I was recently talking to a neighbour of mine who owns a very impressive camper van which is why I have decided to write this article, his name is John. John and his wife decided to sell their big house when they were in their late fifties and move to a smaller flat. This flat was then going to be their base in the UK to return to when they were not travelling. They had a lot of excess money from selling their old house and buying the new flat and decided to spend part of this money on a very good quality camper van. The plan was then to travel around different parts of the UK as well as visiting other countries in the world.

John and his wife have two wonderful dogs which they adore. They have never enjoyed leaving these dogs with friends or in kennels when they have been travelling in the past and now they do not have to, as there is plenty of room of course in the camper van.

When talking with John I asked him where he was planning to travel to next. He replied that he was going to drive down to the South West Coast of England. He would tour through parts of Devon and Cornwall stopping for a few days in different areas. I asked him what day he would be returning, he stated that he was not sure and that it would depend on the weather. Maybe one week or four, I am not sure yet Steve, he said. I could not believe his attitude and his lifestyle, I have to say I was very jealous. What freedom, I thought to myself.

John then stated that next month he was going to travel to Portugal but that there was no rush to get there. I wish I had started to do this years ago, but what with work it was impossible really, he continued.

I also have a dog and would love to have this form of travel freedom. I have spoken to my wife about it and she has said that she would prefer to stop in a hotel. Oh well, I have years before I retire to try to work her around to my way of thinking.

The Freedom Of Travelling In A Camper Van is a post from: Tour And Travel | chefsguildofgeorgia.org

It is partly about pride and partly about money.

In the past decade eastern footballers, trounced by well-heeled competitors from the West, consistently failed to qualify to participate in the Union of European Football Associations Cup and the Champions League games. This translates into a loss of up to a million dollars per team per year as they miss out on lucrative advertising and broadcasting deals when they are matched against giants from Spain, Germany, Italy, or even England.

The Eastern League is not a done deal, though. It first has to be voted on and recognized by both the Federation of International Football Associations and UEFA, the world and European football federations, respectively. This may prove to be a tall order. The game is still organized as an old-fashioned cartel, with each regional association envious of its market share and clout.

Still, football in the eastern nether regions is in dire straits. As its economics worsen – the inventiveness of managers and players alike blossoms. In January 2003, the Bulgarian Levski club offered, with great fanfare, 250,000 of its shares to fans, aiming to break the Guinness Book of Records entry of Manchester United.

It was promptly castigated for ripping off the innocent. The “free” shares, found out embittered takers, came attached to a season’s ticket at full price. Alternatively, would be shareholders were asked to purchase a club membership for $25 – a few days wages in the impoverished country. Quoted by the newswires Presstext.Europe and Newsfox, a Levski official Todor Batkov said that “real fans must give and not take from the club”.

Football teams in the former communist countries realize that it is either big time or no time at all.

Romanian club Universitatea Craiova has recently courted Paul Gascoigne, a British asset known more for his exploits off-field than for anything he has accomplished on it. The figure floated was $170,000 – a fortune in Romanian terms, where the average annual intake is rarely about $2000.

Omnipotent president Islam Karimov of Uzbekistan granted immediate citizenship – by a constitutionally dubious presidential decree – to Bulgarian football striker Georgi Georgiev and defender Alexsi Dionisiev. This allowed them to keep their Bulgarian passports even as they played for the host country in the World Cup.

Football has always been about politics. Violence inspired by virulent nationalism often vents itself most visibly in bilateral matches.

In a typical case last year, three police officers were wounded and nine Bosnian Serb fans were detained in the wake of a riot following the first football match since 1992 between Borac from Republika Srpska and Zeleznicar from Sarajevo. The Muslim-Croat team and fans required police escort out of Banja Luka to escape the wrath of the local yobs. Borac had to play two games to empty stadiums and part with $1500 in fines.

The Bosnian Football Federation – representing 14 clubs from the Croat-Muslim parts of the divided country – teamed up in May 2002 with 6 counterparts in Republika Srpska. They formed a joint league and a common professional association. Moreover, the two entities already fielded a joint team in the Olympic games in 2000 and maintain a single basketball federation. Yet, even this apparent reconciliation failed to prevent the outpouring of hostilities.

