Posts Tagged With 'Great'

For A Great Trip Follow This Advice

For A Great Trip Follow This Advice

For A Great Trip Follow This Advice

Requesting a travel guide prior to your trip is a great idea to familiarize yourself with your destination. Travel guides can be requested from the Chamber of Commerce in the city you are traveling to. This article will give you some tips on different ways you can familiarize yourself with your travel destination.

Whether you are traveling for business or personal purposes, it is in your best interest to read up on the native culture and customs of your intended destination. Acceptable behaviors, attire, and communication styles can vary greatly from one country to the next, and failure to respect or observe these traditions can spell social disaster.

While packing, try to keep your belongings as light as possible to reduce the amount of tension on your back. The last thing that you will want is to have to transport heavy bags from one place to another with items that you do not need. Stay practical to optimize your traveling experience.

A useful travel tip for anyone venturing abroad is to give accredited or recommended hostels a try. These dorm-like lodgings offer safe, clean places to stay for those traveling on a tight budget. By touring in this way, it is possible to meet new friends, visit a greater number of different countries, and spend less money than you may have thought possible.

Make sure your passport is in order and you have the proper papers when traveling abroad. Before even scheduling your travel abroad, make sure that your passport does not expire while you are away. Also keep your passport and all your travel documents safe and know where they are at all times.

After you drop off your items in your hotel room, step back outside. To prepare for an emergency, count the number of doors between your room and the emergency exits. You want to be able to get out safely and if you are unable to see, you will need that number. You may want to have a flashlight handy, as well.

If you are bringing your baby along while you travel, stash your valuables in your child’s diaper bag. A thief is less likely to steal this bag than your wallet or other luggage, so you stand a higher chance of making it out of an altercation with some money left.

One of the best souvenirs you can bring home from your travels is a journal. Document your treks to far off lands. This gives you not only something to do, but a great gift to share with your friends and family when you get home. You will find it an invaluable way to relive your journeys.

As stated in the beginning of the article, requesting a travel guide prior to your trip is a great idea to familiarize yourself with your destination. There are also many different places you can find this information besides a travel guide. Apply the tips from this article to get to know your destination before you arrive, so you are prepared for all your destination has to offer.

Traveling?  Check Out These Great Tips Before You Leave!

Traveling? Check Out These Great Tips Before You Leave!

Traveling? Check Out These Great Tips Before You Leave!

If you want to become an expert traveler, or even just make sure your future trips all go smoothly and efficiently, there are plenty of ways to transform any travel experience from a merely acceptable one to a great one. Read the below tips to find out how to make your trips effortless and enjoyable.

Befriend your driver when traveling by bus. Though you are not supposed to engage the driver in idle chatter while they drive the open road, you should take the time to talk to them as much as possible. This way you will know of any delays or upcoming route changes.

Take earplugs for flights and hotel stays. With the right level of noise blocking you can eliminate the volume that accompanies airplane travel. Also sleeping in hotels in an unfamiliar location can be hit or miss as far as the outside noise level. These earplugs can be the difference in a good night’s sleep or a grouchy morning.

When you arrive at your destination regardless of if it is overseas or within the country you live in, one of the best places for information is at a local tourism office or at your hotel’s concierge. Ask for the clerk’s recommendations or suggestions as they are native to the area and will have helpful tips to make your trip more pleasant.

Sometimes long flights can cause you to sit and sit and sit. Don’t be afraid to get up and walk down the aisles every once in a while. Exercise is great for you and when the plane reaches its’ destination, you won’t feel so lousy and you will avoid the stiff feeling in your legs.

When deciding to travel by car with children, have a portable DVD player or an built-in DVD player in your vehicle. This can make a really long trip appear much shorter to them and it can keep them distracted so that they don’t start misbehaving because they become bored or impatient.

