Tip Hill Travel Blog

medellin, colombia

Traveling to Medellin on March, July, and December is a good idea for tourists who want to celebrate three of the city’s biggest events. In these months, Medellin celebrates the Holy Week, the International Poetry Festival, and Colombia Festival de Cinema.

Holy Week or Semana Santa is one of the biggest events in Colombia and across Latin America. It is a purely Catholic celebration to remember Jesus Christ, his crucifixion, and his resurrection. Holy Week also celebrates the end of Lent Season. Holy Week in Medellin takes place on Saturdays between March and April. The entire event lasts for six weeks and tourists can watch religious displays of devotion at the La Macarena Stadium. If you arrive to early in Medellin, sometime between January and February, La Macarena Stadium is the venue of the Festival of the Bulls.

July is another great month to travel to Medellin because it’s when the International Poetry Festival takes place. During this event, hundreds of poets from different continents travel the world and gather at Medellin’s University of Antioquia. There, they do poem recitals which many tourists and locals look forward to. Aside from the University of Antioquia, poem recitals also take place at different venues throughout Medellin.

On December, one of the best things to do in Medellin is see Los Alumbrados de Navidad or the Festival of Christmas Lights. This event lasts until January and showcases statues made of Christmas lights put on display all over the city. The best light displays are those in Rio Medellin. Another event which takes place on Medellin every December is the Colombia Festival de Cinema or the Colombian Film Festival. The Colombian Film Festival is held at the town of Santa Fe de Antioquia. During the film festival, you can also tour the town and see its colonial architecture and cobblestone streets.

Hawaii travel inventory, Hawaii travel consolidators, Hawaii travel wholesaler

Pan Tours was founded in 1978 by industry veteran, Jack Tsui, and resells Hawaii travel inventory to various travel agencies throughout the Aloha State as well as on the US west coast. Today, Pan Tours has grown to become the largest Hawaii travel wholesaler of flights to, from and within the state, hotel room inventory from virtually all of the properties on all of the islands as well as rental cars from Hertz, Dollar and Alamo. 

Pan Tours offers the innovative AgentDirect product where other travel agencies can easily access its comprehensive suite of Hawaii travel inventory on an online basis.  Among other things, the AgentDirect product offers agencies the ability to change markups and enables packaging of various travel components by agents. Pan Tours is one of the leading Hawaii travel consolidators in the State, not only because of its competitive pricing, but also because it uses the latest in online technologies to make its inventory readily accessible to any agency that has access to the Internet.

Pan Tours is part of the Panda Group family of companies and is proudly supported by a large staff of experienced and motivated employees that has now ticketed more than several million satisfied customers.  Other entities in the Panda Group family of companies include Panda Travel and Pali Tours and Travel.  Panda Travel is Hawaii’s largest travel agency and operates a number of successful travel websites.  Pali Tours and Travel is Hawaii’s leader in travel to Asia and regularly schedules personalized tours to China and the rest of Asia. 

Because of their tremendous buying power, track record of the past 33 years and strong relationship with local travel suppliers, the Panda Group family of companies are able to consistently offer their customers the best prices for Hawaii travel.  So whether you a travel agency needing good prices on Hawaii travel inventory or if you are simply traveling for pleasure or business, you are sure to get the lowest possible rates when you purchase your travel from the Panda Group family of companies.

Cuba, travel, holidays, vacations, destinations, ideas, Caribbean

A holiday in the Caribbean is a wonderful idea, and my destination of choice in the Caribbean is Cuba. For long time under the radar, right now there are lots of Cuba holidays openly available in the internet or via travel agents. Cuba has lovely beaches and lots of sunshine as does all Caribbean islands. But Cuba has many unique attractions such as the genre of Salsa music known as “timba”. Soothing timba beats has its own trademark sounds due to its strong Afro-Cuban heritage and is very popular with holidaymakers who flood the island trying to learn the basic steps.

There’re other options apart from the obvious Varadero beach. Many tourists, including myself, who have been there, suggest spending a few days in Trinidad. This town is located in the Sancti Spiritus province of central Cuba. Since 1988 it has been a UNESCO World Heritage site along with the neighbouring “Valle de los Ingenios” (Engines Valley). Trinidad is a 500 year old city that was founded in 1514. The town is known for cobblestone streets, Spanish colonial architecture and beautiful plazas. You can even take a tour by horse-drawn carriage if you choose. I deeply recommend it.

