Wanderlust

Thinking of taking a sunshine break on the popular holiday island of Lanzarote this year?  You certainly won’t be alone if so, as during the course of 2009 close to 1.4 million tourists visited this unique little Canary Island.  Located just off the coast of West Africa.  With many planning their trip around specific events and festivals that take place on Lanzarote every year.

The island expects to welcome around 750,000 tourists from the UK during the course of 2010.  And many of these visitors will be booking their own self catering accommodation – such as villas in Lanzarote – direct online.  Often booking specific dates to coincide with their favourite island fiesta or festival.

For holiday makers the islands many holiday villas in Lanzarote available at sensible prices during the summer or winter months.

Carnaval kicks off in February and is arguably the most colourful celebration of the year.  This fiesta has its roots in Roman history – as well as the traditions of Lent.  And has long been seen as an excuse for letting your hair down before the upcoming period of abstinence.  The event is staggered so it takes place at different times in different parts of the island.  With the most riotous celebrations reserved for the capital city of Arrecife and the largest resort of Puerto del Carmen.

Iron Man hits the island in late May.  This event is widely regarded as one of the toughest triathlons the world.  As over 1000 super fit contestants battle it out over a course comprising a 3km swim, followed by a 180km bike ride – all  topped off with a full marathon.  The top 60 entrants win a slice of the prize money and a coveted slot in the Grand Final in Hawaii.  Although plenty of entrants never even make it to the finishing line such is the gruelling nature of this competition.

Lanzarote is also a great destination for music lovers too as there are concerts and festivals taking place throughout the year.  Among the best is Jazz Canarias which visits the island every July.  And which showcases some of the best young talent from the world of jazz.  In previous years featuring free live performances from the likes of the guitarist Kyle Eastwood –offspring of the famous actor Clint Eastwood.  All of which takes place in the atmospheric setting of the historic former island capital of Teguise.

September is also a great time for booking holiday apartments in Lanzarote.  As the Costa Music Festival takes place that month.  Bringing an eclectic mix of live dance acts and top DJ talent to the beach at Playa Bastian in Costa Teguise.  And like so many other events on the island this is also entirely free of charge – attracting crowds in their thousands.

Click here for details of Puerto Del Carmen Villas and accommodation.

A Guide to the Chinatown Bus

The word is out-the least expensive technique to get from one major U.S.  City to another is on the’Chinatown bus’.  In recent times this has become transportation option of choice for budget travelers in new york, Washington DC, and Boston, and more latterly on the West Coast.  Students, backpackers, and an array of other savvy travelers have long loved the rock bottom prices that these bus companies offer.  Notwithstanding the popularity of these bus lines it can still be tricky to find information on Chinatown bus service. 
What exactly is a’Chinatown Bus’?  Read on and you’ll have the near track on this great budget travel option. 

Chinatown Bus history

The Chinatown bus phenomenon commenced in the late 1990s when an entrepreneur in the Big Apple’s Chinatown started running daily bus service from Chinatown in new york to Chinatown in Boston.  The service was aimed at Asian immigrants who wished to shop or visit family in either town and required inexpensive and convenient transportation.  The service was bare bones-no advertising, customer service, or bus stations.  Customers simply went to the bus stop, waited for the bus ( or van ), and paid the driver upon boarding.  For those willing to do without frills, they offered nearly the same service as standard bus companies at a substantially lower cost.  Before long, the word spread and all sorts of folk began using the service.  It became especially well liked by students, budget travelers, or people for whom the service was simply more acceptable. 

soon more bus firms copied this model and began offering service in other towns.  Now you’ll find this type of bus service in Philadelphia, Virginia, Baltimore Washington DC, L.  A.  , las vegas and San Francisco.  At this point the term’Chinatown bus’ is used more loosely to describe this type of low-cost/low-frills service.  Many if not most, of the companies don’t have Chinatown as their main location and may not minister to the immigrant population at all .  These operators are also occasionally referred to as’curbside’ operators. 

How can tickets be so cheap?

$15 between New York to Boston?  $25 from las vegas to Los Angeles?  It seems hard to fathom.  Chinatown bus companies may be able to keep costs low because they operate in an essentially different way from normal carriers.  Foremost, the service is very basic.  There’s little in the way of client service or comforts.  Most of these operators don’t have formal stations, picking up passengers at bus stops instead.  They eschew traditional advertising in favour of personal recommendation.  Further, plenty of the operators play a very hands-on role in the operation-you won’t see idle middle management at a little independent bus company.  Finally, these operators confirm they fill their buses.  That’s why Chinatown bus operators customarily only operate on heavily trafficked routes.  Indeed some companies only run buses at peak times.