Consider joining a travel and motor club to provide you with travel assistance. Not only do these types of clubs provide towing, they offer maps, travel planning, insurance, travelers checks, lockout assistance and more. As a bonus, many hotels and attractions offer discounts to members. The cost of membership can pay for itself when you save money on all these things.

When picking a destination to travel to pick somewhere that is affordable. You don’t want to travel somewhere that is so expensive you can’t enjoy yourself to the fullest. You want to make sure you have fun, but at the same time, you want to make it fit into your budget.

Car rental companies generally require their renters be 18 years of age at the youngest, there are now companies that require drivers to be 25 years or older. If you are under 25, the rate may be slightly higher, and a credit card may be required. Some cities do not allow senior citizens to rent cars. When you are making your reservation be sure to ask the age restrictions.

People who travel for a living learn to use a lot of little tips and tricks, like the ones above, to make sure all their trips are simple, pleasant experiences, whether they’re leaving home for a day or a month. With these insider tips, you’re well on your way to being an expert traveler, too.

Great Cyclists of the Tour de France: Lucien van Impe

Posted in Travel Tips | No Comments

Great Cyclists of the Tour de France: Lucien van Impe

Lucien van Impe was one of the better cyclists of his generation, with five Tour de France podium appearances including one win at the 1976 Tour de France. Van Impe, known as a gifted climber who excelled in long, grueling mountain stages, won six Tour de France mountain classifications in addition to his overall race successes.

Van Impe was born in Mere, Belgium in October, 1946. He became a professional cyclist largely due to the help of Federico Bahamontes, himself an expert climber who had won the Tour de France in 1959. Van Impe would repay Bahamontes’ faith in him by eventually tying his record for most polka dot jerseys, with six.

Bahamontes helped van Impe get his first professional contract, and van Impe raced his first Tour de France in 1969, finishing 12th overall. The next year, van Impe raced again in the Tour de France, this time finishing in the top handful of cyclists, in the sixth position.

The year 1971 was when van Impe started to break out on his own and earn a reputation as a rider to be reckoned with, especially in mountain stages. Van Impe earned his first podium finish at the Tour de France, also winning his first of six polka dot jerseys as best climber of the Tour de France in the process.

In the 1972 and 1973 editions of the Tour de France, van Impe would reach a personal milestone by winning a stage in each of the races, although he finished fourth and fifth, respectively, and wasn’t on the podium following the races. He did add another of his six polka dot jerseys in 1972. The 1974 Tour de France held only frustration and disappointment for van Impe, however, as he finished at 18th.

Luckily, the next year, van Impe proved that his 18th place finish was a fluke, as he again earned a podium finish with a third place performance in the 1975 Tour de France. It was also the race where van Impe earned another polka dot jersey as well as his first time winning two stages in the same Tour de France. It appeared that van Impe was primed to claim the title of Tour de France champion.

The 1976 Tour de France saw van Impe do exactly that, as he won the yellow jersey for the first time in his career, while winning another stage victory along the way. Colorful stories have emerged to help explain van Impe’s victory, including one that Cyrille Guimard shouted to van Impe to attack leader Joop Zoetemelk, unless he wanted to be run off the road by Guimard’s car. Of course, van Impe denies that it happened that way.

Try as he might, van Impe was never able to reach that level again. He did finish 3rd in the 1977 Tour de France and 2nd in 1981, and he also added four more stage victories and three more polka dot jerseys, but he could never win a second Tour de France. His successes were peppered with some disappointing finishes, including a 27th place finish in 1985 that marked the end of his participation in the Tour de France.

Nevertheless, Lucien van Impe’s Tour de France win in 1976, along with his other podium finishes and his reputation as one of the best climbers of all time, have reserved him a special place in cycling history. Van Impe is also notable for being second only to Joop Zoetemelk for the amount of times he finished the complete Tour de France race (fifteen times, in fifteen attempts).

In 1987, van Impe retired for good, leaving behind a legacy as a tenacious competitor whose strength and perseverance in the climbing stages is still envied by those who race in the Tour de France year after year. His drive and determination helped make him one of the more notable cyclists of all time.

