Flights

All through college, my daughter, Carol, kept expressing her desire to receive a European vacation as her college graduation gift. She wishes to make this trip on her own and have the freedom to travel throughout Europe with her cousins. She says she has discussed this with them and they also think it's a great plan. Meanwhile, I have not promised this trip and have hesitated to discuss it with Carol. I am not sure that I want her traveling across a continent without any supervision or any family to fall back on.

I contacted my sister-in-law, Marie, in Italy to see how she feels about this vacation my daughter is planning. After all, her children are also involved. She is a little hesitant but does feel that the children are old enough to go out on their own so she is agreeable to her two girls joining my daughter on this journey. Marie feels that they will not stray too far from home and will, hopefully, make short trips to other cities in Italy. Since her girls have already graduated from college, my daughter, Carol, will be the youngest on the trip. It has been her dream for many years so I decided to investigate the costs involved so I could make a final decision. After all, we do not have unlimited funds and Carol would have to stay within a budget for this trip.

I began investigating cheap international airfares. I discovered that they are almost nonexistent. Cheap international flights are not available in advance and we may have to wait and make our plans at the last minute when a good offer comes our way. I tried to find cheap flights online and was very disappointed. Discount airfare were also not available to us as we selected a large variety of dates but were still unable to obtain the affordable rates we were hoping to find. I was checking the rates almost daily and had signed up for regular e-mails regarding special offers. One day I received an e-mail that was the answer to our prayers. I could finally afford to send my daughter on the trip of her dreams. A cheap international flights was available for dates that would coincide with my daughter's free time prior to beginning her new job. I was so happy to have obtained a cheap international airfares that I could actually afford that I called my sister-in-law Marie and confirmed the plans. I was going to surprise Carol with this gift on her graduation day. I knew that it would be her graduation dream come true and was so happy that we could give this to her. She has worked very hard over the years and we are very proud of her accomplishments.

Flights

The air outside of my dorm is practically buzzing with excitement. With the return of the sun and the warmth that we were all missing just a month ago everyone is willing and ready to go out just take a walk. Classes are starting to become more and more empty as time goes on. Ironically classes are giving more work as well to keep up with the people who have just given up in favor of sun bathing. I myself have kept up with classes but that's not to say I have not been enjoying the weather and looking ahead two weeks to the beginning of the summer. I have decided to skip this summer and not take classes. That means I will have to do twice as much next summer but I am totally fine with that right now. I look at it like I will be taking this summer off so I can handle next summer's work load. My time outside of class has become split between doing homework and looking up discount flights. I have been surprised by how much discount airfares there is out there. I thought I would only have a limited number of places to choose from because of my low budget. I am actually fining out that I am having to weed out cheap airfares by the kinds of things I would do in the destination. The most exciting part for me so far has been the vast number of cheap international flights that are available all summer long. I am not be too discriminating about any of the cheap airfares, but I always wanted to go out of the country and I think now I finally have the money to do it. I only have another two weeks worth of work to do and then I am free for the whole summer. Images of me in Rome, Brazil, or Japan living a simple summer backpacking everywhere just cloud my vision. I have to get over all of that stuff and finish my work and buy one of these cheap international airfares by the end of next week and then I will be out of here faster than the weather has turned.

Umbria villas

If you are looking for the ultimate vacation spot look no further than Italy. The Italian villas are some of the best accommodations in the world. There is something for everyone in this magical land.

If water is your thing, be sure to visit Umbria. Slightly east of the rolling hills of Tuscany, lays this beautiful city with waterfalls, the largest lake in Italy, and the incredible Tiber River. With river valleys and think wooded areas, this national parkland type area is a must see for the outdoorsy types. Be sure to stay at the Umbria villas while in this neck of the woods. Also, be sure to check out all the natural beauty that Tuscany has to offer while in this area. Truly an extension of a visit to Tuscany as well is a visit to Le Marche. The Le Marche villas provide some of the most incredible views I have ever seen. If you are in the Tuscany area, be sure to check out these villas as well. You will be glad you did.

Venice is an incredible city, very different from any experience you will have in the US. Venice the city built on water is quite incredible with the bridges on gondolas that make this city such a true adventure. The most incredible thing is that they use canals as roadways through this area of mystique. Definitely a must see in Italy.

Rome of course is one of the best known tourist attractions and although if you have the time to visit, it has some amazing architecture, but is much more geared toward a tourist than some of the other areas I have mentioned.

Florence holds its own attraction for the art lover and wine connoisseur. This small town atmosphere will give you a taste of history with Michelangelo's David and the incredible art galleries housed here. There are also an abundance of wine tastings available as well. If this sounds like your forte, then Florence is a must see while in Italy.

Lastly, my favorite spot in all of Italy is eighteen kilometers of sheer rocky coastline in northern Italy, terraced hills and vineyards sloping steeply down to the sea. Five little villages are built into the rocks between the beach and the hills. You can hike, swim, drink red wine, and watch blazing Mediterranean sunsets away from the tourist throngs in the Italian cities and the French Riviera. This incredible place is called Cinque Terre and the Cinque Terre Apartments provide some of the best views that I have ever seen.

