Chocolate Paradise in Venezuela
As a certified chocoholic I'd always had visions of what staying on a Venezuelan cocoa plantation might be like. A Bridget Jones style indulgence, perhaps, of fresh-from-the-pod chocolate and South American sunshine. I pictured waking to a frothy cup of cocoa, photographing lush fields of flowering pods, and chomping through bullion sized bars of chocolate.
Green Anarchy
"The cocoa plantation has been described as 'green anarchy,'" explains Billy Esser, the plantation owner, who has just cracked open a fresh pod, and scooped out the beans for me to taste. "The trees grow where they want to grow, and the pickers remember where each tree is when it's time to harvest." In terms of cocoa production, Venezuela can lay claim to some impressive heritage. The country has grown, harvested, and eaten chocolate since the Aztecs, farming cacao Criollo — the world's purest strain of cocoa. And if Venezuela is Paradise, then the cocoa plantation where I'm happily ensconced must be where chocoholics go to die.Dive deeper into this chocolate lovers vacation.»
Read More»The Pros And Cons Of Travel Insurance
Is It Worth The Cost?
Traveling is just one of those things that often involves many unknowns, moving parts, and variables. Planning a trip requires the anticipation of these unknowns, and forces you to be as prepared as possible for anything that might come up, as being unprepared can lead to serious consequences. These consequences can range from dealing with a sunburn because you weren't prepared for a day at the beach, to dealing with unexpected medical bills because you weren’t prepared for illness. Or like more recently you may have to contend with a raging volcano.
But we all know that you can't be prepared for everything—that's how the concept of insurance came about. When it comes to travelers insurance, many people aren’t aware of the specific incidents covered, and this can lead to indecision, or even to people not considering it as an option at all. Do you know the pros and cons of travelers insurance? If not, we've compiled a list of things to consider in your decision of whether to buy coverage or not.
Pros:
Can Offer Widespread Coverage. From trip cancellation, to bankruptcy of your travel company, to loss of luggage or personal property, some travel insurance policies offer a wide range of coverage, allowing you to relax and enjoy your trip, without doubt that you will be covered no matter what comes up.
Overseas Protection. When you're out of the country, everything you do becomes more complicated. Just look at everything you have to do to simply get out of the country, let alone operate business as usual when you get there. It's near impossible. Pair the difficulty of being out of the country with medical conditions, and you could be in for a rough ride if you're not covered. Travelers' insurance can help a stressful medical situation from turning into a nightmare due to the fact that it happened out of the country. This is especially helpful if you're on Medicare, as this plan does not cover anything that occurs outside of the United States.
Cons:
Might be Unnecessary. In the case of trip cancellation and medical coverage, these are sometimes covered by you current health insurance or sometimes even by your credit cards. Before you fork over the dough for a full coverage trip insurance plan, check with all other sources of coverage, including your cruise line or travel agent to make sure you're not already covered.
Possibility for Restrictions. Of course not every plan will cover every cent of your original trip costs, but make sure you're at least getting good coverage for what you're paying. If you're uncomfortable with the percentage being insured, look for another plan. Also, make sure you read the fine print. For example, HomeAway, a vacation rental company, claims to offer insurance for vacation rentals that are "significantly not as described" upon arrival. However, a closer look into this policy reveals that the home has to practically not exist at all for you to cash in on this policy. Bottom line, do your homework.
So overall, is travelers insurance worth the cost? As with almost everything else, the answer is not black and white. It all comes down to doing the research to see how much coverage you already have and deciding whether it's worth the cost to you to have the extra protection you'll need beyond that. Do remember, if you're able to buy the extra coverage, there are few things better than peace of mind, especially during a time you've set aside for yourself to relax. Read More»
5 Greenest Cities In The USA
Cities Going Green
There are no official EPA rankings to determine the "greenness" of U.S. cities, but many are clearly at the head of the pack. They are reducing their carbon footprints by exploring alternative energy sources, controlling air and water quality, encouraging recycling, and maintaining green space in urban areas. Taking steps to go green not only improves the quality of life for current and future residents, but it also makes and saves money for these cities, through the increased energy efficiency of retrofitted buildings and transportation fleets.
