Jetsettersblog

Travel Impressions Offers Gay & Lesbian Travel

The TI Gay & Lesbian Travel program offered through Travel Impressions features vacations to Canada and Europe to coincide with gay pride celebrations taking place this summer.

Package rates start at $319 per person double occupancy. Through the TI Gay & Lesbian Travel program, three-night Canada packages feature accommodations, three-day Hertz rental car (excluding Toronto and Halifax, where roundtrip airport/hotel transfers will be provided) and hotel taxes and service.

Following are corresponding gay and lesbian festivals taking place throughout Canada. Sample packages with rates quoted per person double occupancy, include:

Vancouver, until Aug. 4: Westin Bayshore Resort & Marina — from $499; The Fairmont Waterfront — from $565; The Fairmont Hotel Vancouver — from $579. Halifax, July 20 – 27: Delta Halifax — from $399; Delta Barrington — from $405; Westin Nova Scotian Halifax — from $459.

Montreal, July 27-Aug. 3: Novotel Montreal Centre — from $365; Hyatt Regency Montreal Centre-Ville — from $419; Omni Mont Royal — from $425; Fairmont The Queen Elizabeth — from $509.

Ottawa, Aug. 15 – 24: Delta Ottawa Hotels & Suites — from $319; Lord Elgin — from $325; Fairmont Chateau Laurier — from $405.

The TI Gay & Lesbian Travel program’s European packages include five nights hotel accommodation and taxes.

Sample packages to European festivals, quoted per person double occupancy, include:

Gay Pride Madrid, July 3 – 6: Intercontinental Hotel Madrid — from $835; ME Madrid — from $1,169.

London Pride London, July 5: MyHotel Bloomsbury — from $859; The May Fair Hotel — from $1,435.

Amsterdam Gay Pride, Aug. 1 – 3: Swissotel Amsterdam — from $859; The Dylan — from $1,495.

For more information about the TI Gay & Lesbian Travel program, visit www.travelimpressions.com/gaytravel. For more information on Travel Impressions, call 800-284-0044 or 631-845-8000, or visit www.travelimpressions.com

Westjet Canadian adds Mexico flights

WestJet will increase its operations by expanding routes to Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlan and Cancun in order to cover 14 new destinations on Aztec soil in 2008 and 2009. WestJet will immediately begin arriving at the new destinations with 7 new routes.

Hertz Launches Refueling Program

Hertz launched a refueling program, which goes into effect for rentals commencing July 1, at all corporate and participating licensee airport and off-airport locations in the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico and St. Thomas.

Both the Hertz Fuel & Service Charge (FSC) and the Fuel Purchase Option (FPO) will reflect new, lower pricing bases upon the average price per gallon as set by the Oil Price Information Service (OPIS) in the geographical area where the car is rented. The Hertz FSC — for customers who don’t refill the fuel tank before returning the rental vehicle and elect the option of then having Hertz refuel the vehicle — will be based upon local market fuel prices, plus a one-time Refueling Fee of $6.99.

The FPO — for customers who elect the option to purchase a tank of gas at the outset of the rental — will reflect local market fuel prices minus a small discount of approximately $0.15 per gallon.

Themed Hostels for the Off Beat Personality

Not every traveler prefers luxurious hotels with expensive terry cloth bath robes and down comforters. In fact, many individuals prefer the experience of their trip rather than where they lie their head. Over recent years, ‘themed hostels’ have started to pop up, providing travelers with a unique and adventurous stay. Hostelworld.com recommends the following five themed hostels for adventurous travelers looking for an unforgettable vacation.

HI-Point Montara Lighthouse: Montara, California, USA

Off the rugged California coast, just south of San Francisco, sits the Point Montara Fog Signal and Light Station. This historic lighthouse and turn-of-the-century buildings have been preserved and restored by HI-AYH and the California Department of Parks and Recreation, in cooperation with the U.S. Coast Guard. Just north of the light house hikers and bikers can find beautiful trails with the San Francisco peninsula in the background. Between November and April, visitors can enjoy breathtaking views of the annual migration of gray whales.
Rates from $20.00 night.

