Blue Life

By CharleneF Sloan

 Antarctica can be represented by numerous things like penguins, icebergs, albatrosses, and elephant seals. 3 million tons of ice that hold 3.3 billion gallons of water as well as tiny baby fur seals weighing in at 10 pounds or less always become quite a sight in this dry, windy, and high continent on earth.

Even if Antarctica is known to be a land of frozen wastes and also a land of uneventful expeditions, this did not dishearten two well traveled teachers to choose such a location to spend the Christmas holiday. Never having seen Antarctica up close, these teachers are in the quest to finally visit this somewhat remarkable vacation destination. Along the way while they were thinking about how this journey could be possible they read about the explorer through travel magazine.

These women were able to discover the value of being prepared. When you are planning on a day in Antarctica, the basic dress code would be inclusive of three pairs of socks, on wool, worn under 15 pound boots, insulated underwear worn under a regular set of clothes, a parka, and a covering of rubberized pants and slicker that are seamless and waterproof. In order to complete the outfit, one waterproof and one regular pair of gloves is necessary.

There is always the possibility of frostbite never mind cold feet. Here is how summer in the Southern Hemisphere is. Although the ice was warming to a point above freezing and travel can be done through the breaking ice pack as a result the water was still at a level of 32 degrees. When it comes to air temperature, one Antarctic research station had a thermometer measuring it to be at 47 degrees. Snowstorms and sleet storms confronted the explorer in the evening after the sun had shined directly on it for the entire day.

Part of the information given to the women was that other than unpredictable weather the winds could also be detrimental to itineraries. Last Christmas was when an 84 below wind chill swept through their hometown but they did not encounter this during their 24 days in the southern ice cap.

Although dreaded, the Drake Passage proved to be no obstacle. Claiming a lot of ships along the way is this passage going from the tip of South America in Cape Horn to the Antarctic Peninsula. As the Explorer traveled 48 hours across the passage, the women strapped themselves in for sleep using their bunk seat belts. It was a bruising experience for one of the ladies.

About millions of penguins were there. The penguins and their nests could be touched, says one lady. Most of the penguins did nothing but talk. There was much bliss in looking at them. Then there were a number of seals too. Scooting around with an open mouth made a seal’s day. There are times when they bite if you get close to them and their babies.

It was a trip that was well worth taking. Everything from the sky to the water were gorgeous shades of blue. Magnificent were the icebergs that ran up to three stories high and were as big as city blocks as they floated along with penguins. 20 years is the amount of time that the old whaling stations they saw have been closed down. No matter how it took them to see the South Pole the old huts left by the early explorers were really something, and some of them still had the canned foods left by these travelers.

From Punta Arenas on the south end of Chile to the Shetland Islands, to Antarctica, to the South Orkneys, to South Georgia, and then to the Falklands and back was their route. In particular, the two agree that they had a one of a kind trip.

You can get resources on antarctica trips by visiting this site.For resources on antarctica trip check out this site.

Tips for a Comfortable Travel

By Jessica Thomson

 Travel has always been a very sought after past time, passion an even a profession. Several organizations and companies engage in the act of making your travel a far better experience than you possibly have dreamt of. A travel agency is a retail business that sells travel products and services. They often work on behalf of suppliers, such as airlines, car rentals, cruise lines, hotels, railways, sightseeing tours and package holidays that combine several products.

A travel agency deals with both regular tourists as well as commercial and business travel clients. They might also provide services relating to foreign tours as well as tours within a country. Travel agencies also design tour packages for tourists in order to guide them through the particular high points of a destination. At times the possibility of visiting a territory is so vast and diverse that a tour package has to be devised to accommodate the best possible bargain within limited time and money. They might also just restrict a tour to a particular area as per the wish of the customers.

Here are some tips for choosing a perfect travel agency and planning your holiday:

4A background enquiry for cross checking the CTC (Certified Travel Counselor), CTA (Certified Travel Associate), or DS (Destination Specialist) professional certifications

5Conduct a research yourself about the place you want to visit. Present your findings to a travel agent who can help with professional knowledge and experience

6Plan your travel much ahead especially when booking airline tickets, cruise packages, and hotel accommodations. The earlier you start, the better

7The type of people you would meet on vacation could have a major impact on your vacation. A travel agent can provide the insider knowledge of other travelers you are most likely to encounter at your hotel or cruise line etc.

8Discuss your budget. Be very clear on this. Plan out your holiday accordingly.

9Relate your special interests to the travel plan designed. See if they can be included, i.e. motorcycling, scuba diving, photography, or living your hot-air balloon dream in the plan.

If it is not a honeymoon or a close knit family tour and if you are planning to visit a destination with family and friends or colleagues then there is group travel designed for the purpose. Group travel is not only enjoyable but also economic and strengthens bonds between individuals. The group travels are organized for events like:

Educational Travel: College/University, general learning

Sport Tours

Music and Band student groups

Group Language Training

Pilgrimage

Conferences and Conventions

Adventure Group Tours

Here are some tips for managing a group tour:

10Confirm that you and all members of your group traveling have tickets, up-to-date passports, visas and other require documents, which include photo IDs.

11Get group travel insurance, health insurance done to make up for any untoward incident.

12Prepare an itinerary to suit everybodys budget and specifications

13Carry medicines and other essentials incase there are aged people or children.

For more insights and further information about Travel agency visit our site

http://www.vlt.com.au/

Find The Best Luxury Cruise Vacation Options On The Internet

luxury yacht rentals

You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.