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Travel Ideas!

Explore our unique Travel Ideas to create your own crazy family adventures! We search out the odd, the fun, the unusual, and the very best vacation ideas so you can theme your next vacation.

Travel ideas are posted a few times a year. Check back or enjoy browsing our extensive archives for other great ideas. 

In-A-Day activities

London to Paris Day Trip- Versailles, and a city overview

12/29/2015

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If you only have one full day in Paris, might I recommend the British Tour companies private tour?  We were a group of four staying in London who wanted to do an overnight in Paris. Even though we stayed the night, you can do this tour and then take the Eurostar back that night. The biggest benefit of a private tour, if you will be in Paris a very short period of time, is that you get the most bang for your buck. It is not that you can't do it on your own and save money, but if you are unfamiliar with Paris, it can be difficult to navigate and see the things you want to see in a limited amount of time. We were able to go to Versailles, see the Eiffel Tower, take pictures by the lover's lock bridge, see Notre Dame, eat some amazing and recommended crapes and macaroons,  take pictures with the Arc de Triomphe,  as well as see the location of the beginning location of the paparazzi chase on the fateful tragedy of Princess Diane.

With this reputable tour company, it was a relaxed and easy day. They held up a sign at the train exit and whisked us away to the air-conditioned van waiting right outside. Our guide maneuvered the streets and parking with the experience of the Parisian and the knowledge of a certified guide. He talked to us about the history surrounding Paris and took us to some of the best local locations as he led us to every must-see site we could fit in a seven hour day. We even went to Versailles and toured that lovely palace, that I highly recommend seeing, right before settling us into our hotel. Before you ask "how much?", let me be upfront that it is expensive.  Converting US dollars to pounds made it even more so. That being said, it is the company we chose since we had such a limited time to spend and determined the bulk of our travel money should be spent on this type of  tour. In London, it was very easy to get around without a private tour. Just having a common language (for us) in England made London a breeze. France is France. The charm is in the difference. However, that difference can get you caught up in a hot day, spinning your wheels trying to find one or two must-see places. If you do choose to go it alone, just make sure that you do your homework before you leave so that you can make sure and get to where you want to be without a lot of confusion.



Below is a video of the outside of Versailles
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Stonehenge and Salisbury - England

12/16/2014

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When we were in England and staying in London, we opted for a day trip to Stonehenge.  If you are unfamiliar with England and considering taking a tour there, you do not have to book with a tour company to get there easily from London. It is super easy to get to and around on your own. Save your pocketbook and your time by going solo. Most of the tour companies travel by van or bus and have strict times that you must come and go. On this trip, we did not want to, and did not have to, deal with another person's schedule. So, how easy is it to get to Stonehenge?  This easy... Go to your nearest train station, buy a return ticket (not a one way) for an upcoming day, hop on the train, and at the end of the train terminal you grab the Stonehenge tour bus. The bus takes you to the site, hands you a ticket, and you view this amazing monument on your own time schedule. On the way back to the train station, you have a few stops where you can get on and off by way of the double-decker. You have already bought an all-day pass for this option to sight-see before you go back to the train. Very simple! Just watch your times. We were enjoying ourselves so much that we almost missed the last bus back to the train station.


Just to let you know, so that you can be prepared, all the way to Salisbury, the locals on the train made fun of us for going all that way to see a pile of rocks. We told them that we were from Arizona and some of our locals considered the Grand Canyon just a giant hole, so we understood why they did not see it as a big deal. Every one of them recommended we go to Bath instead. We were glad we stayed the course and were extremely pleased with our choice. Not only did we enjoy our visit to Stonehenge, but to Salisbury as well. It is a fantastic, quiet day trip from the bustle of London. The eighteen-year-old in our group loved it the most. She enjoyed the medieval feel of the place. We really enjoyed the quaint shops in Salisbury including some of the very best food we ate on our whole trip, and we ate at some amazing places in London. Don't miss the Ox Row Inn and the unbelievable homemade scones with clotted cream and strawberries from Reeves the Baker on Market Square, which is very close to the Ox Row Inn. We were in heaven. During the time we were there, the upstairs formal High Tea did not have any scones left. At first we were disappointed, until the very friendly worker at the downstairs bakery was polite enough to catch us before we left and showed us the scones downstairs.  I am not sure how amazing the ones upstairs at a higher price had to be to be better than those.  Honestly, I am a scone fanatic and they blew me away with their sweet, perfectly-baked, fresh scone with  mounds of fresh cream and strawberries on top. The price upstairs is probably for the ambiance, but we enjoyed eating outside in the square in their private table space. 

