How you and your family can take the green ultimate family expedition

How You and Your Family can take the Green Ultimate Family Expedition

How to take a Volunteer Family Vacation Experiencing Nature, Science, and Education

Imagine you and your family, off on a scientific expedition, like studying whales in British Columbia or helping manage a rain forest in Puerto Rico. Did you know this is possible for you? Next year, instead of going to the seaside resort, an amusement park, or a cruise, plan to take your family on a volunteer vacation. Not only will you save money, have a terrific adventure, and provide valuable manpower on projects that are helping the planet and all its inhabitants. This would create an amazing bond between you and your family while showing acts of kindness and grattitude to the world. Nature is one of the most enjoyable FREE gifts of all. Escaping into nature is also very destressing and where we tend to be most creative.

Many volunteer vacations are a subset of a booming trend known as “ecotourism.” That means environmentally conscious travel to places where nature is the main focal point and attraction. Many of the places where nature is at its most dramatic are in less developed countries, so ecotourism aims to benefit the people who live there – by using local services (for example hiring guides or eating at local restaurants) and helping protect the place your visiting. While there are an increasing number of high-end-eco-resorts, there are also many inexpensive opportunities to stay in comfort surrounded by spectacular scenery- especially if your willing to volunteer your time.

In addition to the specific project you’re working on, there’s usually a lot more to enjoy: the company and camaraderie of fellow volunteers; the travel to spectacular locales; meeting, working, and living with local folks; and spending your time off exploring the area can create memories for a lifetime.

Here are a few tips to research if this is something you find attractive for you and your family:

1. Sierra Club offers “Service trips” Visit www.sierraclub.org and search on “volunteer vacations.”
2. If you would enjoy picking grapes in California’s beautiful wine country or learn about organic gardening in the splendor of the southern Colorado Rockies. Visit www.wwoofusa.org

I hope you find some of these helpful tips valuable and you too can make use out of a memorable trip for you and your family. Have a happy and healthy day!

By, Natalie Pyles

Health & Fitness Expert, Nutrition Specialist, Author , & NSA Speaker

Spend your winters taking cruises around the world

Spend Your Winters Taking Cruises Around the World

Are you looking for a way to escape the cold of winter? Then look no further than cruises around the world to take you to warm climates and exciting destinations.

Since cruises around the world usually depart in January, this is the ultimate way to escape the snow, ice and cold temperatures of a northern climate. They last from 90 to 121 days depending on the cruise line and the itinerary of ports of call. Such cruises visit at least five continents in one voyage, always choosing the best locations for excursions onshore. You will not only see dramatically changing landscapes when you awake each morning, but you get a chance to see some of the most renowned attractions in the world.

Most of the cruise lines offering luxury around the world cruises (http://www.amttravel.com/cruise-lines/luxury-world-cruises.html) divide the itinerary into sections allowing you the flexibility of booking several sections or the entire cruise depending on how long you want to spend at sea and the places you want to visit. Some of the most popular destinations for such cruises include:

? Auckland
? Sydney
? Bora Bora
? Vietnam
? French Polynesia
? The Caribbean
? The Greek Islands
? Safaga, Egypt
? Dubai
? Bombay
? Spain

There are so many things to see and do when taking cruises around the world that it is important to research the various cruises available to make sure that you will get to stop in the locations that are you are most interested in visiting. Most of the cruises around the world start in the east and sail west. If your point of departure is in Europe, you will have to travel to the Mediterranean area of the world first. Those cruises that originate on the east coast of the US will cross the Atlantic towards Europe and those originating on the west coast will cross the Pacific. Although it is mainly the larger cruise ships that offer cruises around the world, there are many luxury liners that are smaller in size so that your cruising experience is an intimate one with much more flexibility.

When packing for an upscale around the world cruise, you know that you can leave your bulky winter clothing at home. Since there are laundry facilities onboard all these cruise ships, you don’t have to try to take all your lighter clothing with you. No doubt you’ll plan to engage in shopping onboard the ship and when you land in the various ports, you will need to have room in your luggage to take your purchases back home with you. Since you will also be spending quite a lot of time on the ship, you should bring casual and formal clothing, as well as comfortable clothing you can wear in the fitness center. Of course, you have to plan on spending some time soaking up the sun’s rays as you lounge on the pool deck, so swimwear is essential.

