Seven Easy Steps to Planning Your Dream Holiday

There is so much to do in planning a dream holiday; it sometimes feels very overwhelming, especially if you have been thinking about choosing a completely new destination. And now with the internet, so much information is available to us, how can we sift through the overload? Here are seven easy steps that will make planning your next dream holiday much easier. Follow these, and you'll be enjoying that first celebratory drink on arrival before you know it.

1. We start the countdown at twelve weeks before departure with initial research. You have holidays coming up in December and you want celebrate a hard year's work with something special; the latest you should start dreaming about what to do is September. There are several resources to look at to choose a destination:

Government travel advisories - these are usually found from your government's foreign affairs department website.

Research specific activities you may want to do and where those are offered. For example, if you are interested in engaging with communities or volunteering, you might check out local NGOs who are looking for assistance or tour operators that facilitate community visits.

Set your own personal goals for the holiday. What's your dream? Do you want to photograph wildlife? Do you want to learn about a specific culture? Do you simply want to relax and reconnect with your family after a stressful work year?

2. This research will narrow down your options so that around ten weeks before departure, you are ready to make specific enquiries and request information. Who do you ask?

Contact tour operators for itinerary suggestions
Determine your preferred travel style - basic, mid-range or luxury
Travel forums are an excellent source of information. Try Lonely Planet's Thorn Tree, Fodors, and Trip Advisor to start with, there are plenty more though!

3. Eight weeks before departure is recognised as the optimal time to book flights. There's a few ways to do this:

Online flight search engines give you a selection of airlines and prices. My suggestion is to use the search engine to find the most suitable flight (according to your preferences for price, less transfers, etc) and then book directly through the airline's website. Examples are Kayak, Expedia, SkyScanner, Wotif, etc.

Go to your travel agent to book flights. You could take the fares you found on the search engines and ask the agent to match it or beat it.

Your passport should have six months validity from the end of your holiday and at least one blank page for every country you will visit. Your government passport office can offer assistance in applying for or renewing your passport.

4. Six weeks before departure is when you should be ensuring your traveldocuments are in order.

Fully comprehensive travel insurance should be taken out, covering emergency medical treatment and repatriation as well as lost luggage and cancellation fees. iSelect in Australia compares insurance policies to help you decide what is best for you

Check specific visa requirements for the countries you will visit and your nationality. Do not rely on a travel agent or tour operator, check with the embassy yourself to ensure you have the correct information for the nationality of passport you hold. Some visas need to be obtained before travel and you should allow sufficient processing time for this.

Visit the travel health clinic to find out what vaccinations you need for your destination.

5. Four weeks before departure, your dream itinerary should be finalised.

Complete booking or client information forms as required by your tour operator
Pay deposit and/or final balance as required by your tour operator
Start to learn a bit of the local language

6. Two weeks before departure and we are getting excited now! It's time to pack.

Check climate information through guide books and weather bureau websites
Arrange pet care
There's an online tool called the Universal Packing List, which allows you to enter your trip information and it will produce a tailored packing list.

7. The final countdown! Just a few last minute checks before getting on that flight.

Pack some small gifts or souvenirs from your homeland to give to people you meet in your travels.

Check your luggage allowance for your airline and ensure your luggage is not overweight. If it is under weight, consider topping it up with some clothing or stationery supplies to donate to a community project.

Finalise transport arrangements, both to get to the airport in plenty of time for checking in and passport control, and also the arrangements for a pick up when you arrive at your destination.

Now you are set to go. By following these seven easy steps your holiday should be well-organised and fulfill your travel dreams. Bon Voyage! Safari Njema!

Tracey is the owner of Overland Travel Adventures, a philanthropic tour company based in Nairobi, Kenya. She has travelled to over 50 countries and led tours in most of those. Overland Travel Adventures is running a 20 day safari from Nairobi, Kenya to Kigali, Rwanda through Uganda in November. It includes game viewing in Amboseli and Masai Mara Parks in Kenya, trekking the mountain gorillas in Uganda and some time Kigali to soak up the Rwandan vibe. Check the website http://www.ota-responsibletravel.com for more information, or email tracey@ota-responsibletravel.com

Holiday Candles - Questions and Answers - Part 2

We will address more of the Holiday Candles - Questions and Answers - on how to safely remove candle wax from our carpeting, chemical reactions while burning our candles, types of wicks and other general questions.

