Trip

Ski & snowboard Trip to Salt lake city. Park City, Snowbird, Canyons best place to stay.?

A friend and I are looking to head to Utah for a ski trip.

We don’t know where to stay. We both like the “ski town” vacation atmosphere. I read a lot about staying in Salt Lake City but I’m concerned about it feeling too down town ish. I live in Toronto and like to get away from the city. Bars, things to do are all great!

We are hitting different resorts so let me know what you think is best.

Trip

Study Spanish in Argentina – 7 Reasons You Should Make the Trip Today

Have you ever wanted to learn Spanish? Have you ever thought about visiting Argentina? You can do both by taking Spanish classes offered by schools in Argentina. Spanish classes are offered by different schools in the cities of Buenos Aires, Mendoza, and Patagonia. Choose which city you would like to visit and which school best fits your needs for a Spanish educational experience and get started.

Below are seven reasons why you should make the trip today and why Argentina may be the most perfect destination in the world to fine-tune your grasp of the Spanish language.

1. IMMERSION – Immersion into a foreign language is a quick and beneficial way to learn any new language, and there are a number of schools in Argentina that teach students Spanish (or Castellano) through summer classes, semester classes, internships, and volunteer projects. The Spanish language is now the fourth most spoken language in the world, the second language in the international community, and the official language of twenty-one nations. Argentina is one of the largest countries in South America and the eighth largest in the world, home to the Andes mountains, the Patagonia pampa or desert, emerald rivers and a vast array of wildlife.

2. INTERNSHIPS – Internships are available in Buenos Aries thru http://www.gicarg.org. GIC Argentina, one of the largest providers of such services in the region, will place you with a company in your field of interest that will work with you to have real life work experience combined with the business vocabulary necessary to further your career. Your internship placement will be based on your knowledge of the language before you arrive. You will generally work normal business hours, generally 30 to 40 hours a week. Your work program can be combined with tango lessons, cooking lessons, or weekend excursions. At the end of your internship, GIC Argentina and your employer, will give you a certificate of participation in the internship program.

3. CLASSES – Classes are offered from a variety of schools in Argentina for learning Spanish thru the immersion method. http://www.iberospanish.com offers Beginner I thru Superior classes with both group and individual instruction with 20 to 40 hours per week of learning. http://www.abcspanish.com.ar offers a wide variety of classes from individual to group, to combined classes to fit your needs. GIC Argentina gives you three locations to learn from: Buenos Aries, Mendoza, and Patagonia. The Buenos Aries location offers the best of city life in downtown along with historical and cultural locations near by for excursions. The Mendoza campus, located in the wine country of Argentina, has a strong liberal arts curriculum that includes degrees in Business, Journalism, and International Relations. The campus in Patagonia is located at the Universidad F. A. Santo Tomas de Aquino. It is a private university located in the heart of the Nahuel Huapi National Park, combining your Spanish education with outdoor sports such as rafting, snowboarding, hiking, and rock climbing.

4. COST – The cost for classes range from as little as $18.00US for individual intensive classes that helps you design a course suited to your needs at ABC Spanish, to intensive Spanish classes for $380US a week for combined group and individual lessons. The Ibero Spanish School offers all books and necessary materials, maps, cinema lessons and a city tour for 4 weeks starting at $460.00US. Classes from GIC Argentina range from $1,190.00US for a 1 month student resident to $8835.00US for 6 months in a private apartment. The current exchange rate for the US dollar to the Argentine Peso (ARP) is 3 to 1, making excursions, cooking lessons, or tango lessons available even to those on a budget.

5. ACCOMMODATIONS – While learning Spanish in Argentina you can choose the type of accommodations that fit both your budget and your travel plans. Each Spanish School can help you with a variety of stay types to fit your needs. You can expect each type of Spanish school in Argentina to offer homestays with local families in a single furnished room or residence halls where you can have your choice of stay in either single, double, triple or quad rooms with maid service. Some schools also have two or three bedroom apartments available with single occupancy rooms. If more privacy is required, they also offer single occupancy apartments with your choice of studio or one bedroom.