With cruises around the world, you can jam a lifetime of vacationing into one cruise. Immerse yourself in the culture of each port you visit and make memories that will last the rest of your life. Not all cruises are alike, as the various cruise lines offering five star world cruises (http://www.amttravel.com/cruise-lines/world-cruise-lines.html) often have different ports of call. If you take one world cruise, you can take another in the following year or a few years down the road to visit different destinations.

By taking cruises around the world during the winter months, you have a change of scenery. You don’t have the year round expense of maintaining a home or cottage in a warmer climate. You also don’t have to worry about making reservations for different flights or for finding accommodations in various locations. Your home for the duration of your cruise will be your stateroom aboard the cruise ship where you will have all the comforts of home.

Finding a quality, affordable cruise

Finding a Quality, Affordable Cruise

Wow! There are some fantastic cheap cruise options around and lots of people who’ve never cruised before are now dipping their toe in the ocean and finding out that the water’s very warm indeed. In some cases, a cheap cruise can be less expensive than the same length of time in a hotel in a resort town when you consider the cost of meals, accommodation, transportation, entertainment and sundry expenses. Once you’re on board the ship, your budget is very easy to manage. You’ve paid for nearly everything up front and you can economize as much or as little as you want.

Thus, the draw of exotic locations and pampering at sea is becoming more of a reality for people who never considered a cruise before as a vacation possibility. Booking a cheap cruise doesn’t mean stowing away in a dormitory-style, sub-ocean type accommodation. It doesn’t mean feeling like one of the herd crowded into claustrophobic cabins and watching “C-grade” entertainment to while away the hours at sea. You’d be surprised at the standard of living on cruises, and the ports of call that are available for affordable prices. Here is a sample of cheap cruise options that are currently available through various companies. Be aware that the prices shown are for off-peak travel. But, would you mind traveling to beautiful, temperate Mexico in January?

3-Night Baja Mexico cruise (January) – from $219
Interior: $219; Oceanview: $249
Departs from Los Angeles, CA
Ports of Call: Los Angeles, CA and Ensenada, Mexico
This beautiful vessel features a five-story shopping lobby with specialist boutiques plus a Champagne bar and entertainment that parallels that found in New York and Las Vegas.

7-Night Bahamas cruise (April) – from $829
Interior: $829; Oceanview: $999
Departs from New York City and visits Port Canaveral, FL; Great Stirrup Cay, Bahamas and Key West, FL.
This ship features 10 restaurants, 13 bars and lounges, a bowling alley, two swimming pools, six hot tubs, a day spa and a fitness center.

8-Night Bermuda cruise (April) – from $899
Interior: $899; Oceanview: $949
Departs from New York City and visits Kings Wharf, Bermuda; Road Town, Tortola, B.V.I. and St Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands.
Passengers also receive free travel insurance, a free gift and up to $150 of on-board credit per cabin.

11-night Southern Caribbean cruise (February) – from $949
Interior: $949; Oceanview: $1,199
Departs from San Juan, Puerto Rico and visits Philipsburg, St. Maarten; Basseterre, St. Kitts; St. Johns, Antigua; Castries, St. Lucia; Bridgetown, Barbados; Margarita Island, Venezuela; Willemstad, Curacao and Oranjestad, Aruba.
Free travel insurance and a free gift are included. Imagine 11 glorious nights visiting some of the most stunning locations and never having to unpack your suitcase more than once!

At the prices shown above, a cheap cruise is an affordable option for a wedding gift, or a special surprise for a 25th or 50th wedding anniversary. The low prices mean that families can go on vacation together and be happy in the knowledge that the financials are taken care of.

Start planning what you will do for your next vacation. Consider taking a cheap cruise. You can go away sooner and enjoy yourself more when you go.

How golf jobs continue to evolve

How Golf Jobs Continue To Evolve

The golf industry has grown tremendously in the past decade, thanks in part to the monumental success that the professional level of the sport has enjoyed, along with the growth in availability of the sport to a more casual, available audience on a regular basis. The result is a sport that is in dire need of individuals who can provide a growing feature set of skills and abilities that golf jobs may not have previously required.

What Golf Jobs Used to Be

At one point, golf courses were restricted to country clubs and expensive getaways where the staff largely consisted of only the most elite of golf professionals, those who had spent their lives in the sport, often as a player. These individuals would organize the course, oversee tournaments and events, and provide oversight to the limited staff of employees.

