Month: July 2010

Choose a Hotel Loyalty Program to Get More From your Travel Experience

Choose a Hotel Loyalty Program to Get More From your Travel Experience

If you’re a frequent flier or a frequent traveller, you’ll be familiar with the lonely feeling that constant travel can sometimes instil. Whether you’re a businessman who is required to traverse all corners of the country as part of your job, or you live in New York and are in a long-distance relationship with a lover in San Francisco, you probably feel that there should be more to travel than simply getting from one place to another!

But never fear – there is a solution! Many leading airlines and hotel chains now offer loyalty programs that help loyal customers collect points and airmiles for both hotel stays and flights – a system that delivers rewards on an entire range of other goods and services. A hotel loyalty card, for instance, allows you to collect points on every hotel stay that you make. Collecting a certain number of points will allow you to reap certain exclusive benefits that hotel guests without loyalty cards won’t be able to enjoy.

A common reward afforded by hotel loyalty programs are the luxury of free nights, complimentary in-room movies and even upgrades to the hotel penthouse or a luxurious resort – so your hotel holiday experience can be enriched at every turn. Additionally, owning a hotel loyalty card can allow you the benefit of cheaper car rental services, so you’ll be able to explore the surrounding areas around your hotel with ease. This can come in especially handy if your hotel is located just outside the city centre, or if you’re staying in a particularly secluded part of the country.

What’s more, hotel honors rewards systems can incorporate additional benefits like offers on cruises around the world. This can include carnival cruises in the Bahamas and other luxury Caribbean islands, which can depart from a range of easily accessible American destinations, including Los Angeles, Miami and New Orleans.

And, if you’re a parent, you’ll even find that hotel loyalty programs will help you accrue benefits that will benefit your partner and children as well. For instance, many hotel loyalty cards will offer deals or discounts on travel to theme parks and entertainment parks all over the country, including prime vacation destinations such as Disney World and Universal Studios.

If you already participate in a hotel rewards system and you’ve built up a number of points that you have yet to redeem on benefits, you might be able to find interesting and commendable ways to put your loyalty points to greater good. Hilton’s hotel loyalty program, for example, allows you to redeem your honors points to any number of charitable organisations supported by the company. In this way, not only will you be able to exercise your charitable instincts through your loyalty program, you’ll also be able to experience personal and spiritual rewards that are sure to make all your future travels more enjoyable!

When You’re on Holidays Protect yourself From Mosquito Bites

When You’re on Holidays Protect yourself From Mosquito Bites

The mosquito is a major cause of many serious diseases throughout the world.  Five of the most widely known mosquito-borne diseases are Malaria, Yellow Fever, Dengue Fever, Japanese Encephalitis, and West Nile Virus.

Malaria is the most common serious disease caused by mosquitoes. Over a million people die from this disease worldwide each year.

Female mosquitoes deposit their eggs into your bloodstream as they feed on your blood.  These parasite eggs incubate and mature in your liver and then attack your red blood cells.  The first symptoms usually arise within twenty-four hours.  Some symptoms are a high fever, shivers and chills, as well as nausea and vomiting.  This is usually followed by a deep sleep and then a flare up occurs.  If these symptoms repeat themselves every two to three days, you must seek medical attention.  

There’s an anti-malaria drug that can be taken to help protect you when traveling on vacation in mosquito infested tropical climates.  For you to receive maximum protection, this medication should be taken before, during, and after your trip.  However, these pills may not always be completely effective.

Pharmaceutical drugs such as Chloroquine, Doxycycline, Mefloquine, and Fansidar, can be  prescribed to treat malaria, but again, they aren’t always totally effective.  Ask your doctor more about the dosage and length of time that you should take any of these prescription medications. 

You can protect yourself from yellow fever by getting vaccinated by a physician at a local health authority before you travel on your holidays.  This vaccination lasts about ten years and is very effective. 

Japanese encephalitis is a viral infection that is transmitted by a bite from an infected mosquito.  This disease can be prevented by a series of three vaccinations.

Dengue fever is a viral disease that’s spread by mosquitoes.  There’s no vaccination that will prevent this disease.

The West Nile Virus is also spread by infected mosquitoes.  There is no vaccine available to protect you from this disease.

Always keep in mind that when it comes to the serious mosquito-borne diseases, prevention is always better than a cure, even if there is one.  It’s always best to limit the chances of being bitten and infected by mosquitoes in the first place.  You should always wear loose fitting, long-sleeved shirts and slacks between the hours of dusk and dawn and apply a DEET containing insect repellent when mosquitoes become active near dusk.  Always kill all the mosquitoes in your room before going to sleep, and use mosquito netting and coils when camping or sleeping outdoors.

Grana Cochinilla Fina — the Best Kept Secret in Oaxaca

Grana Cochinilla Fina — the Best Kept Secret in Oaxaca

Alvin Starkman  M.A., LL.B.

Most tourists have no idea that only a couple of hundred yards off the main highway, a minute or two from the black pottery village, is one the most fascinating destinations that the state of Oaxaca has to offer children and adults alike.  And yet the majority of travelers have a least heard or read a snippet about the natural red dye which comes from a tiny insect and is used to color the rugs they buy in Teotitl?n del Valle,  and other products including some of the foods and beverages we eat today…the grana cochinilla fina, commonly known as simply cochineal.

