Leave those out of date, bulky travel guides at home and let your iPod, iPhone or Mobile take you on a tour around one of the worlds greatest capitals. The London Travel Guide, available to download for free at www.londontravelguide.com, neatly packs over 400 pages of info together with a host of impressive features onto your favorite mobile device.
Unlike a paperback, the guide can be regularly updated so users have the most up to date information about each attraction, including entrance fees, phone numbers and websites. iPhone and mobile users can simply click on the phone number of the attraction to call them up, or use the website link to go directly through to the attractions site to find more information.
Accessing the London Travel Guide could not be any simpler. Coolgorilla designed the iPod version to be downloaded as a podcast via iTunes and the iPhone and mobile versions have both been optimised so visitors can access the information over the handset’s web browser.
Once downloaded, users have access to a range of rich content on London’s most popular tourist attractions. Coolgorilla used its eye in the sky to create aerial footage and spectacular views for the guide that most tourists and even Londoners do not get to see. The London Travel Guide also contains intriguing facts about each attraction and the reviews are not just practical but candid too.
“A recent road trip through California got me thinking about how we could improve on the traditional, paperback travel guide,” said Roy Forsdick, Managing Director of Coolgorilla. “By using the content rich features available on iPods and mobiles we can help travellers get the most out of their visit to London. Also, since software isn’t exposed to the same reproduction costs as hardcopy publications, we can distribute the guides for free!”
Coolgorilla is already working on similar travel guides for a number of other cities including Paris, Barcelona, New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco, due to be released later this year
About Coolgorilla
Coolgorilla is a successful developer of applications for the iPod, iPhone and mobile phones. The company has created a variety of travel related applications including the hugely successful lastminute.com talking phrase books.
For more information, visit http://www.coolgorilla.com/
Source: Sonus PR
Ellen Barone is an American writer and wanderer. She co-founded and publishes the group travel blog YourLifeIsATrip.com and is currently at work on her first book "I Could Live Here".
Seven days at a luxury villa is certainly nice, but just a weekend away can do wonders for the mind and body too. Most travelers don’t realize that many villas can be rented for just three days at a time, especially in the fast approaching low season when owners tend to be more flexible.
Global villa provider, Luxury Retreats, offers several destinations for three or four day getaways.
Palm Springs, Napa and Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, are two incredibly popular destinations for weekend travel among Americans on the west coast. With regular flights to Palm Springs from across the country, the California hot spot makes for a great golfing retreat or quick immersion in the healthy desert air. Cabo San Lucas, meanwhile, feels like a world away, yet is just a few hours by air.
In the Rockies, spring ski weekends are available in Utah, Aspen, Beaver Creek, as well as Whistler, Canada. With the amount of snow that ski hills have been getting this year, experts anticipate good skiing will be had until at least early May.
For European travelers, Santorini and Paris are both viable options, especially with the competitive airline industry duking it out with incredible low-cost fares.
If you can find a good deal on flights during the summer low season in the Caribbean - and there are usually several - heading even further is doable. Some villas in the Dominican Republic and the Cayman Islands offer three-night minimums from April to December, in case you’re aching for a little sun in the spring or fall.
“We’re gradually getting our guests to open their eyes to short-term vacations in these great destinations,” said Ben Tuff, Luxury Retreats’ Director of Marketing. “It’s amazing what even a short holiday can do to rejuvenate you, and how inexpensive the trip can be.”
Luxury Retreats weekend guests are entitled to the same complimentary concierge services as week-long renters, such as villa pre-stocking and car rental reservations.
For more information, visit www.luxuryretreats.com
Source: Luxury Retreats
Ellen Barone is an American writer and wanderer. She co-founded and publishes the group travel blog YourLifeIsATrip.com and is currently at work on her first book "I Could Live Here".
CheapTickets.com , a leading discount online travel agency, and United Way , the nation’s largest charitable organization, have again joined forces to energize and engage young travelers to vacation with purpose. Introducing the top five alternative Spring Break destinations for 2008, college students are challenged to exchange time on the beach for time helping others, both this spring and throughout the course of the year.
From rebuilding homes in the Gulf Coast to urban renewal in New York City, United Way scoured a wide-range of alternative Spring Break opportunities to identify the top five domestic destinations in 2008. And to help students with travel costs, CheapTickets has introduced a Spring Break Sale, offering $75-off vacation packages for the penny-pinched.
