, and spend evenings at outdoor local pools (in -20F weather, it s lovely). With the sun up only between 11am and 3pm, it s an amazing place to spend a weekend.
My brother in law traveled there for years on business and always highly recommended it! I have always wanted to see the Northern lights, quality accommodation bilbao and I think staying quality accommodation bilbao in a resort would be lovely in the middle of winter.
Rick: Don t forget the pylsurs (hot dogs!) which are far better than the shark. Iceland quality accommodation bilbao is fascinating to be in during times other than the summer there are literally 4 hours of daylight during the winter months here, which is a marvel. And the national pastime of swimming in the geothermally heated municipal pools every town has one makes for a great activity any time of year. Enjoy Reykjavik, but come back and travel outside the capitol for some of the best wilderness you ll ever see. djs
I just spent 2 fabulous weeks in Iceland in July. The scenery was amazing, and there is so much to see outside of Reykjavik! I once asked Rick why he didn t do Iceland, but now I understand. Its too rustic for tours like his. I did a lot of outdoors activities like hiking, lava tube, horseback riding, and volcano tour which required skilled guides in outdoorsmanship. Reykjavik was fun too, but its not like visiting Paris, etc. Iceland is a fantastic place to visit, but you definitely need to pack your hiking boots to get a real good experience of the country. And yes, I tried the shark. Yuck.
Thanks, quality accommodation bilbao Rick, for posting these vignettes of Iceland. I spent several days there on my way back from Oslo to Seattle a couple of years ago, and fell in love with the little quality accommodation bilbao bit of it I saw. I will return! I have mixed feelings about tourist development in Iceland, as I have had with all undiscovered areas I have loved and then had to share with thousands of new explorers. I won t post most of my favorites for the world to read until I ve returned and (selfishly) enjoyed them one more time. However, riding the elevator to the top of the cathedral and experiencing the autumn quality accommodation bilbao winds screaming around the clock tower is worth adding into a visit to Reykjavik.
Thanks for finally posting quality accommodation bilbao about Iceland! I was lucky enough to go last year with two friends in September just outside of the tourist season. It was fantastic! The people are extremely friendly, there is no language barrier (and it s fun to learn a few words and how to pronounce the somewhat difficult language). Also you are virtually guaranteed a wireless connection just about any where.
We spent four days in Rekyjavik (fun! great! modern!) with a side trip to the Golden Triangle, and then drove the Ring Road around the entire country seeing Akureyri, Lake Myvatn, Dettifoss (amazing!), the east fjords which were stunning, Jokulsarlon and all the way back towards the airport for an afternoon and night at the Blue Lagoon. The ring road trip was easily completed in three days. Although the Blue Lagoon is great, don t miss all the public soaking pools in just about every city. Our entire trip was eight days and I could have spent 8 more. We were also lucky enough to see the northern lights in Hofn.
Well I loved it there. For something a little different but completely accessible, I d recommend Iceland to anyone. Hope to go back someday oh and we did fly Icelandair from NYC. True, the plane is cramped and you pay for everything but it was cheap and the flight is relatively short compared to flying all the way to the continent.
My daughter quality accommodation bilbao and I are making an impromptu visit to Iceland from December 27 to January 3. We are looking for any advice from someone who has been there in the winter. How is the driving? Any tours that you can recommend? quality accommodation bilbao We are also looking at hotels and apartments. Any thoughts quality accommodation bilbao there? Sue

Another guide talked of how, in her youth, she could only dream of drinking a nice cold Coca-Cola. S

Prague small luxury hotel in paris is a beautiful, historic, and delightful-to-visit city. And if you, like me, are forever fascinated by slice-of-life stories from people who had to live through the Cold War in the Warsaw Pact, it’s even more engaging. Throughout Eastern Europe, guides like my friends who lead me around Prague know how to weave their personal memories of communism into their time with you.
One of my guides talked of the generation gap in the Czech Republic. When she traveled recently to the Grand Canyon National Park in the USA, her older friends asked her excitedly, What did you bring home? In the old days, people just fantasized about being able to leave the country small luxury hotel in paris to bring home a boom box or a Western camera. To travel just for the experience didn’t make any sense to them and, in some cases, still doesn t.
Another guide reminisced about 1989 and how, with the arrival of freedom and the fall of the Iron Curtain, small luxury hotel in paris Russian language teachers suddenly had to teach English. There were no textbooks, and Russian small luxury hotel in paris teachers took cram courses in English so they could teach their students sentences like “Deez eez my bruder” ( This is my brother ). The fun thing for schoolkids those first few years was that they knew more English from watching Rambo movies than their teachers did from taking the cram courses.
Another guide talked of how, in her youth, she could only dream of drinking a nice cold Coca-Cola. She said, We couldn’t drink Coke, but we could collect the cans tourists threw away. I had five cans. My friend had ten.
One of our most popular and impactful tours in our Best of Eastern Europe tour. And many of our Eastern Europe guides — like Honza and Katka, shown here — come from Prague and are beloved by our groups. Honza Vihan is the co-author of my Prague guidebook, and I’m thankful to collaborate with him. With Honza’s on-the-ground, local insights, I’m confident that our book is the best available on the Czech capital.
Rick, I had just flipped over the last page of your Postcards Kindle book when this blog post popped up. Warm thanks for the generous ride personal armchair tour! And from this closely trailing contemporary who has seen his own chin a mere two weeks of the past few decades, I ll say a man deserves small luxury hotel in paris a beard more each year so I encourage your whiskers! Much appreciation for sharing your recent Scottish fun, and enthusiastic greetings from this new reader small luxury hotel in paris to all your friends inhabiting the mythical lands of Chuckleslovakia !
We were in Praque small luxury hotel in paris in 2006. Took a driving trip from Germany, Austria and on to Praque. What a great city. At that time we did notice that the people of Praque had a sort of sober look to them and their personality. Also the car rental company would only let us take a couple different types of cars into Praque. We used a Rick Steves suggested hotel, but we did pay extra to park the car in a garage. The landscape is so different from Germany and Austria. We took off for a day on a drive in the country and it definitely looked poorer than other parts of Europe.
Prague is much different in 2012. Beautiful city! Fun place to visit. Exciting vistas! Wonderful subway and train system. Great restaurants. Don t miss the National Technical Museum. Wonderful exhibits of cars, motorcycles and trains. Don t miss the Tatras! Only problem is they don t speak English at the museum! But we had a fun time Wonderful to visit. Gem of Central Europe. If you want a European vacation Prague is a must! Great Beer! Don t miss the Dvorak Museum. Wonderful performance of classical opera and music! small luxury hotel in paris Dvorak spent a couple of years as a Classical Chair in New York and did a wonderful piece based on our national anthem. A exotic paradise that can t be missed!
Rick, you are certainly favored by Americam tourists who travel the Czech Republic. When I was in Prague, last year, I met three people who consulted your travel guide. An elderly couple showed me how to get from the train station to downtown, citing info from your book; another couple had torn pages from your guide and helped me find a spot behind the clock tower. A third person, a man by himself, just stood in the middle of the crowd, reading small luxury hotel in paris without ever looking up. I was impressed.
After the collapse of the Iron Curtain, there was a secret small luxury hotel in paris police facility of the communist era that was converted into a pension. In 1995, I managed to book the room that once held Vaclav Havel for a while. There, I locked myself in and read his Letters to Olga (the compilation of Havel s letters from prison). While Prague continues as a unique and remarkable place, that little undertaking was unsurpassed as a valuable travel experience.

