Free Travel Tips

Weve shared a lot with our readers about the joys of visiting the San Francisco area, so we thought wed help your planning even more by adding a list of outstanding San Francisco area RV campgrounds. Knowing youll find great amenities, friendly staff and easy access to Bay Area attractions can make all the difference on your San Francisco RV camping vacation. Heres our list!

• Ranked among the best RV parks in the Bay Area by Woodalls, Coyote Valley RV Resort in San Jose has something for everyone. A short drive takes you to San Francisco, great area golf courses and beautiful Monterey. While at the resort, enjoy the salt water pool, free WiFi and satellite TV, an outdoor games area and a nicely-equipped clubhouse.
• Across the Bay and an easy drive west of San Francisco, the charming city of Pleasanton is home to Fair Park RV. Situated on the Alameda County Fairgrounds, this park gives campers the chance to easily visit San Francisco or branch out into Livermore Wine Country. The scenic mountain setting and affordable amenities make this park a hit with our RV rental customers.
• Hoping to camp at the closest RV park to Golden Gate National Recreation Area? Golden Gate Trailer Park is just a few minutes north of the Golden Gate Bridge, so pull that big rig to a halt in one of their campsites and get ready to enjoy everything San Francisco has to offer.
• Looking for a picturesque setting outside the clamor of the city?

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The model NC-4

The previous post was about the real Curtiss NC-4, first aircraft to cross the Atlantic Ocean which resides in the National Naval Aviation Museum. The mammoth size of the seaplane makes it difficult to capture it in a single image — not that I am complaining since any visitor can walk right up to it to see the fabric’s texture and wooden hues.

Thanks to models though we can see either what no longer exists or get a sense of what the aircraft looked like when it was in flight. I am sure there are many fine models of the Navy’s historic NC-4  but one which I know about is exhibited in the National Air & Space Museum on the National Mall. It is about a 18 inches (~0.5m) across and sits atop a pale blue surface that reminds me of either the ocean below or, perhaps, a cloud deck’s upper surface. One can get a sense of  what the NC-4 looks like in its entirety, thankfully, because of a modeller’s skill.

Posts about the museums mentioned, as well as their aircraft, can easily be found simply by pasting the name into the search window and selecting ENTER.

The popular destination of Bali can offer travellers a huge variety of activities to cover a wide range of interests, according to the travel publisher and information provider Frommers.

The Indonesian island was said to offer a good range of outdoor activities, setting it apart from many other coastal resorts where rest and relaxation are the main focus for visitors. Bali offers activities such as snorkelling, diving and surfing, as well as unique flora and fauna to discover, according to the editor of Frommers.com, Mark Henshall.

“Its not just got the beaches, it has got tropical birds, monkeys, wildlife, safaris, exotic plants, et cetera,” said Mr Henshall. “You have got the lush, green hills and mountains, the rice fields and the volcanoes,” he added. The highest mountain on the island of Bali – Mount Agung – is also an active volcano, and the island also boasts a number of other peaks over 3,000m. Coral reefs surround the island, providing a wealth of sites for divers and snorkelers to explore, or for less adventurous travellers the white beaches to the couth of the island and the black beaches to the north and west provide scenic relaxation spots.

Luxury lovers will appreciate Bali’s good selection of luxurious resorts and spa facilities, as well as its many five-star hotels for the ultimate island getaway. Those looking

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Places to visit in Selangor, Malaysia is a list complied from the latest updates on tourism related products from around here. Over the years, many have seen the state as a major shopping and business hub but there have been much improvements in the tourism sector here where many new products have been launched. Some of them include Eco-Tourism activities while most of them are natural places of interest. For those who are seeking something different, you can choose from a range of activities.  According the the latest numbers, a total of 13.5 million domestic tourist visited Selangor from the year 2007 to April 2011. The bulk of visitors came mainly from Kuala Lumpur, Johor, Penang and Selangor for sight seeing, food, shopping, Eco-Tourism, adventure and many other related reasons.   Batu Caves in Selangor Among the top tourism spots in Selangor, they are listed in no particular order as; Mah Meri Tribe from Selangor Below are some of the growing tourist attractions around Selangor; Bird Fortune Teller in Klang While Selangor still remains one of the top destinations for food and shopping especially with the growing number of Shopping Malls in Petaling Jaya, many other niches are available or being created in and around the state. O Read more…

Royal Caribbean’s European commitment has been welldocumented in this space. More than half its fleet of 22 ships spends the summer sailing out of Europe.

So it came as something of a surprise when Royal announced last month that one of the line’s largest megaships, Independence of the Seas which had been sailing yearround out of Southampton will be returning to this side of the Atlantic for the 201213 winter season.

Independence, one of the three Freedom Class ships was the largest to homeport in England.

The ship first arrived on the European scene in 2010, among much fanfare and a commitment to serve the English market yearround. This season, the Independence is sailing routes that include Spain, Portugal and the Canary Islands, with starting prices in January close to $100 a day on 12day cruises.

There is a hint of why this ship is leaving the United Kingdom in Royal Caribbean’s thirdquarter financial report. When discussing the highlights, the cruise line emphasized its success in the Caribbean and Alaska markets. Yield is up 15 per cent in the Caribbean, and that figure is good enough to bring Independence back to Port Everglades next winter.

What’s more, this is not the only Royal Caribbean ship to cancel cruising yearround in Europe.

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Its that time of the year when my favorite NYC parks start showing the holiday spirit and magic!

This Saturday, November 12, families, pets included, are invited to Citi Pond at Bryant Park’s Second Annual Family Day Event to celebrate and kick-off the holiday season by enjoying a day full of fun, family-friendly activities!

Activities include: a book reading by “Christmas Feet” author Maureen Sullivan and an appearance by lead character, Carlos the French Bulldog; a pet fashion show and complimentary face-painting and treats. Throughout the day, live entertainment will include performances by legendary jazz singer and songwriter Bob Dorough of the famed “Schoolhouse Rock” series, Freckleface Strawberry The Musical and a live children’s musical performance “Songs for Seeds” by apple seeds.

The event is free and open to the public from 12 – 4 p.m.! In addition, starting at 12 p.m., the first 100 kids (12 years old and under) will receive free skate rentals (admission is always free at Citi Pond at Bryant Park).

In addition to the live performances, giveaways and entertainment fun, the whole family can also njoy complimentary face-painting, s’mores, karaoke, and live music and performances outdoors in the nice fall weather.

I did attended this event last year and absolutely LOVED it. Its a fun way to ki

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