My Travel Blog Site

In today’s tourism industry massive changes are taking place that are shaping the opportunities available for travelers. In many ways, companies are working to create travel experiences that are both lasting and memorable for the traveler, as well as positive for those who live in area being visited. With the increasingly globalized cultures developing in the world now, these changes are helping make the world a better place regardless of the nationalities of those involved.

In the past, most of those embarking on holidays may have visited a variety of destinations that gave the family a chance to mix and mingle with those who they might otherwise not have met before, but with responsible tourism these holidays are taking on a new dimension. As tourism companies set out to better the conditions of those places that they bring their customers, tourists themselves begin to get a deeper experience that is less about the brief and superficial encounters with local people and more about a mutual exchange that benefits both parties. The tourists get a chance to experience a different place and way of life, while those hosting them have economic activities to help them earn a better living without disrupting their desired lifestyles.

Those looking for family holidays to cherish will appreciate the sense of good will that a responsible and ecologically sound holiday plan can offer. The future of travel-based leisure looks strong as companies, holiday-goers and local cultures all stand to benefit from this improved approach to tourism.

While the hospitality industry has been a mainstay in the UK for some time now, quantity does not exactly equate to quality according to surveys taken recently of those who have taken professionally arranged holidays. While there are structures in place by which consumers can lodge holiday complaints, many in the UK are unaware of how to do this and there is some suggestion that the nation’s culture itself does not support a complaining attitude. Hospitality industry watchdogs and consumer advocate groups are, however, encouraging Britons to come forward when they experience illness or negative travel experiences because the few who speak out tend to represent many more who remain silent about the same experiences.

Without evidence, many travelers find that their complaints go either unanswered or disputed. This is why legal experts are advising the public to do their best to record incidents of unfit hotel rooms or other severe issues that arise over the course of a holiday. Video or photographs can help holidaymakers in their quest to be compensated for unsatisfactory holiday experiences and are a crucial part of the legal process. Even if it turns out that there is no need for a case in course, experts advise that having such evidence in a traveler’s possession gives them an added edge at the bargaining table. This can make the difference between being fairly compensated for a legitimate complaint and receiving a list of excuses as to why the company in charge can do nothing about the issue. Experts hope that holidaymakers who have a negative experience will continue to register complaints so that the hospitality industry can continue to improve.

Due to the current economic conditions, many in the UK are seeking out holidays which are reduced in price to better fit their financial means while still offering the comforts they expect in a holiday experience. This has given rise to a sector within the travel and hospitality industries that caters directly to consumers looking for a holiday that has a lower cost. Chalets, cottages and villas have opened up to specialize in offering the comforts of home to those who wish to get away from home. There are also RV and mobile home alternatives that are fast becoming hot alternatives for those who do not want to go on a cruise or other holiday where they receive tours or stay in a traditional hotel. This expansion of options is luring those who might otherwise have stayed home on holiday out into a more memorable experience, according to those in the industry.

These new budget friendly escapes have led an increasing number of holidaymakers to consider self catering holidays where they have greater control over the meal plan. Many of those surveyed have reported this approach has saved them money and allowed them to be away from home for longer periods of time than they otherwise would have been able to afford. As the industry adjusts to changing expectations from customers, hotel and resort chains are expected to respond with their own more cost effective solutions that provide an equally low cost alternative for holidaymakers on a budget. Until that time, simple escapes such as camping trips, cottages and RV holidays are making a big comeback in the UK.

Lisbon is the capital city of Portugal. Lisbon has a mild climate and is located by the side of the Ocean over 7 hills. Lisbon offers visitors a unique mix of history, culture and entertainment.

There are many places to see in Lisbon. The neighborhood of Belém is a good place to start. This area has many monuments worth visiting, such as the Tower of Belém  (Torre de Belém), the monument of the discoveries (Padrão dos Descobrimentos) and the Jeronimos monastery where the tomb of the famous explorer Vasco da Gama is located. Another must-visit in Belem is the cafe Antiga Confeitaria de Belem, where tasty and extremely popular custard tarts (Pasteis de Belém) are served.

Museums are a favourite destination of many tourists to Lisbon. Popular museums in Lisbon include the Tile Museum which features a large collection of beautiful ceramic tiles (Azulejo), the Calouste Gulbenkian Museum featuring a collection of international art and Egyptian artifacts, the National Coach Museum that exhibits royal coaches and vehicles, the Marionette Museum that has puppets from around the world and frequent puppet shows, and the Maritime museum that exhibits model ships, maps and other objects from Portugal’s long marine tradition. There are also two famous art museums in Lisbon, the Berardo museum with a large collection of modern art and the Ancient Art Museum which features paintings and art from the 14th century onwards.

