Inspiration Archives - Page 10 of 15

September 6, 2013 by jfalbelda

Awesome Holidays in Tenerife!

As the largest and most populous of Spain’s Canary Islands, the island of Tenerife is often considered to be one of the last paradise isles in Europe. With its incredible weather, friendly people, and great selection of activities to enjoy, it’s easy to understand why Tenerife brings in over 5 million visitors each year.

The South

For those looking for an affordable but high-quality holidays in Tenerife, the south of the island is the best bet. Here, the weather is warmer, and the resorts are among some of the best vacation destinations in the world. Cosmos’ holiday packages to Tenerife also offer you the opportunity to book an all-inclusive holiday, a great choice if you simply want to relax by the beach and not stress over planning the small stuff. There are also plenty of good attraction and activities to enjoy in the south. If you’re travelling with children, pay a visit to Siam Park, an impressive water park that features stunning Thai architecture, an immense white sand beach, and a variety of thrilling rides. If that doesn’t satisfy your water park needs, there is also Aqualand Costa Adeje, which has many rides and a much-loved dolphin show. Other activities that will be enjoyed by both children and adults alike include horseback riding in San Miguel de Abona, biking, and scuba diving.

The North

While the south draws sun-worshippers, the northern region of Tenerife is not to be forgotten. The younger crowd tends to favor the south of the island, while the north brings in more of an older crowd, as well as travellers visiting with children. Many travellers head to the north to visit the Puerto de la Cruz, a quaint harbour town with a northern European influence. The town has some fun attractions, including Loro Parque, a beautiful bird park that is home to dolphins and whales in addition to the gorgeous exotic birds. Additionally, it’s nice to spend some time walking around the old port area, where you can explore interesting shops and fine bistros. Package vacations to Puerto de la Cruz are also quite popular. The north is also home to Parque Rural de Anaga, a terrific place to go hiking. Teide National Park is another great stop for fans of the outdoors. Centered around Mount Teide (Spain’s highest mountain and one of the biggest volcanoes in the world), it is the most visited national park in Spain. The hiking is super, and the views will make you feel as though you are on another planet.

Plan Your Trip

Many visitors like to plan their trip to Tenerife so that it coincides with the Carnival of Santa Cruz de Tenerife. One of the busiest, brightest carnivals in the world, the Carnival of Santa Cruz takes place over the two weeks that lead up to Ash Wednesday. There are two airports on Tenerife, with the majority of flights landing at the Tenerife Sur Airport in the south. The older Tenerife Norte airport in the south mostly deals with inter-island flights, plus some scheduled flights from the mainland. There are also ferries that connect Tenerife to other islands in the Canary Island archipelago. Spanish is the island’s main language, but visitors rarely have any difficulty getting by in English, especially in the south, where English, German and Italian are all commonly heard languages. Summer temperatures on Tenerife are usually in the mid-twenties, and drop down to 18°C or 19°C during the months of January and February.

There you have it! Some great info on options for holidays in Tenerife, enjoy your next stay!

August 15, 2013 by jfalbelda

How to Read a Bus Timetable

Reading bus timetables is something that most of us learn how to do in school or from real-life experience as children taking the bus with our parents. But if you’re not a regular bus user and wouldn’t know where to start to even look for the timetables let alone read them when you’ve found them, where do you begin?

Thankfully most bus schedules are available online through the various bus companies that run the various routes. If you know what area you will be travelling in, then doing a quick internet search for bus companies that operate in that area will direct you to their sites which, in turn, ought to offer you details of the routes, stops and times.

If you are planning an international bus journey then searching for ‘buses to France’ (for instance) will bring up a few options for you to choose from. Each site will be different but iDBUS, for instance, has a really clear bus timetable: just select the cities you want to set off from and arrive in, and the date you want to travel. The site will pull up a really clearly-marked timetables telling you when the bus sets off (e.g. from London Victoria) and when it will arrive (e.g. at Paris Charles de Gaulle).

Normal British timetables will typically have a list of major bus stops down the left hand column, and rows of times that the buses will reach each of those stops. From that you can estimate what time your bus will arrive and many bus stops are now fitted with real-time information about when the next bus is due and which route it is taking.

On the timetables there may be symbols or other notes that you need to bear in mind when reading the timetable: some times and services will only be available on Saturdays, or not on Sundays, for instance.

At major bus stations you can find screens telling you which platform you need to go to in order to catch your bus, and they will also tell you what time your bus will depart. There are also members of staff available who can direct you and – if you are travelling with iDBUS as before – dedicated bus company staff will be easily identifiable and can help you to find your bus and seat.