Are they safe?

When these companies first started operating, concerns were raised about safety standards.  There is still controversy in the bus industry about whether these newcomers are complying with the same regulations as the conventional companies. However a task force set up by the federal government to take a look at safety issues found that Chinatown bus companies did not perform good or bad than other types of bus companies ( ie.  Charter, tour buses ).  All bus firms operating in the U.S.  Must go through the same inspection standards and must comply with the same rules.  Realistically there’s probably a variety of quality among Chinatown bus carriers.  Some are fly-by-night operators making an attempt to make a fast buck, while others are legitimate entrepreneurs who plan to grow and operate a long-term business. 

What you need to expect

• No frills service-the driver could be the ticket collector ; there will not be lots of purchaser service.
• Comfortable buses.  Regardless of the low fares buses are sometimes quite nice.  Most buses are analogous to Greyhound and many are basically more deluxe.
• Communication challenges.  Drivers are legally required to speak enough English to help passengers in the case of emergency.  In reality this is often sticked to rather loosely.  At the least, expect your driver to have an accent.
• Possible delays.  Many of those bus routes are on highly congested roads.  When the roads are busy, expect delays.
• Rest stops.  Buses will have a lavatory on board but there is customarily a 10 or 15 minute lavatory break on trips over four hours.  Don’t be late returning to the bus, the driver won’t count heads before leaving at the allocated time.
• Full buses.  Buses definitely sell out at peak times ( weekends and evenings ).  Book ahead or get there early if you’d like secure a seat.
• Plastic Bags.  A strange little idiosyncrasy on Chinatown buses is that each aisle seat generally has a plastic grocery bag tied to the arm.  I guess they find this is the best way to keep the buses clean.

How do I find the Chinatown Bus?

Again,’Chinatown bus’ is a term used to describe a sort of operator and not an individual bus company.  Many unrelated bus firms fall into this class.  Since most Chinatown buses don’t spend money on advertising it can be tough to find out details about schedules and bus stop locations.  Lots of the carriers are becoming savvier about the web and a few have websites with info.  Usually an internet search will yield links to bus service to your destination.  There are several directories,eg chinatown-bus.org that include links for most Chinatown bus companies and the author’s employer, GotoBus.com, is a centralized booking site that has schedules and sells tickets online for most Chinatown bus firms. 

The Chinatown bus is not for everybody.  If you need an orderly system with American style customer service, you should likely stick to standard carriers.  However if you know what to expect and come prepared with a feeling of adventure and humor, you must enjoy the trip fine.  You’ll also enjoy the cash you save!

Ever wonder about the most famous places in the world? Visit famouswonders.com to see the most popular places in the world and also take a look at Kaifeng City China.

If you are heading out on recession beating a family holiday to any of the Balearics this year, try to make sure you get yourself over to one of these awesome waterparks.  There is nothing better than hitting some of the best water featured attractions in the blazing sun and it has to be said it is the most fun way to cool down in the heat.

Aqualand – Magaluf, Mallorca
This park is large.With more thank 15 different slides and other attractions, if you ever visit Majorca and are in the west of the island this is definitely one park you need to visit.  From unique slides like the boomerang, black hole and the tornado to the super slaloms and the 8 lane ‘multi-pistas’ there is an attraction for all.They even have a wave pool that can create 1m high waves, also there is a Congo river ride for the people that just want to relax.  For the younger children there is the mini park catering in smaller versions of some of the grown up slides

Hidropark – Alcudia, Mallorca
If you are over the east of the island you have the Hidropark in Alcudia.Hidropark is a smaller park than Aqualand but not short of slides. The kamikaze is well worth a ride although not for the faint hearted.This park is miniscule in comparison to Aqualand i’d reccoment going to aqualand due to the sheer size of it.

Aguamar – Playa den Bossa, Ibiza

The White Isle has two worthy waterparks the first, and larger of the two is the Aguamar located just 15 minute bus drive from Ibiza town.  The Aguamar has many slides all will depend how daring you are feeling in your quest to cool down.  There are around seven types of slides as well as your relaxing rubber ring style slides.They also offer have what other people describe as the high and fast one.This slide is a must for the daring.

Agualandia – Talamanca, Ibiza
Close by to the quieter and more family oriented resort of Talamanca lies Aqualandia.Aqualandia is a little smaller than the Aguamar park but caters more for children as it has many more children’s slides and lots of sheltered areas.  Aqualandia has the favoured multiple lane slides and twisty inflatable slides.This is the most family friendly waterpark in Ibiza.

