The terrific area of Africa named South Luangwa has been named the best place to safari in Africa. The region has been celebrated in countless years by the worlds most influential safari experts. Tourists will probably be able to observe huge groups of lions as well as terrific birds.

The safari region is well known for its brilliant night safaris and is a hit with all United Kingdom folk. The changing weather makes the park irrestible with a desert season right through winter and a green appealing jungle feel over summer. During the changes in season the animals will differ giving british tourists a different aspect.

Uncover the allure of South Africa with a driving safari holiday and be at one with the gorgeous nature. The astonishing rivers and lion prides might often make people feel alive with energy. Holiday Makers will be able to take large volumes of photographs and take back the very best memories.

South Africa has many animals in its regions and holiday makers may easily pick up the perfect photo of a hippo. If you are not used to a walking holiday you may go on a driving safari and watch large amounts of the country all within a short amount of time. When you have exhausted your safari by day you will often then go back to your apartment to relax. Innumerable apartments are 4 star and tremendous. Visit the same place Frans Lanting takes his photography.

Zambia is an exciting place, the marvellous open fields teaming with big cats and one of the lowest population densities in the area. South Africa has some of the most amazing natural terrain in Southern Africa, the alluring blend of clear fields, landscapes and marshlands makes the total place come to life. Not only can you be delighted at the forests, you yourself will furthermore be marvelled at the desirable lakes and waterfalls. A real heaven on earth.

In Zambia you yourself will be able to explore the greatest waterfall of all, the Victoria Falls. This superb waterfall has been a place for lots of animals with many big cats & elephants coming to bathe in the pure waters that run here. Also make sure you yourself view the crocodiles and hippos in the Zambezi River, and don’t forget to book a guide as the river might well be a little bit choppy. one may additionally wish to go on a walking safari in South Luangwa National Park & be near with the different wildlife. On a photography tour one will see elephants & awfully rare wild dogs. If one are lucky enough one might see a heard of elephants with their young. The opportunity to be so close with all of these wonderful animals is amazing.

Places to stay in Zambia can range from 5 star luxury hotels right through to outside shelters without any showers. Whichever accommodation type you yourself select one can be sure of a nice time. Try Africa safari holidays from Kaingo and explore Zambia.

If you are traveling to Hawaii in February, here are a few annual local events for you to consider adding to your itinerary.

When you are on the Big Island make a stop at Hilo, home of The Hilo Mardi Gras. Also known as The “Hula Capital of the World”, Hilo loves to put on a parade. This is their annual New-Orleans style parade, festival and party all wrapped in one. The streets are full of elaborately costumed dancers, festive music and local foods.

One of the longest running events in Hawaii is the Punahou School Carnival. This annual Honolulu event is a high school fundraiser that started in 1932 and now it attracts upwards of 50,000 people. The carnival is known for its local delicacies that includes malasadas, Hawaiian plates, Portuguese bean soup and gyros. This is a wonderful opportunity to participate in the local Hawaiian culture.

Visit the spot in Waimea, Kauai, where famous explorer Captain James Cook first landed in Hawaii. The Captain Hook Festival commemorates the event with entertainment, canoe races, games, and food. The highlight is the mini-marathon race.

The Carole Kai Bed Race brings participants from all over the world to race down the streets of Lahania in Maui, Lihue in Kauai and Honolulu in Oahu. This two-day fundraising event feature wildly costumed bed-racers for the amusement of over 100,000 onlookers.

Watch top rated longboard surfers in the two-day Buffalo’s Big Board Surfing Classic at Makaha Beach, Oahu. This is traditional Hawaiian surfing, long boarding, and canoe-surfing.

The author of this article, Peter Shannon, is the owner of http://www.1001-vacation-ideas.com. Here you will find a large collection of vacation and getaway ideas for travelers searchable by theme and location.

Would you too like to make new friends, experience a delightful time as well as participate to parties day in and day out? Well, then let’s travel to Germany to the Fifa World Cup 2006!

The Fifa World Cup 2006 Germany will become the biggest party of the century. Official start is June 9th, 2006, but the party already begins with an opening ceremony in Olympic Stadium in Berlin Germany at June 8th. By the way, this is the first time an opening party will be held starting a football/soccer World Cup.

Germany will host the Fifa World Cup 2006 till July 9th, 2006.

New stadiums have been built specifically for the World Cup. I guide you through these twelve German cities on my website and give you some insider tips on where to go before and after the matches.

