My friends are so glad they went to Disney World 3 weeks ago and didn’t wait until now to go. I don’t know what the terms and conditions are on tickets purchased when a hurricane is on the way. Do you lose the money you invested?
Hurricane season begins on June 1 and lasts until November 30 each year, right in the center of one of the most popular travel seasons for families planning a vacation to Orlando.
Many attractions are closed today (Tuesday, August 19):
* Busch Gardens and Adventure Island in Tampa
* Kennedy Space Center and Visitor Complex
* Miami Seaquarium
* Miami Art Museum
* Historical Museum of Southern Florida in Miami
* Museum of Contemporary Art in Miami
* Museum of Discovery and Science in Fort Lauderdale
* Dry Tortugas National Park
* Everglades National Park
* Biscayne National Park
Beginning early this morning, visitors to the Florida Keys were asked to evacuate the islands. Shelters for residents will begin opening at 7:00 p.m. this evening.
Residents and visitors should continue to monitor local news for additional storm information and closings.
I am in awe of the people who have traveled to China to watch the Olympics. I am afraid to travel in communist countries. Yep, I have a fear of stepping on a crack and being thrown into a jail, never to be seen again. Having said that, I would like to travel. I want to go to Pembrokeshire, UK. I have never been to that area of our world. It looks fabulous. Lusciously green and old with history. I want to explore and take a short break Wales style. 
Celtic Haven offers a wide array of beautiful, romantic getaway spots in Tenby and Pembrokeshire. Celtic Haven is a privately owned, family business. I can appreciate that. We have owned our business for over 30 years as has the Celtic Haven family. Their properties are designed to provide an amazing holiday experience, whether you chose to stay in any of their coastal cottages or range of apartments. Once you stay, you become friends.
I am ready to go! Pembrokeshire is located on the coastline and is a protected seabird breeding area. Almost all of the coast is included in the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park. The coast intriques me as well as the Pembroke castle. The castle dates back to the 13th century. Tours are offered!
Do you feel safe when you travel? I saw a commercial for a documentary that told of people who were arrested in foreign countries. That is my greatest fear, being arrested for stepping on a crack in the sidewalk, thrown in jail never to be seen again. I will not be watching that documentary!
On a serious note, it is important to protect our belongings at all times but especially when traveling. We become engrossed with our new surroundings and don’t always pay attention when we are traveling. Thieves prey on travelers. While visiting theme parks, zoos, resort areas and other travel destinations, we need to guard our personal items. Having your wallet stolen while on vacation can ruin your whole trip. On top of the inconvenience caused by having no identification and credit cards, your identity is at risk. Identity theft is the fastest growing crime in the U.S. with over 9 million victims each year. When my son lost his wallet a few months ago he went through so much hassle replacing his driver’s license, college ID cards and credit cards. That was not what worried me about the missing wallet. I feared it had been stolen and someone would soon be using his identity for who knows what. It is worth the small amount of time it takes to sign up with Life Lock, the industry leader in proactive identity theft protection. Relax, enjoy your vacation and be proactive about your identity. When you take steps to prevent identity theft you can be proactive instead of reactive. Happy traveling…..
I was checking some information on my daughter’s flight and decided to see what the airlines she chose was charging for bags. Many of the airlines are charging to check a bag. The following is what I found for Air Tran.
Baggage Allowance:
1 checked bag: weight: 50 lbs. or less;
dimensions: 61 inches or smaller Free
2nd checked bag: weight: 50 lbs. or less;
dimensions: 61 inches or smaller $10 through online check-in $20 at airport kiosks and ticket counter
Excess baggage (more than 2 bags) $50
Overweight baggage:
51-70 pounds $29
71-100 pounds $69
Oversized baggage:
62 to 70 inches $29
71 to 80 inches $69
It just about makes me want to stay home!
I am so slow in telling about our visit to Pigeon Forge last month. We had a wonderful trip. We stayed in a log cabin that had four bedrooms and three baths. The living room area was a little bit scrunched when we were all in there but I think that part of the problem was all the sewing machines we had set up in the kitchen area. No one could eat at the table and were balancing their plates on their knees while sitting where they could find a spot in the living room. It was a bit hot to sit out on the front porch. We did sit out there in the morning when we drank our coffee.
I look forward to going on vacation don’t you? I use it as an opportunity to SHOP! I love to shop while on vacation because we set aside money to use specifically for that purpose. I don’t feel a bit of guilt while shopping on vacation. Well, not much guilt. Not only do I enjoy shopping while on vacation, I enjoy shopping for things to wear and use while on vacation. It is a great time to get new, non-faded beach towels and a new swimsuit that doesn’t scare the fish.
