Barry Jones from Time Shares Inc. explains that this is to “ensure that full occupancy occurs, keeping in mind that the relatively long average lead time between when a Journey passenger makes a reservation and the departure date, is over eight months.”

The trips aren’t cheap, but they are a serious throwback to the grand old days of railroad travel. You’ll feel like a robber baron in your own private car!

Visitors to Bermuda in 2009 will see the introduction of several new and redesigned resorts as well as gala celebrations all through the year.  In case you haven’t considered the pleasures of Bermuda in some time, here’s a refresher about the charms that have captivated visitors for hundreds of years.  Bermuda has 21 miles of glorious landscape including quaint harbors, pink sand beaches and dozens of mid-size luxury resorts and inns.  Bermuda is one of the world’s top golf destinations with 9 championship courses – more courses per square mile than any other destination.  200 square miles of coral reefs will delight divers, who will find more wreck sites to explore than anywhere else on earth.  Shopping and dining have always been a top priority in Bermuda, and you’ll appreciate that Bermuda’s currency is on par with the US dollar.  Located just a two hour flight from major east coast cities, Bermuda makes a perfect long weekend escape destination.

There has never been a more exciting time to visit Bermuda and sink your toes into those warm, powdery pink sand beaches.  Here’s a recap of the events and new venues awaiting you lucky travelers:

Tucker’s Point Resort – is a brand new luxury resort, private club and residential community that celebrated it’s opening in April, 2009.  It’s dramatic ocean front location gives wonderful views of  Castle Harbour, Harrington Sound and the Atlantic Ocean.  Guestrooms feature a lovely balcony or terrace, gracious decor, top amenities and amazingly, a fireplace for ambiance.  8 restaurants offer every dining experience you could wish for from formal dining in elegant rooms, quiet wine room or library, less formal palm court, Winter Lounge, Chef’s kitchen table, or Terrace Grill.  Find all their information at TuckersPoint.com

Newstead Belmont Hills Resort – Open for just a year, this resort offers visitors a charming harborside boutique hotel with a dramatic infinity pool looking out over Great Sound.  Each residence offers views over the gardens, to the infinity pool, across to the city of Hamilton and out to Great Sound – wonderful!  Accommodations offer large living space with a kitchen, sitting room, bathroom and bedroom area.  Check out them out at Newsteadbelmonthills.com.

The Reefs – Long considered one of Bermuda’s best hotels, 2009 sees the completion of The Reefs Club – a private club of 19 luxury two and three bedroom residences which will be available for a brief time as one-time rentals.  The Reefs has also new and expanded services at it’s well respected La Serena Spa.  Find the info you’ll need at TheReefs.com

Upcoming events to look for:
Cup Match Cricket Festival – July 30-31, 2009
Bermuda Music Festival – October, 2009
PGA Grand Slam of Golf – October 19-21, 2009
World Rugby Classic – November 8-14, 2009
Bermuda Christmas Boat Parade – December 12, 2009

For all the vacation planning information you’ll need – visit BermudaTourism.com.  And the good news is that there is lots of ways to reach Bermuda.  Eight major airlines serve the island – American, Continental, delta, JetBlue, US Airways, USA3000, Air Canada and British Airways, and a number of cruise lines make stops during summer months.  With all the inbound service to Bermuda, prices stay competitive and reasonable.  If you haven’t considered a vacation in Bermuda latetely – it’s time.

1. Hitchhike in Europe Only When Needed
Transportation in Europe may not always be clean, useful, or comfortable, nevertheless hitchhiking is becoming increasingly more hazardous worldwide. If you find you should hitchhike in Europe, use extremist caution and don?t overlook your instincts if something does not seem right.

2. Choose Your Hitchhiking Location Wisely
Steer clear of trying to hitch a ride on a highway or remarkably curved road that might put you or drivers at risk. Cars having to stop on roads anywhere high speeds are required is not safe for you or the drivers. As an alternative, try to hitchhike from rest stops or gas stations where you can preserve your safety and where cars are stopped. It?s also possible that someone may call the police if you try to hitch a ride on a dangerous roadway or freeway where hitchhiking may be against the law.

