We all know someone like my friend Carol. She has done fairly well for herself and holds down a reasonable job. She works as a primary school teacher here in the U.K. but quite frankly her salary is nothing to write home about. Yet, (and this is the amazing thing), Carol always seems to be able to take the most remarkable holidays outside of term time. Amongst our group of friends she is known as the “supremo of cheap last minute foreign holidays” as she always seems to be away on some Caribbean cruise or safari in Africa. One of her cheap vacations last year wasn’t quite so glamorous - she visited Argentina and stayed in some metal shack type accommodation, but when you are literally booking holidays at the last second you have to be prepared to take the rough with the smooth sometimes.
All in all, I know that Carol has had some great experiences and doesn’t regret any of the holidays she has taken. She is the most travelled person I know, which can only enrich the lives of the children she teaches. A couple of months I invited Carol over to my house for dinner with an ulterior motive in mind. I had been curious about her ability to find the low-cost holidays for some time and finally my inquisitiveness had got the better of me. The moment I had served dinner I decided to ask her outright how she managed to afford so many wonderful exotic holidays each year. She stared back at me for a moment, with a somewhat perplexed look on her faced as if I was trying to pry into her soul for some dark secret she was keeping, then she merely gave the answer that I had been expecting all along. She told me she used websites like lastminute.com to source the best holiday at the best price. However there was more to it that this – to Carol what had started as a bit of fun had now become a regular pastime. Carol admitted that she spent a lot of her free time searching out the best deals.
Part of the reason for me asking the question of Carol was that I had a holiday planned and needed to find a cheap vacation myself. When I asked for her best tips she really surprised me. From what little she had told me so far that her methods I assumed Carol found all of her low cost holidays by searching the Internet. But this was not the case. It transpired that Carol had many contacts in the travel industry itself, and could receive a call from personal call from any one of them at any time with an offer of holiday a discounted price. Because they had known Carol for a long time, they were familiar with her requirements exactly, they were well aware of her personal situation in terms of here availability i.e. when she did not work and the fact that she would be willing to travel at a moments notice Because of Carol’s availability and willingness to travel, this made her a very good contact to have for the travel agents and this was reciprocated by the agents in that Carol’s was able to get some of the very best deals available.
Conclusion
If you are looking for cheap last minute foreign holidays and cheap vacations, keep a close eye on site like last minute.com. That said, it is equally important to develop a close relationship with you local travel agent, making then aware of you exact requirements in terms of location and price and contact them often.
Author : Peter Craske
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Top Ten Places To Visit In Egypt
There’s no other place in the world that holds more mystery than the country of Egypt. The smell of the mysticism of the ancient Egyptians still lingers over the place. This ancient atmosphere seems to fill its every nook and cranny with secrets yet untold.
1. Pyramids of Giza
And perhaps there is nothing more mysterious, and more worthy of seeing in Egypt than the esteemed Great Pyramids of Giza. These are the pyramids of Khufu, Kafhre, and Menkaura. These perfectly shaped structures leaves everyone in awe and in wonder about how exactly they were made, considering that the ancient Egyptians had no advanced technology to work with.
2. Sphinx
And of course, if you’re going to go to the Great Pyramids, then you might as well go to the Sphinx. This is one of the most mysterious structures in Egypt. Even now, archeologists are still arguing about its origin and its purpose, making it the subject of the famous phrase, “the Riddle of the Sphinx.”
3. Abu Simbel
These two temples were built by Pharaoh Ramesses II to commemorate himself and his wife, Nefertari. It’s a breathtaking place, and its temples are hailed as one of the most beautiful in Egypt. What’s even more interesting about the Abu Simbel is the amount of effort put into relocating and preserving it.
4. Cairo
And of course, if you really want to immerse yourself in Egyptian culture, it would be best for you to go to the capital city, Cairo. The place is teeming with bazaars and restaurants where you can buy your taste of Egyptian culture. It’s surely not a place to miss.
5. Temples of Karnak
What better way to experience ancient Egypt than to visit the very place where they worshipped their gods. The Temples of Karnak is the biggest site for Egyptian worship. It has a monument to just about every god in the Theban religion.
6. The Nile River
And of course, you can’t miss out on the famous Nile River. It is, after all, what nourished Egypt and turned it into the place of wonder that it is. In fact, what’s great about visiting the Nile is that you can take a Felucca and sail down the legendary river, taking in the sights of the city and the sunset.
