Jaipur Hotels

on February 19, 2012 · Leave a Comment

Jaipur is the capital city of Rajasthan, a state in the Northern part of India. Jaipur is located in a very dry and sandy area. The pink city of Jaipur is located at a comfortable distance of about 258 kilometers from Delhi, 232 kilometers from Agra, 350 kilometers from Gwalior and 405 kilometers from Udaipur. Jaipur is well-connected with all major cities of the country by air, rail and road.

Hotels

Jaipur is one of the most sought-after tourist destinations of India. Every year, this pink city greets thousands of people from across the globe. To serve the best, there is no problem regarding accommodation in Jaipur. Actually, this first well-planned city of India offers numerous places to stay. Jaipur is a majestic land of royal forts and palaces. Today, many ancient palaces have been converted into the heritage hotels, which offer immaculate hospitality to guests.

The hotels provide excellent services to serve as a perfect base for one’s trip.

The best part of accommodation is that, most of the hotels are conveniently located, near airport and railway station. For visitors seeking decent accommodation at an affordable price, there are innumerable budget hotels and guest houses. It provides Luxury Hotels, Three Star Hotels, Budget Hotels.

Forts

There are many forts and monuments in Jaipur that are worth seeing. Amber Fort, Jaigarh Fort and Nahargarh Fort are the three antique forts that provide the spectacular view of the city. In the heart of Jaipur, there lies the stunning City Palace. The Pink city marks its impact with the sight of the amazing Hawa Mahal.

Statue Circle is a favorite hang-out of Jaipur and celebrates the founder of this city, e.g

Festival

Festivals are the occasions that add color to life. When it comes to Jaipur, the royal city celebrates each and every festival with full gusto and zeal, There are numerous festivals which But the city celebrates some unusual and interesting fairs & festivals in their own style. . The fairs and festivals which are worth mentioning are Elephant festival, Diwali, Teej festival, Kite festival and Gangaur festival

Gardens

The royal city has some beautiful landscaped gardens that are truly a visual delight to the eyes of the visitors.

Kanak Vrindavan Valley, Sisodia Rani Ka Bagh, Vidyadhar Garden

Attractions

There are numerous tourist attractions in Jaipur, You can visit Abhaneri, a small town, popular for its astonishing step wells and Harshad Mata Temple. On the other hand, Sanganer is famous for manufacturing the quality hand-made paper in India. For adventurous people, Ranthambore National Park and Sariska National Park would be the best options to surf.

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Hiking Backpacks

on February 9, 2012 · Leave a Comment

One of the most important things you can get when preparing for a hike is a good hiking backpack. It is obvious that you cannot just carry all the supplies youll need along with you in your hands so a hiking backpack is absolutely necessary. A great hiking backpack is a must for any hiker whether they are a beginner or a professional. A great backpack should be lightweight, sturdy, and be able to hold everything you need for your trip.


1. Why do you need a backpack?


As was hinted at above, the main reason for having a hiking backpack is to hold items – namely, the essential supplies you will need. At the very least you should bring along with you the following items -


- water bottle

- first aid kit

- camera

- cellular phone

- change of clothes

- tent

- blanket


2. What kind of backpack should you get?


There are many different types of hiking backpacks to decide on. You should choose one that will nicely fit all of your goods and be comfortable on your back. Remember you have to carry this backpack with you for the duration of your hike, so you want to purchase one that is comfortable and one that is not too heavy for you.


3. Where to purchase your hiking backpack


There are lots of stores that house backpacks. You can look into any one of your local department stores or you can go one step further and look at the local sporting goods stores in your area. There are also stores that are not in your area that offer catalogs for you to purchase hiking accessories.


4. Shapes and sizes of hiking backpacks


There are all sorts of different sizes and shapes of hiking backpacks. There are even many different colors to look at. It all depends on the backpack that you want and the one that will fit all the items that you want to bring along with you on your hike.


5. Important information on your backpack


When you buy your new hiking backpack, the first thing that you want to do is print your name and address on the backpack. This is important in case you ever lose your backpack or if you ever become lost while hiking. This will make it easier to identify your backpack if lost.


6. Pack before your trip


Planning your hike well will determine the overall enjoyment you will have on your trip. When you are packing your backpack for your hike, make a list of the items that you want to bring with you. Check the items off as you pack them. This will help to ensure that you do not forget any of the items that you want to take with you. For backpack enthusiasts, look into getting an ultralight backpack – this kind of backpack is extremely light yet very strong – perfect for hiking.

For more great backpack related articles and resources check out hikingadvice.info

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Backpacking Basics

on February 7, 2012 · Leave a Comment

In spite of the creature comforts people have come to rely on in recent years, some people still feel compelled to load all their essentials onto their back, and set it out into the unknown. Whether forests or jungles you plan to backpack through, there are a few essentials which you can’t afford to be without. This article details some of the key considerations to make when going backpacking.

Backpack
The backpack you carry your possessions in is of crucial importance. You might be used to being frivolous about the suitability of a bag, but when you’re trekking for miles and miles with it on your back, it pays to ensure that the load is being spread across your body and that you’re not going to experience back, shoulder or neck pain as a result of carrying the thing. Look for packs with lots of straps for support as well as space for all the things you’ll need to carry with you.

Footwear
If you intend on walking a long distance, it can really take its toll on your feet, so it’s important to take care of them when backpacking, especially if you need to continue walking. Taking care of your feet involves getting the right shoes and socks. It’s often worth spending more on proper walking or hiking boots, since they can offer unparalleled comfort, support and resistance to the elements. Proper hiking socks will also help to reduce the likelihood of getting blisters. Blisters can ruin a long walk so make sure you bring some moleskin which can be applied to the blister to make continuing the hike much easier to do.

Hydration
One of the most important aspects of backpacking is staying hydrated. This can be easier on some places than others, and if you’re trekking through a dry landscape without facilities, it’s important that you bring lots of water with you, staying hydrated will help your physical and mental functions, helping your body to replace the fluids lost through perspiration.

If you plan on finding sources of water out in the field, then it might be a good idea to take some sort of water filter with you.

Sleep
When you’re hiking for up to ten hours per day, it’s a good idea to ensure you’re going to sleep easily and comfortably. A tent and a warm sleeping bag is pretty essential, but the more lightweight you can make these the better. If you don’t like sleeping with rocks and rough ground underneath you might want to consider bringing a roll mat or sleeping pad too.

Food
When hiking with a heavy backpack for hours on end, it’s important to stay well-nourished. Things like blood sugar need to be taken care of with granola bars, power bars, nuts and other snack foods that you can consume on the move. You can also buy special Ready to Eat meals for evening meals, which simply require boiling water to be added. To boil the water you’ll either need a stove or simply a saucepan which you can place on burning embers. These ready meals are surprisingly diverse in taste and they can be eaten straight from the package, saving on washing up and waste.

Hygiene
While smelling great is definitely not a priority in the jungle, when you’re catching a bus or plane home you are going to want to smell like a normal, respectable passenger. It shows consideration for your fellow passengers and means you don’t smell like a vagrant. Taking a bottle of anti-perspirant or deodorant can help you travel home without inflicting other passengers with unpleasant odours.

Bill Weston writes on a number of subjects including sleeping bags and outdoor clothing.

In spite of the creature comforts people have come to rely on in recent years, some people still feel compelled to load all their essentials onto their back, and set it out into the unknown. Whether forests or jungles you plan to backpack through, there are a few essentials which you can’t afford to be without. This article details some of the key considerations to make when going backpacking.

Backpack
The backpack you carry your possessions in is of crucial importance. You might be used to being frivolous about the suitability of a bag, but when you’re trekking for miles and miles with it on your back, it pays to ensure that the load is being spread across your body and that you’re not going to experience back, shoulder or neck pain as a result of carrying the thing. Look for packs with lots of straps for support as well as space for all the things you’ll need to carry with you.

Footwear
If you intend on walking a long distance, it can really take its toll on your feet, so it’s important to take care of them when backpacking, especially if you need to continue walking. Taking care of your feet involves getting the right shoes and socks. It’s often worth spending more on proper walking or hiking boots, since they can offer unparalleled comfort, support and resistance to the elements. Proper hiking socks will also help to reduce the likelihood of getting blisters. Blisters can ruin a long walk so make sure you bring some moleskin which can be applied to the blister to make continuing the hike much easier to do.

Hydration
One of the most important aspects of backpacking is staying hydrated. This can be easier on some places than others, and if you’re trekking through a dry landscape without facilities, it’s important that you bring lots of water with you, staying hydrated will help your physical and mental functions, helping your body to replace the fluids lost through perspiration.

If you plan on finding sources of water out in the field, then it might be a good idea to take some sort of water filter with you.

Sleep
When you’re hiking for up to ten hours per day, it’s a good idea to ensure you’re going to sleep easily and comfortably. A tent and a warm sleeping bag is pretty essential, but the more lightweight you can make these the better. If you don’t like sleeping with rocks and rough ground underneath you might want to consider bringing a roll mat or sleeping pad too.

Food
When hiking with a heavy backpack for hours on end, it’s important to stay well-nourished. Things like blood sugar need to be taken care of with granola bars, power bars, nuts and other snack foods that you can consume on the move. You can also buy special Ready to Eat meals for evening meals, which simply require boiling water to be added. To boil the water you’ll either need a stove or simply a saucepan which you can place on burning embers. These ready meals are surprisingly diverse in taste and they can be eaten straight from the package, saving on washing up and waste.

Hygiene
While smelling great is definitely not a priority in the jungle, when you’re catching a bus or plane home you are going to want to smell like a normal, respectable passenger. It shows consideration for your fellow passengers and means you don’t smell like a vagrant. Taking a bottle of anti-perspirant or deodorant can help you travel home without inflicting other passengers with unpleasant odours. Numerous people have a tendency to store a lot inside their wallets and storage specifically although traveling or jet-setting of their busy lives. The requirement of a superb backpack thus arises and Coach Backpacks undoubtedly are a bit expensive but certainly score inside department of exclusivity, design, functionality and magnificence. The massive ranges readily available for backpacks from unique luxury brands have distinctive styles but Coach signifies style and design that go incredibly far. The products the product has by no means been to turn out to be doubted reality the price range is a bit high they make exceptional backpacks for gifting as well as personal use.