How do I remove wax from carpeting or fabric?

When the candle wax has hardened, gently remove the larger pieces of candle wax. After you have removed the larger pieces of wax, get a clean paper towel and place it over the wax spill. Warm the paper towel by using an iron on the lowest setting or a blow dryer on its lowest heat setting. The wax under the towel will begin to melt and soak up into the towel. Blot the wax and repeat as necessary until the wax is removed.

Another way is to use brown paper bags from the grocery store. Open up the bag, lay it across the wax, turn the iron setting to high, iron across the brown paper bag and the brown paper bag will absorb the wax. This tip is for a large area of wax on your carpeting. You will need many brown paper bags opened in order to help absorb the candle wax from a large candle wax spill.

It is highly recommend that you consult your fabric or carpet manufacturer's instructions before trying either of these methods. Should the wax still be present after using either one or both of these methods, please consult your home owners insurance to see if your carpet can be replaced.

Personally, I consulted my carpeting manufacturer's instructions, called a carpeting house, checked our home owners' insurance policy and used the internet to see what other options I had when my huge 3 wick Holiday Candle blew out its side and red wax melted onto a large area of my carpeting. After removing 95% of the wax, the wax residue and the red coloring made a huge mess on 5 feet of my carpeting. Our home owners insurance did pay to replace my carpeting.

How do I remove wax from wood surfaces?

You can place a bag of ice over the hot candle wax so the candle wax can harden, then use a dull object to help remove the larger pieces of wax. Be sure to use a dull object on your wood furniture when removing the larger chips of wax so you won't ruin your wood finish. Should any wax spots be left on your furniture, place several sheets of paper towel over the wax spill, set your iron to a warm setting and iron over the paper toweling and try not to iron your wood furniture.

After you have done all of the above suggestions and there still is a residue of wax left, take mayonnaise, smear it over the surface with the wax residue and just wipe away the wax from the surface. This will also clean your wood surface.

How do I get all of the wax out of my candle holder?

Allow your candle holder to cool, place it in the freezer for approximately 10-15 minutes to allow the wax to harden, take it out of the freezer and hit it against the palm of your hand. The wax should pop out into your hand. If this does not work, use hot water to dissolve the wax. Be sure to dry your holder before using it for another candle.

You can also remove the wax from your container by using a hair dryer. When all the wax is melted, wipe away the melted wax with a clean cloth. Be careful. The container can get very hot when you hold the blow dryer close to your container for a a few minutes, especially if it is metal.

Do candles contain lead?

There is no lead in the candle wax and no member of the National Candle Association (NCA), which accounts for 90% of all candles made in the USA, uses lead wicks. NCA members voluntarily agreed more than 25 years ago not to use lead wicks. Although some candles, primarily imports, reportedly contain lead wicks, the majority of wicks manufactured in the USA are made of 100% cotton or cotton-paper combinations. Some USA made candles do contain metal wicks. These are typically zinc or tin wicks which are known to be safe and non-toxic.

What sort of chemical reaction is created by burning a candle?

When your candle burns, the flame consumes the wax to produce water vapor and carbon dioxide, the same harmless byproducts humans produce when exhaling. This is true for all types of candle waxes.

Are certain candle waxes better than others?

No. All types of quality candle waxes perform well, burn cleanly and safely when formulated and used properly. Candle manufacturers select waxes or blends of waxes based on their characteristics and their suitability for specific types of candles.

Tobey Anne Craft, of Tobey's Enterprises LLC, is the creator and owner of Tobey's candles. To find more information about candle tips visit [http://tobeyscandles.com] and you also will find Scented Candles [http://www.tobeyscandles.com/statusrock.html], Unscented Candles [http://www.tobeyscandles.com/rosefloatingunscented.html], Aromatherapy Gift Sets and much more.

