Image via WikipediaPersonally, my wife and myself love to travel and in another year we will be living to travel as we will both be retired.

Travel has become a large part of the North American way of life. Many Canadian and American people rely on travel for their business as the world is becoming a smaller place and most companies are either national or international businesses. Other people travel for pleasure, and enjoy it above other forms of recreation.

With so many places to travel, both in the United States, Canada and across the world for that matter, planning a trip may become an overwhelming process for some people who are not well versed in traveling. This is where help is essential.

Most people know where they would like to go, the problem is how to get there and what to do and where to go once they arrive at their travel destination. There are many sources of help available.

Among these sources are maps. Maps have been used for centuries to guide people as they explored the world and it is no different today. As people prepare for any type of travel either for business or pleasure, the first thing they normally do is check out a map to decide how to get to their destination, if traveling by car. If they are traveling by other means, maps are still needed once arriving if renting a car is a part of the plan, or for just finding the right hotel to stay at based on the location of attractions a person plans to visit while traveling. Maps can tell a person how far one location is from the next, what is available to do in certain locations and depending on the type of map, can show a person traveling where certain amenities are such as restaurants and laundry services.

Road maps are critical for anyone who travels by car. These types of maps are available for purchase at nearly every store and gas station and depending on the particular map can provide the traveler with a wealth of information.

• Which route is the shortest or straightest.
• How many miles it is from one point to the next
• Where scenic sites are
• And even where rest stops are available.

Maps can be used in conjunction with detailed driving instructions, but should not be replaced by them. Landmarks change, people get turned around, and directions cannot help a person in these circumstances often leaving them lost. With the use of a map, no matter where a person is, he or she can find his or her way back by following a map. Of course, this ability does not come automatically, it is up to the person who plans to travel to study the maps available and be comfortable reading them.

When a person plans to travel, it is easy to get excited about the destination and what is planned for once arriving. People will normally take the time to make sure they find just the right hotel and find the activities that will be fun or interesting to them. In order to make getting there just as enjoyable, spending some time gathering, reading, and understanding several maps pertaining to that location is an equally important step in the travel process.

Image via WikipediaAustria: About the Country

Located in central Europe, Austria celebrates world’s best music festivals like the Salzburg Festival, Haydn Festival in Vienna, and the International Chamber Music Festival. Vienna is the capital of Austria as well as the musical capital of Europe. Music and art are in full flare here after centuries of hardship and innovation. That explains Vienna being the birthplace of Mozart. Horse dances are also part of these festivals. Since it snows in winter, the snow covered Alps is a must be visited place during the winter. Austria experiences a moderate summer. Rains can be expected year round. Incase of emergency call 120 or 123.

Site seeing

The romantic castles simply leave you astounded. The Schloss Durnstein provides a magnificent view besides the River Danube. A 10% tip should be paid to the taxi drivers, which is customary here.

Culture

German, Hungarian, Slovene, and Croatian are the languages spoken by the locals. To greet the locals, a handshake will do. When meeting someone for the first time, its better to refer them by their last name, but once better known they can be addressed by the first name. When out in the public, say Guten Tag or Gruss Gott to greet people and while leaving say Auf Wiedersehen. Carry along flowers when going over to someone’s house. The locals here have a passion for horse riding. The world’s best art of horsemanship can be found here which is as old as 400 years and to watch the horses perform at these schools; tickets must be booked in advance. Although service charge is levied on restaurant bills, an extra 5% should be paid as tip.

Getting there

Three national airlines operate in Austria, Austrian Arrows, Austrian Airlines and Lausda Air, which work in collaboration with the Austrian Airlines Group. The Vienna airport is 18 km away from the city. Airport buses transport passengers to the South Train and West Train Station. Railway, chauffeur-driven car and taxi service is also provided at the airport. Duty free shops, post office, bank, eateries, left luggage, tourism information, conference hall, nursery, car hiring and car parking facilities are provided to the passengers at the airport.

Salzburg airport is 4 km away from the city and buses, trains, taxis and hotel coach shuttle passengers to and from the airport. Facilities such as duty free shops, post office, currency exchange, left luggage, conference hall, restaurants and car hire exist at the airport. Check out the other airports such as Klagenfurt airport, Graz airport and Linz airport for more details. All the airports charge a fixed rate for porter service.

International tourists can get to Austria by Austrian Federal railways, if planning to travel by train. It has a large network which connects the major cities within Austria and also outside Austria. Travelers can find connections to/from Germany, Russia, Greece, Romania, Turkey Brussels, Paris and Italy. International rail passes or Eurail pass can be bought to travel around Austria as they provide unlimited travel and other offers too.

A good network of roads here provides an interesting journey. Take Eurotunnel when crossing the Channel Tunnel while traveling by car. Bookings should be made in advance. The cars can be hired at the airports and railway stations and if driving own car carry documentations like UK driving license or national driving license and car registration papers. Toll booths are installed on the motorways and ‘S’ roads, so if change is carried in advance it will ensure no delays in the journey. Registration documents should be carried along all the time while driving. The lights should be turned on while driving, in the city or outside, all the time. There are strict laws for seat belts and drinking while driving. If using the motorbike, high visibility jacket and helmet must be worn, it’s a compulsion for both the passenger and the driver. Many federal, private companies and local authorities provide bus service. Coaches are provided for moving around within the cities.

