Travel & Leisure
New York New York - Its all here!
Most people will agree that a trip here would not be complete without seeing the world famous empire State Building especially from the top. Of course, many people prefer the view form the Rockefeller Center which is a little higher, but it can be difficult to see anything when there is bad weather. Visitors to New York will often get the best view of the Statue of Liberty from the many tour boats but New York has seen a dramatic rise in the number of tourists since 9/11 and often it is worth disembarking at Ellis Island instead.
An easier option is to take the Staten Island ferry which doesn’t cost anything and can still give a first class view of the Statue of Liberty; the island is also worth a look and the terminal is a favorite spot for street performers, some are of a professional standard.
Without going to the site of where the World Trade Center Towers used to be no seven day visit to New York would feel right. Whilst there is a strange eeriness about the place that is larger than you expect at the same time it does not feel as if it needs to be photographed.
For those who love to shop there is of course the famous Tiffany’s and Broadway plus some fantastic old discount warehouses worth a look down on the Lower East Side.
The Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum will also be worth visiting late next year when it re-opens after a period of refurbishment; once the refurbishment is complete it will be worth visiting when it re-opens. For those that are interested in large vessels like planes and aircraft carriers for example, then this is the place to visit with the aircraft carrier - Intrepid; submarines and even a Concorde to name but a few of the craft they have there.
It is also worth a visit to the New York City Police Museum and whilst the museum does not have an entrance fee, five dollar donations are generously accepted; especially for those people in love with the crime side of New York City!
Then it is worth seeing some of the older history of New York back when there were huge numbers of migrants entering the city and the Lower East Tenement was where most of them ended up; this is now a museum and a time capsule. There is more history in the City of New York Museum on Central Park which holds exhibitions of the past, present and future. The museum is in a beautiful building which is free to enter but a nine dollar donation is normally given with plenty of souvenirs available.
There is so much to see that it will be difficult fitting everything in on a seven day trip to New York and you will have to return some other time!
Looking For A Destin Beach Condo? — Learn The Real Facts
There’s little (if anything which can compare with sitting out on the back deck of your Destin Beach condo. The “world’s luckiest fishing village” boasts the Emerald Coast with its breathtaking white sand beaches and is quickly becoming a destination for people from all over the globe ? from your deck, you’ll look out over these beautiful sparkling blue-green waters.
If you are here are vacation, congratulations and have a great time. Destin can be a great place to relax and unwind from the rigors of your daily grind. For your condo, you are probably looking for fully furnished, well-maintained, and very clean units that are up to your quality standards. You might be able to obtain these rentals via privately owned properties offered via rental agencies, property management companies, or the owners themselves. Honestly, we have some great management companies around the area and if you do a little homework, it should be easy to find your perfect getaway retreat.
Are you wanting to buy a beach front condo? So I assume you have decided to turn our little Destin town into a bit more of a commitment for you….. you thing you have decided to buy a beach condo. Let me give you a few things to thing about in the process.
First, you really consider how many people the property can sleep. If you go to VRBO.com, you will see properties that sleep anywhere from 2 to 17 guests comfortably…. well, I guess it depends on your definition of comfortable. For most people looking for vacation rentals on the beach, the number of people that the property sleeps will be their next big question. You should talk to a couple of property mangers before you buy and find out what is really in demand.
The next step is to find out what fees will be involved. There will, for instance, be condo association fees. With Destin Beach condos, this cost can be as low as a few hundred dollars per month and as high as $1,000 a month. The fee is usually determined based on the square footage of the property; these fees cover insurance costs, among other things. A lot of people make the mistake of not taking these costs into account when looking at condos.
Once you have done your research on your new home (or vacation home), the next step is to find a good real estate agent who knows the market intimately. There are a lot of talented real estate agents out there; finding the right property is affected in large part by getting the right agent in your corner. There are a lot of great deals on Destin Beach condos available right now if you know how to find them; after all, they’re not just laying out in the open where your average real estate agent can find them.
Lastly, I suggest you stay for a few nights in the condo you want to buy or an adjacent condo. You will learn so much more about the beach condo of interest if you can actually feel what it is like to stay there…. if you are sold at that point, and you have really done your homework on value and future costs, you may have an excellent property sitting on your hands.
