Author Archives: Katie-Anne

By far the best way to explore Loch Ness is by boat. You can find boat tours from places such as Fort Augustus, or even a longer cruise from Inverness. The loch is around 300m deep which creates a black appearance to the water and this adds to the mystery and atmosphere of the myth. If you can take your line of vision from the water, look up at the banks of the loch for some of the most stunning scenery that Scotland has to offer.

Along the banks of the loch you can explore the ruins of Urquhart Castle. The Tower House is almost all that is left of what was once one of Scotland’s biggest castles. It’s quite a climb to the top but the visitor center and viewing area of the loch make it worth the effort. Another area in the Loch Ness region that’s worth a visit is Fort Augustus. Take a walk beside the canal that runs behind the serene 19th century Abbey. Have a refreshment break here at the Lock Inn before proceeding to Drumnarochit where you can explore the evidence and theories surrounding the legend of Loch Ness.

At times the Loch Ness monster mystery seems to be a overplayed, and the evidence offered at the visitor centers such as that at Drumnarochit is very focused on the possibility that Nessie exists rather than dispelling the myth. However the beauty and tranquility of the area, and the magnificence of the Scottish scenery around Great Glen and Loch Ness in particular can’t be ignored. If you’re in the Inverness or Fort William area of Scotland, it’s well worth a visit – who knows, you might even take a photo on the Loch that adds to Nessie’s reputation in the area!

At its peak Birka had around 700 inhabitants, a community where both pagan and Christian people lived side by side in an arrangement of streets. Today, although the streets can’t be seen, the ramparts that surrounded the old town are still visible as are the cemeteries where the dead Vikings were laid to rest. From the on-going excavation work archaeologists have discovered much about the social structure of Birka, and the international trading that took place on the island.

At the Birka Museum you’ll be able to see some of the items that archaeologists have removed from the ground on the island. There are also a number of models that depict life as it must have been for the people living on the island around the 9th century. The museum and its model reconstructions are the only physical signs of Viking life you’ll see at Birka however. This isn’t a theme park where costumed staff usher you onto simulated Viking longboats, but rather an island where current archaeology techniques are being used piece together the story of how people lived centuries ago.

One of the best things about Birka, apart from the atmosphere and sense of place you get when standing on the land where warriors and traders once traded with people from the middle east, is the commute from Stockholm! It takes about 1.5 hours on the ferry to get to the island and this is through a beautiful internal archipelago on Lake Maleran. Once on the island, make sure you take a tour (offered in Swedish and English!) given by one of the island’s guides. They will help you make sense of what you see and put the history into perspective.

A World Heritage Site Birka maintains a strict control over the amount of people it allows on the island, and ensures that everyone leaves the island at night, so don’t expect to camp there next to the graves of the Viking dead! Instead, enjoy the cruise back to Stockholm and experience in some of the local nightlife in the Swedish capital.

Photo acknowledgement: Bengt A. Lundberg

Once in the city center there’s a vast array of history literally beneath your feet. The Minster is a great way of navigating as it’s seen by most parts of the city. Right beside the Minster you’ll find the Micklegate Bar Museum, but if it’s a more indepth look at life in York throughout the centuries that you’re looking for then a visit to York Castle Museum isn’t to be missed! With a recreated Victoria Street, clothes and toys throughout the ages, civil war (English) exhibits, and even the condemned cell that once housed the most famous Highwaymen of them all, Dick Turpin, this museum has something to capture the imagination of all ages!

Back in the city center wander down to the Jorvik Museum for a look even further back in time to when the Vikings used York (Jorvik is the Viking name for York) as one of the major cities. Inside the museum you travel back in time to 975AD where a reconstructed Viking street now stands where archaeologists found remains of the real thing.

Get a sense of mediaeval York in the Shambles. This is a street with shops, many of which sell souvenirs. Don’t just look at the store windows however, the Shambles is famous for the narrow gap between the top floor of the houses on either side of the cobbled street. Imagine what it must have been like to be able to reach out of your upstairs window and shake hands with the people living across the street!