How about some REAL understanding people may need to make choices based on financial capacity, avail

I have a friend, polar travel turkey Matt Barrett, who is the go-to guy for Greek travels. His www.greecetravel.com website is a wonderful resource. polar travel turkey He just emailed me today to share a message he received and to encourage us in our ongoing work:
Hey Rick, let me take you out for an ouzo and meze next time you are in Greece. Your support through this “crisis” has been invaluable. polar travel turkey Your readers are the last of the courageous American travelers. I started this day very depressed and this e-mail picked me up. Keep doing what you do. Matt
Hi Matt, Your website was recommended to us by a Rick Steves guidebook. (I m glad he did.) It’s loaded with information and we took it to heart as we planned our first trip (4 weeks) to Greece in April. We followed your advice and contacted Fantasy Travel. He has set up and organized all our transfers, flights and ferry, hotels, polar travel turkey tours, and car rental as we requested. Everything is now booked, reserved, and ready to go. We also arranged a 3-day tour with George Taxi Tours to go to the cog train and drive around the Argolis area. And we are having a one-day tour of eastern Crete with Lefteris Taxi. With your recommendations, we are excited about our upcoming polar travel turkey Greece trip. Thanks. Marilyn, Vancouver, polar travel turkey BC
I’ve been thinking about fear and travel myself, so I found Matt’s comments interesting. I’m moving forward with my plans to visit Egypt, Israel, the West Bank, and Turkey this April. Here at Rick Steves Europe, we don’t do La-La Land. The bestselling polar travel turkey guidebooks these days cover Walt Disney World and Orlando. Clearly that s the first choice for lots of Americans. But our travelers have an appetite for reality, and that’s what we target in our travels. polar travel turkey We come home smarter, changed, and more empathetic with the struggles of people polar travel turkey far away. Happy real travels.
P.S. Tomorrow we meet with our publisher and his staff to see how we can close the gap between our guidebooks and those Disney World ones. And the next day, our staff will enjoy an after-work happy hour to celebrate a milestone for us — we’ve sold 10,000 tour seats for 2013. That s far ahead of our 2012 tempo and lots of those seats are to Greece!
There is no gap to close. People either like going to Disneyland or they want to go International. I have never passed over a Rick Steves book to buy one for Disneyland. And most people I know that don t want to travel to Europe, book or not they are going to Disneyland!
We have summered in Greece eleven times. Minimum one month per visit. The last two trips were especially rewarding. Our patronage was greatly appreciated by our hosts. Many say that the Greeks are the most hospitable polar travel turkey people in all of Europe. We agree. The old days in America are not gone forever. They are alive in the Mother polar travel turkey Culture of us all. No need to reserve much ahead beyond the first couple of nights. polar travel turkey After that the warm embrace of Xenia will be offered to you. Try to leave the fear and paranoia of America behind. You will be glad you did.
I most definitely agree with the sentiments expressed by Marilyn! I ve also found Matt s website to be enormously helpful for planning travel polar travel turkey in Greece. I had a few specific concerns not covered on the website, and Matt graciously provided the information I needed via E-mail.
Following a RS Athens Pelopponese tour I toured some of the Greek Islands, and also used the services of Fantasy Travel to plan that part of my trip. I was extremely pleased with the service they provided, which included having a representative at the docks in Piraeus at about 06:00 on a Sunday morning. polar travel turkey She handed me a large envelope with all the Vouchers for Ferry tickets, Hotels and Transfers. polar travel turkey That s excellent customer service! The arrangements they made worked flawlessly.
I was also thinking polar travel turkey about fear and travel prior to my trip to Greece. Severe protests were taking place in Athens at that time (2010), including one in which there were several fatalities. Several people I know expressed concern about the wisdom of travel in Greece, suggesting that perhaps I should polar travel turkey wait until things settle down . I had no concerns and the entire trip was incredible!
Do we have to choose one or the other? I enjoy both. Since 2001, I have spent 24 weeks in Europe over 5 different trips. I own 15 Rick Steves Guide books (not including phrase books and Europe 101 and DVDs). polar travel turkey One of my guide books is a copy of Europe Through the Back Door printed in 1980- which I believe may be the first year it was printed. I have received invaluable help from the books and dvds. In that same time period, I have also made 8 trips to Disney theme parks (2 to Disneyworld and 6 to Disneyland) for a total of 27 days. I won t detail all the other areas in the US and Canada I have seen in that same time period but suffice it to say I don t limit myself to those 2 choices. What do all these trips have in common? I never regretted taking any of them.
To anyone who has an appetite for reality and really wants to come home smarter, changed, and more empathetic with the struggles of our fellow citizens right here, may I suggest a quick road trip to the Yakama Reservation. Spend a day in White Swan and Ft. Simcoe. Happy real travels.