Tickets on the direct train from London Waterloo Station to Salisbury are about seventy-eight pounds for a round-trip ticket any time.  Look online for cheaper tickets though. They are all over the internet. We did ours last minute, so we paid the price for that decision. I recommend the "anytime return" since you might not know how long you will want to stay. We stayed and played in Salisbury til the last train.

Tickets on the double-decker bus in Salisbury cost is twenty-six  pounds per adult and sixteen pounds per child. The price includes your ticket in to Stonehenge and an on-and-off bus tour.
The bus is located  right out the front door of the train station. You can't miss it. 

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London Oyster Card vs 2 for 1 TravelCard

8/11/2014

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When I was making our travel arrangements for England, I looked up how to get around in London.  What was the best value and how did I get the passes they were recommending? Talk about confusing!  So, I told myself as soon as I figured it out I would give the info to my readers in an easy-to-understand way.  This post is it.

Oyster Card: Simply put, it is a "credit card" style of travelling. You purchase the card from the well-marked ticketing machine at any station and you pay as you go. It cost five pounds for "using" the card, which is refundable when you leave (You take it to a ticket counter at the end of your trip and they give you back the five pound in the manner you paid). Then, you just load on how much you want to use at a time. You add money in the same type of machine you purchased from, just click the desired buttons, much like an ATM card and hold your card to the verification strip. I started with ten pounds per card. Mind you, that is five pounds to "rent" the card and ten pounds additional for travel, so fifteen pounds.  (It was enough money for about 4-5 one-way trips depending on where we went. We stayed in Zones 1 and 2.)
The pros: You get the best value on travel costs. They charge you the going rate of your journey from place to place at the time you travel. Pretty simple. If you are only travelling a little per day, this might be a good alternative.
Cons: You have to put more money on it when you run out which might be often if you are travelling a lot. Also ,another con is that  you have to stand in a pretty long line most of the time if you want your end refund. Bad, if you are running late. You might end up just leaving the five pounds in London.

Just FYI: You can see how much you have left on your card every time you exit a subway station on the exit ticker where you put your card in. This is very helpful so you don't get caught without money left. I didn't realize that helpful hint until the third time I exited since I was just trying to figure it all out.

2 for 1 card:  This card is a great way to go if you will be in London a week, but it can be just as advantageous if you are there only a few full days. You have to get the actual ticket at one of the National Rail places. The other stations are not the right ones and will not work as a 2 for 1. There are National Rail Stations all over, but just check for the nearest one to where you will be staying before you leave. We got ours at Waterloo. You pay approx. 8.36 pounds per day for zone 1-2 and then you get unlimited transportation in the areas you choose (I recommend zone 1-2 since most everything is there). This pays for itself if you do the attractions in the book (the book you can get at the Rail Stations or else just download the ones you want to go to online. I found it easier to download the ones I wanted before I left so I was not stuck filling out the forms at each attraction. Plus, I hear that they can run out of them.)  Download them here:
http://www.daysoutguide.co.uk/attraction-types/2for1london-list.aspx
This is only good for adult passes. If you are travelling with kids, then it may not
be the best value. 