The stadiums with its games are quite gripping, but the cities have a lot more to offer as well! So it’s a very good idea to travel through Germany by train once you are there. And after the matches… the party goes on in and around the main stations as well.

Well, it is going to be a time to make friends! Definitely.

However, at first I am going to let you know about something very important to keep you away from disappointment.

It is regarding the ticket purchase process. The Organizing Committee want to make sure only friendly and peace-loving people enter the stadiums. That is why they personalize all tickets.

Yes, you are not allowed anymore to sell tickets. Buying tickets is solely allowed on their official website.

So I am sure you think of buying tickets for one or more matches. Here is what Horst Schmidt, Vice-President of our Organizing Committee says:

“A supply of tickets came up for resale on eBay. All we can do is warn people to steer well clear of such offers. Fans obtaining tickets in this way may find themselves denied admission at the turnstiles. Everyone knows that tickets are personalised and cannot be transferred without a genuinely pressing reason, and then only with the Organising Committee’s approval. There could be problems if the ticket and personal ID fail to match, exactly as there would be with an airline ticket. We’ve said it often enough before, and we’re saying it again: tickets are only transferable for good reasons - and profiteering isn’t a good reason.”

So make sure you only apply for tickets online at their official website. That way you avoid massive disappointment.

Good. Now to the Fifa World Cup 2006 Germany venues, which are, by the way, well explained at http://www.smart-travel-germany.com/world-cup-2006.html. You are even going to find exact explanations on how to get to each venue as well as additional insider tips and partially free downloadable maps.

Already before the assignment on April 16th, 2002, for seven cities it was clear they are going to host matches:

• Berlin — it’s Germany’s capital so an absolute must
• Munich — that is the homeland of the Organising Committee President Franz Beckenbauer; also the most beautiful one — just take a look: http://www.smart-travel-germany.com/munich-stadium.html
• Stuttgart — this is the headquarter of the sponsor DaimlerChrysler and homeland of the DFB President Gerhard Mayer-Vorfelder
• Leipzig — actually the birth city of the DFB (German Football Federation)
• Dortmund — actually the largest stadium after Berlin and Munich
• Gelsenkirchen — this is a highly praised arena and a new building; it even contains a removable lawn! Amazing!li>

• Hamburg — the metropolis of the north.

The remaining five Fifa World Cup 2006 Germany venues are Cologne, Frankfurt, Hanover, Kaiserslautern and Nuremberg.

All twelve venues were extended and modernized or again/new built respectively, so that the most modern play places of the world are going to be used with the Fifa World Cup 2006 Germany.

Now, I wish you a wonderful journey to Germany and a lot of fun during the upcoming Fifa World Cup 2006 Germany.

Make sure, however, you book your hotel room now! Some nearby hotels are already booked up…

Warmest regards,
Marcus Hochstadt
© Copyright http://www.smart-travel-germany.com - All Rights Reserved.

Marcus Hochstadt has a high interest in helping you gain the delightful form of a smart travel to and through Germany. Just recently, he has written a special report on How to Travel for Free! You can download it at http://www.smart-travel-germany.com/freetravel

My parents went on their honeymoon in Sicily and, ever since I heard their romantic stories about it as a child, I wanted to travel to this part of Italy. It’s a place that used to hold many half-images for me… dramatic landscapes and winding rivers; hot, dry summers and damp winters, rural locals and bustling cities. Now that I’ve visited, those half images have sharpened into some of the fondest travelling memories I have.The thing that stands out the most is the food. I ate more cannoli than can possibly be healthy for me, but it just tasted so good! However, it was the actual sharing of the food that works so well in Sicily. Family is such an important part of the culture. All the old people are treated with such great respect, as, of course, they should be, and this comes across most during mealtimes. I particularly admired the pride of the inhabitants of this island. They live in a beautiful, interesting and historical place and they’re well aware of it.I stayed in a huge variety of accommodation, from small holdings in the mountains to hotels like the Timeo in Taormina. I spent three weeks just travelling round the island, visiting the vast wealth of cultural heritage that greets you wherever you look. No wonder my parents had such a wonderful time here. They haven’t been back though… it’ll be nice to reassure them that their dreams could still be refreshed if they choose to return.

The natural beauty of this high mountain lake, and the 300 days of annual sunshine makes Lake Tahoe one of America’s all-time top vacation spots. With world-class skiing and mountain biking, it provides a challenge for the most advanced outdoor enthusiasts. If you prefer a slower pace, the majestic mountain peaks and clean refreshing sierra air will tickle your senses and cleanse your spirit.