Nor is football-related aggression confined to zealous nationalists. Slovak fans taunted black English players Emile Heskey and Ashley Cole with racist slogans in October last year. The vast majority of the crowd – and the medical teams on the sidelines – balefully recited “monkey, monkey” at the top of their lungs for minutes on end.

Quoted by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Michal Vesecka, a research fellow with the Slovak Institute for Public Affairs, linked the abuse to problems in cultural development and identity:

“Slovakia is a country that is the most ethnically heterogeneous in Central Europe, but the ‘culture of tolerance’ is not as well developed [here] as in the European Union, or even with respect to neighboring countries like the Czech Republic and Hungary … [Slovakia] is still a country that is trying to solve its own identity problem, and precisely [during] such times, the people are relatively aggressive toward those people who are different.”

Add to this combustible mixture crumbling economies and all-pervasive disillusionment and the spillover to football is hardly a surprise. The game is an inseparable part of daily life in many of these polities where life is unbearably drab, economic opportunities are rare and cultural diversions even scarcer.

For instance, football associations offer a cornucopia of sinecures to cronies and relatives of all degrees and colors. Hence the high turnover and ubiquitous venality which characterize these murky bodies.

Both UEFA and FIFA have warned the Azerbaijan Football Federation Association that it must settle a five years old simmering dispute or else face the suspension of all financial aid and, ultimately, expulsion. AFFA’s president Fuad Musaev refuses to go, despite pressure from the government above and at least nine clubs below. This resulted in a boycott by said disgruntled of the national football championship and a feeble attempt to organize an alternative.

The Eastern League is a post from: Tour And Travel | chefsguildofgeorgia.org

Copper River Delta Shorebirds Festival

Held every May, the Copper River Delta Shorebirds Festival is the place to be if you want to view shorebirds. Literally millions of birds migrate to the delta on the way to breeding grounds throughout the Arctic. The little town of Cordova knows a good thing when it sees it.

The Copper River Delta is essentially a refueling spot for the migrating birds. As you probably know, migrating birds will haul tail when the migration urge overcomes them. Many of these birds will fly for days on end until they must have food. In the grand plan, Mother Nature has arranged for the river delta to be the fast food stop for these birds.

Due to the frenetic pace undertaken by the migrating birds, food becomes a major issue. As they arrive at the Copper River Delta, they land and eat…and eat…and eat. It is the rare opportunity where you get to see so many birds grounded for such a long period of time. Put another way, it is a deluxe bird watching opportunity.

Birds

So, what can you expect to see on the delta? With so many birds, I’m not going to go into specifics other than to say you can see a wide variety of Loons, Grebes, Herons, Swallows, Yellowlegs, Tattlers, Sandpipers, Swans, Chickadees, Wrens, Ducks, Thrushes, Magpies, Warblers, Alcids, Finches, Jaegers and Turns to mention only a few. Put another way, you won’t run out of things to see.

Getting There

Getting to Cordova isn’t the easiest of things to do. You’ll have to fly in from Anchorage, Juneau or Seattle. Alternatively, you can hop on one of the Alaskan ferries, but need to look into the specific mechanics involved.

It is the rare day indeed when a birder can view millions of birds in their natural habitat. The Copper River Delta Shorebirds Festival offers you that day every year.

The Copper River Delta Shorebirds Festival – Bird Watching Alaska Style is a post from: Tour And Travel | chefsguildofgeorgia.org

Consider what you really need for the trips you have planned. If you’ll be scaling peaks in Patagonia for a month, you may have to stick with the best sales you can find on the high-quality stuff. If, on the other hand, your trips are fair-weather overnighters, a two-ounce, two-dollar plastic poncho isn’t out of the question.

Even on the more extreme trips you can often find cheaper alternatives. Did I take a $400 waterproof/breathable rain suit to the top of 20,600-foot Mount Chimborazo? No, I took my papery Frogg-Toggs rain suit. You’ll find these at golf shops, and yes it’s waterproof and breaths well too. It cost me $49 for the set, and I have used it for years, on many rainy trips, with only one duct-tape repair.

Do you like to hike in running shoes, as I do? Start watching the sales on out-of-style shoes. I’ve bought brand-name $90 shoes for just $25. With savings like that, I’ll gladly be out of style.