In order to keep you sorted and organized a Coach backpacks has diverse multi-function pockets plus the inside zip pocket for storing cash combined with plastic cards. The trunk zip pockets can carry other vital items needed to be kept form general stuff filled up inside inner component. The travels and backpacking are manufactured less difficult in the event you have to transport more stuff together. It’s truly a little backpack by Coach that you just select based on your need to have or even the slightly bigger ones for additional storage the shopping trips get much less complicated with them.

The eye-catching designs are catching the flowery from the youth along with the gracious colors are attractive. Whereby traders also come in canvas with sequined details for the girls also as the number of pockets with this report and outside provide very good storage to get a young girl. Exploring these classic and beautifully crafted designs which serve our purpose is typically a treat alone.

The exclusive range is included with leather made Coach backpacks plus the wearing doesnt show despite if prolonged use like the other brands for the reason that Coach has excelled in the leather made items all along. The vigor and go-getter attitude is actually complimented by the Coach Backpack although utilizing owners personality and they make excellent companions too.

The Coach on the other hand provides a number of other options in backpacks from the comfort of the classy leather ones to informal canvas bags for teens to take these phones school. All the materials with this they’ve already experimented are well placed segments on their own. The client by having an eye for a perfect backpack would definitely choose the Coach Backpack purse in black. The trendy backpacks have exclusive designs for those varieties of buyers.

Backpacks generally worry the backs of the clients a lot of design complexity and calculation go into the making of a Coach Backpack thus such issues will never be to get bothered about. The straps provide adjustments also as the wide shoulder bands show to be useful too. The heavier the backpack get after being filled to capacity the simplicity of carriage is rarely a worry. The light-weight backpacks made traveling and shopping less difficult and comfortable. The Coach backpacks are spacious for ample storage and additionally fulfill the need to have generating a style statement. Everyday use is recommended since them backpacks from Coach Blend well operating kinds of wardrobes regardless of whether it is the casual jeans and the additional formal dresses.

Coach Backpack is provider of multipurpose and luxury backpacks with unique fashionable design for. These backpacks are designed for all ages and genders for a reasonable price with compared to its functionality.

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Hoteles Barcel

on October 28, 2011 · Leave a Comment

¿Eres amante de la comodidad, la tranquilidad y el bienestar? Te invitamos a recorrer sitios tan especiales y  acogedores como el hogar, en hoteles seleccionados con sumo cuidado encontrarás todo lo que deseas tener, porque Hoteles Barceló piensa siempre en gente como tú.

Hoteles Barceló te ofrece un paquete completo sin cobrar más del precio estipulado al momento de hacer tú reserva.Para complementar nuestra eficiencia, manejamos una línea donde podrás encontrar información sobre las condiciones para la cancelación de los gastos del hotel, así tendrás una estadía placentera y tranquila.

Con los planes de Barceló Viajes, dispondrás de ofertas de hoteles en todo el mundo, con unos precios nunca antes vistos y servicios muy bien escogidos.
Te invitamos a realizar tus reservas con la plena confianza de que encontrarás lo que estás buscando, un sitio ideal que reúne todas las condiciones anheladas y tarifas súper económicas.
 

De manera sorprendente,Barceló Viajesdispone de una cadena de hoteles adaptables a las condiciones y características de cada viajero.Te mostraremos la manera más fácil de ingresar a todos los destinos que ofrece el mundo con los mejores precios, y lo que es mejor, con excelente calidad. Recuerda: calidad, más cómodos precios es igual a tranquilidad y bienestar.

.
Como cliente preferencial deBarceló viajes tendrás mayores ventajas al elegir el estilo del hotel que necesitas.Hoteles de ciudad, hoteles de playa, hoteles rurales, hoteles con encanto, hoteles bien baratos, hoteles de lujo y lo que esperas tanto esperabas, apartamentos,¿deseas más?
Barceló viajes ha diseñado un conjunto de tarifas al alcance de todos;es un modo de poder ver el mundo y descubrir sitios con infinita belleza, comodidad y la exclusividad de hermosos paisajes. Si lo deseas, podrás acceder al servicio de guía dirigida, exclusivo de Barceló Viajesen convenio con reconocidos hoteles.

Disfruta y descansa como te lo mereces en tus vacaciones con un trato personalizado, aprovecha los descuentos y promociones del momento en lujosos Hoteles de 3, 4, y 5 estrellas con todo incluido.Estos hoteles te ofrecen productos adecuados para todos tus gustos, están preparados para satisfacer las expectativas y necesidades de los más exigentes.Han sido creados y diseñados para hacer que tú permanencia sea agradable e inolvidable, sin importar sise trata de negocios o vacaciones.
Barceló hoteles te acoge, te cuida y hace que te sientas en casa. Encuentra espacios para dormir, soñar y descansar.

Viajero,llegó lo que esperabas. Aprovecha todas las ventajas que tienes para disfrutar de la nieve. Hoteles para pasar el invierno con precios súper especiales, los niños no pagan!
Puedes gozar de descuentos por compra anticipada.Es hora de disfrutar todo lo que ofrece la nieve con extremas actividades;speedriding, esquí, todo lo que se te ocurra y todo siempre incluido en los mejores hoteles. Estamos presentes en todas las estaciones del año.Lánzate y disfruta. Además, para completar tus paquetes tan especiales, Barceló Viajes te propone Hoteles con los más modernos tratamientos e instalaciones de spa. Relájate, y y descubre las ofertas que preparamos para ti.

Written by michaelbrown8

¿Eres amante de la comodidad, la tranquilidad y el bienestar? Te invitamos a recorrer sitios tan especiales y  acogedores como el hogar, en hoteles seleccionados con sumo cuidado encontrarás todo lo que deseas tener, porque Hoteles Barceló piensa siempre en gente como tú.

Hoteles Barceló te ofrece un paquete completo sin cobrar más del precio estipulado al momento de hacer tú reserva.Para complementar nuestra eficiencia, manejamos una línea donde podrás encontrar información sobre las condiciones para la cancelación de los gastos del hotel, así tendrás una estadía placentera y tranquila.

Con los planes de Barceló Viajes, dispondrás de ofertas de hoteles en todo el mundo, con unos precios nunca antes vistos y servicios muy bien escogidos.
Te invitamos a realizar tus reservas con la plena confianza de que encontrarás lo que estás buscando, un sitio ideal que reúne todas las condiciones anheladas y tarifas súper económicas.
 

De manera sorprendente,Barceló Viajesdispone de una cadena de hoteles adaptables a las condiciones y características de cada viajero.Te mostraremos la manera más fácil de ingresar a todos los destinos que ofrece el mundo con los mejores precios, y lo que es mejor, con excelente calidad. Recuerda: calidad, más cómodos precios es igual a tranquilidad y bienestar.

.
Como cliente preferencial deBarceló viajes tendrás mayores ventajas al elegir el estilo del hotel que necesitas.Hoteles de ciudad, hoteles de playa, hoteles rurales, hoteles con encanto, hoteles bien baratos, hoteles de lujo y lo que esperas tanto esperabas, apartamentos,¿deseas más?
Barceló viajes ha diseñado un conjunto de tarifas al alcance de todos;es un modo de poder ver el mundo y descubrir sitios con infinita belleza, comodidad y la exclusividad de hermosos paisajes. Si lo deseas, podrás acceder al servicio de guía dirigida, exclusivo de Barceló Viajesen convenio con reconocidos hoteles.

Disfruta y descansa como te lo mereces en tus vacaciones con un trato personalizado, aprovecha los descuentos y promociones del momento en lujosos Hoteles de 3, 4, y 5 estrellas con todo incluido.Estos hoteles te ofrecen productos adecuados para todos tus gustos, están preparados para satisfacer las expectativas y necesidades de los más exigentes.Han sido creados y diseñados para hacer que tú permanencia sea agradable e inolvidable, sin importar sise trata de negocios o vacaciones.
Barceló hoteles te acoge, te cuida y hace que te sientas en casa. Encuentra espacios para dormir, soñar y descansar.

Viajero,llegó lo que esperabas. Aprovecha todas las ventajas que tienes para disfrutar de la nieve. Hoteles para pasar el invierno con precios súper especiales, los niños no pagan!
Puedes gozar de descuentos por compra anticipada.Es hora de disfrutar todo lo que ofrece la nieve con extremas actividades;speedriding, esquí, todo lo que se te ocurra y todo siempre incluido en los mejores hoteles. Estamos presentes en todas las estaciones del año.Lánzate y disfruta. Además, para completar tus paquetes tan especiales, Barceló Viajes te propone Hoteles con los más modernos tratamientos e instalaciones de spa. Relájate, y y descubre las ofertas que preparamos para ti.

You can make your hotel booking in advance if you want a trouble free vacation or business trip. There are a lot of people who take hotel booking as granted. It is best to do so as if you do so you would go from pillar to post looking for a suitable hotel room. If you are visiting London or New York it would be specifically very difficult as these places have full hotel booking all round the year.  Though there are many hotels in London and New York, it is still difficult to find a suitable room within your budget. Hotels booking London lets you get a room of your choice in the locality you want. It also lets you book the hotel with all the conveniences you want. If you are in London for some business purpose, then it would be best to stay in a hotel that provides then facilities for business travelers. The hotel would provide for fax, internet facilities and also for conference rooms. It would make the person visiting London for business trip very comfortable as whatever he/she would need would be in the hotel only.

In the same way the hotels of New York also provide for the same facility. There are many top-class business facilities in hotels in New York. Many of these hotels are located in business locality, so it makes it easier for them to commune to various offices. While doing hotels booking New York it would be better if you book it in such a locality. It would make it easier for you and you can go from one office to another without many problems. The business hotels in any city provide for all the facility that any person on a business trip might need.

Though, mainly people visit Spain for pleasure and sightseeing trip, there are certain people who visit Spain for business purpose. They can do hotels booking Spain for business trip as well. So plan in advance and get a perfect room for yourself.

Onlinehotelsbooking.org gives you fast, secure and easy to use Hotels booking Spain & Hotels Booking London in UK, India and US. So if you are looking for luxury and affordable Hotels booking New York, car rentals services and flight reservations, you have come to the right place.