You can see much of York’s heritage, including its original city walls by simply wandering around, but many of the museums and attractions have an entrance fee. If you intend to go into many of these then it might be worthwhile purchasing a Visit York pass which allows free entrance into many of the more popular attractions and reductions on the entrance fee for others. The pass also includes a guidebook to the city, and allows for special rates at certain restaurants and shops.

York is a great city break. Whether you intend to spend a day there, or a few days, you’ll find many interesting things from ghost trails to river tours and of course steam locomotive journeys to fill your time. As cities go, York’s got something for everyone.

1. Prepare your kids in advance. If the journey is going to take 3 hours, then tell them that’s how long it’s going to be. If they’re not old enough to understand how long 3 hours is, then tell them it’s like watching their favorite TV program 6 times, or they’ll get there a lunch-time, or it will be dark when they arrive. Giving children information that they can understand means that if they do start “are we there yet?” you can then use this as a guide to illustrate to them how much travel time is left.
2. On a similar theme, you could make a cardboard clock and mark the time in red when you expect to arrive at your destination (allow time for traffic delays or you’ll run out of time on your “clock”). Move the hands about every 15-20 minutes so that your young passengers can see that they are getting closer to their destination.
3. Another idea is to use a map. Put a ring around your destination and then every 100 miles mark a line on the map so that again the children can get a visual image about how much longer it’s going to take to get there.
4. Have a mystery bag of treats and surprises. Every half hour or so let your children choose something from the bag. These don’t have to be expensive things, just something that will give you a few minutes of peace and quiet. Things like activity books and magnetic puzzles work well. Avoid anything that has small pieces which could fall onto the floor in the car and require you to stop and find it!
   
5. Remember that kids have energy that’s constantly building throughout the day. Before you leave home, look at the journey you’re going to take and make a note of any places that look suitable rest areas – parks with playgrounds are great places to let your kids run off some steam for a little while. A break from the road will also help keep the driver refreshed. Have a small picnic, then make sure that the kids have a bathroom visit before getting back into the car and then you’re good to go for the next hundred or so miles. Even a 15 minute snack and run break can help keep kids tempers from flaring.
6. Play games such as counting games (how many trucks in 5 minutes, blue SUVs in 10 miles, stop signs etc) to keep your children’s minds occupied. Other games could include memory games where you start a spoken list of things and each person has to remember what has already been added to the list, and then add something new, and the ever popular license plate spotting game – in the US/Canada, these could be states/provinces, within Europe then country plates can be used.
7. Think about specific landmarks you will see on your journey and make a list of these for each child in your car. Have them cross them off as they see them. Offer a small prize for the first person who spots each landmark with a larger prize for the person who has the most firsts.

There are few things worse than being imprisoned in a stuffy vehicle for hours at a time with children who are restless, bored and full of energy. Plan your road trip with care so that you all know how long it’s going to take, what you’re going to do to get through the time, and how much fun you’ll have when you arrive at your destination.

This is especially important with young children who don’t speak as well, as well as those who are too young to remember much about who they are, their parents are and where they’re staying if they get stressed out because they’re lost. Put a tag in their shoe with relevant information such as your cell phone number (if it works in your vacation destination), your hotel name, your child’s name, language and any health information such as diabetic or other condition that requires medication. If possible, if you are in a non-English speaking country, translate any important information to the local population as well as other English speaking tourists.

Instruct your child to hand this tag over to someone like a security official, or someone working in a store, if they are find themselves lost. Role play this with them so that if they do find themselves split up from you within a crowded area, they will be confident enough to find the right kind of person to introduce themselves to, say that they have lost mommy and daddy, and hand them the card.

If your children are a little older you could also supply them with a coin for the local public telephone service and put the hotel’s phone number on it so that your child can phone the reception desk at the hotel, and ask them how to get back to the hotel. This way you can also phone the hotel reception to see if they’ve called.

