Cook Islands Videos Blog

Archive for May, 2009

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For some years now a number of the airlines labelled “low-cost airlines in Europe have been taking part in a fares war attempting to offer the lowest air fares to a host of cities throughout Europe. It’s not unusual to read that one of the leading budget carriers such as Easyjet or Ryanair has an offer of return flights from Britain to France, Spain or Germany for £1 (approx $1.45). There might be airport landing fees and taxes to be added to the fare, but it’s still an absolute bargain if you’re keen to see a variety of European cities. One of the major drawbacks of flying with the budget airlines is that they often make use of to the smaller local airports instead of the better known biginternational ones. This sometimes means that a flight that is supposed to be flying to a major European city actually lands some fifty miles away. In fact there are a number of advantages with this arrangement, the regional airports often provide a much faster service on luggage and check-in because they are servicing a much smaller number of flights. The disadvantage is that public transport serving these airports can be scrappy at best and a very popular alternative is to hire a car from the airport. Here are a variety of the beautiful cities that we have visited with flights from the budget airlines. We are sure that you’ll enjoy a visit to any of these scenic, they certainly have a lot to offer the visitor to their shores.

Glasgow, Scotland

Glasgow, once the butt of so many jokes about the slums of the Gorbals has undergone a Renaissance and is now a fascinating, architecturally diverse city welcoming a vast number of tourists throughout the year. The trendy West part of the city is the home of the fourth oldest university in the U.K.. Perched on a hill in the middle of the Medieval region of the city, its students contribute greatly to the vibrant, fun loving and cosmopolitan atmosphere of the area. The budget airlines utilise Prestwick Airport some 51 km (35 miles) to the north east of the centre of the city and you will find a good road between the airport and Glasgow city centre. This is a popular sightseeing area, so you are advised to rent a car at Prestwick in advance of your journey. An uncrowded 30 minute drive from the airport terminal along the M77 motorway takes you to the centre of the city. Glasgow is an ideal base for a journey to the Trossachs National Park. A mere 13 mile (20 km) drive out of the city and you could find yourself enjoying stunning countryside on the back of a pony, whereas a 50 km (30 mile) drive eastwards using another excellent motorway will find you in Edinburgh together with its ever popular festivals, Princes Street shopping, the historic Castle and Holyrood Palace.

Florence, Italy

Undoubtedly one of Europe’s most impressively beautiful cities, Florence is served by Pisa Airport, some 50 miles (84 km) west of Florence. Rent a car at Pisa airport and you’ll be in position to explore Pisa’s leaning tower, majestic Florence and some of Europe’s most picturesque countryside, that of the majestically beautiful Tuscany. It therefore will not come as a huge surprise that Florence is high in the popularity stakes when considering European cities. Once you arrive at the city of Florence you will find that much of the centre of the city is pedestrianized thus preserving the many ancient statues and architectural treasures from the vibrations and pollution caused by hectic traffic. The complete lack of traffic overwhelms you with a sense of tranquility as you stroll from one monument to the next. You don’t have to stray too far before being hit by the evil, ear piercing roar of the scooter riders of Florence. Apart from the Ponte Vecchio all of the bridges into the centre of the city are noisy, polluted places, thus giving us a further reason to keep to the ancient alleyways and peaceful inner sanctums of Florence’s wonderful piazzas.

Tours, France

Tours is the perfect base for discovering France’s beautiful Loire valley and its majestic chateaux The perfect centre for exploring the Loire Valley famed for its serious array of palatial residences, Tours has quite a number of its own charms. Although the small airport is but a few miles out of town, you really need to rent a car in the Loire Valley to fully explore some of the most picturesque towns and villages in the whole of France. Along the banks of the River Loire between Sully-sur-Loire and Chalonnes, a number of cultural treasures are presented for the visitor to enjoy. The Loire valley is a UNESCO World Heritage site and offers beautiful countryside, historic villages and lots of flamboyant castles. During the middle ages the Loire Valley was known as the “Retreat of Kings and was a firm favourite of the French royal family. Built originally as working fortified castles, the buildings were transformed into the palatial chaeaux that you can see today. The historic towns that line the river banks are a magnet to tourists from all over the world. Towns such as Tours, Blois and Chinon have so much to see and do whilst the most popular of all the chateaux is probably that on the estate of Chambord. Throughout the region you will discover small, family owned vineyards offering a variety of wonderful wines at budget prices. Look out for the word “degustation”, which means sampling I guess, and provided that ‘Le Patron’ is not in the middle of a long leisurely lunch you will be made very welcome and he will be more than willing to offer you a tasting of his complete selection of wines. Of course, it is vital that you take a tee-totaller as your chauffer, some of these tasting sessions can become extremely alcoholic!.

Technorati Tags: car hire, car rental, cheap flights, cities, Europe, European travel, Florence, France, Glasgow, Italy, Scotland, Tours

The islands of Hawaii have been a popular tourist destination for many years. One of the many reasons that Hawaii remains such a draw is that there are several islands to visit, each with their own unique attractions to offer. During this time of the year there are great prices on all inclusive Hawaii vacations to get you on one of these great islands. The best known of the Hawaiian Islands to tourists is Oahu; home of Honolulu and Pearl Harbor.
Hawaii’s Big Island contains the National Park and a spectacular view of the state’s volcanoes. For a more relaxed vacation, Molokai or Kauai are the islands to visit. If an extended vacation is in the cards for you, then you may want to visit each of the islands of Hawaii and enjoy what they have to offer.