Hedonisia Hawaii, Pahoa (Big Island): Hedonisia, Hawaii, USA

Inside a volcanic crater, with a mini-jungle at its bottom, Hedonisia Hawaii is the perfect place for a quant and truly unique stay. Hedonisia has a mere 10 rooms to offer its guests a night of privacy and space. Once settled in, visitors can enjoy a private outdoor shower with a breathtaking view. The hostel’s “Barn” provides dormitory-style tent accommodations with a ‘jungle kitchen’ for guests to go hog wild.

Rates from $20.00 a night.

Gram’s Place Bed & Breakfast/Hostel: Tampa Florida, USA

Gram’s Place is perfect for the ‘person on the move.’ Go getters will find a simulated railroad station depot upon visiting Gram’s and one of their rooms will be an original sleeper car! For individuals who need to sit back and relax, Gram’s provides an oversized in-ground Jacuzzi, courtyard waterfalls and lazy day hammocks. Let the 1920’s music which can be heard playing in the background take you by the hand to a tranquil place.

Rates from $24.75 a night.

Hi-Ottawa Jail Hostel, Ottawa, Canada

The only hostel in North America located in a former prison, it offers a realistic—perhaps too realistic for the faint of heart—prison experience. You’ll sleep in actual prison cells, or maybe even the former prison hospital. If that’s not enough to get your heart pumping, take a trip to the un-renovated 8th floor for a look at what life was like for inmates in this prison which operated for more than 100 years. Tours are available, during which you can hear inmate stories or maybe even come across a few inmates who “never checked out.” When it comes to comfort, you have no reason to be afraid. This Victorian-era architectural relic has been completely renovated and boasts a friendly, experienced and knowledgeable staff.

Rates from $25.00 a night.

Carbisdale Castle Youth Hostel: Carbisdale, Scotland

If you’re looking to travel abroad, consider a visit to Scotland’s Carbisdale Castle Youth Hostel where you will receive the royal treatment. Originally built for the Dowager Duchess of Sutherland, the Carbisdale Castle has been renovated into one of the world’s most interesting youth hostel yet. Housing a large art collection complete with an impressive display of Italian marble statues, there is plenty of authentic elements to remind guests of its historic past. Adding to the unique experience – rumor has it that this elaborate hostel is haunted by spirits of its past. A night at Carbisdale will surely be an unforgettable experience!

Rates from $25.66 a night.

Abercrombie & Kent’s Extreme Adventures

Imagine………..challenging temperatures, soaring altitudes, pounding G forces and barren deserts – this is adventure travel taken to a new stratosphere as innovative, global travel company Abercrombie & Kent (A&K) launches their Extreme Adventures collection of experiential travel options.

With a portfolio of 18 expeditions to chose from, adventure travellers can expect the unexpected and prepare to be exhilarated!

For those looking for a new, exciting experience, this is the portfolio that offers an extensive and exclusive range of stimulating and challenging options. Be prepared to push personal boundaries, harness physical and mental endurance, survive the elements and test individual capability. These itineraries are definitely not for the faint hearted!

Whether in the atmosphere, under water, at altitude or at the end of the earth, A&K’s Extreme Adventures begin where others finish. With an elite group of highly trained, skilled and experienced adventure guides at the helm, every experience is set to thrill!

Think a mock-dog fight at 4Gs in a Hawker Hunter fighter jet in South Africa; an 18 day trek to the South Pole; diving with whale sharks in Belize; scaling the western breach of Kilimanjaro; dog sledding in the High Arctic or camel trekking with the Bedouin in Jordan’s Eastern Desert; any expedition is sure to be a one off, memorable life changing adventure.

A&K introduces Mats Forsberg who has led most of the world’s leading polar bear researchers and BBC documentary expeditions into the extreme Arctic wilderness. Mats has explored the region solo on skis and joins our adventurers in Norway on the trail of the polar bear.

In East Africa, Toby Fenwick-Wilson leads A&K guests into unknown territory in the deserts of Northern Kenya where he recently finished a walk of 560km. His bush knowledge and sensitivity to tribal cultures make him an instinctive choice for the Uncharted Frontiers adventure. Climbers of Mt. Everest in Nepal will be joined by Pasang Temba Sherpa, one of the area’s most sought-after professional trekking guides. He has averaged about four trips a year since 1985 and has unsurpassed trekking experience.