Also, since these cities tend to encourage shopping and eating locally, the local economies of these cities are well supported and more dollars tend to stay in circulation within city limits. Green cities also tend to create green jobs and attract green industry, one of the most quickly growing industries in the United States.
1. Portland, OR. This city by the sea has 200 miles of bike lanes within its limits, which is probably why it's so easy for a quarter of its residents to commute to work without using personal vehicles. Portland is halfway powered with renewable energy, and its local farmer markets thrive. People shop locally, and have one of the last large independent bookstores (Powell's) in the country to show for it.
2. San Francisco, CA. As the United States solar energy leader, San Francisco takes green living very seriously. The city plans to cut landfill waste by 75 per cent by the end of this year, and has made some real headway with that goal through the banning of free plastic grocery bags. Not content to simply reduce waste, San Franciscans are also encouraged to recycle. One particularly innovative concept: the city recycling facility employs an artist to think up works that promote recycling.
3. Boston, MA. Bostonians are thinking outside of the box when it comes to renewable energy. The city plans to build a power plant that would be capable of turning fifty thousand tons of yard waste (clippings of grass and leaves) into usable power and fertilizer. The inventive plan uses methane produced by anaerobic bacteria to power generators. Boston has integrated this power plan into a "Green by 2015" aspiration that also includes replacing taxis with hybrid vehicles, the use of solar panels, and the promotion of motor bikes as transportation.
4. Oakland, CA. Another ambitious city on the list, Oakland plans to get greener by 2020. Some of the city's goals include aiming for zero waste and oil independence. The latter goal is bolstered by the city's hydrogen powered public transportation system and its renewable energy use, which accounts for 17 per cent of overall energy consumption. Oakland is also a mecca for organic eaters and locavores, and can boost some of the cleanest drinking water found in the U.S.
5. Chicago, IL. Chicago takes going green literally: it has over two and a half million square feet of plant life supporting city roofs, including the city hall building, and the city has planted half a million new trees.
For more great articles about Travel Destinations and much more please visit the Travel section. Read More»
How To Overcome Anxiety About Flying
In this day and age, there are very few people who go their whole life without having to fly in an airplane. All things considered, we should consider privileged to be able to fly as often as most people do, as it enables us to do business on a larger scale, see family more often, and visit parts of the world some people only ever get to read about. But for some people, while the ability to fly is a privilege, the act of flying is a task, and a stressful task at that.
Many people deal with a fear of flying, and whether it is mild or very severe, any fear of flying is unpleasant. For those coping with anxiety while flying, here are a few tips to help ease the tension and allow you to relax enough to possibly even enjoy your flight.
Take Gravol: First things first. If you tend to suffer from motion sickness, there is nothing that will make anxiety worse than a little nausea thrown in there too. To avoid this, take some gravol, which will help ease the effects of motion sickness. In addition, it might make you a little drowsy, which could help you sleep through part, or all, of the flight.
Keep your mind occupied. Nothing's worse for stress than a wandering mind. To keep your brain actively engaged, bring several forms of entertainment. This could be anything from your favorite book, to some work you need to finish up (that gets rid of two forms of stress at once!), or even a Sudoku or crossword puzzles. Also, with modern technology, it's even possible to watch an entire movie during a flight thanks to portable DVD players and laptops. Our suggestion is to bring a funny movie. After all, laughter really is the best medicine. Just pop in a movie, have some laughs, and you might even find yourself wishing the flight was longer so you could finish your movie.
Soak in some tunes. There's a reason music therapy works. Music has properties which are capable of transporting you to another time and place. When you have flight anxiety, just about any other time and place will do. If you think you could fall asleep, put on some relaxing music and it might ease you into a slumber. If you know you can't sleep, you could still listen to relaxing music, or you might want to put on some old favorites that remind you of old times and bring a sort of "comfort factor."