The neighbourhood of Bairro alto is the centre of entertainment and nightlife in Lisbon. A large number of clubs and bars are located here including a number of Fado restaurants. Fado is a portugese genre of music known for its sad tones and lyrics. Fado restaurants allow visitors to experience fado performed live by performers. The nearby Chiado area is a trendy shopping district which has many cafés, including the well known “A Brasileira” cafe which features a statue of Fernando Pessoa, famous portugese poet. At Chiado’s cafés, one can enjoy “Bica’, Portuguese strong black coffee.

Lisbon’s transportation system holds many surprises. Visitors can see and ride 1930’s trams and funiculars. While the Lisbon subway system is decorated throughout by tile paintings and murals.

Other places that visitors to Lisbon must visit are “Cristo Rei”, a statue of Christ about 90 metres tall that stands in nearby Almada and the St. George’s Castle, a medieval castle on a hill that offers great views of Lisbon. Those who love nature and animals will want to visit the Monsanto Forest Park, the Lisbon Oceanarium which features marine creatures from around the world and the Lisbon zoo (Jardim Zoológico). Lastly, shopping enthusiasts will certainly like the open air market Feira da Ladra in Alfama district of Lisbon, where one can buy antiques, pottery, books, toys, clothes at low prices.

The region of Tuscany is situated in the southwest coast of Italy. Tuscany is rich in art and culture, being the birthplace of the renaissance movement and great men like Galileo, Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo. Of all the tourist attractions in Tuscany, one of the best known is the leaning tower of Pisa. One of the seven wonders of the medieval world, the tower is situated in the province of Pisa in Tuscany. Another major tourist attraction is the Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore or The Duomo of Florence, which is a historic cathedral situated in Florence, the capital of Tuscany.

Art enthusiasts can see many famous paintings, sculptures and frescoes in various museums across Tuscany. Florence features three popular museums, the Uffizi museum which exhibits many works of art from the renaissance period by Leonardo Da Vinci, Michelangelo and Botticelli. The Bargello museum features many sculptures including those by Donatello, while the Galleria dell’Accademia features works from Botticelli, Giambolagna and Michelangelo - Including his world famous sculpture “David”. Tuscany also has many castles such as the Forte di Belvedere in Florence.

Apart from these venues, there are many other places to visit in Tuscany, such as the beaches of Viareggio, Punta Ala and Elba and the various fairs and outdoor markets that are held periodically in Florence, Arezzo, Lucca and other cities around Tuscany. If you are a visitor who likes peace and quiet or nature, Tuscany has vast expanses of countryside, lush hills and many nature reserves and parks. Other things to do in Tuscany include skiing in the Abetone ski resort, hot air ballooning or visiting one of the many thermal spas. Those interested in food and drink can taste Tuscan food or one of Tuscany’s well known wines, which include the red wines Chianti and Brunello di Montalcino and the white wines Vernaccia di San Gimignano  and Vin Santo.

Munich is the capital of the state of Bavaria in southeast Germany. It is famous for Oktoberfest, a large 16 day public festival that is held in September and early October. At Oktoberfest, people from around the world come to enjoy beers from around Munich and a variety of Bavarian food. Apart from Oktoberfest, the city has many breweries, beer halls and beer gardens (Open air locations where beer is served) and is a popular destination for beer lovers, earning it the moniker “Beer capital of the world”. Hofbrauhaus, an old beer hall and restaurant is one of the most popular and well known of Munich’s beer halls.

In the centre of Munich is the plaza “Marienplatz”, which is a good place to start a tour of Munich from. Marienplatz features great architecture and many notable buildings and churches including the old and new city halls (Altes and Neues Rathaus), a golden statue of the virgin Mary (Mariensaule), and the churches Frauenkirche and St Peter’s church (Peterskirche). The glockenspiel or carillon in the tower of the new city hall is one of the major tourist attractions in Munich. At 11 a.m everyday (And 12 p.m and 5 p.m in summertime), carillon music plays and various figures in the carillon move and dance. A short distance from Marienplatz is the Englischer Garten, a large public park with a lake.

There are many museums in Munich. These include the Deutsches Museum, a science and technology museum with a wide variety of interactive exhibits and also an underground mining exhibit, and many art museums that exhibit art, paintings and sculptures both historical and modern such as the Bavarian National Museum, the Haus der Kunst and three Pinakothek museums (Alte Pinakothek, Neues Pinakothek and Pinakothek der Moderne).

There are many other activities that visitors to Munich can engage in. Those interested in skiing and snowboarding can visit one of the many ski areas around Munich on the Bavarian alps, while Sports fans can visit both the Allianz arena, which is home to the famous Bayern Munich soccer team and also the famous Olympic stadium (Olympiastadion). For those interested in ballet and opera, the National theatre of Munich, the Prinzregententheater and the Residenz theater offer performances around the year. Shopping enthusiasts can go to either the Olympic shopping mall where clothing, food and books are available or the well known Viktualienmarkt where a large variety of food and drinks are sold. Finally those interested in cycling around Munich can get a guided bike tour from Mike’s Bike tours.