6. EXCURSIONS – There are many excursions available to explore while in Argentina. In the Mesopotamia region the Iguaza Falls is an amazing range of approximately 270 falls that spans 2.7 kilometers (1.67 miles) rising up to 269 feet in height, providing a beautiful natural landscape and abundant outdoor activities. The Mendoza province boasts most of the wine vineyards in Argentina with an annual festival called Vendimia every March that includes wine tasting, folkloric festivals, the religious grape blessing ceremony and the crowing of the Reina Nacional de la Vendimia. Patagonia features the largest lake in Argentina, Lake Argentino, which lies within the Los Glaciares National Park.

7. RESUME – The benefits of adding the Spanish language to your resume or college transcript is endless. With the amount of business that is part of the international community today, the ability to put Spanish as a second language on your resume will make your more appealing to many companies worldwide. More and more companies today are hiring Spanish-speaking employees or setting up call centers with Spanish as an alternative option to English when asking for information. The US Census Bureau estimates that by July 1, 2007, there will be over 43 million people of Hispanic or Latino origin in the United States. With the growing population of Spanish speaking individuals in the US, the ability to be bilingual will put you ahead of monolingual career candidates.

With so many reasons to learn Spanish in Argentina why wait? Classes start each week with each school, check websites for specific information. The number of people learning Spanish is increasing every day, and you could be one of them.

What are you waiting for?

Trip

A Trip to ‘Dream Cochin’- a new hotel opened at Cochin as a part of Vikram Chatwal Hotels

When I was asked to visit DREAM, the first thing that came to my mind was the advertisement I saw in ‘The Hindu’ daily on the date of its opening on April 05, 2009. It prompted me to think about the growth of Kochi as a business center and the number of international five star brands rushing into the city. The city is now regarded as one of the most happening commercial capitals and the nerve centre of fashion, entertainment and business. Not surprisingly the arrival of DREAM, which is part of Vikram Chatwal Hotels – a division of Hampshire Hotels and Resorts based in New York, has hardly raised any eyebrow. In fact, I felt honored in getting this opportunity to review (with my family) an international five star deluxe brand, which has established itself across the globe.

True to its character, the hotel is strategically located at the heart of the city. So locating the 14 + G storeyed building was as smooth as spotting moon on a full moon day. From a fair distance, we spotted the name DREAM, in dream blue color.

Inside the gate the security staff greeted us with folded hands and offered us assistance to park the car. The hospitality crew took care of our luggages. All the beautiful faces around were eager to make us feel at home. The check-in process was as smooth as one could expect. No intriguing questions, no doubtful stares. In short, even the minutest of details were properly looked into, to welcome the guests thanks to the efforts of Ajay Kumar, Associate Sales Director of DREAM. The hospitality face of the brand, on duty, accompanied us with the luggage to our deluxe suite 1715.

By closely observing the nooks and corners, we felt the design of the hotel blended the ethnicity of Kerala with the whims of the west, thereby offering travelers a new vision on modern luxury. The metallic silver elephant statues at the entrance point, with colorful lights hanging from the top is a classical example of a perfect blend of Kerala culture with European art. The expansive Lobby Lounge at the left side only adds elegance to the visual treat. In other words, the design created a mind-bending avant-garde level of surrealism to the world of accommodation and entertainment.

We understood the authenticity of the saying ‘the proof of the pudding is in the eating’ in its full worth during our stay. Frankly, we never expected the name to be so true, until we entered the luxurious deluxe suite booked for us. Using the key card we opened the door and our first impression of the fancifully modern room was nothing but romantic, mainly due to the dream colors of white and blue. The ultra modern facilities of the suite, partitioned into a drawing room and a bed room, teeming with a sense of theatre gave us a comfortable night’s rest. The remote controlled theme lights discharged from the ceiling blocks, from above the bed, from beneath the bed and from the wall corners of the drawing room and the bed room were superbly passionate

To read more please visit http://www.travelbird.in/dream-hotel-cochin-aug09.htm

Trip

2006 – 01 Jan (16/23) Colorado Vail Resorts Ski Trip

Vail, CO – 3rd Day of Skiing w/ hai, Ethan, and Vy

Trip

2006 – 01 Jan (01/23) Colorado Vail Resorts Ski Trip

Keystone, CO – First day ski of four days

Trip

Ski & snowboard Trip to Salt lake city. Park City, Snowbird, Canyons best place to stay.?

A friend and I are looking to head to Utah for a ski trip.

We don’t know where to stay. We both like the “ski town” vacation atmosphere. I read a lot about staying in Salt Lake City but I’m concerned about it feeling too down town ish. I live in Toronto and like to get away from the city. Bars, things to do are all great!