3. Ride in the Front Seat When Hitchhiking in Europe
The backseat of a car places you in a more vulnerable sit. Some cars have child safety locks in the back. You need to be able to bolt at the first sign of danger, so if you have to ride in the back, test that there is no child safety lock impeding you from opening the door from the interior.

4. Keep Your Bags with You
At any suggestion to put your luggage in the trunk, politely decline. Keep your luggage close to you?at your feet or on your lap. At a moment when you may possibly need to get out of the car quickly, you want to be able to grab your things as you go.

5. Keep Documents, Money, Valuables on You
As through every other time you travel in Europe, you must keep your records on you in a separate wallet beneath your cloths. That way, if a thief takes your main bag, you will still have identification and money in case of this, or another, emergency. Keep all cell phones and other pricey devices well out of eyesight as well.

6. Hitchhike in Europe with a Friend
Regardless if you are male or female, it?s always smart to hitchhike with a friend. A potential criminal will less likely be able to pull anything funny if you and a friend are watching each others backs.

7. Know Your Destination But Be Vague
Always have available a map so that you know where you are going. When hitchhiking in Europe, it?s best to give a general location for a location a short distance away that way, if you suspect the driver has less-than-good intentions, your ride will be short and the driver wont know your final destination.

8. Note the Vehicle Type When You Hitchhike in Europe
When hitchhiking in Europe, note details of the car (make, model, color and/or license plate number) before you get into the vehicle. If something goes wrong, you can give details of the driver to the police.

9. Dress for Weather and Safety
Make sure you pack items of clothing that are weather friendly and water-repellent in case you find yourself hitchhiking in windy weather. Also wear cheap older clothing that give the impression you may be carrying valuables on you.

10. Dont Hesitate to Turn Down a Ride
Negotiate for a ride prior to you get into the vehicle when hitchhiking in Europe. If anything makes you suspicious, dont be scared to politely turn down the ride. Foreigners are seen as particularly vulnerable and anyone giving you a ride may try to get money or other things from you. In addition, dont ride with someone you cant exchange a few words with. You do not want any unspoken expectations from the driver for giving you a ride.

2: Use your camera’s P mode.
Shooting in AV, TV or Manual modes gives you the greatest deal of control and any decent photographer will rarely use anything else, however if wandering around a city, use P mode. This sets the camera to Auto for ISO, shutter speed and aperture whilst allowing you to change any settings if necessary and giving control over the flash, and when a shot comes along and you have no time to think, all you need to do is compose the shot and shoot. Better to give control to the camera than to miss the shot completely, and if you find you have longer than you thought you can flick back to one of the other modes for more shots.

3. Use a long zoom for candid shots.
I love shots of people living their lives, but as soon you whip out your camera, any naturalness goes straight out of the window. Using a long zoom can allow you to observe from a distance and capture natural shots without disrupting or being disrupted.

4. Choose your lens and stick to it.
Dust is the bain of the photographers life so when out in the field, you don’t want to be changing lens and letting dust in. Pick a suitable lens for your shoot and stick with it.

5. Find a new perspective.
You can guarantee that famous landmarks and places have been photographed from every position possible. Try to look at your subject from a new perspective – climb a tree, stick out the rain – you’ll find yourself with something that 99% of people wouldn’t have.

6. Check your batteries before leaving home.
This sounds obvious but not checking battery life and having your camera die on you at the crucial point is a common problem. Charge your batteries, take a spare and avoid kicking yourself for such a simple mistake.

7. Be polite.
No one likes people shoving a camera in their face. If you are taking a picture of someone you don’t know or of something that they might be protective over, common courtesy can go a long way. Just ask and most of the time they will say yes and you might even get an interesting conversation out of it.

8. Use a filter.
If you’ve spent hundreds of pounds on a lens, you want to make sure you keep it protected. For a fraction of what your lens cost you can get a filter that will save you alot of grief.

