Tips To Enjoy Walt Disney World On A Hot Summer Day

Orlando is a hot part of the earth and come summer the humidity and temperature can reach triple digits. Worse still, weeks of heat occur exactly when school is out and families head to Walt Disney World. No one in her right frame of mind considers heat, humidity and crowd a great combo, but with some planning, your family’s summer vacation to Disney World can still be fun.
Staying at an on-property Disney hotel is a good start. You can commute to the parks in air-conditioned comfort using Disney bus, monorail or water transportation. This is definitely a better choice than driving a car that has been baking in the sun for hours.
Another incentive for staying on a Disney property is that you can take advantage of the Extra Magic Hour. On designated days, a Walt Disney World theme park will open an hour early for Disney Resort guests only. With that extra hour, you have time to take a break during the afternoon for a swim or a nap. Some resorts even have water activities, such as water skiing and surfing lessons, which are perfect for a hot day.
Pack a few water-mister fans. These little gizmo's are life-savers. It’s fun to buy the Mickey version in the park, but why pay $15 a pop if you can get them at Wal-Mart for $4.95 each? Kids will be fighting over them, so getting a few of them cheaply and packing additional batteries to go is a smart choice.
If you have a Park-Hopper Pass, cool down by visiting the water parks. Both Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon offer lots of fun for the whole family in the form of slides or raft rides. The water parks get crowded in a hot day pretty fast, so if you arrive at 11 am or after, expect plenty of queuing in the hot sun.
This is obvious, but crucial to mention nonetheless: dress light and wear sandals. Most theme-park guidebooks advise proper shoes and socks, but with the heat and humidity, wrapping your feet in socks isn’t actually going to help.
Remember to drink plenty of water. If someone in your group does get dehydrated, get to the First Aid Station. Each Disney theme park has one.
This is the best tip, which is why I’m saving it for the last. If you have tots, let them set the pace. Kids get cranky easily in the heat. This is more so considering that while you are looking at castles, they are in a hot stroller with nothing interesting at eye level. So if the kids are tired, head to somewhere with air-conditioning, have a break in a restaurant, or do anything that allows everyone to cool down.

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Hong Kong is an international city and it has vast number of tourists come from all over the world in all year round. According to the Hong Kong Government statistics, the number of international tourists visited Hong Kong in 2005 reaches 10.8 million which represents a 13.1% increase when compared to 2004. Countries such as Australia, Canada, French, China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Korean, Thailand, British and United States all contributes significant tourist growth for Hong Kong. This article presents some critical traveler tips for tourists so that you could enjoy more and have a wonderful trip to Hong Kong.

1. Personal Identity and Safety
Tourists must carry valid personal identity documentation such as passport during their stay in Hong Kong. Hong Kong is a very safe city according to the low crime rate. However, due to the densely population, it is not suggested to take a large amount of cash when going out since most of the shops in Hong Kong accepts credit cards. Expensive belongs should be locked in the safe in hotel. You could easily find policemen on the streets whenever you have encountered any problems.

2. Service Charges
Most of the restaurants except fast food shops will add 10% service charges to the bill. Therefore, you may choose to give out the odd dollars from the changes as the service tips. For taxi driver or bellboy in the hotel, there is no pre set norm for the service tips, you may choose to give out whenever you think the service is deserved for.

3. Telephone Service
All local telephone call is free except for the public telephone which charges HK$1 for every 5 minutes. Emergency call is 999 and it is free to call even in public telephone. You could either use IDD telephone call card or credit card for long distance call, or simply through operator for collect call in all public telephone counter.

4. Drinking Water
The drinking water in Hong Kong reaches World Health Organization standard. However, you may also choose to buy the bottle water in the supermarkets if you think it is necessary.

5. Taxi
All taxi only accept cash and they have invoice print out whenever you request. It is easier to catch the taxi in the taxi stop or outside the hotel. Many of the taxi drivers could understand simple English. It is suggest writing down your destination (in English) on paper to minimize misunderstandings. The taxi charges is based on the meter which is HK$15 for the first 2 Km and HK$1.4 for the subsequent 0.2 Km. Besides, there are tunnel charges ranging from HK$3-45 depends on which tunnel you have to take. The charging table is clearly shown on the inner side of the doors so you could check it before you pay. In case of any complaints or lost case, you may record down the name of the taxi driver and his license plate number which is clearly shown on the front seat stand, and reports to the police hotline: 2527 7177 whenever necessary.

