Archive for June 30th, 2010

Petraeus May Recommend Obama Ditch July 2011 Deadline
Round-up of AfPak news, Petraeus edition.

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Kerala is one of the favorite destinations among honeymooners. It is popularly recognized as “Honeymooner’s Paradise” and “God’s Own Country”. The place has established a great appreciation around the world as honeymooner’s land. The natural beauty, its charm, secluded beaches, shimmering back water, etc are enough to sensitize the romantic couple. The place offers a fascinating sightseeing opportunity that delights tourists.

There are numerous places to visit during Kerala Honeymoon Travel. The backwater of Kuttanad is really thrilling. You can also stay in houseboat in the backwater of Kuttanad to make your honeymoon a lifetime experience. The breezy wind of Verdant Green Hill Station will make you feel fresh and audacious. Couples also enjoy their cherished time on secluded and sexy beaches. Some of the famous beaches are Kovalam, Cherai, Varkala, Kappad, Muzhappilangad and Bekal. Newly wedded couple feels very excited in this natural garland. All these things will definitely make your Kerala honeymoon a memorable moment in life.

This honeymooner’s paradise is famous among all kind of couples. Nature loving couples have opportunity to take a tour to Wayanad Sanctuary, Chinnar, Periyar Sanctuary and Eravikulam National Park. Almost a fourth of India’s 10,000 plant species are found in the state.

Also Kerala is preferred destination among adventurous couple. They love trekking at Thiruvananthapuram, the capital city of Kerala. They can also enjoy in backwaters there. Hill stations of Munnar, Nelliampathi, Ponmudi and Wayanad are mostly visited.

Heritage sites, such as the Padmanabhapuram Palace and the Mattancherry Palace, are also visited. Cities of Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram are popular centers for shopping and traditional theatrical performances.

If you too are planning to visit this God’s Own Country, then you should think of one of the Kerala Tour packages. The tour package will let you enjoy the maximum in minimum expenditure. Also the package will help you know about the HOT sites to visit. There are number of tour packages available in market. Choose one to embark the wonderland.

As this is widely famous as Honeymooner’s Paradise around the globe, the global tourist can easily locate internationally acclaimed hotels and beach resorts for a comfortable accommodation. One can find hotel in all ranges. Kerala also offer exclusive bridal suites to make honeymoon a fairy experience.

It is worth to inform that best time to visit Kerala is from March to October. It is advisable not to visit the place during rainy season. It experiences heavy rainfalls which make you difficult to enjoy all acclaimed beauties of nature. Visit Kerala to make your honeymoon a enormous experience. Snatch the beautiful memories.

Do I need a travel agent for my vacation? I guess it depends on your needs. Travel deals are available from many sources who have put together great vacation packages. Cheap travel has become an expectation, with vacation packages available all over the internet. Travel deals include cheap airline tickets, vacation packages and basically cheap travel any where in the world. When choosing any of the available travel deals you often wonder if a travel agent can provide cheap travel with any of the travel deals they have to offer.

A competent travel adviser can be your greatest asset when you’re planning a trip, and putting together travel deals for you to consider. I mean a bona fide, certified travel professional, a true travel agent. To say that a travel agent is important for your travel needs is not a popular position to take, I know. There is no shortage of travel agent stories making the rounds these days, most of them horrific in nature. There are stacks of grievances that follow the same basic narrative, cheap travel results in you get what you pay for, or do you? Most complaints about travel agents or advisors goes something like this:

I booked a trip through an online agency who had the best travel deals, cheap airline tickets and a great vacation package. Something went wrong, terribly wrong– my flight was rescheduled, my flight was over booked or there was a problem with the hotel reservation, like the reservation was never made, or it was not the hotel promised. After hours of searching for the right number to call, I phoned the company, I was transferred to half a dozen departments, or should I say I was passed off to several different people who had no interest in my problem, or no authority to do something about it, and ended up speaking with someone in OshKosh, India who I could barely understand. Five hours later, several different “agents” later I’m no closer to fixing the problem. This is a disaster and needs to be fixed.

Let me take a moment to say I mean no disrespect to online travel agencies, in fact I respect the job most of them do. Most of these agencies do a fabulous job, have great follow through, and will give you great value for your dollar, and a great vacation with your loved ones. Most of the airline seats, cruises and hotel rooms booked through these large sites are problem-free. It’s the way they address the inevitable problems, or should I say do not address the problems, that leaves something to be desired in the view of many consumers.