Written by AlexLee

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Memories of Hitch-Hiking

on October 28, 2011 · Leave a Comment

 

Why did we travel that way? There was no InterRail then, no Ryanair, few students had cars, but the wish to see the world was there and so we did it. I went on two hitch-hiking tours with my girl-friend (I never hitched alone), a three-week trip through Scotland from and back to London and a three-week trip from the south of Germany through Italy up (or is it ‘down’?) to Naples.

1. In British youth hostels we met young men from the European mainland who told us that they loved the country, either the drivers took hitch-hikers or they didn´t, there was no preferential treatment of girls holding up their thumbs. Indeed, in the mornings when the hitchers lined up along the side of the road, they were given a lift one after the other without respect of sex or age. We found that very British!

One day when it was raining hard and a strong wind was blowing (it was in August!) we had the hoods of our anoraks over our heads. A driver stopped and told us to hop in as he needed ballast to keep the car steady, an odd reason to invite dripping people into a car, but we didn’t mind. When we peeled off our wet things and he saw that we were girls he became cross, he accused us of deceiving him, he said we had dressed up as boys to get a lift! He would have thrown us out again, but there were no other hitchers to be seen, so he kept us as ballast.

2. Oh, the loneliness of Scottish roads! [Part I] Where did the people live, where did they go to  who took us a couple of miles and then dropped us in the middle of nowhere? The landscape is nice, no doubt,  we had come to see it, but after two hours sitting on the grass beside the road, even the keenest landscape freak feels boredom setting in. So when a car approached we jumped up, waving frantically and before the drivers knew what was happening we had thrown our rucksacks and ourselves in.

Once we ´kidnapped´ a young man who didn´t go our way, but we talked him into taking us to the youth hostel we had planned to stay the night in, what else could we do? We were desperate. This meant a detour of 100 miles for him, we must have been very charming then! We thought the least we could do for him was to invite him in and offer him something to eat from the things we had bought. He had supper with us in the main room of the youth hostel and then disappeared. The warden found our behaviour outrageous – bringing a young man in – and tore off a corner of our youth hostel passport in order to warn all other wardens of our immorality. No other warden noticed this, though. Ha!

3. Oh, the loneliness of Scottish roads! [Part II] When we were moving inland from the ferry port of the Isle of Skye (no bridge then), we suddenly screamed, the driver put his foot on the break and thought someone horrible had happened. No, we had only seen a young German on the other side of the road we had met in a youth hostel on the north coast of Scotland. We asked him where he was planning to go and he told us that he had been trying to leave the island for some time, but in vain, no one wanted to take him. As he didn´t have any specific plans anyway he decided to tour the Isle of Skye again with us, so the driver had three hitchers in his car before he knew what was going on.

One reason that the boy was happy to have found us was that people had to care for themselves in the youth hostels, they had to bring their food and prepare it in the kitchens. He offered to help us carry our things if we cooked for him. A good deal for both sides.

As a weekend was approaching we bought quite a lot of stuff and then again got stranded. Why did single drivers shy away from three hitchers, wasn´t there room for all of us? We fell back on an old trick assuming that there had to be at least some drivers, well, one would have been enough, who was interested in the difference between male and female hitcher! My friend and I were both blond and tall, taller than the average Scottish population at that time, quite a sight if I may say so myself, we drew lots and she had to stand at the side of the road alone, the boy and I were hiding behind a bush. Lo and behold, it didn´t take long and a fish was in the net. When he opened the door grinning you-know-how, we came forward, carrying not only three rucksacks, but also a banana carton full of provisions. He was a good sport was he, he only asked dryly if we had also furniture with us.

4. Before we hitched to Italy we already knew everything about Italian men, an Italian had enlightened us as to the tricks his countrymen knew! We discussed how we could defend ourselves and decided to take knives with us; why we took bread knives and not flick knives is something I don´t remember! What I do remember is that the knives were in our rucksacks and that the rucksacks were in the boots of the cars – safely out of reach! But we never needed them, praised be the Italians we met on our tour.

I distinctly recall a lift in the plain of the river Po in the North of Italy, we crawled along at a speed of 30 km, (not miles!), the driver had one foot on the gas pedal and the other on the dashboard, he found that relaxing. As there was no other traffic on the side roads we were taking, there was no need to brake suddenly. It was early evening, a slight mist was hanging over the fields and enshrouding the poplar plantations of the area, a red sun was setting, it was so romantic.

Since the I´ve crossed the plain of the Po many times, always on the motorway, never again in the evening, try as I may I can´t recall the atmosphere, but I always think of that lift.

5. Girl-friend and I both wanted to hitch from Heidelberg where we studied to the north of Germany to visit our families. The first car (the south of Germany is not comparable to the north of Scotland traffic-wise!) was a Fiat 500 with two Italians. They were immediately smitten with us and wanted to stay the rest of their lives with us, only that they had to go to the west of Germany and not to the north, we would have to part in Frankfurt.

Instead of dropping us at a filling station they drove into the city, they wanted to invite us to have an ice-cream with them. They parked the car in the vicinity of the main train station, we had our ice-cream and then couldn´t find the car any more! This could have been a trick to steal our luggage, of course, hadn´t they themselves left everything in the car. A beige Fiat 500 in the 1960s! Together with the original Volkswagen Beetle this was the car one could see most often. How embarrassing! We walked up and down the streets until after an hour we found the tiny vehicle. What do we learn from this? Memorise the street name when you park a car.

Written by MALU
I’m a German teacher of English and Italian and live in Germany.

 

Why did we travel that way? There was no InterRail then, no Ryanair, few students had cars, but the wish to see the world was there and so we did it. I went on two hitch-hiking tours with my girl-friend (I never hitched alone), a three-week trip through Scotland from and back to London and a three-week trip from the south of Germany through Italy up (or is it ‘down’?) to Naples.

1. In British youth hostels we met young men from the European mainland who told us that they loved the country, either the drivers took hitch-hikers or they didn´t, there was no preferential treatment of girls holding up their thumbs. Indeed, in the mornings when the hitchers lined up along the side of the road, they were given a lift one after the other without respect of sex or age. We found that very British!

One day when it was raining hard and a strong wind was blowing (it was in August!) we had the hoods of our anoraks over our heads. A driver stopped and told us to hop in as he needed ballast to keep the car steady, an odd reason to invite dripping people into a car, but we didn’t mind. When we peeled off our wet things and he saw that we were girls he became cross, he accused us of deceiving him, he said we had dressed up as boys to get a lift! He would have thrown us out again, but there were no other hitchers to be seen, so he kept us as ballast.

2. Oh, the loneliness of Scottish roads! [Part I] Where did the people live, where did they go to  who took us a couple of miles and then dropped us in the middle of nowhere? The landscape is nice, no doubt,  we had come to see it, but after two hours sitting on the grass beside the road, even the keenest landscape freak feels boredom setting in. So when a car approached we jumped up, waving frantically and before the drivers knew what was happening we had thrown our rucksacks and ourselves in.

Once we ´kidnapped´ a young man who didn´t go our way, but we talked him into taking us to the youth hostel we had planned to stay the night in, what else could we do? We were desperate. This meant a detour of 100 miles for him, we must have been very charming then! We thought the least we could do for him was to invite him in and offer him something to eat from the things we had bought. He had supper with us in the main room of the youth hostel and then disappeared. The warden found our behaviour outrageous – bringing a young man in – and tore off a corner of our youth hostel passport in order to warn all other wardens of our immorality. No other warden noticed this, though. Ha!

3. Oh, the loneliness of Scottish roads! [Part II] When we were moving inland from the ferry port of the Isle of Skye (no bridge then), we suddenly screamed, the driver put his foot on the break and thought someone horrible had happened. No, we had only seen a young German on the other side of the road we had met in a youth hostel on the north coast of Scotland. We asked him where he was planning to go and he told us that he had been trying to leave the island for some time, but in vain, no one wanted to take him. As he didn´t have any specific plans anyway he decided to tour the Isle of Skye again with us, so the driver had three hitchers in his car before he knew what was going on.

One reason that the boy was happy to have found us was that people had to care for themselves in the youth hostels, they had to bring their food and prepare it in the kitchens. He offered to help us carry our things if we cooked for him. A good deal for both sides.

As a weekend was approaching we bought quite a lot of stuff and then again got stranded. Why did single drivers shy away from three hitchers, wasn´t there room for all of us? We fell back on an old trick assuming that there had to be at least some drivers, well, one would have been enough, who was interested in the difference between male and female hitcher! My friend and I were both blond and tall, taller than the average Scottish population at that time, quite a sight if I may say so myself, we drew lots and she had to stand at the side of the road alone, the boy and I were hiding behind a bush. Lo and behold, it didn´t take long and a fish was in the net. When he opened the door grinning you-know-how, we came forward, carrying not only three rucksacks, but also a banana carton full of provisions. He was a good sport was he, he only asked dryly if we had also furniture with us.

4. Before we hitched to Italy we already knew everything about Italian men, an Italian had enlightened us as to the tricks his countrymen knew! We discussed how we could defend ourselves and decided to take knives with us; why we took bread knives and not flick knives is something I don´t remember! What I do remember is that the knives were in our rucksacks and that the rucksacks were in the boots of the cars – safely out of reach! But we never needed them, praised be the Italians we met on our tour.

I distinctly recall a lift in the plain of the river Po in the North of Italy, we crawled along at a speed of 30 km, (not miles!), the driver had one foot on the gas pedal and the other on the dashboard, he found that relaxing. As there was no other traffic on the side roads we were taking, there was no need to brake suddenly. It was early evening, a slight mist was hanging over the fields and enshrouding the poplar plantations of the area, a red sun was setting, it was so romantic.

Since the I´ve crossed the plain of the Po many times, always on the motorway, never again in the evening, try as I may I can´t recall the atmosphere, but I always think of that lift.

5. Girl-friend and I both wanted to hitch from Heidelberg where we studied to the north of Germany to visit our families. The first car (the south of Germany is not comparable to the north of Scotland traffic-wise!) was a Fiat 500 with two Italians. They were immediately smitten with us and wanted to stay the rest of their lives with us, only that they had to go to the west of Germany and not to the north, we would have to part in Frankfurt.