In New Zealand, Mark Everard is one of the country’s best outdoor guides and joins adventurers on an adrenalin-pumping ride of white water, jetboats, mountain hikes and bungee jumps. These are just a few of the exceptional characters leading A&K’s exciting new adventures.

Born of a pioneering spirit nearly half a century ago, A&K has always had a vision and desire for travellers to experience the world in a way few others ever had.

Supported by A&K’s bedrock of knowledge, expertise and reputation, their Extreme Adventures collection will deliver an extreme experience! To ensure safety and reassurance, each adventure comes with its own rating, ranging from mild to severe. These ratings take into account temperature, topography, altitude and other pertinent factors that may need to be considered to guarantee an amazing, but appropriate, extreme experience.

A&K’s Australasian Managing Director, Sujata Raman said, “Abercrombie & Kent is proud to launch Extreme Adventures, another exciting innovation in the world of experiential and extreme travel.

This collection is sure to thrill and we urge a visit to www.akextremeadventures.com to whet that adventure appetite!”

Saddle Up To Party At The Calgary Stampede

Albertans know how to party, from roundups and rodeos across the province to concerts and festivals. Don’t be left out, take your pick of the province’s festivities or enter the competition to join us in London for an exclusive concert on the 30th June.

Yee-haw! - don your cowboy hat and head for the Calgary Stampede – 4th – 13th July.

For 10 exhilarating days, join people from around the world for a full-on celebration. Enjoy free pancake breakfasts, daily rodeo thrills, fairground attractions, First Nations heritage, agricultural shows, food and drink galore and a nightly Grandstand Stage Show complete with fireworks. New developments at Stampede include the start of a $550 million dollar redevelopment plan and the opening of the new Stampede Casino. www.calgarystampede.com

An eight night holiday in Alberta for the Calgary Stampede costs from £867 per person with Canadian Affair. This includes return Economy Class flights from London Gatwick direct to Calgary, and eight nights at the The Sandman Hotel Downtown Calgary (twin share, room only). This price is based on outbound travel on July 4th, 2008. Calgary Stampede tickets packages are also available from £139 per person. For information and reservations, call 020 7616 9933 or visit www.canadianaffair.com

Canada Rocks Trafalgar Square – Win Free Tickets to this one-off musical extravaganza!

The atmosphere will be electric on the evening of 30th June as Canada Rocks Trafalgar Square. Acclaimed artist Kathleen Edwards will headline the one-night only concert performing hit songs from her new album “Asking for Flowers” (awarded four stars by Rolling Stone magazine and the Times). The line up also includes Canada’s chart topping rock band, The Trews, the country’s favourite award winning guitarist, the multi talented Jesse Cook, and folk blues group The McDades.

This free entry, ticketed concert is being staged by the Canadian province of Alberta and leading UK tour operator Canadian Affair and promises to be a great way to spend a summer evening in London.

For your chance to win free tickets visit www.canadadaylondon.com before 16th June 2008.

Summer Festival Line up 2008

For a definitive listing visit www.travelalberta.com

Banff Summer Arts Festival: Now until 31st August

www.banffcentre.ca/bsaf/2008

This year is the festival’s 75th anniversary and more than ever it will be an action-packed feast for the eyes and the ears. Over the years the festival has welcomed and inspired artists from all disciplines. The Banff Centre will be the setting for an array of performances in dance, music, opera, theatre, and jazz, as well as exhibitions, literary readings, and mountain films, all located in Banff National Park, TripAdvisor’s no.1 Traveller’s Choice Destination in Canada for 2008.

A Taste of Edmonton: 18th – 27th July Visit this link.

This truly enjoyable assault on the taste buds is just about ready to burst into Edmonton’s Sir Winston Churchill Square. Edmonton will once again host a 10 day festival that will showcase 38 restaurants, beer and wine from the local area and from around the world. With 60,000 people expected to join in this mouth watering experience, Edmonton will be transformed into a melting pot of tastes and aromas.