Any Cuba holiday will be incomplete without a visit to the capital city of Havana. It is often characterized as three cities within one because of many differences among their largest neighbourhoods. These are “Vedado”, “Old Havana” and newer suburban districts like “Playa”. Vedado is a vibrant downtown neighbourhood in Havana with a number of historic sites and monuments. Of particular interest is the John Lennon Park with a life size sculpture of the Beatle sculpted by award winning Cuban artist Jose Villa Soberon. President Fidel Castro unveiled the statue on December 8, 2000, the 20th anniversary of his death. This is even more interesting because in the 1960s and 1970s Beatles’ music was frowned upon by Cuban authorities as a decadent influence from the West. At that time to hear the Beatles, tapes had to be smuggled into Cuba and the lights had to be off when you listened to them.

As another UNESCO World Heritage Site in Cuba, Old Havana cannot be missed when planning your trip. Be sure to explore the Malecon avenue running beside the seawall on the north shore with important monuments and buildings. The very impressive La Cabana fortress is found on Havana Bay’s eastern side. This 18th-century fortress was used as both a prison and as a military base, but now it is a portion of a historical park along with the nearby El Morro castle also on Havana bay. Every night you can hear a cannon shot rumble at 9 p.m. Soldiers dress in the attire of the era shoot the “gunshot of the nine.” This colonial custom signalled the closing of the city wall doors. This is a nice way to finish to great Cuba holidays, literarily finishing with a bang!

New York yacht charter, New York private cruises, New York yacht rental

There will likely be millions of people who will be watching the Olympics on the television in the summer of 2012, and it would seem that only a small part of the population on the planet will actually get to see the Olympics in person. Most of the hotel rooms, motel rooms and other types of lodging in London are already booked up for the Olympics and have been ever since the announcement was made that the next summer’s Olympics would be held in England. This has meant some people have needed to get quite creative in how they might attend and stay in the area.

One issue that some people who have gotten tickets to various events are having is the fact that they don’t have any place to stay and even budget motels outside of London are becoming hard to find and are almost impossible to rent. Although there are a few tickets left to actual events, the hotels and motels have sold out almost completely and were snatched up much more quickly than tickets.

But one interesting option for attendees of the Olympics who might otherwise not have a place to stay even though they have tickets to one of the events is to look into a New York yacht charter or a cruise ship that’s planning to dock in the area during the Olympics itself. Not only do ships often allow people to stay on board when they are docked for a few days in a particular port, but London is a city that is close to the ocean and this means that accessing the Olympic Games from a ship is not that hard.

expatriate living, world travels, work while traveling

Guanajuato, Mexico Provides Everything an Expatriate Living in Mexico Wants, Say the Spokespersons of White Collar Vagabond

December 21, 2011 – For the expatriate living away from the United States, life in Guanajuato, Mexico can provide him with everything he needs or desires, including opportunities to expand language learning at the University of Guanajuato. Citizens of Guanajuato primarily speak Spanish, so expatriates need to learn the language. In addition to Spanish classes, the university provides several activities in which students and visitors can participate.

Expatriates who wish to work while traveling the world can find employment in Guanajuato. As an example, one expatriate works as a real estate buyers’ representative, finding apartments and homes and placing people new to the city in these homes.

The cost of living in Guanajuato is low. Visitors choosing to live in the city can take advantage of supermarket prices that are about 30 percent lower than those charged in the U.S. For instance, one kilo, or 2.2 lbs., of strawberries can cost about $1.20. A typical restaurant meal may cost approximately $10, with a fixed-price (comidas corridas) lunch starting at about $4.

For those whose world travels have exposed them to cultural events in other countries, Guanajuato’s musical offerings include a Mexican orchestra, concerts and film festivals. Ticket prices are affordable, running about $10 per person.

Guanajuato offers a rich cultural life to new residents. From bands playing in the gazebo to street mimes performing near the Teatro Juarez, opportunities for entertainment abound. For little more than the price of a cup of coffee, people can watch and hear the entertainment from a terrace cafe located nearby. The International Cervantes Festival is a well-known arts festival located in Guanajuato.

Visit http://www.whitecollarvagabond.com for more information.

Press release optimization services provided by Atlanta SEO Company Vayu Media. Vayu Media offers customized search engine optimization strategies to domestic and international companies.

holiday rentals, vacation rentals, marketing vacation rentals

We have only one chance of making a good first impression to our guests, a wonderful welcome means a comfortable and enjoyable stay. Remember that many of your guests might arrive late or may have had a lengthy journey, so consider providing the following:

Upon arrival, your guests will need a few basic groceries, such as tea, coffee, milk, bread and fruit that will allow them to make a drink or have a snack, or start their first morning with a light breakfast.
If the region is noted for a particular type of produce, you may want to include a sample. For example if you are letting a holiday cottage in Cornwall, a great idea would be to include some clotted cream, jam and scones. Be creative, be different and be generous – all three will be appreciated and lead not just to more repeat bookings but also personal recommendations, the best form of advertising you can get.
Don’t forget the kids! Always ask your guests if your they will include children upon booking and consider adding single portion packs of cereal, biscuits and fruit juice for the little ones. Do a little homework on your renters and anticipate their needs especially if they are coming from a different region or country.