We are hitting different resorts so let me know what you think is best.

Trip

Colorado River Rafting experiences… If your responses are chosen you could win a Colorado River Rafting trip!

We are the thrill providers. If you enjoy the rush of fear from a horror movie! If you enjoy the thrill of mountain biking or running… that rush of exhilaration, whitewater rafting is another way to get it. If you enjoy mountain climbing it has a rush of adrenaline. If you enjoy skiing your getting adrenaline rushes. With Colorado River rafting you are getting those rushes every second as the water changes your movement and your mind adjusts to the roller coaster ride sliding you through the water’s path.

Have you ever experienced whitewater rafting anywhere? If you have experienced Colorado River Rafting or whitewater rafting anywhere in the world we are looking for your stories to publish in blogs. We want the raw experience that can only be told by you from you and your group. How long you were in the water. Where you were. Who you were outfitting with. What was the memory of thrill after thrill.

I can remember my first time experiencing the ride that seems like yesterday as we were a raft of 4 thrown down the whitewater blasting against rocks, over rocks, past rocks… through waterfalls. At points it was like looking over the top of nothing like on a roller coaster looking out as you are on top of the climb before you can see the track and all you can see is open sky and you know you are about to drop. That feeling of adrenaline in your mind flowing into your head, throat, chest, and stomach reacting with your whole body of controlled bottled fear about to explode into an experience of exhilaration. You start going down the drop and you finally see a track of water and your gushing down shot fast as you free-fall with the water running into a flat plane of water dropping fifty feet … what a rush and experience! Reply your experience to this article about your memories of exhilaration in Colorado River rafting or any whitewater trip around the world you have experienced. You may win a trip for your entry of your memorable ride!

Trip

Ski & snowboard Trip to Salt lake city. Park City, Snowbird, Canyons best place to stay.?

A friend and I are looking to head to Utah for a ski trip.

We don’t know where to stay. We both like the “ski town” vacation atmosphere. I read a lot about staying in Salt Lake City but I’m concerned about it feeling too down town ish. I live in Toronto and like to get away from the city. Bars, things to do are all great!

We are hitting different resorts so let me know what you think is best.

Trip

Ski Vacations: How to find the perfect lodging for your trip

Ski vacations are a blast whether going with family or in a group of adults, but sometimes it’s hard to decide which accommodation will best suit your needs. Regardless of whether your booking a trip to Switzerland, Australia, Lake Tahoe, Colorado or Vermont it is crucial to decide what type of facility has the most of what you and your companions need. There are many options available to ski enthusiasts, everything from cottages, affordable hotels, lodges and even vacation homes are all available lodging options. The first thing, besides choosing your destination, is to decide how much space you need during your stay. Standard rooms are available which typically include one bedroom with either two queens or a king bed and some may have a small kitchen. These rooms are available in tradition hotels and can be very affordable and still provide amenities such as spa services, pools and in house restaurants. The larger the group the larger the lodging facility needed and this is where ski lodges, vacation home rentals or condos become necessary to house the group.

Ski lodges are popular with adult groups for many reasons and are usually equipped with full lounges and restaurants. Ski lodges often are ski in ski out facilities making access to the slopes as simple as heading out the door. Some lodges will have full lounges with couches, fireplaces and libraries for guests to relax and fellowship in when not on the slopes. Lodges will often have spa services, pools, saunas, hot tubs and restaurants all located within the facility. Most lodges are independently owned allowing for personalized service as opposed to standardized service. This is a great option for a couple’s retreat or just a group of friends that desire to take a ski vacation together but not stay in the same house.

Vacation homes and condos are a fantastic option for guests with children as it allows for some privacy and gives children the chance to bring some of their own things to make it feel more like home. Vacation homes come in all sizes, from studios to 5 bedroom homes with multiple living areas. Vacation homes are obviously equipped with all the amenities of a typical house but often don’t come with pools or the option for luxurious amenities provided by hotels. However, there are financial advantages to eating meals in and relationship advantages such as playing games as a family in a living room setting.

Choosing a ski vacation package is a big decision and deciding which type of lodging accommodation like hotels or discount motels is right for you and your traveling companions is a huge part of it. Ski resorts cater to all types of people and some are extremely family friendly and have non-skiing options such as tubing, ice skating or snow shoeing. Other resorts are geared toward the serious skier and focus primarily on the down hill experience. Researching your preferred destination is crucial to be sure that your vacation is all that it can be.