Consider this... I bought two adult cards for 8.36 each one day, so total of  16.72 and then we went to the London Dungeon. On our 2 for 1, we saved 25.20. In this case, we received free transportation all day for both of us and saved 8.48. The same thing
when we went to the Tower of London. Cost was the same 16.72 for the day travel pass and we saved 22.00 on the 2 for 1. So again, free transportation and we saved 5.28.

Pros: If you find the National Rail and make a purchase on day one, (the first day of your visit) then you do not have to worry for the rest of your trip about adding more to an oyster card. If you will be using the rail a lot, you can save a lot of money. Some argue that the Oyster card is cheaper, and it may be if you do not do any of the attractions, if you are touring around and jumping on and off the tube, this is the cheapest alternative in the long run.

Cons: Finding the National Rail line the first day when you are probably tired from a flight. If you lose the card, you can lose several days of travel. Some places do not allow you to pre-book them with the 2-for-1 online. So, in our case, we wanted to do the Rib Voyage since it looked amazing, but we could not pre-book unless we called them from the US. As you can imagine, that could have been more for the phone call and then giving a credit card on the phone did not work for us. We headed there the first day, but they were already closed since we were in late.  We had so much on our schedule that we never made it back... Hopefully next time.

You can be crafty and save a bit of money if you want to do some days. The days that you will be going to attractions, buy the day pass 2 for 1, and then use Oyster card the other days. It will save you money, for sure, but the headache that comes with it can be a pain for your trip. If I had brought a passport photo, I would have just done the straight seven day 2 for 1 Travelcard. 


*So, about that passport card I mentioned: What no one told me, nor did I find the information on my internet search (probably just did not understand what it was saying at the time) is that you must have a passport size picture to get more then a one day pass. So please bring one along to get the seven day pass. You can find a photo booth at the stations, but why?  I found some of the booths charge five pounds each, at home I could have bought one for $1.00 or used an passport one that I had left over.

**Take note of the pictures above of the Travelcard and the Oyster card. Actually, print them out!  That way you can just show the person at the National Rail station the one you want. The Travelcard must look like the one above to work for the 2 for 1 deals.

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Family Tours London

7/28/2014

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On our last trip to London, we checked out a few of the recommended tours for families. Depending on the ages of the people going with you, some of these tours might be a good alternative for your group.

Bicycle Tour through London- Since I like to get in any exercise when I am traveling, I was looking forward to this tour. We met at the Waterloo station underground in the old abandoned part that is now scattered with graffiti. Not the type just done to tag, but some real artwork. I would have to say that this may have been the most interesting part for me. It was amazing, and I would have loved to have spent more time down there. As for the bicycle, once I got my footing the pedaling was easy. The bikes were very comfortable and well kept. The only draw back we had is that we were in a very large group, and going through busy streets made one of our riders very nervous. We kept falling behind and we only had one tour guide in front. On the ones I have been with before, we have had one in front and one in back for stragglers if there were too many people. I really enjoyed seeing a lot of the places by bike. Our guide's knowledge was the biggest bonus. If there was one thing I would recommend for this, it is more than one guide. Of course, the price is very cheap, so it may not have been doable for the company and I understand that, but if they had more, then one it could have been nice for one of the guides to show us the Bangladesh community and art work more instead of leaving us to roam for a half hour. There are tons of things to see and learn about there. All in all, I would absolutely take this tour again and I rate it highly, but only with people that are very comfortable on city streets. BreakAway bike tours is not #1 on Tripadvisor for nothing.

