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Saturday, February 11, 2012

Family-Travel-Scoop.com

This family travel site, Family-Travel-Scoop.com covers all aspects of traveling with your kids, there is no focus on a particular aspect or travel destination it simply covers it all. I challenge you to think of a part of family travel which is not covered here. Can you believe there are even printable activities for kids, each month based on a different country.

Some parents don't travel with kids because there are just so many things to think of, what to take, where will kids and parents enjoy themselves, which hotels cater for kid's needs, the expense, which airlines are kid-friendly and the list goes on, But if you use Family-Travel-Scoop to plan your family vacation it should make your life a lot easier.

On Family-Travel-Scoop.com you can search for what you need from the menu on the landing page. Either search by destination of by topics under Family Travel Advice. At the moment there are almost 50 countries to choose from covering the Caribbean, America (USA), South America, Africa, South Pacific, Asia and Europe but the list is growing. Another perk is that it covers several countries which are to covered extensively on other sites like Malta, UAE and Turkey.

Some of the issues covered include health issues when traveling, hotels, flights, travel insurance, attractions which will appeal to kids, budget travel and food for kids in foreign countries. Another useful part of family travel covered on Family-Travel-Scoop.com is travel tips for traveling with teens, babies and toddlers.

Under travel advice are sections like Kid's Clubs, road trips, cruises, RV and volunteer travel. The website is written by two moms (and sisters) who have traveled extensively, lived in several countries and have experience in the travel industry. So you can be sure that the advise on Family-Travel-Scoop.com comes from people who know what they're talking about.

Friday, February 10, 2012

Abu Dhabi Expert - Abu Dhabi, UAE's One-Stop Travel Site!

Abu-Dhabi is a luxurious and exotic travel destination on the Arabian Peninsula which offers a blend of an ultra-modern city along miles of beach and deep blue sea as well as a rich history of traditional Bedouin and Arabic life. There is also the desert just a short ride away which brings with it many adventurous opportunities for travelers. Western travelers are only just discovering this hot travel destination and Abu-Dhabi-Expert.com is the perfect tool to plan a trip to Abu Dhabi.

There are not a lot of travel sites about the United Arab Emirates, and even fewer about Abu Dhabi. When there are sites about Abu Dhabi they are often sponsored by hotels or companies with other interests. Here is a travel website about Abu Dhabi which presents all the information you could possibly need or want when planning a trip to Abu Dhabi.

The layout of the site is simple and straightforward making it easy to navigate and find the information you are looking for. In the sidebar of the landing page is a long list of categories like festivals, kids, exhibitions, Visas, pets, hotels, dates, diving, schools, falconry, fitness, attractions and housing. Using this you can filter your search to suit your needs. The site covers a myriad of aspects to do with visiting and even living in Abu Dhabi. You won't find a more comprehensive site about Abu Dhabi, it really is a one-stop source of everything Abu Dhabi!

Once you have gone to the page that interests you will find interesting articles on the subject but also all the important details that are often omitted from travel sites like open hours, entrance fees to attractions and addresses. There is also a site blog with current posts. What makes Abu-Dhabi-Expert.com special is the first hand knowledge of the writer; the vast aspects of travel in Abu Dhabi and expat life in Abu Dhabi.

There are plenty of photos (although there could be more) and a map for each attraction pin pointing your destination. The owner of the site lived in Abu Dhabi and knows the place thoroughly, there is no doubt this is the site to use when planning a trip to Abu Dhabi, you won't have to look anywhere else!

If you didn't want to visit Abu Dhabi before then after seeing this site you probably will!

Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Booking Hotels Online

When you Google a hotel name withthe intent of booking it the top results in Google are usually not the actual hotel's site which is a bit irritating. It seems logical that the actual name of the place would be top of the list, but it's not! Trip Advisor gets a lot of the top of the Google search result spots. So to find the actual hotel site scroll down the search results and read the URL address until you find one that just names the hotel.

Compare the rates offered on the hotel site with those offered on HotelsCombined. HotelsCombined is the best hotel search engine I have come across, it brings you the rates offered on all the hotel booking sites for each hotel in an easy to understand list.

Only then decide where you are going to book.

Friday, January 27, 2012

Booking a cottage in the Lake District, England on LakeLovers



Lakelovers are a Lake District cottage rental agency which hand picks the properties it offers and makes sure they are of high quality. They have a variety of types of cottages as well as a variety of locations.
Quality
All of the properties you will see on this site have been inspected and graded by the English Tourism Council. Each property has a VisitEngland quality rating displayed on the page next to the property information and LakeLovers have been awarded the QAA Marque by VisitEngland and LakeLovers has been thoroughly assessed and approved. You have no worries about whether the site is legitimate or whether the cottages will be what they are advertised to be.
Information
I love the fact that all the information about each property is given up front on your fists search and you don't have to go through half the booking process to find the price or other hidden details. On the first search results you can see a description of the property, a photo, how many it sleeps; how many bedrooms; the day your stay would start; whether pets are allowed; whether there is parking and most importantly the price. This is all presented in a succinct way and only then if you want to learn more are there links to very detailed descriptions of the property and area.
Searching for a Lake District Property
You can search for your ideal Lake District cottage using a number of criterion: the amount of people the cottage can sleep; only new cottages; by location (at least nine locations are offered); the type of property – new, five star, four star, with lake access, three star, dog friendly, with lake views, WIFi enabled, inclusive leisure club, romantic and special offers buy location. This will help narrow down your options to exactly what you want. If that's not enough you can also ask for specific criteria using the advanced search.
Reviews
Guests who have booked on LakeLovers say:
Buddysmum (Trip Advisor): "…our cottage was just perfect, everything we thought it would be."
NosyparkerWil: (Trip Advisor): "It was a lovely cottage, very pretty and very comfortable and we had a fabulous time."
If you want to read more reviews there are guest reviews for each property on Lake Lovers itself.

LakeLovers also offers information about what you can do in the Lake District, what attractions are in the area and where are the best places to eat out. To book through LakeLovers.co.uk there is a phone number which you can either call or click on to be called back.

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

10 MInute travel - A must for knowing before you go!



10 Minute Travel is a great concept, it is a travel site similar to many but unique in a very special way. It is not as blasé and superficial as Trip Advisor (although I like Trip Advisor it doesn't supply in depth info) and not as fact heavy as reading a history book about a travel destination but it lies somewhere in the middle. At 10 Minute Travel you not only get exposed to unique travel destinations and attractions in those destinations but you also "stop to smell the roses".


The site offers more than the average amount of information about each element within a trip but not too much. It also beaks down the travel destinations in to small (10 minute) slices of info about each site. If you use 10 Minute Travel to plan your trip you'll arrive at your travel destination knowing more than you would have about each site and in addition to that you'll have a few hidden gems up your sleeve!

How does 10 Minute Travel work
Travelers contribute articles, travel tips and reviews about places they've been to and things they've seen and done. Not about complete cities but the individual interesting sites along the way. These travel tips, articles and reviews will take you 10 minutes to digest, and they're accompanied by traveler's photos. Then as a traveler you get to read through the site and get your dose of 10 minute info about the sites at your next travel destination. Because between you and me who can stand to spend more than 10 minutes reading about a site.

Other features on 10 Minute Travel


  • There is a useful links page for travelers.


  • Articles and tips can be searched for on a world map by destination.


  • The site also has a blog with longer posts than your average 10 minute blurb.


  • And just when I was about to say, yes but a forum would be good here; I find that 10 Minute Travel also has a forum!

I will definitely be using 10 Minute Travel to plan my next trip in the hope of knowing more before I go and even knowing about some sites others may unintentionally overlook.