Avoiding getting robbed on vacation

Looking forward to getting away for a vacation?  Most of us do - it's a time of relaxation, rejuvenation and for making memories.  The one thing we don't want is to be coming home to a break and enter - with our possessions destroyed or stolen. 

Here are a few tips on how to prevent it happening:

1.  Make sure that you buy light timers for key rooms of your house.  Light timers can be pre-set to go on and off at certain times to make your home look lived in.

2.  If you have newspaper or milk delivery, ask them to stop delivering for the time that you will be away.

3.  For junk mail - which we all receive almost daily on our doorsteps - ask a trusted neighbour to pick it up and dispose of it in the recycling box.

4.  Ask your trusted neighbour if they would like to use your recycling bags & boxes and put them out & return them where they belong once per week while you are gone.

5.  Have a friend or neighbour drop by to pick up your mail or consider having a mail slot installed in your front door.

6.  Make sure that your children, if you have any, do not tell all their friends & acquaintences that you will be going away.

7.  If you have a FaceBook or other such social networking account, do not post information about your holiday in advance.  Security is not tight enough on these sites and you could end up being robbed.

I hope that these hints will help you to enjoy your vacation and not worry about what's going on at home while you're gone!

Taking Photos on Your Holiday

Almost everyone likes to take photographs of their vacation – to show to family, friends & co-workers when they return. Pictures taken on vacation take you on a trip back in time to a place where you may have seen unbelievable sights, done exciting or memorable things, celebrations, and time spent with people who are very important to you.

A good investment for your memory-collecting is to buy a good digital camera. A digital camera has the capacity of taking many more pictures than a regular camera and if you are planning on taking a lot of pictures, you can also purchase extra memory cards.

Since photographs are a part of your personal history, you need to take the best shots possible and prepare your camera and yourself for your holiday. One of the best ways to do this is to take some pictures before leaving home to check and make sure that your camera is in perfect working order.

Once you are on your vacation and taking pictures, you just need to take the usual precautions:

* Don’t take pictures directly into the sunlight


* Make sure you have your flash feature turned on in dark surroundings

* Take a look at what is beside, behind or in front of your targeted picture – you don’t want an object looking like it is sticking out of someone’s head or have litter & garbage showing in your picture

* Be sure to have a focal point for each picture

* Do try using the timer and getting into the picture yourself

Now . . . . go and enjoy making memories!

Museum in English & German, Museo in Spanish & Italian, Musee in French

The definition of the word MUSEUM ~ ‘A museum houses a collection, public or private, of items relating to one or more fields of art, culture, science and technology .’

With the summer weather here, many people are now taking their annual vacations. When visiting a different country, one of the most popular things to do is to visit a museum. It gives one a view of the culture and art of a bygone period or perhaps a part of the present and future. It can be a specific museum featuring a theme, such as a “Museum of Flight”, a Museum with some of the greatest art in the world, like the Louvre, or a Museum that covers an enormous array of artifacts, like the Smithsonian.

A wonderful museum to visit this summer is our very own Royal British Columbia Museum, in Victoria, B.C. This beautiful Museum is home to many galleries, such as the First Peoples exhibits, the Natural History exhibits and the Modern History exhibits. There are also ‘Visiting Exhibits’ from time to time, which are a special draw. Visiting Exhibits from past years have been ancient artifacts from the Royal British Museum of London, precious treasures & artifacts from Egypt, Dinosaur bones from China, historical items of beauty from Tibet, some of the recovered items from the Titanic and the amazing art & technology of Leonardo da Vinci. Coming in 2011 will be China’s famous Terracotta Warriors.

So . . . . where are you heading off to for your summer vacation this year? Think about touring the museums of the places you go to – it will give you a deeper feeling for the culture and art of the people of that country.

Fairy Tales & Vacations . . . .

Schloss Neuschwanstein ~

A difficult name to pronounce for many people and not easily recognized, but for Bavarians the name is appreciated as belonging to one of the most beautiful and interesting places to visit for those who live there and for the many tourists who wish to tour the schloss – up to several thousand visitors per day in the summer months. The actual English translation of the name is “Swan Castle” - a beautiful name for a very beautiful castle.  The surrounding area around the castle is also totally in form with the looks of the castle, taking you into the past to enjoy a most unique holiday experience. 

For those of us who do not know the name, a picture of it is instantly recognizable as “Sleeping Beauty’s Castle” in Disneyland. It is indeed a fairy tale castle, which is why the Disney people used it for a model for the one featured in their park.

The castle was built in the 19th century, commissioned by Ludwig II of Bavaria. It is built high upon a hill close to the village of Hohenschwangau, which is located in southwest Bavaria.

If you intend to travel to Europe this summer, be sure to visit Bavaria and take the tour of Swan Castle – you will certainly enjoy it!

View from Swan Castle

Suitcase Strategy

It’s highly likely that at one time or another you have spent considerable time looking for your suitcase(s) at the airport or cruise terminal and found that the majority of travelers have black or the exact shade of navy blue suitcase as yours. If you’ve tied a ribbon or pompom on your suitcase for identification purposes, it is also likely that it has ripped off during the unloading process and so now your suitcase looks like everyone elses.

A friend of mine travels with two suitcases and to avoid the problem, she decided to purchase one very bright turquoise suitcase and one red one. As you can imagine, they really stand out and she is than able to get out of that airport in no time!

Bright colours such as lime green, royal purple and neon orange are starting to show up regularly in the luggage shops lately. Although bright yellow may clash with the outfit you are wearing, it’s worth it to be able to cut your time searching for your luggage at that cruise terminal after disembarkation.

You can purchase brightly coloured luggage in both soft and hard suitcase styles.

