Why Choose A Cruise For Your Next Holiday? By Daniel Hardie

Cruising is a holiday type that is fast becoming the more popular option for travellers. We have seen a major rise in the number of cruise ships in particular fleets as well as new companies that are reaching into new destinations.

There are plenty to choose from some of which include Carnival, Royal Caribbean, P & O, Princess, Costa and so many more. Some cruisers will choose the same cruise line over and over again while others prefer to try out new ships and new companies.

But why is it becoming so popular? There are many benefits of cruising which I will outline in this article.

1. You only need to pack and unpack once. Most cruises will be visiting many ports so you get to travel to many locations without having to pack and unpack each time.

If you were to travel the traditional way i.e. flying to each of the destinations you would lose half a day each and every time you departed for the next destination. With a cruise that is not necessary.

2. All your food is catered for. This includes your main meals three times a day, plus snacks and other food services with most of the companies catering for you 24 hours a day.

3. Kids club. There is a reason so many families enjoy booking cruises and that is because of the fantastic kids club programs on board so that the adults can drop off the kids and get some time to relax themselves and the kids will have fun and be entertained themselves.

4. Entertainment is provided. There are plenty of music shows, comedy acts, dances, bingo and other games all provided so you will never be bored. There is always something going on around the ship and caters for wide range of audiences.

There are generally comedians, hypnosis, magicians, dancers, singers, bands and other weird and wonderful acts that make your cruise fun.

5. It makes a good alternative for those who hate flying. Cruise ships are fairly steady and allow those who hate flying an opportunity to head overseas without conjuring up any fears or dislikes.

While not everyone loves the open ocean over 80% of people who do book a cruise will book another one at least once more in their lifetime.

Travelling by air, by road or by sea all have their own set of benefits and really comes down to what you want to do and where you would like to see.

As far as value for money goes and the constant entertainment, food gauging and more on board it is fairly easy to see why so many people love to cruise as their preferred method of travel.

Are you looking for something new, exciting and adventurous?

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www.NothingButAdventure.com has over 3,000 adventures in Australia, Tours in 16 Countries plus all your adventure gear and equipment, travel eBooks and more.
 

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Pet Friendly Hotels: A New Trend in Hospitality, by Anders Abadie

If you and your family have pets, leaving them at home during a vacation can be difficult. Putting your animals in a kennel can be expensive, but it can be difficult to find someone to pet sit from your home. Fortunately, there is a solution. Pet friendly hotels are becoming more and more popular in many cities.

Pet friendly hotels allow travelers to bring their animal friends with them instead of boarding them in a kennel or hiring a caretaker to stay with them during the trip. These places are dedicated to making animals feel comfortable while also giving owners the peace of mind knowing that their animals are safe and well nourished.

Some luxury establishments even treat animals as miniature VIPs, catering to their every whim and pampering them. For example, they may have a special room service menu for animals, leave toys in all the rooms, and provide special doggy and kitty beds that will give animals a good night's sleep. A hotel in Seattle even has animal psychiatrists, acupuncturists, and massage therapists on staff to truly pamper the pets that come to stay there.

An establishment in California has a "Yappy Hour" where dog owners can bring their dogs to a special area for a play session. These events are a great way for dogs to run around and tire themselves out while their owners socialize. Some places have even hired "Directors of Animal Relations" that plan special events and figure out new services and offerings that will make animals feel at home.

Some pet friendly hotels have also started to provide replacement animals for those travelers who were forced to leave their four-legged friends at home. For example, the Burnham in Chicago has started providing goldfish for guests, as does the SoHo Grand in New York. Some establishments have even started to provide cats or dogs to guests who would like the company of an animal during their stay. The goal is to make guests feel more at home and work towards alleviating the pain that comes with leaving a beloved animal friend at home.

These pet friendly hotels are able to accommodate devoted animal lovers by asking for a nonrefundable deposit from any guests that are bringing animals with them. This allows them to provide extra services and also repair any damage that animals may cause, such as chewing on furniture, scratching the carpets, or urinating inside the room.
 