East End Walking Food Tour: 
 Now, just because I showed you some pictures above, you might think "Hey, we can just do this on our own." DON'T!  This tour company has the way in and out of each place as well as so much more to offer. You might get lucky to locate one or two of these stops, but the whole experience is what makes this an amazing tour. Everyone in our group came away extremely happy. So, what is this tour? If you have read my blog for a while, you know that I LOVE ghost tours and food tours. This particular food tour was one of my favorites. I know that is surprising since it was in England, (not a diss since my mother was raised there and cooks like a Londoner, but we did not love her for her cooking skills.  Most things she prepared tended to be bland by American standards and boiled, except her curry. So don't blast me for that comment, please) the reason it made one of my favorites is that the host was very engaging and friendly. It also was not just a food tour. She reveled us with history lessons of the places we toured and the food we would be eating.  If I am being completely honest, it may have also been because it was the food tour with the most stops and full food samples I had been on to date, plus the food has come a very long way from the food of twenty years ago. Lots more spices are used now. 
Even if it had not been for the food (I know right? Why leave out the food?), the
tour itself was very informative. We received architecture info, saw one of the sites of a Jack the Ripper victim, sat in one of the oldest authentic pubs, and experienced the art work of the East End. In our group, we had some fun and interesting people to visit with along the way. But back to the food...It was delicious and filling.  DO NOT eat before hand. Of all the food tours we have taken, this one filled us up the most. Eight stops! I don't want to spoil it for you, but lets just say we started the morning with a bacon sandwich made in-house (the bacon and the bread) and ended with one of those desserts you keep thinking about when you get back home. A chocolate and salted caramel tort. 

 Harry Potter Walking Tour- According to a few websites, Muggletours  is the #1 walking tour for Harry Potter fans. We were instructed on where to meet and had only a little problem finding it since there are so many exits out of the subway and we unfortunately took the wrong one. That was on us. The gentleman who met us was an actor and was engaging in his stories of the locations we went. He entertained the group along the way with facts and then a quick response of "10 points for what ever house you belonged to" to keep it competitive. He also gave us a test of questions to determine your house. Lucky me, I had Gryffindor. We walked around London and mostly saw places you would have seen in the film. Unless you are a true fanatic, a few of the places you may not recognize (I didn't).  All in all, this was a enjoyable stroll in which he threw in other locations and facts along the way from other movies and historical events. We ended with him doing a little magic trick for the kids in the group. My biggest disappointment is that we did not see platform 9 3/4 like we had when we did our last black cab tour (You can read about that in our archives). They did, of course, state that we would not see it on the information before we booked so it would be unfair to hold that against them. I understand it is a walking tour and hard to get to.  I thought I had already seen it so it would not bother me, but I ended up thinking that a big piece of the experience was missing by the kids not getting pictures pushing the cart into the wall. Silly, I know. So, take that for what it is worth. It is a lovely day out regardless with a fun guide and an excellent value.

The video is not of the sites but of the streets we rode on to let you decide how comfortable you would be.   As I said, I loved it, one of the others were a bit too nervous.


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British Air: Business Class vs Economy World Traveller Plus

7/14/2014

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Flying on British Air to London from Phoenix is in my opinion one of the best ways to travel to that location. Mostly because, from my home city, it is non-stop, but also because they have some of the best customer service and I have found their planes to be clean and as comfortable as a long flight can be. We decided to try Business Class one way and Economy World Traveller the other just to check them both out. Bang for your buck... The Economy World Plus Traveler is a great bargain.  I would not want to imply that it is a better way to travel because Business Class is, by far, the most relaxed and spoiled way to go. I would have reviewed the First Class, but it was a bit to rich for my pocket book.
So this is what I found:

Business Class:  At boarding, we were able to board early. The flight attendant handed us a choice of water, orange juice, or champagne. Score!  We got comfortable right away with the comfort amenities they offered us; A cozy blanket, semi-noise cancelling headphones, an eye mask and earplugs, a complementary Elemis kit including the things for a female like a toothbrush, lotions, face cream and, for the guys, a toothbrush and shave staples.  We had a storage space for shoes and a purse to keep them safely tucked away and not underfoot as well as an adjustable TV for each person.  The best part, in my opinion, is that they were semi-private pods that laid completely flat. The bed had a electric adjuster above that made it completely flatten out. I was able to get a good rest and be relaxed when we arrived. The food was a step up from the Economy Plus and served in sturdier containers. If you do not get enough food, they have a special area that you can munch on things like yogurt, nuts, and candy the rest of the flight. The meal was tasty for both the dinner and breakfast. Not five-star, but lovely. As an added bonus, all drinks are included. Yes, that includes alcohol. If I could travel this way every flight overseas, I would never mind long-distance flying again.