Good travel agents have an edge over almost any other seller of travel. Years of experience, inside secrets, and a good relationship with others in the industry. They know what travel deals and vacation packages you, the traveling public wants. They speak your language. A good travel agent will be there for you when you run into trouble, an event that is unlikely to happen.

While I may suggest a travel agent be involved for that European month long vacation, or your tip to the Middle East and of course your long waited for African Safari, a travel agent is not needed for the casual weekend trip or your summertime holiday or even spring or winter break vacations. There are lots of great bargains that can save yourself thousand of dollars, just by doing a little work on your own. These bargains are genuinely trouble free, great locations and fabulous travel deals. Finding the travel deals and vacation packages is getting easier everyday, book yours today. A few clicks of your mouse and you will have cheap airline tickets, cheap travel and a vacation package of a lifetime.

The author of this article is Peter Sicoli. Peter owns and operates JP Global Sales a successful information marketing company.

 

Celtic face wait over Campbell move
Celtic fans may have to wait another month before finding out if Sol Campbell wants to sign for the Parkhead club.

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At this time of the year last year I was in a state of panic. It is natural to be in a panic before a wedding. It was the most important day of my daughter’s life after all, and one of the most important days of mine. Everything had to be just right. I needed to know that everything was perfectly in order. Of course, I knew I was being irrational. Before a gala occasion of this importance, it is almost natural to be irrational. Nevertheless, I couldn’t help myself. Everybody in my family told me to calm down, but it did not help. And then the bad news struck.

It seems that the flower arrangement has been messed up by the florist. Even though we gave him careful instructions. I am well aware that flower arrangements for weddings are among the most important decorative elements. They were the last thing that we picked out, and meant to reflect all the other elements. You see, flower arrangements for weddings don’t stand alone. They have to match the bridesmaid dresses, the bridal gown, and the decorations of the room.

Nothing will look right if the flowers have not been taken in account. I had worried that the flower arrangements for weddings would not look right, but it did not even occur to me that the florist would screw up the order. I figured that it might look different once we got into the room and not reflect the other elements of the d?cor the way that I wished. But it was more than I could take when he screwed up at the very last minute.

It wasn’t like the flower arrangements for the wedding were slightly off. They were plain old wrong. If the flower arrangements for weddings had been, say, a lighter shade of purple instead of the dark purple that I had chosen, it would have been alright. As it was, they were completely different. I presume that he mixed them up with some other flower arrangements for weddings ordered by some other wedding party. They were probably having the same deception that I was having at that moment. Instead of the dark violet floral bridal bouquet that we had desired, we are presented with a series of Calla lily arrangements. I think that calla lilies make very nice flower arrangements for weddings, but they didn’t go along with anything. They clashed horribly. All the guests were polite about it, but I can’t believe that nobody noticed. So, a little warning if I may, make double sure about the company you will be dealing with. Surprises are nice but not all the time.

 

With more and more couples opting to escape the high costs and stresses of a large and elaborate wedding, the trend of getting married abroad is an increasingly popular one, with the Caribbean still topping the list as one of the most popular destinations for an overseas wedding. Many fall in love with the idea of the tropical setting and backdrop which make for the most romantic of wedding photos, but on investigating the possibilities further, find they are overwhelmed on where to start in trying to arrange the kind of wedding they envisaged. Perhaps the only concept they have of a Caribbean wedding is going to a “Sandals” resort which offers a standard package and often conveyor belt style of wedding, which can leave some couples feeling less than “special” on their big day.

 

However, with more couples now wishing to combine a truly memorable wedding day with a holiday of a lifetime, perhaps even taking additional family and friends with them to celebrate their big day, finding the right location and the right property where you can truly feel unique on your wedding day may mean looking for truly specialist advice and assistance.

 

This need has been recognized by Culsen Travel, an independent tour operator based in Bedfordshire. They exclusively feature the Caribbean and specialize in weddings and honeymoons. The company is owned by a couple who have had firsthand experience of marrying in the Caribbean. Five years ago they traveled to the island of Tobago along with 40 guests and enjoyed not only a wonderful wedding day but a memorable large family holiday. “Having experienced getting married in the Caribbean ourselves, we appreciated that it can be very difficult to find anyone who caters for this kind of specialist area. Many couples would like the option of taking a large number of guests with them and perhaps having the kind of wedding they would have had here, but in a Caribbean setting, and at a fraction of the cost, but most holiday companies do not cater for this kind of wedding party”, says Director of Products & Sales & Wedding Planner, Stephanie Morson.

