Honeymoon Advice & Tips

By Ledley King

Honeymoons are more often than not an afterthought to the planning of the wedding itself, when, as far as memories go, they are of equal, if not greater, importance.

First determine what your objectives are for the time you'll be away and what you can and can't live without. Where do you want to go? Do you want to relax or be active? What are your priorities? Beautiful weather, sightseeing, adventure, cost, etc.

Visits to exclusive islands or resorts remain the most popular choice, and for good reason. They mean that you can spend quality time with each other whilst relaxing from the busy timetable of the previous six months and taking in beautiful surroundings.

Another option is to take a cruise; they offer an equally peaceful, relaxing time whilst at the same time allowing you to take in a range of destinations. Should you prefer a more active honeymoon, you could try a mountain resort or an adventure travel trip (such as backpacking or a safari).

Regarding honeymoon locations, these are some of the most popular: Argentina, Australia, Bahamas, Bali, Belize, Bermuda, Brazil, Canada, Caribbean, Central & South Africa, Chile, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Egypt, Fiji, France, French Polynesia, Greece, Hawaii, Italy, Kenya, Madagascar, Maldives, Mauritius, Mexico, Morocco, New Zealand, Seychelles, Spain, Thailand.

Whatever type of location and honeymoon you decide on, look to make reservations at least 6 months beforehand so that you'll have the pick of the rooms, and can begin planning for your time away.

As soon as your hotel is arranged, starting researching and booking restaurant seats, tickets, tours, and various other activities that require advance reservations, particularly so should you be traveling in the summer months (bear in mind that different locations will have different peak seasons). Try not to over-plan though and make sure there is plenty of free time, in the first few days especially, in which you can just enjoy each others company without any other distractions.

Your overall objective should be to make your honeymoon different to an ordinary vacation. In addition to normal vacation items, try packing some fun extras, like lingerie, bubble bath, candles and romantic music. - 31363

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Travel To New Zealand: The Destination For All

By Dorcas Chras

The land down under and to the left a bit is the stunningly beautiful archipelago of New Zealand. The native Maori call it Aotearoa, or the land of the long white cloud: we know it as New Zealand. This small and sparsely populated nation packs quite a punch in the travel stakes: from adventure sports to culture and cuisine. If you are planning to travel to New Zealand, you need to know the must sees and must dos.

New Zealand's travel hub is Auckland, so you will more than likely begin your trip here. While in Auckland book cruise of the Auckland Hauraki Gulf to see whales and dolphins frollicking in the wild in one of the world's most biologically diverse marine areas. Feeling brave? Strap on a harness and scale the Auckland Harbor Bridge on a climbing tour. This is a truly unique way to see the city and acts as a warm up to some of the other exciting activities that New Zealand has in store for you.

From Auckland head directly to Queenstown. Queenstown is New Zealand's capital of action. For adrenaline junkies this is your paradise: you can choose between jet boating, bungee jumping, skiing, snowboarding and other rush inducing activities.

After speeding about Queenstown, it is time to take it down a notch or two with a tour of the Queenstown wine trail. Many of the country's wines are produced in the vineyards outside of Queenstown and there are tours that will take you to sample the best drops.

From Queenstown you can travel through the beautiful scenery of Otago to New Zealand's highest mountain, Mt. Cook. Taking a helicopter ride over the mountains is a once in a lifetime experience and a chance to appreciate the magnificent beauty of New Zealand.

Maoris are the indigenous New Zealanders and they have retained their rich culture and heritage in the face of colonization by the British. While in New Zealand do not miss the opportunity to get acquainted with its indigenous culture.

Ko Tane is a living Maori village located inside the Willowbank Nature Reserver outside of Christchurch. This is the perfect place to see how Maori lived before the Europeans arrived. Here you can see many Maori ceremonies, dance and traditions come to life before your eyes.

On the northern island, Rotorua is the place to go to see some fierce geothermic activity in action. At the Wai Ora natural hot springs in Rotorua you can soak in the mineral mud baths and enjoy the healing powers of the spa that have been used by Maori people for around one thousand years.

New Zealand has so much to offer a visitor: fun, action, great food and wine, natural beauty and rich culture all rolled into an accessible and cost effective location. Travel to New Zealand and you will arrive home with lifelong memories. - 31363

About the Author:

Planning to travel to New Zealand, then visit Dorcas Chras's site on how to choose the best New Zealand holidays and vacation ideas.

Why You Should Pick Tanzania as Your Next Travel Destination

By Andrew Muigai

With an amazingly large number of animal parks, white sand beaches, a beguiling island and very hospitable people, Tanzania is definitely a top destination for those that seek to have an unforgettable travel experience. The Solid standing mountains surrounded by dense tropical forests, bird havens and ancient sites are all the more a compelling reason to take up your vacation in this expansive East African country.

