America's first luxury railway, the American Orient Express, has changed its name to GrandLuxe Rail Journeys to reintroduce itself to luxury travelers seeking an adventure that offers optimal sumptuousness mixed with a dose of 1940's nostalgia. The best of the past and present is combined for refined trekkers to experience "rail" good times.
Most trips are at least seven days long and offer various vistas for sightseeing along the way. The GrandLuxe Mexico tour is a nine-day excursion with eight days by rail. For all trips, the fine-dining menus are based on the cuisine of the locales being visited. The Mexico venture begins in El Paso and makes stops at Chihuahua, the site of the Mexican Revolution, the golden beaches of Mazatlán, Guadalajera, Copper Canyon, and the oldest known city of North America, Mexico City.
The decorum of the rail cars is an opulent retrofit of the Hollywood heydays of the 1940s. A domed observation car offers passengers a panoramic view. The ambience of the piano lounge and the dining cars leave guests expecting to see Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall, Clark Gable and Mae West discussing an upcoming film project with John Ford and Orson Welles.
Becoming a member of the GrandLuxe's Golden Rail Club is a great way to get on track for substantial savings on future rail cruises. Members can save up to $1,000 per person booked on the same trip. Additionally, there is a 10 percent discount applied on all on-board purchases, complimentary wine served at dinners, and a newsletter filled with upcoming events.
Friday, March 6, 2009
GrandLuxe Rail Journeys for 'Rail-Time' Luxury
Tour Scenic East Java and Bali
Explore ancient Hindu pilgrimage sites, discover the Sultan's Palace and stop over at some of the world's finest Buddhist temples. After arriving in Yogyakarta, one of the foremost cultural centers of Java, you'll have the chance to lurk around active volcanoes, climb through undisturbed caverns and immerse yourself in your tropical surroundings. Play with turtles, swim with exotic fish and explore the depths of the Indian Ocean. Stay at the Legian Beach Hotel, an oceanfront hideaway covered with coconut palms, shady trees and fragrant tropical flowers. Make your way to Blok M and find a cozy table at Everest, the newest and hippest hangout in Jakarta.
Days 1-2
There is something about Bali that is very pure and spiritual, very artistic and transcending. After arriving in Bali, get situated at the elegant Nusa Dua Beach Resort and prepare for a busy day of touring Mount and Lake Batur, Celuk, Mas and Ubud. After visiting the Goa Gajah and the Tampak Siring, enjoy a traditional barong dance put on by the natives as you nibble on seafood barbeque at the beach.
Day 3
Today is yours to leisurely explore the island. Head to Seminyak, which is situated in the heart of Bali, surrounding yourself in an eclectic mix of fashionable eateries, boutiques and nightlife. As the island?s most stylish town, you?ll be in the middle of all the action. Listen to local DJs as they perform their magic on the turntables at DeJaVu.
Days 4-5
In the morning, you will fly to Yogyakarta, one of the foremost cultural centers of Java. Arrive at your hotel, the Melia Purosani, located just steps away from the Jalan Malioboro shopping center and the Sultan's Palace. Explore the Sonobudoyo Museum, the batik home industry and Kotagede silverworks.
Days 6-7
After flying to Surabaya, you are transferred to your hotel, the Grand Bromo, which overlooks vistas of mountain peaks and the picturesque harbor of Probolinggo. Spend a lazy morning poolside ordering refreshments from the sunken bar. Later, visit Mount Bromo and spend an unforgettable evening dining on the region's local fare. Arrive at Mount Penanjakan and continue to the edge of Bromo Crater for what many consider to be the best view of Indonesia. Mount Bromo is remarkably a volcano inside a volcano and the most accessible volcano on the island.
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Pros and Cons of Timeshares
Buying a timeshare certainly has its share of pros and cons, and chief among them is money. There are arguments both ways as to the value of timeshares. A timeshare is when you pre-pay for vacations at a particular resort or locale, and then you are guaranteed a specific time period for your vacation each year. It also can include more than one week in certain situations. But what are the pros and cons of timeshares?
Pros – For one, you always know when and where your vacation will be. You do not have to worry about reservations, or your favorite place getting booked up. This certainty is wonderful if you regularly vacation in the same place every single year, and you will often save money under these circumstances.
Another great benefit of a timeshare is the fact that it is already furnished with those things that you will need. This includes appliances, towels, lamps, furniture, and so on. Most timeshares already are fully furnished and stocked with everything you need of this nature.
Upkeep is another attractive option for timeshare owners. You pay a maintenance fee for the timeshare that takes care of the timeshare which collectively pays for any repairs, security, and other needs the property may need. Compared to owning a property, this amount of money is quite negligible in comparison.