Economy World TraPlus:  Not a bad alternative at all!  The upgrade price can vary, but ours was about $400 per person. Some flights can go from  $600 and up. Each seat may not have been semi-private, but as a person who hates travelling a long time with my feet straight down, I fell in love with their foot rests that partially reclined.  Amazing improvement on how I felt during the flight. This is also a wonderful addition for those a little older... Like me.  Circulation on long flights can be very bad. Leaving your legs dangling that long especially if you fall asleep in one position can be a health hazard. Having a parent who actually had a stroke on a long flight from sleeping an entire international flight, I am very, very conscious of how bad it can be and I will admit, I am a little frightened about it. (On a side note, always get up and move around every hour, if possible. Wear compression socks if you are at risk),  The seats were a bit wider, according to their website, and you did not feel as if you were in a cattle call. Only two seats per row on the flight that I was on. We were not offered early boarding, but did have a nice choice of water or orange juice when we took our seats.  The blankets and headphones as well as eye masks were the same, but we did not receive the Elemis pack. Did I mention I love Elemis? So I did miss that. Dinner was the same as in Business Class, so that was nice (in plastic containers) but the breakfast was not the same. More of a prepackaged dull meal. I did not really mind since we were getting off.

Note: We were offered an upgrade to First Class for $795.00 during our online check in. It was a bit out of our budget for two of us this trip, but next time I might take them up on it to see just how much more pampered it might be.  Be aware they only offer it to you online and not at the check-in desk.


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Hot Tub Cinema- London and New York

6/23/2014

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Ready to try something unique on your next night out? How about viewing a film from a hot tub?  This concept looks like it would not only be a lot of fun,  but could also be a crazy, one-of-a-kind, group night out. According to the information provided on their website, they offer many different genres of movies. Their hot tub experience is said to combine relaxing hot tubs with some previously great films. Some of the locations even offer food and drinks to purchase.

In the past, they have had showings such as Top Gun, Bridesmaids, and Get them to the Greek.  Movie-goers can purchase either an individual ticket or the whole tub! The showing for Top Gun took place at the old Stoneditch Underground Station, which I think would be an experience in itself. What a fantastic location! Sort of an underground-party-meets-summer-fun type venue. Maybe it's just me, but having the opportunity at night to be in a closed-down location that served so many travelers, once upon a time, piqued my interest.

They are currently based in London and "popping up" all around the UK, but they are planning on taking the experience international. On their website, they offered one in New York with the promise of more to come. In the summer, they hold their event outdoors, including taking over rooftops. In the autumn and winter, the events are held indoors.

Check out hottubcinemas for more information about upcoming events.

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Scotland Loch Ness Monster Tours

6/16/2014

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  For generations, Scotland has been known for its grand stories of the illustrious Loch Ness Monster.  Movies have been made about sightings and one of the more well known fishing shows even spent a week in the cold trying to catch the Loch Monster on  film. If you happen to be heading to Scotland, or even close by, you might want to consider a Loch Ness hunt.
 
There are several tour companies that cover all things Loch Ness, from day trips to multi-day tours through the Scottish Highlands. On these tours, you can choose to travel from Edinburg to Loch Ness, or else you can decide to stay in one location around the immediate area for a few days. Some tours offer a free bit-of-whisky to help prepare you for your monster search. Hum, I am guessing it's possible to see a lot of monsters after some of the lovely whiskeys Scotland is known for.  

  If a tour trip is not what you prefer, consider a Loch Ness cruise aboard the Royal Scot.  We love their description on their website. "Mad about Monsters? Then our daily and evening Loch Ness cruises are for you! Our live commentary will take you on a journey through the local history, nature, and local folklore of Loch Ness, including a presentation of our onboard hi-tech Sonar equipment to help you peer into the depths to see if you can spot our favourite monster of the deep, Nessie!  You may even be as lucky as our very own Operations Manager, Marcus, who recently won £1000 in a photo competition for the best sighting of the Loch's famous inhabitant - Nessie!"   