Instead of dropping us at a filling station they drove into the city, they wanted to invite us to have an ice-cream with them. They parked the car in the vicinity of the main train station, we had our ice-cream and then couldn´t find the car any more! This could have been a trick to steal our luggage, of course, hadn´t they themselves left everything in the car. A beige Fiat 500 in the 1960s! Together with the original Volkswagen Beetle this was the car one could see most often. How embarrassing! We walked up and down the streets until after an hour we found the tiny vehicle. What do we learn from this? Memorise the street name when you park a car.

It is not always necessary for you to do boring exercises in order to stay fit.  As a matter of fact, most of us will not be able to stick with something that we do not enjoy long enough to see long term benefits.  I know that for myself, I really hate walking on a treadmill and I find it to be one of life’s most boring activities.  Although I have walked on a treadmill from time to time in order to stay in shape, doing so on a long-term basis is something that simply is not going to happen.  The funny thing about it is that I do enjoy walking but while doing so, I like to go someplace.

One of the most interesting and enjoyable activities that you can do is to take up hiking.  This is more than simply walking around the block or perhaps strolling through the mall, it is a strenuous exercise that you would need to build up to in order to be efficient at it.  Although it is not effortless, you would be surprised with how enjoyable it is and how quickly the time passes as you are doing it.  I don’t consider hiking to be exercise at all, I consider it to be a hobby that I am dedicated to and will continue to do as long as my legs allow me to do so.

What would happen if you were not someplace that was conducive to hiking?  Not all of us live in a mountainous area that would allow us to get in a good hike without having to travel too far to get to the location.  Believe it or not, most communities have an area that would suffice for such an activity.  You would probably be surprised to find out that one is right in your backyard, even if it isn’t exactly what you are looking for.  As long as you’re getting out in nature and walking around enjoying the things that are nearby, this is exercise and it is hiking.

You might enjoy hiking so much that you decide to make a trip out of it.  Many individuals end up going away in order to hike someplace special.  You can’t imagine how many calories you will be burning and how physically fit you will be as a result of this activity.  Take the time to do it on a regular basis and you will love the way you look.

Written by Dr. Mohamad Zaini Mohamed Said
Lecturer and freelance writer

Categories: Travel and Leisure - Tags: ,

Camping Vacation Tips

on October 27, 2011 · Leave a Comment

It is great fun, fresh air and a time for you and your family to spend time together.  However, as in most vacations, there is a right way and a wrong way to go camping.  Here is a basic camping primer for those who have not ventured outside to the great outdoors.

1.  Get the Right Size Tent for Camping

When shopping for a tent to take with you camping, make sure you have one big enough to sleep everyone going on vacation with you.  The box the tent comes in will have a recommendation on how many people can sleep in it.  Always buy the next size up as that recommendation is usually for small people crammed into a small tent. 

Verify before you leave to go camping that all the parts to the tent are accounted for.  Essential pieces that are missing are hard to replace when your trying to setup your tent in the wilderness. 

2.   The Right Light for Camping

Make sure that you have a lantern and all the supplies to keep it lit.  If it is battery operated, have extra batteries.  If it is a propane lantern, have extra propane tanks for it.  Many campers prefer battery operated lanterns, propane lanterns are not safe to take inside of a tent.  It is also a good idea to make sure you have a couple of flashlights as well for that middle of the night bathroom trips.

3.    Cooking Supplies for Camping

Camping usually involves cooking in the great outdoors, so be prepared.  Make sure you have a cooking stove and some basic cooking supplies, like a pot, a skillet, a spoon, plastic dishes, utensils, and cups.  You don’t have to go to a camping store to get many of these supplies.  Your local grocery store will have the basics.  Propane stoves work well when camping, but make sure you have plenty of fuel.  Carry matches to light the stove. 

4.   Food Supplies for Camping

There are two ways to go about food when you go camping.  Some people want the fresh food to go with the fresh air of camping.  While some want the convenience of just popping open a can and put it into a pot for meals.  Either way, remember that you are outside camping and there are many animals such as raccoons, squirrels, and blue jays that love to be pests.  Make sure that you store your food inside of the car when you go camping or these pests will make a meal out of yours.

Make sure you get a good cooler to store your food in while camping.  Use block ice instead of bagged cubed ice.  It will last longer and keep your food fresher.  Drain the water out everyday to keep your food fresh and make sure to keep the lid on tight when not using it.  Store it inside your car as well, to keep the pests out of your food.

Written by MikeBurnside
Creator and writer for Unravelingmysteries.com a lifestyles website.

It is great fun, fresh air and a time for you and your family to spend time together.  However, as in most vacations, there is a right way and a wrong way to go camping.  Here is a basic camping primer for those who have not ventured outside to the great outdoors.

1.  Get the Right Size Tent for Camping

When shopping for a tent to take with you camping, make sure you have one big enough to sleep everyone going on vacation with you.  The box the tent comes in will have a recommendation on how many people can sleep in it.  Always buy the next size up as that recommendation is usually for small people crammed into a small tent. 

Verify before you leave to go camping that all the parts to the tent are accounted for.  Essential pieces that are missing are hard to replace when your trying to setup your tent in the wilderness. 

2.   The Right Light for Camping

Make sure that you have a lantern and all the supplies to keep it lit.  If it is battery operated, have extra batteries.  If it is a propane lantern, have extra propane tanks for it.  Many campers prefer battery operated lanterns, propane lanterns are not safe to take inside of a tent.  It is also a good idea to make sure you have a couple of flashlights as well for that middle of the night bathroom trips.

3.    Cooking Supplies for Camping

Camping usually involves cooking in the great outdoors, so be prepared.  Make sure you have a cooking stove and some basic cooking supplies, like a pot, a skillet, a spoon, plastic dishes, utensils, and cups.  You don’t have to go to a camping store to get many of these supplies.  Your local grocery store will have the basics.  Propane stoves work well when camping, but make sure you have plenty of fuel.  Carry matches to light the stove. 

4.   Food Supplies for Camping

There are two ways to go about food when you go camping.  Some people want the fresh food to go with the fresh air of camping.  While some want the convenience of just popping open a can and put it into a pot for meals.  Either way, remember that you are outside camping and there are many animals such as raccoons, squirrels, and blue jays that love to be pests.  Make sure that you store your food inside of the car when you go camping or these pests will make a meal out of yours.

Make sure you get a good cooler to store your food in while camping.  Use block ice instead of bagged cubed ice.  It will last longer and keep your food fresher.  Drain the water out everyday to keep your food fresh and make sure to keep the lid on tight when not using it.  Store it inside your car as well, to keep the pests out of your food.

Camping is all about getting back to basics and enjoying the simpler things in life.  So, why make camping complicated by bringing a lot food that needs to be cooked?  Keep it simple on your next camping trip.  Here are fifteen easy snacks that you can take on your next adventure.  They snacks are ideal for camping because they are easy, portable, and delicious.

1.  Raisins – These dried grapes are perfect to take camping, especially the ones that come in those cute little boxes.  Include some chocolate or yogurt covered ones for extra sweetness.

2.  Roasted Peas -  They don’t sound that great but roasted peas are absolutly divine.  Try the Wasabi flavor if you like it hot!  Look for them in the Asian section of your grocery store or at an Asian market.

3.  Trail Mix- This crunchy, classic snack is good and good for you.  It is perfect to bring with you if you decide to take a little nature hike.

4.  Pretzels – Pretzels are always a great snack.

5.  Chex Mix- Not only good for parties, Chex Mix is a great choice for camping.

6.  Gummi Bears – These chewy treats are not only for kids.

7.  Beef Jerky – Taste the flavor of meat without having to cook.

8.  Flavored Tuna Tins – These flavorful tins are super tasty and perfectly portable.  They also provide a powerful protein punch.  My favorite is the Spicy Thai Tuna.

9.  Licorice – This is a perfect choice for a sweet tooth.

10. Wint-O-Green Lifesavers – These are super fun around the campfire.  Sit in a circle and give everyone one.  Instruct everybody to chew their Lifesavers with their mouths open.  Then, watch the sparks fly.  It really works.  Lifesavers do spark in the dark!  I witnessed it myself at Girl Scout camp.

11. Rice Cakes – A much better choice than potato chips, rice cakes are crunchy and delicious.

12. Granola Bars – An appropriate choice for camping, granola bars are delicious and healthy.

13. Rice Krispie Treats -Easy and inexpensive to make, Rice Krispie Treats are an excellent option for camping.

14. Grapes – Sweet and healthy, grapes are also a wonderful choice to take camping.

15. Ritz crackers with Easy Cheese – We call it “Camping Cheese” in my family.  This is a must have snack on all of my camping trips.

Figuring out what to take on your next camping excursion is easy with these ideas.  They taste delicious, are easy to prepare, and they don’t take a lot of room.  Zippered snack bags work perfectly for storing and transporting these camping treats.  Try some of them the next time you go camping!

Written by SandraDee

Categories: Travel and Leisure - Tags: , ,

Juvenile Boot Camp May Not Be The Solution For Your Kids

on October 26, 2011 · Leave a Comment

Juvenile boot camps were created for juvenile adolescents for reformation and orient them in the process into becoming good citizens. Often these youth lacked the proper guidance and counseling and some of them may have even committed petty crimes. Juvenile boot camps will be tasked to give them the guidance, the counseling and the discipline they need by preparing them to become physically and mentally suitable to interact with society.

Some parents often bring their troubled teen to juvenile boot camps as a last resort for their reformation. Usually, the youth’s stay lasts from twelve to eighteen months. Although the stay of the troubled teen can be considered short-term in nature, the parents have some sort of assurance that their child is safe from committing further delinquent acts during this period.

Short-term juvenile boot camps are only one of the options for teens whose actions and decisions are not yet strongly influenced by bad habits into acting irrationally. Other factors like environment, peer group, psychological state of mind and relationships with parents are taken into to consideration before a child or teen is sent juvenile boot camps.