Do You Need to Speak Spanish to be able to communicate in Mexico, Spain, or anywhere else in Latin America?
My Story: I had a challenge. I needed to move to Mexico for my health and to retire, and I spoke English; I also knew a few words of French from high school, about 12 words of Spanish which could wind me up in fight or jail, yeah - mostly curse words.
Luckily, I met Reuben Varela, a well known Restauranteur at the Balneario Hot Springs in San Juan Cosala, Jalisco, Mexico and Gerardo Tolentino, an English teacher who was teaching 1st year English.
I was the gringo — and I sure needed a guide to get me through the experience of living in Mexico.We searched the internet, and books on Spanish, and listened to conversations in the English speaking sections of restaurants in Ajijic and San Miguel de Allende where most of the gringos hang out.
We searched the internet, and books on Spanish, and listened to conversations in the English speaking sections of restaurants in Ajijic and San Miguel de Allende where most of the gringos hang out and we figured out what was needed.
We talked to Americans and Canadians in Mexico and asked them what they needed, and we listened to what they asked of the waiters, restaurant owners, etc. Later, then Gerardo accompanied me to doctors and we went to travel through Mexico.
By the time we were finished, so was the book and we had part of it recorded so that pronunciation would be no problem for anyone to learn. The book was finished and put up on our site, speedread.org
Now, everyone I know who visits Mexico, Spanish or anywhere else in Latin America - can speak like a expat that lives in Mexico. It’s that easy.
The electronic pdf will fit on pocket devices to help you communicate on the spot with electronic support. So, when someone says: Que quieres tomar?
So, when someone says: Que quieres tomar? You’ll immediately know the answer — una marguarita, por favor. Or, una coca, limonada, cerveza, or whatever you want!Fulfill all your needs to communicate in Spanish for Spain, Mexico or Latin America?
The book comes with a full guide, by sections to learn, use, and get answers to all your questions. It’s guaranteed to make your vacation — fantastic.
A Typical Travel Insurance Policy For Luggage and Personal Items
Sometimes when we go on vacation or on a trip for business, it’s almost as if we are carrying our entire lives along with us in our checked bags, so it comes as no surprise that in this day and age that travelers want their possessions that go along with them to be as safe as possible.
Travel insurance plans have become increasingly popular in the US since the tragedy that struck during 9/11, but before you decide if travel insurance is something that you need to spend your money on, it would help to know what is typically covered by these protective plans.
What’s covered?
Lost or stolen bags:
Some companies offer different grades of travel insurance, much like you can get with your homeowners or auto insurance. Depending upon the level of protection that you choose to pay for, a lost or stolen bag may garner a reimbursement of five hundred to a thousand dollars each. This is a potentially good feature if your bags are stolen, but all airlines have reimbursements for lost luggage which has just been recently raised to three thousand dollars per traveler.
Delayed luggage:
We all travel with things that are absolute necessities; clothes, razors, deodorants and other toiletries - with travelers insurance, if your bags end up at your destination more than twenty four hours after you do, you may be eligible for a reimbursement of up to two hundred dollars or more to purchase these types of items to hold you over until your bags arrive.
What’s not covered?
Under each type of travelers insurance policy that you may invest in, be wary of exclusions. Items that are difficult to prove may not be covered under your policy - things like contact lenses, eyeglasses, and cash are usually among the lists of items that are not covered.
Do you need travelers insurance?
This can be a pretty tough call in some cases, if having the extra protection is going to make you feel safer and able to relax and enjoy your vacation more, and the money isn’t a very big concern, than by all means - invest in the travelers insurance, just be wary that you may already be covered.
Some travelers are eligible for coverage under their homeowner’s insurance policies. If you take the time to check your homeowners policy you may find that you are protected up to a certain dollar amount on lost or stolen possessions.
If you paid for your trip with plastic as many travelers do these days, your particular credit card may offer you certain protections. In fact many cards geared towards business people and frequent travelers have a built in insurance that is far greater than what you would get with a purchased policy - and you won’t have to pay out anything to get that coverage.