I’ll bet that when you hear the name Travelocity you think of a great website to find inexpensive airline tickets. Well, that is true. They have the best prices. You can find great coupon codes to use for purchases at Travelocity by going to www.savings.com and search for Travelocity promotional codes. Be prepared to save loads of money on your next vacation package. You will love the savings on last minute deals. Who doesn’t need time away from all the stress in our lives? Now you can get a deal on those last minute tickets you thought would cost an arm and a leg. Savings.com is the place to start when you want to save money.
I just wanted to let my mom and everyone in the family know that Greg made it home from camp. He looks good. He was a camp counselor at a history camp through the college he attends. Inner-urban teenagers were able to attend this wonderful camp. Although it was disorganized at the beginning, things were worked out and they had a wonderful time. They traveled to Springfield, Illinois on a huge charter bus. The air conditioning went out an hour into the trip. Something was wrong with the electrical so they had no movies to watch. That is not good with a huge group of teenagers. Greg said they got them involved in singing. For some reason, that cracks me up.
The bus was fixed and they made it to Springfield where they visited the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum. Greg said he enjoyed the visit although the management dropped the ball when making the event interesting. They gave no information about the many statues in the building. There were other things that they could have explained. I thought they could have at least had a brochure that told about Lincoln’s tomb and the other members of the family buried there.
I’m sure that Greg will be telling about his adventurous two weeks at camp after he gets rested up a bit.
I am so glad I started this travel blog. I am keeping track of all the places we visit and so I don’t worry about remembering specific things we did. Blogging led me to a wonderful online site that I use faithfully. Trusted Tours & Attractions online is my guide for travel. I used to keep a box of brochures from places we visited so that I had a reference. While in Tennessee last week, we went white water rafting. I loved how we were treated by all the employees of the rafting business. They were awesome. I only need to check this blog to get information to call them again. I check the Trusted Tours & Attractions online website to find out new things to do. My box contained information for the Metropolitan museum of art, the Cincinnati Zoo and a ton of quilt shops. I avoided that box! It was an unorganized mess.
All my brochures from my trip to Las Vegas last year can be tossed! I have everything written down here in my blog. I talked about seeing Elvis and how he was flirting with Marilyn Monroe. I posted pictures of the beautiful fountain in front of Caesar’s Palace. The water danced to music that made me think of Frank Sinatra. I took so many pictures of the new Wynns hotel and posted them all. Blogging is so much easier than finding brochures. Recounting all these memories makes me want to go back.
Trusted Tours & Attractions online travel guides are full of information for things we have yet to see. I want to check out Hoover Dam and see the Grand Canyon. If it weren’t for Trusted Tours & Attractions online, I would have never known there were Old Town Trolley Tours available in Las Vegas. I also found out another fun thing through Trusted Tours & Attractions online. I can order tickets through Trusted Tours to visit Madame Tussauds Wax Museum. No waiting in line for me! I never vacation without first checking out our destination on the Trusted Tours & Attractions online website.
The newsletter that I receive from Trusted Tours is chocked full of information. You should head right over to the newsletter sign up page at Trusted Tours & Attractions online because, if you sign up now, you might win a $150 iTunes gift card.
We had such a great time while on vacation. I want to describe everything but we did so much that I don’t know where to start! Perhaps the beginning would be good.
When we arrived in Tennessee, it was early in the afternoon. We had planned to get a hotel room and join the family the next day. The thought of our daughter being only 2 hours away changed our minds. We traveled on to our nephew’s home where our daughter had arrived the evening before. She worked the night shift the previous evening and instead of going to bed, she jumped in her truck and hit the road. I know how she felt. I can hardly wait to hit the road when it is vacation time.
We arrived at my nephew’s home and were greeted by his wife and their almost 2 year old. We had a great time getting reacquainted. Myli, the baby, is a bit shy at first but it didn’t take her long to start showing us all of her toys. She had my Aunt Grace reading a book to her in no time. What a cutie.
We had a great time selling our things at the flea market in Knoxville. It was not that far from our cabin in Pigeon Forge but it took an hour to get there. The traffic in Pigeon Forge is horrible. The cars are bumper to bumper as they inch through the main part of town. I don’t know how people live without air conditioning these days. The temperature was in the 90’s but we never really thought about it being miserable. We had the luxury of being in the air conditioning most of the time. If your auto’s air conditioning compressor were to go out, there is a great place to purchase discounted air condition parts. Check out www.discountacparts.com to upgrade your auto air conditioning so that it runs efficiently. You would be amazed how much gas you can save by having a quality upgraded air conditioning system in your car. Discount AC Parts.com has parts for all models of autos so be sure to check them out.