If a teen is already strongly attached to negative habits, the best way to mold the life of the adolescent is by sending him to juvenile boot camps on a long-term basis. This way, the chance of molding positive attitudes will be carried on a more permanent basis during his lifetime. Long-term juvenile boot camps have gained their popularity because of the positive results manifested by the children they were able to send back to their homes and schools totally reformed.

Parents have the choice to send their kid either to private or state run juvenile boot camps and it will cost them from about ,000 to ,000, at an average. In juvenile boot camps, teens will undergo a military-like training in order to become responsible, disciplined and exposed to the realities of life. These will be their tools in facing adulthood.

They are taught to wear uniforms aside from answering “yes sir” or “no sir” similar to military discipline. They will also be provided with lockers where they can put their things in order and provide them with bunk beds for rest. There will be instances where outside contact will not be allowed for a certain period of time. Moreover, during their stay at the juvenile boot camps, these teens are subjected to the constant inspection of their belongings to ensure that prohibited items stay outside of the camp.

Some parents have second thoughts in sending their teen to juvenile boot camps due to the amount involved and kind of training environment their child will go through. Health and safety concerns are given much thought whether their teen can survive or even handle the rudiments of the juvenile boot camps.

The apprehensions of some parents are based on some negative feedbacks voiced by parents who previously sent their teen to the juvenile boot camp. Some drill instructors have been criticized in the way they execute and handle the training regimen.

If you are a parent saddled with raising a child who seems to be going astray, juvenile boot camps are not always the answer. What is important is to maintain an open line of communication with their adolescent child. Not having any one of the parent available to talk to or ask help from can greatly affect your child’s decision to seek outside assistance and influence.  

You may be parents working hard for your child’s future but have you ever stopped to think what future the child sees before him? Coming home to an empty house, devoid of love and companionship does not seem to present a happy future for him. Juvenile boot camps will only give him an affirmation that he is unwanted, since you would rather pay for some strangers to analyze his problems rather than take the pains of spending time with him and listen to what he has to say.

For more useful information, please visit our website: THE KNOWLEDGE BASE, and look for the FAMILY & RELATIONSHIPS section.

Written by ja_schmidt

select: More Camping Articles

Categories: Travel and Leisure - Tags: , , , ,

My Review of Royal Caribbean’s Navigator of the Seas Cruise Ship to Mexico

on October 26, 2011 · Leave a Comment

NAVIGATOR OF THE SEAS


Navigator is truly a beautiful, and very large ship. Built in 2002, and refurbished in 2005, she is 1,020 ft. long, with a 158 ft beam. Yep, she’s a wide ship as well. She holds 3,835 passengers, with a crew of 1,185. She is 15 decks tall. Anything you could possibly think of doing, you’ll find on this ship. Here below, is my review of our cruise on her.

BACKGROUND: This was our 3rd cruise. The first was on Majesty of the Seas (Loved her), and our 2nd one was on Norwegian Dawn (loved her as well), and now this was our 3rd. If she would have been our first, I would have possibly had doubts about future cruising. The ship, itself, was spectacular, however, the service was not as good as I thought it would be.

EMBARKATION: This was probably the best thing about the cruise was the fact that we were on the ship within 15 minutes after getting in line to board the ship. Had our welcome aboard picture taken, stepped inside the ship, and got that WOW feeling from the beauty of the ship.

DAY #1: We left Fort Lauderdale at 5:00pm. One good thing about RCCLs ships is that you barely know you’re moving, but unfortunately we were in our room when the ship pulled out, so we seen Fort Lauderdale in our “rear view mirrors” by the time we got back out on deck. I personally, will NEVER stay in an inside cabin again.

We spent this first day browsing the ship, and taking pictures. Navigator is definitely a beautiful ship, but we’ve found that looks are not everything when it comes to a cruise. It takes many other things to make a cruise complete. We stayed up for the late night parade (around 11:30pm), which lasted all of 15 minutes. I have to give RCCL credit on their beds. They have the most comfortable beds.

STATEROOMS: Before I get to day 2…. let’s discuss the Stateroom. We didn’t get a towel animal until the 3rd night, and I think that was only because I asked for one. We didn’t get nightly mints the last 2 nights at all, nor was our bed folded down. Our heater/air conditioning didn’t work in our room the first 2 days we were onboard. We were never addressed by name by our stateroom attendant. (maybe it was because he couldn’t pronounce it, even though our room attendants on our last 2 cruises didn’t seem to have a problem). I would NEVER EVER NEVER stay in another interior cabin. When I asked what it was like to be in an interior room and was told it’s like walking into a walk-in closet and turning off the light and shutting the door, that was explained to me perfectly. It was like a dungeon. And being there was no natural light at all, I believe our bodies dealt with the situation as if it was night time every day in that room. It became the room from hell by the 4th night, because by that night I was sick as a dog. To the point, that I stayed in the room from 6:00pm on the 4th night, until we got off the ship, the morning of the 6th day. And then I prayed that I’d make it home on the 3 hour bus ride.

DAY #2: This ship has a lot of WOW factors. The promenade alone is amazing. This was the day that I mentioned to our stateroom attendant that our fridge wasn’t keeping things cold, and was told that it really wasn’t a fridge, and more like a cooler to keep candies or chocolate that was inside of it from melting. Surely wasn’t like any cooler we’ve ever owned. And even if we would have purchased sodas from it, we never had any ice in our bucket in our room. It was always water when we took a look. It’s 72 degrees today and very windy. We’re about 18 nautical miles from Cuba, headed to Cozumel, Mexico. Too windy to play shuffleboard or miniature golf. We purchased our Welcome Aboard photos for .95. You get one 5 x 7 and one 8 x 10. (prices might have increased since we cruised). If I would have thought of bringing my Crown & Anchor coupon from my booklet that we got as being past cruisers, I could have received a free photo of the ship. I purchased 2 towel animals (sold at the logo souvenir shop in the gift store onboard, for my daughter and granddaughter). They’re really cute. About the size of a beanie baby, and sold for .50 each. Also bought a pen for .50 with a cruise ship that floats inside. We also purchased our “Navigator of the Seas” ship model last night for .00 and a few t-shirts. I sat out on the starboard side of the ship for 1 1/2 hours and only seen 2 people sit down. It felt like I had the entire ship to myself. Would never have known that there were over 3,000 people on this cruise.

MEALS: Before I get to day 3, lets discuss the meals. We’re not into formal dining, so we always go for the buffet on our cruises. Therefore, the only places we ate on this cruise was Windjammers and the Promenade Cafe.

Windjammers: We were not very pleased with the food at Windjammers on NOS (Navigator of Seas). Don’t know how this could be, but Majesty had better food. One morning I got french toast, that was so hard that only the interior section of it, was eatable. And then even that didn’t taste very good. Scrambled eggs were very bland. One thing that was very upsetting for me, was that no cold ice tea was served at breakfast. Everything was pre-made with the ice already in it, and then you just picked up what you wanted. There was apple juice, orange juice, milk, and water for breakfast. Milk was in the little cartons. Don’t even think of bringing milk back to your room because the coolers in the room wouldn’t have kept them cold enough to drink later. I was not impressed with the food at Windjammers at all.

Promenade Cafe: We liked eating here for lunch or a quick snack. The ham sandwiches made with croissant bread was very good. The round-like sandwiches though, had bread that was so tough, that it was almost impossible to bite into it. The cheesecake was very good. Cookies were good too.

DAY 3: Okay…. the morning started off as a total joke. We had a shore excursion in Cozumel to visit the Ruins. The shore excursion was 5 1/2 hours from the time we left the ship until the time we returned. We had received a voice message on our phone in our stateroom the night before that said that Windjammers was going to open at 6:30am instead of 7:00am to allow those that had early shore excursions to be able to eat breakfast before we left for our shore excursions. We thought this was a nice gesture. However, that was until we got to Deck #11, got off the elevator and noticed that a huge crowd at 6:35am was waiting for Windjammers to open, only to be told that they were not aware that they were suppose to open early, and therefore would not be opening until 7:00am. That’s when a herd of people bombarded the stairs and the elevators to go down to Deck # 5 to go to the Promenade Cafe to get something to eat before leaving the ship. We got a banana and a Chocolate covered doughnut. The doughnut was awful. And for me to say that a doughnut is awful, then it had to be pretty bad.

We met at the Metropolis Theater at 7:15 to leave for our shore excursion. (still hungry obviously)

Shore Excursion….TULUM MAYAN RUINS EXPRESS: The ferry ride to get to the bus was a nightmare. We were watching people get sick. I found that if you watch the Mexican videos that they have on a large screen in the front of the ferry, then you didn’t feel as dizzy. You’re sitting inside this ferry, and the windows were covered with sea salt and it was difficult to see out of them, so you felt enclosed. I think this was the reason people were feeling sick. I figured it must happen often though, because they had “puke” bags handy for those that needed them. The ferry was a 30 minute miserable ride.

We then boarded a bus, and spent another hour getting there. You can not get up close to the ruins because they are roped off. We finally split off from the tour guide, otherwise, we wouldn’t have seen everything. He was a talker, and when we noticed that 1/2 of our group was missing, that’s when we realized that people were leaving the group a little at a time to go off on their own. We had a scheduled time to be back at the bus, so I was unsure of why we were walking around with the tour guide to begin with. It wasn’t like you could get lost in this place. This excursion involves a lot of walking. I mean a lot. If you need to use the restroom, use the one near the ruins before the long walk back to the marketplace area. The ones at the marketplace cost to use. We purchased a post card and when asked what it cost and was told .00, my husband about went into cardiac arrest. (It was 70 cents in U.S. money). When we got back to the bus, we were given what they called a “boxed” lunch. We had purchased a hot dog for .50 right before entering the bus. There was a Subway there, but it was packed, and we wouldn’t have had enough time to eat before boarding the bus. Truthfully, you could have brought your sub on the bus. Our boxed lunch consisted of a chocolate chip cookie, a blueberry muffin, a Sun capri fruit drink in a pouch, and Dole fruit in a cup, and Tuna in a pouch that you make with mayonnaise and relish, and crackers. Everything is pre-sealed. If you don’t like the smell of tuna, don’t take this excursion because our entire bus smelled of a large tuna by the time everyone opened their boxed lunches.

