International Travel Blog
Travel & Vacation

Sleepzone Hostels were thrilled with the recent news that all three of the hostels in the group were included in the Top Ten in Ireland, at the Hostelworld Hoscars event at the Hilton, Dublin. Hostels from all over the world gathered at the annual two day conference, the highlight of which is the Hoscars award ceremony, where the highest ranking of the 20,000 hostels on Hostelworld.com are announced. Each hostel in the group featured in the Top Ten in Ireland, with the most recent addition to the group, Sleepzone – The Burren taking the title of Fifth in Ireland, Sleepzone Connemara ranking Eighth in Ireland and Sleepzone Galway City being named Tenth in Ireland. As a group Sleepzone Hostels were ranked 7th Worldwide.

The awards are based on ratings by guests, who rate each hostel in five categories – character, security, location, staff, fun and cleanliness – 800,000 voted on the awards this year. Sleepzone Galway City has received a number of Hoscars since the property opened in 2001 – including Best in Ireland (2006) and 7th Best Worldwide (2004).

Sleepzone Hostels comment that recognition of this kind is particularly important in today’s changing economic times, saying “these awards recognise that hostels offer an affordable alternative for both the domestic and international markets, at a time when everyone’s travel budgets are threatened. The three Sleepzone hostels are attractive properties with modern facilities (you are just as likely to get a private en suite room as a dorm) where you will find a dedicated and genuinely enthusiastic staff”.

Search for the hotel

So you’ve almost completed a search for your hotel where you want to stay. You have compared the price and location of each hotel, and have narrowed it down to two or three hotels. Now, how do you decide which one to choose?

Choosing your hotel

Each person has their own needs, desires and expectations from a hotel. You will want to choose the hotel that offers the most value. By comparing the facilities available at each hotel you can make an informed decision as to which hotel offers the most value relevant to your needs.

Choose the facilities that are right for your needs

A simple way to do this is to compare the facilities of each hotel side by side. Here you need to compare hotels by the facilities that you value most. Does the hotel have a swimming pool? Will there be a restaurant in the hotel? Is there parking facilities for my car? Are there conference facilities for my business meeting? Is there a safe children’s play area for my kids?

Book your hotel

Once you have chosen the hotel you can then make the hotel reservation online. This process will ensure you can rest easy knowing that the hotel provides the facilities you need to really enjoy your stay.

Has summer slipped away without your annual family camping trip? No worries! Fall can be a wonderful time to take your family away for a weekend camping trip. You will enjoy smaller crowds, thanks to the fact that kids are back in school and many families simply don’t think of camping during the school, leaving your own family free to enjoy the National Parks and National Forests that are jam-packed during the summer season.

Why should you camp in the fall?

In addition to the less-crowded camping venues, You will actually experience some of the most temperate weather in the fall. Mornings are pleasantly cool, afternoons can be comfortably warm, and the nights are cool enough to wear cozy sweatshirts and snuggle by the campfire. The cool night air makes for great sleeping conditions when your cuddled up under a blanket. You will also enjoy the beautiful autumn color palette and active wildlife.

Should we bring the kids?

Of course! You can certainly squeeze in one last weekend camping trip before you need to put the camping gear up for the winter. While childless campers can enjoy almost empty campgrounds during the week, families can still take advantage of a weekend trip. Your children’s school may even offer a three-day weekend in October around conference time, so check the calendar and see what you can work out.

Preparing for a fall camping trip.

Remember that many camp grounds reduce their entrance fees after Labor Day, so you should be able to save a little money during a fall camping trip.

Don’t forget to pack heavier clothes for your fall trip. The entire family will need jeans, sweatshirts and long-sleeved shirts.

Because the weather patterns can be a bit volatile in the fall, you need to go prepared for a bit of everything. If you are camping in a hurricane zone, be sure you know the evacuation routes. Campers in moonsoon country need to be prepared with necessary rain gear and high country campers many need to take precautions for an early snow storm.

While most camp grounds don’t require fall reservations, they can still fill up quickly on the weekends. It’s better to call ahead and make a reservation — just in case.

So gather the family, pick a weekend, and start planning your fall camping trip. You just might find that fall camping is the best camping!

It’s time to plan the next family vacation – and everyone wants to go skiing. Don’t fret, skiing isn’t as expensive as you might thinkit is, and there are several resorts that cater to families, offering a variety of packages tailored to save you money. The problem will be choosing the right destination for you.

Most ski resorts have websites. Start the planning process by accessing these websites to determine where you and your family might want to go for your family ski vacation. There are many different things to look for when choosing a resort. The absolute most important thing to look for is a ski school if someone in your family will need instruction. While most resorts do have ski schools, some don’t.  Don’t make the mistake of choosing a destination where one or more of your family members won’t have fun, simply because they don’t know how to ski.

