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What do you get when you combine popular woman's magazine, Woman's World, and CheapOair?
Another $500 travel gift certificate giveaway!
Want a vacation, but don't have the money? Plane tickets, hotels, rental cars, and more- it can get expensive fast. But everyone deserves a vacation, and that is why we have partnered with the popular magazine Woman's World to give away two $500 gift certificates! The contest begins 12:01 am ET on July 7, 2009 and ends at 11:59 pm ET August 22, 2009.
Contest is open to all US and Canada residents, male or female, 18 years or older!
The mystery and the beauty of nature continue to fascinate us. Waterfalls are perhaps nature's most captivating wonder. Fed by springs and rains they travel down ancient slopes following channels carved out years before. Upon reaching the edge, they fall, creating a spell bounding site.
Angel Falls, Venezuela
Flights to Ciudad Bolivar or the capital city of Caracas would take you to the majestic Angel Falls in Venezuela. The height of the falls is so great that before getting anywhere near the ground, the water is atomized by the strong winds and turned into mist, which could be felt from even a mile. The area is filled with grasslands, with some dense jungle along the course of the rivers and at the base of the numerous tepuis or flat-topped mountains.
Jog Falls, India
People travel to India for the yoga and religious centers and Taj Mahal, however country's abundance of majestic waterfalls is still undiscovered. Flights to Delhi or Goa would take you to India where you can encounter the beautiful Jog Falls. Jog Falls created by the Sharavathi River falling from a height of 253 meters is the highest plunge waterfall in India. Unlike many falls, Jog Falls is untiered, i.e., it drops directly and does not stream on to rocks. Thus, it can be described as the highest untiered waterfalls in India.
Yosemite Falls, California
Yosemite Falls is the highest measured
waterfall in North America. Located in Yosemite National Park in the
Sierra Nevada mountains of California, it is a major attraction in
the park, especially in late spring when the water flow is at its
peak.
Douglas Falls, North Carolina
Visit Wilmington and see the 60 foot waterfall located in Buncombe County, North Carolina known as Douglas Falls. The falls is located on a tributary of Waterfall Creek, which eventually flows into Carter Creek. The stream flows off the slope of Craggy Pinnacle, starting just below the Blue Ridge Parkway.
Whether you looking for a picnic or a mere hike these waterfalls are sure to mesmerize you with their charm and beauty.
Welcome guest blogger, Michele Kasoff, an expert on family travel in the greater Tampa Bay Florida region who runs TampaActivityGuide.com.
The Times of Your Life: Vacations and Happiness
Americans are obsessed with efficiency. We are experts at checking our Blackberry while taking a business call or supervising the kids' homework while making dinner. Double-tasking is the norm. But it is amazing how much we take time for granted and lose track of the big picture. The important things we had planned to do in life, like travel, can fall by the wayside.
As a travel specialist who runs Tampa Activity Guide and a career changer with a PhD in psychology, I have come to recognize the emotional and psychological benefits of vacations. As a psychologist, I have spent a lot of time providing therapy to older adults. Talking with people who are looking back on decades of living highlights the importance of time off, time with loved ones, and the tenuous nature of our future plans. Past vacations, and lost opportunities for them, are topics that come up frequently in my discussions with seniors. From this experience I have come to understand the many reasons Why vacations play a healthy role in our lives, and why taking vacations should not be put off for later in life.
Vacations are Good for Relationships
It is clear that vacations provide many benefits for families and couples. Relationships grow and become closer over time through sharing activities and interests. Indeed, these shared positive experiences are often the moments when people feel most connected. In our overscheduled lives it has become increasingly difficult to find this type of bonding time. Our "everyday" shared experiences are typically more about running errands, completing the "to-do" list, or rushing to scheduled events. There is very little time for relaxing, exploring, or discovering together. When kids and adults feel both relaxed and mentally stimulated (by a new place, activity, environment, etc), the family or couple tends to have deeper conversations and have a renewed closeness in their relationship. Vacations can also help people step away from their hectic lives and think about what is truly meaningful.
You (And Your Children) Will Not Be Young Forever
Having the opportunity for joyfUl experiences is important at all stages of life. We know that kids benefit from fun and engaging experiences with family throughout their development, and a happy childhood certainly facilitates a well adjusted adulthood. Similarly, adults experience various life stages. The vacation experiences of newlyweds, a couple with children, and retirees might vary greatly. Vacationing frequently later in life does not make up for the absence of time off with loved ones earlier in life. Every phase of your life is important. In order to achieve a sense of happiness throughout your life it is crucial to have enjoyable experiences at all stages. You never get to go back to the stage of life that you are in right now. If you put things off, you can never turn back the clock and get to experience that vacation as a young couple, or young family, or before the kids move away.
Opportunity Isn't Permanent
I have always felt saddened by the stories of older adults saying that they worked hard their whole life, and took little time off, because they imagined they would vacation with their spouse or family when they retired. For many, an unexpected illness or death of a loved one prevents them from ever fulfilling this dream. This is not a reality that is exclusive to the elderly. There are countless young adults who become injured or disabled or have a child who becomes ill. Others lose a spouse or loved one much earlier than they ever imagined. Even a relatively minor change in health status can affect your ability to travel. We like to imagine that we will always be able to pursue the experiences we care most about at a later date -but these precious opportunities aren't permanent. It is important to take time off to spend with loved ones throughout your life, and not to put off having those important travel experiences for another day.
Creation of Cherished Memories
When people look back on their childhood and their life, many of their most cherished times are those special and out-of-the-norm experiences with loved ones, such as holidays and vacations. These are "time off' moments that differ from typical everyday life and provide rich personal and family memories. While all time spent with family is important and helps build strong ties, people rarely look back on their lives with nostalgia about how they used to run errands with the kids. However, adults frequently look back on family vacations, from their childhood and adulthood, and recall them as incredibly special times in their lives. Vacations seem to facilitate a feeling of having a life well lived.