7. Valley of the Kings
The Valley of the Kings or Biban El Moluk is the place where Egypt’s most esteemed pharaohs were buried. This place is teeming with mummies and undiscovered treasures. In fact, this is the place where archeologists found one of the most famous mummies of all time – Tutankhamun.
8. Egyptian Museum
Of course, since it would be unwise to leave the Egyptian treasures in the tombs they were found in, the archeologists put them in the Egyptian museum where they would be put under high security. If you want to learn about Egypt, this is the best place to start. There’s no other place with a higher concentration of Egyptian artifacts, and you can even follow the tour so that you can be oriented with the history of each of the artifacts.
9. Siwa Oasis
Egypt isn’t all about temples and pyramids, there’s a place where you can just let loose and have fun – the Siwa Oasis. Here, you can take a swim in the cool waters to ward off the desert heat. It is rumored that Alexander stopped here during his great conquest.
10. Necropolis of Sakkarah
And indeed, you can’t miss something as intriguing as a ‘Necropolis’ or, if translated, a City of the Dead. Here, you will find the less popular pyramids of Egypt, the step pyramids. However, though they are less popular than the great pyramids, they’re still suffused with great history and culture.
Author : Jonathan Williams (www.destinationguide.tv/egypt)
1. Pyramids of Giza
And perhaps there is nothing more mysterious, and more worthy of seeing in Egypt than the esteemed Great Pyramids of Giza. These are the pyramids of Khufu, Kafhre, and Menkaura. These perfectly shaped structures leaves everyone in awe and in wonder about how exactly they were made, considering that the ancient Egyptians had no advanced technology to work with.
2. Sphinx
And of course, if you’re going to go to the Great Pyramids, then you might as well go to the Sphinx. This is one of the most mysterious structures in Egypt. Even now, archeologists are still arguing about its origin and its purpose, making it the subject of the famous phrase, “the Riddle of the Sphinx.”
3. Abu Simbel
These two temples were built by Pharaoh Ramesses II to commemorate himself and his wife, Nefertari. It’s a breathtaking place, and its temples are hailed as one of the most beautiful in Egypt. What’s even more interesting about the Abu Simbel is the amount of effort put into relocating and preserving it.
4. Cairo
And of course, if you really want to immerse yourself in Egyptian culture, it would be best for you to go to the capital city, Cairo. The place is teeming with bazaars and restaurants where you can buy your taste of Egyptian culture. It’s surely not a place to miss.
5. Temples of Karnak
What better way to experience ancient Egypt than to visit the very place where they worshipped their gods. The Temples of Karnak is the biggest site for Egyptian worship. It has a monument to just about every god in the Theban religion.
6. The Nile River
And of course, you can’t miss out on the famous Nile River. It is, after all, what nourished Egypt and turned it into the place of wonder that it is. In fact, what’s great about visiting the Nile is that you can take a Felucca and sail down the legendary river, taking in the sights of the city and the sunset.
7. Valley of the Kings
The Valley of the Kings or Biban El Moluk is the place where Egypt’s most esteemed pharaohs were buried. This place is teeming with mummies and undiscovered treasures. In fact, this is the place where archeologists found one of the most famous mummies of all time – Tutankhamun.
8. Egyptian Museum
Of course, since it would be unwise to leave the Egyptian treasures in the tombs they were found in, the archeologists put them in the Egyptian museum where they would be put under high security. If you want to learn about Egypt, this is the best place to start. There’s no other place with a higher concentration of Egyptian artifacts, and you can even follow the tour so that you can be oriented with the history of each of the artifacts.
9. Siwa Oasis
Egypt isn’t all about temples and pyramids, there’s a place where you can just let loose and have fun – the Siwa Oasis. Here, you can take a swim in the cool waters to ward off the desert heat. It is rumored that Alexander stopped here during his great conquest.
10. Necropolis of Sakkarah
And indeed, you can’t miss something as intriguing as a ‘Necropolis’ or, if translated, a City of the Dead. Here, you will find the less popular pyramids of Egypt, the step pyramids. However, though they are less popular than the great pyramids, they’re still suffused with great history and culture.
Author : Jonathan Williams (www.destinationguide.tv/egypt)
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