Vacation Home Rentals

posted by Vacation Home Rentals on Nov 29

The country of Belgium is situated on the western part of Europe.  It is bordered by the countries of France, Germany, Luxembourg and the Netherlands.  A land known for its rich cultural and historical heritage, great chocolates and temperate climate, Belgium is now becoming one of the top travel destinations in Europe.  It offers travelers a perfect blend of the old, the new and the natural.  If you are planning to head out to Belgium, here are just some helpful travel tips to make the most out of your trip to this wonderful country.

Like all travelers heading out to Belgium for the very first time, you would want to make the most out of your trip.  Here are just some tips to help you do just that.

When to Go – Belgium, like most countries in Europe, is visited by travelers from all parts of the world throughout the year.  This is partly due to its climate.  Because Belgium shares its borders with the North Sea, the country experiences a maritime climate.  This means that locals and tourists experience warm winters and even warmer summers in Belgium as compared to its neighboring countries.  In fact, the coldest temperature recorded in this country, which is during the month of January, does not go below 3 degrees Celsius.

If you are traveling on a budget, the best time to plan your trip is during the months of July and August.  The temperatures during these months are warm enough for you to enjoy a variety of outdoor activities in the mountain ranges and rolling hillsides found throughout the country.  It is also during these months where you can get the best deals for your accommodations and airfares, giving you some of the extra pocket money to spend during your stay in Belgium.

Top Tourist Spots – The best place to start to learn about any country is starting at its capital.  In the case of Belgium, it is the city of Brussels.  Here, travelers would be able to experience something old and something new.  Modern-day shopping malls and the headquarters of NATO can be found right next to beautiful buildings dating back to the 13th century.  This is also where the trendiest pubs and restaurants are also found.  While you are in Brussels, make sure to take some time to sample their beers.  This is where most of the breweries of the country can be found, thus giving the city of Brussels the nickname The City of a Thousand Beers.

For a dose of culture, head out to the town of Bruges.  Here, travelers can visit a number of different museums that feature some of the finest artworks by both contemporary local artists as well as some of the famous artists in all of Europe. 

From here, head out to the medieval village of Bruges.  This quaint village provides travelers an escape from the hustle and bustle of the city life.  Travelers visiting the village would find them surrounded by historical buildings and museums filled with some of the finest examples of artworks which have been created by local artists and artists from all other parts of Europe.

posted by Vacation Home Rentals on Sep 15

The national airline of Australia is Qantas. Maintaining its main hub at Sydney International Airport, Quantas also has smaller hubs at Melbourne, Perth, and Brisbane. It runs international flights into Brisbane, Perth, Singapore, London, and Los Angeles.

Qantas Airlines  was founded in 1920 and is the second oldest continuously operating airline in the world, as well as the oldest operating airline in the English speaking world.  It is a member of the Oneworld alliance, one of the largest airline alliance programs in the world.

Qantas Airlines is a private company and one of the most profitable airlines in the world.  Qantas Airlines was voted Third Best Airline in the World in the 2008 World Airline Awards.  The company and its affiliates maintain hundreds of aircraft and fly Airbus and Boeing planes. Qantas names its aircrafts after Greek gods, stars, famous Australian aviators, Australian birds and Australian cities.

The name Qantas is an acronym for “Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Services.”

Adventure travelers seeking to tour Antarctica can fly on Qantas charters booked by Croydon Travel. Qantas flew its first tours of Antarctica in 1977. These tours were suspended in 1979 after the disastrous crash of Air New Zealand Flight 901 on Mt. Erebus, but were restarted the summer of 1994. Qantas ensures that all its Antarctic flight crews have had extensive training in polar operations and know what to do in whiteouts, such as those that contributed to the 1979 Air New Zealand disaster.

Qantas rewards loyal customers. Passengers accumulate points based on distance flown, with bonuses for travel in premium classes. Miles are available from both Qantas and Oneworld alliance flights. After criticism for the availability of reward seats, Qantas overhauled its frequent flier program in 2008. Its two new features are Any Seat rewards, allowing members to redeem any seat on the place at a price, and Points Plus Pay, which permits fliers who do not have quite enough mileage points to pay with a combination of points and cash.

The first airline to allow cell phone use during flights, Qantas also provides seat-back access to email and web browsing and wireless internet. It also offers an extensive in-flight entertainment system. Some planes use Mainscreen, where drop-down video menus offer either television programs or recent films, depending on the length of the flight. Other planes use Total Entertainment, which is an on-demand audio/video system.

Qantas recently announced a plan to reduce the airline’s carbon footprint.  This works by passengers choosing to fly carbon neutral and then offsetting their own flight emissions by making a small donation to the Qantas program, either in the form of cash or frequent flyer mile points.  Qantas donates the money to verifiable carbon offset projects that have met the necessary government requirements to be eligible for Greenhouse Friendly accreditation.  Olympic swimmer Ian Thorpe and professional golfer Greg Norman are the program’s ambassadors.

posted by Vacation Home Rentals on Sep 15

Emirates Airlines is based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.  The eighth largest airline in the world, Emirates was founded in 1985 and has its main hub at Dubai International Airport.  Emirates Airlines serves 92 destinations in 55 countries and is the largest airline in the Middle East.  Emirates Airlines does not offer domestic service and has a strong presence in Southeast Asia.  Emirates is one of only six airlines to operate an all wide-body aircraft fleet, consisting of Boeing and Airbus planes.

Emirates Airlines is unique among air carriers in that it has been consistently profitable. The company has only had one year it marked a loss. Moreover, sales growth has never fallen below 20 per cent a year. During its first eleven years, the company doubled in size every three and one-half years, and it has continued to double in size every four years since. Its efficient, lean workforce gives it all the advantages of a low-cost carrier. The airline is a member of the Arab Air Carriers Organization, founded in 1965 by the Arab League as a regional airline trade organization. Open to any carrier based in any member state in the Arab League, the Arab Air Carriers Organization seeks to promote safety, quality, and cooperation among the airlines of the Arab nations.

The government in Dubai is both owner and operator of Emirates Airlines, but it does not invest money into the airline or manage its airfares. The UAE allows Emirates Airlines to function independently. This unique arrangement has worked quite well for both the airline and the government, as Emirates enjoys unmatched profitability and growth.

Emirates Airlines also runs a cargo carrier, Emirates SkyCargo. Also based at Dubai International Airport, Emirates SkyCargo functions like a passenger airline. It operates nine aircraft, and also uses the cargo capacity of the passenger fleet.

Emirates was the second carrier to place the Airbus A380 into service, accepting delivery in July 2008. Emirates Airlines flies the A380 between Dubai and JFK (New York) and Heathrow (London), and also on its flights to Australia and New Zealand.

Emirates flies to over 100 destinations in 56 countries on six continents from its primary hub in Dubai.  While Emirates does not maintain sizable hubs elsewhere, it has taken advantage of agreements between Dubai and Australia, and with Singapore, to offer more onward connections from Sydney and Dubai.

Emirates passengers enjoy the perks of Skywards, allowing them to accumulate or spend frequent flier miles on Emirates or any of its Skywards partners, including Japan Airlines, Korean Air, Virgin Blue, South African Airways, Continental, Kingfisher, and United.

Emirates also has a stake in Dnata, one of the premier travel service organizations in the Middle East. Dnata has over 6,500 employees who take care of cargo, ramp, technical, and passenger services at Dubai International Airport.

Dnata, Emirates SkyCargo, and Emirates Airlines are all subsidiaries of The Emirates Group, an international public holding company also with headquarters in Dubai.  The airline currently employs about 35,000 staff.