2 Secrets To Selecting The Right Hawaii Vacation Rental By Mike Keesling

You've finally decided you and your family on going to take that long awaited dream vacation in Hawaii. You've decided that you want to go the vacation rental route for numerous reasons: privacy, comfort, location and cost effectiveness. Next, you probably Googled Oahu Vacation Rentals and are faced with the daunting task of choosing among some 175,000 web sites. Where to begin? Here's two secrets that will help you make the right choice so you can enjoy your stay in Hawaii to its fullest.

Secret One: Use a reservation service. There are several reasons for this. First, a single property vacation rental listing by owner will severely limit you to the dates that you can take your vacation. Vacation rental properties in Hawaii run nearly 90% occupancy, so unless you know your travel dates six months to a year out the odds are high that their property won't be available for the travel dates you had in mind. Second, the owner is only concerned with booking their own property so they will extol the virtues of their vacation rental and not mention any of the faults.

Secret Two: Make the right choice of reservation service. Make sure it is locally owned and operated. Websites like vrbo and findrentals (for instance) don't have a clue about geography, weather, attractions, events and the other necessary information required to give you the property that best fills your needs. For instance, let's say you want to whale watch but also want to vacation on Oahu. Your reservation service should be able to tell you that you need to stay on the windward side of the island if you want to see the whales. Another tip-off of services to avoid are those that do automated, credit card bookings. Steer clear of these services as this implies they aren't interested in talking to you, they just want your money. Be wary of sites that have more than 100 properties….there aren't that many decent selections on Oahu, or any of the other Hawaiian islands, on the market. The more a service exceeds 100 properties, the greater the odds you'll end up in an overpriced, undesirable vacation rental. Here's another great hint. If a reservation service states that they have hotels or condos available in Kailua, or will have them soon, choose another service. Since, by zoning law, Kailua does not allow hotels or condos, you should realize that once again, this is a service that wants your money, not your piece of mind. Always ask the reservation service person you are talking to where they are located. Someone based in Las Vegas or Los Angeles won't have a clue about how to give you the best property for the vacation experience you have in mind.

With the standard vacation rental property terms being no refunds after you've paid your deposit, you absolutely want to make sure you make the right choice. A good reservation service will ask you questions about what you want to do and see on your vacation and will actually try and talk you out of a property you had in mind if they don't think it appropriate to what you had in mind. This is not an attempt to upsell you, it's more a matter of matching your vacation desires and needs with the perfect choice of vacation rental venue. One vacation rental reservation service that meets all these requirements is Pacific Islands Reservations. They are owned and operated by Ingrid Carvalho, who was born and raised in the islands, as were her parents, grandparents and great-grandparents. She has been serving visitors to Hawaii vacation rental needs since 1996. She currently represents ninety vacation rentals on Oahu and another 90 vacation rentals on Maui, Kauai and the Big Island. She has actually been to each and every property she represents--she even took most of the photographs of the vacation rentals you see on her web sites. She doesn't take credit cards but she's happy to spend time talking with you to make sure you get the right property to maximize the value and enjoyment of your vacation.

Resource: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=60758&ca=Travel

Buying A Travel Solar Charger For Your Next Trip? By Mike Jerry

A travel solar charger is a great purchase for anyone who likes to travel. This portable energy device is easy to use and runs off of the sun's energy. A portable charger does not need any international voltage adapters because it never needs to be plugged into electricity. You will not have to worry about what adapter is used in the country you are going to; just bring your solar charger with you.

Portable energy has long been talked about among fanatical energy conservatists. It no longer is only for those people who are against electricity and the overuse of it. Now solar energy is becoming very mainstream and people of all economic levels are using portable solar energy.

You do not have to be extremely concerned about the environment to use solar portable energy. Although it is a great way to use our natural resources, solar power also offers great benefits to those that use it.

A travel charger that operates off of the sun's energy can go anywhere you go. You do not need to have an electrical outlet close by to charge your cellular phone. You can be backpacking in the mountains and have your phone continually charging. If you like to go on road trips you can set your solar charger right on the dashboard and let it charge your batteries or device while you drive to your next location.

The convenience that a solar charge brings to a travelers life is not just in its portability. Solar chargers are also a great way to save money. Instead of buying multiple adapters for international outlets, you can use the same solar charger in any country you travel. You also will not have to own multiple charging devices to power all your different electrical equipment because one solar charger can be used to charge most small electrical devices.