If you book your trip through a service you may have some extra protection as well. Online services in which you book your entire trip - from flight to hotel to rental car, often offer some coverage for just using the service and many offer the chance to purchase some additional coverage for a small fee. Though you probably wouldn’t get as great a level of coverage with this method it will often come at a lower price.
With all of the things that we take along with us as we travel these days - expensive clothes, laptop computers, digital cameras and portable electronics - it only makes sense for us to be safe. Traveler’s insurance from Dan Pucher Insurance can be a very good thing to have in the event that one of your bags that contains a very important possession gets lost or stolen, just be sure that you don’t already have coverage for a similar event through another avenue before you spend some of your hard earned money that could potentially have been used elsewhere in your journey.
Tropical Vacations - Can Serious Danger Lurk Under The Sun?
Even though these sun related problems, sunburn, heat exhaustion, and heatstroke, are not diseases, they can be very serious and could put a real damper on your vacation. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure when dealing with the sun. Keep in mind that the sun’s rays are more intense between noon and three p.m. in the tropics and at high altitudes, even if it’s a cloudy or overcast day.
What can you do to prevent getting sunburned?
In general, the fairer or lighter your skin is, the easier you may sunburn. Even clouds offer little or no protection from a severe sunburn. So why take a chance of ruining your holiday when getting a painful sunburn is easy to protect against? To prevent getting a bad sunburn, especially if you sunburn easily, use a high SPF (Sun Protection Factor) of 30, or stronger if possible. Use the sunscreen liberally, wear a wide-brimmed sun hat, choose UVA & UVB protection certified sunglasses, and wear a long-sleeved shirt and slacks. Try to stay out of the sun between noon and three in the afternoon. Build up your exposure to the sun gradually, day by day. Limit the length of time that you spend in the sun to about fifteen minutes the first day, and increase your time in the sun gradually on subsequent days.
What can you do to treat a bad sunburn?
You can ease the pain of a sunburn by soaking in a cool bath three to four times a day. If you add some baking soda to each bath, it will help even more. Cool showers will probably hurt too much, and they are not as effective or soothing as cool, relaxing baths. To help with headaches, or pain and swelling, take aspirin or other pain medication such as Advil or Ibuprofen. Do not take any aspirin based pain medications if you are on blood thinners or have an ulcer. If you are not sure if it’s safe for you to take these pain relievers, check with a doctor or medical clinic. To avoid dehydration, drink at least six to eight glasses of water per day. Do not break any blisters if you can help it. Broken blisters can easily get infected, especially in the humid weather of the tropics. If they do break, wash them gently with soap and warm water.
If your sunburn does not appear to be getting better and you still have pain after a couple of days, you develop a high temperature or fever, have splitting headaches that won’t go away, vomit or have diarrhea, feel dizzy and confused, or your eyes hurt and light is bothering them, you must seek medical help right away.
How can you prevent heat exhaustion?
Heat exhaustion is totally preventable. To avoid this serious problem, wear a wide-brimmed sunhat, drink lots of liquids, and stay out of intense heat and humidity.
What should you do if you have the symptoms of heat exhaustion?
Heat exhaustion is precipitated by a combination of high temperatures and humidity. This can result in your body’s loss of fluids from excess sweating. These fluids must be replaced quickly or heat exhaustion can occur.
The symptoms include headaches, fatigue and lethargy, giddiness, and muscle cramps. The treatment is to immediately get out of the sun or heat and drink plenty of liquids. Commercial beverages containing electrolytes, such as Gatorade, are preferable. Don’t drink any alcohol. This will make your condition worse.
If you don’t feel better and show positive signs of recovery within a very short period of time, have someone help you to get to a hospital or medical center immediately as your condition can easily progress into a true medical emergency called heatstroke.
What has to be done immediately if you do if you get heat stroke?
If heat exhaustion is not successfully treated immediately, it can result in an extremely serious medical emergency. Heatstroke is characterized by a very high body temperature of 102 to 106 degrees Fahrenheit, or 39 to 41 degrees Centigrade. There is also cessation of sweating. The symptoms of heatstroke include flushed and red skin, a severe headache, confusion which can progress quickly into delirium and convulsions This can be fatal.
Note: Someone has to help you to get out of the sun or heat and rush you to a hospital immediately.
