In
part of the English-speaking world, a holiday is a vacation; and
elsewhere a holiday is a day off work for a special occasion, while a
vacation is what the British call a holiday.
A
holiday or vacation is a time for renewal.
It's a time to forget about work and to get away from the usual
routines; it's a time to get reinvigorated.
As
Miriam Beard observed, “Certainly, travel is more than the seeing of
sights; it is a change that goes on, deep and permanent, in the ideas
of living.”
If
you haven’t planned your holiday yet, read on for some useful
suggestions. If you have
planned it, there’s still time to change it if it’s not right.
It's
only too easy to repeat holiday destinations, to visit the same old
people and places. Forget about those same old places.
Go somewhere new and different.
Have a vacation that will open your eyes and ears to new
experiences.
To
enjoy refreshing sea breezes, warm sunshine with occasional clouds and
perfect summer temperatures, try the Canary Islands. Avoid the tourist
haunts like Tenerife and Mas Palomas. Las Palmas, on Gran Canaria, is
my favourite. All summer
the temperatures range between 24 and 25 degrees Celsius.
First,
Las Palmas (not to be confused with the smaller island of La Palma)
has a wonderful beachfront hotel called Reina Isabel, with a swimming
pool on the roof and a disco, a beachfront bar overlooking a boardwalk
and lots of excellent restaurants in the hotel and within walking
distance. Go to Corona
Holidays
for information and photos of the hotel.
Las
Palmas is also a duty free island with lots of shops and a
well-stocked
department store; and taxi fares are cheap. Information
about Las Palmas and the Canaries can be found at the Grand
Canaria Guide.
If
Spanish islands don’t appeal to you, try something really different: island-hopping in the Aegean.
Take a flight to Athens and from there to Alexandropolis.
Hotels are inexpensive and comfortable. The hotel staff will
find out for you when the next ship leaves, usually within a day or
two, for Samothrace.
According
to legend, the Greek god Poseidon watched the Trojan War from a
saddleback mountain ridge on Samothrace.
The island’s rustic charm shows as the local residents meet
the boat to offer room rentals to those who disembark.
In
the center of Samothrace’s one small village with one shop, the one
restaurant has its tables outside in an unused street where chickens,
occasionally chased by cats, wander around among the tables.
When the local dog appears, the chickens and cats scatter.
To order food, you wander into the kitchen and point to the pot
that looks and smells appetizing.
After
a few days, from there, you can get a ship to Limnos, which is worth a
week's low-cost stay at a hotel overlooking the quaint port.
A number of open-air dining places, with excellent seafood,
adorn the port at night. You
can even be Zorba and join in the Greek dancing.
From
Limnos, you can get another ship to Lesvos/Mytilini, home of the Greek
poetess Sappho. A few
days, followed by another voyage of discovery can take you to Chios;
and from there to Cos, good for a week, and then to Rhodos for another
week.
Each
of these islands has unique characteristics, special charm and
fascinating history. You
can easily spend an enjoyable month or two island hopping in the
Aegean. Not only are the
Aegean islands relaxing places to visit, they’re full of interesting
people and sights.
You
can rent motor scooters on these islands.
The ships take anywhere from three hours to overnight to go
from one island to the next, and the Greek island experience is
incredible--100 times better than fighting smog and traffic in Athens.
The
ships, hotels and food are all inexpensive for a first class holiday. See photos and descriptions of the island chain at the Aegean
Web site.
Next,
if you really want to get away from it all and enjoy the most relaxing
holiday possible, take a Mediterranean or Caribbean cruise.
Excellent food, available at any time, including regular dining
hours and room service, make cruise ships a gourmet and gourmand's
paradise.
Shipboard
amenities include pools, saunas, massage, a library, cinema, nightly
shows, dancing, a gym, games, a casino--practically everything on
board to suit all tastes. You
can be on a cruise ship that takes from 1000 to 1500 passengers and
never feel crowded, except at the photo gallery.