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Going on a Wild Alaskan Road Trip

When a road trip planner first sets his sights on Alaska, he invariably wonders if Alaska can truly be explored in one road trip. Alaska offers vast mountains, colossal blue-white glaciers and an abundance of wildlife with activities unique to the state; this combination earns an Alaskan Road Trip top honors in travelers’ memory books.

For most road trip planners, their itinerary will start with flight plans. Most people flying in will land in Anchorage. At this point, they’ll either rent a car and stay in hotels along the way (reserved in advance of course!) or they’ll rent an RV to explore Alaska at their own pace (with their itinerary allowing impromptu exploration options).

After exploring Anchorage’s offerings, many place the city of Tok as a destination in their road trip planner because it helps create a good triangle for your road trip. Tok is known as the “Sled Dog Capital of Alaska”. Plan on 5 ½ hours driving time from Anchorage but I know you’ll stop – even spend a day or two – around the Wrangell-St. Elias National Park. Get ready for the largest and most magnificent of the National Parks of Alaska, with 9 of the 16 highest peaks in the United States. This mountain region contains numerous glaciers, lakes and mountain streams and is home to a rich variety of wild life. It is superb country for climbers, walkers and water sports enthusiasts.

Fairbanks would be the third point of your trip triangle to add to your road trip planner (Anchorage to Tok to Fairbanks). Some travelers start their Alaskan Road Trip by flying in to Fairbanks, so for them, their trip triangle would be Fairbanks, Anchorage, Tok. Fairbanks is second biggest city of Alaska and has the all the amenities of an urban community. The Gold Rush Street at Pioneer Park was a replica but a real operating gold mine exists in this proud city. Visit the Museum of the North, take a river trip for half-day cruise through the Chena and Tanana Rivers. In the summer, the Riverboat Discovery Tour runs twice a day. Trip reservations are a must so make the necessary arrangements ahead of time.

Leaving Fairbanks, include the impressive Denali National Park in your road trip planner before hitting Anchorage. Denali contains Mount McKinley, the tallest mountain in North America and is definitely worthy of some heavy-duty exploration.

A four- to six-hour drive down south from Denali National Park, passing through Talkeetna, you’ll reach the town of Wasilla. Have your camera at the ready because moose or bear sightings along the way are often part of the journey. For canoeing experience, go to the Nancy Lake Recreation Area. There are plenty of cabins to rent for overnight stays. Further south, visit the Big Lake for swimming, camping, jet-ski and fishing. Proceed to Mat-Su Valley and drop by Iditarod Trail Headquarters on Knik Road. Learn some history at Knik Museum and the Sled Dog Musher’s Hall of Fame.

Another town to add to your road trip planner is Palmer, only 15 minutes away from Wasilla. There is a great RV campground here as well as some cool farms like the Musk Ox Farm. Best time to be here is in late August when the Alaska State Fair is celebrated.

Leave another day in your road trip planner to explore more of Anchorage. It has plenty of hiking opportunities, cultural events and art exhibits. The Flattop Mountain and Chugach State Park are the city’s pride together with Alaska Zoo and Potter Marsh, a bird and wildlife sanctuary.

If you have more time, add another leg of your road trip by driving along the Seward Highway, designated as the All-American Road, and enjoy the scenic view. Picnic opportunities are everywhere, and the picture perfect backdrop is hard to resist. Fishing, camping and canoeing activities in the Kenai/Soldotna area are nice options too.

I’ve shared one road trip example, but customize yours to reflect your own Dream Alaskan Trip. Below are some tips to help you get the most out of your trip.

WHEN IS THE BEST TIME TO…?
* See the Northern Lights; plan on coming either late fall and early spring.
* Enjoy the Midnight Sun; put June 21st in the middle of your road trip planning.
* Go whale watching; head to Alaska anytime from mid-May through mid-September.
* View the most wildlife; summer-time will get you sightings of moose, bear, mountain sheep, caribou, coyote, wolves, sheep, beaver, otter, mink, or hare. In addition, birdwatchers can photo-capture eagles, hawks, jays, owls, spruce hens, grouse, and ptarmigan and migratory waterfowl coming north to nest each summer.

Make this the year you go wild with your road trip planning and head North to Alaska for a trip of a lifetime.

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