Here at Rick Steves’ Europe, we don’t do La-La Land. Umm no offense, but from the perspective of someone who lives in Europe polar travel turkey and has seen your videos yes, you do. I m glad you encourage your fans to travel to this continent, but if you really wanted them to see reality, you would direct them towards the lower Rhine cities of Germany instead of Rothenburg, or to Basel instead of Gimmelwald.
Steves promotes his own business and if some of his customers or prospective customers even dip their toes in the water by taking polar travel turkey just one of his trips (even to a touristy place) it is one step forward for U.S. citizens who have never been beyond their own country. One sip doesn t make a swallow but his marketing not only benefits himself but many of the rest of us in my humble but experienced opinion which comes from the school of hard knocks : )
I ve done two Rick Steves tours, love international travel but I also love going to the Disney theme parks, and I am a Premier annual passholder (that means I have an annual pass for both Disneyland in California, polar travel turkey and Walt Disney World in Florida).
I know why people like to visit the parks, and as Judy says, I don t know that you can close the gap. For a lot of Disney theme park visitors, their idea of international travel is to visit the various pavilions in Epcot, where they can try a French pastry or Japanese curry.
Christine does have a good idea, though. I would love to bee a guidebook polar travel turkey for Disneyland Paris written in Rick Steves style. It might actually serve as a great gateway book for Disney fans to learn to try out other European destinations!
I think EPCOT gets unfairly polar travel turkey criticized. Of course it s not real, duh! Even pre-schoolers know that. It s not supposed to serve as a substitute for the real thing. But there s a reason why all of those countries sponsor the pavillions, polar travel turkey and it s the same idea behind the World s Fairs of yesteryear. By providing a small sample polar travel turkey of their culture and heiritage, they hope to intice polar travel turkey new visitors to the actual country. Worked on me. I can definately trace my lifetime desire to see Norway (fulfilled several times over by now) to a visit to EPCOT when I was 10.
more locations from the mundane of Europe to the exotic of India and Africa. All travel should be about exploration and pleasure and self-satisfaction and curiosity polar travel turkey and helpfulness, not necessarily in that order.
Kinda funny how Matt Barrett cites Rick s readers polar travel turkey as the last of the courageous American travelers. The email he quoted is from Marilyn, Vancouver, BC uh, that makes her Canadians (who are really just Americans with better manners and universal healthcare ;-).
Regarding fear and travel options, isn t it kind of silly to make judgments of people based on their travel choices? Because polar travel turkey someone decides to spend their vacation dollars by going to Disneyland/DisneyWorld does not make them a closed-minded fearmonger any more than a choice to go to Greece makes them an open-minded, citizen of the world thirsting for knowledge of other cultures and greater polar travel turkey understanding.
polar travel turkey How about some REAL understanding people may need to make choices based on financial capacity, availability of vacation time, or simply the extent to which they want to escape their workaday life and relax, guided by their own preferences and season in life.

Useful Astral Travel Information That Every Beginner Needs To Know Do you want to learn astral trave

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As well as a full program of French and Italian Walks, we visit a selection of lesser-known European

With The Wayfarers, you see the real Europe away from the crowds. You meet the people who live there, see its treasures, taste the exquisite cuisine and explore its highly varied landscapes, ranging from Alpine mountains, icy fjords and noble rivers to historic cities, wilderness areas, the savage Atlantic coast and the warm Mediterranean shore. Whatever you choose, it s a pleasure to share the lifestyles and culture that have shaped Western Civilization for thousands of years.
As well as a full program walt disney world for travel agents of French and Italian Walks, we visit a selection of lesser-known European destinations. These include the unspoiled rural paradise of Slovenia , German Bavaria with its fairytale castles, walt disney world for travel agents the Austrian Alps where The Sound of Music was set, Switzerland and two Walks in the Czech Republic, a beautiful landscape and site of some of the most historic political upheavals in modern history.
The Wayfarers walt disney world for travel agents have always been one to blaze new trails. Their unique walking vacations began in England in 1984, but have grown to span Europe, the US and New Zealand. Trust that they will always have a fresh itinerary, walt disney world for travel agents a new destination and an innovative way to experience the culture of country living. From walking in the British Isles to New Zealand, from The Provence to The Dalmatian walt disney world for travel agents Coast - The Wayfarers will have something to suit everyone.