PPPPP

Word Count 659

Great Cyclists of the Tour de France: Lance Armstrong

Posted in Travel Tips | No Comments

Great Cyclists of the Tour de France: Lance Armstrong

Even those who are relatively unfamiliar with the ins and outs of the sport of cycling can tell you who Lance Armstrong is. There are many people worldwide who don’t know the difference between the yellow jersey and the polka dot jersey, but are familiar with Armstrong’s legendary triumphs at the Tour de France, and his courageous battles with cancer. Let’s take a look at the many great performances of Lance Armstrong on cycling’s biggest stage, the Tour de France.

Armstrong was born in Plano, Texas in 1971. He began competing in his teens as a triathlete rather than as a pure cyclist. As he got toward adulthood, he began competing in cycling events, before turning pro in 1992 at age twenty one. He quickly found success, winning individual stages in several races, as well as being the overall winner of the Fitchburg-Longsjo Classic.

In 1993, Lance Armstrong had his first slice of success in the Tour de France, winning Stage 8. Unfortunately, he was unable to build on that success right away, as his only other stage victory at the Tour de France in the next few years was in 1995, when he won Stage 18 of that year’s race. Of course, Armstrong had an uphill battle, as he was diagnosed with cancer in 1996. Only in 1998, after extensive chemotherapy, was Armstrong able to return to competitive cycling.

Then, in 1999, he began a run the likes of which has never been seen in the cycling world, and which will likely never be seen again.

During the 1999 Tour de France, Lance Armstrong was excellent. He won four stages as well as the overall race for his first-ever Tour de France victory. The race itself was notable not only for Armstrong’s win, but also for a twenty five rider pile-up at Passage du Gois. The next year, Armstrong only won one stage, but was consistent overall as he took the yellow jersey in Stage 10 and never surrendered it.

Armstrong won his third-straight Tour de France in 2001, again besting the perennial runner-up Jan Ullrich by several minutes. Armstrong’s characteristic endurance allowed him to again take the yellow jersey in the middle portion of the race and never relinquish it. Among the highlights of his 2001 win was his famous “look back” at Ullrich as they rode on Alpe d’Huez.

In 2002, Armstrong again finished strongly, winning three of the last ten stages to hold onto the yellow jersey, after surrendering it early in the race. His arch rival, Jan Ullrich was unable to compete due to injury. Armstrong made it an unbelievable five straight with his win in 2003, which was almost made impossible by a near crash that Armstrong barely avoided, that took Joseba Beloki out of the running.

By 2004, many fans and experts were wondering when Armstrong would run out of steam. However, Armstrong was as amazing as ever, winning an amazing five stages en route to his sixth straight Tour de France win. He did not take the yellow jacket until Stage 15, but still finished six minutes ahead of the competition. In his final Tour de France in 2005, Armstrong made history once again with his seventh straight win. The accomplishment was enhanced by the fact that Armstrong wore the yellow jersey for all but four stages during the race. It was also Armstrong’s first Tour de France while racing with the Discovery Channel team.

Armstrong finished his career as one of the only cyclists to transcend the sport and become a major celebrity outside of the cycling world, especially in the United States. His exploits in cycling and particularly in the Tour de France not only captivated the world, but brought new light to the great sport of cycling. Whether or not anyone is ever able to equal or best his amazing accomplishments, Armstrong will remain a legend in Tour de France history.

PPPPP

Word Count 661

Nursing Shortage Equals Great Opportunities … Now!

Posted in Travel Tips | No Comments

Nursing Shortage Equals Great Opportunities … Now!

How would you like a job that no matter where you went, you were in demand? The pay is great. Bonuses are paid when you are hired. You do not have to work in the same place year after year. In fact, you can change the vocation landscape every quarter if you wish. What kind of job am I speaking of? Nursing.

