Welcome to Michael's Article Collection

Hawaii Snorkeling - An Underwater Paradise!

Hawaii snorkeling is a fun activity available to almost any skill level of swimmer, where you can discover a breathtaking array of Hawaii's most exotic sea life a few yards from shore. Colorful coral, lava flows, turtles and more than 700 species of fish are found in the clear, high- visibility waters warmed to an average temperature of 75-80 degrees Fahrenheit. This is a year-round pursuit on . . .

Hawaii Sport Fishing

If you're coming to experience Hawaii sport fishing, you have one heck of an adventure awaiting you! Anglers from all over the world journey to these deep blues waters teeming with trophy fish. This is where you come to get the big ones. In fact the biggest fish ever caught on rod and reel was a blue marlin caught just off Oahu, weighing in at a hefty 1805 lbs.! Hawaii is so legendary among spo. . .

Backpacks for Charity

There are several sites on the web, that describe programs that provide backpacks full of school supplies to needy children, and backpacks full of toiletries and other necessities for wounded military personnel and for victims of disasters. A sixteen year old girl, with the help of her Mom and some friends, bought 200 backpacks and filled them with toiletries and other necessities for the victi. . .

Golf Vacations

When one thinks of golf, often their mind wonders instantly to the site of men dressed in their Sunday best swinging clubs with all of their might. Golf, however, knows no gender. Women all across the country are beginning to pick up this intriguing athletic and strategic game. Women are even taking golf vacations of their own, and finding that they can have their cake and eat it too in this. . .

Total Eclipse Of The Sun Expected In March

A total solar eclipse, one of the earth's most unique phenomena is when the Moon passes between the Earth and the Sun, its shadow hitting the Earth and blocking out the Sun. If you're lucky enough to be in the path taken by the centre of that shadow, the Moon will align itself exactly with the sun, blocking it entirely and you'll see a total eclipse. Outside of the path of totality, although a . . .

10 Must-Dos When In Brussels

At the hub of European politics – Brussels is the cosmopolitan capital of bureaucracy. But when freed from the shackles of red tape, this compact capital of Belgium is a fascinating fusion of profound historical curiosity and contemporary living.1. The Grand-PlaceBrussels’ central square is the focal point of activity for locals and tourists alike. The heaving markets are bursting with souvenir. . .

Travel Asia

Traveling Asia is something that everyone should experience at least once in their lifetime. When you travel to Asia, there are so many things to see and do; make sure that you plan your trip in advance. However, remember to leave some free time in you itinerary, because when you travel Asia, you want to make sure that you have the flexibility for an occasional adventure.As the largest contin. . .

Travel Insurance

There are many vendors who would try and convince you that going abroad without traveler's insurance is downright foolish. However, most people going on vacation have already invested enough in their travel costs that they generally overlook extra costs they consider frivolous, at best. And there are arguments on both sides of the fence. If you have never encountered a flight or cruise cancella. . .

Are There Any Health Benefits In Using Dead Sea Products?

Firstly, it is important to understand a little about the location of the source. The Dead Sea has a unique climate which has been shown to offer excellent natural treatment for many health problems. The Dead Sea is the lowest place on earth, over 400 metres below sea level located between Israel and Jordan, the region has a dense air rich in bromine and other elements which filters and limits . . .

6 Key Factors Successful Vacation Rental Owners Always Use

If you are going to spend money advertising your vacation rental property on vacation rental websites, you want to make sure it is a success. Here are 6 things you can practice which will help ensure you receive the most "bang for the buck".1. SET RENTAL RATES APPROPRIATELY - If you want your vacation property to rent, you must be realistic, optomistic, but not greedy! Set realistic rental rate. . .

Orlando, Florida - Golf's Ultimate Theme Park

My husband loves playing golf and I am myself am pretty decent at the sport. So it was a given that we would be playing a few rounds in Orlando. We had a chance to sample a number of golf courses first-hand and got a personal appreciation of the great number and variety of golf courses in the Orlando area.I had a chance to talk with Mike Jamison from Golf Orlando to get a better overview of the. . .

Golf in Orlando: The Links-Style International Course at ...

Several days after attending the Father-Son-Challenge at ChampionsGate we actually got out and played the International Course ourselves. It was an exciting experience to play a championship golf course just shortly after a major tournament, when it was still in tournament condition with just a few extra degrees of difficulty. The open wind-swept design features a multitude of bunkers and a var. . .

Central Florida's Wildlife: An Abundance of Diversity

When you go to Florida, wildlife confronts you everywhere. Especially all the exotic birds fascinated me, often you come up close to subtropical bird species while playing golf or picnicking in a public park. Central Florida is actually a much more interesting destination for naturalists than I would ever have expected. Both Florida's plant life and wildlife are surprisingly diverse and Florida. . .