Calgary Folk Music Festival: 24th – 27th July

http://www.calgaryfolkfest.com

The annual Calgary Folk Music Festival is a long weekend of family-friendly music at Prince’s Island Park, featuring 65 artists from around the world on seven stages. This exciting genre-bending affair, including blues, Celtic, traditional music, roots, global grooves, cutting-edge sounds, dub, bluegrass, funk, country, hip-hop, R& B, old-timey, spoken word, alternative and more. The festival is aimed at the whole family, with free kid’s entry and large family areas.

Edmonton Folk Music Festival: 7th –10th August

http://www.edmontonfolkfest.org/index.html

Beginning in 1980 with one staff and 300 volunteers, the Edmonton Folk Music Festival has grown and matured to become one of the leading folk festivals in the world. The quality of the music and the depth of the performer line up is the single greatest ingredient in their success. The vision of the festival is to improve year on year as a world-calibre folk music festival, balancing the best celtic, bluegrass, blues, roots, singers and songwriters from around the world.

Edmonton International Fringe Theatre Festival: 14th – 24th August

http://www.fringetheatreadventures.ca

The Edmonton International Fringe Theatre Festival serves as a forum to bring artists and audiences together. The 11 day festival runs daily from noon to midnight and incorporates 1000 performers on indoor and outdoor stages and welcomes annually 500,000 visitors. Recognised internationally as one of the world best and now in its 27th year, the Edmonton Fringe attracts patrons and performers from every province and territory in Canada, as well as from around the world. Clowns, jugglers, poets and multi-media artists all share performance space, bringing both classics and new works to the stage. The festival is a place where performer and patron can connect, where art becomes an intimate adventure and where there’s always laughter and tears to be found.

Business travel no vacation

Canadians are traveling more often, but not for vacations. A new survey shows they are packing their bags for business trips.

Almost one-third of 550 people polled online said they traveled more for business than in previous years, with 20% leaving home at least once a month.

Seven per cent said they spend a week or more each month on the road.

“More and more companies are globalizing,” Remy Piazza, managing director of CareerBuilder.ca, which conducted the survey, told Reuters. He added:

“I think it’s safe to say we’ll see a lot more business travel from not just salespeople and consultants, but other people within organizations as well.”

Even with rising fuel costs, business traveling does not appear to be slowing down, the poll shows.

As the demand for business travel increases, maintaining a healthy work/life balance has become a challenge, with 28% saying they have felt a negative impact on their home life.

To help maintain a better balance, some companies have offered employees more flexible work hours and job sharing options.

MANITOBA Polar Bear Capital of the World

The Province of Manitoba sits right in the middle of Canada, just above Minnesota. It is known for Churchill, the polar bear capital of the world. Here you have only 6 weeks to visit the bears at the tip of Manitoba which is reachable only by air or rail. Manitoba is full of whales and birds, northern lights and a very vibrant art and cultural scene.

Touching down in the largest city in Manitoba, Winnipeg, I quickly realized that this city had a very rich past that people were very proud of. The Canadians are enormously friendly, helpful and courteous. This was felt immediately by stepping onboard Air Canada. Flights were comfortable and efficient with the best entertainment in the sky. Winnipeg is known for being the Chicago of the north and rightly so with its modern architecture. Connecting in Calgary was easy and the airport was new and nicely designed.

The Travel Manitoba and Destination Winnipeg teams were great hosts and went out of their way to create a great itinerary during my stay in Manitoba. From visiting Winnipeg’s French Quarter with the historic Saint Boniface to a view of Queen Elizabeth’s office in the Legislative Building, all the way to Hecla Island 2 hours north of the city; Manitoba has much to offer the American traveler looking for adventure, history, culture with a European feel.

Recognized as a birder’s paradise, Manitoba attracts two-thirds of Canada’s more than 500 species of birds. Arriving in winter, I missed the birds who fly north in amazing flocks in the hundreds of thousands over lakes, marshes and forests as noted by a visit to the Marsh Hammock Interpretive Center.

A stay on Hecla Island at the Radisson Spa Hotel, newly opened in May, proved relaxing and full of outdoor activities, classes on the study of Hecla’s unique owls, an enormous spa and gourmet kitchen run by a well known European chef. Rooms were well appointed and meeting space was ample for groups.

Reaching the hotel from Winnipeg was a straight shot on a highway dotted with small towns and lakes and very entertaining to watch the ice fishing in the middle of the frozen lake. A real sight for someone coming from California!

