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If you are looking for a European tourist destination, consider the Liguria region of northern Italy, commonly known as the Italian Riviera. This thin strip of land lies on the Ligurian Sea, not far from Monaco and the French Riviera. While Liguria is by no means undiscovered, its crowds are much smaller than those next door. There are many little towns or villages, and one international port city almost smack dab in the center of the coast. This article explores Cinque Terre, five little seaside villages that just might steal your heart. Be sure to read the other articles in this series: eastern Liguria, western Liguria, and Genoa, the capital and largest city of Liguria. Read more »

Ideal Locations For A Perfect Ski Holiday

Winter on its way! The time of the year when ski-lovers and would-be ski enthusiasts take a moment to plan the ski holiday of their dreams. If you have never taken a ski holiday before, get ready for the time of your life. Skiing is increasing in popularity each year. For many, it is a time honored tradition, that has spread around the world. Ski holidays are for anyone and everyone. From the single traveler, to entire families who want to spend their winter holidays racing each other down the slopes in countries you’d never imagine.

Switzerland: Where You Can Enjoy The Ski Holiday Of A Lifetime

Switzerland is one of the most popular places for travelers from around the world. Curling up in front of a warm fire in one of many cozy ski lodges, is a welcome treat after a long day of skiing down the magnificent Alps. And to top it all off, your ski holiday would be incomplete without a fabulous cup of Switzerland’s famous hot Chocolate. Read more »

Cities Of The Ukraine. KHARKOV. A personal view

Kharkov is one of The Ukraine’s big 1,000,000 plus inhabitants cities and is a city that I have come to both know and love well, as it is the place of the head office of my Dating Agency, Confidential Matchmakers and I spend a lot of time here.

It is some 500 km,s south east of the Ukraine capital of Kiev and was many years ago the capital of The Ukraine. It is very close to the Russian border and is very much part of the Pro Russia Ukraine. I should explain…… Many people of the Ukraine are either Russian, or part Russian by birth and or speak Russian, rather than Ukrainian. Read more »

A family ski holiday is a great way to spend a winter vacation, but it can quickly become a very expensive holiday - booking travel, accommodation, ski gear, lessons, and lift tickets for an entire family is not an inexpensive undertaking. That said, you can save a lot of money on a family ski holiday if you plan carefully.

Take Your Family Ski Holiday During Off Peak Time

When exactly is the best time to take your family on a ski holiday? That depends on where you plan to spend your family ski holiday. Ski season can last from Thanksgiving to April, and there is a lot of opportunity to benefit from off peak ski deals. All you have to do is book your trip on an off peak week, and you can save hundreds of dollars on lodging, lift tickets, and equipment rentals. Focus on the earliest and latest weeks of the season, since those weeks often offer the best pricing and your chances of getting a great deal is virtually guaranteed. On the other hand, you should avoid the busy weeks of Christmas and New Years. In addition to higher prices during that period, the weather is often the coldest at this time and the slopes are the overcrowded. Read more »

I Love Touring Italy - Southern Veneto

If you are looking for a European tourist destination, consider the Veneto region of northern Italy on the Gulf of Venice. Venice is its best-known city and one of the most popular tourist destinations on earth. But the Veneto region is a lot more than this great city. There are excellent tourist attractions elsewhere, and you won’t have to fight the huge crowds. With a little luck you’ll avoid tourist traps, and come back home with the feeling that you have truly visited Italy. This article examines tourist attractions in southern Veneto. Be sure to read our companion articles on northern Veneto, on that Shakespearean city of Verona, and on the university city of Padua. Read more »

I Love Touring Italy - Southern Sardinia

If you are looking for a European tourist destination, consider the island of Sardinia, a region of southern Italy. Depending on your interests, this beautiful area can be an ideal vacation spot. You can get classic Italian food, and wash it down with fine local wine. Some parts of Sardinia remain undiscovered by tourists, while other sites are favorites of Italian and international jet setters and are priced accordingly. This article presents southern Sardinia. Companion articles present northern Sardinia and central Sardinia.

We’ll start our tour of southern Sardinia at its capital and largest city, Cagliari on the Golfo di Cagliari (Cagliari Gulf). Then we head southwest along the coast to Pula and nearby Nora and then continue on or close to the coast, first southwest and then northwest to Sant’Antioco and neighboring Calasetta. We next visit the island city of San Pietro. Finally we return to mainland Sardinia and proceed north to finish our tour at Costa Verde.