Exploring Downtown Orlando - A Beautiful Walk Around Lake...

After our interesting visits to the Orange County Regional History Center and the Well's Built Museum of African-American Culture and History, we decided to continue our explorations of downtown Orlando and its surrounding historic neighbourhoods. After driving through beautiful residential areas, framed by majestic oak trees adorned by Spanish Moss, we decided to take a stroll around beautiful. . .

Orlando Off the Beaten Path: The Serenity of the Historic...

The Historic Bok Sanctuary is located about an hour southwest of Orlando near Lake Wales, also home to the Florida's Natural Visitor Center that I visited earlier in the day. The Sanctuary was founded by Edward W. Bok, who immigrated to America in 1869 from the Netherlands when he was 6 years old. Through determination and hard work, he became a highly successful publisher and editor of Ladies'. . .

A Walk Through St. Augustine - The Oldest Continuously In...

On our way home from Orlando, a little more than an hour into our 20+ hour road trip back to Toronto, we stopped in St. Augustine, "the nation's oldest city", just north of Jacksonville - indeed the oldest continuously occupied European settlement in the United States, having been founded by the Spanish in 1565. St. Augustin's founder, Don Pedro Menendez, came ashore on September 8, 1565, and c. . .

The Winter Park Scenic Boat Tour - Entertaining, Informat...

The Winter Park Scenic Boat Tour, founded in 1938 and located just 15 minutes north of downtown Orlando, is one of these lovely side trips that combine beautiful scenery, a bit of local history, some close-up exposure to local wildlife and vegetation with a relaxing outing in a slow-moving 18-passenger pontoon boat, all complete with expert (and sometimes humorous) narration provided by the boa. . .

Do You Really Need A Fishing Guide?

"Do I really need a guide?" is one of the most frequently asked questions from anglers going on their first fishing trip to a remote lake. It's impossible to accurately answer that question with a "yes" or a "no", but we can give you the information you need to know to answer the question yourself.Guides can frequently be worth having as long as you know just exactly what you're getting.For exa. . .

The Seaside Village Of Aegiali

Aegiali, in the Greek Cyclades, is a very beautiful seaside village full of outstanding beaches and picturesque landscapes. Besides this, Aegiali offers a wide variety of facilities and therefore tourists could be almost sure of finding practically anything they might need while being in this destination.Aegiali's cuisine is very appealing too and there are several typical dishes that tourists . . .

Visit The Sand And Surf Of Watergate Bay

The coastal road from Newquay snaked its way eastwards atop the high, craggy cliffs sculpted by the relentless Atlantic Ocean. Suddenly the road dipped and wound steeply towards sea level. Cars were parked everywhere; almost all had surfboards strapped to their roofs. This was Watergate Bay.I turned into a car park and waited at the entrance. Just to my right a small, open camper van laid dorma. . .

Learning about the Story of Citrus: Florida's Natural Vis...

One of the things that Florida is known for is, you guessed it, is orange juice! The citrus industry has been playing a big role in Central Florida for many decades, and considering its importance, I wanted to learn a bit more about it.So with the help of the Orlando Visitors and Convention Bureau I was able to locate "Florida's Natural Growers", a citrus-processing cooperative that produces th. . .

Uganda Hotels - The Boost For Tourism

HISTORYHotel growth in Uganda started in the19th century, a decade after independence during the colonial period. This saw the growth of accommodation, transport and infrastructure in Uganda (tourism.) The political instability during the 1970’s and 1980’s led to the decline in the hotel industry as well as tourism. Hotels were closed, destroyed and made into police barracks like the Nile mansi. . .

A Few Ideas For Weekend Road Trips

Tennessee, Johnson City to GatlinburgSo dang gorgeous, these 90 miles of rural Tennessee might inspire you to grab a banjo and strum an Appalachian love song. Take U.S. Route 11E toward Davy Crockett's birthplace (Everyone: "Born on a mountaintop..."). At Greenville, where two homes of Andrew Johnson anchor a presidential historic site, veer onto U.S. Route 321, skirting the majestic Great Smok. . .

Orange County Regional History Center: A Great Introducti...

Exploring Orlando "Off the Beaten Path" has been the theme for our trip and I intend to explore the Central areas of the Sunshine State, and flush out all those unexpected and unconventional destinations in and around Orlando. In my discoveries of Orlando, I have been working closely with the Orlando Visitor and Convention Bureau, to get the input of local experts and work out an itinerary for . . .

An Orlando Jewel: The Wells Built Museum of African Ameri...

After I had received a general overview of the history of the Orlando area in the Orange County Regional History Center, I wanted to delve a little deeper into the social history of the Orlando area, and the Wells Built Museum of African American History and Culture was going to give me a more in-depth look into Orlando's African American history.To this day this area west of I-4 is primarily i. . .