What Golf Jobs Are Today

Today, golf jobs are much more elaborate. Because there are now multiple golf courses in every city at varying levels of affluence, there is a much higher demand for golf professionals. Today, you might see golf courses or centers located in:

Malls and shopping centers
Suburbs
Cruise Ships
Fitness Centers
City Parks

All of these locations provide a more direct and publicly accessible means by which an individual can learn to play golf without needing to pay an outrageous fee for membership and entering the course. In addition, driving ranges, golf outlets, and fundamentals workshops have popped up in many places where a full-fledged course may not quite fit. Golf jobs are highly in demand for these locales as anywhere else.

What These Golf Courses Need

The next logical question, especially for those who are interested in working for a golf course is finding out what these golf courses need. The answer is as varied and broad as the number of places where a golf course may be located. That means that a wide array of individuals may take up the call if they have the necessary training.

While it was once necessary for trained professional golfers to maintain these posts, it is nearly impossible for that to be the case anymore and a professional athlete would not know where to start in operating a massive business like structure.

Business End Golf Jobs

The business end of the golf industry is vast. Running a golf course is a lot of work today because a lot happens. The course must be maintained, usually requiring a large staff of landscapers, designers, and greens keepers, all of which must be organized. Tournaments must be overseen and kept organized and the nearly weekly advent of charity golf outings keeps most golf directors incredibly busy. A business degree is usually required to run a golf course, while undergraduate degrees will help in administrative work.

Maintenance Golf Jobs

To work in maintenance for a golf course or in the industry, you need to have a keen grasp of the kind of maintenance you will be doing. There are many different aspects of the process now and technology has taken a much greater role in keeping it all operational. Previous maintenance work and a vocational degree are often required for this type of job.

Other Golf Jobs

Other positions in the golf industry include golfing professionals who can provide instruction, either on the course, in the clubhouse, or at the range. Additional staff includes those who can provide detailed information about clubs and gear or to test various equipment.

For someone interested in becoming involved in the industry, it is growing rapidly and there is ample room for new applicants to find golf jobs. The right studying and experience will always help, but a passion for the sport of golf and a working knowledge of its mechanics are nearly as important.

Stand up paddle surfing– a combination of fun and fitness

Stand Up Paddle Surfing– A Combination Of Fun And Fitness

Stand up paddling, popularly known as SUP, is a fun and unique way to get a complete body workout. This sport originated in Waikiki roughly 70 years ago, and in recent years, has gained immense popularity throughout the world. All you need to enjoy this surfing experience is a paddle, a large water body and a board. One of the best places to enjoy this sport is at Surfing Gold Coast. As so many people are enthusiastic about this sport, here are few reasons that explain its popularity:

Link with Nature:

Are you tired of working out at gym? Why torture yourself at the stair master or treadmill when you can accomplish a great workout while enjoying the beauty of nature. SUP offers you a completely new perspective on the living creatures that live within water. Standing atop your paddleboard, you can see seals, dolphins, fish and sea animals.
Fitness Aspect:
Stand up paddling is challenging and beneficial for all levels of fitness. One of the best and excellent ways to improve balance, increase core strength and build endurance is via SUP. It is a perfect sport for cross training because it engages all the important muscle groups.
Fun:
Stand up paddling acts as a leisure and recreational activity for the complete family. Moreover, you can learn it easily and have lot of fun. You can cross train, explore, race, surf, cruise and can take your pets on the water.
This surf paddling sport offers water enthusiasts with a complete new set of dynamics, which in turn gives them completely different and new surfing experience. This is one of the most popular sports in beach countries such as the New Zealand, Caribbean and Australia. Over the past few years, Australia has turned out to be a heaven for all SUP enthusiasts.
Australia has a beautiful, long and amazing stretch of white sand beaches, popularly known as the Gold Coast. These beaches are well kept and clean. With the climate being so perfect, it is also called surfer’s paradise. Therefore, surfing at Gold Coast is extremely popular.
The sport surfing helps you to maintain good physical fitness levels. It is because of this reason that you will find several fitness experts at Gold Coast explaining the benefits and other things about this adventurous sport.
If you want to learn more about stand up paddling, given below are few tips that will help you. These are as follows:
2SUP is suitable for windsurfers. The wind surfers easily stand up on the board while surfing. Moreover, they do not remain in the water when the wind goes down. However, when it comes to SUP, you can overcome all these obstacles and enjoy it for as long as you want. You can maintain your speed even when the wind goes down.
3Make sure you put on your surfing gear before going for water surfing. Further, ensure that the gear used by you is comfortable and offers you flexibility while surfing.
Therefore, the next time you plan to go for stand up paddle surfing, keep all the above-mentioned tips in your mind.