It is not meant to distress us.  But, this news I just found is just too interesting to ignore.

A mountainside near the town, Longyearbyen, a village on the island of Spitsbergen, part of Norway’s Svalbard archipelago, was chosen as the home for the Svalbard Global Seed Vault, a “doomsday” seed bank that will store backup copies of as many as three million different crop varieties in case of a worldwide catastrophe.

Have you ever heard of Mont Tremblant?

Mont-Tremblant is a small village in Quebec, Canada, known for the famous Mont-Tremblant Ski Resort. Located in the Laurentian mountain range, Mont-Tremblant (”Trembling mountain” in French) is surrounded by lush boreal forest and breathtaking views, standing at 875 meters (2871 feet). It has its pedestrian-only layout, exquisite shopping, nightlife, après-ski scene and slope side accommodations, that make Tremblant unique amongst ski resorts in Eastern Canada.

Despite being a ski resort, in recent years, Mont-Tremblant has become a popular getaway for tourist and locals alike, whether in winter or in summer. In the winter, of course you can ski all you like, either skiing at the ski resort or x-skiing in the mountain. In summer time, you can go swimming, fishing, canoeing, or even mountain biking.

As for accommodation, there are various kinds of Mont Tremblant accommodations there. The best way is to have yourself one of the Tremblant rentals. There are so many rentals offered, from a Tremblant condo on fabulous Mt Tremblant slopeside to quiet riverfront and lakefront accommodations with lake and beach access. You can either ski-out of your rentals or take the shuttle to the resort.

It is really fabulous! The next time you are planning a vacation, try Mont Tremblant!

Have you decided on your next trip destination and plans?  And have you searched for the perfect accommodation?

Different types of vacation plans need different kind of accommodation.  For example, if you are planning on a budget vacation, you can look for budget hotels, big discount hotels, backpackers, motels, or a nice bed and breakfast. If you are planning on a honeymoon or luxury holiday trip, you might want to stay in resorts, luxury hotels, condos, luxury homes, or even villas.  Another is for adventure trip, where you might want to search for cottages or cabins in natural surrounding.  And don’t forget a business trip will require you a hotel in the city or near the business districts.  

Now, whatever accommodation you are looking for, you don’t need to go to different travel agencies or different websites.  There is this website that has it all, called hotelreservations.com.  They provide from usual kind of hotels, vacation rentals, bed and breakfast, resorts, and any other types of accommodation, anywhere, even worldwide. Just enter the dates and destination, and they will provide you with the available hotel rooms.  Then you can choose which one that meets your budget and preference.  As for the vacation rentals, they can be condos, homes, villas, houses, cabins, or cottages, or even any other kind of accommodation, depending on the availability.  And you’ll be amazed by the searching process.  Just click the destination on the world map, enter the dates, and the site will show you the available rentals. The site offers you accommodation worldwide, from US, to Europe, Asia, and even Australia. 

For the prices, they guarantee to offer the lowest prices in the market.  They claim to give hotel discounts up to 70%, with even $100 rebate.  So the prices are very competitive, besides the point that you just need to go to one websites to look for any kind of accommodation.  It’s tempting, right? 

If you are a frequent traveler, then you understand the need of this travel health insurance. There are several types of travel health insurance. The first one is international health insurance, the worldwide health insurance & services for international living. The second one is travel medical insurance, whether it is for single trip or multiple trip. And the third one is international student health insurance, the international health insurance designed to meet the needs of U.S. students abroad and international students in the U.S.

How can we get this travel insurance? Actually, there are several online insurance quoting service that provides quotes for all kind of health insurance, from health, dental, life, vision, to medicare supplement plans worldwide, including travel health insurance, for family, individual, self employed, and senior. They represent major health insurance companies, from Blue Cross/Blue Shield, Aetna, HealthNet, Humana, Celtic, Kaiser Permanente, Nationwide Health Insurance, Pasificare, United Health Care, Golden Rule, Unicare, and more. If you are not quite sure which one to choose, you can just contact them for their assistance to discuss which health insurance plans that best fit for your budget and medical needs. Then you can get instant online quotes before deciding on anything.

Hope you find what you are looking for!

New Zealand is a temperate to sub-tropical island nation in the South Pacific Ocean. A modern but sparsely populated country, it boasts natural beauty and a wide range of outdoor and adventure activities. To explore this beautiful country, stay at some New Zealand hotels or serviced apartments for longer stay but lower cost, in its several cities like Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, and Queenstown, and make them your base to enjoy all around the country.

Auckland, “The City of Sails”, is the largest and most populated conurbation, with over a million in the metropolitan area, making it the largest in Polynesia by far. It has this Sky Tower, at 328 meters, this is the tallest tower in the Southern Hemisphere, offering view of up to 80 kilometers; or the Waitakere Ranges are Auckland’s best kept secret, with its stunning waterfalls, breathtaking views and rugged but beautiful beaches. Climb the Auckland Harbour Bridge and do the Sky Jump, a cable controlled base jump from a height of 192m on Sky. If you stay at Auckland accommodation, you can go out of the city, visit Rotorua, Hamilton, Waitomo Caves & Taupo are all within close reach and they all have a lot to offer.

Wellington, the national capital, also known as “The Windy City”, is the city of parliament and the Beehive, and the wonderful, free Te Papa museum. Getting on the Wellington Cable Car is a must, to get a nice view of the city and harbour. Stay at the local Wellington accommodation. The nearby Hutt Valley and Porirua have a number of interesting sights and beaches. Plimmerton, for example, has seen future world windsurfing champions training, and Edmund Hillary practised rock-climbing at Titahi Bay before conquering Everest.

Christchurch is The Garden City and the Air Gateway to Antarctica. Visit this International Antarctic Centre, a world-class Antarctic experience with simulated polar weather, Hagglund All-Terrain Vehicle ride, penguins, and extensive exhibits about Antarctic science missions. For cheaper cost, stay at Christchurch accommodation serviced apartments as base. You might want to visit Akaroa and try out the “Swim with the Dolphins in the sea” trip; or this Arthurs Pass for a bush getaway the lovely Banks Peninsula.

Queenstown is adrenalin and adventure capital of the world, where you can skydive, bungy jump, jet-boat, thrill yourself to your hearts content. The scenery surrounding Queenstown makes for excellent touring, with lakes, like Lake Wakatipu, mountains and bush around vineyards and farmland. Queenstown accommodation serviced apartment can be used as a base to see the surrounding country, including the Kawarau Gorge, and Wanaka and more distant tourist destinations such as Te Anau and Milford.

When summer time comes and salmon are starting to run, many people who like fishing visit Alaska. Tourists tend to know when the salmon run starts.  This may not be on purpose but they do know the best place to catch salmon is in Alaska.

Alaska’s waters make their tourists get the Alaska fishing guide and provide the tourists the best spots in Alaska for fishing. First, you have to know what kind of fish you want to catch. You can choose from different varieties of fishes like silver salmon, arctic char, steelhead, Alaska king salmon, rainbow trout, or any other fish.

The Arctic, Southwest, South central, Southeast and the interior are the five known geographical places in Alaska. These are the sites where you can maximize your fishing expedition. You have to hire a fishing guide since you do not know the area. They may give the best spots for you and accompany you to your fishing.