posted by Charles H. Russo on Nov 6
Traveling with the family can afford some of the most memorable vacations for years to come. With proper planning and research, you can ensure that your family vacation pleases even the pickiest member of the family. But with so many choices available, how does one choose the perfect destination? Budget, location, activities and amenities are all factors that help determine a location the whole family will enjoy. The following five travel tips will get even the most inexperienced travelers on the road to their ideal summer vacation in 2006.
Plan ahead. Accommodations can be sold out or unavailable by early summer. The Travel Industry Association of America, who conducted an online survey of 1,519 U.S. adults aged 18 and over in January 2006, reports that 21 percent of Americans who are planning to travel this summer had already arranged lodging at their destination. The rest were either exploring their options for where to stay (28 percent) or had not yet selected the specific destination for their trip (32 percent). The age of the internet makes research and booking easy and fairly painless. Chamber of Commerce websites make finding destination activities and outings simple. Getting the whole family excited about your trip can be as easy as spending 20 minutes around the computer looking at websites that bring the destination right into your home.
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posted by Charles H. Russo on Nov 2
Lancelin is around an hour and a halfs drive north of Perth, Western Australia and is home to the Nambung National Park, Pinnacles Desert and Cervantes beach. Cervantes beach is famous for its world class windsurfing. (Noted on the International Windsurfing Circuit.) If you don’t like the water you can always go sand boarding on the giant sand dunes if you don’t mind cleaning sand out of your ears for the next few days.
The remarkable stone columns are known as the Pinnacles, some are several feet tall others only come up to your ankles. These Pinnacles were formed from tree roots that once penetrated deep into limestone. Due to water being active in the limestone, calcite was deposited around the roots. Then the softer limestone was eroded away over time and left the Pinnacles remaining.
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posted by Charles H. Russo on Aug 14
Step back in time a bit and consider taking the train to your next ski vacation. RMA Tours is offering great deals from Minneapolis or Chicago to ski destinations in Colorado and Montana - other departure cities are available, just give them a call or visit their website for details.
Enjoy a change of pace with RMA Tours’ Throw Momma on the Train mid-Season Amtrak ski train vacation special to Whitefish, Montana, home of Big Mountain Ski Resort. Starting at $669 per person (based on double occupancy) you will receive round trip coach rail fare to Whitefish, MT from Minneapolis or Chicago, transfers; 5 nights lodging, a 4 day lift ticket taxes ARE included in this price. Rates are good through March 25, 2007.
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posted by Charles H. Russo on Jun 18
When planning a family vacation getaway, the choices can be overwhelming. What should you do? Where should you go? To make life easier, these questions should be answered before you start planning. Let’s take a few minutes and help you answer these questions before you get started with the planning.
What Should You Do?
How does skiing fresh powder of Vail’s Blue Sky Basin, or relaxing in the white sand of Hawaii’s beaches and hitting a hole in one at one of Myrtle Beach’s many golf courses sound to you? Ski, beach and golf vacations are great choices for families. Keep in mind, no matter what type of vacation you choose - there are many Vail Resort Lodging and Myrtle Beach Golf Vacation packages to choose from.
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posted by Charles H. Russo on Apr 30

Please note: This is a sponsored post.
For me, luxury travel usually means little more than clean sheets, hot water and black coffee in the morning. Camping on a beach or staying with local villagers makes me just as happy as sipping a cocktail next to an elegantly landscaped plunge pool.
But even though vagabonding travelers like me have been known to sneer at expensive luxury resorts and dismiss their pampered guests as out of touch with reality, I recognize that the luxury travel experience, done well, can be a beautiful thing.
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posted by Charles H. Russo on Apr 24

As you approach the gates of Versailles you inescapably have the feeling of entering not a palace but an entire city. The impression is justified given the massive scale of the building and the even larger grounds.
Beginning as a modest ch?teau of stone and slate to serve as a hunting lodge for Louis XIII (13th), Versailles blossomed - figuratively and literally - during the reign of his son. By 1682, after 20 years of work, the ‘Sun King’ took up residence… and then building really began.
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posted by Charles H. Russo on Mar 15
As with many ski towns, Park City was originally established as a mining town. In the 1860’s, flocks of people moved here to pursue riches in silver mining. At this time the streets were lined with saloons and featured a very popular red-light district. In the 1930’s mineral prices fell due to the depression, and the town felt the effect. Business collapsed and the population dwindled. Over time things got better and in 1963 Park City Consolidated Mines built the first chairlift on what was then known as Treasure Mountain. At this time, $3.50 would get you a weekend pass to go skiing and sledding. Times have changed a bit since then, but the skiing is still world-class, and the town offers many cultural events and festivals.
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posted by Charles H. Russo on Feb 11
Park City lodging choices are numerous and diverse. Hotels, condos, private residence clubs and private homes are the most popular choices for travelers. Hotels can be found slope side or in the heart of the downtown area. Each hotel offers something a little bit different depending on how much you would like to spend. You will be able to find small budget hotels or very expensive high class luxury hotels. The high class hotels are well worth the money. From the moment you walk through the lobby doors, you will not have to worry about a thing. After staying at one of these types of hotels, you will never want to stay anywhere else. Another Park City lodging choice for large groups or families would be a condo rental or a private residence club. A condo rental can be a great choice for a family. Many times condo rentals don’t offer the full services of a hotel or a private residence club but offer full kitchens and all the main ingredients to make your family trip memorable and more affordable. Private Residence Clubs are becoming the lodging choice of the future. These clubs can offer 2, 3 and four bedrooms suites in large complexes. These can be quite luxuries with a full staff including concierge, bell staff, ski valet, and sometimes twice daily maid service. A private residence club can be a great choice for a family getaway.
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posted by Charles H. Russo on Jan 30

Remember back in the old days, when music was actually stored on circular pieces of plastic?
This archaic technology was called a “compact disc” and seems quaint now in the time of gigabytes and iPods.
Now you can take your entire music collection (along with your neighbour’s) with you on the road. Which means there’s no excuse for not having a playlist ready for any travel situation you find yourself in.
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posted by Charles H. Russo on Jan 29

Grizzlies and Wolves Safari 2007
Choose from Four night Packages:
April 21-25, April 25-29, April 29-May 3, May 3-7, May 7-11, 2007
Choose From Three night Packages:
May 11-14, May 14-17, May 17-20, May 21-24, May 24-27, 2007
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