9. Get insurance.
Most travel insurance policies only cover a small amount of personal possessions so it is worth making sure you have camera insurance that covers you in the country you are in.

10. Back up your images.
The longer you travel, the greater the risk of damage or theft to your memory cards. Losing the photos you have taken is often more painful than losing the equipment itself, so make sure you back up your photos either online or on CD. Or both. You can then keep these with you or send them back to someone to keep hold of until you get back.

Otto had set up a successful food business and part of the company was located in a building on Prinsengracht. In May 1940, Germany invaded Holland and they brought with them, the repression of the Jewish people. Fearful about the fate of his family, in July 1942, Otto Frank moved his family to an annex at the back of the building at 263 Prinsengracht. Later, the Franks were joined in the Annex by Hermann and Auguste van Pels, their son Peter and Fritz Pfeffer.

Anne Frank House, Amsterdam

For more than two years, these 8 people hid in the Annex from the Nazis and during this time, Anne Frank kept a diary. In it, she wrote her most personal thoughts and feelings and later her father were surprised how strong her emotions were even though he was close to his daughter.

On 4 August 1944, the German authorities received an anonymous phone call telling them that Jews were hiding at 263 Prinsengracht. Anne Frank and the seven others had been betrayed and to this day, it is still not known who betrayed them. In addition, some of the people helping were also arrested although they all survived the war.

Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for the 8 Jewish people who had been hiding for more than two years. After their arrests, they were deported to various concentration camps to the East.

- Edith Frank died in Auschwitz.

- Margot Frank died in Bergen-Belsen.

- Anne Frank also died in Bergen-Belsen just days after her sister and tragically a month before the camp was liberated by the British Army.

- Hermann van Pels died in Auschwitz

- Auguste van Pels died while being transported to Theresienstadt.

- Peter van Pels died in Mauthausen.

- Fritz Pfeffer died in Neuenhamme.

Otto Frank had been sent to Auschwitz but survived the war and eventually died in 1980 at the age of 91. However, before he died, Otto spent a lot of time getting his daughters diary published and helping set up the Anne Frank House museum.

The Anne Frank House museum has been open to the public since 1960 and now attracts more than 1 million visitors a year. The museum’s address is 267 Prinsengracht so it covers a larger area than just the original building of Otto Franks company. Visitors should allow about an hour to go round the museum. If you are going to visit the museum independently, it is probably best to pre-book you tickets on the internet as there is always a queue to get in with waiting times up to an hour. Pre-booked tickets let you select the time you want to visit the museum but it is advisable to get these well in advance as the slots seem to sell out quickly. Alternatively, you can just turn up and queue as many people do. If you go for this option, its probably worth getting there early. There are no cloakroom facilities at the museum so if you are planning to visit at the end of your trip to Amsterdam, make sure you leave your luggage at your hotel or the station.

We got to the museum for around 9:45am and had to queue for about 20 minutes although when we came out the queue was almost double the length. An adult ticket was 8.50EUR, a child up to the age of 17 was 4EUR and children under 10 are admitted free (2009 prices). Once inside, visitors are directed round various exhibitions started on the ground floor and working up to the Annex were Anne Frank spent two years of her short life. There are various quotes from her diary displayed on the walls throughout the museum as well as a number of personal items. There are also video screens with short interviews from people who help hide the Franks, one of Anne’s friends and Otto Frank.

On the walls of the staircase leading down from the Annex, there is a quote from Nelson Mandela. I forget the exact words but basically during his time in prison on Robben Island, Mandela and his fellow inmates read Anne Frank’s Diary and it helped to inspire them in their cause. The bookshop at the Museum offers a wide range of literature about Anne Frank as well as information about the various campaigns and educational programs it helps with. The Anne Frank Museum should be a part of any trip to Amsterdam.

The final months of Anne and Magot Franks lives were at Bergen-Belsen concentration camp. Today, the site is a memorial with extensive exhibitions as well as a documentation and research centre. Entry is free to all visitors. The Bergen-Belsen Memorial is located around 50km north of Hanover between the towns of Bergen and Winsen. Despite its relatively remote location, there is a bus service from the town of Celle.