When we arrived back in town, the bus does not take you back to the ship. You have to pay .00 per taxi to get back to the dock.

Back on ship….. Our captain specifically told us before we left the ship that we were to stay on ship time. Mexico is 1 hour behind us. So when we were told to be back on the ship at 4:30, that meant 4:30 ship time. However, about 9 people were not back on the ship at that time. And fortunately for some of the passengers, our captain kept the ship there until around 5:10pm waiting for people. As we pulled away from the dock, we noticed a “Pilot” boat pulling up to the dock. My husband said then that he thought that people were getting on it to be brought to our ship. Indeed he was correct. Our ship stopped, to allow the pilot boat to pull up next to us, so 2 people could get on the ship that had missed it. By this time it was 5:30pm. We’re figuring that these were people that used their cell phones to keep track of time, and what they weren’t aware of, was the fact that the cell phones changed time with Mexico time, so when it said 4:30 on their cell phones, it was really 5:30 ship time. Our captain was highly upset and made it a point to announce that tomorrow he would not wait one single minute for anyone. That he had to pull out on time in order to reach the U.S. at the correct time.

DAY #4: This is one thing that I don’t understand about NOS entertainment. They line up all the entertainment on nights that everyone has to get up the next morning and go on shore excursions bright and early. Parades are at 11:45pm, when we have to get up at 6:00am to get prepared to go on a shore excursion. I had called the front desk the night before to ask if Windjammers was going to be open for breakfast at 6:30am, and was told ‘Oh sure, they were open at 6:30 before”. I was like “Oh, no they weren’t.” They had even put on our Cruise Compass Newsletter that Windjammers would be open at 6:30am this time. But were they open at 6:30am? Absolutely not.

They opened the doors at 6:40am. This might seem minor, and would be if you had no plans, but Windjammers is at the Aft of this ship, and where we meet for shore excursions is at the Forward section of this ship. Not that it really mattered, because the right hand doesn’t know what the left hand is doing on this cruise, and we were 30 minutes late leaving for shore excursions to begin with this particular morning. Was later told it was because the tender boats lined up on one side of the ship and then they discovered that the waves rocking up against the ship caused problems for tendering and they had to move the tender boats to the opposite side of the ship. Now here we are, meeting at the Forward part of the ship, and now having to walk the steps from Deck #4 down to Deck #1, (or maybe it was level 2…. don’t remember exactly), and then walk from the forward section of the ship to the Aft section where we had just came from to get on the tender boats. Please remember to wear your walking shoes on this ship. And bring a pair of extra legs if you have them, because your first set is going to feel like hell by the time you’re ready to go home.

Shore Excursion…….. THE MAYAN RUINS OF XUNANTUNICH & MARIMBA LUNCH: After a short (about 15 minute) tender ride to shore, we then had a 2 hour bus ride to get to our destination. Our bus driver was determined to keep his bus smelling pretty, by spraying some sort of red colored freshener throughout the bus. Kinda smelled like cinnamon. Made several people on our bus start coughing and sneezing though. Me included. We went through 5 Eco Systems getting to these ruins. Don’t even bother to style your hair or get prim and pretty for this excursion, because the weather alone, will put a monkey wrench into those plans.

Once we got to the hand-cranked ferry, the bus stayed behind, and we all got on the ferry by foot, and went across this small river. When we got to the other side, we all piled in several mini vans to go up a large hill to the visitors center. Then, we got out of the mini vans, and walked up this large hill (will put the burn in your leg muscles by the time you reach the top), where we could use the restrooms and waited for the remainder of our tour to arrive.

The ruins here are amazing, but the trip to get to them is exhausting. Took tons of pictures, and on our way to return to the ship, we stopped to eat at a restaurant. We had an outdoor lunch that consisted of grilled chicken, brown rice and kidney beans, cole slaw, and some plantation fruit thing. Not many people ate the fruit. The rice and chicken was good. The bottled sodas weren’t very cold though. Neither was the bottle of water that was offered to us when we got off the bus to go to the ruins earlier that day. After our meal, we had a 1 hr, and 40 minute drive back to the tender boats. Seemed like a ride that took forever. Last tender boat was suppose to be at 3:15pm, however, we got back at 3:30pm, and even after we got to the ship, and changed from regular shoes to flip flops in our room, and went back out on deck 4 to look around, we noticed another five tender boats coming in, and by this time, it was around 4:30pm. So much for the captain saying that he wasn’t going to wait one minute. This is the best reason for making sure you book your shore excursions through the cruiseline. If your shore excursion arrives late to get you back to the ship, the ship has to wait for you.

RCCL really needs to better plan their days on this cruise ship. Now we’ve got thousands of people returning from their shore excursions, and there’s no place to eat except Johnny Rockets. Windjammers conveniently closed while everyone was returning from shore, no dining rooms were open, and unless you wanted to go to the Promenade Cafe, that left only Johnny Rockets as a place to eat. And note that even though ice tea is free on the ship, you have to pay for it at Johnny Rockets. There is no dancing at this Johnny Rockets like you see on Majesty of the Seas or the other smaller RCCL ships. Maybe it was because they were so busy due to the fact that there weren’t many places to eat and everyone was starving.

Went to our room around 6:00pm, and I started feeling soooooo sick. Almost like someone had run over me with a truck. Every single muscle in my body was aching. Then I got this horrible cough that made me feel like someone had kicked me in the ribs. My husband and I called it an early night and figured we just needed some rest from the exhausting day.

DAY #5: This day was pretty simple for me. I just laid in bed, sick all day, and prayed that I’d see the next day to get off the ship and get home.

DISEMBARKATION: Another horror story. We got off around 9:00am, because we knew that our bus wasn’t going to arrive until 10:30am. Took us 40 minutes to disembark the ship, and then the one and only soda machine that we seen was broken due to someone trying to stick some sort of plastic card where the dollar bills go in the machine at. So, we sat at the port until 11:00am (bus was late) with nothing to drink. And here I was sick to boot to begin with.

CONCLUSION: If NOS would have been our first cruise, most likely she would have been out last. Either that, or I would have never booked another RCCL cruise. I will never cruise on NOS again. Going to stick with the ships that range from 840 – 980 feet long. Anything larger I will definitely stay away from. Will never book another interior cabin either. Might even consider taking a can of Lysol on my next cruise.I can say though, that I got some fantastic photos of the ship and the ruins. Also the Ice Skating Show on this ship is fantastic.Note: I finally started feeling better about 7 days after I returned from the cruise. But I’m not giving up. I will be going on another cruise soon. : It just won’t be on Navigator. Plus, I’ll never book shore excursions that are going to last 6 hours, and have to be up at the crack of dawn to be able to go to them.

Written by Lovelights

NAVIGATOR OF THE SEAS


Navigator is truly a beautiful, and very large ship. Built in 2002, and refurbished in 2005, she is 1,020 ft. long, with a 158 ft beam. Yep, she’s a wide ship as well. She holds 3,835 passengers, with a crew of 1,185. She is 15 decks tall. Anything you could possibly think of doing, you’ll find on this ship. Here below, is my review of our cruise on her.

BACKGROUND: This was our 3rd cruise. The first was on Majesty of the Seas (Loved her), and our 2nd one was on Norwegian Dawn (loved her as well), and now this was our 3rd. If she would have been our first, I would have possibly had doubts about future cruising. The ship, itself, was spectacular, however, the service was not as good as I thought it would be.

EMBARKATION: This was probably the best thing about the cruise was the fact that we were on the ship within 15 minutes after getting in line to board the ship. Had our welcome aboard picture taken, stepped inside the ship, and got that WOW feeling from the beauty of the ship.

DAY #1: We left Fort Lauderdale at 5:00pm. One good thing about RCCLs ships is that you barely know you’re moving, but unfortunately we were in our room when the ship pulled out, so we seen Fort Lauderdale in our “rear view mirrors” by the time we got back out on deck. I personally, will NEVER stay in an inside cabin again.

We spent this first day browsing the ship, and taking pictures. Navigator is definitely a beautiful ship, but we’ve found that looks are not everything when it comes to a cruise. It takes many other things to make a cruise complete. We stayed up for the late night parade (around 11:30pm), which lasted all of 15 minutes. I have to give RCCL credit on their beds. They have the most comfortable beds.

STATEROOMS: Before I get to day 2…. let’s discuss the Stateroom. We didn’t get a towel animal until the 3rd night, and I think that was only because I asked for one. We didn’t get nightly mints the last 2 nights at all, nor was our bed folded down. Our heater/air conditioning didn’t work in our room the first 2 days we were onboard. We were never addressed by name by our stateroom attendant. (maybe it was because he couldn’t pronounce it, even though our room attendants on our last 2 cruises didn’t seem to have a problem). I would NEVER EVER NEVER stay in another interior cabin. When I asked what it was like to be in an interior room and was told it’s like walking into a walk-in closet and turning off the light and shutting the door, that was explained to me perfectly. It was like a dungeon. And being there was no natural light at all, I believe our bodies dealt with the situation as if it was night time every day in that room. It became the room from hell by the 4th night, because by that night I was sick as a dog. To the point, that I stayed in the room from 6:00pm on the 4th night, until we got off the ship, the morning of the 6th day. And then I prayed that I’d make it home on the 3 hour bus ride.

DAY #2: This ship has a lot of WOW factors. The promenade alone is amazing. This was the day that I mentioned to our stateroom attendant that our fridge wasn’t keeping things cold, and was told that it really wasn’t a fridge, and more like a cooler to keep candies or chocolate that was inside of it from melting. Surely wasn’t like any cooler we’ve ever owned. And even if we would have purchased sodas from it, we never had any ice in our bucket in our room. It was always water when we took a look. It’s 72 degrees today and very windy. We’re about 18 nautical miles from Cuba, headed to Cozumel, Mexico. Too windy to play shuffleboard or miniature golf. We purchased our Welcome Aboard photos for .95. You get one 5 x 7 and one 8 x 10. (prices might have increased since we cruised). If I would have thought of bringing my Crown & Anchor coupon from my booklet that we got as being past cruisers, I could have received a free photo of the ship. I purchased 2 towel animals (sold at the logo souvenir shop in the gift store onboard, for my daughter and granddaughter). They’re really cute. About the size of a beanie baby, and sold for .50 each. Also bought a pen for .50 with a cruise ship that floats inside. We also purchased our “Navigator of the Seas” ship model last night for .00 and a few t-shirts. I sat out on the starboard side of the ship for 1 1/2 hours and only seen 2 people sit down. It felt like I had the entire ship to myself. Would never have known that there were over 3,000 people on this cruise.

