Everybody is always happy when the spring comes. Sun starts to shine, days become longer and ground starts to turn from greyish brown to green. When people shuffle out from their houses to see the sun after the cold winter, the new gained energy (and sudden rush of vitamin D) makes them eager to start planning for free time activities and vacations. Although mostly people tend to time their vacations for the summer, some people choose to go for a trip during the spring. Why? Because off-the-season prices are usually lower, and the mild weather and lack of tourist groups filling the streets of the popular destinations during the summer tempt people to reserve a holiday for the spring months. If you are one of those people and want to get a short getaway during the spring, this post is for you. Here are some reasons and destinations for a perfect holiday in the spring!
When the summer gets closer the earth starts to turn. The northen part of the globe gets closer to the sun whereas the southern part below the equador gets further away from the sun. That's the reason why during the winter months Australian people get oily and tanned under the sun while in Europe people freeze in their boots and coats in the snow and rain, and vise versa. This is means that during March and April the springy weather can be experienced in Europe and North-America, whereas places close to the tropical areas of equador are always warm. But beware of the rain! Hot tropical destinations can have wet rainy seasons after the dry and cool winter.
If you wish to head for a beach holiday during the spring you might want to look for always warm destinations in the Caribbean, South America, Central America and South East Asia. Places close to the tropical areas always tend to be warm, but rainy seasons vary according to the destination. Before booking a trip it is wise to check the country's average weather and rain statistics to not get disappointed if you end up spending your holiday inside while watching the pouring rain.
For you who want to spend your spring holiday in mild weather and in a city destination, head for example to Europe or USA. How does a shopping trip to New York, Paris or London sound? What about a cultural experience in Barcelona, Rome or Vienna? Especially the big European cities attract a lot of tourist during the summer, which means that in the spring you can expect less people and less crowd. Prices are also cheaper outside of the popular travel seasons. The mild weather of the spring also lets you enjoy your holiday without the constant search for shadow and the risk of sunburn.
Where would you like to head for a spring holiday? Or have you already booked your trip? Share your plans in the comments section!
Whether you have already decided your spring holiday destination, or are still thinking, you can find a roof over your head during your stay by booking your hotel from GalaHotels.
Tuesday 27 March 2012
Thursday 15 March 2012
Australia Week - story of Uluru
Uluru, also known as Ayers Rock, is a large sandstone rock formation in the middle of Australia. It is considered as one of the great wonders of the world, and it is the most recognisable landmark in Australia rising up to over 300 meters. One would need to walk almost 10 kilometres to go around this huge rock and it is said that two-thirds of Uluru is actually underground invisible to our eyes.
Uluru is a sacred place for the Anangu, who are the Aboriginal people of the area. According to the Anangu Uluru was created in the process of creation and destruction, and they believe that the land is still inhabited by these ancestral creator beings. However, there are also other mystical theories presented about the birth of this famous rock. Norbert Brockman's (1997) Encyclopedia of Sacred Places first tells about serpent beings who waged many wars around Uluru, scarring the rock. It also tells of two tribes of ancestral spirits who were invited to a feast, but were distracted by the beautiful Sleepy Lizard Women and did not show up. In response, the angry hosts sang evil into a mud sculpture that came to life as the dingo. There followed a great battle, which ended in the deaths of the leaders of both tribes. The earth itself rose up in grief at the bloodshed, becoming Uluru.
As Uluru is a sacred place for the Aboriginal people of the area, there are some restrictions for tourists. Altough tourists can climb the rock, the Anangu request the visitors would not climb Uluru. The locals do not climb Uluru because of its spiritual significance. However, there are several guided tours for tourists to walk around the rock on special pathways with professional guides. It is especially recommended to see Uluru during the sunrise and sunset, when it has said to be in its most beautiful form and color.
There are also restrictions in photographing. The Anangu request that visitors would not photograph certain parts of the Uluru because of reasons related to beliefs and rituals. Some forbidden parts of the rock should not be visible to the outside world, according to the locals.
Have you been to Uluru? What kind of experiences do you have from the mysterious rock?
The closest big city to the Uluru is Alice Springs from where one can easily reach Uluru. You can find Alice Springs hotel deals from GalaHotels.
Uluru is a sacred place for the Anangu, who are the Aboriginal people of the area. According to the Anangu Uluru was created in the process of creation and destruction, and they believe that the land is still inhabited by these ancestral creator beings. However, there are also other mystical theories presented about the birth of this famous rock. Norbert Brockman's (1997) Encyclopedia of Sacred Places first tells about serpent beings who waged many wars around Uluru, scarring the rock. It also tells of two tribes of ancestral spirits who were invited to a feast, but were distracted by the beautiful Sleepy Lizard Women and did not show up. In response, the angry hosts sang evil into a mud sculpture that came to life as the dingo. There followed a great battle, which ended in the deaths of the leaders of both tribes. The earth itself rose up in grief at the bloodshed, becoming Uluru.
As Uluru is a sacred place for the Aboriginal people of the area, there are some restrictions for tourists. Altough tourists can climb the rock, the Anangu request the visitors would not climb Uluru. The locals do not climb Uluru because of its spiritual significance. However, there are several guided tours for tourists to walk around the rock on special pathways with professional guides. It is especially recommended to see Uluru during the sunrise and sunset, when it has said to be in its most beautiful form and color.