Based on their description, they sound like a fun group. Check out their website for the entire ordeal of the operation manager.  I like that they have onboard sonar equipment for the search instead of  just being a regular, over-the-water hunt. Either way, if you see something or not, this would make a memorable sightseeing cruise.

lochness(dot)com
cruiselochness(dot)com

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Where Waterfalls and Waves Await

5/5/2014

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Guest post by Kara B. Wilson

Whether you want to go on a beach vacation to unwind under the sun, participate in
exciting excursions, or experience a different scene that has cultural flavor and fun, Cabarete is the place to visit. Located on the Atlantic side of the Dominican Republic, Cabarete touches the sea and El Choco National Park’s mountains and lagoon. Once a quiet fishing village, this sand and surf paradise is now known for its ideal wave and wind conditions. People come to Cabarete from all over the world to surf, kiteboard, sea kayak, windsurf, and scuba dive. It’s also a great place to relax in the sand with a
Presidente beer or a tropical drink, enjoy a spa day, or take a Spanish class. 
 
One of the most memorable adventures that you can have while staying in Cabarete, is visiting the 27 Waterfalls of Damajagua. Though you need to be in decent shape to hike up the falls, you can opt to go up to the 7th, 12th or 27th waterfall. No matter what you decide, a helmet, lifejacket, and a trained guide are mandatory. The guides are friendly and lend a hand as you hike toward the falls, ascend wooden ladders, climb up slick rock surfaces with the aid of knotted ropes, and swim through cave-like passageways. How do you get down? You let go of your fears and harness your adrenaline by jumping off each waterfall. Some have rock-formed chutes that you can slide down, but many others require you to leap into the air and splash into a teal pool below. The highest waterfall is the 8th one and is roughly 26 feet high, which is almost as tall as a three-story building. But, by the time you get back into town, you’ll be excitedly telling people you practically jumped off of a waterfall as tall as askyscraper. And, you will have definitely earned a nice dinner and a few drinks that night.

Cabarete has an interesting assortment of open-air restaurants offering Dominican, Spanish, Italian, American, French, Japanese and Caribbean cuisine. At night, these laid back restaurants turn into lively bars and clubs that spill onto the sand. Salsa, Merengue, Bachata, pop, and electronic music play as Dominicans, backpackers, and expats from around the world mingle and dance under the coconut
trees. Don’t be afraid to jump in when there’s karaoke, learn a few moves on the dance floor, or meet some of the interesting people who have made this beautiful place their home. Cabarete is meant to be thoroughly enjoyed.



 
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Beautiful Costa Rica

3/3/2014

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  The first time we went to Oahu, Hawaii, I was anxiously staring out the plane window expecting to see a quiet, lush green, and completely tropical  jungle-like island. I know, I watch too much TV, but I was surprised by the sparse greenery and plethora of bland buildings I saw as we landed. Obviously, that was simply naivety on my part, but it was a bit disappointing. Yes, there are many places that are green and beautiful in Hawaii with some stunning beaches, but we had to go looking for them on tourist stops or get lucky on off-the-beaten-path exploring to find the jungle greenery that I was seeking. Let me be clear: I love Oahu, Hawaii, the weather, the beaches, and of course the shopping on Oahu is amazing.  I just expected it to be more natural. 
 So, when we decided to go to Costa Rica, my beach-jungle dream expectations were very low. They should not have been though because dense jungles with beautiful beaches is exactly what I finally had found!      


Now, to be honest, if you are landing in San Jose, then you will not see the immediate beauty, (much like flying into Oahu and I certainly would not want you feeling disappointed expecting more as I had.) San Jose has a lot of torn down and ghetto areas, so do not plan to stay there, and in both places you have to travel out to find paradise, but there is a lot more untamed beauty in Costa Rica that you can see just driving around.