Always have a plan on how to get back together if you get split up when out and about, especially at theme parks – the main gate is usually a good place, or a well-seen landmark. Make sure you all have a map and mark out the meeting place on it. Your kids can always ask a staff member to show them where they are on the map and that will help them get back to the meeting place.

Airports are another area where you need to have a clear strategy for your children to follow if they become lost as one gate looks rather like another, one check-in desk looks like another so it will be easy for them to get very stressed quickly. One strategy for this would be to find a toy bracelet and write in permanent marker your name, airline and flight number on it, and instruct your children to hand this to a member of airport staff at any check-in desk. Do not allow your child to carry their own passport. As long as you have the passport, they’re not leaving the country without you.

As much as you try to keep your family together, it’s easy to become detached from the group especially when there are a lot of other people around. Prepare your kids in advance for this possibility and make sure they know exactly what to do so that you are reunited with them quickly.

There are restrictions however. The main one is that two adults can sign on the ticket as the official ticket holders and at least one of them must be included in the group of 4 adults/4 children. Unless one of the named ticket holders is there, the discount can’t be applied. The second main restriction is that there must be at least one child over the age of 5 in the group – 4 adults and no children isn’t eligible for the Friends and Family discount. The other main restriction is that not all train journeys are allowed with the discount. The main journey restrictions involve peak travel times on peak travel routes so the best way of ensuring that you can use the Friends and Family Railcard discount against your train ticket purchase is by asking the ticket seller BEFORE you purchase the Railcard. There are other restrictions, especially regarding eligible child age, so make sure you read the terms and conditions before buying the Railcard and that way you’ll know that it’s worth the added expense.

Restrictions, rules and regulations aside, this Railcard is great for a family vacation. Imagine saving £10 on each adult fare and £5 on each child fare – for a family of four that’s a saving of £30, on one return journey you’ll have paid for the card and saved an additional £5, plus the card is valid an entire year. Additionally there are savings to be made through deals the company has with other places, such as if you buy the Friends and Family Railcard online currently you’ll get a free one-year membership with the Youth Hostel Association. Just now there are a number of 2 for 1 ticket discounts at such London attractions as Madame Tussauds, The London Dungeon and ZXL London Zoo, plus 2 for 1 offers for theater tickets such as “Les Miserables” and “We Will Rock You”. These offers are subject to change so make sure you sign up for any update information emails that are offered when you purchase your Friends and Family Railcard.

As with all things you must ensure that the Railcard will be valid for the purpose you need it, but if it is, then you’ll find it was financially worth the effort you made looking into it. And if you travel through Manchester using your rail card, make sure you visit the Beetham Tower as it’s the highest residential building in Europe.

Moving into the more untamed Everglade area is an adventure. This isn’t a Disney theme park and all visitors must understand that they need to be vigilant about personal security within the Everglades National Park. The first stop for anyone to the area should be to the ranger station. Here you will learn about where you can travel, where you should avoid, what to do if you’re lost, leave a record of the route you plan to follow, the kind of wildlife you should try to avoid getting too close to (including insects), and any specific information regarding the wildlife in your chosen location of the park.

A world heritage site, the Everglades National Park is home to many rare and endangered species. Within its boundaries you can pursue activities such as canoeing, walk, and even camp (if you have a permit) to do so. Footwear is important because of the swamp areas such as that around Shark Valley which has approximately 2-3 inches of water.

One of the best ways to get the most out of your visit to the Everglades National Park is to take a guided tour. It’s not as flexible as being able to do your own thing, but given the restrictions on visitors to the park, and the dangers involved in guiding yourself, being driven around by someone familiar with the area has distinct advantages. One such tour is the 2-hour Shark Valley tour which includes a stop at an observation platform from which you can get a great overview of the Everglade area. Other tours offered within the park include fishing, kayaking and camping.