For
cruises on the Mediterranean, arrangements can be made either locally
or through Web sites in the UK, with the latter less expensive.
Personally, I find the Caribbean the most enjoyable cruise
destination. Lines like
Carnival, Royal Caribbean and Norwegian Line have everything
imaginable on board their cruise ships, and their prices are
reasonable.
The
last time I looked at Cruise.com,
they had 7-day Caribbean cruises available for between 25 and 50 BD
per day, including all meals. Outstanding
bargains for full board luxury travel.
Abracadabra has regular reduced rates for Cruises.
They buy in bulk and pass the savings on to the customer.
It’s even possible to get great cruise bargains on auction at
Ubid, a perfectly secure and reliable online auction house.
Another
great holiday destination is Bulgaria.
The price is right, the food’s excellent, accommodations and
the air are clean, and the Balkantourist staff are very friendly and
helpful to visitors. Their Web
site reveals places to go and their prices as well as facilities for making
on-line reservations.
I
found two places in particular very relaxing, unusual and attractive: Golden Sands, a delightful resort town on The Black Sea coast
north of Varna, and Pamporovo in the mountains. The hotels in Golden Sands have been built in the forest that
runs from the hills to the beach.
Trees surround them all, and narrow roads and paths wind among
the hotels and trees.
A
ski resort in the winter, Pamporovo has typical resort lodge
accommodations with the same friendly air found in any ski resort.
The places for walking provide for good exercise and a healthy
appetite. The hotels have
entertainment and dancing at night.
Fine
accommodation, excellent food and friendly service is available in
both places for between 20 and 35 BD per night including breakfast
and, in the mountains, dinner.
If
you'd like a skiing or snowboarding holiday, but summer vacations have
made that difficult, take a trip to New Zealand where there's
excellent skiing and the season runs from June through August. Four
Corners has all the information necessary to plan a New Zealand winter holiday
during summer here.
If
you’ve left your vacation planning until shortly before your holiday
starts, useful details on last minute vacations anywhere in the world
can be found at Villarama.
At this site, you can find holiday destinations in a number of
different categories: price,
golf, hideaways, city breaks, ski, villas and new vacation rentals.
Expedia
has a handy holiday site with information and offers on flights, car
rentals, hotels and inclusive holiday packages.
You can
look at the holiday offerings by choosing areas that you'd like to
consider and then viewing the available destinations.
The site can be searched either by continent on a world map or
by choosing from the alphabetical list of destinations.
For
other specific types of holidays, visit the Amazing Travelspots
where you can look for holiday locations by type. Their lists are
extensive with something for everybody, including:
Amusement
and Theme Parks, Biking, Hiking, Bird watching, Casinos, Cruises &
Sailing Diving & Windsurfing, Dude Ranches & Trail Rides,
EcoTourism, Fishing, Golf, Romantic Get-away, Honeymoon Locations,
Skiing/Snowboarding, Tennis, Tours, Whitewater Rafting, Kayaking and
Wild Stuff.
Having
said all that, what makes a rejuvenating holiday?
Getting away from the usual routine and forgetting about the
ordinary, everyday concerns. The
best way to do this is to do something different from your past
vacations, go somewhere new. As Diane Arbus said, "My favorite thing is to go where I've never been”"
Avoid
dangerous, crime-filled cities. It's
not relaxing to have to look over your shoulder to see if a mugger is
following you. Don't look
like a tourist when you do get into crowded places.
Carrying a camera over your shoulder and a moneybag are sure
invitations for pickpockets and thieves.
Be
a traveler and not a tourist. The
advice is inspired by the wisdom of G.K. Chesterton: "The
traveler sees what he sees, the tourist sees what he has come to
see."
The
holiday world that rejuvenates has wonderful places to go that
you’ve never seen; and those places have things to do that you’ve
never done before. Happy
Holiday.
