Monday, November 24, 2008

Tips for Planning a Great Vacation

By Ian Williamson

Having a relaxing vacation

is the ideal way to forget all about the stress of our daily lives. It's a chance to just sit back, relax and get our priorities back in order. For many of us, it's also a great chance to reconnect with our loved ones. Whatever your reasons for needing to take a vacation, there are a few things you need to do to ensure that it goes exactly the way you envision.

The first thing you need to do when planning your perfect vacation is to figure out what you want to get out of it. Different people have different ways of relaxing. While one person might revel in a week of non-stop lying on the beach, another might find that idea incredibly boring. Plan a vacation based on what you enjoy doing and not what someone else thinks you should do. Look into the options that you think will help you relax.

Setting a budget for your trip is very important. You simply won't be able to enjoy any holiday

if you are constantly worrying about money. Spending more money than you can afford to on a vacation will only leave you feeling worried and guilty. Come up with a viable plan that will allow you to do the things you love without sacrificing your entire piggy bank. It will definitely be a relief not to have to come home and start working hard just to pay off your trip.

Setting a budget for your trip is very important. You simply won't be able to enjoy any holiday if you are constantly worrying about money. Spending more money than you can afford to on a vacation will only leave you feeling worried and guilty. Come up with a viable plan that will allow you to do the things you love without sacrificing your entire piggy bank. It will definitely be a relief not to have to come home and start working hard just to pay off your trip.

Sometimes we all need a little help. Don't be afraid to ask for it. Enlist the help of a travel agent who knows about the industry. They can point out options and ideas you never even thought of. Not only that, but it helps to have someone else to make the calls and the arrangements. They'll be able to help you if things start to go wrong. Their number one priority is your holiday happiness.

For many of us, taking a vacation isn't a luxury, it's a necessity! A vacation allows us the opportunity to relax and take a step back from the busy world around us. It's very important for our physical, emotional and mental well-being. After all, if you don't have something to look forward to during the year, you might just be inclined to have a breakdown! Plan your vacation properly and reality will seem just a tad sweeter when you get back to it.

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Games To Play When Traveling

By Winawita

Car travel games are a tradition wherever families take vacations or long trips by automobile. Long drives are always more tolerable with some diversion or entertainment, and reading might not be the best choice, at least for the driver. Why not try some games that everyone in the car can play?



"Blue Car" Travel Games

These are travel classics. Each person guesses how many blue cars will pass in the next ten miles or ten minutes. Of course it can be red cars, or trucks, or whatever everyone agrees to. By the way, it's considered bad form for the driver to slow down, letting more cars pass, so his guess will be the closest.

Another classic travel game involves the alphabet. Everyone tries to spot something starting with an "a", and be the first to call it out ("apple tree!"). Since the Qs and Xes are difficult, they can be skipped. The person with the most "firsts," is the winner.

Educational Travel Games

These are car games that get you thinking, learning something, or at least showing off what you know. In one game, the driver, or another designated host, asks questions like "At what temperature does water boil?" or "What is the Capital of Columbia?" or "If sales tax is 7.6%, what's the total cost of a sweater priced at $22?" If you want the kids to love this one, pay twenty-five cents for each right answer.

In another car travel game, someone looks out the window and randomly selects an object. Everyone in the car then tries to imagine a creative way to make money with it. Overpasses become places to advertise, cows are rented out, and a truck becomes a traveling discotheque.

Other Car Travel Games

Turn on the radio and you can have a game in which everyone tries to be the first to call out the name of the artist when a song starts. You can change the station, so you don't have to wait through a whole song to continue the contest.

In another car radio game, each person in the car chooses a word. Then you turn on the radio. The person whose word is spoken (or sung) first on the radio is the winner.

Finally, have one person in the car start a story with a sentence or two. Each person in turn adds a line to the story. This can get personal, but usually creates a story that has everyone laughing.