While at Munich, one can also visit many castles and palaces. Castle Neuschwanstein, a fairy-tale castle in a beautiful setting is extremely popular and gets over a million visitors every year. Castle Neuschwanstein is situated about 130km from Munich near the village of Schwangau. In Munich proper, there is the Nymphenburg palace and the surrounding gardens (Hofgarten), which are major tourist attractions. The Nymphenburg palace features great architecture as well as many beautiful frescoes and decorations. Another highly visited palace in Munich is the Residenz where treasures and other items of historical Bavarian royalty are displayed. Other famous palaces near Munich include the old Schleissheim Palace, the new Schleissheim palace and the palace of Lustheim.

So while Munich will always be known for it’s beer festival, the city has much more to offer the visitor.

Oslo is the capital city of Norway. Any visitor to Oslo has the opportunity to see many museums and engage in many outdoor activities, whether in water, snow or forests.

Many of Oslo’s famous museums have sea related exhibits, such as the  Viking Ship Museum which features many ships of the vikings, the Norwegian Maritime Museum which exhibits ship models and maritime paintings, the Kon-Tiki museum and the Fram museum. But there are also others such as the Munch Museum which features works of the famous Norwegian painter Edvard Munch, the Norwegian Folk Museum and the National Gallery art museum. Two military museums are located at another landmark in Norway, the Akershus fortress. While visiting this medieval castle, one can also visit the nearby Armed Forces Museum which displays military equipment and the Norwegian Resistance Museum that features world war II exhibits. Oslo is also home to the Nobel Peace Center, where one can learn about the various Nobel peace prize winners. The city hall is Oslo is where the Nobel peace prize is awarded every December.

Oslo also has many parks that are popular with tourists. One of the most famous is the Vigeland sculpture park which gets over a million visitors every year. The park features many sculptures by sculptor Gustav Vigeland. Other notable parks in Oslo include St.Hanshaugen, Slottsparken and Toyen park.

Opportunities for outdoor activities abound in Oslo. The area of Holmenkollen in Oslo offers opportunities for skiing, sleighing and hiking. There is also a ski museum located here. While the Oslofjord, a bay near Oslo is great for  boating, swimming, windsurfing, fishing and other water sports.  Oslo also has many nearby forests and outdoor recreation areas such as the Oslomarka forest that are suitable for jogging, hiking and cycling. The beaches such as the Huk beach and the Paradisbukta beach, and the many islands in the bay of Oslofjord such as Hovedøya and Gressholmen are also popular with visitors.

When not engaged in outdoor activities, visitors to Oslo may enjoy opera performances at the Oslo opera house, which is also known for its architecture. Soccer fans can watch the Norway Cup, one of the largest international soccer tournaments for the youth that is held in Oslo. For those interested in shopping or seafood, the harbour area of Aker Brygge with it’s many shops and restaurants is worth a visit. Though prices are high, the area has a good atmosphere and is popular with tourists and the rich.

The island nation of Maldives, situated in the Indian ocean southwest of Sri Lanka, is a popular place with people looking for a tropical vacation. Maldives is best known for it’s great beaches and expansive blue oceans and lagoons.

Tourist resorts abound throughout the Maldives and most possess diving schools, which teach people to scuba dive. Although the native language of the Maldives is Dhivehi, most natives speak and understand English. Maldives has a cuisine that chiefly consists of fish such as tuna and other seafood such as crabs, lobsters and cuttlefish. Maldivian cuisine is one influenced by the cuisines of nearby countries such as India and Sri Lanka.

The Maldives is a great destination for those looking to engage in water sports like surfing and water skiing, and underwater explorations. The country has large expanses of coral gardens teeming with all kinds of colourful underwater creatures. The clean blue waters and plentiful underwater life make the islands great for scuba diving, snorkeling or even plain swimming. Another great way to spend time is by going on a fishing trip. Resorts often organize fishing trips at both night and day. One can also go on a boat trip to watch whales and dolphins out in the ocean.

Male is the capital of the Maldives and has many places which are popular tourist destinations. These include the national museum, which showcases items of historical significance and objects used by royalty. Two mosques in Male are also great places to visit due to their beautiful architecture, these being the Hukuru Miskiiy mosque and the Grand Friday Mosque. The street of Majeedhee Magu in Male is great for general shopping, while those who want souvenirs to take back will enjoy the street of Chaandanee Magu. The local market and fish market in Male are also worth visiting.