Cagliari has a population of about one hundred sixty thousand or more than twice that when you count the suburbs. It has been inhabited since prehistoric times. The city fought alongside the Savoyards against the French Revolution. When a reward for their loyalty was not forthcoming, all Cagliari rose up against the Savoyards and expelled them and their Piedmont allies. On the last weekend in April Cagliari celebrates this insurgency in the Die de sa Sardigna (Sardinian Day). Their independence was short-lived. Read more »

I Love Tour Of Italy - Central Sardinia

If you are looking for a European tourist destination, consider the island of Sardinia in the Mediterranean off the coast of southern Italy. Depending on your interests, this beautiful area can be an ideal vacation spot. You can get classic Italian food, and wash it down with fine local wine. Some parts of Sardinia remain undiscovered by tourists, while other sites are favorites of Italian and international jet setters and are priced accordingly. This article presents central Sardinia. Companion articles present northern Sardinia and southern Sardinia. Before we give you our itinerary you must realize that central Sardinia is hardly flatland. Sometimes to get from point A to point B you must pass by point C; the actual distance traveled may be much further than your initial estimate. Enjoy the trip, and drive carefully (or even better let the pros drive you.)

We’ll start our tour of central Sardinia at the interior city of Su Nuraxi. Then we head to the city of Giari di Gesturi to its north. We next go southwest to the main road and then north past Oristano near the coast. Then we proceed north and west to the coastal city of Tharros (can you believe an Italian city whose name does not end in a vowel?). From Tharros we go to nearby San Salvatore, and then travel northeast to Nuoro and finally south to Fonni. Read more »

If you are looking for a European tourist destination, consider the island of Sardinia, off the tip of  southern Italy. Depending on your interests, this beautiful area can be an ideal vacation spot. You can get classic Italian food, and wash it down with fine local wine. Some parts of Sardinia remain undiscovered by tourists, while other sites are favorites of Italian and international jet setters and are priced accordingly. This article presents northern Sardinia. Companion articles present central Sardinia and southern Sardinia. Read more »

If you are looking for a European tourist destination, consider the city of Bergamo and Lake Como in the Lombardy region of northern Italy. Depending on your interests, this beautiful area might be an ideal vacation spot. You can get classic Italian food, and wash it down with fine local wine. It is hardly undiscovered, but that shouldn’t stop you from going. With a little effort you should be able to find some relatively untouched spots. Be sure to read the companion articles in this series that present Milan, small town Lombardy outside of its capital Milan, and the Lake Garda district with its interesting political past.

We start our Lombardy tour at Bergamo east of the capital Milan. Then we head northeast to the shores of Lake Como and tour the lake in a counterclockwise direction exploring Bellagio, Villa Melzi, and Como at the southern tip of the lake and then head back up north stopping at the island of Isola Comacina, and then finishing our tour at Tremezzo with its centerpiece Villa Carlotta. For those who want to tour still more of this lovely region head west to Lake Maggiore and Lake Orta. You won’t be disappointed. Read more »

Travel cheaper Travel with vouchers
If you love a travel bargain, you should try using free
travel vouchers. Here is how they work. A travel
consolidator works out an agreement with hotels, airlines,
condo rental management companies and vacation rental
locations to sell off their unfilled space. Every property
has times when they are not at 100% occupancy. The travel
consolidators charge very minimal fees to pass on free
certificates to you. The certificates are usually available
for the most popular vacation destinations. You do
typically pay a small booking fee to make the reservations.
So you might be able to get a three night stay for $30.00.
That is pretty good, don’t you think? Now granted you won’t
be staying at a five star place, but you’ll be staying at
mid range places that might cost you easily $100 or $150 a
day.

The vouchers are especially good for getting more vacation
time than you might normally get. The average American
hardly ever gets a real vacation. Who can afford to travel
somewhere nice and stay a whole week? With the costs of
gasoline, housing and health care climbing far faster than
average wages, most people are lucky to get a vacation
every two or three years. Most people squeeze in a weekend
get-away or a long weekend trip a few times a year and are
happy they were able to afford that. Using travel vouchers
allows you to dramatically reduce the costs of you trips,
which would allow you to stay longer or go more often.
Those sound like pretty good options, don’t they?

Even if you can afford to pay out of pocket for your
vacations, why would you do that, when you can get some
seriously discounted travel? If you have a little bit of
disposable income, why would you dispose of it paying for
travel, when you could save it or invest it and let it grow
for the future? Using travel vouchers could allow you to
put several thousand dollars a year into savings or
investments. If you are the least bit aware of the power of
time when investing, you know that any nickels and dimes
you can put away or invest today will mean substantially
more to you than if you wait a few years to put that money
to work. Read more »