United Way spokesperson Randy Punley noted, “The power of young people to help change communities is really amazing. It is exciting to see their engagement in United Way’s work to help rebuild the Gulf Coast and their ongoing involvement when they return home. The United Way Alternative Spring Break participants inspire others in Generation Y to action, and remind us all of what we can do when we act together to change communities.”
United Way’s Top Five Spring Break Volunteer Destinations(1)
1. New Orleans, LA
With space for 302 volunteers, New Orleans’ Habitat for Humanity
invites students to rebuild homes in this vibrant city. Accommodations
for Spring Breakers are available at the appropriately named Camp Hope.
2. Southwest Louisiana
In Lake Charles, LA, United Way’s Alternative Spring Break program
will continue reconstruction efforts following Hurricane Rita. Up to
350 volunteers may join the effort from March 1 - 29, 2008.
3. Mississippi and Alabama Gulf Coast
Many communities within the Gulf Coast were affected by Hurricane
Katrina, including Waveland, Bay St. Louis, Gulfport, Biloxi, Ocean
Springs, Pascagoula and Mobile, AL. A United Way Alternative Spring
Break program will focus on these areas, with space for up to 250
volunteers from March 8 - 22, 2008.
4. New York, NY
Appalachian State University of North Carolina has coordinated with the
YMCA to bring Spring Breakers to New York City for a week mentoring
inner-city youths. Students from other universities interested in
volunteer opportunities in the New York area can visit,
http://volunteer.cheaptickets.com/.
5. Washington, DC
Students of Ohio State University are DC-bound this Spring Break, with
plans to prepare and deliver meals for those suffering from HIV/Aids,
cancer and other life-changing illnesses. Students from other
universities interested in volunteer opportunities in Washington, DC
can visit, http://volunteer.cheaptickets.com/.
Spring Break Sale ($75-Off) to Help Students Spring to Action(2)
To help Spring Breakers make the trip, CheapTickets’ Spring Sale offers $75-off qualifying flight + hotel packages of four or more nights using the promotional code CTXSPRING75. Travelers must book by April 27, 2008 for travel through June 30, 2008. For example, Spring Breakers can take advantage of the following travel packages ($75 savings have been applied)(3):
Chicago to New Orleans: Fly from Chicago to New Orleans and stay four nights at the 3-star Saint Ann Marie Antoinette Hotel from $372 per person.
Travel dates: March 17-21, 2008
Los Angeles to Washington, DC: Fly from Los Angeles to Washington, DC (BWI) and stay four nights at the 3-star Hyatt Place from $532 per person.
Travel dates: March 17-21, 2008
For more information on CheapTickets’ Spring Sale, visit: http://www.cheaptickets.com/.
University Challenge(4)
Beyond Spring Break:
CheapTickets has also teamed with United Way to launch a University Challenge — turning volunteering into a year-long, if not life-long affair. Built upon the United Way’s existing 10,000 Hours Show, the University Challenge will help motivate students at seven prominent universities to collectively volunteer 10,000 hours. At the end of the 2007-2008 school year, students from the university with the highest per capita volunteer hours will receive an alternative Spring Break, courtesy of CheapTickets.
“A shared enthusiasm for compassionate travel inspired us to join forces with United Way exactly one year ago,” said Marita Hudson Thomas of CheapTickets. “We’re elated that this partnership continues to grow as we launch the University Challenge, urging the country’s academic community to share in our passion for volunteering and traveling.”
This new initiative builds upon CheapTickets’ and United Way’s online collaboration to create http://volunteer.cheaptickets.com/, which allows travelers to research cause-specific volunteer opportunities culled from United Way’s vast national network, complemented by travel discounts from CheapTickets.
Terms & Conditions:
(1)United Way surveyed some of the leading organizations that place young people in different Alternative Spring programs, including Breakaway, Habitat for Humanity and Lutheran Disaster Services, and developed a list of the top five destinations that college students will be volunteering during Spring Break this year.
(2)Book a qualifying flight + hotel vacation package between March 3, 2008, and April 27, 2008, for 4 nights for travel between March 3, 2008, and June 30, 2008, via CheapTickets and instantly receive $75 off your purchase through the use of the promotion code. To display qualifying vacation packages, click “I have a promotion code.” and enter the promotion code, then look for vacation packages marked with the icon “COUPON.” Limit one discount per hotel room and one promotion code per purchase. Discounts are not redeemable for cash for any reason. Any attempt at fraud will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Void where prohibited, taxed or restricted. CheapTickets reserves the right to change or limit the promotion in its sole discretion.