As a money maker, timeshares can be quite profitable if you are careful and know what you are doing. Many people invest in a timeshare for the sole purpose of renting it out. This is profitable if you are doing it in the right way, but you must be careful in your dealings.
Cons – Many of the same things that are pros can also be cons if you are not careful. The potential downfalls of the timeshare market are varied, and can be devastating to someone that does not understand how they work.
One of the biggest issues are maintenance fees. At times, they can rise or fall depending upon the repairs and problems that may arise within a timeshare. For example, if the heating system goes out, and the maintenance fees do not cover it as they stand, then the fees will rise. You have to be prepared for these unexpected occasions.
The other major drawback for a timeshare are the many cons working the market. You should always research the company that you are dealing with extensively before purchasing a timeshare. The last thing you want is to get stuck in a financial black hole from your timeshare purchase. There are a number of scams on the market.
If you do not properly network with others, a timeshare is very limiting on your vacation options. Timeshares can be traded or exchanged in certain cases, but you would need to have people to do this with. For this reason, it is good to get to know others in the timeshare market so that you have some options for flexibility.
Finally, the biggest con of timeshares is the money commitment. While this is negligible if you are a regular visitor to a particular location, it can be significant if you are not. Timeshares are really for people that are going to return to the same vacation spot year after year at the same time. This scenario is sure to keep you happy with your timeshare. If you, however, like to shake things up every so often, then timeshares are far to constricting.
Timeshares are really what you make of them. The pros and cons of timeshares are completely up to you in most cases. It is a matter of looking at all the details, and deciding if there are more pros than cons before you make the purchase. Research is the key.
by Rodney Southern
Cruise National Parks on a Budget
The country is dotted with lots of cool and remarkable national parks. Bold travelers only have their backpacks filled with food and activity stuffs, then gather up their tent and set it up in the campsites of national parks and relax in their chosen resting destination. These parks are awesome getaways for fishing, summer hiking, or simply being one with nature.
This kind of travelers may appear to have no itinerary set in place for their travel, however, they are actually backed up by a good plan how to spend the day in their course of travel. Planning begins by choosing one among the famous national parks in Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, Yosemite, and Zion, which are literally crawling with campers during peak summer months. Part of the plan is to make early reservations.
Go online if you want to book your chosen campsite. If you are too busy to do this, travel agents can be enlisted to make the reservations for you from their own system. They can also book you hotel properties in national parks, campsites, and cabins.
Take note that not all national parks offer camping in the wilderness, though there are cabins that are available for renting. Cabins are cheaper alternatives to hotels or motels and they keep you closer to the park. If you are planning to make early bookings at a national park, it pays to do some research first; more importantly, if you are setting up tents or paying for chic hotel room.
Do not forget to consider the season and weather conditions if you are planning to go to national parks. Temperature in these places can go high because of their locations, which are usually in the mountains. This should prod you to bring the necessary clothing, depending on the weather.
If you plan on going to Yosemite National Park, there are certain portions of the place that always have snow. Many visitors are even surprised to see fresh snow in some areas of the park.
Choose campgrounds that provide accessibility. Avoid campsites that require bone-breaking hiking just to get to these places. Carefully consider these things first before you book your reservation.
Camping outdoors by choosing national parks can be quite an exhilarating and a fulfilling experience that will make each nerve in your body come alive. Always remember that in choosing outdoor travel spots, you can still be able to enjoy such moment, even if you are only cruising your way through nationals parks in a limited budget.
by Gary Eugene
How to Prevent Jet Lag
Jet lag is caused by an upset of the body’s circadian rhythms, the internal clock that tells you when to sleep, eat and be active. When you travel by air, everyone at your destination is on one schedule while you, thanks to the speed of jet travel, are still “lagging” behind on another. The more time zones you skip, the worse the effects of jet lag.
“Traveler’s hangover,” characterized by headache, dizziness, fatigue and digestive upset, has long been considered a necessary evil of long-distance flights. It doesn’t have to be because there are many ways to minimize this physical distress.
Start by resetting your clock mentally and physically as soon as you board the plane:
* Change your watch to the time it is at your destination.
* When it’s night at your destination, go to sleep. If you need help dozing off, ask your doctor about using over-the-counter melatonin tablets to supplement your body’s own production of the natural sleep inducer.
* When it’s mealtime at your destination, eat, but do so sparingly. Airline meals that are high in fat, salt and cholesterol will make you feel bloated. Take along carbohydrate snacks from home in case the mealtime is not in sync with the aircraft service.
Next, exercise to promote circulation and stay limber, and choose the right liquids:
* Drink water. Aircraft cabin humidity is very low. To avoid dehydration, drink 8 ounces of water for every hour you’re in the air.
* Avoid alcohol, which adds to dehydration.