Presenting: Danielle Weiss Talks About Sustainable Tourism

Danielle Weiss is the Sustainable Travel Coordinator for G.A.P Adventures, Canada's largest adventure travel company and winner of many distinguished entrepreneurial and travel industry awards. I am also happy to say that G.A.P is also the sponsor of our first travel story contest who has generously provided the top prize for our contest: an amazing adventure expedition cruise through the Amazo. . .

Central Florida's Parks and Gardens Offer an Abundance of...

Florida has a great amount of biodiversity and nature lovers will enjoy the great variety of plants found in the Sunshine State. On our recent trip to Orlando we had a chance to visit several locations with a beautiful parks and gardens, such as the Harry P. Leu Gardens and the Historical Bok Sanctuary. Even my excursion on the Scenic Boat Tour in Winter Park brought me up close to some of the . . .

Birmingham- A City Guide

IntroductionBirmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the English West Midlands. It is commonly considered to be England's "second city" and is the largest of England's core cities. The city's reputation was forged as the powerhouse of the Industrial Revolution in Britain, a fact which led to Birmingham being known as "the workshop of the world". To this day over a quarter of the UK's ex. . .

Orlando - Off the Beaten Path: Discovering Central Florid...

One of my husband's favourite places is Florida, since he is an avid golfer and likes to get away from the cold Canadian winter for his birthday in early December.For a while now we had planned to visit Orlando, but neither one of us are into theme parks. So there was the challenge for me: would we be able to visit Orlando without setting foot into Disney or Universal Studios? For someone as cu. . .

Mount Dora: Southern Charm in Central Florida

In my quest to find unusual destinations to visit in the Orlando area, I stumbled over a little town by the name of Mount Dora just about 45 minutes north of Orlando. I had read that it was a very picturesque small town located on a lake, and one of its main attractions was a scenic railway.Mount Dora City Hall Mount Dora is only 27 miles or 43 km northwest of Orlando. It has an elevation of 18. . .

YEEEEEHAAAAW!!!! Our High and Low Speed Adventures at Bog...

After my rather quaint and leisurely scenic boat ride through Winter Park, a rather different boating experience was in store for me: a high speed airboat ride through Lake Tohopekaliga, provided by Boggy Creek Airboat Rides. We got started early in the morning and took the first tour out. The temperature must have been about 45 degrees Fahrenheit or so, and in wise anticpation we both wore our. . .

A Walk through Winter Park - A Hint of New England in Flo...

Just a few minutes north of downtown Orlando awaits Winter Park, a charming picturesque suburb steeped in history. After my excursion on the Scenic Boat Tour, my local expert Wanda Salerno took me on a little walk through town past beautiful historic neighbourhoods.With is origins as a citrus growing region, Winter Park became a major destination for wealthy northerners during the early 1900s, . . .

Exploring Orlando's Loch Haven Park: A Center of Arts and...

On this overcast day we decided to explore other areas of Orlando in more detail. About 10 minutes north of downtown Orlando is Loch Haven Park, an area that holds a number of major attractions, including theOrlando Museum of Art, the Mennello Museum of American Art as well as the Orlando Repertory Theatre, the Orlando-UCF Shakespeare Festival, the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Orland. . .

Golf in Orlando: Timacuan Golf and Country Club

On our last full day in Florida we had a chance to play another beautiful golf course, this one located about half an hour north of downtown Orlando in the community of Lake Mary. Timacuan Golf and Country Club was built in 1987 and was originally designed by a Ron Garl. In 1996 the course was renovated by architect Bobby Weed and today it is ranked in the top 14 in the state of Florida. Timacu. . .

A Little Picnic Lunch in Kissimmee

After our exhilarating airboat ride and swamp buggy tour at Boggy Creek, we snaked our way north towards Orlando and decided to have a picnic lunch in the Orlando suburb of Kissimmee. This town is located at the doorstep of Walt Disney World complex and offers a variety of tourist class accommodations near historic downtown Kissimmee. The historic downtown districts feature walking tours, antiq. . .

Preview: Voices of Diversity - Esther and Li Head Out On ...

Once again, the work on the website continues spinning a web of wonderful new contacts. My awesome dentist, Dr. Rajiv Arya, one of the truly enlightened human beings (we discuss world philosophy while he drills on my molars....), told me last year about this trip he went on a few years ago. He explained that it was a Holocaust education trip and that the entire 2-week journey was documented by . . .

Golf in Orlando: Attending the Legendary Father Son Chall...

After our exciting round at Mystic Dunes, it was only mid-afternoon on a gorgeous day with blue skies, so we decided to take a 10 minute drive and drop in on the Father Son Challenge at Champion's Gate, which has been held for the last 3 years at this golf course in the South part of Orlando. You can't miss Champion's Gate, when you first get off exit 58 on the I-4, the impressive main entrance. . .