Deciding where to stay, and finding the best available Lake Tahoe lodging is really the hardest part of your vacation planning. South Lake Tahoe, home of Heavenly Ski Resort, is a good place to start. After a recent downtown redevelopment, it now includes an outdoor ice arena, many specialty shops and restaurants, and of course, the casinos. This area of Lake Tahoe is becoming a hot spot, and South Lake Tahoe vacation rentals provide an affordable & popular accommodation choice.

If you are planning a vacation in Lake Tahoe with family or friends, you may want to rent a private vacation house. There are many different types of South Lake Tahoe rentals, so you’ll want to choose the right one for your needs and budget. Splitting the cost of a vacation house is usually more affordable than everyone staying in hotels, and most people find it much more comfortable.

If you’re planning on spending a holiday in Lake Tahoe, it’s best to make reservations well in advance. Also, keep in mind that summer and winter are peak seasons, and quality Lake Tahoe lodging accommodations can book up fast. There are some great websites that offer a variety of Lake Tahoe vacation rentals, and Lake Tahoe Lodging specials. Choose from luxury executive retreats, waterfront homes, charming cabins, or mountain top condos!

When you say Florida, what comes to most people’s minds?

Orlando and Disney World.

But what happens when you’ve visited Disney, Universal and Sea World? Is there anything else to do? How about visiting some of the smaller attractions - the ones that get tend to get lost in the shuffle.

Lost? Where Did They Go?

Before “The Mouse” arrived in Florida, there were attractions that we Floridians enjoyed. Smaller, with few or no thrill rides, but high in satisfaction. Some of these attractions withered away after Disney, but many of them adapted and flourished. Let’s take a look at a few of these survivors.

Central Florida

As you might guess, many of these smaller attractions are in the Central Florida area, an easy commute from Disney. Some of these attractions include:

• Busch Gardens: My personal favorite of all the lost attractions. Easily explored in a full day, it has an African safari theme. From huge roller coasters, to water rides to a trip through an African savannah, there is something for everyone.
• Gatorland: I visited Gatorland a million times as a child. Okay, maybe not exactly a million, but it was a popular destination for school field trips B.D. (Before Disney). There are alligators galore and fun shows to watch.
• Cypress Gardens: This lost attraction really was lost for awhile — it had closed its doors, with no intention of re-opening. But miracles do happen, because Cypress Gardens is back and more wonderful than ever! It’s more than just a garden by the way — there are myriad shows and even some thrill rides.

North Florida

There are a ton of small attractions in North Florida, and pretty much all of them reside in St. Augustine. Here are a few of them for your consideration:

• Fountain of Youth: More historic than anything, it is the site of the original Fountain of Youth - the one of the legend. When you visit, you can drink from the spring’s waters. Does it work? I’ll have to leave that to you.
• Ripley’s Believe it or Not: This was the first of all the Ripley’s museums, and perhaps the best. All kinds of oddities abound. It is fun and well worth a visit.
• Potter’s Wax Museum: Who know who you’ll run into at this lost attraction? From historic figures to celebrities, the waxworks are a great way to spend an hour or two.

Where Are Some Others?

Lost attractions can be found all over Florida, from the Panhandle to the Keys; you just have to know where to find them. For more information on these Florida wonders, visit http://www.great-florida-vacations.com/florida-attractions.html

Gail Nettles is a Florida Native who enjoys showing the Sunshine State to visitors. She is also the publisher of http://www.great-florida-vacations.com

Life works in really strange and wonderful ways. At the beginning of this week I talked to my brother in Austria on the phone, and he said he’d been reading this German travel magazine and there was a big write-up about a Toronto-based tour guide who provides culinary tours of the St. Lawrence Market, one of my brother’s favourite places that he discovered on his recent trip to Toronto.

I asked my brother what this fellow’s name was and he looked it up and said “Bruce Bell”. I did an internet search and within a few seconds I had located Bruce Bell Tours; and I knew I had to meet this person. Bruce Bell, the popular history columnist for the St. Lawrence Neighbourhood Community Bulletin, is also an award winning playwright, actor, standup comedian and the honourary curator of the most photographed building in the city of Toronto, the historic Gooderham Building better known as the Flatiron. Bruce just recently published a book on Toronto called “Toronto - A Pictorial Celebration”.