Manitoba, a real treat for the senses!

Northern Alberta littered with lakes

Northern Alberta is littered with lakes, making it a mecca for birders, especially in the spring and summer. At Kimiwan Lake visitors find McLennan, “The Bird Capital of Canada.” An estimated 27,000 shorebirds and 250,000 waterfowl pass over this tiny town at the confluence of three major migration paths ­– the Mississippi, Pacific and Central.

Nestled in beautiful Lesser Slave Lake Provincial Par the Boreal Centre for Bird Conservation is a unique research and education facility striving to nurture stewards of the boreal forest, one of the world’s last, great forests.

Another vacation idea: With athletes training fast and furious for the 2010 Olympics, why not commemorate a visit to the 1988 host destination – Calgary. Visit Canada Olympic Park with its new attraction, the Skyline? It’s the fastest zipline in North America, reaching speeds between 120 and 140 km/h.

The zipline starts at Calgary’s highest vantage point.

You can do some discovering of your own in Alberta, which is home to the world’s top dinosaur finds. Aside from Devil’s Coulee, where 75 million years ago dinosaurs came to lay their eggs, there are hands-on programs at the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Paleontology and Dinosaur Park in the unique Canadian Badlands.

The Badlands, which feature dinosaur museums, field stations, haunting hoodoos and digs for the entire family, are home to the world’s richest and most accessible dinosaur beds.

You can see the dinosaur eggs first hand with Devil’s Coulee tours (until September) and have the opportunity to learn to identify fossils in their original setting, while discovering the geological forces that shaped the coulee.

Alberta is also home to five of Canada’s thirteen UNESCO World Heritage Sites: Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump, Dinosaur Provincial Park, Waterton Lakes National Park, Wood Buffalo National Park, and the Rocky Mountain Parks of Banff and Jasper.

Outdoor Recreation Website Eases Confusion

Sifting through government websites and browsing the web for outdoor recreation information, such as hunting, fishing, camping and more can be a daunting task. But it doesn’t have to be according to DNR-Pro.org founder Tory McBroom.

WATERLOO, IA, - Are you having trouble finding a good spot to camp, or finding out where you can get your hunting license? Maybe, fishing is your sport and you want to read up on fishing reports for your local lakes. Unfortunately, sifting through government websites and browsing the web for answers can be a time consuming and daunting task. Not anymore according to Tory McBroom, founder and CEO of DNR-Pro.org.

“What we have done is compile information for pretty much all outdoor recreational activities, be it camping, fishing, hunting and many more and neatly organized it for users in one site,” explains Tory. “We offer the same amenities as say your state’s DNR site offers, such as ordering your fishing or hunting license online, but take it a step further by offering a community for outdoor enthusiasts to interact, a library of how to articles and more.”

So where did this idea come from? Tory is an avid outdoor enthusiast with a passion for hiking and mountain biking and as he states, “Pretty much anything fitness related that I can do outside.” And his friends who would often join him enjoyed fishing and camping, as well. “We knew of all the best places to enjoy these activities in Iowa, but when we would venture outside the state, it would be difficult to prepare adequately.”

This is because his friends would need to purchase a fishing license for the state they were staying, reserve a campground to stay at and locate trails to hike. “I would literally spend hours researching the internet for this information, so I basically came up with the idea to organize all this information, for all fifty states, in one website.”

When asked abut the future of the website, Tory explains that it’s completely up to the users.

 ”I highly encourage visitor feedback from the users who come to my site,” he states. “I want my users to decide what information and tools they want to be able access, so I am constantly updating the site to reflect that.”

In an age where everything costs money, including information, it is a rarity to find informational resources and tools that don’t cost a dime.

“The beauty of this site is that it’s completely free,” explains Tory. “We just want our visitors to easily find what they are looking for so they can get out and enjoy doing the things they love to do.”

About DNR-Pro.org

Providing free, easy-to-access information and tools for all your Department of Natural Resources and wildlife agency needs. Nationwide guide to hunting, fishing, camping, state parks, outdoor recreation, licenses and permits, safety courses, environmental services and more!

Contact:
Tory McBroom, CEO
webmaster@dnr-pro.org
http://www.dnr-pro.org