Looking for pet friendly hotels? Oregon Coast wants to welcome you and your furry friend. Click here: http://www.mcmenamins.com.
 

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4 Awesome Tips To Travel Around The Caribbean on a Budget, By Antonio Cala

Travel During the Low Season

Traveling during the low season makes everything cheaper. There are less tourists so hostels are not crowded and that's when you can find the best deals. The low season in the Caribbean is from May to October but keep in mind that June to October is also the hurricane season. If you are going south of Dominica, you are very unlikely to be hit by a hurricane. However, if you are going north from there, keep an eye on the weather reports. Showers are normally late in the afternoon with clear skies the rest of the day.

Go Camping

Bringing a tent or a camping hammock is one of the best decisions you can make to save money. Some islands are better than others for camping. I found campground areas in Martinique, St Lucia and Dominica with all the facilities needed and very affordable camping fees. Some islands may not have campground areas, but they have plenty of beautiful and isolated beaches. Safety might come to your mind when planning to free camp on the beach, but it's very unlikely that you will have any problems. Just try to find a beach without any town nearby. I really enjoyed free camping on the beaches of Carriacou, The Grenadines and Barbuda. And if you are in the right season, you might even spot leatherback turtles at night!

Eat What The Locals Eat

Whatever it's produced on the islands is cheap. The options are not very diverse and rice and beans are always on the menu. Fruit is a great option. Mangoes, bananas, papayas and other tropical fruit are plentiful and delicious. And don't forget about drinks. Beer and rum are surprisingly cheap. Whenever you are in a big town, try to visit the local market. There are normally plenty of stands around them where you can get cheap meals and have a chat with the locals. It's my favourite option.

Use Boats When Possible

Cargo boats are one of the cheapest options but they are infrequent and don't go to every island. Also, it's very difficult to find departure dates or any kind of schedule if you are not on the island already and go to the port in person. Local boats tend to be cheap but they are only available on short crossings. It's a great option to travel through Grenada and The Grenadines group as the islands are close to each other. The quality of the boats varies and they absolutely never run on time, so you will need to be very patient. Finally, you always can try to hitch a ride on a sailboat!

Antonio Cala
Co-founder of Cycling El Mundo. Addicted to adventure travel and unexpected plans. He's on a mission to inspire you to live your dreams with entertaining stories, beautiful images and useful travel tips. Cycling around the world since 2013.

Check out his website on: http://www.cyclingelmundo.com/
Related read: Top 4 Beaches in the Caribbean

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Thanksgiving Travel and Airport Parking Tips, By S. Hurley Hall

Did you know that Thanksgiving is the busiest time of year for air travel? And because it's such a popular travel holiday, that means you can expect long lines and lots of delays going through the security checkpoints. Along with a big dose of patience, it helps to keep these Thanksgiving travel tips in mind before you set off for the airport parking lot.

Timing is Everything

The busier the airport, the more time you need to allow to get to there and make it through the long lines. This means leaving your house earlier than you normally would; after all, thousands of others just like you are making their way to the airport, too, so traffic is bound to be congested. It's ideal to arrive at the airport with at least two hours to spare before your flight departs.
Don't rely on the airport parking lots to have a convenient space open. Particularly over periods of heavy air travel, it's wise to use offsite airport parking so you can be assured of a spot and timely transportation to the terminal without any hassles or delays.

Check-In

After you park at the airport and approach the check-in counter, expect a long line. If you've never printed your boarding pass and checked in to your flight online before, now might be the ideal time to give it a go because it will save you lots of time and aggravation.

If you can, travel light and don't check any luggage. Just be sure your carry-on fits the airline's specifications as far as dimensions and weight and that your liquids are compliant with TSA guidelines.

If you simply can't travel without checking baggage, as long as you check in online the day before your flight, you'll still save a great deal of time by being able to head straight for the luggage drop-off area. And depending on which airport you are flying from, you may be able to check your bags curbside, avoiding the crowds indoors.