I stopped getting blisters when I gave up on expensive, high-tech, too-hot hiking socks. I hike thirty miles now without a blister in comfortable, lightweight, white nylon dress socks. They’re less than an ounce and about a dollar per pair.

Buy Used Hiking Clothes

The only hiking clothes I won’t buy used is footwear. Other potential backpacking clothes are worth checking out whenever I find them at a rummage sale or thrift store. I’ve found a Goretex rain jacket and North Face vest at a thrift store for a few dollars each. My thrifty used wool sweater weighs just 11 ounces, and is almost as warm as the newest models.

One of my favorite thrift store discoveries was silk shirts. I learned that they weigh just tree ounces, and show up on the racks regularly for $3. They are comfortable too, though on the trail some of the styles make me look like I’m searching for a wilderness disco.

Making Hiking Clothes

I can’t recommend sewing your own hiking and backpacking clothes, but I have made a few simple things. The sleeve from an old thermal shirt became a one-ounce ski mask with scissors and three minutes of sewing. Socks with finger-holes make nifty hand warmers. As an insulating layer, I wore a four-ounce piece of poly batting like a tunic under my Frogg Toggs, to the top of Chimborazo and other mountains. Finally, without too much sewing, you can often modify clothes to make cheap hiking clothes.

The Cheapest Hiking Clothes is a post from: Tour And Travel | chefsguildofgeorgia.org

There can be few places on earth with the raw, natural beauty displayed throughout the Rocky Mountains. Vast forests race up the huge grey, granite faces until the grade becomes too steep to support the great myriad of roots. Songs of birds emanate through the deep valley as they sing and dance amongst the tall trees. The still waters of the broad lake mirror the gathering, grey clouds forming in the sky. Rainfall looks likely.

Upstream from the lake, the grizzly perseveres in her attempts to catch salmon. Her young cub watches inquisitively; her only chance of survival is to learn the predatory skills of her mother.

A clap of thunder echoes around the valley; angry clouds combine to mask the sun. The light darkens and shadows disappear. Birds scatter from their perches in the lofty trees and circle overhead, assessing what the weather will do next.

The bright morning sunshine gives way to afternoon showers. Rain splashes upon the flowing stream, earning sanctuary for the swimming fish as the grizzly and her cub head for the shelter of the thick forest green.

Observing grizzly bears is one of the most exciting adventure holidays to be had. Vancouver Island Destinations offer spectacular springtime grizzly bear viewing holidays at Glendale Cove, Knight Inlet in British Columbia. Timed to coincide with the end of the grizzly’s hibernation period, watch the bears emerge from their winter slumber and tread wearily through the melting snow to feed amongst the river lowlands.

You can observe the bears begin to fatten themselves up, from the complete safety of a river boat. Binoculars are a must for those great close-ups, and an opportunity to witness the bear in predatory mode as they retune their fishing skills. Obviously binoculars help to keep a safe distance, but also allow you to watch the bears act completely naturally, undisturbed by human presence.

Both boat and land viewing tours are available up to the beginning of October. For more information visit the Vancouver Island Destinations web site.

The Canadian Rockies: Trail Of The Grizzly is a post from: Tour And Travel | chefsguildofgeorgia.org

The word ‘outback’ is not easily defined, but you know the Australian outback when you see it. The outback is mythical Australia, the essence of Australia, and in many ways the real Australia, as 75% of the Australian continent shares the outback’s dry, desert characteristics. There is no such thing as a lifeless desert in Australia: as visitors soon learn, the outback is teeming with colour, life and diversity.

The term ‘outback’ refers to the remote and arid interior country of Australia, although it is often used today to refer loosely to any country outside of the main urban areas. The term is generally reserved for locations that are more remote than those areas described as being in ‘the bush’. The outback is not officially recognised within any governmental frameworks or boundaries. Some local government entities use the term to enhance the tourist appeal for their region. Curiously, even tour operators in countries as far apart as the United States and South Africa are starting to use the term ‘outback’ to describe their products!