Remember that bus timetables are always calculated on a best estimate basis. There can be little accounting for changes in road conditions and traffic flow. That’s why real-time information is so handy, and many stops offer a text service so that you can text and receive information about when exactly your bus is due to arrive. We hope this post helped “demystify” how to read a bus timetable just a bit to make your next overland journey a tad bit more, relaxed.

July 31, 2013 by jfalbelda

Resorts to Hotels: Your all-Inclusive Options Explored!

When it comes to choosing a holiday, there are lots of factors that can influence your decision. If you are going away with an extended group of friends or family, you might have to take into account the needs of a wide range of age groups, while a trip with a smaller group requires a more relaxed approach.

With the choice of accommodation and catering being another major part of planning, we explore some of the options you have with all-inclusive packages, from hotels to resorts.

All-inclusive

The whole idea of a holiday is to get away from it all and relax, but for many people, the planning involved can lead to unnecessary stress. This is why all-inclusive holidays are so popular. The idea that everything is looked after on your behalf by a team of dedicated and experienced professionals, means that the relaxation can start right from the beginning.

Choice

Today the range of choice in all-inclusive holidays covers the whole world – literally. Whether you want to have a classic short haul break in the Mediterranean or travel further afield for one of the wonderful all-inclusive holidays in Mauritius, choosing the option of all-inclusive doesn’t mean compromising on any aspect of your holiday.

scenery in Mauritius

Hotels

Hotels are the traditional option for holiday accommodation anywhere in the world and with all-inclusive holidays, you’ll find plenty of great options. Hotels involved in these types of packages offer a bumper package of facilities which cover basic amenities and more luxurious extras, so you can enjoy the holiday you deserve.

From on-site spas and relaxation areas to gyms, sports facilities and indulgent pool complexes, hotels with an all-inclusive deal provide plenty of choice.

Resorts

Another popular option for those taking an all-inclusive holiday is to stay in a dedicated holiday resort. These differ from a traditional hotel in the sense that the resort covers a much wider area, with even more facilities available. These include a variety of on-site eateries and restaurants, as well as shops and wider entertainment complexes with activities scheduled for all ages.

Resorts may also be connected to surrounding areas, offering visitors plenty of opportunity to visit local attractions. Some resorts even boast their own private beaches so that you can relax in the sun in complete safety and seclusion.

July 30, 2013 by jfalbelda

Separating Travel Funds from Regular Funds

If you’ve finally made a vacation a reality, it’s probably because you were a careful planner, saved enough money to do so, and of course, have a little wanderlust. But, what you don’t want to do is go on your trip and get too caught up in the moment and blow the rest of your life savings on thousand dollar dinners or Ferrari rentals. This post is about how to help manage your money for a trip which includes searching to select a basic bank account that can help you isolate your money and some other tips.

I travel for a living, so I’ve learned to be a bit more careful with my money than most on the road, but I have also been on recent trips like for my brother’s bachelor party where everyone else was throwing around cash like it was Monopoly money, so I felt I had to keep up a bit. My poor old brother even managed to sink a fat stack on the casino tables, and he probably would have benefited by “liquidating” a predetermined travel account rather than his personal savings.

You can set up a basic checking account at any bank, and most still do it for free, People in the UK refer to these as current bank accounts, one good example are LTSB current accounts options as well as a few others.

The benefit of setting up a new account for traveling is you know exactly how much you can spend. God forbid you need to add money to your travel account, you can do so over the computer, but any impulsive (and most likely inebriated) purchasing decisions will be thwarted if you try to spend more than you have. Also, if you travel to some random-ass places like me (currently in Bosnia), you run a much less risk of having someone stealing all of your money if there is only a bit in the account (i.e. card fraud).

If you’re traveling overseas, it is important to keep up with exchange rates and there are many apps for your smart phone that can make this easier (or even an good ole’ calculator which every phone has). Sometimes people get caught up in split-second decisions without calculating exchange rates and later realized they shelled out way more than they planned to. This is especially true in countries with already inflated currencies so every number seems high to begin with.

Moral of the story, set up a second layer of protection for travel funds (i.e. a separate checking card), be mindful of what your paying (currency knowledge)…and don’t get too drunk. Bon voyage!

July 22, 2013 by jfalbelda

Is it Really Possible to Save on Hotel Bookings Using Incognito Mode in Your Browser?

You may have heard of using incognito mode to save money on hotel bookings and wondered if it’s really possible. The simple answer is, “Yes.” Hotel booking websites use your cookies to see how many times you check pricing on hotels to raise their prices each time you check. They do this so you will think the price is going up and that the rooms are being booked, so that you feel the urgency to book a room. In a way, this is punishing you for trying to get a good deal, but if you use incognito mode, the hotel booking websites will not know how many times you checked their site previously, so you can get the best rates.