Security

Then there's the dreaded security line... The best piece of advice is to anticipate the screening process and be prepared. That means wearing shoes that are easy to slip off, not taking anything through the security line that could warrant a closer inspection (jewelry, scissors, pocketknife, computerized devices, etc.), and ensuring that liquids in your carry-on baggage are small and appropriately packaged (this applies to beverages, too). Have your boarding pass and ID ready; you may want to purchase lanyards for all members of your family so these documents are always handy yet out of the way.

Thanksgiving is all about the food for most families, but if you want to fly with a jar of your homemade cranberry sauce or spiced apple cider in tow, forget it. Restrictions apply to these foods since they are categorized as liquids and gels; it's just more hassle than it's worth to try to bring your homemade holiday goodies on the plane - although you could put them in checked baggage if you're adamant about bringing them.

If you are one of the millions of people expected to fly over the Thanksgiving holiday, use these air travel tips to make your experience more pleasant and less time-consuming. And do remember to be patient; everyone else at the airport wants to enjoy their holiday, too.

S. Hurley Hall runs the Taking Off Travel Blog for off airport parking provider ParkRideFlyUSA.com/blog. It covers travel destinations, business travel, travel gadgets, travel tips and more. Join our email list and be the first to hear about special offers that make your trip less expensive and more enjoyable. Book your airport parking reservations before you arrive at the airport. Hurry! Visit us at Park Ride Fly to receive a 10% discount on your airport parking for a limited time.

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Top Ten Travel Accessories, By Simon J. Smith

With 100's of travel accessories available it is sometimes difficult to choose which ones to buy and which to omit. My list gives a run down on the top ten must haves for any traveller.

1. Travel Adaptor. If you are travelling overseas to a country that uses a different plug socket to your home country then you will need the appropriate travel adaptor if you intend to take electrical devices with you whether it be your phone, laptop, iPad, camera or music player. If you are visiting multiple countries then you might want to look into a universal adaptor which will convert your plug to any worldwide socket.

2. Travel Wallet. When travelling you carry many more documents than you normally would so your regular wallet is most likely not large enough. You will need room for your travel tickets, passport, visa's, travellers cheques, credit cards, cash and boarding passes. It is a good idea to keep all of your documents in one place that is easy to access so that you pass through immigration swiftly. Look out for a travel wallet that is roomy and has a lot of sections to organise your documents into separate compartments. An exterior slip in pocket is useful for your boarding passes.

3. Concealed Waist Wallet. After you reach your destination and settled in at your hotel you will no longer need to carry around all your travel documents. I recommend that you just carry the cash you need for the day and possibly a credit card. Many tourist destinations have a high rate of pick pocketing so a regular wallet can be unsafe. A concealed money belt however is hidden under your clothes and is invisible to a would-be thief.

4. Pocket Travel Guide or Destination App. Visiting a new destination is exciting as you discover new places of interest but often with little knowledge of the destination a lot of time can be wasted whilst you get to know the area. Before smart phones a poker sized travel guide was the best option but if you now have a smart phone then there are many apps that will give you detailed information on the place you are visiting.

5. Sleeping Mask. If you are travelling by plane, coach or train for an extended period catching 40 winks is advisable and can make a long journey seem short. Due to the less than ideal settings an eyeshade helps to cut out the light and make sleeping a little easier and more comfortable. If you reach your destination and are suffering from jet lag and need to sleep during the day then the mask will be useful again.

6. Travel Pillow. Essential for a comfortable rest whilst travelling, travel pillows come in a variety of designs. Some are a horseshoe shape and loop around the back of your head and others are just a small version of your bed pillow. They can either be filled (usually foam) or inflatable. The filled ones are generally more comfortable but do take up a lot more room than an inflatable one, take this into consideration when choosing the right one for you particularly if you have limited space in your carry on luggage.

