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June 29, 2009

Las Vegas Shopping: The World in Your Grasp

Filed under: Las Vegas — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , — myroadtotravel @ 2:00 pm
Shop till you drop at the Las Vegas Outlet Center

Shop till you drop at the Las Vegas Outlet Center

Maybe you are a jet-setter, and think nothing of hopping across Europe in a weekend to hit the shopping Meccas in Venice, Paris, and Rome.  Maybe you even throw in an extra couple of days to hop across the Atlantic and give New York your attention.  If, however, you’re like most of us, the only way you will ever experience what it’s like to shop in the world’s most unusual cities is to visit what may be the most unusual of them all, Las Vegas.

Limiting your jet travel to flying in and out of McCarran Airport will still let you browse the delightful shops of Venice at the Grand Canal Shoppesof the Venetian Hotel.  Stay in Italy and browse among the gods of Olympus at the Caesar’s Palace Forum Shops, before heading across Flamingo Boulevard to the elegant retail experience at Via Bellagio. 

From there, you can stroll across the Strip and directly into the sunny streets of Le Boulevardat Paris Las Vegas (the only place in the US where you can buy Lenotre chocolates), which will put you within a stone’s throw not only of Monte Carlo, but of New York, New York!  Vegas shopping may be fabulous, but it’s got nothing on Las Vegas geography! 

You don’t, however, have to pass through a casino every time you need to feed your shopping monkey.  Bypass the one-armed bandits completely by heading across the street from Treasure Island to the 250+ shops and restaurants of the Fashion Show Mall, where Macy’s, Saks, and Nordstrom’s await. 

If you want to save some of your money for other Las Vegas pursuits, you can limit your shopping expenditures by taking advantage of the bargains at the Las Vegas Outlet Center.  You’ll find all the top fashion brands, including Coach, Nine West, and Off Saks 5th Avenue.  Off the Strip in downtown Las Vegas (great if you’re staying at Fremont Street) is the Las Vegas Premium Outlets shopping center with more than 150 discount stores! 

Turn your shopping spree into a family outing by going to the Town Square, just south of Mandalay Bay on the Strip.  There’s a kiddie park with a carousel, tree house,  maze, and a movie theater in addition to the shops and restaurants. No matter what your shopping itch, Las Vegas  is the place to get it scratched!



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June 19, 2009

The Maui Ocean Center: Taste the Open Ocean

You should not dream of leaving Maui without spending at least a few hours at the Maui Ocean Center, Hawaii’s amazing cutting-edge 3 acre aquarium which also happens to be the largest tropical aquarium in the entire United States!  The Maui Ocean Center on Ma’alaea Bay deserves its favorable comparison to California’s spectacular Monterey Aquarium.  Known simply as ” the Hawaiian Aquarium,” the Maui Ocean Center has over 60 active exhibits, including a touching pool where you can have a one-on-one encounter with magnificent sea stars and curious helmet shells.
 

Visit the Maui Ocean Center

Visit the Maui Ocean Center

One star exhibit at the Maui Ocean Center, however, is the coral display, which also happens to be the largest of its kind in the United States.  Called “The Living Reef”, it contains displays of all forms of Hawaii’s coral, from those which live in the shallows of the rocky surge zone to those which inhabit the waters of the deep reef.  You’ll be astonished and delighted with the fantastic shapes, textures, and colors of these mysterious animals!

Like its coral, all the marine creatures living in the Maui Ocean Center are native to Hawaii, and that includes the marine plants.  A visit to the Ocean Center is as close as you can get, without getting completely soaked, to having personal encounters with all of these wonderful life forms.  Graceful octopi, stingrays, and moray eels; magnificent sharks and green sea turtles; bizarre sea jellies and dazzling tropical fish are all waiting for your admiration. 

Because the Maui Ocean Center believes in letting its inhabitants live in as natural an environment as possible, there are no scheduled feeding times or shells like you’ll find at other aquariums.  But you’ll still enjoy presentations scheduled throughout the day during which experts on different aspects of the aquarium’s exhibits will be happy to answer your questions.

The highlight of your visit to the Maui Ocean Center is certain to be your trip through the 54-foot-long tunnel of the 750,000 gallon Open Ocean saltwater aquarium.  Almost 2000 fish, as well as countless stingrays, turtles, and sharks will be watching you with as much interest as you watch them.  Only the acrylic walls of the tunnel will come between you..  It’s a great place to retreat to should you get caught in one of Maui’s afternoon rainstorms!

The Maui Ocean Center, however, has plenty of outdoor attractions as well.  Both the Turtle Lagoon and Hammerhead Harbor will let you enjoy Maui’s sunshine while you’re visiting the aquarium, which is situated in a complex of shops and restaurants.  For a quick bite, you can grab a sandwich or salad at the Reef Café.  If you’re ready for something with a  gourmet flair, opt for the Seascape Ma’alaea restaurant with its breathtaking views of the ocean and the Maui coastline, with Haleakala looming in the distance.

Finally, pick up a souvenir of your happy outing at the Maui Ocean Center Store, with its terrific selection of ocean themed clothes, toys, art and home decor, and jewelry.  If you’re a real connoisseur, you can also find museum-quality items here! A trip to the Maui Ocean Center is guarunteed to leave you with fond memories of Maui.