There are also restrictions in photographing. The Anangu request that visitors would not photograph certain parts of the Uluru because of reasons related to beliefs and rituals. Some forbidden parts of the rock should not be visible to the outside world, according to the locals.
Have you been to Uluru? What kind of experiences do you have from the mysterious rock?
The closest big city to the Uluru is Alice Springs from where one can easily reach Uluru. You can find Alice Springs hotel deals from GalaHotels.
Wednesday 14 March 2012
Australia week - introducing Cairns!
Altough everybody knows where Australia is and are eager to visit the country, people still don't tend to have a wide range of information about the country as a travel destination. As the Brits say, Australia is 'Down Under' and therefore people are not aware of all the great places to visit or the famous sights to see. Therefore this week we are introducing the 'Australia Week' and during the week we'll share some stuff about Australia! Yes, we know it's far away and it takes a pain-in-the-butt over 24 hours to reach the country (atleast from Europe), but maybe our Australia Week will encourage you to dream and plan your next dream vacation to Down Under!
Our first story about Australia is about Cairns, the tropical city situated in the northeast coast of Australia. As a travel destination Cairns is far less known as the big cities of Australia like Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. However, the city is preferred by foreign tourists due to its tropical climate and easy reach to the Great Barrier Reef. We will share now some tips how to spend time in Cairns!
CairnsAustralia.com introduceds a wide variety of different things one can do in Cairns, but to make it easier for you we'll pick up the best pieces here to share with you.
Since Cairns has a tropical and warm climate, it is known for its palm tree lined beaches and warm tropical sea water. The beaches stretch along the coastline for 26 km and offer everything one needs for a relaxing holiday. However, if you wish to spend your time doing something else than laying on a beach, Cairns offers many other activities as well. If you are into more extreme activities you can do a tandem sky line jump from an airplane, or experience the bungy jump while having great views to the rainforests and Great Barrier Reef.
Speaking of the Great Barrier Reef, you can take a cruise from Cairns to the reef. You can spend the day sunbathing on the boat, snorkle on the reef and have gourmet picnic lunches. But watch out, the Australian sun can be very unpredictable! No need to be picky with the SPF.
For more active and sporty people Cairns offers for example Bushwalking in the rainforest. There are gorgeous national parks surrounding Cairns which offer easily accessable walks for people of all ages and fitness levels.
Do you have some special suggestions what to do in Cairns? Share them in the comments section!
If you got interested of Cairns and plan to make your next vacation in this tropical city of sun and sea, check out GalaHotels Cairns hotel deals!
CairnsAustralia.com introduceds a wide variety of different things one can do in Cairns, but to make it easier for you we'll pick up the best pieces here to share with you.
Since Cairns has a tropical and warm climate, it is known for its palm tree lined beaches and warm tropical sea water. The beaches stretch along the coastline for 26 km and offer everything one needs for a relaxing holiday. However, if you wish to spend your time doing something else than laying on a beach, Cairns offers many other activities as well. If you are into more extreme activities you can do a tandem sky line jump from an airplane, or experience the bungy jump while having great views to the rainforests and Great Barrier Reef.
Speaking of the Great Barrier Reef, you can take a cruise from Cairns to the reef. You can spend the day sunbathing on the boat, snorkle on the reef and have gourmet picnic lunches. But watch out, the Australian sun can be very unpredictable! No need to be picky with the SPF.
For more active and sporty people Cairns offers for example Bushwalking in the rainforest. There are gorgeous national parks surrounding Cairns which offer easily accessable walks for people of all ages and fitness levels.
Do you have some special suggestions what to do in Cairns? Share them in the comments section!
If you got interested of Cairns and plan to make your next vacation in this tropical city of sun and sea, check out GalaHotels Cairns hotel deals!
Thursday 8 March 2012
Great women of travelling - happy Women's Day!
Today, 8th of March, is the international women's day celebrated since the beginning of the 20th Century. The day's purpose is about the general celebration of respect, appreciation and love towards women. Started originally as Socialist political event to secure women's rights, nowadays the day is more about people, mostly men, expressing their love and caring towards women.
The rights of women have increased steadily throughout the history. To celebrate the day of women, we are going to list some of the famous travelling women who have stayed in the history books due to their achievements.
Amelia Earhart
In the age of 34 on May 20 1932 Amelia Earhart became the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. After a flight lasting for 14 hours and 56 minutes Amelia Earhart landed to Northern Irland and thus creating one of the important milestones in the history of women.
Junko Tabei
Laura Dekker
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Felicity Aston
The rights of women have increased steadily throughout the history. To celebrate the day of women, we are going to list some of the famous travelling women who have stayed in the history books due to their achievements.
Amelia Earhart
In May 16 1975 Junko Taibei became to first woman to climb the highes mountain in the world, the Mount Everest. She was chosen to a group of 15 women out of hundreds of applicants to become the first ones to reach the summit of Mount Everest.
At the age of 16 Dutch teenager Laura Dekker became the youngest person to sail solo around the world. She started her journey on 21st August 2010, and reached her goal on 21st January 2012.
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On 23 January 2012 Felicity Aston reached the Antarctica's Hercules Inlet and became the first woman to cross the Antarctica solo. The 33-year-old explorer passed the journey by skiing which took her 59 days.
Any other important woman travellers who should be mentioned? Tell us in the comments section!
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