Wurm and Kock provide cruise passenger service. Along with the cruise trip, packages include stay at a hotel. Check out, before hand, for offer. There are many Ferry service providers too.

Duty Free Items

1. 200 cigarettes or 100 cigarillos or 50 cigars or 250g tobacco or a proportional mix of these products
2. 1l of spirits over 22 per cent or 2l of fortified wine or spirits up to 22 per cent or 2l of sparkling wine or liqueur and 2l of still wine
3. 500g of coffee or 200g of extracts, essences or concentrates of coffee, and 100g of tea or 40g of tea extracts
4. medicinal products sufficient for the journey
5. 50g of perfume or eau de toilette
6. All the above mentioned goods should be carried by a person over 17 years of age.

Image by tokyoosakatw via FlickrWhile in Calgary, gastronomes and chocoholics alike should swing by the home office of Callebaut Chocolate, 1313 1st Street SE, for Canadian chocolates with Old World style.

Bernard Callebaut grew up in Belgium next door to the factory where his family had been making chocolate for the previous four generations. In 1980, when the family decided to sell the Belgian chocolate business to Swiss chocolate giant Suchard Toblerone (they still owned, among other things, a brewery), Bernard decided to emigrate.

We wanted to bring truly excellent, gourmet chocolate to the Americas. After touring cities throughout America and Canada, he fell in love with the mountains and culture of Calgary. There he began anew with Bernard Callebaut chocolates.

His family was convinced he had gone mad, making high-quality chocolates for a people who, generally, would not know the difference between that and paper-wrapped bar from the gas station. They were wrong. The first day his chocolate shop was open he made $700 and by the end of his first year in business he had made $200,000. He doubled that the following year.

What is his secret, the thing that will get North Americans to pay more for his delectable treats? There is no secret. Callebaut is happy to tell people how to make his chocolates and even occasionally teaches courses at his Calgary factory and world headquarters.

The trick is to use fresh, organic ingredients with no additives. His chocolates do not contain preservatives or vegetable oils. He is so open about his methods he even has recipes for some of the things they sell in the shop posted on his website at www.bernardcallebaut.com.

At Bernard Callebaut they are happy to give visitors a tour of the factory as long as it is arranged in advance. The tour is great and the best part is, of course, the free samples.

Image via WikipediaIf you’re visiting Orlando, Florida, you probably have a trip to Universal Studios on your list, and therefore may decide to skip MGM Studios, however you may find that - especially if you have younger children - MGM is a better alternative as there are less attractions with height restrictions than Universal. Although there are a few more thrill-seeking rides, most of the MGM Studio park is at a more gentle pace making it a good destination for families, or those who are a little mobility impaired.

Upon entering the park, you’ll be on Hollywood Boulevard. This is a place to shop merchandise of both a traditional souvenir nature, and also more limited edition collectors pieces, as well as find restaurants and other kinds of retail outlets. Walk to the bottom of the Boulevard however and you’ll find the Great Movie Ride. Although the queue for this may be long, it does move quickly and the journey through well known movie scenes is well worth the wait.

Around the rest of the park there are shows such as the Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular which shows how stunts are performed and re-enacts scenes from Raiders of the Lost Ark, a car and motorcycle stunt show called Lights, Motors, Action! Extreme Stunt Show, and Fastasmic! A night-time show in the Holywood Hills Amphitheatre.

For the young, and young at heart, there’s such things as the Jim Henson’s Muppet Vision 3D show, the Little Mermaid show, the Honey I Shrunk the Kids playground, Beauty and the Beast show, and Playhouse Disney live on stage. Thrill seekers aren’t forgotten completely however with the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror and Aerosmith’s indoor Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster.

With the Journey in Narnia, and the Disney-MGM Studios Backlot Tour, there’s a great day of entertainment to be had at Disney’s MGM Studios. If you love Disney, it’s well worth a visit!

Image via WikipediaOrlando, Florida’s Epcot is a tourist attraction that will take a full day to explore, but if you want to sample all of the rides and exhibits, you have a multi-park ticket and find a spare half-day on your hands, then you may find you need to come back to Epcot to “finish off” what you don’t manage to see the first time - this is especially true in summer where queues for some exhibits can be quite long.

Split into two main sections Epcot consists of “Future World” and “World Showcase”. These two sections are then fragmented into different individual exhibits on all a theme which fits the overall theme of the section.

Future World is divided up into sections such as Spaceship Earth which is about the history of communication and technologies, Innovations with its interactive technological exhibits, Test Track a high speed ride on an automotive factory testing grounds, Universe of Energy which shows how to generate energy and the Land and Seas Exhibitions where the attractions give fun ways of learning about our natural environment both on land and in the sea. Space enthusiasts will love with Mission: SPACE ride which simulates space program training!

In the World Showcase you can travel around the world in as little time as you have available. Each of the countries in the showcase has a interactive exhibit, a gift store selling produce and goods from the country, and food/drink traditional to that part of the world. Some of the exhibits are more fact (such as the 360 Circle Vision movies for Canada and China) than fun (such as Norway’s Maelstrom boat ride, and America’s audio-animatronics American Adventure), but there’s something for everyone - and none of the rides in the exhibits are wild, making them good for all age groups.

Refreshments in Epcot are expensive, but apart from that, Epcot is a tourist attraction that’s primarily entertaining, but which also educates in a fun way at the same time, making it a great place to bring the kids to learn about the world in which they live.