I've long reminded people with serious dietary concerns to print them legibly on a small card, along

For 25 years, I led our tour groups. For the past decade, rather than lead our tours, I actually take them. Each year I sign up (with a pseudonym) last minute plane tickets for one of our tours. In recent years I’ve enjoyed Village Italy, Greece, Turkey, and Scotland. This year, as I paged through our catalog, the right tour for my travel dreams became perfectly clear: our Best of Europe in 21 Days tour.
For the next three weeks, travel with me via this blog on what I consider the best itinerary of what Europe has to offer: Amsterdam, the Rhineland, Rothenburg, Bavarian castles, Venice, last minute plane tickets Florence, Rome, the Cinque Terre, the Swiss Alps, Burgundy, and Paris. Of the 30 or so tours we offer, this is the granddaddy…the flagship.
For the next three weeks, travel with me via this blog on what I consider the best itinerary of what Europe has to offer: Amsterdam, the Rhineland, Rothenburg, Bavarian castles, Venice, Florence, Rome, the Cinque Terre, the Swiss Alps, Burgundy, and Paris. last minute plane tickets Of the 30 or so tours we offer, this is the granddaddy…the flagship.
We were in Amsterdam on the Dutch Memorial Day. Throughout Europe, various monuments remind people of the challenges societies have as dense and diverse populations struggle to live peacefully together. Amsterdam’s monument to the homosexual victims of the Holocaust was covered in flowers, providing a fine lectern for our guide, Reid, to give us some historical context.
I’ve long reminded people with serious dietary concerns to print them legibly on a small card, along with a local translation, so they can clearly communicate to waiters what they cannot eat. One of our tour members came well equipped with this card, and will eat better and with more peace of mind because of it.
My filming and research lately has taken me to the fringes of Europe. Much as we all like to get off the beaten path, the biggies remain the biggies. This Best of Europe itinerary is all about the biggies, last minute plane tickets and I’m enjoying revisiting them all. Amsterdam’s Rijksmuseum is newly opened after a long period of renovation. And it is a glorious place to display the very best of Dutch masterpieces…like Rembrandt’s “The Night Watch.”

In the last decade or so that we don t travel with little kids who really love all the cheesy stuff,

All over Europe I’ve noticed there are two kinds of sights: legitimate cultural car rentals in scottsdale arizona and historic sights that thoughtful travelers seek out, and commercial car rentals in scottsdale arizona ventures that advertise aggressively and are on sale all over town with various discounts, promotions, and commissions.
Compare the cost. In Amsterdam you can have a fascinating look at the Dutch Resistance Museum filled with actual artifacts from the days the Nazis ruled the Netherlands; a walk through Rembrandt s studio complete with his personal inventory of curiosities and his best etchings, and then actually print a replica for yourself; be up-close-and-personal with the very best paintings by Vincent Van Gogh or you can buy a ticket to a tacky torture exhibit with plenty of papier-mâché gore but absolutely nothing historic inside. Choose carefully how to use your precious vacation time and money.
Do you have any warnings about well-advertised but disappointing commercial sights in Europe? How about sights that might be written off as tacky, commercial ventures that are actually a great value?
BOB s SOUND of MUSIC TOUR Salzburg, Austria. I know you think highly of this tour and booked it based on your recommendation. Whether the fault was incorrect expectations on my part or a bad tour guide, I was very disappointed.
I went to Bob s website and saw all the attractions/sites included in this tour so I expected information about these sites to be provided during the tour. Big mistake. Our van was full so my daughter and I were told to sit in the front seat so the other party of 6 could occupy the rest of the van. No problem until I realized that most of the Sound of Music sites were viewed only from the van as you peered through trees or a front gate while driving by and ALL were on the driver s side. I was in the middle and could not take a single photo without leaning across the lap of the driver. No vistas from the top of a hill per the movie opening were visited. Instead, we were taken to a field in a valley and told to take the hills are alive with the sound of music photo. The lakes were lovely to see but less stunning than the ones seen on our drive to Linderhof.
The Salzburg sites listed on the website were simply identified as we drove by no history or information car rentals in scottsdale arizona was provided, no pause for a photo. car rentals in scottsdale arizona And we skipped the Mirabel Gardens because the party of 6 had already car rentals in scottsdale arizona visited it but our driver agreed to drop us off nearby at the end of the tour. He acted like this was a great favor even though it was on our way back to the hotel.
If you are only interested in Sound of Music (SOM) trivia, this is the tour for you. But if you hope to learn about or visit any other Salzburg non-SOM site, take another tour. I think the explanation at Bob s website is misleading. I m sorry to say that this tour was an expensive waste of time.
In the last decade or so that we don t travel with little kids who really car rentals in scottsdale arizona love all the cheesy stuff, we try and stick to the real sites and find of course they are much cheaper and some are free. But once in awhile we get sucked into one of these others and you feel so ripped off afterwards.
I went on an excellent tour at the Torrrylinn Creamery in Kilmory on the Isle of Arran off the coast of Scotland. We had a tour of the facility and tasting afterwards. The Arran Dunlop, a Scottish cheddar was fantastic.
I suspect the Tour Guide is the key to any tour we took the Panorama Sound of Music Tour and had a fantastic time (4 adults all commented on it), but a lot of the fun as well as the amount of history of Salzburg that was enjoyed car rentals in scottsdale arizona was (I suspect) due to Peter, our guide. He not only knew his town inside out but was also a fantastic performer.
One town with a ticky-tacky reputation that we enjoyed in Germany was Ruedesheim. The alleged home of Schlager music we had a great evening of food and entertainment with families and adult groups of Germans in a relaxed atmosphere. No history, no great art, just plain fun.