Travelers can use a solar charger to charge their batteries. They can also use this type of travel charger to power other small electrical devices like radios, MP3 players, and even laptop computers. There are many varieties of solar chargers available with numerous accessories you can add on. When purchasing a solar charger, you are only limited by your own imagination.

Many travelers have put off buying a solar charger because they believe these types of chargers will be too technologically difficult to operate. But solar powered chargers are as simple as any other charging device. You do not need a high tech degree to operate them. Most chargers simply have to be set in the sun and plugged into your device.

Solar energy is not a new technology. It has been around for several years. The portability of solar chargers has evolved dramatically in recent years. It used to be that you would have to own a huge solar panel just to draw a little bit of energy from the sun. Today, you can buy a small single solar cell panel that can be used to charge your electrical devices and batteries.

Resource: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=56207&ca=Travel

The Ultimate Wildlife Experience - Game Viewing In South Africa By SA-Venues.com Editor

Of the hundreds of awesome activities that South Africa has on offer, probably the most popular activity on offer is Game Viewing. Game viewing on any of the many game reserves in South Africa provides an opportunity to see South African wild life in all their beauty in their natural habitat. On a self-drive expedition, with a guide, on horseback, on elephant back – whatever your preference, you’re assured of a memorable game viewing experience.

Probably the most well known game viewing location in South Africa is the Kruger National Park. Home to South Africa’s Big 5, the Kruger National Park offers an incredible self-drive route through the open veld where you’ll see countless variations of buck, zebra’s, giraffe, leopard, lion, springbok, cheetah, eland and countless others. (There is a check list available at: http://www.sa-venues.com/wildlife/). Self-driven game viewing trips offer the benefits of being able to determine the pace of you journey, however without a guide who knows the area well, you might miss out on seeing something special.

The Kruger National Parks game viewing isn’t limited only to self-drive expeditions. The park has been very well developed to cater for many different preferences. Guided groups will be taken out into the bushveld, where you’ll camp overnight and experience the bushveld at night with all its fascinating sounds and sights.

The Eastern Cape offers much in the way of game viewing. Whilst most game reserves offer Big 5 game viewing, the popular Addo Elephant Park just outside Port Elizabeth lays claim to being the only park in South Africa that offers Big 7 game viewing! The 372 000 ha park is home to all of the South African Big 5 and in addition, there’s a 120 000 ha marine zone where you can spot the majestic whale and the much feared great white shark.

10 Minutes outside of Port Elizabeth, is the Seaview Lion and Game Park. Although it’s doesn’t offer game viewing of all the South African Big 5, it does offer the incredible opportunity to interact and play with lion cubs. R40 will get you up to about 30 minutes playtime with either the very young cubs, or the slightly older and more boisterous cubs. It’s an unforgettable experience and definitely worth doing. As you drive through the park, you’ll pass by giraffe, zebra and all sorts of buck. The Seaview Lion park also offers the rare opportunity to view the unique White Lion as well as the beautiful tiger.

Kwa Zulu Natal also has many choices for exceptional game viewing. The St Lucia National Park offers not only beautiful game viewing, but is also known as a birder’s paradise because of a the enormous variety of birdlife. Swaziland’s game viewing is one of the top in the country because of its raw beauty and rugged terrain. The Swaziland game viewing parks are not overly commercial and thus offer game viewing in its most natural form.

One of the hardest animals to spot when you’re game viewing in South Africa, is the leopard. Because of its reclusive nature – spending most of the day in the trees out of sight – game viewing trips don’t often get to see this incredible animal. However the game viewing parks in Mpumalanga offer some of the highest concentrations of leopard per square kilometer in South Africa. A day or night spent in most of the game parks in Mpumalanga is bound to include a number of leopard sightings – definitely worth the trip

Game viewing in South Africa offers more diversity of wildlife and more excitement than any other country in the world – make sure you don’t miss the wonders of game viewing in South Africa.

Resource: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=61252&ca=Travel

Residents Of Seattle: Invest In Rainwear By Analeese Burnabaker

Probably everyone that knows anything about Seattle has heard vast rumors about the city. You have probably heard that it is green and lush and filled with innovation. You have likely heard that Seattle residents are proud of their city and that they are a mostly liberal bunch who love to be out of doors as often as possible. If you drink coffee, then you know that Seattle is the coffee capital of the world. If you have heard all of these 'facts' about Seattle than it is likely that you have also heard about the need to invest in rainwear before you get there.