Most Americans truly love going on vacations. However, we tend to be masters at convincing ourselves that it will be easier to take that vacation at some point down the road. The truth is that life will always be hectic and expensive. But those who look back upon their lives and feel most fulfilled have taken time off to fully live their life -throughout their life. Your life is being lived right now, even as you read this. The task is to be sure that you are living it well.
For helpful reviews of Tampa Florida activities, the Tampa Activity Guide is an ideal resource. This popular travel site is enjoyed by Tampa Bay area locals and tourists alike. TampaActivityGuide.com reviews activities and events in the Tampa, St. Petersubrg and Clearwater Florida areas, and sorts activities by the age group they would be best suited for. The site also has a section reviewing indoor events suitable for rainy days or inclement weater. Upcoming Tampa, St Petersburg and Clearwater area events are also posted daily.
What do you get when you combine popular woman's magazine, Woman's World, and CheapOair?
Another $500 travel gift certificate giveaway!
Want a vacation, but don't have the money? Plane tickets, hotels, rental cars, and more- it can get expensive fast. But everyone deserves a vacation, and that is why we have partnered with the popular magazine Woman's World to give away two $500 gift certificates! The contest begins 12:01 am ET on July 7, 2009 and ends at 11:59 pm ET August 22, 2009.
Contest is open to all US and Canada residents, male or female, 18 years or older!
Visiting the Wonders of Nature Nature has its own way of impressing us. More often than not it presents visuals which leave us gasping in wonder with its beauty, vividness and uniqueness.
Great Blue Hole, Belize
The Great Blue Hole is a large underwater sinkhole off the coast of Belize. Located near the center of Lighthouse Reef, it’s a small atoll about 100 kms from the mainland and Belize City. A large almost perfectly circular hole approximately one quarter of a mile across, it’s one of the most astounding dive sites to be found anywhere on earth.
This is a popular spot amongst recreational scuba divers, who are lured by the opportunity to dive in crystal clear water and meet several species of fish, including giant groupers, nurse sharks and several types of reef sharks such as the Caribbean reef shark and the Blacktip shark.
Antelope Canyon, Arizona
Antelope Canyon is perhaps the most-visited and most-photographed slot canyon. Located on Navajo land near Page, Arizona the canyon includes two separate, photogenic slot canyon sections, referred to individually as Upper Antelope Canyon or The Crack and Lower Antelope Canyon or The Corkscrew.
Antelope Canyon is a popular location for photographers and sightseers and a source of tourism business for the Navajo Nation. It has been accessible by permit only since 1997, when the Navajo Tribe made it a Navajo Tribal Park.
The Wave, Arizona & Utah
The Wave is made of 190-million-year-old sand dunes that have turned to rock. This little-known formation is accessible only on foot via a three-mile hike and highly regulated.
The wonder located near Arizona and Utah border on the slopes of Coyote Buttes is famous among hikers and photographers for its colorful, undulating form, and the rugged, trackless hike required to reach it.
It’s not an easy place to find and with a view of maintain the integrity of the region there is no permanent trail. You can find it through GPS or a prominent landmark known as “The Black Crack”. Hikers must choose their own route across the open desert.
What do you get when you combine popular woman's magazine, Woman's World, and CheapOair?
Another $500 travel gift certificate giveaway!
Want a vacation, but don't have the money? Plane tickets, hotels, rental cars, and more- it can get expensive fast. But everyone deserves a vacation, and that is why we have partnered with the popular magazine Woman's World to give away two $500 gift certificates! The contest begins 12:01 am ET on July 7, 2009 and ends at 11:59 pm ET August 22, 2009.
Contest is open to all US and Canada residents, male or female, 18 years or older!
Traveling can be a hectic task. Unknown places, new languages, new cultures, long journeys and delays all add to the worries. However, with an ever increasing number of mobile applications will help you on your way, so that all you need to worry about is packing your bags and picking the right destination.
Ever get stuck at bar with a menu card
in your hands, knowing what food and wine to choose from? Nirvino to the rescue! With access to over
800,000 drink reviews and over 1 million food pairing
recommendations, Nirvino provides information regarding beer and cocktails
and uses location-aware technology to alert users to the
highest-rated bars in their area.
The application can be accessed
from your iPhone, Treo, Blackberry or plain old cellphone.
Babelingo
If you have refrained from traveling to a
foreign destination because you don't speak the language, Babelingo is for you. Packed with over 300 useful phrases
and words in 11 languages, the application also gives you the facility
to translate to and from English, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese,
French, German, Russian, Czech, Hindi, Japanese and Chinese.
Babelingo even lets your friends respond to you in their own
language.
This free mobile website provides an access to a powerful suite of flight status, airport information and flight availability services. This must-have application also provides you with information regarding flight status, airport delays and weather, and even where to find alternative flights if you get stranded or miss a connection. (Of course, if you get the CheapOair Golden Guarantee, you'll have even less to worry about!)
GeoPedia is basically a location-based Wikipedia interface for your iPhone. Users can browse the location-customized list of Wikipedia articles that GeoPedia returns and then navigate to articles of interest to learn more. This application delivers information about landmarks in your actual physical vicinity. The mobile application displays Wikipedia articles relevant to the traveler's current location
Why weigh down your luggage more than you have to? Save yourself a few pounds with the Mobipocket eBook Reader you can download eBooks from your favorite ebookstores to read on your phone. You can connect your smartphone, blackberry or PDA to your desktop computer, and have a new book on your device in seconds.