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June 10, 2009

Student Travel Insurance: A Lifeline in Times of Need

Most children, at least while they are in grammar or middle school, attend a school close to home.  But by the time they reach high school or college, they’re ready to spread their wings a bit and attend a school which may be in another city, or even in another country.  Studying abroad is one of the best opportunities anyone will ever have to broaden his or her intellectual and emotional horizons.  It can be the most wonderful experience of your lifetime, but unless you are protected with student travel insurance, it can also be a disaster.

You will have plenty of challenges ahead of you if you decide to study abroad, but you shouldn’t have to be faced with the challenge of things like medical emergencies for which you can’t afford to pay, or the loss of personal belongings which you can’t afford to replace.  Having student travel insurance will relieve you of those dire possibilities!

Student travel insurance will provide you with a sense of comfort while you’re away from the comforts of home.  Most student travel insurance policies include coverage for illness, injury, and accident, medical evacuation, lost or stolen luggage or personal belongings, and delayed travel.  You can tailor your student travel insurance policy to provide the coverage you are most likely to need.

Let us find the travel insurance plan that is right for you

Let us find the travel insurance plan that is right for you

If you’re traveling abroad for the first time, you may be unprepared for the changes in diet, climate, and surroundings you’ll experience.  You may succumb to a new disease, and having student travel insurance will ensure that you can afford the proper medical care and medicines.  Your student travel insurance will enable you to get treatment in a dental emergency.  You can be covered whether you’re simply traveling during your summer vacation or your spring break, or if you intend to spend an entire year studying abroad.

Student travel insurance, in fact, is often required by study abroad programs so that the students will have health insurance coverage which meets or exceeds the requirements necessary to obtain a US student visa.  The reality is that most student health insurance supplied in other countries will not cover the cost of US medical care.

One of the great pleasures of studying abroad is the opportunity to visit more than one country.  If you will be studying abroad, you should make sure that your student travel insurance includes worldwide coverage, and if you’ll be away for an extended period, look for an annual policy which will continue to cover you if you decide to return home during your vacations.

Having student travel insuranceis like having a lifeline which connects students to their parents back home.  A 24-hour hotline is offered by most insurance companies.  The hotline can be a message center where parents can contact their students, and it can refer students abroad to translators, legal help, and their embassy if necessary.  No one should miss out on the opportunity to spend time in a different part of the world learning to appreciate a different culture.  Having student travel insurance simply ensures that experience will offer as much fun and enlightenment as possible!

 



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June 3, 2009

Cheap Romantic Vacation Getaway Choices: The Best Places and the Best Prices

Filed under: Romantic Vacations — Tags: , , , , , , , — myroadtotravel @ 2:00 pm

Well money may not be able to buy happiness, but having money put you in a much better position to be able to visit the places where being happy seems to be as natural as breathing.  What you might be surprised to learn is that not all of those places have to cost you an arm or a leg?  You and that special other person can have the romantic getaway of a lifetime in one of the following places (which will make you even happier because it costs so little!)

Visit South Padre Island

Visit South Padre Island

 

 South Padre Island:  During your romantic getaway at South Padre Islandyou can bask on a sandy beach against the backdrop of sapphire waters, or stroll barefoot along the beach as the sun sets over the Laguna Madre on the Gulf of Mexico.  Just make sure you avoid taking your getaway during spring break, and you’ll be delighted with the quiet atmosphere.  The La Copa Beachfront Resort’s $180  “Lovers Escape” package includes two nights with complimentary champagne and chocolates, along with dinner for two at one of the resort’s two restaurants, and continental breakfast.  Relax in the hot tub or pool.  Unwind from your days activities with a glass of wine at Happy Hour.

Amelia Island, FL – There are few places as inviting to romantic couples as Florida’s Amelia Island, where a stroll along Centre Street with its quaint shops can be followed up by a delightful ride in a horse-drawn carriage ($89) through the historic streets of the Fernandina district.  Stay where the Rockefellers, the Carnegies, and Ulysses S. Grant himself stayed at the Florida House Inn where a charming room with a four-poster bed will cost you only $109 a night during the week.  If a pet is a part of your life as a couple, bring it along!

  

Visit the Grande Shores Resort

Visit the Grande Shores Resort

Myrtle Beach, SC:   For $153, you and your partner can have a romantic night at the Grand Shores Ocean Resort; The Grande Shores Resort, located on the Oceanfront in beautiful Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, features generously-sized one, two, and three bedroom condominiums to comfortably accommodate every size family, golf and vacation group, as well as affordable hotel rooms to fit every type of budget.

 This one-of-a-kind Myrtle Beach seaside resort redefines the idea of vacationing by providing the absolute friendliest staff along the Grand Strand with completely unobstructed coastline views along the Northern shoreline

Quebec, Canada- If you want to spend your romantic getaway in a place where you’ll have a real reason to snuggle, why not consider the $295 per person Deep Forest package, good for two nights and three days!  Your dogsled ride will give you a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and you can warm up afterwards with your complimentary Lac-à-l’Eau-Claire special coffee at the Inn’s bar.  Ice skating and cross-country skiing are sure to work up an appetite, but fortunately you’ll also have two buffet breakfasts and two four-course dinners!

Each of these destinations offers you, and that special person in your life, a romantic getaway without breaking the bank at the same time!!

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