With its awesome open spaces, many consider the Northern Territory, and Central Australia in particular, to represent the true outback. While the Northern Territory is certainly Australia’s premier outback tour destination, many other adjoining regions of Australia are also popular outback destinations: The Kimberley and the Pilbara in Western Australia; Mount Isa, Longreach, Boulia and Birdsville in Queensland; Coober Pedy, Oodnadatta, Maree, the Simpson Desert, Innamincka and the Birdsville Track in South Australia.

Organised package tours to the outback are popular, although many Australian and international tourists prefer to travel in their own vehicles. Such self-drive tours, particularly on the more remote outback dirt roads, require careful planning and an appropriate vehicle, usually four wheel drive. On remote outback tours, plenty of supplies and equipment including food, water and fuel should be carried. Some tours in more remote areas of the outback should not be undertaken with a single vehicle: a convoy approach (or tag-along tour) should be considered instead. Deaths from tourists becoming stranded on outback tours are infrequent but do occur, and poorly prepared tourists are regularly rescued when stranded by breakdowns or bad weather.

Among the most popular tour destinations in Central Australia, the true ‘Red Centre’ of the Australian outback, are Uluru (Ayers Rock), Kata Tjuta (The Olgas), Kings Canyon (Watarrka), Alice Springs, Palm Valley and the West MacDonnell Ranges. Few places in Australia or the world can match Central Australia’s rugged natural beauty, its diverse, unique flora and fauna, or the vitality of its living indigenous cultures.

The Australian Outback: The essence of Australia is a post from: Tour And Travel | chefsguildofgeorgia.org

There are color graphics showing samples of the outdoor canopies, poly tarps, pipes, fittings, and tent accessories. Tents are made from waterproof, UVI resistant fabrics. You can see tents and canopy in different colors including red, white, blue green, red, yellow and more.

The color range of tents should be soothing, as it fit to your party time, and you can use tent accessories and lighting for any timing. As if your party in noon it will require different type of color match, generally tents in light shade are best for any party in noon when sun is overhead.

However tents for evening party should be semi dark colors that match the best when sun sets in the sky. There are large lines of colored sunscreen tarps, as well as fire retardant tarps.

They come in different sizes and color choices. You can see frame tents that are extremely flexible, especially in allowing interior modification to fit the function. Lighting, sound systems, air conditioning and wall hangings can be suspended from the structure.

Tents is a post from: Tour And Travel | chefsguildofgeorgia.org

Because you won’t have as much space on a motorcycle as with a car, you have to pack lightly and include only the essentials. This is easier then it sounds but will take some planning. Make sure you choose items to take with you that are small and have multiple uses. A good multi tool knife is great and will allow you to do repairs and maintenance, cooking and preparing.

Take a small bag for personal items and choose travel size bottles of everything needed. These are readily available at discount and grocery stores and will help save storage room. Use saddle bags for storing food, clothing and personal gear. You’ll have to economize so be prepared to wear the same clothing several times. Take re-closable plastic storage bags or plastic trash bags for disposing of items and for storing dirty clothes.

You should have ample room in saddlebags and the glove compartment for small items. For sleeping and camping equipment, use the luggage rack or passenger seat and secure these items with bungee cords. Make sure to bring compact equipment that can tightly fold or roll up. You should easily be able to store a collapsible tent and sleeping bag. You can even add a sleeping mat for added comfort.

If you intend to cook while camping out pack only what you’ll need. Look for camping recipes that only require one pot. There are many available and this will help conserve space. You can get eating utensils to store in a saddle bag. These do not take up much space.

For safety, make sure your motorcycle is serviced and in good working condition before embarking on a trip. Chart your route so you know where gas stations and restaurants are on your route. These can be valuable in restocking food supplies and in emergency situations. Keep a map and compass handy so you don’t get lost on the road or while camping.

You may not be able to camp in the lap of luxury when you bring your motorcycle but it will be a fun experience. Your motorcycle has ample room to store the necessities and if you can accept sleeping outdoors and only packing essentials, this can be a highly rewarding experience. Having a motorcycle available also gives you a lot more flexibility in traveling in and out of campsites. It is easy to pack all your gear and leave or go on a short sight seeing trip.

Taking A Motorcycle On Your Camping Trip is a post from: Tour And Travel | chefsguildofgeorgia.org

I know, an African safari seems a little too exotic and certainly too expensive for a typical family trip. And you are right in that an African safari is not a typical way to spend a week or two as a family, but it certainly is becoming a more viable option as travel becomes easier and more reasonable.