Aquacenter – Los Delfines, Menorca

Family friendly Aquacenter in Los Delfines has many attractions for the whole family to get splashing.The Giant Toboggan and the Black Hole are by far the top highlights of this park.  They also have t he rides you expect to see in all water parks with attractions such as your multi lane slides for the whole family to race to the finish. There is also a Jacuzzi for the adults to hide from the children.

Aquarock – Cala’n Bosch, Menorca
The biggest slide in Aquarocks is kamikaze.This is an extreme slide this slide will pummel you into the water at a cracking rate.As with the rest of the parks in this article, this one also caters for the family. It has a dedicated children’s area with many smaller versions of the bigger slides.  For the water shy family members there is always the go karts to keep you occupied.

Depending on the type of passport-related transaction you need to do, there will be a corresponding form you have to fill in. So whether it’s applying for a new passport, or reporting your lost or stolen passport, you can expect to fill in a passport for those. But you don’t really have to memorize them all, since they’re number-coded, and you’ll probably have to deal with only some of these forms. So if you want to learn more about USA passport application forms, you’ve come to the right place. Read on.

First, there’s the DS-11. It’s the most basic type of passport application form, which is why it is understandably the most common. The reason for this is that this is the form filled in by those applying for a passport for the first time. But not only that, the DS-11 is also used by those whose latest passports were issued when they were under 16, or those whose passports were issued more than 15 years ago.

One thing you should know about working with the DS-11 is that you need to submit it in person. So if you are required to personally submit the form along with the other requirements, then you know that you’re dealing with the DS-11. Also remember not to sign the form until you are told to do so when you submit it at the passport office.

Not all U.S. passport application forms need to be submitted in person. There are forms you can also submit by mail. One such form is the DS-82. If you are after the convenience of being able to send your application by mail, and if you are eligible to do so, then use the DS-82 to apply for a passport. To find out if you’re eligible for the mailing option, check with your local passport office for more information.

What if you lose your passport, or if it was stolen from you? Then you will need to submit another form altogether. You’ll need to fill in Form DS-64. When filling in this form, make sure that you submit this as soon as possible to the nearest passport office. Just like the DS-82, you can send this form by mail.

However, if sending the DS-64 by mail is not an option, you can always submit it in person. You can do this if you are already planning of applying for a new passport in place of the one you lost. What you need to do is simply to pay the passport office a visit, and then submit Forms DS-64 and DS-11.

The great thing about submitting both forms at the same time is that you save yourself a lot of time when you do this. That way, you no longer have to submit one first, only to send in person the other one the next day. So if you can, submit both forms at the same time.

There are other U.S. passport application forms that you might encounter, depending on what you need to accomplish. However, the ones that we mentioned above are those that you will be dealing with more often than not. These are the forms you’ll need to apply, mail, or report the loss of your passport.

New changes in airline regulations with regards to pets on a plane have made airplane travel with dogs much easier. Most airlines will allow small sized breeds in the passenger section of the plane provided they are in specific type of dog carriers, which you can also pack dog sweaters coats in, that are on an approved list provided by the airline. Dog breeds that are medium or large in stature will need to be crated and travel within the luggage compartment on the place, which can pose its own set of concerns.

Dogs that are traveling with their owners on the plane will have to remain obedient and not cause any unnecessary problems. Usually if a dog is loud or restless, he or she will need to be crated or the owner and dog will need to arrange for another flight. If you are concerned about the dogs mental wellbeing on the plane, you may contact your vet to discuss prescribing a mild sedative which may help your pup stay calm during the flight. The dog’s carrier will need to fit under the seat, just like any other piece of luggage. The only kind of dogs that are allowed to be out of a carrier when on a plane are guide dogs, which are also trained to lie under the seat in front of their owner. Most airlines only allow a specific number of dogs in the plane so be sure to notify the airline when you book your ticket that you are bringing a dog on the plane with you. If you did your airline booking online, you will want to call the airline to make sure they are aware that you bringing a dog on board, thus preventing any confusion that may arise during the security check and boarding process.

Larger dogs that are traveling in crates will require special care. Don’t feed or water the dog for at least six hours before the flight to minimize the change of vomiting or messing in the crate. And if you bought stuff like dog clothes and packed them in the crate, make sure they are secure. Provide soft, washable bedding in the crate as well as a toy for the dog to stay occupied. Make sure the crate is approved by the airline, phone ahead or check on the airline website for specific types and measurements of dog crates that are approved. You can’t just rely on the crate’s closure alone, so it will be important to use bungee cords or another type of fastener to secure the door. If it catches on luggage or is bumped during handling it can spring open and your dog can get loose in the airport.