Print up a cultural scavenger hunt page for the market (to be used in all tours at any market): e.g.

While I was trying to be on vacation during this Turkey trip, I was also collecting ideas for future TV episodes and making sure our Best of Turkey tour is the best value possible for our tour customers. As I always do when taking one of our tours, I send in a report to our tour operations staff and guides. landmark french quarter hotel Here is a sampling landmark french quarter hotel of my feedback for this tour:
Great trip in every way. I am really happy and impressed by how the tour is true to the ETBD spirit. If you made no changes because of these suggestions, it would still be a great tour. The mechanics of the tour as Mine did it were spot on. Nice work! But here are a few suggestions, proposals, ideas, and feedback to be considered for our Turkey landmark french quarter hotel program:
The Whisper System is a winner in Istanbul. It makes touring more relaxing and enjoyable for all. Experiment to learn what causes static. Try listening with Bose headsets (it s a different experience — almost too good; I m not proposing that, but it is interesting).
Walking fast is important. Keep walking fast and just explain you won t turn a corner. Start talking when most of the group is there. Those who choose landmark french quarter hotel to lag behind are free to do so without causing all to wait for them.
For meals, maximize variety — eating landmark french quarter hotel experiences with more variety and less quantity. While some cultures love people by throwing vast quantities of food at them, this does not impress Americans. It makes us uncomfortable. The Aphrodisias lunch (pide, salad, mushrooms) was served family-style and perfect. landmark french quarter hotel Nice variety, fast, not too much, great for sharing, good for social fun.
The dancing surprise is OK. A little more real music that evening (even by amateur musicians) would be great. Consider explaining the instruments. Tell about the culture of dancing in Turkey — how men dance together, snapping, flirting, etc.
Be careful landmark french quarter hotel to respect Christians on the tour. Many people come with a keen interest in Biblical history and footsteps of St. Paul. I think the guide s leadership is important to promote an atmosphere of respect and thoughtfulness from a religious landmark french quarter hotel (Muslim or Christian) point of view. Ideally, it is ecumenical — a kind of generic, all-inclusive approach that people of all faiths can embrace.
For group meals, it is very important for the guide to be sure there is smart seating (no gaps, not too tight, no extra chairs, easy access rather than a long single table against the wall, remove ashtrays). People are reluctant to scoot down a long line to sit in a place where they will make five people move if they need to get up. An extra chair or setting often means there is a gap socially in the seating, and then someone is cut out of the conversation — a major problem, but easy to avoid.
The meals should be a cultural education and fun sampler. landmark french quarter hotel Ask for any taste treats from the kitchen and let people have a tiny taste. Explain the food, introduce people to new stuff, do things en masse for experience, exposure, and economy (e.g., 6 sütlaç landmark french quarter hotel  for 24 people, landmark french quarter hotel one box of Turkish delight for the group after dessert, landmark french quarter hotel an assortment of various baklava desserts cut into small pieces and placed in the center of the table, a strange new drink with a little sample for each). Pay for these little extras as a tour expense.
More group think : Buy one newspaper and share it on the bus, put a box of pistachios landmark french quarter hotel for anyone to dig into in the back, pick up souvenir brochures/postcards/etc. assuming landmark french quarter hotel people are making a scrapbook. I d buy a box of some treat at each stop and share it (tiny bits) on the bus after we roll out. More sampler food (e.g., baklava).
Know the history in the Western context. Few Western Christians know who St. Basil is. He may be big in the East, but he s new to us. A serious history of Atatürk and the establishment of the modern country would be good in Ankara.
Assume tour members landmark french quarter hotel have no broad understanding of ancient history or art. So, at ancient sights, teach Greek, Roman, Byzantine history using the little things we see as a rack upon which to hang a bigger/broader understanding. For example: landmark french quarter hotel the plumbing under the streets (Roman engineering landmark french quarter hotel and social justice when it comes to who gets water for what), Roman roads (importance landmark french quarter hotel of communication to rule a vast empire), the walls built after region was conquered by Rome (why none before and why needed after). Discuss Atatürk in the context landmark french quarter hotel of European landmark french quarter hotel colonialism, and the Turkish army in the context of NATO.
Print up a cultural scavenger hunt page for the market (to be used in all tours at any market): e.g., leeches — find them, why, cost; animal-skin landmark french quarter hotel cheese bag; children buying baby chicks; old people with traditional wear; cigarettes with health warnings; and so on.
Explain that wine is not a good value because of taxation so tour members feel OK about skipping wine. (There is really nothing special about Turkish wines, but travelers feel obligated to seek out the good wines.) Beer is better value. Do a raki tasting with an expert. Demonstrate fun ways to pour and drink it.
Anytime the guide can buy an experience to save time and money for the group and create a memory — do it! Little moments: talking landmark french quarter hotel with shepherd, ice cream, apple bananas, halva, cologne on bus, etc. — great guiding. Maximize this. Brainstorm landmark french quarter hotel more examples of how we can do more of these micro-experiences. There are literally thousands.
I am concerned that the Istanbul hotel is gouging people who arrive early. Can we negotiate a fair price or find an alternative? Tour members told me they were charged a horrible amount per night before the tour. That is a betrayal from them (considering our loyalty to them over the years). Our tour members should not be easy money just earned money.
Tour hotels are great. Meals are great. Bus and driver are great. Guide is great. Itinerary is thoughtful and great. Rick is very happy. Thanks a lot for all the good work to all our Turkish tour partners!
The Whisper System is very critical. Get it for everyone as soon as feasible. My tour of St Chappelle in Paris was a serious disappointment because I could not hear the guide tell the stories of the more significant stained glass pictures.
I admire how much detail you put into these tours. As I had said we just did the cruise thing and our tours on NCL were very small for this kind of experience. But a lot of those problems landmark french quarter hotel came up with hearing the guide and the lost lagger that hold everyone up. Always is one. Also when we took our tour of Lucca and Pisa one of your local guides was our guide. His name is Michael landmark french quarter hotel from Lucca, he was so pationate about his life in Lucca, that we barely had time to eat! I can understand why he is part of RS. We reminded him that eating is important! Especially in Italy!
When I took the Turkey tour I reserved online through one of the booking agencies and paid half price of what the hotel was charging. I then e-mailed the hotel to be sure my reservation landmark french quarter hotel was in their system. From my experience almost all the tour hotels were charging more than the deals you can find in the web.
Hi Rick! I`ve just discovered your website after watching your tv show. I`m half French and half Turkish, yet I still find your blog quite interesting and useful! I think Turkey is the most mixed country in Europe that you can find whatever you want. There is something for everything. I strongly suggest visiting nisantasi, bebek, taksim, beyoglu districts in Istanbu and especially Dolmabahce Palace and adalar -unique blend of rum and turkish people on an island. I`m sure you will find even more at these places! All the best, Alican P. Psl
How do you get people to leave their comfort zone and reach out to the people? landmark french quarter hotel You did this well, I fear Americans are too timid. I had not appreciated how well one could use a knowledge of backgammon as a cultural bridge. It was mentioned in the pretour information, but I did not understand how important it would/could be. Again you showed the way!