cheap flights

I think the one thing that I’m looking most forward to when I graduate is being able to travel. I’ve been stuck here in Virginia my entire life, with only one trip out of country to Korea when I was in middle school. Other than that, I’ve spent my 22 years in this state, haha. It’s nice, but c’mon. You need to travel and get out there! I’ve been looking at flights to Europe a lot, that’s been my first travel choice for a while. If I can find cheap international flights there and back for this summer, I think I might just make that a reality. Whoooo! Maybe I’ll be able to apply for student flights if I’m fresh out of school. Who knows. All I really know is that I want to be able to travel to Europe for a few weeks (maybe even 2 or 3 months?) to take in their culture and FOOD. Yes, that’s the main reason I’d go, haha. Maybe I’d be able to pick up a few recipes and cooking techniques while I’m there! I guess the cost of staying there would be a little high, but if I can find a few hostels to stay in, I should do all right. The main cost will probably be the flights, to tell you the truth. I guess that’s why it’s so important to find cheap flights ahead of time. Saving a few hundred will always help, no matter the situation, and having a few hundred dollars extra spending money is awesome, haha. I think I’ll have to definitely hit up Italy, Germany, and France. A bit cliché, but when you think about it, Italy and France have their amazing cuisine, and Germany, their beer. I’m pretty sure that those three countries are winners. Though I’d like to visit more than that, I’d have to see, depending on the amount of time I have. Now all I have to do is concentrate on saving up money and setting up an itinerary. We’ll see… maybe I’ll even find a travel buddy and come up with one with him/her.

vacation rentals

Last year, I bought a new home down on the beach. It was pretty expensive, but in the long run it is going to be profitable for me. Every year my wife and I take our kids for two weeks to the beach. While we are there my parents come to visit for at least a week. Other family is in and out the door over the two weeks as well. My sister, her husband and their three kids always make it down to the vacation home as well. The kids look forward to playing with each other and going in to the ocean or just staying on the beach and building in the sand. My sister and I really enjoy seeing the kids have so much fun together. We were pretty close to our cousins growing up so I know how important family can be when you are younger. Then every once in a while we have other guests who stop in to see the family and spend some time at the beach with all of us. The bill can get pretty hefty to rent a place to accommodate my family and all of our guests. It is never a problem when people come over to visit. That is why I go on vacation. I look forward to spending time with everyone and not having to go to the office. However, the price of vacation rentals has risen drastically over the past couple of years. That is why I decided to buy a home. It sounds crazy, but we will save almost ten thousand dollars a year on rent costs. Then I am going to turn around and rent the home to out of town tourists during the rest of the vacation months. This will help me to make the payments on the vacation rental property. It is even possible that the renters will pay enough to cover the entire mortgage for the year in only a couple months of rentals. Also, I figure it is a place my family will own for many years. I can see my kids and my grandkids using this as a vacation home. It saves me the hassle for finding a place every year as well. Whenever my family wants to go to the beach, we have a place to stay.

dubai apartments

When I finish school, I'm planning on taking some time off and traveling. I've always wanted to get out of the area – I've lived here my entire life. I want to get out and try something new, somewhere luxurious and awesome. After some searching online, I've made up my mind. I'm going to Dubai. I know a lot of you haven't been there or really know anything about the place, but that's okay, since I don't either, haha. It's in the United Arab Emirates (the U.A.E.). I'm sure, however, that many of you have seen the famous shot of Agassi and Federer playing tennis on a converted helipad. That was taken in Dubai, lol, on top of the Burj Al Arab hotel, one of many 5 star hotels in Dubai. Man, the Dubai hotels are world-class. They are really great. I've researched a lot about Dubai lately, and the Dubai hotels and Dubai villas are really stupendous – mostly 5 or 4 stars, and built very close to the water, as Dubai is located on the east coast of the Arabian peninsula. The Burj Al Arab, for example, is built on a man-made island! Very cool. I've been looking at lodging options and hotels and villas aren't the only ones available. I've been looking at Dubai apartments and Dubai hotel apartments and can tell you that these are amazing as well. They are more of a self-service type of place to stay, but to a recently graduated college student, that's not too big of a deal, haha. There is lots of information on the internet on Dubai apartments and listings, as well as listings for Dubai villas and hotels, so being able to find prices and reservations shouldn't be too hard. All I have to do is save up a bit of money and find a few people to go with! Ah man, I can't wait. I can already feel the cool tropical breeze on my skin. Seriously, this place is a paradise. With less than 13 cm of rainfall a year, and set in a sub-tropic climate, this place is heaven. I bet the ladies there are amazing, too! Well, I guess the guys will be okay too, but hopefully not too “okay”, since they're my competition, haha.

Sicily villas

I am a member of a travel club and have had the good fortune to take many memorable trips at discount rates. The club has enabled my husband and I to travel across the United States, take several cruises to Bermuda, and experience two trips to Europe. We are hoping to have the opportunity to eventually travel to Ireland but that has not yet been offered at a rate we can afford.

To add to the pleasure of these vacations, several of our friends often accompany us. They, too, are members of this club and when special offers come along, we get together to discuss them and decide if this would be a trip we would all enjoy. Sometimes my husband and I do travel alone but, often, we have friends share our adventures.

We have had some great experiences allowing the travel club personnel to plan our vacations for us. They recommend wonderful hotels and obtain discount rates. They advise us as to sightseeing opportunities and even provide coupons, etc. to help with the cost of travel around the cities and entrance into museums, etc.

Of course, the travel group has experienced all of these trips before us and are well aware of what is worthwhile and what is not. They are wonderful at recommending restaurants and rate them so that we will know exactly what to expect. The rating includes approximate costs, quality of food and service, ambience, etc. We know exactly what to expect before we arrive for dinner and have never been disappointed.

There is a new trip coming up this spring and several of our friends are interested in joining us for a trip to Tuscany and Sicily. We are still in the planning stages with the travel club but are considering Tuscany apartments for our visit or Tuscany villas. The villa would allow us to live in luxury as a group as they are available with many bedrooms and private suites. The apartment, however, may better suit our budget.

When we arrive in Sicily we are weighing the same options. Do we want to share Sicily villas or would we prefer to stay in Sicily apartments? We have plans to get together again next week after investigating these choices and voting on where we shall stay. I'm sure we will reach a consensus and be happy with whatever decision the group makes.