Travel – Eat – Sleep

I suppose I’ve had a few nice meals over the past week. Aside from my usual glowing reports of Mint Cafe’ (just had a wonderful lunch there with the family), here are three of the places I hit up and my impressions.

Himalaya – 6652 Southwest Freeway – Nothing new here… I love going to Himalaya. Kaiser has a tendency to push the special for lunch but don’t fall for it. Yes, the special is good but the menu has so many other great options. This week? The grilled fish masala – it was unbelievably good! The portion was massive so I had enough for two lunches. While it takes a bit longer for the grilled fish masala to come out, it is well worth the wait.

Shawarma King – 3121 Hillcroft (at Richmond) – Recommended to me by a friend and I’m glad he did. The chicken shawarma was simply delicious and very inexpensive. I don’t know what spices they put on the chicken but it has a delicious flavor. I’ll be back there, for sure.

Cafe Mezza – 6100 Westheimer – So, I was a bit confused by this place. I had heard so many people talk about it as a delicious Mediterranean restaurant but, the first warning was the front of the menu… “American cuisine with a mediterranean flair” – I suppose that’s fine if you’re not expecting an authentic Mediterranean/Lebanese meal but I was. So, yes, the food was pretty good but it was suited more for American palates. The hummus was rather bland (similar to the hummus at Hungry’s International) and the babaganoush was OK. Overall, it was a nice place and the service was great (our waitress was wonderful) but I probably would go to a number of other places to get a Mediterranean fix before coming back to Cafe Mezza.

Cruises can be tricky to pack for because it’s not like your regular vacation. What should you bring? What can you leave behind?

It’s such a daunting task. Well here are some tips to help you along with the packing.

Pack the necessities

Here are the things you MUST pack and have with you no matter what vacation you are planning.

Passport – Most cruises pass at least a couple of countries, so it is a no brainer to have your passport, your state identification card and, just in case, your driver’s licence when you plan to cross international borders.

Car Insurance – If you plan on renting a vehicle at any holiday destination, this is a must have. This document is required for a smooth transaction, unless you want to sit at the office for a day.

Clock – Jumping international borders means changing time zones as well. So keep a watch or a clock as reference of what time it really is back at home. Here is where a watch with multiple time zones come in handy.

Suitable clothing – This depends on your activities. If a formal event is in your schedule, make sure you have your tux or a nice dress in the bag. Similarly, a hiking trip will not be as fun in your swimming attire. So keep the activities in mind and pack these first.

Other items to look into

Camera – This is a necessity for those who love to snap away. Remember to pack extra rolls of film or memory cards for digital cameras. Don’t forget the batteries either.

First-aid kits – Hiking trips another activities require extra precaution. Make sure the kit is fully equipped and ready for any mishap you may encounter.

Reading glasses – For those who require them.

Flash lights – Just in case you need it.

Flash Light - Just in case of an emergency.

Remember that you don’t need to bring everything from home. Just pick out the ones you really need for the trip.

Happy Holidays!

Disneyland is known all over the world for its fantastic rides and recreational facilities.

Disneyland is liked by children as well as adult. Many people have desire to enjoy the rides of Disneyland and visit the amusement park with family or group. Children use to enjoy the rides by planning the visit in vacations. Season of visit is most important in Disneyland because you may face problem in busy season due to long queues and crowded place. When you enter the amusement park you can find Disney characters walking along with you and this is quite amazing for children.

Following pointers throw light on avoiding frustration of long lines at Disneyland:

1. There are many amusement parks in US but Disneyland is considered as the best amusement park where long queues are quite common. Everyone wants to get the opportunity to reach first on the rides. But large numbers of people enter the amusement park for getting the chance to ride first. You can plan the visit at the time when Disney land gets open for public and can also visit late in the evening when other people get engaged in other activities.

2. There are large numbers of rides in Disneyland but people visiting in mass makes it difficult to get the rides without much wait. It is better to reserve the timings by buying the fast passes. Fast passes is the facility provided by the Disneyland amusement park to avoid the trouble of waiting in the long queues.

3. Fast passes have the fixed time period for which it is valid and person holding the fast passes can reach the rides and do not have to wait in the long queue. Fast passes help in coming in front of the line and preference is surely given to the person holding the fast passes.

4. Long queues are quite daunting for the people coming for enjoyment. Staff of Disneyland is given the duty to distract people standing in the long queues so that the people don’t get bored. But all these things don’t amuse people when they have to stand for several hours. It is better to book the ticket in advance with fixed timings. You can search internet for more information on Disneyland.