MEALS: Before I get to day 3, lets discuss the meals. We’re not into formal dining, so we always go for the buffet on our cruises. Therefore, the only places we ate on this cruise was Windjammers and the Promenade Cafe.

Windjammers: We were not very pleased with the food at Windjammers on NOS (Navigator of Seas). Don’t know how this could be, but Majesty had better food. One morning I got french toast, that was so hard that only the interior section of it, was eatable. And then even that didn’t taste very good. Scrambled eggs were very bland. One thing that was very upsetting for me, was that no cold ice tea was served at breakfast. Everything was pre-made with the ice already in it, and then you just picked up what you wanted. There was apple juice, orange juice, milk, and water for breakfast. Milk was in the little cartons. Don’t even think of bringing milk back to your room because the coolers in the room wouldn’t have kept them cold enough to drink later. I was not impressed with the food at Windjammers at all.

Promenade Cafe: We liked eating here for lunch or a quick snack. The ham sandwiches made with croissant bread was very good. The round-like sandwiches though, had bread that was so tough, that it was almost impossible to bite into it. The cheesecake was very good. Cookies were good too.

DAY 3: Okay…. the morning started off as a total joke. We had a shore excursion in Cozumel to visit the Ruins. The shore excursion was 5 1/2 hours from the time we left the ship until the time we returned. We had received a voice message on our phone in our stateroom the night before that said that Windjammers was going to open at 6:30am instead of 7:00am to allow those that had early shore excursions to be able to eat breakfast before we left for our shore excursions. We thought this was a nice gesture. However, that was until we got to Deck #11, got off the elevator and noticed that a huge crowd at 6:35am was waiting for Windjammers to open, only to be told that they were not aware that they were suppose to open early, and therefore would not be opening until 7:00am. That’s when a herd of people bombarded the stairs and the elevators to go down to Deck # 5 to go to the Promenade Cafe to get something to eat before leaving the ship. We got a banana and a Chocolate covered doughnut. The doughnut was awful. And for me to say that a doughnut is awful, then it had to be pretty bad.

We met at the Metropolis Theater at 7:15 to leave for our shore excursion. (still hungry obviously)

Shore Excursion….TULUM MAYAN RUINS EXPRESS: The ferry ride to get to the bus was a nightmare. We were watching people get sick. I found that if you watch the Mexican videos that they have on a large screen in the front of the ferry, then you didn’t feel as dizzy. You’re sitting inside this ferry, and the windows were covered with sea salt and it was difficult to see out of them, so you felt enclosed. I think this was the reason people were feeling sick. I figured it must happen often though, because they had “puke” bags handy for those that needed them. The ferry was a 30 minute miserable ride.

We then boarded a bus, and spent another hour getting there. You can not get up close to the ruins because they are roped off. We finally split off from the tour guide, otherwise, we wouldn’t have seen everything. He was a talker, and when we noticed that 1/2 of our group was missing, that’s when we realized that people were leaving the group a little at a time to go off on their own. We had a scheduled time to be back at the bus, so I was unsure of why we were walking around with the tour guide to begin with. It wasn’t like you could get lost in this place. This excursion involves a lot of walking. I mean a lot. If you need to use the restroom, use the one near the ruins before the long walk back to the marketplace area. The ones at the marketplace cost to use. We purchased a post card and when asked what it cost and was told .00, my husband about went into cardiac arrest. (It was 70 cents in U.S. money). When we got back to the bus, we were given what they called a “boxed” lunch. We had purchased a hot dog for .50 right before entering the bus. There was a Subway there, but it was packed, and we wouldn’t have had enough time to eat before boarding the bus. Truthfully, you could have brought your sub on the bus. Our boxed lunch consisted of a chocolate chip cookie, a blueberry muffin, a Sun capri fruit drink in a pouch, and Dole fruit in a cup, and Tuna in a pouch that you make with mayonnaise and relish, and crackers. Everything is pre-sealed. If you don’t like the smell of tuna, don’t take this excursion because our entire bus smelled of a large tuna by the time everyone opened their boxed lunches.

When we arrived back in town, the bus does not take you back to the ship. You have to pay .00 per taxi to get back to the dock.

Back on ship….. Our captain specifically told us before we left the ship that we were to stay on ship time. Mexico is 1 hour behind us. So when we were told to be back on the ship at 4:30, that meant 4:30 ship time. However, about 9 people were not back on the ship at that time. And fortunately for some of the passengers, our captain kept the ship there until around 5:10pm waiting for people. As we pulled away from the dock, we noticed a “Pilot” boat pulling up to the dock. My husband said then that he thought that people were getting on it to be brought to our ship. Indeed he was correct. Our ship stopped, to allow the pilot boat to pull up next to us, so 2 people could get on the ship that had missed it. By this time it was 5:30pm. We’re figuring that these were people that used their cell phones to keep track of time, and what they weren’t aware of, was the fact that the cell phones changed time with Mexico time, so when it said 4:30 on their cell phones, it was really 5:30 ship time. Our captain was highly upset and made it a point to announce that tomorrow he would not wait one single minute for anyone. That he had to pull out on time in order to reach the U.S. at the correct time.

DAY #4: This is one thing that I don’t understand about NOS entertainment. They line up all the entertainment on nights that everyone has to get up the next morning and go on shore excursions bright and early. Parades are at 11:45pm, when we have to get up at 6:00am to get prepared to go on a shore excursion. I had called the front desk the night before to ask if Windjammers was going to be open for breakfast at 6:30am, and was told ‘Oh sure, they were open at 6:30 before”. I was like “Oh, no they weren’t.” They had even put on our Cruise Compass Newsletter that Windjammers would be open at 6:30am this time. But were they open at 6:30am? Absolutely not.

They opened the doors at 6:40am. This might seem minor, and would be if you had no plans, but Windjammers is at the Aft of this ship, and where we meet for shore excursions is at the Forward section of this ship. Not that it really mattered, because the right hand doesn’t know what the left hand is doing on this cruise, and we were 30 minutes late leaving for shore excursions to begin with this particular morning. Was later told it was because the tender boats lined up on one side of the ship and then they discovered that the waves rocking up against the ship caused problems for tendering and they had to move the tender boats to the opposite side of the ship. Now here we are, meeting at the Forward part of the ship, and now having to walk the steps from Deck #4 down to Deck #1, (or maybe it was level 2…. don’t remember exactly), and then walk from the forward section of the ship to the Aft section where we had just came from to get on the tender boats. Please remember to wear your walking shoes on this ship. And bring a pair of extra legs if you have them, because your first set is going to feel like hell by the time you’re ready to go home.

Shore Excursion…….. THE MAYAN RUINS OF XUNANTUNICH & MARIMBA LUNCH: After a short (about 15 minute) tender ride to shore, we then had a 2 hour bus ride to get to our destination. Our bus driver was determined to keep his bus smelling pretty, by spraying some sort of red colored freshener throughout the bus. Kinda smelled like cinnamon. Made several people on our bus start coughing and sneezing though. Me included. We went through 5 Eco Systems getting to these ruins. Don’t even bother to style your hair or get prim and pretty for this excursion, because the weather alone, will put a monkey wrench into those plans.

Once we got to the hand-cranked ferry, the bus stayed behind, and we all got on the ferry by foot, and went across this small river. When we got to the other side, we all piled in several mini vans to go up a large hill to the visitors center. Then, we got out of the mini vans, and walked up this large hill (will put the burn in your leg muscles by the time you reach the top), where we could use the restrooms and waited for the remainder of our tour to arrive.

The ruins here are amazing, but the trip to get to them is exhausting. Took tons of pictures, and on our way to return to the ship, we stopped to eat at a restaurant. We had an outdoor lunch that consisted of grilled chicken, brown rice and kidney beans, cole slaw, and some plantation fruit thing. Not many people ate the fruit. The rice and chicken was good. The bottled sodas weren’t very cold though. Neither was the bottle of water that was offered to us when we got off the bus to go to the ruins earlier that day. After our meal, we had a 1 hr, and 40 minute drive back to the tender boats. Seemed like a ride that took forever. Last tender boat was suppose to be at 3:15pm, however, we got back at 3:30pm, and even after we got to the ship, and changed from regular shoes to flip flops in our room, and went back out on deck 4 to look around, we noticed another five tender boats coming in, and by this time, it was around 4:30pm. So much for the captain saying that he wasn’t going to wait one minute. This is the best reason for making sure you book your shore excursions through the cruiseline. If your shore excursion arrives late to get you back to the ship, the ship has to wait for you.

RCCL really needs to better plan their days on this cruise ship. Now we’ve got thousands of people returning from their shore excursions, and there’s no place to eat except Johnny Rockets. Windjammers conveniently closed while everyone was returning from shore, no dining rooms were open, and unless you wanted to go to the Promenade Cafe, that left only Johnny Rockets as a place to eat. And note that even though ice tea is free on the ship, you have to pay for it at Johnny Rockets. There is no dancing at this Johnny Rockets like you see on Majesty of the Seas or the other smaller RCCL ships. Maybe it was because they were so busy due to the fact that there weren’t many places to eat and everyone was starving.

Went to our room around 6:00pm, and I started feeling soooooo sick. Almost like someone had run over me with a truck. Every single muscle in my body was aching. Then I got this horrible cough that made me feel like someone had kicked me in the ribs. My husband and I called it an early night and figured we just needed some rest from the exhausting day.

DAY #5: This day was pretty simple for me. I just laid in bed, sick all day, and prayed that I’d see the next day to get off the ship and get home.

DISEMBARKATION: Another horror story. We got off around 9:00am, because we knew that our bus wasn’t going to arrive until 10:30am. Took us 40 minutes to disembark the ship, and then the one and only soda machine that we seen was broken due to someone trying to stick some sort of plastic card where the dollar bills go in the machine at. So, we sat at the port until 11:00am (bus was late) with nothing to drink. And here I was sick to boot to begin with.