Stay comfortable. This includes dressing in clothes that will allow you to relax, avoiding sitting next to the most high-strung member of your travel party, and taking care of any other needs you may have. If you tend to get headaches on airplanes, plan ahead and bring some Advil. If you get cold, bring a blanket that will keep you warm and cozy so you can relax. Overall, take care of yourself so you can be as comfortable as possible and before you know it, the captain will be asking you to turn off your electronics, stow your tray table, and prepare for landing. Read More»
Planning Your Vacation Online
Using Social Networks To Plan Your Next Vacation
With new social networks springing up every day, and more and more people spending time on these sites, there are, need we say it, more ways to use social networking sites than ever before. Some people use them to reconnect, some people to keep in touch, some people to play games, and some people to stay up on the latest news and trends. No matter how you normally use social networks, the fact is there are probably several ways to use them that you haven’t even thought of yet, for example— planning your next vacation.
Bet you didn’t see that one coming. But really, there are several ways to make planning your next vacation not only easier, but more time efficient and less expensive as well.
Let’s start with picking a destination. The easiest thing you can do is use your social networks to simply ask for suggestions. This is the equivalent of asking a travel agent for destination suggestions, except your responses will be from trusted friends and/or, at the very least, acquaintances who you know are not trying to sell you something because it will get them a better commission. This approach works especially well if you’re trying to decide between a few specific locations. By broadcasting the choices to your friends, you will get responses from people who have actually experienced the locations, and can tell you the pros and cons from firsthand experience. And all in a matter of minutes, which sure beats calling 200+ people to see where they’ve been and what advice they have.
You can also find great travel deals through social networking sites. For example, Jet Blue and Southwest are good examples of airlines using Twitter to extend great travel deals to their followers. Many times, twitter followers of these airlines will be the first to know about special $99 promotions and other deals. This will allow you to book your flight for a cheaper price if you start looking for these deals in advance, so you can save the extra money for souvenirs or a nice dinner on your trip.
If you are planning a trip for a larger group, consider using wikis to keep the planning process flowing smoothly. A wiki is a space which allows people in different locations to collaborate on the internet to have conversations as well as share documents and Websites. Wikidot and Wetpaint are good examples of these. Google docs and Google wave are also very effective, and Google wave even has a “voting” feature so different members of your party can offer suggestions and the rest of the group can vote and comment on them.
Finally, you can use location-based social networking sites to gather advice on activities and destinations ahead of time. In addition, you could use these networks when you’re actually at your destination to find people you know who might be visiting or live there permanently.
However you use them, there is no doubt that social networks can be a great planning tool, as they integrate technology which gathers all of your friends, helpful reviews and location based technology, all for the purpose of helping you out. Read More»
Alternative Spring Break Destinations
Believe it or not, Spring Break, or March Break, isn't all about partying the night away anymore. Many college students are now opting to partake in alternative Spring Break trips. Alternative Spring Break can still mean sun, sand and surf, but usually involves volunteer work or travel to a remote destination clear of bikini clad co-eds, making the week without classes very rewarding and relaxing experience for all participants.
Students can find information about alternative Spring Break volunteer programs directly from their college or university outreach programs. In addition to programs affiliated with a college or university, numerous private organizations offer alternative Spring Break programs. They are moderately priced and usually include room and board and transportation at the destination in the program cost.
Playa del Carmen, Mexico
If you're interested in a relaxing spring break at a sunny location, but want to skip the co-ed wet tee shirt contests, check out Playa del Carmen, Mexico. A calm, yet beautiful alternative to the crazy Mexican spring break destination of Cancun, Mexico. A popular destination port for cruise ships, Playa del Carmen offers all-inclusive hotels each featuring daily activities for students and families alike, travel opportunities to secluded beaches and local restaurants. If you arrive and Playa turns out to be too relaxing for your taste, Cancun is only an hour away and transportation is available by shuttle.
Volunteer with Habitat for Humanity
Habitat for Humanity is an international nonprofit organization. Habitat works with local donors and volunteers, experience not necessary, to build sustainable housing for families in need. With locations throughout the United States, students have the opportunity to travel domestically during spring break, volunteering and interacting with locals while simultaneously exploring a new city. Additionally, Habitat for Humanity offers volunteer opportunities internationally in countries such as Myanmar, China and the US Gulf Coast. For more information about this alternative Spring Break, visit their website.
For a Spring Break that doesn't include a two-week hangover, check out alternative Spring Break destinations. Your wallet, liver, and conscience will thank you. Read More»