Next, take a look at the slopes, lifts, and trails. You want to make sure that the resort has something to offer everyone in your family. If the resort only caters to beginners, an expert skier will become quickly bored. If you have a snowboarder in your group, and there is no snowboarding park or terrain, that snowboarder will not be happy. There are resorts that serve all winter sports – so make sure that your families interests are covered.

Lodging is the next thing to look at. You want to be comfortable, so where you will sleep at night matters a great deal. In most cases, there is a hotel right at the base of the slopes – but this isn’t necessarily the best or most affordable place to stay. Find out what your lodging options are for the area, and choose the one that is right for your family and your budget. If you will be staying farther away from the slopes, make sure that there is transportation to and from the slopes each day!

Your family will have many more interests that you will need to search for before deciding on a particular destination and resort. Some of those interests may be dog sledding, sleigh rides, snowmobiling, snowshoeing, or horseback riding. Resorts do offer these activities, but some don’t – so be sure to ask about the winter activities, as well as the planned events during the time that you will be at the resort. This will help you plan a ski vacation that your family will enjoy and remember for the rest of their lives.

Going on holidays is an ideal way to unwind as this provides the opportunity and time for people to get close with each other and have fun. For many, the ideal place for a stress free vacation would be a beach resort where they can just roam around under the sun during the day time. Or else, they may just take a stroll in the beach under the moonlight. If you are on the look-out for a fantastic luxury beach vacation you would do well to be aware of some of the biggest mistakes people make when they plan their luxury beach vacations. These mistakes include not planning well in advance wisely and in the appropriate manner apart from incurring unnecessary expenses. Luxury beach vacation is a growing leisure segment and has been gaining popularity in the last few years.

Beach vacations are in great demand as they offer a different sort of experience to the holiday lovers. When deciding on a beach vacation, some points need to be kept in mind. If the vacation destination is in the tropics, then the winter months would be the best time since the warmth of the sun will not be felt much as there will be a chill in the air. For the colder continents, early summer months are suggested as the ice would have melted and the weather would be sunny and bright. Beach vacations are all about rejuvenating your body and having fun.

There are a number of things people need to mull over before embarking on their luxury beach vacation. Do make plans for your kids and by consulting with them. Many couples try to enjoy themselves on beach vacations, but end up getting frustrated because their kids would be acting up. Parents need to realize that their children may not necessarily like sitting out in the sun. So one needs to plan well ahead regarding what you can do with your children. Another thing is that if you wait too long to get a reservation, you are likely to run into a brick wall. The hotels and other accommodation might be overbooked, or else you might have to pay higher rates, considering the demand. This is particularly true while booking flight tickets. So, once you have the destination and everything in place, don’t wait too long; or else, your luxury beach vacation might just get ruined.

One is left with various options when planning one’s luxury beach vacation. If you can do the arrangements all by yourself, you might save some money, but it is more likely to slow you down than you have been anticipating. Secondly, you may talk to a travel agent, but then you’re on the way to wasting more money than you had previously planned. The best option that one can resort to is to book one’s trip on-line through an established tour and travels Company. Not only will this arrangement make things comfortable and easier for you, but also will save you some hard earned money. Sometimes they will offer you the opportunity to break the high costs associated with a luxury beach vacation into several monthly payments. And you would be able to relish a luxury beach vacation by shelling out a reasonable amount.

Booking your flight tickets online is a very simple and affordable process. You can save a lot of money by booking your tickets online. When you book your tickets online you don’t have to pay any commission to the travel agents.

Searching flight route – Usually the airlines website will provide the airline flight routes available. The first step is to choose a route to get to the location you wish, if necessary this can include stop over at other destinations on the way to your final location. Once you have decided on a route you must also fill in the number of passengers you plan to travel with. Children under the age of 23 months can sit on their parent lap so there is no need to book for them.

Selecting flight number- After you decide the route, then there will be many different times during the day that you can travel, you should look over the different options available to you and ensure that you select the flight with the best characteristics to suit your schedule and budget.

Entering your data- After you choose ticket(s) and prices, then the next thing you will need to do is fill in your details for the passenger manifest. The details you will need to give are your name, sex, address and telephone that could be reached. If you are traveling with multiple people you will need to fill in the details of everyone.

Payment- After filling in your personal data you will be shown your ticket booking code amount to be paid. The most common form of payment accepted by airlines is credit card. If you don’t have a credit card you can record/print the results of the booking and then pay the fare at the airline ticket counter when you get there.

Printing tickets- The process of finding or buying plane tickets online is finished, now you can simply print your ticket or record your booking code which can be presented upon check in.