When was the last time you were on a cruise?

I don’t know about you, but for me one of my top choices for a vacation is to go cruising. I love having a vacation that leaves you free to enjoy yourself. By that I mean that your vacation is all arranged and taken care of – rooms, meals, entertainment - without having to worry about taxi cabs, trains, buses, planes or other modes of travel that have you sightseeing with one eye and with the other eye glued to your watch, hoping you don’t miss a connection.

 

Cruises feature some amazing entertainment, wonderful food and fascinating tours. The staff always treat you like royalty, your stateroom is immaculate and you are free to enjoy every minute of your time in the way you want.

 

When the ships dock, there are always a number of different tours to choose from – some of them are exciting, some of them are educational, some of them show you breathtaking scenery. There are tours that are filled with action and adventure, some that show you the country’s culture, and other tours which encompass the arts. The choice is yours as to whether you wish to stay onboard or go on a tour.

 

On the last cruise I took, I remember the wonderful feeling of relaxing on a wooden deck lounge with a comfortable cushion and dozing in the sunshine.

 

One of the things I really enjoy is the fact that you don’t hear any traffic noise when you are out at sea. The air is cleaner – it smells good when you are out on deck.

 

There is something for everyone on a cruise and it is also one of the perfect family vacations, as there are programmes available for children and teens.

 

The picture above is one taken from a cruise to Alaska that my son & daughter-in-law went on a couple of years ago. They had a wonderful time and hope to take another cruise soon.

 

Cruises are available in destinations all over the world. Think about spending your vacation on board this year – I’m sure you’d enjoy it!

Tips on Using Chopsticks

Here in Richmond, where ACTION TRAVEL is located and where my workmates and I live, we have many very fine Asian restaurants.

Since we are located in Canada, where we have residents from many different countries of origin, most restaurants will have forks, knives & spoons available. If you want to enjoy the whole Asian dining experience, it is a good idea to learn how to use chopsticks. Chopsticks are not that difficult to master – it just takes a little practice.

Directions:

* Take thumb and 4th finger to grip one chopstick

* Use forefinger and middle finger to grip the other chopstick

* 2 inches of chopstick should be below where your fingers & thumb grip

* Hold chopsticks at a slight angle

* The top chopstick should make the motions, the bottom chopstick should be held stationary

* Practice on large pieces of food first, graduating yourself to smaller pieces as you improve your technique

* It is a good idea, when you are a beginner, to lean over your dish to avoid messing your clothes up. When you have a little more experience you won’t need lean over

After a little practice you will be able to use chopsticks with confidence and truly enjoy your meal!

Kindness . . . .

"A single act of kindness throws out roots in all directions, and the roots spring up and make new trees. The greatest work that kindness does to others is that it makes them kind themselves."

Amelia Earhart, Aviator

The Eye of Horus

The Wadjet is another name for the eye symbol which is very popular in Egyptian art, both in the long ago past and the present. It is also commonly called “The All-Seeing Eye” and is said to ensure the health & protection of the person who carries an eye amulet with them. It is also supposed to bring wisdom and prosperity to the wearer. In Egypt you can buy copies of the Wadjet in jewelry made of silver, gold, lapis lazuli, carnelian, porcelain and wood to wear or to hang from the rear-view mirror of your car. Besides promising safety to the wearer, the Wadjet is also a symbol of the forces of destruction, such as the searing heat of the sun, a powerful source in Egypt, represented by the god Ra. Ra’s daughter, known as the goddess Wadjet, is the source of one of the names for the All-Seeing Eye. The name, Eye of Horus comes from the legend of the god Horus, a hawk god, son of Osiris & Isis, and that is why the eye of the symbol has markings around it resembling those that are found on hawks.

Do you enjoy Egyptian art? Have you been to Egypt? Do you own an Eye of Horus amulet? I own some paintings done on papyrus, but I don’t have an Eye of Horus – maybe one day I’ll get one. A good friend of mine has one in her car to protect her from accidents. Whether you have a Wadjet because you believe in it’s power or whether you see it as a beautiful piece of art, they are a part of Egyptian history to be enjoyed in the present.

Easter Greetings!
This is the week leading up to Good Friday and Easter Sunday. For practicing Christians this is the most important religious holiday of the year.

It is also the time of Passover for religious Jews.

For those people who have no religious affiliation, it is the time of the Easter Bunny, who gives children baskets filled with chocolates and other yummy candy। Many parents arrange Easter Egg hunts. It is great fun to watch children looking for brightly coloured hard boiled eggs that are hidden behind shrubs, flowers, trees and other outdoor hiding spots.

In Canada, Good Friday is a statutory holiday and many employers also designate Easter Monday as a paid day off for their employees. This means that there is an opportunity available to take a four day vacation – a ‘mini’ vacation – for many people. It is surprising how many vacation packages are taken during this long weekend.
Have any of you decided to go away for a mini-vacation this upcoming Easter?

On another note . . . .

One of my friends has a beautiful plant – check out the picture – that she has enjoyed for many years। Yesterday she put the plant out on her balcony to soak up some fresh spring air, as the temperatures have been quite warm for this area lately. Unfortunately, we had a heavy wind last night and the poor plant was blown off of the patio and smashed on the ground below.
During all these years, my friend has never been able to find another plant like this one, and she does not know the name of it।
I want to know if there is anyone out there who can help Jeanette out by letting her know what the name of the plant is, so she can order one from one of our local nurseries। I am posting a picture of it। Jeanette brought it into the office once so we could see the flowers in full bloom।
We appreciate you taking the time to look at the picture to see if you recognize the flowers। Be sure to post your answers, if you have one, on the Blog.
Thank you!