Embark on one of the most exciting and thrilling journey to Disneyland and keep above tips in mind for avoiding long queues.

Outdoor activities are enjoyed by adventuresome people and travel geeks. Traveling to adventurous places is liked by many people and the excitement and thrill involved in uncommon outdoor activities is enjoyed by travelers. There is a long list of outdoor activities enjoyed by the travelers but uncommon outdoor activities are not easy to embark by every people. You can search for the uncommon outdoor activity for preparing the list and then outdoor activities can be chosen according to the i9nterest and budget. Some outdoor activities are quite dangerous and cannot be chosen by everyone.

Following are uncommon outdoor adventures:

1. There are many places in different parts of the world where you can plan the vacations for mining. Valuable rocks are present in different places and it is quite interesting to search the rocks having valuable stones and gems. You have to select the place where there is no danger and rocks are found in plethora containing stones.

2. You can carry the metal detectors for finding the precious metals like gold in the rocks. Sometimes if the luck favors then adventure trip can be profitable too. Quartz and precious metals are found in the places if your choice of selection of destination point is perfect.

3. There are many natural pools formed by the rivers flowing in the mountain regions which are preferred by the travelers to enjoy in the beautiful places. People like to enjoy boating and swimming in the canyons. Canyons also have the potential of fishing and it is enjoyed by people. Powerful boats along the steep slopes and reefs make the journey of canyons interesting.

4. Rafting trips are liked by many people and there are many rivers famous for the rafting trips. The scenic beauty around the places win the heart of people and also exciting journey of rafting trip is mind blowing.

5. Camping trips near to the places having fishes in plethora is enjoyed by travelers. Fishing is interesting outdoor activity which can be enjoyed in the places having variety of fishes in abundance.

6. Mountain flying is popular outdoor activity which is enjoyed by people. There are many places in US which are famous for mountain flying. You just have to contact the flying clubs by keeping the budget in mind.

Plan the trip by collecting valuable information from internet. You can also contact the travel agent for hassle free journey.

Everyone loves a good discount, especially if it’s for an airline ticket to your favourite destination. So what is the secret to grabbing the cheapest tickets? Plan ahead, way ahead in fact. Always research the airline beforehand, at least 30 days in advance before making your decision. This is the best time to get a discount on your flights. Another method is to look for flights at unpopular hours. Flights either very late into the night or very early in the morning are relatively cheaper because fewer people are comfortable with travelling at odd hours. Remember that most of your vacation cost will come from the airfare, so saving here is very effective if you are on a budget.

As you will only get a discount if you purchase early, conduct your research as soon as possible. Look up the airline’s websites and search for bargains there, often you get immediate offers to some of their flights. Also check the schedule for the flight times, flights at different departure times may offer different prices. This is a great time to buy your tickets because the air lines are competing against each other for customers, thus the air fares are now lower than ever. So grab the opportunity now before the prices start crawling up again. Keep in mind that the departure times should match the schedule of your vacation.

Remember that with proper research and comparing prices, it is possible to save a ton of money on your travel expenses. Planning the vacation early is the key, next purchase the flight ticket at least a month beforehand and have fun on your trip. Be sure to take full advantage of the current competition between airline providers now because it may not last for a very long time.

Happy holidays!

Wouldn’t it be nice to take the whole family for a cruise? Where everybody can just relax and enjoy the vacation, being around each other spending quality time with one another.

Now cruises for the whole family can be very costly. So let’s find a way to get discounts for the trip. Most of us don’t know that there are many discounts for cruises out there just waiting to be discovered.

Most people immediately think that discounted cruises mean less fun or a lower quality of service. Let me assure you that most of the time, the experience is just as enjoyable and easy on your wallet too. You may even get a great offer by upgrading the package, saving you tons of money, and have access to a beautiful suite on the cruise instead of what we call a porthole vacation. This is all very possible with just one phone call.

All you have to do is conduct some simple research on the internet, then pick up the phone and give them a call.

Start with the special agents from each cruise line and find out the special packages offered. Ask about the discounts and the services provided during the cruise. Remember that every bit of information is important for your comfort and satisfaction, so take your time and ask as many questions as you want before deciding which package to take.

What is the purpose of your trip? Is it to celebrate an anniversary or someone’s birthday? Talk to the cruise representatives and ask about additional discounts available for the occasion. Most of the time, special services are available depending on the occasion. You may even get a complimentary bottle of champagne.

So what are you waiting for? Quickly plan the next cruise trip for the family and pick up the phone now. Enjoy the time of your lives without spending a fortune.