Bergn-Belsen

Originally, the camp was used by the Wehrmacht as a POW camp in 1939. Around 20,000 POWs died here, mainly from the Soviet Union. In 1943, the SS took over the running of the camp and established it as a concentration camp. Until its liberation in April 1945, more than 52,000 men, women and children died mainly from starvation and disease. When the British liberated the camp, there were confronted with the sight of thousands of unburied bodies and many other prisoners who were barely alive.

Anne and Margot Frank arrived at Bergen-Belsen from Auschwitz in August 1944. The following winter was harsh and with the camp being horribly overcrowded, more than 18,000 people had died there by March 1945 from cold, hunger and disease. Margot died from Typhus and now Anne was all alone. She also contracted Typhus and believing her parents to also be dead, she maybe thought there was nothing to live for and gave in to the disease that had claimed her sister.

Anne and Margot Franks gravestone

After the war, the British Military Government ordered a memorial site to be created. The camp became a Displaced Persons Camp as many Jews had no home to return to. In 1948, the State of Israel was founded and some people from the Displaced Persons camp were allowed to immigrate there. The camp was finally closed in 1950.

When we arrived at the Memorial, the we spent time looking round the Exhibition Documentation Centre this in itself can be very time consuming as there is so much to see not to mention the videos and recordings from camp survivors. There is also some very graphic video shot by the British Army just a few days after the camp was liberated. It shows the bodies being put into the mass graves (up to 5,000 people) which are still very much part of the outdoor memorial.

We spent around an hour indoors before heading outside to look at former camp. Virtually nothing of the old camp remains. The POW cemetery where over 14,000 Soviet soldiers are buried is located a bit further away from the rest of the memorial and takes about 15 minutes to walk there. Visitors also have the option to drive there if they have their own transport.

Around the grounds, there are a number of mass graves marked simply stating how many people are buried there and the date, April 1945. At the far end is the Obelisk and Wall of Remembrance where people have laid wreaths, flowers as well as many individual stones, which I believe is Jewish tradition (feel free to correct me or tell me the full story of the stones by leaving a comment).

Near the Wall, visitors will find a large timber cross which was erected on the initiative of Polish women from the camp shortly after liberation. There is also a House of Silence where people can sit and reflect. In the centre are a number of gravestones, including one of Margot and Anne Frank. The grave stones do not mark a specific resting place of the individual, they are there as a memorial.

Whilst I did not find Bergen-Belsen as disturbing as Auschwitz (which I visited a few years ago), it is undoubtedly a very sombre place where evil claimed the lives of so many innocent people. Anne Frank’s short life came to an end in this camp hidden away to the north of Hanover but the discovery and publication of her diary by her father, Otto has given inspiration to a world statesmen in Nelson Mandela and has also gave us an insight to a life cut tragically short by persecution.

If you would like to visit the Anne Frank Museum and Bergen-Belsen, it is part of the itinerary for the Anne Frank & Oskar Schindler Memorial Tour which you can book with Explorer Travel

The Impact of Foreign Mosquitoes on the Galapagos Islands

Different mosquito species draw from a variety of sources to get the blood they need for reproduction.  Some species choose mammals preferentially, while others prefer birds or even reptiles – interestingly enough, mosquito species seldom stray from their preferred feeding sources.

However, in the Galapagos Islands, one species of mosquito is exhibiting an unusual new behavior.  The Aedes Taeniorhynchus, or black salt marsh mosquito, has traditionally chosen mammals and birds for feeding.  Now, it has begun to feed on reptiles, particularly the Island’s famed marine iguanas and giant tortoises.

At first, it was thought that these mosquitoes were a new or foreign species that had been artificially introduced to the Galapagos Islands.  In fact, there are two species of mosquitoes found on the Galapagos Islands that have apparently been introduced by humans in recent memory.  Further research, however, has shown that these mosquitoes have actually been there for quite some time – possibly as long as 200,000 years.

