Top 5 Walking Cities to Visit

I am supposed to be doing a bunch of things other than blogging right now. However I have to admit that I’m snuggled up in my bed with my laptop on instead of doing any of the other things that I am supposed to be doing. I’ve been here for awhile, browsing through different travel deals. It’s my favorite form of fantasy.

What I’m daydreaming most about right now is traveling to a warm destination on a sunny day. That’s because it’s cold and rainy out right now where I am. I want to escape that cold and be outside in the sun.

This whole daydream has got me thinking about my favorite cheap travel activity: walking.
I absolutely love walking around and seeing all that there is to see in a new destination. I think that getting lost on foot is probably the best way to get to know a new place.

It’s the way to see all of the things that there are to see when you travel. Unfortunately not all cities are good for traveling on foot. On the other hand, there are some cities that are ideal for it.

The top five cities that I would go walking in today if it were a sunny day and I could just hop on a plane and get there would be:

1. New York City. Walking here isn’t necessarily easy. It’s crowded and there are a lot of people who are determinedly walking quickly who don’t want your meandering self to get in the way. Nevertheless, everyone walks here and it’s a terrific place for people-watching!
2. San Francisco. This city has just as many things (and interesting people) to see on foot and yet it’s a lot easier to walk around here than it is in New York City. The pace is a bit slower and the sights are arguably more beautiful. It’s easy to walk here with the whole family.
3. Paris. Ah, to be lost in the alleys of Paris right now … I wish …
4. Buenos Aires. This is one city that has been on my list for a long time now. I haven’t made it there yet because I can never find cheap tickets to get there (or else timing hasn’t worked out for me). I’ve heard it’s a great walking city though. And since it’s summer there it would be terrific if I could go right now!
5. Mexico City. Some people would argue with me that this isn’t a top five city for walking. Most people would’ve put London on the list instead. However I’ve walked here and loved it so I had to include it!

Do you have a favorite walking city?
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Top 5 San Diego Beaches

There are many different reasons that San Diego appeals to me as a family travel destination. One of those reasons is because of the city’s beaches. There are so many different beaches in San Diego. I think you could spend a whole trip just going from beach to beach.

Here is a look at the top five San Diego beaches:
1. Mission Beach. This is one of the best San Diego beaches for kids. It has an old amusement park. It has a boardwalk that you can walk along. It is full of life and activity and fun things to do. It’s pretty and clean. And it’s even got places where older kids can play volleyball.

2. Imperial Beach. I know about this beach because I love sandcastles. It happens to be a place where there is a big annual sandcastle competition. I’d love to see that in person. And even if that’s not going on, the beach has a special place in my heart because it’s home to such a cool event.

3. La Jolla Cove and Beach. You can take the kids here to check out tide pools. This is also a good place to launch a family water adventure such as kayaking through the La Jolla coves. What a fun place to spend your San Diego vacation! There’s also a children’s swimming pool in this area.

4. Moonlight Beach. This beach in nearby Encinitas tricks a lot of people with its name. You would think it’s a place for romantic couples to spend a San Diego vacation. Actually, there are a bunch of fire pits and picnic tables here so it’s an ideal place to take the whole family for an afternoon at the beach.

5. Coronado Silver Strand. A lot of people like this beach because of the fact that it is a shallow beach with an easy slope to the sand. This makes it very safe for children compared to some of the other beaches in San Diego. Hotels in this area are expensive, though, so unless you can find good San Diego hotel deals in the area, you might want to stick to one of the other four beaches.
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Guide to the Best Texas Beaches

One of my favorite types of travel is beach travel. The beach is just ideal for any type of travel – a solo trip, a family vacation, a honeymoon or even a reunion trip. The beach can suit any mood from calming to invigorating. Previously on this blog I’ve done my research into some of the best beaches in San Diego and North Carolina. Right now the beaches that interest me most are the ones that are in Texas.
Texas beaches are wonderful for me because the water is warm. I know it’s hot out in the summer but I still prefer a warm ocean to a cold one. The Gulf of Mexico provides water that is just the right temperature. And, of course, the beaches themselves are also nice. The top beaches to visit in Texas are:

• Stewart Beach. This Galveston, Texas beach is a popular place with families. It offers picnic areas, children’s playgrounds and other fun things that make it great for people of all ages. There is an admission fee to get into this beach, unfortunately, but it’s a low per-car price that is reportedly worth the charge.
• Port Aransas. This beach is a fun one because you need to take a ferry ride to get there. That’s always a nice little experience for a vacation. This one tends to have lower-key activities like fishing and sunbathing so I’d say it’s better for couples traveling without the kids but definitely one to put on the list.
• Boca Chica Beach. I just love the sound of the name of this beach although I find it a little odd because my rusty Spanish says that it translates to “mouth girl beach”. In any case, it’s supposed to be the most beautiful beach in Texas and one I’d love to get a chance to explore. If I was going to do a solo trip to Texas then I might check this one out!
• Padre Island National Seashore. This area of beach stretches for over seventy miles. (Gosh, things are so big in Texas!) It offers everything from fishing to surfing depending on where you decide to stop. It also obviously offers a great opportunity for a beach-side scenic drive.
• South Padre Island Beach. This is probably the beach than most people already know about in Texas. It is tourist-friendly and offers everything that you could possibly want from a beach. Dolphin watching and boat rentals are some of the things I’d splurge on here. The one thing I would say, though, is that it’s known as a Spring Break destination so if you’re going with young kids then you might want to skip traveling there during that time of year.

What is your favorite Texas beach?
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Guide to the Best North Carolina Beaches

North Carolina is one of my favorite states. It’s kind of a surprising state to people who haven’t been there because it offers so much in the way of entertainment and yet you never hear that much about it. Because it’s not a big tourist attraction, it’s fairly cheap to travel there. And you can enjoy a day full of cheap fun by taking advantages of the state’s beaches.
Some of the best beaches in North Carolina have got to be:

• Okracoke.This is the most luxurious beach in North Carolina. It’s at the very southern tip of the state and actually requires that you take a ferry from another southern beach to reach it. It’s certainly worth the beautiful ferry ride to get this really relaxing white sand beach where your whole family can just chill out together.
• Hatteras. This beach is also located in the southern part of the state and also has beautiful beaches. The main thing that you would do here, though, is go fishing. Kids who haven’t done so always kind of find it to be a neat vacation novelty to fish in the ocean. You may also get to see marine life, like whales, from the coast of this North Carolina beach.
• Bofort. This is a historic town on the coast with a white sandy beach that is definitely family-friendly. There are numerous summer festivals here including costumed events that relay the history of North Carolina. It’s always a lot of fun and the weather here is great.
• Emerald Isle. How could you not enjoy a beach with a name as pretty as this one? And yes, the waters are as pretty as the name itself. This beach is comfortable and fun with long stretches of sand that make it idyllic for pitching a daytime tent or playing a game of Frisbee.
• Holden. This beach is one of the most popular beaches for families in North Carolina so you can expect it to be busy when you go to visit. That makes it even more fun, though, as there are a lot of activities for tourists. At night you can take the kids out and if you’re lucky you’ll get to see turtles hatching on this beach!

What other North Carolina beaches would you recommend to someone who wants to travel there with the family this summer?
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10 Cheap but Amazing National Parks

Capitol Reef National Park in Utah

I recently came across a Yahoo! Travel article about the least-visited national parks in the United States. I had never thought too much before about how many national parks there are and how few of them I had visited. I also never considered the fact that some of the least-visited national parks may also be the cheapest to visit. They are still amazing to see but they are much more affordable than places like Yellowstone and Yosemite.

The ten parks listed in the article were:

1. Biscayne National Park in Florida.
2. Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park in Colorado.
3. Capitol Reef National Park in Utah.
4. Channel Islands National Park in California.
5. Congaree National Park in South Carolina.
6. Great Basin National Park in Nevada.
7. Isle Royale National Park in Michigan.
8. North Cascades National Park in Washington.
9. Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota.
10. Wrangell-St.Elias National Park in Alaska.