I suspect that from reading their guidebooks or speaking to tour guides and taxi drivers, visitors are not generally made aware of the importance of this little bug on the world stage over centuries; or perhaps they think it’s enough to buy a tapete and be told it’s been dyed with cochineal, and see and touch a few dried insects…rather than spend 40 or 50 minutes in amazement.  It might be different if they knew that during the conquest era, next to gold and silver cochineal was the most valuable commodity known to mankind, and that in 1758 Oaxaca exported over 1.5 million Spanish pounds of it to Europe, Africa and Asia for a multitude of uses including the dying of fabrics including uniforms worn by British nobility and cavalry. 

Together known as Tlapanochestli, the quaint research facility, museum, ranch and open-air teaching environment is located at Santa Mar?a Coyotepec off a dirt road only 15 minutes from downtown Oaxaca.  The attraction is designed to hold the interest of travelers of all ages and all backgrounds, from layperson to academic or professional.

Upon entering Tlapanochestli you’ll be greeted by one of the employees who works the ranch, or perhaps one of the two scientists who run the research and teaching programs, Engineers Manual Loera Fern?ndez and Ignacio del R?o Due?as.  You’ll learn about the lifecycle of the cochineal, how it attaches itself to and feeds off of a certain variety of nopal cactus, and about its harvesting and preparation for use as a dye.  Both kids and grownups will delight and be awe-struck at having either a live or dried bug squished on their palm yielding the scarlet pigment.    You’ll be taught why not all types of nopal cactus are suitable for production of cochineal, which ones are used to make salads, and about varietals which produce the sweet red edible fruit known as tuna, seasonally sold in marketplaces just as apples and oranges, and just as often encountered as a sorbet flavor or fresh fruit juice.  

But your tour is not only about the insect and its host, but includes learning about a plethora of other natural products used to dye foods and fabrics, such pecan shells, oyster conch, pomegranate, marigold, moss, onions, and the a?il plant which produces our blues and indigos.  Combining some of these dyes with the cochineal results in yet a further spectrum of color.  You’ll also discover how to use cochineal in combination with lime juice or baking soda and with different colored natural wools to produce orange and purple hews. 

One cannot help but marvel at the diversity of commercial products which utilize the cochineal as a coloring such as lipsticks and makeup for those allergic or sensitive to synthetic red and orange tones, Danone yoghurt,  Campari, and even  Campbell’s soup.  Often artists have opted to employ cochineal and other natural colors for their work, and accordingly witness walls adorned with examples of fine art created without the use of chemical-based paints.  The photos of Prince Charles’ attendance at Tlapanochestli is a testament to the world’s continued fascination with the historical and contemporary significance of the grana cochinilla fina.   In the gift shop there’s an opportunity to purchase dried cochineal for your own use, ink in an attractive wax-sealed bottle, paints and pastes, balls of yarn, soaps, clothing, and for the children perhaps a paint set consisting of dried cochineal to crush using the miniature clay pestle and mortar, along with coloring pages with instruction sheet directing how to use the kit and produce your own shades of red, orange and pink. 

A short video puts the production of cochineal into its proper historical context using facts, anecdotes and mythology, along with colorful imagery, narrated using language easily understood by children.  At the same time those with a background or interest in the sciences will have all of their questions answered.  The film outlines the pre-hispanic use of the pigment; the development of an internationally regulated industry attracting the attention of worldwide heads of state from The Conquest forward; its importance in the global marketplace as the strongest and most brilliant dye known to humankind; and its decline in the mid 1800’s upon the invention of synthetic coloration and the subsequent adverse impact on the Mexican economy.  While Oaxacan production and export never did recover from 19th century recessionary factors, the video concludes on a upbeat note documenting the industry’s resurgence in recent decades in the face of widespread health concerns regarding the continued reliance on synthetic substances to dye commercial products.

After your cinematic journey back into history, and having gained knowledge about how natural dyes are produced and used in a multitude of applications, your perception of not only Oaxaca but also the Western World will have been enhanced forever…whether you’re in Oaxaca shopping for rugs, watching the native vendors in a market or ordering ice cream; or sitting in the comfort of your home and sipping a Campari and soda.

Planning Bargain Vacation Advices

Planning Bargain Vacation Advices

You’ve saved all year to fund your vacation. Naturally, you want to make that budget go as far as possible.However, when you plan a cheap vacation, that doesn’t have to mean you’re cutting out enjoyment for the sake of saving a few bucks. Just spend a few hours online, finding the best deals on places, activities and transportation.

The excess becomes part of your shopping or dining fund, making your vacation that much more enjoyable.Here are some suggestions on how to plan a cheap vacation.

If you want to travel by air you need to buy airplane tickets at least three weeks ahead.You will automatically get a better price. Keep tabs on travel websites which post the latest hot deals to desired destinations.If they offer a free e-newsletter, this is another way to hear about hot deals.

If you drive a car that consumes a large amount of gas, such as an SUV, you may want to think about renting a smaller, more fuel efficient car if your trip will be more than a few hundred miles.Rentals can be less expensive.

When planning a cheap vacation by automobile, you’ll want to go online and check the websites that monitor gas prices across the United States and make a list of the cheapest stations along your route.Gas can be quite the budget gobbler!

On a cross-country trip, consider booking with a reliable chain motel, with rooms that are equipped with a frig, coffee maker and microwave.Eating breakfast and dinner in your room a few days a week can save you enough for a few luxury dinners out.A variety of hotels are giving customers gas vouchers and free meals when they are slow booking rooms.

Summer camping trips are not only one of the best ways to spend time with your family, but they are also very cheap.Resorts normally charge much higher rates than National and State parks.

Don’t forget,transportation and accommodations can both be easily acquired with a small amount of money.To figure out how to take a less expensive trip, it may take some research and a bit of time out of your day.At the end the results will make you happy.