Promo code: CTXSPRING75
(3)Sample rates shown were accurate and available on CheapTickets.com on 2/27/08 on the dates specified and may not represent current prices because our real-time pricing booking engine is constantly updating prices and availability. Vacation package prices shown are for one adult, based on double-occupancy, include applicable taxes and fees, and will vary by selected day of departure, departure city, length of stay, hotel selected, hotel room category, and availability. $75 promo code savings have been applied to package costs.
(4)From the seven universities participating in the United Way of America’s 10,000 Hours Show, the United Way of America will supply CheapTickets with the university that has the highest per capita volunteer hours at the end of the 2007-2008 school year. CheapTickets will award that university with a volunteer vacation. The number of students that participate and dates/location of the volunteer vacation will be determined solely by CheapTickets.com.
About CheapTickets
CheapTickets is a leading seller of discounted leisure travel products online through its Web site, http://www.cheaptickets.com/. CheapTickets provides consumers access to its collection of airfares on hundreds of airlines. In addition to air, CheapTickets’ family of discounted travel products also includes hotel accommodations, cruises, rental cars, vacation packages, condo rentals and Last Minute Trips. Founded in 1986, CheapTickets is a brand that is owned and operated by Orbitz Worldwide (NYSE:OWW) .
About United Way of America
United Way is a national network of nearly 1,300 local organizations that advance the common good, creating opportunities for a better life for all by focusing on the three key building blocks of education, income and health. United Way of America is the national organization dedicated to leading the United Way movement to create long lasting community change by addressing the underlying causes of the most significant issues. Living united means being a part of the change. Give. Advocate. Volunteer. For more information about United Way, visit: http://www.unitedway.org/.
Source: CheapTickets.com/prnewswire.com
Ellen Barone is an American writer and wanderer. She co-founded and publishes the group travel blog YourLifeIsATrip.com and is currently at work on her first book "I Could Live Here".
There Is Still Time to Plan an Irish Holiday Escape
With three festive packages and a colorful Easter Egg Hunt in the hotel gardens, The Merrion in Dublin is the perfect escape for all or part of the long holiday weekend with the family.
The Easter Weekend Family Package includes three nights for two adults and two children in interconnecting Garden Wing rooms (one double and one twin), breakfast each morning, a family brunch in The Cellar Restaurant on Easter Sunday and The Merrion’s festive Easter Egg Hunt in the gardens where resident ducks swim in the pond. The three-night package is valid from March 21 to March 24, 2008 and costs €1,725 (approximately $2,588) per family for three nights.
The Easter Family Fun Offer includes two nights for two adults and two children in interconnecting rooms in the Garden Wing (one double and one twin) with breakfast for the entire family each morning. The package also includes a Dublin Pass for free entrance to the best attractions, such as Dublin Castle and the Dublin Zoo, a one-way journey for each on the Aircoach from Dublin Airport and substantial discounts in shops and restaurants all over the city. The package is valid for any two nights from March 21 to March 24, 2008 and costs €1,190 (approximately $1,785) per family for two nights.
An Off to the Races Package is also available for Easter Monday fun on March 24, 2008. The package includes accommodations for one night in a deluxe double or twin room in the Garden Wing with two tickets to the Irish Grand National at FairyhouseRacecourse on Monday and full Irish breakfast on Tuesday morning. The one-night package costs €160 (approximately $240) per person based on double occupancy.
The Merrion is a union of four landmark Georgian townhouses, one of which was the birthplace of the Duke of Wellington, combined with a specially commissioned contemporary wing that wraps around beautiful private gardens. With its extensive art collection, intimate drawing rooms and working fireplaces, the hotel is an ideal home base for enjoying the festivities and exploring the riches of Dublin.
For reservations, please contact The Merrion directly on 353 1 603 0600, The Leading Hotels of the World on 1-800-223-6800 or send an e-mail to reservations@merrionhotel.com. To know more, visit www.merrionhotel.com.
Source: Geoffrey Weill Associates
travel vacation ideas
Ellen Barone is an American writer and wanderer. She co-founded and publishes the group travel blog YourLifeIsATrip.com and is currently at work on her first book "I Could Live Here".
Meet The Women & Children of South Africa With This Unique Mother’s Day Tour
The Cultural Explorer, a US-based tour operator specialising in cultural and philanthropic travel in South Africa, has announced an exclusive tour “designed to introduce adventurous North American mothers and daughters to the resilient women and children of South Africa.”