CONCLUSION: If NOS would have been our first cruise, most likely she would have been out last. Either that, or I would have never booked another RCCL cruise. I will never cruise on NOS again. Going to stick with the ships that range from 840 – 980 feet long. Anything larger I will definitely stay away from. Will never book another interior cabin either. Might even consider taking a can of Lysol on my next cruise.I can say though, that I got some fantastic photos of the ship and the ruins. Also the Ice Skating Show on this ship is fantastic.Note: I finally started feeling better about 7 days after I returned from the cruise. But I’m not giving up. I will be going on another cruise soon. : It just won’t be on Navigator. Plus, I’ll never book shore excursions that are going to last 6 hours, and have to be up at the crack of dawn to be able to go to them.

It is said that there are 60 cruise liners offering different cruise travels all over the world. There are more than 300 ships plying different regions of the seven seas to ferry travelers to distant vacation destinations. Now it would be easy to choose your date and destination but how about the cruise liner for that matter? This is where cruise reviews will become useful. You will be able to get first hand feedback on what the cruise travel is all about once it sets sails at sea.  Here are some example cruise reviews and how passengers find them:  

Carnival Celebration- This cruise ship was built in 1987 and has been crossing the seas for more than 22 years.

Based on cruise reviews, the Carnival Celebration could not shake off its image of being a vintage ship. Most passengers could not help but feel that the ship is a bit old for comfort. They felt uneasy at the onset of the ship’s capability to travel robustly at great lengths. Surprisingly, they felt only a slight rolling that was altogether tolerable.

The ships decors remain outdated, although they are grateful for the crew for keeping the premises clean and smelling nice. They appreciate the fact that despite of its vintage image and surroundings, the ship was still nice to stay in because it had none of the musty mildew smell of old materials.

Majority of the passengers had no issue about the food and in fact some rated the ship’s prepared dishes as excellent. If others are wondering if the food on board is limited, you will learn from cruise reviews that if you can’t find anything much to do; you can spend your time eating. The 24 hour pizzeria was one venue the passengers enjoyed as they were able to take advantage of the pizzeria nightly.      

Most of those who gave their cruise reviews commented about the friendliness of the staff. Passengers were made to feel at home and their every need was taken cared of without making them feel that they were any bother. The entertainment provided by the cruise ship also passed judgment while its Nassau destination was rated as truly enjoyable. The overall rating for the ship was four stars because the budget deal they paid for was well worth the price.

Some isolated cruise reviews however, relate of experiences during an-off season cruise that proceeded despite of a storm. The alternative point of destination that the passengers were ferried to was to the island of Vera Cruz. The cruise review about this island was that it was a sorry excuse as an alternative destination for the original trip they paid for. Their family was looking forward to hours in the sun snorkeling and scuba diving but none of the cruise passenger went ahead to do it. The island of Veracruz as they said was dirty and unkempt while the water was murky with debris.   

Carnival Destiny- This ship made its mark for being the first passenger ship to exceed the 100,000 gt limit since it started sailing in 1996.

However, despite its reputation for being a sturdy vessel, cruise reviews about the crew and staff that man’s the ship did not match the ships positive image. Complaints of rudeness and uncaring attitudes were common issues. Terrible handlings of customer service, show of disrespect for the passengers were the common comments that came not only from one but from several cruise reviews.

The passenger also noted that most of the ship’s staff and crew were foreigners which they made known to the passengers by their name tags. Hence, the impression gathered was that the staff and crew used their foreign origins as excuse for not communicating properly or for ignoring the passengers’ requests. Some balcony passengers however, gave positive cruise reviews without any indications that they were subjected to the same shabby treatment.    

The food was voted as excellent by the great majority of passengers who submitted their cruise reviews. Ports of call on the other hand were altered without informing the passengers. As cruise reviews have it, ports of calls visited were revised without any offer of explanation why the changes had to be made.  

Consider all the cruise reviews when deciding which travel tour destination you will choose as your vacation. You will note that most of those who gave their cruise reviews have had several cruise ship travel experiences aboard different cruise liners.  By reading the cruise reviews, there won’t be any surprises anymore if in case everything turns out to be just like the cruise review had said.

For more useful information, please visit our website: THE KNOWLEDGE BASE, and look for the TRAVEL section.

Written by ja_schmidt

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Categories: Travel and Leisure - Tags: , , , , , , ,

Why Sunscreen is Important Whilst Hiking

on October 25, 2011 · Leave a Comment

In this day and age we are constantly told about the harmful UV rays emitted by the sun and the long term damage that these rays can do to our skin, including the potential of getting skin cancer, in the long term. The best way to minimize the chances of getting skin cancer is to ensure that we don’t allow the sun to burn our skin, and sunscreen is possibly the most useful tool in the battle against sunburn. Not only is it widely available but it is also reasonably priced. 

Different people have different skin types, and whilst some skin types can withstand many hours of exposure to the sun with little sunscreen, or in some case no sunscreen at all, some skin types can only endure short periods of exposure and require plenty of sunscreen for protection, and the most vulnerable are those with fair skin. Luckily, research and development in sunscreen is advanced and whilst there are many different brands available most of them are based around the same product. Sunscreen can be bought with different Sun Protection Factors (“SPFs”) ranging from 1 (for those individuals with skin types that are resilient to the sun) right up to 50 (for those individuals with fairer skin), and everything in between. This means that there is something for all skin types. 

Sunscreen should be used when doing any activity in the sun and hiking is no different. Hiking often involves trekking up mountains, in valleys or caves, alongside rivers, through forests and other places that are shaded by the sun. These places often have a gentle breeze and are much cooler than being in the midday sun and as a hiker it is easy to forget to regularly apply sunscreen in these locations because hikers often feel cool and comfortable with no burning sensation. Despite being cooler and predominantly in the shade the areas above are still susceptible to the sun’s harmful rays, although they are likely to be less intense, which should mean it takes longer to burn. In these places the sun is likely to still be doing some damage, and consequently hikers should ensure they liberally apply sunscreen at regular intervals, even if it feels like it is not required.

Getting sunburned also has short term effects, and whilst they may not be perceived as being as “bad” as skin cancer they aren’t very pleasant and are best avoided. The two potential short term effects of sunburn and over exposure to the sun include; 

i) Sunstroke. This condition is when the brain cannot control the cooling process of the body, which could lead to confusion, light headedness, fatigue, muscle ache, breathlessness, and in severe cases hallucinations and unconsciousness. The body can’t deal with sunstroke, as opposed to heat stroke as detailed below, and immediate medical assistance is required. 

ii) Heat stroke. The symptoms of this are similar to sunstroke, although not as severe, however the body can overcome this by pumping blood to the body’s extremities. 

Any of the above symptoms could be potentially life threatening when out hiking. Imagine you’re out hiking along a rocky path above a high ravine or canyon. Light headedness or dizziness could lead to a potential fall. Imagine you’re hiking along a river, once again light headedness or dizziness could lead to a dunking. The consequences of these examples is quite frightening and don’t bear thinking about. 

The above examples are the extreme, however mild over exposure may still lead to all the symptoms above but to a lesser extent. Hiking is an enjoyable past time and to get the most out of it you need to ensure you’re comfortable. No one wants to be ill and hiking with any of the symptoms above will ruin the experience, therefore it is important to ensure you look after yourself and protect and use sunscreen. 

It should be noted that sunscreen is not a miracle cream, although it will go a long way in helping to ensure you don’t burn, however it is also advisable to have a hat (to cover up the head, back of the neck and shoulders (if it is like the sombrero style) and to shield the face) and a pair of sunglasses to protect the eyes from over exposure to the sun and to minimize squinting. In addition to this, it is also recommended that hikers cover up and wear a long sleeved and loose fitting shirt in the midday sun, i.e. when it is at its most intense. 

So remember to stay safe when hiking, or participating in any outdoor activity in the sun, apply sunscreen regularly, cover up and drink plenty of fluids even if you don’t think you need to as by the time you feel like you need to it is often too late.

Written by yackers1
ACCA qualified accountant who thirives in the world of business and finance

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Categories: Travel and Leisure - Tags: , , ,

10 Hiking and Camping Tips for a Great Adventure

on October 25, 2011 · Leave a Comment

Pace yourself and don’t try and compete with the person in front of you. Start slowly and try and maintain the even pace. Rushing downhill only to crawl up will add to fatigue. If you are carrying your own backpack, try and stop no more than once every hour for 5-10 minutes. If you have only a daypack then tries and rests once every 2 hrs for 10 minutes. Remember the secret of a great trek is enjoying the walk and not simply trying to get to the campsite at the end of the day.If there is a particularly tough incline which seems to go on forever, rest for few seconds every 150 paces. Then count the paces while walking.While going downhill particularly over scree,take small rapid steps forward keeping weights lightly on toes rather than leaning back on the heels. If there is particularly sharp decline especially in snow use a side step angling your foot so that it is parallel to the hillside. Then with each step forward angle your foot in such a manner that the weight falls on the boot-edge closer to the hill rather than on the outside and wedge your boot into the small step that you have created.  Change into your sandals for river crossings. Try and cross rivers early in the mornings as by afternoon the water levels rise with the melting snow. If the river is fast-flowing link arms with others and face downstream so that even if you are swept off your feet you can see what’s ahead and have a chance to regain your footing. Carry a wide -brim soft hat for treks in hot sunny areas. Dip it in a cool stream to wet it thoroughly. Then squeeze out excess water and wear to keep your head cool for the next few hours.   Carry dental floss. This can be used in an emergency to replace anything from broken shoelaces to guy ropes for your tent to securing a splint in case of a broken leg. Carry salt in a bag in your pockets if you are walking in leech infested areas.  Carry enough water  for the day. Unless you know of springs try and avoid drinking untreated water from mountain streams.One can use a few drops of chlorine or iodine to purify water but along with microbes both kill the taste of water as well. Pregnant women or those with thyroid problems should not use iodine.  Don’t think you can make it up that hill? Carry sweets, toffees and dry fruits in your pockets for quick energy boosts

Written by Lotusvalley

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