Serengeti National Park is to Tanzania what Maasai Mara is to Kenya and the Kruger National Park to South Africa. It covers a good 14,763 sq km (5678 sq miles) reaching up to the Kenyan border. Serengeti is claimed by many to be the best national park in Africa and I guess it's as a result of the 35 species of plain-dwelling animals, including wildebeests, zebras, gazelles, cheetahs and lions, which feature in the spectacular Serengeti migration between November and May.

The Serengeti Wildebeest Migration was rightly given a place among the Seven Wonders of World given that this annual event happens no where else in the world . During the migration, thousands and thousands of these African animals start their journey all at once in search of an appropriate mating zone; for territorial conquest and also grazing land. This spectacular event also features prey-stalking predators both in dryland and across the Lakes and chances of survival, needless to say, only favor the strongest.

The Ngogongoro Conservation Area , rising high above the plains of Serengeti, spans from Lake Natron to Lake Enaysi to Lake Manyara. Resting in this Conservation Area is the active volcanic Mountain-Ol Doinyo Lengai, that in the beautiful Maasai language means Mountain of God and that whose last eruption was in 1983. The Ngorongoro crater is six hundred and ten metres deep, twenty kilometers in diameter and covers an area of three hundred and eleven square kilometers. Save for the Impala, the Topi and the Giraffe, this crater shelters the majority of plain dwelling mammals and it goes without saying that there is nowhere else in Africa that you will find as many predators concentrated in one area as in the Ngorongoro Crater. Should you decide to take a hike in this area, the sighting of the endangered Black Rhino should be most rewarding not to mention birdlife that includes flamingoes that are attracted to the area by the soda-containing crater floor.

There are so many other parks that we'll have to summarize to give space to other great wonders in Tanzania but we have to cover the Selous Game Reserve first. This park is so big it out-sizes Switzerland and takes up to one sixth of Tanzania's total surface area to make it one of the biggest parks in the world. This UNESCO World Heritage Site has a high concentration of elephants and lots of stalking lions and other game.

Other parks include Lake Manyara, Arusha National Park,Mikumi National Park, Tarangire, Ruaha, Katavi, Mahale Mountains, Rubondo Island and Udzungura Mountains and Gombe National Parks. There are Marine Parks at Kilwa Reserve, Latham Island Reserve, Rufigi Delta and Tanga Coral Gardens. Proposed National Parks include Kizulo Plateau and Saadani. Now, this is definitely a very large selection option for you so knock yourself out and make the best out of your trip.

Tanzania is also home to Africa's highest mountain, Mount Kilimanjaro, whose climbing is no mundane task. With thousands of tourists having traveled from far off places to come and conquer this African giant, the enchanting snowy peak of Kilimanjaro will by all means allure you to reach the top where a captivating bird's eye view over an Africa lying in Magnificence will be awaiting you.

Spanning across over fifty Kilometres and with a depth of a hundred metres is the Olduvai Gorge which is a historical canyon that was the discovery site of three species of hominid fossils that date back to as early as over three million years ago. The way Olduvai came up was as a result of a river eroding rock in the area following which layers of volcanic soil were exposed and it here that Dr. Louis and Mary Leakey made the discovery of hominid fossils. Also standing in the Olduvai Gorge is a museum that has many ancient discoveries.

It is in Tanzania that you will find Lake Tanganyika which is the world's longest and second deepest fresh-water body. It is around this Lake that traditional dhow fishing boats are built and this lake is also the gateway to Gombe National Park and Mahale Mountains National Park. You should be on the look out for a pleasantly mesmerizing feeling that comes with being around the grandeur of this Lake.

Lastly, for the little space assigned this article, you have to visit Zanzibar. It is probably one of Africa's most famous and amazing Islands. It's one of the tropical islands in the Indian Ocean known for its striking beaches and laid-back island culture. Palm trees gently sway in the breeze pointing you to traditional dhow boats that tempt you to explore this mysteriously charming paradise. Zanzibar was built on its fishing and spice trade and this remains the case to date. The strong Arabic influence is not only reflected in its people but in the island architecture particularly in historically significant Stone Town. Zanzibar is the kind of place that doesn't need much talking about because it simply speaks for itself.

Finally, in one sentence: Africa is blessed with many wonderful destinations, yet few of this beat Tanzania which you should seriously think of as you choose your next destination. - 31363

About the Author:

Visit the author's travel website www.africapoint.com for useful resources regarding Tanzania Vacations including Tanzania Hotels and Flights. Africapoint is an online travel agency that also organizes tours safaris in Tanzania and a number of other Countries in Africa.