  Costa Rica has some of the most friendly people, lovely food, and an array of different adventures you can't find many other places. I consider this one of my very favorite places to travel and have the fondest memories of watching kids play soccer in the open fields, watching a nationally-televised soccer game at a local bar and cheering along side the locals, and walking to the beach while watching howler monkeys swing overhead.  

  Currently, many airlines fly straight into Costa Rica which is a huge bonus for price and travel time.  It use to be very difficult to get there and the cost prohibited many people from visiting.  Not only are flights now cheaper, but the cost of staying in Costa Rica, simply put, is a fraction of the cost you will spend in some of the other well-known beach towns. It is not extremely touristy yet, so the food and hotel mark up does not even come close to Hawaii pricing. The locals are, as I said, very friendly and you can feel right at home among them pretty quickly.

  As for things to do, well that list is endless! We started in San Jose and moved pretty quickly out of that area with a private guide. We arranged to hike to a waterfall, spent a day white water rafting, and zip lined over the jungle canopy for our adventure. To relax, we stayed on a ranch one night, hung out at the hot springs at Arenel another day, (Highly recommend this. Probably one of the most beautiful resorts with hot springs I have even been too and a place we should have spent a few more days at) and then we went to Manuel Antonio Beach.  Manuel Antonio Beach is stunning! With dense greenery, beautiful waters, and a fun airplane bar right in town, we spent some lazy time there at the end of our trip. The plane is an old drug smugglers plane that went down that they made into a bar and they serve great food and drinks there.

   One of the best things about Costa Rica is that they have a multitude of wildlife all over the place.  No need to go to a zoo on your vacation, we were stopped in the road by cattle, ox, and sheep but we also had to stop for occasional monkey crossings and to watch the crocodiles below the bridges.  At night in our hotels, we fell asleep to monkeys howling and the local birds chirping to wake us up. 

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Ireland Pubs, Distilleries, and Brews.

1/20/2014

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 Ireland is a beautiful place to visit with many different options to create a ThemeTrip around. This ThemeTrip explores the famous pubs and breweries that you can visit. Ireland was once known to have some of the most noteworthy brewing houses around. Each county or town touted strong, independent brewers which were a source of pride for their respected County. When some of the larger brewers grew, the smaller independent places were squeezed out. Ireland is now on the verge of rebuilding their glory days with ales and stouts that can rival the popular Guinness and Smithwicks.

  The Brewery of Fireland Tour company hosts a 5 day tour that starts in Dublin and ends in Dublin. You will visit over 8 microbreweries along with visiting some of the more famous sites on your journey, this is a true Irish Brewery tour. They sprinkle in a bit of fun and food and you are all set.



 Jameson Whiskey is synonymous with Irish Whiskey and they have tours in both Dublin and Cork. "Our old distillery is a unique experience with some of the buildings dating back to 1795. Take a journey through history and see the old kilns, mills and malting, water wheel and old warehouses."  Of course, one of the most common questions have been answered, "All of our tours end with a complimentary glass of Jameson whiskey, and for the few lucky selected volunteers, there’s the chance to take part in a whiskey tasting, but if you simply can’t resist until then we can arrange a private tutored tasting for you, also."


How about a Guinness Tour in Dublin? You can take a tour of the brewery, taste some wonderful Guinness-inspired Irish cuisine, or you can become a Guinness Connoisseur with an exclusive Guinness experience.

If you can't make it all the way to Ireland, check out their online Guinness recipes  on the Guinness website!


Old Bushmill has been the oldest working distillery in Ireland for over 400 years. Tours are done by reservation and are located in county Antrim in Northern Ireland. According to their website "You can even take home a bottle of our Distillery Reserve 12-year old Single Malt Whiskey, which is available only from our gift shop, and as souvenirs go, I don’t think you can get much better!”  I think it would be worth a trip just for that opportunity.

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