Another addition to your guests’ perfect stay is having a folder or binder containing local information. Try and include as many of the following as possible:

Leaflets and brochures for local attractions
Identify local facilities and amusements such as hospitals, parks, supermarkets, malls, petrol stations and the nearest chemist. Tip. Many countries require that you provide this information as standard. Always check your legal obligations to guests.
Offer extra value. Include local maps, walking or cycling trails if applicable, along with details of local hire firms, guided tours and rental outlets.
Do include information about local restaurants, bars, pubs and markets. Offer extra tips and arm your guests with little local knowledge, it will help them have a satisfying time plus it can make all the difference to your guests. They are more likely to come again.
Have a separate children’s section, detailing attractions designed with young ones in mind.
If you’re a budding restaurant critic, wine connoisseur or have any particular tips, feel free to add a page or two of your own work.
Let your guests and future guests have a background check about you and give them a few sentences about your property if it has an interesting or noteworthy history.
Promote yourself. By adding a few business cards, or better still, postcards of your property, your guests will not only be able to re-book easily, but also become your best equipped sales staff and advertisers– handing out your contact details along with their glowing recommendations.

Whether you’re new to vacation rentals, or you too have an apartment in Cannes, follow these top tips and you’ll win repeat bookings.

We hope you find this guide useful. 

Kiev, apartments, rent, accommodation, flat, Kyiv, Hotel, travel, hostel, vacation, hotels, destination, rental, rentals

The average price for a night in the European hotel in April of this year has made 170$ that allows to speak about a gradual exit of the hotel industry of Europe on pre-crisis level. The greatest growth is observed in Czechia, Holland and Turkey, Ukraine, thus at leaders – Kiev apartments for daily rent – the average cost of residence has a day grown on 49 % in comparison with the prices of March. By quantity of offers the leading countries are Spain, Portugal and all the same Turkey.

 With resorts it is slightly more difficult, here hotels show both growth, and decrease in indicators. For example, on a resort Alkudija (island Majorca) cost has fallen to 24 %, the average price for days has made 70$. The Turkish resort of Alanja has shown falling on 9 %, here number on the average next Sid – 5 % and 74$ accordingly manages in 72$. Reduction of prices is noted also on Madiera, region Algarve resorts (in particular, Albufejre), in Alicante. Partially the reason for that sharp growth of a competition between hotels on the eve of a summer season.

 At the same time against falling of the prices in hotels of traditional places of the summer holiday, appreciable growth has shown the hotel market of the European capitals and big cities. In a three of leaders – certainly, Prague (44 %), Rome (33 %), Amsterdam (27 %). In Seville, in expectation of preeaster procession of Semana Santa, one of the main events of year, the quotation of hotels have jumped up on 38 %.

 As a whole the rise in prices has allowed hotels to overcome the lowest crisis indicators – the period of October, 2009. However, to speak about full success while early: the price policy is connected with seasonal prevalence, namely in the spring in Europe passes a considerable quantity of exhibitions and festivals, business activity and prices of hotels traditionally raises grow in expectation of a stream of business tourists. If you still have to travel to Kiev then the best way to save the budget and to get comfortable accommodation, it is rent Kiev apartment for short term.

Due to a new change that will affect monthly heath care contributions for teachers within the state of Alabama, a record number of educators are now looking for places to retire. According to the Retirement Systems of Alabama, nearly 2,000 education employees will call it quits by December 1st of this year. Compared to last year, this is a big difference, as only 200 or so education employees retired last year. By officially retiring by December 1, 2011 the retirees can avoid additional increases to their month healthcare premiums.

Currently, someone employed as an educator, or working for an institution of learning, contributes $7 a month for individual health care coverage and $177 for a family plan. There is an additional fee of $28 per month to each plan if the enrollee is a smoker. These numbers are quite low considering the actual costs of their health care plans. An individual plan costs $729 and a family plan costs $891. The gap between the two plans is filled by employer contributions.

Under the new laws once an employee retires, these fees increase substantially, pending age and years of service. As of now someone age 60, with 30 years on the job, pays $100 for single and $340 for family plans each month. The new plan increases those numbers to $124 and $364 respectfully for the first year. After that the costs increase at a similar rate up until 2016. At that point, the rates would be $220 for an individual plan and $460 for the family.