Admit it. There is at least a little bit of you that has always desired to take an African safari, to explore some of the world’s wildest and most unknown places. I believe that you should start to make plans for an African safari if only because you want to. Don’t let yourself get stressed out with all of the details that seem unrealistic. Instead, allow yourself to commit to planning a trip simply because it is something that would make your life richer and more full.

There are many ways to start planning an African safari. You can always make a visit to your travel agent, if you have one, and allow them to help you begin making the dream of an African safari a reality. You can also utilize various travel and trip planning magazines that often give details and tips about how to go about planning and then enjoying great vacations like an African safari. And don’t forget the incredible resource that you have in the internet. With a few hours of searching I’m confident that you can begin to make real progress on planning the trip of your dreams.

Consider taking your African safari with a group of friends or with members of your extended family. Turn your dream trip into something that you can enjoy with the people you love most. Many times there are group discount rates for just about every aspect of a trip: the airfare, the hotel, and even the African safari itself. So for this trip, the more the merrier.

If going on an African safari is something you dream about, why not make steps toward making the dream happen. Apply for a passport if you do not have one and begin setting aside money now even if your trip is still a few years away. Your African safari will be well worth all of the time and planning it takes
to make it happen.

Take An African Safari is a post from: Tour And Travel | chefsguildofgeorgia.org

Dude ranches evolved after most of the west had been explored. Eastern tourists could get to the great west by train, and most wanted to see what it had to offer. However, settlers in the west were little prepared to take on tourists, and the great dude ranch was born to offer eastern tourists a vacation sport with all of the amenities they might expect during a time of vacation. Most of the earliest dude ranch visitors stayed for long periods of time, and they were guests in the ranchers’ home. Each ranch had its own variety of things to do, depending upon the owner of the ranch. Many ranchers noticed that it was not only the natural beauty of the surroundings that continued to attract the visitors, but also the ranch experience itself. As a result, ranches began to develop programs for guest, build lodges, and start working on attracting visitors (and the profits that came with them).

The first thing you need to do to prepare for your dude ranch vacation is to choose a ranch. This can be a bit daunting, because there are literally thousands of choices you have to make. The first thing to do is to narrow down a location for you dude ranch holiday. You can choose from ranches across the country, but the National Dude Rancher’s Association has ranches in British Columbia, Alberta, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, South Dakota, Wyoming, California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, and Arkansas. The location you choose will determine some of the activities you will participate in. You should choose a ranch in a location you want to visit. You should also choose a ranch that has some fun and exciting activities that you would enjoy participating in. Don’t forget to factor in price ranges, because many dude ranches have varying prices at varying accommodations, so you want to be sure to choose something that will best fit your budget.

Once you’ve made your dude ranch selection, you can start looking forward to the activities you’ll enjoy. While activities to vary from location to location, most have a pretty standard set that will be available at all locations. One of the best, yet not often considered activities to engage in while you’re on a dude ranch is hiking. Dude ranches are located in the most beautiful regions of the country. Many are even adjacent to national parks or other public lands. This means you and the whole family can set aside a day for drinking in nature’s beauty from the comfort of your feet. Another good activity on a dude ranch is fishing. There are many ranches that are located along some of the best fly fishing rivers. Others have beautiful mountain ponds on their land that see little activity from anyone except the guests of the ranch. Those fish are just waiting to bite your hook.

Learning about natural history is another great activity to engage in while on a dude ranch. You can find some fantastic artifacts like bones and arrow heads. You can also look at some amazing land formations while you are visiting. Most ranches even offer optional overnight pack trips for that authentic cowboy experience. You can take a horse and experience the beauty of the natural countryside while living experience you’ve only heard of like sing-a-longs and cooking over the open flame. When night finally falls, you can sleep with the starts as your night-light. One final activity you can enjoy on a dude ranch is the four star relaxing accommodations. Most ranches have hot tubs and pools in addition to their ranch like amenities. You can relax with a good book while watching the kids play in the pool.

Take a Vacation at a Dude Ranch is a post from: Tour And Travel | chefsguildofgeorgia.org