Travel Phobia and Fear Of Driving

Travel phobia is a particular form of anxiety that may occur after a person has been involved in some kind of accident, maybe a road or rail crash. They may have escaped physically unscathed from the incident, however they might well have perceived it as a potential threat to their well being, physical health or indeed life.Anyone suffering from travel phobia is likely to avoid travelling as mu. . .

The Province of Alberta

The Province of Alberta is approximately 255,200 square miles in size and boasts incredible scenery and abundant natural resources. It is situated between the provinces of Saskatchewan to the East and British Columbia to the west, with Northwest Territories to the North and the state of Montana, USA bordering the south. Alberta is in the Mountain Time Zone which is Greenwich Meantime -7 hours. . . .

Travel to New York City and See The City From the Air

Normally the theme for Guerrilla Traveler is adventure on a budget, but sometimes the adventure possibilities are so great I will pass on great adventures that are worth the extra cost. If you are planning to travel to New York City anytime soon, consider seeing the Big Apple from the air. For example, New York Helicopter Charter offers three tour packages to choose from. The Liberty Tour allow. . .

Teutonic Paradise

It was the last place I thought I'd see a palm tree ...After all, I was in Konstanz (or, as it's more commonly spelled in English, 'Constance'), situated on the German-Swiss border and the banks of the majestic Bodensee (aka 'Lake Constance').I discovered this wonderful region on the way to Zurich from Holland a number of years ago. The history, atmosphere and activities there quickly made it o. . .

Ice Fishing Tips For Beginners

Did you hear the one about the guy who went ice fishing and came back with 50 lbs. of ice?Well, if you found yourself here your at least one step ahead of this fella, that is unless you intended to bring home some ice. Ice fishing is actually a very simple sport but must be practiced with some caution.WHAT you say?Seriously before you set out to catch any fish on "hard" water there a couple of . . .

Don't Miss These Sights When You Travel To Italy

Italy is a breathtakingly beautiful country that will always be one of the highlights for anyone's travel to Europe. It has everything from the impossibly blue Mediterranean Sea to the spectacular Alps, with fabulous food at every stop along the way. And while you are there, you can't help but trip over history with every step you take. Here are few things you cannot miss when you travel to Ita. . .

The Smarter Way To Experience The Great Pyramids

From their construction throughout the centuries the Pyramids of Giza have represented mystery, wonder and awe to all. They are perhaps the only great architecture of the ancients to have survived more or less completely intact.The oldest pyramid at Giza is the Great Pyramid of Cheops, also known as Khufu, and is the largest known pyramid in existence. It was built around 2500 BC of over two mi. . .

Valentines: Spoil Your Special Someone Without Breaking t...

Valentine’s day is almost here, the big day continues to creep upon us and of course as always … we all scramble for the perfect gift but there’s always a problem –money! The big problem with this holiday is that it comes right after Christmas and just around the time all of us have paid those dreaded credit card bills or right after we splurged on a big extravagant gift for our special someone. . .

Visit Palm Beach Florida

Palm Beach, Florida, a barrier island, is approximately one hour's drive north of Miami, Florida. Palm Beach is a beautiful city, filled with lush colorful gardens, palm tree lined streets, large beautiful homes, clean well maintained beaches, luxury hotels, fine dining establishments, high end shopping and a safe, virtually crime free environment.If you are searching for a safe, beautiful, lux. . .

Italian Hotel Reservations: Enjoy Your Trip!

According to the Italian Tourism Board, there are about 40,000 hotels in Italy. That's a lot to choose from when you're traveling from overseas. Whether you're planning to stay in a hotel in Venice or a hotel in Rome, here's what you should know when you make your Italian hotel reservations:1. Pay your deposit - According to law, a hotel booking is valid upon payment of a deposit. Your deposit . . .

Festival of Light

The coming of light is often cause for celebration ...In Sweden, that's why there's joy and frivolity every 13 December. It's Luciafest --- the Festival of Lights --- that marks the unofficial beginning of their Christmas season.Luciafest --- also known as 'St Lucia Day' or, simply, 'Lucia' --- didn't have its origins in the Christian tradition, but like a number of unique Christian festivals i. . .

Traveling in Wheelchair

Traveling always give a person the feeling of excitement and fulfillment. Visiting new places, eating at a great restaurant or watching your favorite football game at the stadium is a great way to spend a free time. But for disabled individuals, especially for those in a wheelchair, these activities can be overwhelming and difficult. But there are things disabled people can do before traveling . . .

Vacation Rentals: The Personal Option

Wherever you stay, traveling abroad can be a wondrous adventure. New sights, new sounds, new people, and perhaps even a new language add sparks to your vacation and provide you with experiences and memories that can last a lifetime. Although many people choose to travel abroad with group tours or book hotels through a travel agency, others are increasingly choosing a more personal option: vacat. . .