Nairobi

Nairobi is a city in East Africa, Kenya. It is not only the largest city of Kenya but its capital as well. Nairobi also happens to be one of Africa’s most visited cities. Many tourists go to Nairobi because of its convenience. After all, there are only a few places in Africa where you can have a safari or perhaps see local wildlife within close reach to the comforts of a modern city.

An African Safari At The National Nairobi Park

The National Nairobi Park is one of the many places in Africa where you can have the safari that you’ve been dreaming of. It is one of the best Kenya tourist attractions. Only a wired fence separates this nature reserve from the rest of the city. It’s only a few minutes away from the downtown area too which is why it’s accessible to all tourists who go to Nairobi. Like any typical safari, visitors will be inside caged safari trucks the whole time. These trucks will park within a few feet away from animals so that passengers can get good pictures.

Give Elephants Some Love At The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust

The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust is a shelter for animals orphaned by poaching. Most of the animals in here are elephants. It can be found within the Nairobi National Park and is the only area there where visitors don’t have to be in a safari truck. It is one of the best Nairobi tourist attractions because it gives you the opportunity to see local animals at a much closer distance than on a safari.

Come Face To Face With A Giraffe

Not very many Nairobi tourists thought they could get as close to a giraffe as they did at the Giraffe Centre. You will literally come face to face with a giraffe, a truly rare experience even for people that travel the world a lot. The Giraffe Centre is very accessible because it’s within the city, in an upscale neighborhood. Besides having a close encounter with giraffes, you can also feed them and pet them at the Giraffe Centre. You can even get a kiss from them if you put the pellets provided in between your mouth!

Shops have hung up their ribbons, coffee shops have become ration up their choices in red mugs and the tv advertisements every have festive backgrounds meaning only one feature – the joyful time is upon us!Bordeaux Self Catering Bordeaux Short Breaks is agreement the festivities and looking out at a standard French Christmas party as well as Bordeaux’s much looked forward to Marche De Noel.The actual celebration of Christmas in France changes by territory. Most celebrate Winter for the 25th of December, that is a bank local holiday. Still, inside Eastern as well as Northern Francais, the Christmas term begins by the 6th of December, la fête de Saint Nicolas, along with a little provinces la fête des Rois is single a very powerful holiday seasons.The kids in France plant their footwear, not stockings! in front of the hearth within the faith with the purpose of Pere Noel,Father Christmas for your requirements then will pile up them with treats. Inside a quantity of spots there’s additionally Pere Fouettard ,a little in the vein of our report of that Grinch, who offers out spankings towards impish children.Together with the laying in the shoes or boots before the fireplace, buildings are also filled with garland. The sapin de Noel is the leading ornament present in houses, streets, shops, offices, plus factories. The sapin de Noel appeared in Alsace in 14th century, decked out with apples, paper flowers, and ribbons, and was introduced in to France in 1837. Mistletoe is an alternative central adornment that is hanged on top of the doorways on the Festive spell to bring good fortune over the year.One of Bordeaux Short Breaks favourite Bordeaux Self Catering factor on the subject of France – the food, as well plays a focal part of the Christmas party, above all the puddings. La buche de Noel is known as a log designed chocolate and chestnut cake, which represents the distinctive timber log that is burned from Christmas Eve to New Year’s Day. La pain calendeau is known as a Christmas loaf, part of which is historically given for the less lucky. The Galette des Rois is usually a circular cake which can be cut in to slices and scattered by kids who’s in hiding below the table, whoever finds the charm inside their piece is pronounced King or Queen for this day. The final pudding, but by no means the least, stands out as the Treieze desserts – a trio of desserts, just the thing for keeping up your weight over the festive!To book accommodation over the Christmas Holiday for your special conventional Francais Christmas please look at our self-catering Bordeaux properties and distinguish what fits you.If you would still like to experience the thrill of that Festive spell in France but are not able to actually sojourn over Christmas Day then why not reserve your vacation over the Marche De Noel period.This year, 2011, will be the seventeenth Christmas Market, Marche De Noel, that will be held in Bordeaux. The marketplace runs from the 25th November – 30th December and is held in Tourny Alleys. Organizers of the happening honour the traditional ethics of Christmas. The main focus being on gathering, sharing treats, entertainment and samples from the years fashionable foods.Unique highlights among the 2011 market is the arts and crafts spotlight, the ‘young artists’ centre dedicated to amusement, Father Christmas delivering candy on Wednesday 7th December at 4.30pm, a torchlight procession on the 21st December at 6pm and naturally the home of the big man himself – Father Christmas!To book accommodation for the Marche De Noel please check out our self-catering properties Bordeaux Self Catering and see what suits you.