Lets examine each island a bit more closely. The island of Oahu, for example, gives you some of the most famous beaches in the world. When you travel to the north side of the island you can watch the surfers strut there stuff at world famous surf spots like Wiamea Bay and Sunset Beach.  Every year the waves on this side of the island showcase the best surfing talent in the world not to mention some of the biggest waves. Dine on the sumptuous cuisine that only Hawaii provides at the many sea side restaurants. Taste poi for the first time or enjoy a delicious coconut pudding. Luaus on the beach with the native dancers can be found throughout the island. You can also visit the memorials at Pearl Harbor; it is a haunting reminder of those terrible hours in 1941 and can bring history to life like no other experience.

Because of its intense beauty the island of Kauai is called the Garden Island. On this island paradise a secluded waterfall in Hawaii will beckon you to swim in the crystal clear water. Wonderfully lush canyons with fragrant Plumeria trees await the adventurous hiker for exploration. Skim the sand and surf and experience breathtaking views like no others when you take a ride with one of the many helicopter tour companies on the island. With a little extra effort you can search out a quiet cove and have a romantic afternoon on the beach in your own little private beach. Yes Kauai is known for exceptional and unique beauty as well as experiences that can be found no where else. If you are a movie buff do some research and visit the many locations where your favorite movie has been filmed. Recent block busters such as Jurassic Park and Indiana Jones have been filmed here in addition to many other famous movies dating back to the 1930′s.

Molokai is known as the Friendly Island. Molokai is less developed than the rest of the state, allowing visitors to take in some traditional rural Hawaiian life. You can take mule rides to the north side of the island, which is the former site of a leper colony which is now a historical attraction. These mule rides offer an all-day trip which takes you from one side of the island to another, up and down 1,700 feet to the colony. You’ll be able to see the beautiful wild flora and fauna of Hawaii along the way – and see some ingenious traditional Hawaiian aquaculture for yourself; the island is working to restore traditional Hawaiian fish ponds.

Once you arrive in the Hawaiian Islands there are several sources of travel between the islands. There are airports that have hopper flights or you can use a water approach. You can find ferries that travel between the islands as a reasonable cost or you can board one hundred foot yachts that will deliver you to different islands in luxury.  The Molokai Princess is one such ship that runs from Maui to Molokai.

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You should plan your holiday trip in advance especially if you’re spending it abroad. Due to the fact that you’re visiting an unfamiliar place, it’s really important to research on the place, plan and be prepared. Deciding the right vacation destination, making booking in advance, writing your schedules are only a few months that you should remember in having your vacation trip. When you book your holiday packages in advance you can get great deals. Discounts, special offers and a lot of cheap packages are being offered by agencies so you will have plenty of options. However, this may not be the same in some cases. At times, when you’re so busy that you forget to make a travel booking in advance, you only settle for last minute travel deals. Through the growth of technology, the internet in particular, making online bookings for last minute travel package can be easy and there is a possibility that you can get a good price for that. Prices offered by travel agencies may differ and some people always avail of last minute deals before they make their flight booking. Nowadays, these deals are so common that some people usually opt to avail of last minute travel deals. You can avail of good rates as long as you research for it online. Travel agencies offer great packages for last minute travel deals through online booking. Make a booking first and let the travel agencies take care of the rest. Always plan your holidays especially if you’re traveling with your family or relatives. This requires more preparation so you should make reservations in advance and seek the help of your travel agents. Booking your holiday trip is very easy through the use of the internet. Online booking has no hassles and you still have the option of choosing affordable rates. For those fond of last minute bookings, you can use the internet. You can also search for last minute rates most of which are affordable, so you need to take advantage of it. Taking a holiday break can relieve us from all the stress and pressures in our work and everyday job, so we should plan and prepare.

Technorati Tags: cheap holidays, holiday package deals, last minute deals, package holidays, planning your holidays

Footage of a girl walking along the Canada coastline on a still day has been revealed to have been filmed in Northumberland, England.

The footage was part of a new promotional package that had been commissioned by the Alberta tourist board costing around $25m. It was intended to show the best features of the Alberta province in Canada and increase levels of Canada holidays in the region. However, when keen sailor Peter Bailey investigated the location as a possible site for spending time on his boat, he found out all was not as it seemed. He initially thought it was one of Canada’s many lakes but on closer inspection he discovered it was actually the North Sea. Confident that the middle of Alberta was at least 300 miles from the Pacific Ocean and 450 miles from the Atlantic Ocean, Bailey thought he should let the relevant people know.
When Peter approached the Northumberland Tourist Board they instantly saw the funny side of the matter. “ we think it’s quite humorous – the fact that Canadians want to present one of their landlocked areas as having a coastline” said Sheelagh Caygill. The majority of the people of Northumberland were more flattered than annoyed. Saying that it’s great that Canada views this part of the world beautiful enough to use as their own.

A rather more defensive response was given by Ottawa government when Bailey announced his findings to them. It was simply included to “symbolise the fact Albertans are a worldly people” claimed one spokesman.Tom Olson who looks after media relations for the Prime Minister suggested “There’s no attempt to mislead here. The images were utilised because they represented the tone and mood that we were after.”

Rather than remove the footage from videos sent out since the discovery, they have opted to simply include a credits section that thanks the English Tourist Board. The embarrassment caused to the travel board in Canada has led them to go over past video releases to check for continuity. Among other promotional sets that Canada has recently released include one showing Alaskan cruises therefore there will surely be people keeping an sharp eye out for passing flamingos in the Alaskan cruises footage