* Avoid caffeine, which is a diuretic and can interfere with sleep.
When you arrive at your destination, go outside during daylight hours to acclimate your body to the new light-dark schedule. If you arrive at night, go straight to bed and try to get seven or eight hours of sleep. If you arrive in the daytime, stay awake until a reasonable local bedtime. Regulate your eating to the local times. If you arrive in the morning, have a high-protein breakfast for energy.
If you absolutely must hit the ground running at your destination, consider the approach used by Olympic athletes when they travel - the anti-jet-lag diet created in 1982 by the Argonne National Laboratory, one of the U.S. Department of Energy’s research centers. This diet is based on the theory that different foods cause different bodily reactions, including sleepiness. The feast-and-fast regimen starts three days before departure:
* On Day 1, feast on a high-protein breakfast and lunch (meat, eggs, fish, dairy products and legumes) and a dinner loaded with carbohydrates (pasta, bread, rice and potatoes). Limit any consumption of caffeine to between 3 p.m. and 5 p.m.
* On Day 2, fast with light meals of fruit, soup or salad. Limit caffeine to between 3 p.m. and 5 p.m.
* On Day 3, feast again (same diet as on Day 1).
* On Day 4, the day of departure, fast again until it’s breakfast time at your destination. End the fast with a high-protein breakfast.
The Argonne diet requires some effort and discipline - cheating greatly affects its efficacy - but it is the most scientific and comprehensive approach to making sure you’re in top form when your feet hit terra firma again, wherever that may be.
by David Di Cristo
Nine Vacation Tips For You And Your Digital Camera
Vacations are one of the things that most people look forward to most in life. Whether traveling as a couple or with a whole family, some of the best memories are made during a well planned out vacation trip. It doesn’t matter if you are traveling half way around the world, up to the mountains to a family cabin, or a quick trip to the beach, the escape from everyday life that a good vacation provides can be priceless. Your digital camera plays a big part in preserving those vacation memories that you will want to look back on in the future. Whether sharing them online with friends or printing them out and using them in scrapbooking, vacation photos can be one of the most important type of photos you take.
Here are nine digital camera tips that will enhance your next vacation:
1. Keep your digital camera in a camera bag or some other type of enclosure if you plan on taking it to the beach. Sand can get into a digital camera very easily and make it inoperable. Also, after using your camera at the beach make sure there are no grains of sand on the outside of the zoom lens before you retract it into the camera body.
2. Before leaving on your vacation clear your digital camera’s memory card, write your name and address on a piece of paper, and take a picture of it. Now the first picture on your memory card will be the info someone needs to return the camera to you should you lose it. It also isn’t a bad idea to have your contact information in your camera bag and on the camera itself.
3. Make sure you buy the right amount of batteries that you will need for your digital camera before you leave on your vacation. Batteries are usually harder to find, especially if they are an odd type or specialty batteries, and more expensive in a resort or vacation area.
4. Though it does use more battery power, using the LCD screen that most digital cameras come with to take pictures is best because what you see on the screen is exactly what photo is taken. Often, with some cameras, what you see in the viewfinder is not the exact frame of the photo that is taken.
5. Make sure to bring your digital camera’s cable along on vacation with you. One great way to save space on your camera’s memory card is to take advantage of either your hotel’s internet connection or an internet cafe to upload photos to a remote source. You can even email them to yourself, if need be. This also is a great backup for your vacation photos if your camera happens to become lost or stolen.
6. Practice with your digital camera at home, especially if it is new to you, so that you understand the settings and how best to take pictures in various lighting and indoor/outdoor situations. The last thing you want to do on your vacation is spend valuable time trying to figure out how your camera works. The last thing you want to do after returning from your vacation is find out that your pictures didn’t turn out like they should have.
7. Rest assured that when returning from your vacation that sending your digital camera through the airport security and detection devices will not harm your images. If by chance you also have a standard camera or disposable camera, you may want to hand them to the security personnel and ask that they be inspected by hand.
8. Actually taking multiple memory cards instead of just one is a good way to distribute photos so that in the event that your digital camera is lost or stolen, some of the photos you have already taken may be preserved on a memory card that wasn’t inside the camera when it disappeared.
9. Keep your digital camera on your person whenever possible. There are many times, like eating out for example, where it may be tempting to just set your camera down on a table or counter. This opens you up to having your camera stolen and also opens up the possibility that you could walk away and accidentally leave your camera behind.
Often the only way to have anything long lasting from a great vacation is to take a good amount of photos while on your trip. These photos can be used by you to look back at the fun times you had and also can be used as a way of showing friends and family what you did on your vacation. But these photos will be worthless if they don’t develop well, are taken under poor conditions, or are not able to be taken because your digital camera was lost, stolen, or damaged.
by Mark Peters