7. Luggage Scales. Excess baggage fees can be horrendous and should be avoided at all costs so even though you will not use it much, a luggage scale can save you a lot of money. Weigh your luggage before you travel and then again before you return. Check that you know exactly what weight you are allowed to take with you and consider that when purchasing gifts from overseas. If you think you are getting close to your limit during the trip re-weigh your luggage and consider posting items back home if you are going to go over your limit.

8. Toiletry Bags. Seasoned travelers always use a toiletry bag, it is a good way to keep all your toiletries in one place and they can stay in there for the duration of your trip some even have a hanger system so that they can open up and form a shelf in your hotel room. The other big reason for using a toiletry bag is spillage, your shampoo/aftershave could become damaged during transit and leak out onto the rest of your packing. Toiletry bags are usually waterproof so in the event of spillage the liquid is limited to the toiletry bag only and want soil your clothes.

9. Travel Clothes Line. No one really wants to wash clothes on holiday but sometimes it can be unavoidable even if it is just a few items over the space of several weeks. You can always find something to use as a substitute washing liquid if you have no travel wash with you (such as soap or shampoo) but hanging the items can be difficult if you have no balcony and even then it is not ideal as your garments could end up dusty. The solution is a travel clothes line that garments attach to by a twist in the line and has no need for clothes pegs.

10. Packable Bag. This kind of bag can either be a backpack or travel bag that folds away into our small pouch so in effect you are getting an extra bag that takes little space but can be unfolded to an extra, useful bag should it be needed.
 

All the travel accessories in this article are available at Luggage Store in Australia http://www.luggagestore.com.au/travel-accessories/general/view-all-products.html?m=10&s=48

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Free Vegas Rooms and Buffets: MyVegas - How to Get More Chips and More Loyalty Points, By E. Jules Gibsons

First of all, what is myVegas? It's a set of decent online slot games operating like a casino slot machine, created by the MGM Entertainment Group (they own many Vegas resorts and casinos). Unlike most online slot games, it's free and it does not pay money: it pays by giving you loyalty points, released in sets of 10. You can use 'free chips' (which you can accumulate in various ways, explained below) to play and you will amass loyalty points you can use to redeem free Vegas rooms, free Vegas buffets, free drinks and other 'gifts' from various MGM resorts (in Las Vegas). You play it as a game application within your Facebook or Twitter account. Go to your Facebook or twitter account and do an inside search for myVegas; find and 'download' this game application and... You're set! It's easy. There are specific tips and tricks you can adopt to maximize play and earn loyalty points faster, and we (the top-buffet team) have written them in a quick, easy way (scroll down this page to know more).

You will need a significant amount of points before you can start claiming your free rooms or free buffets; some comps (complimentary items) are cheap, such as a free entrée in a popular restaurant; others, such as free Vegas rooms in high end resorts like Aria, are more expensive. However, if you play daily (even if a little each day), you will quickly amass the necessary points for all the Vegas freebies you want. We (top-buffet), have played in various ways, redeemed tons of free Vegas rooms and devised a practical, easy guide to help you do the same.

myVegas: how to get free chips and early loyalty points.

You do not have to buy the chips, ever, unless you want to do so once (say the minimum, a 5 or 10 dollar purchase) to qualify for 3 redeemable items per month (rather than the usual 2). There are 3 excellent ways to get free chips

1. Through the daily spin; each day, as you start the game a daily spin pop up will show and you can earn a small or a very large number of chips with which to play. Do this every day, since this way you will accrue a multiplier (up to 5), which means that your free chips will be multiplied! If you stop one day it will reset to 1.


2. Through the daily game feed; when you are in your Facebook or twitter account, search for the application 'myvegas game feed'; download it (it's really simple, it'll tell you how it works once it's on) and collect your daily feeds, which become more the higher number of friends you have, capped to 20,000 free chips a day (not bad!)