These national parks seem to be much more affordable than the most popular parks that people visit. For example, the entrance fee for Capitol Reef National Park in Utah is only $3 per person or $5 per vehicle (and the vehicle pass is good for a full week). In contrast, many of the nation’s most popular national parks costs $20 per vehicle for single-day-use only.

It’s understandable why the big national parks cost so much. With hundreds of thousands of visitors each year, they have to charge fees to keep the area clean and pristine. Plus the prices deter some people from visiting which is sad but does help control the problem of overcrowding. It’s nice to know, though, that there are some really amazing parks to visit that are still very affordable for families on a budget.

Of course, some of these are going to be more affordable than others for families to visit. For example, a family living on the East Coast may find it much cheaper to travel to Florida or South Carolina than to get to Alaska. Also, lodging may be cheaper in some areas than others if you’re going to need to find a hotel near the parks. Nevertheless, these are all stunning places that really seem worth looking into more carefully.

Have you ever been to any of these national parks? Would you recommend them for family travel?
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Summer Vacation Ideas

Sometime, life is so bored doing so much daily routines and activities without know how it will end. Many people believes that working hard will gain so much money and can have anything you can effort. Individual who are ware about this, sometime get stuck with so much problem in their life, such as customer complain, being not productive because having so much target, do not know how to handle kids who has many problem in their life too, and many other things. Facing this problem, many people has right decision to do some vacation with small budget travel or big budget travel. If you like, I will give you some summer vacation ideas for free.

Choosing your summer vacation is very easy. Here are some summer vacation ideas you can do :

1. Swimming.Swimming is wet sport. By doing swimming, you can feel your body fresh like from refrigerators
2. Hiking.Hiking is walking sport. By doing hiking, you can feel being one part of nature. Nature is one of resource we have in this earth. Hiking is one of the most nature sport.
3. Jogging.Jogging is running sport. By doing jogging, you can shake all of your body from leg to head. After working with so many pressure, this can help you release all the bad feeling.
4. Traveling.Traveling is one of expensive vacation ideas. Having vacations is nice, but need extra money to do it. If your budget travel is limited, go to somewhere that will not burn your money.

There are a lot of summer vacation ideas out there. In this beginning my budget travel blog, I begin with little ideas that might be help you choosing the right way for your summer vacations with little budget travel.
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5 Stay-Safe Hotel Rules I Don’t Follow

I tend to be fairly adventurous. However, I have gotten more cautious with age. Whereas I used to stay recklessly at any hotel that I came across in my travels, I now choose my hotels in advance so that I stay at places that seem safe. Still, there are some hotel safety and health rules that I choose to ignore even though I know better.
Rules that I break are:

• Staying off of the bed. The bed of a hotel room is supposedly not very hygienic compared to the rest of the room. Many people say that you should pack your own sheets, wear long pajamas and stay off the bed as much as possible. This helps to keep you clean and germ-free. I don’t care; I trust the hotels I stay in enough to chance it.
• Check the bed for bedbugs. Maybe I’ll start following this rule if I ever become a victim of bedbugs at my hotel. I’ve heard it’s an awful experience. But it’s never happened to me and I’ve traveled quite a bit so I never bother checking. Do you?
• Wear flip flops in the shower and around the pool. It’s true that it’s easy to catch fungal infections when you’re going barefoot around common areas that are wet like this. I’ve also never had this problem, though. And I like to go barefoot on vacation!
• Avoid the hot tub. Yes, I know, it’s filled with germs. I don’t care. I love the way that it feels. I only get to enjoy it on vacation. I’m going for it!
• Get a room on a higher floor. Your room is supposed to be more prone to break-ins if it’s on the first or second floor of a hotel. I don’t always follow this rule, though. Sometimes it’s convenient to stay on the same floor as the hotel lobby!

I do, however, follow common sense about staying healthy and safe during any hotel stay. What do you do in this area?
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