 

Culsen Travel have therefore established themselves as a travel company who can not only recommend the right island for you, but also the perfect accommodation on the island of your choice, ranging from small boutique hotels, to large resorts or private villas ranging from 2-9 bedrooms with private pools or beachfront locations, often fully staffed, and ideal for larger wedding parties who wish to stay together or even providing a wedding venue within the more private setting of the villa grounds. They feature 10 islands and know these islands and the properties they feature well, and are therefore able to provide firsthand information on what will suit their client’s needs.

 

With regards to the wedding Culsen Travel offer three styles of weddings:

Hotel & Resort Weddings – the most popular type of wedding, as most hotels offer their own wedding package with a dedicated location within the property for holding a ceremony and have their own wedding coordinator who will take care of arrangements. These weddings are most suited to couples who want a small, simple and inexpensive wedding at the hotel where they have opted to stay, as some hotels even offer a Free Wedding for couples staying for a minimum period of time or booking a certain number of rooms for their wedding party, or staying at certain times of year.

Villa Weddings – Culsen Travel specialise in featuring a range of private villas on 6 of the islands in our programme. These villas offer guests the benefits of space, comfort and privacy and are therefore the perfect location for couples looking for an alternative to a hotel resort wedding. They are often fully staffed and located in beautiful landscaped gardens or directly on the beach, making the ideal backdrop for a small intimate ceremony or a large private wedding with full reception party, and Culsen Travel have independent wedding co-ordinators on each of these islands who will look after every detail for your special day, from arranging the minister to choosing your flower arrangements and organising your catering, the cake and your guest entertainment.

Bespoke Weddings – You may be looking for a wedding venue which offers an alternative Caribbean setting to a resort beach or villa grounds, if so Culsen Travel can arrange for your ceremony and private reception party to take place in a unique location such at a historical plantation house, at a natural beauty spot such as within botanical gardens or the rainforest, onboard a private yacht, at a local church or even at a World Heritage site. Once again their on-island wedding planners will take care of all the details.

 

Culsen Travel can recommend the island, property and ideal wedding venue to suit you, and put the arrangements in place to offer a more tailor-made service to couples for their special day. They also have a selection of villas and hotels which they recommend for a Caribbean honeymoon. Check out their website on www.culsentravel.com or call Stephanie on 01582 729333. You can also visit them at the special forthcoming Wedding Fayre which will be themed around Caribbean Weddings.

The importance of your honeymoon is truly based on who you’re with, not where you go.  But settling for less than the best on your honeymoon is surely something you’ll regret in the future.  Your honeymoon is the holiday of your lifetime.  You will only go on one honeymoon and if you’re not particularly well off, you may never have the opportunity to head to these destinations again.  That’s why you’ll want to know all the tips and tricks for saving money while still taking a luxury honeymoon to an exotic destination.  Here are five easy ways to ensure you’re getting the best deals.

Consult a travel agent.  Travel agents often have access to the best package deals, even if their initial price sounds expensive.  Feel free to do your own investigating online first and then compare the price with the agents’ quote.  If you can show that you’d save money without them, they’ll often lower their prices or throw in exciting extras.  And if they don’t, go ahead and book yourself in – you’ll know you’ve considered all the options and are truly getting the cheapest price for your honeymoon.
Travel in the off-season. It’s always off-season somewhere, and not only will prices be cheaper, but resorts will be emptier.  Many places are still gorgeous even if the tourists have flocked elsewhere, and if you want to do more than sit on the beach all day, does it matter very much if it’s slightly more likely to rain?  Not if you’re going to spend time in shops, museums, or your suite.
Take a cruise. They’re all-inclusive by nature, so you know you’re not wasting money on something you won’t do or food you won’t eat – after all, you can’t leave the ship, so there are no alternative restaurants to choose or activities that you would rather do.  And often a cruise will take you around a variety of different islands or destinations, so you can see even more on your honeymoon for a cheaper price.  Some cruise cabins are so luxurious that you might as well be at a hotel.
Go out for lunch. Lunch specials at that must-visit restaurant are often cheaper than dinner specials, sometimes vastly so.  If you truly love the food as much as the hype has led you to believe, you can always head back for a glamorous dinner.  It may not sound quite as nice to go out for lunch, but it’s better than missing out altogether.
Book a self-catering cottage or villa. You might not want to always cook for yourself, but it’s much nicer to have the option.  You’ll find that you save a ton of money if you make your own breakfast, for example, and you have the wonderful option of having breakfast in bed without having anyone else intrude on your solitude.  Staying in one night and cooking a romantic meal together is fantastic, especially if you can then head outside to enjoy it by candlelight.