3. Through 'receiving gifts' from your myVegas friends; you will also 'send gifts' daily: once you have the game on (by clicking on the symbol 'myVegas slots', on the top left side of screen you will read 'rewards', 'games' and 'more'; click on 'more' and you'll read the options 'send gifts' and 'invite friends'; once you've clicked it's pretty easy to see what you have to click; they are both ways of 'sending gifts' thus, in a 2-way system, of receiving gifts (free chips and occasionally free loyalty points) from the same people. To accept gifts, besides the usual pop-up which will prompt you to do so regularly, you can click on the notification tool on the top right of your screen (the world map symbol in Facebook) and click on any option bearing the myVegas symbol; they will often read 'xxx sent you a request'. It's all much easier than it sounds; you don't even need a guide to go through how the game works, but the above is a brief one anyway! Once you have hundreds or thousands of friends, you will accrue a large number of free chips thanks to the send/receive gifts system. We have written a section about accumulating friends (what you must and must not do), as well as a quick, practical guide for myVegas, with tips and tricks to earn loyalty points quickly and efficiently. See below:

We have 2 easy-to-read pages on 1) MYVEGAS TIPS & TRICKS to play myVegas in the best possible way, including a list of must-do and must-NOT-do to help you navigate the online game well and avoid being 'barred', and on 2) BEST myVegas Strategy

This content is written by top-buffet and belongs to top-buffet only. You can also search us online on YouTube, where we are 'jules at top-buffet'.

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Free Attractions In Las Vegas, by Andrea Ivey

Las Vegas, the Entertainment Capital of the globe, has lots of free attractions for everyone. Famous for shopping, gambling, top notch restaurants, amusement and lively night life, Las Vegas is the 28th most densely populated city in the United States of America. You don't need to worry about your budget as the city offers lots of free things to do. You can enjoy lots of free attractions in Las Vegas that comprise great places, parks, museums, shows and much more.

The wide availability of free attractions in Las Vegas makes this superb, lively city a grand place to chill out without spending a fortune. If you are looking for free things to do in Las Vegas, this article will help you a lot. Some of top notch places to visit in Las Vegas for free or for a really cheap price are as follows:

Anderson Dairy

This grand place (Anderson Dairy) has been attracting tourists in addition to the city's inhabitants since 1907. At Anderson Dairy, you can enjoy guided trips of the plant without spending any money. In addition, you can also enjoy a delicious and yummy ice cream treat free of cost.

Marjorie Barrick Museum

Established in 1969, this antique repository offers opportunities to get familiar with the local cultures of the southwest US as well as Mesoamerica. From the survival arts of the Southern Paiute to the impressive and extravagant weaving of the Navajo and attractive monument of the Hopi, the displays aid the visitors to notify not only the charisma of objects but their individual and sacred importance.

Wetlands Park

This is an astonishing place for bird watching and leisure activities. The superb, astounding park is a home to numerous types of animals as well as birds. The Wetlands Park has on foot trails, secondary trails, ponds and bird seeing places.

Liberace Museum

Among free attraction in Las Vegas, Liberace Museum is one of the major attractions. This depositary demands a small entry charge. You can spend lots of time basking the surprises of this great place. The Museum has many things to exhibit comprising momentous pianos, traditional car compilation and exceptional antique works.

Circus Circus Casino

Enter the circus tent and get amused by free circus acts at Circus Circus Hotel and Casino. Beginning at 11:00 a.m. each day, you can enjoy some unmatched circus plays here. Performances consist of mid-air shows, swing performers and jocks. This is among one of the best free activities for kids in Las Vegas.

Arts District

Las Vegas's downtown Arts District is jam-packed with creative activities. This district has lots of artists' studios in addition to picture galleries. You need not pay any entry fee. It is open to everybody every day from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Apart from these attractions, Las Vegas has much more to offer for a budget friendly vacation.

About The Author Andrea Ivey is a contributor on Shoestringspots.com, a website listing all free tourist spots, free things to do and see in your favorite cities in the US. Please visit www.shoestringspots.com and browse through hundreds of free attractions in US cities. The author invites you to visit: http://www.shoestringspots.com

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