Researchers believe that the fact that these black salt marsh mosquitoes have begun to change their feeding habits may be evidence that they are currently undergoing a period of evolutionary change.  The differences between the A. Taeniorhynchus mosquitoes found in the Galapagos and the A. Taeniorhynchus mosquitoes found on the mainland are so vast, that they can almost be classified as different species.  In fact, becoming a new species may be exactly what the Galapagos Island mosquitoes are doing.

The real threat is that with tourism increasing, a new mosquito species could easily be introduced to the Island, one that carries a disease that affects animals – particularly the reptiles or birds for which the Island is famous.  The wildlife of the Galapagos Islands is very isolated and has little resistance to disease.  This means that the introduction of a new disease could have serious and perhaps irreparable consequences, devastating this incredible natural resource.  All it would take is for one mosquito to catch a ride aboard a plane headed for the Galapagos and the remarkable wildlife there could be wiped out forever.

Right now, the government of Ecuador has begun requiring planes flying in to the Galapagos Islands to be treated with insecticides both inside the cabin and hold, and outside the plane as well.  Similar requirements have been suggested for ships, but none have so far been implemented, as many cruise lines are concerned about the cost and logistics associated with these processes.

Presently, researchers believe that the largest mosquito based threat to the Galapagos Islands is from foreign mosquitoes being introduced, rather than changes in the native mosquitoes.  Consequently, they plan to let evolutionary changes in the native mosquito run their natural course.  Hopefully they are right, and the steps the Ecuadorian government is taking to prevent the introduction of foreign mosquitoes will be effective.  Otherwise, the great ecological resource that is the Galapagos Islands could be wiped clean from the map, destroying a fascinating ecosystem that isn’t represented anywhere else in the world.

Among all these places, Ladakh city witnesses the largest number of travelers. The main reasons for such huge bulk of travelers every year are its small accessibility period and the beautiful destinations & scope of adventurous activities in Ladakh.

Ladakh lies in trans-Himalayan district of the state of Jammu and Kashmir. Both adventure freaks and culture enthusiasts have greater inclination to travel this wonderful location. The place is famous for its high mountain charm and civilization. The place is strongly influenced by the Tibetans culture and due to the strong influence of the Tibetan culture; the place is also called a ‘Little Tibet.’ More than half the population of Ladakh is constituted of Tibetans people.

In the past, Ladakh was a Buddhist kingdom, but after the partition these regions are controlled by Pakistan and China. The two districts of Ladakh include Leh and Kargil. Besides being the largest town of Ladakh and Leh is also known as the capital of Ladakh. One of the most remarkable features of Ladakh is wide scope of adventurous activities here. Some of the popular adventurous activities of Ladakh include:

TREKKING

Trekking is just the kind of adventure sport that every fun-loving traveler would love. The sports involve lot of fun amid the hilly areas in cool surroundings. Some of popular valleys for trekking in Ladakh include the Zanskar valley trek, Markha Valley trek Lamayuru-Padum Valley Trek and Indus Valley Trek. The traditional trekking season extends from early June to mid-October.

RIVER RAFTING

The place is an ultimate spot for river rafting. The place offers wide range rafting option on the Indus and its main branches. However, the best option for white water is between Spituk and Saspol on the Indus. But, it should be noted that this water sport require special skill and the rafter need to be expert before trying hands in this adventure freak. A satisfactory arrangement for rescue coverage is an important pre- requisite for embarking upon a white-water expedition on a river like Zanskar.

MOUNTAINEERING

The walking, hiking, backpacking and climbing on mountains all comes under mountaineering. Generally the climbing season starts from mid-May and exists till mid-October. However, the most appropriate period for mountain climbing in Ladakh is from June to September as this is the time when Ladakh remains unaffected by the monsoon. However all foreign expeditions are required to get permission from the Indian Mountaineering Foundation for climbing all listed peaks.

Now, you must be thinking of exploring all these wonderful adventurous sports option. For this you need a well-organized travel agency to arrange a systematic tour for you. There are several travel agency who arrange meticulous tours for India, but you should bank upon an experienced and Government approved travel agency to avoid getting into any sort of problematic situation.