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Hi we are coming in May 2015 and I want to take a bus tour that will let you spend more time on land than in the bus. I am a photographer and looking forward to taking pictures. We have 1 week there. I really want to go to Skye. I would also love to see a cattle . Could anyone recommend a good tour company for this? Thanks.
If you still can't face driving (even though its VERY easy in the rural/scenic bits of Scotland), then Rabbies / Timberbush are probably your best bet. They are good companies and offer good itineraries . . . but do plan on being frustrated having to move on before you are ready.
Diving in a foreign country travel trailer rentals texas is not for everyone. If you are not comfortable with it, don't do it. There are people on these boards who like to answer questions such as yours with unwanted advice on how you should spend your vacation. My wife and I just returned from six weeks in the UK. We hired a car the first part of our trip, took the Rick Steves tour of Scotland, and then rented an apartment in London the last two weeks. Having the car was nice, but having someone doing the driving was also nice. Do what makes you comfortable and have fun.
Just came back from four days in Scotland and we took a Rabbies one day tour to Fife villages and St Andrews. Because we went on a Sunday there is no play on the Old Course and you can walk it. We found Rabbies travel trailer rentals texas excellent and highly recommend them. Our tour guide was Tony- outstanding. Enjoy your trip!!!!
My husband and I just returned from a trip to Scotland. Most of the time, we took public transportation, but we rented a car for three days. Originally, we were dead set against driving. We had driven once in Ireland, not altogether happily, and we were younger then. I had almost settled on a Rabbie's tour, but the thing that bothered me was that all the tour companies seemed travel trailer rentals texas to take the same routes and stop at the same places. This made me feel that we might always find ourselves in a pack of fellow tourists.
In the end, shortly before the trip, we decided to rent a car for three days. We drove from Glasgow to Oban, visited Mull and Iona (as foot passengers travel trailer rentals texas on the ferries) from there, and then drove to Edinburgh on the third day. We made several stops each day.
The driving went very smoothly; it was much easier than in Ireland. We drove fairly slowly. If a line of cars piled up behind us, we pulled over to let them pass. There's little traffic in the highlands, and the main roads are in good condition, although a little narrow. (I was glad we decided not to take the car to Mull, though.) We paid extra to have an automatic transmission, so we wouldn't have to shift with the "wrong" travel trailer rentals texas hand, but I think even that wouldn't have been a big problem.

I would seriously consider doing it yourself. There is loads of advice on the forum for getting arou