There is such a nursing shortage, they can demand just that. Not just in the United States, but all over the world. It is estimated that there are over 120,000 nursing vacancies in America. And it isn’t getting better. As the US population continues to get older, the nursing shortage is expected to reach 800,000 in the next decade.

Nurses can name their price. Some are making as much as -70 per hour. Yes, these are the best of times … and the worse of times for nurses. Good, because they can practically name the terms of their employment. Bad because they are being over worked and our health care is suffering as a result of it. It is only a matter of time that someone’s life is lost as a result of this.

American hospitals are starting to look overseas to satisfy their need for nurses. As this is being written, legislation is being worked to allow these immigrants a path to citizenship as they work in our hospitals.

Pulling nurses from overseas creates problems for those countries that are losing nurses. Good health care is as much a premium there as it is here. This is not the long term solution to the problem.

Our government throws money at everything. Even in nursing education they provide educational grants, loans, etc. The problem is they do not have enough professors to teach new nurses. In fact, there were almost 30,000 qualified nursing students last year that could not get educated.

Is this the government’s responsibility to ante up even more money to educate new nurses? That is not for me to answer, but it seems like some of these agencies and hospitals could do more to encourage and help nurses enter the workplace. After all, these same agencies are willing to pay upwards to ,000 as a hiring bonus for qualified nurses.

This may not seem to be a problem to you … until you find yourself needing qualified healthcare.

Guitar Hero World Tour Video Game: A Great Game That You and Your Friends Will Surely Love

Posted in Travel Tips | No Comments

Guitar Hero World Tour Video Game: A Great Game That You and Your Friends Will Surely Love

Have you ever wanted to become a rock legend? Did you and your friends ever dream of performing a rock concert in fronts of thousands of people? If you have, then you should play Guitar Hero World Tour. This is the latest series of Guitar Hero and it really took the world by storm.

Instead of just guitars, Guitar Hero World Tour enables you to form a band complete with drummers, bassist, guitarist and even a singer. In this game, you and your band will work your way up to become legends of rock.

In fact, Guitar Hero World Tour is simple one of the most addictive and hottest selling video games of the year. And, it’s not just a fad but it really has become almost a way of life. In fact, some people are so serious about this game that they formed a band and are currently competing to be the best there is online with other Guitar Hero World Tour bands.

It doesn’t even matter if you don’t know how to play the guitar or drums, the game will have guides that will be able to show you what buttons to push and when to push it.

Guitar Hero World Tour is so hot today that parties are even thrown with this video game. You and your friends can really become the life of the party and compete against each other. The best thing about this game is that it is available in the three hottest video game consoles available in the market today. Whether you have Nintendo Wii, Xbox 360, or PlayStation 3, you will be able to play Guitar Hero World Tour.

Another great thing about Guitar Hero World Tour is that not only that you will be able to play some of the hottest rock music on earth today, but you will also be able to go head to head with other players in the Battle mode. In this feature, you and your friend will rock off and do really sick solos that will rival those of the greatest guitar legends on earth.

In this game, you will be able to personalize your own rock star. This serves as your very own personal avatar and you can make them look anything you want. You can also add accessories, such as tattoos, piercings and dress them up on tight leather pants and really make them look like a real rock legend.

You will also be able to unlock rock legends, such as Jimi Hendrix, Ozzy Osbourne, Billy Corgan, Ted Nugent, Sting, and even Travis Barker in the game and jam with them or face off in the Battle Mode. You can also download additional tracks from Metallica, Blind Melon, Rick Springfield, and a lot more.

Guitar Hero World Tour is a fun game to play. With this video game, you can be sure that you will spend hours upon hours of rocking off with your friends online or in your own home. And, it would be a lot more fun if you have all the gadgets, such as the guitar, drum set, and microphone.

So, if you are looking for a great music game that you can play solo or jam with your friends, you should definitely get Guitar Hero World Tour. This game is fun, exciting, and it will really unleash the guitar hero in you.

Dignity Travel