Immediately after I hung up with my brother I was on the phone with Bruce, we briefly introduced ourselves and he said, come down, join me on Thursday for my culinary tour of the St. Lawrence Market. Sure enough, this morning, punctually at 10 am I arrived at the souvenir shop at the main entrance of the market and I met Bruce and the other participant in our tour, a young architecture student.

As the official historian of the St. Lawrence Market Bruce has special access to all sorts of areas of the building that other people never get to see. Right away he took us up some stairs, pulled out a special key and led us into the former mayor’s office, since the market building used to be the original city hall of Toronto. The building has undergone several transitions, and the two side wings were removed to make way for a steel-girdered shed built in 1904 that was modeled after the Victoria Train Station in London.

From the former mayor’s office we had a perfect view of the market and we also had a beautiful vista of the downtown skyscrapers and the famous Flatiron Building to the west, and St. Lawrence Hall to the north. Bruce took us down the stairs in the market hall itself and shared various tidbits of history with us. The shoreline of Lake Ontario used to be right at Front Street, and after landfill was added, the Esplanade became the waterfront, and today several hundred meters of additional landfill have expanded the city’s territory to a new waterfront.

Under Bruce’s guidance we started our tour of the shops which include bakeries, butcher shops, fish mongers, fruit stands, delis, dessert places and specialty vendors of all kinds. The first place he took us to was a bakery that also serves lunches, and we got a delicious taste treat of smoked salmon and backbacon, each on a small piece of bread. I am not usually a big fish eater, but this savoury morcel was delicious. At another store we got to sample “Indian candy” - smoked salmon cured in maple syrop. What a treat!

We walked by some of the butcher shops, many of which have been in the same family for generations. I admired the creatively presented cuts of pork loin stuffed with spinach, cheese and bacon, a perfect solution for a non-chef like me - just stick it in the oven and pull out a delicious gourmet meal.

After a brief tour outside the building where Bruce explained the building’s history and early Toronto society to us, we went into the lower level, where all the dessert shops, fruit stalls and specialty vendors are located. We got several more samples: a huge variety of delicious honeys from New Zealand, a sampling of speciality jellies and jams, tender white chocolate truffles that just melt in your mouth, and for dessert - after all these sweat treats - Nutella-filled crepes. All the samples we received were utterly delicious.

Bruce took us into the bowels of the building, today mostly used for storage and refrigeration, but in previous times these areas were the men’s and women’s jails. Bruce explained that in the 1850s women had no rights and many men simply stuck their wives in prison, especially after child-birth or during menopause, when they got a little cranky. The iron hooks that prisoners were chained to are still visible on the walls.

The basement is also decorated with a number of murals that explain Toronto’s history. As the official historian of the St. Lawrence Market and a well-known columnist of the St. Lawrence Community Bulletin, Bruce is actually depicted on the mural. About 15 historic plaques throughout a variety of buildings in the downtown area provide insight into noteworthy past events and are titled “A Bruce Bell History Project”. So there is no doubt that this is a real expert, even a local celebrity.

Just outside the St. Lawrence Market used to be the terminus of the Underground Railroad, the pier where thousands of the former American slaves arrived after having made their secret passage from the American south to Rochester and on to freedom in Toronto. It’s amazing how much history there is, even in a comparably young city such as Toronto, and I thoroughly enjoyed listening to Bruce’s unique stories.

From the St. Lawrence Market building we walked north through a courtyard to another former City Hall of Toronto by the name of St. Lawrence Hall. It was the former city hall of the City of York, that was officially renamed the city of Toronto (an Indian word for “meeting place”) in 1856. St. Lawrence Hall is a beautiful classical building, and Bruce took us inside to show us the ballroom, the most well-preserved original ballroom in Canada. The chandelier is original, was originally lit with coal gas and today is illuminated with natural gas.

This was the heart of Toronto’s elite WASP (white / Anglo-Saxon / Protestant) society during the 1800s and Bruce shed more light on the many behavioural norms of the time. Women were not considered persons and could not walk on the street by themselves or accompanied by any man other than their husband. Men had to defend their wives’ honour in duels and sometimes ended up having to shoot their best friend as a result of a harmless (by today’s standards) misunderstanding. The city and country were run by English noblemen, and Catholic immigrants from Ireland, arriving in masses after the potato famine of 1849, were despised by the local ruling class.