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My boyfriend are planning a trip for fall 2015 or 2016 and he really wants to visit Germany and I want to visit London, Paris and Prague so our tours are limited for options. I think for our first trip, a tour with a tour company would be ideal vs on our own but I would be okay with exploring that option. Just don't know how to go about planning transportation with that.
They do not have rates out yet for 2015, but they visit United Kingdom, Netherlands, France, Germany, Czech Republic, Italy, Austria and Switzerland. The starting rates is $2,650 per person plus airfare. It also includes 12 buffet breakfasts, 2 ful breakfasts and 5 three course dinners.
That tour visits United Kingdom, Netherlands, France, Germany, Switzerland. The starting rates is 3,365.00 hertz rental cars in orlando fl per person plus airfare (!). It includes 10 buffet breakfasts, hertz rental cars in orlando fl 1 Dine-Around, 1 Celebration dinner.
My concern is; how is a Trafalgar tour?? how about Insight? It seems like Insight has alot more options included vs Trafalgar but I'm not sure what's best. I feel like there has to be a reason why Trafalgar is soo much cheaper but has a ton more countries and days vs Insight Vacations. The reviews on Insight Vacations are all super positive and there are plenty of reviews vs Trafalgar which has 2 reviews, one positive and one super negative.
I would seriously consider doing it yourself. hertz rental cars in orlando fl There is loads of advice on the forum for getting around independently, and you will receive plenty of help if you can decide on what you would like to see and how long you have for the trip. A ballpark figure for cost would be helpful too.
So lets say it Insight for $10,000 for 16 days( your trip plus tax and air x 2 people) plus Misc.) That is about $625 dollars a day. I am sure you could plan a great trip for less. Maybe do a combo of London/Paris or Germany/Prague. More in depth travel seeing what you want( vs an tour group agenda, less running around from hotel to hotel etc. You can vary food budget as desired.Hetismij2 is right, you have time to research a trip on your own.
First, your assumptions that you have to cover all of those destinations on your first trip to Europe is faulty. Indeed, I'd suggest you each choose one city and you spend your whole time in those two cities. That will enable you to have a real feel for both of those places. Next trip, you can build upon what you learned. I'd suggest a week in each of the two cities. This is very easy to plan - you fly into one city and out of the other, choose the best transport between the two cities, than choose your lodgings. Hotels are easiest for first-timers as you have the help of hotel staff to make reservations, etc., but you could also look into renting an apartment.
That Insight tour is crap: (1) it's not an 11-day tour when day 1 is your overnight flight and day 11 is your flight home; (2) you didn't hit the prices tab on insight, the tour is $160 more per person than what you list above--that's 7k plus airfare for nine days; (3) there are a LOT of optional extras on this tour (read: pay up) and that should not be the case at this price; (4) the Amsterdam day is a complete waste - they're trying to sell you stuff the whole time.
Okay-- so since I have plenty of time.. I'm going to plan it out like we were doing it on our own. I like planning, but I'm so used to planning things for the United States and Canada that Europe is a bit daunting.
Would it be reasonable hertz rental cars in orlando fl to try to visit London, Amsterdam, Germany, Prague, and Paris in one trip? I would love to take just a month and GO! But... job's are a hinderance. I can probably take two weeks.. (hopefully) so I'm going to start with that and see how reasonable hertz rental cars in orlando fl it is. Researching a rail pass right now.. Is it fesible to think I can travel to those places via a rail pass or would I need an alternative mode of transportation for some spots?? Regarding Germany, we'll probably hit Frankfurt and Munich? I have to do more research to see what parts of Germany we should go too. That country is huge! I do have travel books and I'm ordering a couple more.
@BigRuss: We are under 35, so yeah that was my other concern regarding those tours. Most of the travelers are going to be much much older. Haven't thought about the start in Prague hertz rental cars in orlando fl option. I will explore that start too.
It is super easy to plan the trip yourself. Fly from home into London, Eurostar to Paris, train or cheap flight to Germany. You will save a ton of money and will have a trip that will fit your interests specifically. You are smart in that you are reading some travel books. I went to my public library and got travel books for my 2015 trip that I'm planning. It's a good starting point.
Just make sure you try to find accommodation within hertz rental cars in orlando fl walking distance to public transport. London-metro is super easy to navigate. Paris also. I haven't done any research about Germany but would think it would be the same with options for reasonable public transport. Maybe try to find hotels that include breakfast? That would cut down on costs or time finding a place for breakfast giving you more time to sightsee.
@Chris45ny --- I'm thinking we should just do London/Paris hertz rental cars in orlando fl and Germany and go from there. I've been looking into too many tours, and going by how they travel, but we can do it how ever we want. Now to narrow down the cities in Germany to stop at. Thanks!
I'd suggest the opposite of jamikins hertz rental cars in orlando fl - start east, go west. You're going overnight across the Atlantic no matter hertz rental cars in orlando fl what so where you end up in Europe is less important than the fact that you shorten your trip home by a couple of hours.
In two weeks I would do no more than 3 cities for a first trip. If you have never been before there is usually a little bit of culture shock - and in each place you are dealing with a different language, a different hertz rental cars in orlando fl culture, a different transit system and a different way of doing some things.
This is not to discourage you - just to help you wrap your mind around what it will be like. for subsequent visits much of this will be old hat and you will adapt to new places more quickly - but the first trip has a lot more differences.
I think you would enjoy it more if you limit it to 3 places: London, Paris and Munich or Berlin. Each has plenty to keep you occupied for the whole 2 weeks - but you can get a good taste of all 3 in 2 weeks.
And don;t forget to bring good menu readers as well as learn the basic greetings, polite phrases and key words in each language (I can say toilet) hertz rental cars in orlando fl in 11 languages and mostly it's a variation on toilet) - but then you get into differentiating herren from damen, etc.
I'm going to explore all options, so I appricate all suggestions! I think 3 days in each location, plus 2 days for travel time to and from Europe should be good. Just have to pick a city in Germany to go too. Have to consult with boyfriend, since he wants to go!
You can easily plan yourself. Buy or check out from the library hertz rental cars in orlando fl an introductory book like Rough Guide to First-Time Europe or Rick Steves Europe Through the Back Door (the second is more general guide with lots of details about mainstream travel there even if it doesn't exactly sound like it from the title).