Of course if you’re familiar with anything about the Everglades, it’s the alligators and air boats. If you’re in the water, watch out for the alligators snaking their way quietly alongside you! If you’re kayaking or canoeing keep your hands out of the water! If you want to take a ride on one of the airboats, you’ll find tours that offer this experience – be prepared for noise though as these vehicles aren’t quiet!

The Everglades offer a unique vacation opportunity and even if you aren’t vacationing in Naples, but rather in Miami, or even down on one of the Florida Keys, you should schedule a day to explore the wild beauty of the Everglades. If you only have one day to spare in this area, then taking a couple of tours at the Everglades National Park will still create more memories than you’d ever believe possible from a single day’s outing.

In St. Petersburg one thing you can’t miss investigating is The Pier. It’s well-known upside-down pyramid shape is synonymous with the area. Delights inside include an observation deck, aquarium, and disco as well as the usual shopping and eating places. From there why not take the trolley down to the hands on Great Explorations museum which children of all ages will find fascinating. Other museums in the area include the Florida Holocaust Museum, the Florida International Museum, the Museum of Fine Arts, and the Salvador Dali Museum, so if the Gulf Coast sunshine gets too much for you, there’s plenty of places in St. Petersburg where you can keep cool as well as entertained. Lovers of nature however will find the Sunken Gardens a great alternative to the usual beach and gulf wildlife.

Tampa is a rapidly expanding city but for visitors to the area it’s not known so much for its cigars as it is the world famous Busch Gardens. Although a theme park by definition, the Busch Gardens are somewhat different to most theme parks as they include one the USA’s best zoos. The entire park is based around an African theme, and incorporates natural beauty, excitements, thrills and spills, and a little bit of fantasy. There’s even a water park for those who need to cool off after a ride or two on Gwazi, the park’s huge dueling roller coaster. Other Tampa highlights include the Henry B. Plant Museum housed within the lavish Tampa Bay Hotel, and the Starlite Princess, an old paddlewheeler that offers trips for those who love to be out on the water.

If you’re looking for a little culture on your vacation to Florida’s Gulf Coast then you must add a trip to Sarasota to your itinerary as this city is noted as being the cultural center of the state. With restored Victorian architecture, antique stores, dinner cruises, and a number of great museums – such as the Museum of Cars and Music of Yesterday, the Ringling Museum of Art, and the magnificent Ringling Museum: Ca’ D’Zan. More natural attractions include the Sarasota Jungle Gardens, the Marie Selby Botanical Gardens and Pelican Man’s Bird Sanctuary.

If you wish to venture a little further afield on your vacation, why not drive south and check out the working ranch and swamp buggy rides of the Babcock Wilderness Adventures, or alternatively get a taste of old time Florida in Fort Myers. Drive north from St. Petersburg however and you’ll experience some of the best natural attractions on the Gulf Coast at Crystal River.

If you’re looking for a vacation that offers a good degree of sunshine with clean beautiful beaches, along with a lot of interesting places to explore, the Florida Gulf Coast has a lot to offer.

Destination

If you are flying to a part of the world where healthcare is expensive and you don’t have any health insurance, then health coverage at least is vital. Even if you don’t intend to have a wild vacation white water rafting, horseback riding and paragliding, you can still have small medical needs – for example from a mosquito bite that becomes infected – and these small medical bills can be high unbudgeted for expenses.

Stuff

Are you planning to take a digital camera? How about smart phone or a laptop? Do you have designer clothes? Do you have expensive luggage? Are you planning to take any specific equipment, skis for example? If you are taking anything on your vacation that’s worth a consider amount of money, then you should have insurance to cover the cost of replacing it.

Now that you’re convinced that insurance is a good idea, don’t just sign the first travel insurance policy that’s handed to you. Shop around. You can get some bargains out there, but make sure you read the policy and what it covers before signing.

