World Travellers

Greece, which is also known as the Hellenic Republic, is located in southeast Europe. The country has a mixed heritage from the empires of the ancient Greeks, Romans, Ottomans, and Byzantines. Greece is famous for its role in introducing to the world the concept of democracy, philosophy, the Olympic Games, and drama.

Be sure to try the local Mediterranean cuisine including the internationally famous Greek salad, moussaka, stifado, Greek Salad, spanakopita, Souvlaki, and mezze (a small meal) that comes with assorted accompaniments like tzatziki, grilled octopus and small fish, feta cheese, dolmades, pulses, olives, and cheese. The local brew of ouzo, metaxa, and the retsina wine are favorites among the Greeks.

History lovers will want to spend some time walking through Athens for a glimpse of the Parthenon. The acropolis is one of the most recognizable icons of Greece and is a good representation of Classical Greek culture. Other Athenian attractions include the Agora, National Archaeological Museum, Syntagma Square, the Plaka, Cape Sounion and the Temple of Poseidon, Athens Olympic Stadium, Lycabettus Hill, the Byzantine Museum, the National Garden, and the Triumphal Arch of Galerius at Thessaloniki, Vergina.

Cork is located in the South West of Ireland. It is the second largest city in the Republic of Ireland after Dublin. Cork which is one of the 32 counties of Ireland as well as a city covers almost one sixteenth of the entire island of Ireland. It has its’ own airport and is also a busy ferry port. The main towns within County Cork are Cork City, Kinsale, Cobh, Bandon, Middleton and Youghal.

In 2005 Cork was designated as the European Capital of Culture-an honour that led to numerous cultural and musical events being staged. It is home to Roy Keane the famous footballer, Murphy’s stout, The River Lee and perhaps one of Europe’s best known culinary towns Kinsale.

Cork people are proud of their heritage and have a passion for Gaelic football and hurling. Hurling is the fastest field game in the world and a true joy to watch. Be sure to take in a match if visiting the area. The city itself, whilst small by European or world standards has lots to do and see. It has gained an International reputation for music with the famous Jazz festival being hosted in the city each year.

Belgium - a beautiful country that is quite appropriately dubbed as the “Battlefield of Europe.” Indeed, Belgium has had its share of wars. It has endured the rages of greedy kings and ambitious warlords from all epochs, but no war can diminish this country’s beauty, making it an ideal place to visit.

1) Have a Cup of Hot Chocolate

No Belgium vacation can be without a trip to the capital city’s famous sidewalk cafes. It is absolutely essential to drop by any of the several cafes littered in Brussels City and have yourself a sip of Belgium’s famous rich hot chocolate. If there’s anything that the beautiful country of Belgium can offer you, it’s your sweet tooth’s utter satisfaction.

2) Participate in the Carnival of Binche

Be a smart tourist and visit Belgium at the time of year when it’s most festive. During the month of February, Belgium hosts its most colorful festival ever, the Cranival of Binche. With Firework displays and music parades and colorful costumes and projectile oranges, this certainly is a festival worth participating in. This festival is even included in UNESCO’s heritage list.

3) Follow the Gourmet Trail

Like any country in Europe, Portugal has its own rich culture and heritage as well as beautiful tourist spots to boast of. It is famous for its beautiful cities as well as scenic countryside. So, if you are inclined to travel to Portugal, here are the ten wonderful and beautiful places that you should never miss.

1.) The Gulbenkian Museum

If you love history and culture, then this museum located in Lisbon is for you. There are a lot of ancient Egyptian artifacts here as well as paintings done by famous artist. The museum’s garden alone is enough to captivate the tourists’ awe.

2.) St. Jorge’s Castle

This castle is also situated in Lisbon. Once you get to the hill where the castle stands, be prepared for the view of the city and the river below you. You can also visit Alfama along the way.

3.) Praca de Comercio

This is a beautiful plaza that can also be found in Lisbon and is a must-see in this city. This faces the river, giving a wonderful view of that body of water. What is also nice about this place is that it is a part of the downtown of Lisbon, so it is a good place for you to stroll along.

Although their are numerous online travel services a traditional Travel agent is as much an important part of the trip as comfort is to traveling! The role of a travel agent has been increasing with the times and today most people are dependent on them for executing most of their travel plans so that they can rest easy and just enjoy their trip.

It is the responsibility of the travel agent to help and guide the travelers about the constantly changing schedules and airfares, availability of packages for vacation, and a lot of travel information that the traveler may not know about.

Choosing a reliable travel agent can be an important decision, since how you travel and your comfort will be largely decided by the travel agents. You should verify the information given by the travel agents, to be on the safer side and minimize your travel hassles. Incase of International travel, choosing a proper agent becomes more important.

The right agent should be able to foresee your problems and guide you about them. They should provide information related to customs regulations, important documents like visas, passports, currency exchange rates and certificates of vaccination.

Too many incidents of visitors being confronted in the street while on holiday in Malta has led to the Maltese authorities taking action against the timeshare companies who employ sales staff to seek out possible visiting buyers.

Complaints have risen in recent years from holiday makers who have had their time on the island spoiled by being approached on a daily basis to attend presentations - that can last up to four hours -in the hope that some will buy into holiday property ownership and timeshares.

But the Malta tourist authorities have seen the damage it is doing to the island’s economy, and have decided to act.

‘It has come to the stage in Malta’, comments Roger Munns of Malta travel guide http://www.yourmalta.com, ‘that some holiday makers are being approached on a daily basis - sometimes twice a day - by timeshare touts who get paid a commission for every potential buyer they persuade to take to a presentation. As well as the feeling of not being able to go out without being accosted by these people some were giving verbal abuse to those who declined, or simply followed them down the street after being told no - and hounding tourists’.

Vikings are Danish people who had their heydays between 800 and 1050 AC. They were deemed powerful men because of their ability to conquer places far beyond their home country. They did so with help from their immense skills in developing ships, which had been instrumental in discovering new land areas that were previously unheard of.

Because of their high sense of adventurism, they were able to set foot on and conquered countries like Turkey, Russia, Greenland, and Iceland, among others. Known for wearing helmets with horns and possessing weaponry that was representative of the contributions of the Iron Age; Vikings often scared people, either unconsciously or deliberately. They usually scared off merchants who would accidentally meet them in seas or on shores. This was because of a tendency to instill fear among persons they met. Vikings were commonly referred to either as “pirates” or “barbarians from the North.”

When one speaks of this country in the North, stories about the Vikings are always mentioned. They are one of the basic reasons people fond of history visit this country for a tour.

Escorted holidays can provide a great way to visit parts of Eastern Europe, taking the stress out of planning a trip. On a recent tour of Poland, it was clear that this is one Eastern European country with plenty to offer.

There is so much about Eastern Europe that remains a mystery to those of us from outside the region. Many of the finest cities of Europe were once just names on a map - places that we seemed destined never to visit.

With the political changes that have occurred during the course of the past two decades, we suddenly find that a whole new world of opportunities has opened up. Now is the time to consider visiting some of these glorious places.

Planning a visit to a country like Poland is not necessarily very easy. The Polish tourism industry is relatively new, making it difficult to find other visitors who have previously visited the country and who can offer recommendations on accommodation and places to eat out.

An escorted holiday is a good way to avoid such problems. Prices are usually inclusive of your travel to Poland and your accommodation while you are in the country.