I'm dedicating three weeks this month to fully experiencing our flagship tour itinerary -- The Best o

I’m dedicating three weeks this month to fully experiencing our flagship tour itinerary — The Best of Europe in 21 Days — just as our tour members do. This year, we’re taking over 18,000 travelers on more than 750 Rick Steves tours guided by about a hundred wonderful tour guides. And I feel a responsibility to make sure we offer the maximum experience, fun, and learning london uk hotels for every precious vacation minute and dollar our tour members invest in us.
Our guides learn from each other on the road. We huddle each winter at our annual tour guide summit. And I get to meet up with many of them in Europe. For this tour, my guide is Reid Coen, who can move 25 travelers through the greatest hits of Europe with a stress-free efficiency that gets me all excited as a tour organizer.
Occasionally on this tour, Reid lets me grab the mic. It’s funny how after being a tour guide for 25 years, london uk hotels I can pick up that mic and feel like Alexander Haig (“I am in control here”). Then I come to my senses and take my seat with the other tour members and let Reid carry on. I really miss tour guiding. But I’m so thankful that we have a team of a hundred guides who routinely exceed our tour members’ very high expectations.
Whenever approaching Germany s Rothenburg, I have a déjà vu. I remember the stress I felt for two decades of arriving with my bus, hoping to find a place to park. The city is routinely jammed up with tour groups at midday, and very often, there’s no space in the parking lot just outside the city walls. When that happens, the bus needs to park much farther away. And at night, when I pop out to see our bus, it’s the most beautiful sight in all of Europe: our tour bus literally all alone in the parking lot. Why? We’re the only group in town tonight enjoying the after-dark magic of an otherwise very touristy and congested medieval gem, all to ourselves.
My passion as a tour organizer is to have a group of 25 travel as efficiently as a family in a station wagon. And with our well-organized guides, we do. Each day so far on our tour, I’ve marveled at how punctual and mobile our group is — clear communication, london uk hotels packing light, bus standing by, great travelers. Typically, ten minutes after dropping our keys at the hotel desk, we’re having a buddy check on the bus and are on the road.
I’ve long been enthusiastic about keeping our tours open to families — providing parents understand that it’s an adult tour and kids can wear out their welcome in a hurry if not parented well. (For years, I d take my own kids out of school each May for the education of a bus tour through Europe.) On this tour, we have two wonderful kids, and tour guide Reid (ignoring Europe’s child labor laws) enlists them to pass out goodies london uk hotels and tickets on the bus.
On our tours, about half the dinners are included. A favorite part of the meal for me is when the chef and the kitchen staff step out for a round of applause. After a long meal of enjoying london uk hotels local beer or wine, the applause can be particularly raucous.
Evening activities are an important part of any European experience. One of my favorites anywhere is the amazing “Night Watchman Tour” in Rothenburg. Throughout the summer, london uk hotels Georg gives the tour in English each evening at 8:00 p.m. and in German at 9:30 p.m. I’ve taken his tour for two decades now, and I laugh my head off each time. An hour with the Night Watchman is a great way to cap Day Five of our 21-day Best of Europe tour.
Your blog is amazing. I cannot wait until one day we can see Europe on one of your tours. The pictures are as amazing as your shows (which is playing right now in the living room on HuluPlus). You are quite a delight to see!! Please continue entertaining us with the world s beauty!!!! Lots of love!! The Zervis Family Georgia, USA
Hi Rick, I always wish to have an opportunity to say thank you to you. I never traveled to a foreign country until one day I watched your Europe Travel TV program on PBS TV station in California in 2004. I enjoyed your travel programs so much and that day I sit before the TV for the whole day.
Thank you so much for having such an enormous impact on my life journey and my life would never be the same without you. You are truly my life-time inspiration and again thank you. I wish to say this to you again in person someday when I meet you in Europe.

If you're curious about our tour program, go to my tours website and browse around. We understand tr

My Best of Europe tour is finished. (I feel like sending that Rick Steves hotels in panama city beach florida fellow a letter to tell him what a great time I had.)  I hope you enjoyed following my adventures these last three weeks. Of course, we’re really proud of our tour program. This year, we’re having our best season ever. So far over 19,000 travelers have signed up on over 800 of our 2014 tours, and plans for our 2015 season are well under way. The Best of Europe tour you joined me on is just one of over 30 different itineraries.
If you’re curious about our tour program, go to my tours website hotels in panama city beach florida and browse around. We understand trusting a tour company with your precious vacation time and money is a huge decision, so call 425-608-4217 if you have more questions after you’ve looked at our website.
Each year we throw a big party for our tour alums and our guides. This little video clip lets you join the party for a few minutes. Check it out and think about letting us turn your travel dreams into smooth and affordable reality. hotels in panama city beach florida Thanks.

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The new vacation rental portal includes upscale properties, urban residences, and resort villas ar

Four Seasons Hotels launches vacation rental one way air tickets website | LUXUO Luxury Blog Luxury News Cars Tech Beauty Events one way air tickets Style Watches one way air tickets Dining Yachts Property Jets Jewelry Most Expensive Hotels Travel Design Celebrities Billionaire one way air tickets Phones Trends Home Hotels Resorts Four Seasons Hotels launches vacation rental website Four Seasons Hotels one way air tickets launches vacation rental website By AFPRelaxnews | June 23, 2014
Four Seasons has launched a luxury vacation rental site that offers private villas, residences and holiday homes in response to the growing popularity of Airbnb, FlipKey, VRBO and other short term rental booking sites.
The  new vacation rental portal  includes upscale properties, urban residences, and resort villas around the world with fully equipped kitchens, and large indoor and outdoor spaces. Currently, the site has 13 properties in the Americas and the Caribbean, Africa and Asia.
With each reservation, guests can also book a private chef or chauffeur , and request services such as a fully stocked fridge, housekeeping, fitness facilities, and a childproofed home before arrival.
“We’re seeing a steady increase in multi-generational and small group travel , guests who want to get away with children, grandparents or groups of friends to celebrate holidays or mark special moments.