Travel Costs

Does the insurance cover you for delays? What does it cover – for example does it cover overnight expenses in a hotel? Does it cover you for rebooking flights? Will it allow you to reschedule using a different airline to what you originally intended? What if your holiday has to be canceled – will it refund all of your costs unreservedly or will it only do so under certain circumstances?

Health

Check the amount insured. When looking at health insurance you need to have a figure in the millions of dollars of healthcare protection. If the cover in adequate, then you need to check what isn’t covered by the policy – for example some policies don’t cover sporting accidents as part of their basic policy. Will the insurance company pay for special assistance/flight if you have a major health problem? What doesn’t it cover?

Stuff

Again the most important thing to check here is what isn’t covered. If you are taking any of the uncovered items, then you need to either investigate how much the upgrade will be to put these items under the policy cover, or find a policy that does cover them. What kind of documentation will you need to provide in order to get your insurance company to pay up – for example, some insurance policies will require you to have made an official theft complaint to the local police, and perhaps have the crime number it was allocated, if you are claiming an item was stolen. You may also be asked to supply photographic evidence that you owned the item you’re claiming for, and/or produce the receipt from when you bought it! What about items that you purchase on your vacation, after the policy comes into effect? Are they covered? If you have expensive luggage, is damage by the airline/in transit covered by your policy?

It you are taking a number of expensive items you might find it easier to pay a more expensive premium that doesn’t require as much in the way of evidence of ownership if you need to make a claim. Take note of any serial numbers your possessions have, and if you have a digital camera, consider taking photos before you leave home.

Travel insurance is often a necessary item to budget for when planning your holiday finances. Make sure you read all the small print, particular the exclusions, and the excess that you will need to pay in the event of a claim being made by you against the policy. You should also check whether or not you will be responsible for first paying any bills, and then claiming back from them, or whether you can have the hospital, for example, invoice your insurance company direct.

Adequate and appropriate travel insurance may be an expense you don’t want, but in the event of something going wrong on your vacation, it could save you a lot of money and stress.

Want to see the Statue of Liberty, Mount Rushmore, do some white water rafting in the Grand Canyon, walk along the famous stars on Hollywood Boulevard and then visit with Mickey Mouse before an air balloon ride over the vineyards of California? No problem. How about a tour of the Kennedy Space Center, pay your respects to the King in Memphis, see how New Orleans is doing after Katrina, learn more about the American civil war at one of the battleground sites, take a paddle steamer ride on the Mississippi, visit the Alamo, and then spot celebrities homes in Beverley Hills? You can take bus tours that will get you from one part of the US to the other and have excursions along the way but with fly-drive or Amtrak you set the pace.

There are most restrictions with choosing the Amtrak option. Once you buy your ticket for a chosen route – or a pass that will allow you unlimited Amtrak travel if you’re going to be in the US a while, then you can have stopovers at any point along the rails your train travels. You get off your Orlando-LA Sunset Limited Train in New Orleans, spend a night or two there before catching the next Sunset Limited train and traveling to Houston for a city stopover, then before arriving in LA, you might like to have a final stopover in Tucson, Arizona. Even though you are restricted to the rails, you can still experience a lot of varying American culture. The best thing about the Amtrak option is that you can enjoy the view and let someone else take care of the driving.

There’s a lot more flexibility with a fly-drive vacation but keep in mind the amount of miles you’re going to cover every day in order to get to your exit airport on the right day. To really get the most out of this kind of vacation you’ll need to do a lot of planning but this will pay off once you arrive in the US and you see your travel itinerary in action. Remember to factor in a few days when you aren’t driving, and try to get an early start most days so that you arrive in your daily destination before lunch leaving plenty of time to explore. Of course you could combine the two and Amtrak across the US, drive up one coast and fly out of an airport there – for example, fly into Washington DC, take the train to Chicago, and then down to LA. From there hire a car and drive up the western coast to Seattle.

If you love the idea of travel, and you want to see as much of the United States as possible on your vacation there, a fly-drive holiday, and/or Amtrak is the best way to do it!