6. Mass Transit Railway (MTR)
Hong Kong has 6 MTR routes, which covers most parts of Hong Kong Island, Kowloon and New Territories.
Tsuen Wan Route: Tsuen Wan to Central
Kwun Tong Route: Yau Mat Tei to Tiu Keng Leng
Tseung Kwan O Route: North Point to Po Lam
Main Route: Sheung Wan to Chai Wan
Tung Chung Route: Tung Chung to Hong Kong
Airport Route: Airport to Hong Kong
Due to the convenience of MTR and the compact area of Hong Kong, most tourists find it is not necessary to rent car during their stay. Besides, due to the very heavy traffic and the complexity of the city roads, it is not recommended for tourists to drive. In case you really need car rental, you may consult your hotel, and be ready with your passport and driving license.

7. Kowloon Canton Railway (KCR)
The KCR is the major railway which links up the New Territories and the city of Kowloon. It runs through Tsim Sha Tsui East to Lo Wu which takes about 40 minutes for the whole route. Lo Wo is the final station which you could pass through to enter China with valid visa. The train will depart for every 3 to 10 minutes, and the earliest one will be started at 5:35 a.m. while the last one will be departed at 12:20 p.m. The ordinary fair and the first class fair are HK$18 and HK$36 respectively from Hung Hom to Sheung Shui.

8. Tram
The tram service has been started in 1904 and it is the oldest transportation system in Hong Kong. It only services the Hong Kong Island running from Kennedy Town to Shau Kei Wan plus another route to Happy Valley. The earliest tram starts at 6: 00 a.m. and run until 1:00 p.m. and the fair is HK$ 2 for adult and HK$ 1 for children under age12. It is the cheapest transportation in Hong Kong, and you are highly recommended to take a ride at the upper stairs so that you could enjoy all the street scenery of Hong Kong.

9. Star Ferry
The scenery of Hong Kong harbor is famous in the world, especially the night scenery. Besides, there is spectacular light show by the commercial buildings in the Hong Kong island at 8:00 p.m. every night which you must not miss. The Star Ferry has been serving on the harbor for more than 100 years, and the fair is less than HK$3 per rides. You could take the Star Ferry from Cental to Tsim Sha Tsui at around 8:00 p.m. You could enjoy the harbor scenery on the ferry and continue with the light show at the Starlight Road of Tsim Sha Tsui.

10. Hong Kong International Airport
The most convenient route to the Hong Kong International Airport is through the MTR which takes about 23 minutes from Central. It passes through stations of Kowloon, Olympic, Tsing Yi, and the train will be departed for every ten minutes. With the MTR, you would never miss the airplane due to the traditional traffic jam. Other than the MTR, you could take the Airport Bus which starts from 6:00 a.m. at the morning until 11:00 p.m. at night. It covers most part of Hong Kong Island and Kowloon with major hotels.

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Romantic Travel Resolutions

A new year always means a chance for a new start. You and yours can begin this new year by making some travel resolutions together, regardless of your time and budget restraints. Put aside those new travel habits and make some new ones! Let this be the year that your travel designs focus on fun, fantasy, and festivities!

(1) we are going to plan a real vacation. No, it doesn't have to be an around the world cruise or first class getaway (but if you can afford it, what are you waiting for?) It does have to be an honest-to-goodness vacation, though. No cell phones, no laptops. Mark the dates on the calendar and keep it  like you'd keep any business appointment. The business of romantic travel, though, is a fun four and an activity that the one of you can plan for months.

(2) we are going to involve each other in the trip planning. All  often, four partner gets the job for planning a trip...and that task quickly becomes a bore. Plan your trips together! Anticipation is half the fun. Visit a travel agent. Collect brochures. Buy a guidebook. Rent a video about your destination. Search the web for information.