I have heard from countless places about the large amount of rainfall that Seattle is blessed with each year. I can hardly have a conversation with someone about this city and not have the issue of rainfall come up. I find it quite comical, but I guess people all over the world have heard about Seattle and our rain. You see, I moved to Seattle about ten years ago. No one warned me about the high level of rainfall back then or that I should invest in rainwear for myself and anything I valued.

I have found that the rumors about Seattle's climate are accurate for the most part, yet overblown when you are living there. We do get a lot of rain, that is true, and while it is true that rainwear is really wise, our rainfall is not as hard or longlasting as I had imagined it would be. In fact, our rain 'storms' are sometimes like mists and quite often like gentle rains that last only a little while.

I would suggest that you don't visit Seattle without rainwear, but not because you'll experience constant downpours consisting of buckets of rain. In fact, you'll probably enjoy the majority of your visit with pleasant weather that is interrupted by quick and gentle rains. So bring your rainwear but know that you won't have to wait long to outlast the weather.

Make plans to visit Seattle today. It is truly one of the best kept secrets of our country. I love living here and I am constantly discovering new things to do and new reasons to love my city. Bring your rainwear and get ready for the vacation of a lifetime. You might just want to move here too by the time your trip is done!

Resource: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=61262&ca=Travel

Virginia Travel For Kids By Elizabeth Gilley

It is particularly annoying to get younger kids to cooperate during travel. But it is not their fault, because at their age they are naturally more inquisitive and more active. They are not content to stay put and lounge in the beach or hotel. They want lots of actions, something that your dream beach vacation cannot satisfy. Why not change your dream relaxation vacation to a fun family holiday? Virginia travel offers two exciting and affordable theme parks for your family's enjoyment.

These theme parks are not prohibitively-priced, meaning you can still afford to stay at nice hotels. Hotels dot the Virginian landscape, and are especially near the theme parks. After all, there is no better way to end a fun afternoon than by sleeping in a cozy room. Although these theme parks are not like Disneyland which have its own hotel, the thrill rides and sights more than suffice for this shortcoming. Paramount's Kings Dominion and Busch Gardens Williamsburg make Virginia travel something the whole family can enjoy.

Paramount's Kings Dominion boasts of being a water and theme park in one. It is a 400-acre affair with over 200 attractions and rides. International roller coaster fanatics troop to Kings Dominion for its 13 famous and world-class coasters. Teenagers and daring adults alike enjoy the thrilling loops and drops of these coasters. The park features Hypersonic XLC, the only American coaster that uses compressed air for launch power. Volcano Blast Coaster shoots up over a volcanic crater before diving at over 70 mph. There are also wooden coasters like the Rebel Yell and Hurler. Virginia is famous for its cinema complexes, and its theme park are not complete without movies. There are two rides that are inspired by major motion pictures. Tomb Raider Firefall engages all the senses and makes riders feel that they are part of the big Lara Croft movie or video game. Italian Job Turbo Coaster mimics the stunt chase scenes from the popular movie. Speed through the garage and the tunnels in mini Coopers and relive the film's thrilling chase. If the younger kids are not up to yelling themselves hoarse on the coasters, the Nickelodeon Central is alive with their favorite characters. Taking pictures and playing with Dora, the Rugrats, Spongebob, Scooby, and Jimmy Neutron are definitely allowed. There are also regular kiddie games wherein toddlers get to play and meet other children. For excitement, there is a spooky mansion and the Mystery Machine. All this fun for a fraction of a beach holiday. Plus, there are also season tickets and family promos.

For around-the-world fun, Busch Gardens Williamsburg is the place to go. The park is divided into six countries: Ireland, France, Scotland, Italy, Germany, and England. Each 'country' showcases the best of their cultures with excellent food, landmarks, gardens, and parks. The authentic design and feel of the 'countries' are enough to make visitors feel that they are country-hopping. The Busch Gardens is also home to a couple of the planet's best 25 roller coasters: Alpengeist and Apollo's Chariot. Virginia travel is not complete without some animal fun. Aside from the rides, the park is also big on environmental issues. It hosts a mini-zoo and animal sanctuary where the kids can see and interact with wolves, raptors, reptiles, and all things feathered, furry, and scaly. There are also lectures about environmental preservation. The park also offers discounts by availing of special cards and family promotions. Free entrance is also awarded to families of US service men.

With these two parks, Virginia travel is fun, easy, and very affordable. It also provides great bonding time for you and your family. Now, who says vacationing with kids is a hard chore?

Resource: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=60771&ca=Travel