Stay in Northumberland When You Holiday in Britain

The Northumberland National Park

The National park covers about a quarter of the County and is an area that has been largely protected from development and intrusive agriculture. It is an region of outstandingly beautiful landscapes, most of it over 800 feet above sea level, that covers over a thousand square kilometres and contains several areas including the Cheviot Hills, the Kielder Forest and vast areas of moor land. It stretches from the Scottish border to Hadrian's Wall in the South. The coast has also been designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). Northumberland is the most sparsely populated county in England.

Geography

Northumberland has a varied landscape. The coastal region is low and flat and the land rises to mountainous hills towards the west and northwest. The Cheviot hills and Whin Sill are formed from igneous rocks, mainly granite. There are also carboniferous limestone areas either side of Whin Sill and coal deposits in the south east of the county. The Farne Islands of the coast are of igneous rocks. The climate in Northumbria, especially in the highlands produces on of the coldest regions of England. Along the coast, the temperatures are mush higher and the rainfall much lower. The major river is the Coquet which runs for 40 miles from the Cheviot Hills eastwards to the sea at Amble and Warkworth Harbour and Castle. It is a river of extreme beauty and winds through stunning landscapes. It is a well known salmon and trout river.

Economy

The economy of Northumberland is one of the weakest in England, partly due to its location but also its geography. Tourism is rapidly becoming a major factor in the local economy and over 1.5 million visitors from the UK and abroad visit the county. In response to this demand, a great number of bed and breakfast and self catering properties have been created.

History

The area was once part of the Roman Empire which built the famous Hadrians Wall, right across England to keep out the Britains and Picts to the north. When the Romans left, some of the Germanic mercenaries who had been stationed at York formed a Kingdom called Diera. A breakaway force went north and founded a separate Kingdom called Bernica from lands seized from the Celtic Britons, with its capital centered on the fort at Bamburg. Eventually, under the Bernican Dynasty, both Kingdoms were united but the history of the Kingdom is a litany of strife between the two former kingdoms and in times of hardship, Northumbria often fell apart into the older kingdoms ruled by their old Royal families.

The Kingdom grew largely at the expense of the British Kingdoms to the west and the British and Pictish Kingdoms to the north in what is now Scotland rather than from any conquest of the southern Anglo Saxon Kingdom of Mercia, although they were at times bitter enemies. The kingdom lasted from 654 to 878 when it was effectively destroyed by the Danes although they never fully conquered Bernica, which held out in the northern hills and the impregnable fortress of Bamburg. The men of Northumbria were always very independent and a struggle for independence was still in evidence until late Tudor times. At its greatest extent, the Kingdom covered area from the Humber, north to the Firth of Forth in Scotland and from the North sea coast, west across the Pennines to Cumbria and Chester. Edinburgh is named after the Northumbrian King Edwin who took it from the British Celts. At its peak, Northumbrian culture was the most advanced in Europe and produced remarkable works of art and literature, much sadly destroyed by the Danes.

The dialects of Northumberland are closely allied to the original Germanic language with many similarities to modern Scots dialects. The old name of the Kingdom of Northumbria, whilst not officially recognised, is still used within the County for several official bodies, for example, the police force is called the Northumbria Police.

Accommodation

There are Self Catering and Bed and Breakfast properties in many parts of the county, both in the National Park and in the coastal towns. Many old farmhouses and outbuilding have been sympathetically converted to provide holiday accommodation. However, given the isolated nature of the landscape, the provision of such accommodation is limited and holidays should be booked well in advances to avoid disappointment.

Places of interest:

Alnwick, Bamburg Castle, Cheviot Hills, Churnsike Lodge, Coquet Island, Cragside, Dunstanburgh Castle, Farne Islands, Hadrian's Wall, Hexham Abbey, Kielder Water, Lindisfarne, North Pennines AONB, Northumberland National Park.

Tony Lucas has spent many years in the travel and tourism market, has travelled in many parts of the world. He has lectured and worked freelance for many of the major Hotel corporations. He writes extensively on all matters to do with Britain and tourism in the British Isles.

More information on http://www.stayinbritain.co.uk