(3) we are going to do something we have rarely done. Here you can be as mild -- or as wild -- as you dare. Go whitewater rafting. Rent a houseboat. Take a hot air balloon ride. Spend the night in a local bed and breakfast. Learn to scuba dive. Dance the whole night away under the stars. The choice is yours.

(4) we are going to take four mini-vacation every month. Whether it's for the night or  for the night out, plan four tiny slice of a vacation every single month. The only rule: you must pretend you are on vacation. Book a night at a local bed and breakfast. Call your local hotel and find out their non-peak nights (in business-oriented cities, it's usually Friday and Saturday) then plan a short romantic getaway.

(5) we are going to go to at least four festival. Special events take place at  about every community around the world. Whatever your interests -- from square dancing to sandcastle building -- you'll find a festival celebrating with a day or one of fun and food. If you don't have the time or budget to go far, contact area chamber of commerce or tourism offices within a day's drive of your home for their calendar of events. If you can, extend your trip into a long weekend. If you have got the time and resources, check out a quantity of the major fun festivals: Carnival, Mardi Gras, Rio's Carnivale. Don't forget your costume!

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Secrets To Selecting The Right Hawaii Vacation Rental

You've finally decided you and your family on going to take that long awaited dream vacation in Hawaii. You've decided that you want to go the vacation rental route for numerous reasons: privacy, comfort, location and cost effectiveness. Next, you probably Googled Oahu Vacation Rentals and are faced with the daunting task of choosing among some 175,000 web sites. Where to begin? Here's two secrets that will help you make the right choice so you can enjoy your stay in Hawaii to its fullest.

Secret One: Use a reservation service. There are several reasons for this. First, a single property vacation rental listing by owner will severely limit you to the dates that you can take your vacation. Vacation rental properties in Hawaii run nearly 90% occupancy, so unless you know your travel dates six months to a year out the odds are high that their property won't be available for the travel dates you had in mind. Second, the owner is only concerned with booking their own property so they will extol the virtues of their vacation rental and not mention any of the faults.

Secret Two: Make the right choice of reservation service. Make sure it is locally owned and operated. Websites like vrbo and findrentals (for instance) don't have a clue about geography, weather, attractions, events and the other necessary information required to give you the property that best fills your needs. For instance, let's say you want to whale watch but also want to vacation on Oahu. Your reservation service should be able to tell you that you need to stay on the windward side of the island if you want to see the whales. Another tip-off of services to avoid are those that do automated, credit card bookings.  Steer clear of these services as this implies they aren't interested in talking to you, they just want your money. Be wary of sites that have more than 100 properties….there aren't that many decent selections on Oahu, or any of the other Hawaiian islands, on the market. The more a service exceeds 100 properties, the greater the odds you'll end up in an overpriced, undesirable vacation rental. Here's another great hint. If a reservation service states that they have hotels or condos available in Kailua, or will have them soon, choose another service. Since, by zoning law, Kailua does not allow hotels or condos, you should realize that once again, this is a service that wants your money, not your piece of mind. Always ask the reservation service person you are talking to where they are located. Someone based in Las Vegas or Los Angeles won't have a clue about how to give you the best property for the vacation experience you have in mind.

With the standard vacation rental property terms being no refunds after you've paid your deposit, you absolutely want to make sure you make the right choice. A good reservation service will ask you questions about what you want to do and see on your vacation and will actually try and talk you out of a property you had in mind if they don't think it appropriate to what you had in mind. This is not an attempt to upsell you, it's more a matter of matching your vacation desires and needs with the perfect choice of vacation rental venue. One vacation rental reservation service that meets all these requirements is Pacific Islands Reservations. They are owned and operated by Ingrid Carvalho, who was born and raised in the islands, as were her parents, grandparents and great-grandparents. She has been serving visitors to Hawaii vacation rental needs since 1996. She currently represents ninety vacation rentals on Oahu and another 90 vacation rentals on Maui, Kauai and the Big Island. She has actually been to each and every property she represents--she even took most of the photographs of the vacation rentals you see on her web sites. She doesn't take credit cards but she's happy to spend time talking with you to make sure you get the right property to maximize the value and enjoyment of your vacation.

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