As a result, the Catholics were segregated, but they did receive a spot inside St. Lawrence Hall, a big room called St. Patrick’s Hall, where they were allowed to congregate since they were barred from entering the ballroom which was reserved for the WASP elite. Irish Catholics had to enter St. Patrick’s Hall through a back staircase since they weren’t allowed to mix with the English aristocracy. The portion on the northeast side of St. Lawrence Hall housing St. Patrick’s Hall incidentally collapsed in 1967 and was completely rebuilt.

After St. Lawrence Hall we walked through a beautiful Victorian Garden outside of St. James Cathedral, Toronto’s largest house of worship, and the 5th church in the present location. Bruce took us inside and shared more historical information with us, about the original British settlers of Toronto and ruling elite of the times, which included the famous Bishop Strachan, the creator of St. James Cathedral. Bruce showed us the various stained glass windows that adorn the church, all of which were crafted at different times. Especially stunning are the Tiffany stained glass windows on the east side which have a particularly intense coloration.

St. James Cathedral marked the end of our culinary and historic tour of the St. Lawrence Market area. We had received a great introduction to Toronto’s history and enjoyed the diverse culinary delicacies of Toronto’s greatest market. Bruce’s entertaining and informative lessons on a time in Toronto’s history when women and men were segregated, when society was strictly regimented by expectations of etiquette and social status, and when Irish and English weren’t allowed to mix made me realize how incredibly far Toronto has come in the last 150 years.

Bruce Bell offers other interesting tours about Toronto’s Distillery District, its Art Deco skyscrapers and a tour called “Comfort and Steam” that takes you through the Fairmount Royal York Hotel, Union Station, the Skydome and the Air Canada Centre, among other places. Considering everything that I learned in the St. Lawrence Market tour, I hope to have a chance to catch another one of Bruce’s tours and broaden my local knowledge of this city in the near future.

Susanne Pacher is the publisher of a website called Travel and Transitions (http://www.travelandtransitions.com). Travel and Transitions deals with unconventional travel and is chock full of advice, tips, real life travel experiences, interviews with travellers and travel experts, insights and reflections, cross-cultural issues, contests and many other features. You will also find stories about life and the transitions that we face as we go through our own personal life-long journeys.

Submit your own travel stories in our first travel story contest (http://www.travelandtransitions.com/contests.htm) and have a chance to win an amazing adventure cruise on the Amazon River.

“Life is a Journey Explore New Horizons”.

The article with photos is published at Travel and Transitions - Interviews

When people just out of college go traveling in Paris they’ll often sleep just about anywhere, but when they get some money a bit later in life they’ll want to stay only at the best hostels in France. Who could blame them? The prices of hostels in general tend to be similar from one to the next, but the services offered and the overall experience can vary greatly so being picky is a good thing.

The best way to get a handle on this is to do your research early and book your hostel beds as soon as you’ve bought your airline ticket into Paris. The crummy hostels will often have beds even at the last minute, but the best hostels are the ones that sell out early. But don’t be fooled by thinking the most famous hostels are always the best hostels. In some cases this will be true, but in other cases the most famous places are just the notorious party hostels where everyone goes to get wasted instead of seeing the sights.

If you scan around on website you’ll see that many of them have rating systems for hostels. You can almost always trust these systems because fraud seems to be very rare at this point, but you can never be too careful so it’s not a bad idea to ask around on travel message boards before you actually book.

Britain’s thrilling & commonly horrendous history is definitely most echoed in it’s historic structures & nowhere is this further evident than in those properties recognised by the Royal Family and their rituals

For a noteworthy period now the British Monarchy has been believed to be monumentous to the prosperity of the UK. They have charmed foreign people for many years and continue to stimulate the love of visitors of all age band. Buckingham Place has been categorised the Capital’s home of the British monarchy from the time when Queen Victoria became queen in eighteen thirty seven. It is one of a small number of operating royal palaces enduring in England at present.

Buckingham Palace is used generally as an office, but can as well be altered into a ceremonies venue for the 50,000 visitors invited to the Palace each year. There are more than six-hundred lodgings, including nineteen state housings, fifty two royal & visitor bedrooms, seventy-eight bathrooms, ninety-two offices, but more impressively an in-house cinema and swimming pool. Buy Buckingham Palace tickets at great prices from Enjoy England

During the spring & summer, holiday-makers can trek around the handsome state studies, that help form the heart of the Palace. These splendid rooms are embellished with a range of the most excellent riches from the Royal collection, including sculptures by Canova as well as paintings by the many illustrious painters for instance Rembrandt, Rubens and Canaletto.