The trip, billed as a “celebration of women”, offers an ideal opportunity for mothers and daughters “to spend quality time together while improving the lives of others, seeing spectacular sights, even going out on safari.”
According to Cultural Explorer, travellers will visit innovative organizations that work to improve the education and work skills of disadvantaged women in South Africa, meeting several women along the way who have “made a real difference in their communities”.
Guests will experience gourmet and traditional foods and stay in charming locally owned hotels and B&Bs. They will also visit an exclusive game reserve dedicated to the conservation and preservation of the wildlife and communities around it.
The trip, running from 3 to 17 May (taking in Mother’s Day on 11 May) and from 7 to 21 June, “will change perspectives and lives”.
Tour itinerary
Cultural Explorer travellers will start in Johannesburg, staying at a chic, woman-friendly boutique hotel with an organic cafe and a huge fitness centre right next door.While in Johannesburg, the group will visit the vibrant townships of Soweto and Alexandra, meeting and sharing experiences with some special township women, and shopping at stores that promote the arts and crafts of disadvantaged women. The city tour will take in the Apartheid Museum, Constitution Hill and downtown Joburg.
Then it is off to the majestic Drakensberg Mountains in KwaZulu-Natal, where travellers will stay at a charming resort hotel with magnificant mountain views, a swimming pool and easy access to a variety of walking trails.
While in the Drakensberg, travellers will visit Didima Valley to learn about the San, or Bushmen - the first inhabitants of the area - and view some of their ancient cave and rock paintings.
The highlight, however, will be a get-together with Miss Lillian and her family in a small Zulu village where they survive and thrive with no electricity.
Next up is a quick stop in the coastal city of Durban, staying at an elegant hotel off bustling Florida Street. Then it is off on safari - with a leisurely drive north to a luxury, eco-friendly game reserve where the group will spend two full days observing African wildlife.
During the day travellers will search for cheetahs, lions, elephants, rhinos and giraffes, while at night safari they can enjoy a massage on their private deck listening to the sounds of Africa, or a sundowner with the other guests.
Next is South Africa’s up-market Garden Route, where travellers will stay in the local’s favourite resort town of Knysna, while checking out small coastal towns such as Wilderness and Plettenberg Bay.
Guests will meet Selina, an inspiring Sangoma (traditional healer) who lives in a township above Knysna where she “proves that one woman really can make a difference.”
From there the group will take the picturesque drive to Cape Town, stopping in one of the oldest towns in South Africa, Swellendam, for lunch. In Cape Town they will stay at a traditional hotel along the Atlantic seaboard. Here the guests will meet women from the townships, an Afrikaans mother and daughter, and women entrepreneurs.
They will take excursions to Cape Point and Simon’s Town - to see the jackass penguins - and of course, Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for more than 20 years.
“All long the way, Cultural Explorer travellers will have plenty of time to get massages, take walks or workout, relax on the beach, tour interesting galleries and shops, and discover unique gifts to take home.”
Costs and contacts
This trip is for women only, and for ages 15 and above, as travellers will witness and discuss the impact of Aids on families and communities.The trip costs $4 599 per person, including: all hotels, all group ground transportation including airport transfers, all entrance fees, all safari costs, all meals as indicated, and driver/guide expenses (except tips).
Not included in this cost are: international or domestic air travel, the domestic flight from Durban to George, alcoholic beverages except where included in dinners, personal expenses (laundry, cleaning, room service, massages, tips), and personal transportation expenses apart from group activities.
For more information, contact Pat Walker at +1-415-387-7593 or visit www.theculturalexplorer.com.
SOURCE: eTN
Ellen Barone is an American writer and wanderer. She co-founded and publishes the group travel blog YourLifeIsATrip.com and is currently at work on her first book "I Could Live Here".
You’ve probably visited a few of the National Park Service’s network of almost 400 environmental, cultural and recreational sites. But did you know that you can apply to live inside a national park as a special guest for a few weeks without paying rent? Imagine being surrounded by sea views and dramatic cliffs in Acadia National Park in Bar Harbor, Maine, or observing elk, bighorn sheep and the endangered California condor in the untamed wilderness of the Grand Canyon’s North Rim. Simply apply to be an Artist-In-Residence at one or more of the 29 National Parks currently participating in the program.
To find out more about Artist-In-Residence programs, visit:
http://writersdigest.com/articles/kane_artist_in_residence.asp
Ellen Barone is an American writer and wanderer. She co-founded and publishes the group travel blog YourLifeIsATrip.com and is currently at work on her first book "I Could Live Here".