Ever thought of heading north? Ever walked on a glacier, or taken snapshots of a grizzly bear? The Canadian Rockies are truly unique. You can see some of the most spectacular mountain scenery in North America. With its pristine beauty and amazing views, the Canadian Rockies are not to be missed.

Warning: Yeah, it’s cold. I mean, really cold. Of course, the best time to go is in the summer time, but you still need to take coats, gloves, and big warm sleeping bags.

Banff – Skiers’ Paradise

Banff is probably the most popular spot in the Canadian Rockies, and this is because of the variety. There’s not only camping and hiking, but great fishing and skiing. It’s a destination for lots of motor home travelers.

But, let me give you a better description. Imagine camping by a rushing river lined with pine trees. In the background is a giant mountain. Add to that the cleanest air you’ve ever breathed and a quiet stillness you never experience back home, and you’ve pretty much got Banff.

Unlike some places in the Canadian Rockies, Banff is fairly easy to get to, and pretty convenient. You can stock up on supplies, shop or eat out in town, and you’re not far from the pristine camping areas.

Lake Louise – Home Of The Grizzly

Lake Louise is just spitting distance from Banff, located actually in Banff National Park. This is another area full of wonderful views and pristine nature. Lake Louise boasts great skiing, and it’s the “hiking capital” of Canada, but the lake itself is the biggest draw. Because of the silt in the water, the lake changes colors slightly throughout the year and time of day.

Lake Louise has glaciers and waterfalls, and it’s far away enough from everything that you might run into some critters. I’m not talking about tiny critters like rabbits or squirrels, I’m talking about elk, deer… and grizzlies! Just keep in mind, they’re as afraid of people as we are of them. Just don’t get too close to try to take a picture or anything.

The area around Lake Louise is spectacular, because it is truly one of the last frontiers. When you head north from Louise, you are really going into no-man’s land. There’s not much up there until you get to Alaska!

North To Jasper

Well, there is something between Lake Louise and Alaska, and it’s Jasper National Park. Like Lake Louise, Jasper has stunning views, abundant wildlife, glaciers, and not many people or conveniences.

If you want to really do the Canadian Rockies, I suggest taking driving your RV from Lake Louise to Jasper. But, I recommend going slow. This is because there is scenery on that drive that you will never see again.

Just off the road you’ll see mountain vistas you’ve never dreamed could exist. Most people stop off at the Columbia Icefield, located about halfway to Jasper. This is a gigantic glacier, a leftover from the last ice age. It’s melting slowly but surely, but there’s still a lot of it to go.

Jasper is even more remote than Lake Louise, so if you want to head there I suggest stocking up before you leave; fill that motor home with supplies! Jasper is truly an adventure, and most people who go up there get a peek of a grizzly, wolf or mountain goat.

As long as you’re in the Canadian Rockies, you might as well check out Kootenay and Yoho, two other great National Parks. There’s also a variety of lodging options for those who don’t want to rough it.

Why not go north this summer and check out the Canadian Rockies? It will be a traveling experience you’ll never forget!

Visit Bankston Motor Homes, bankstonmotorhomes.com bankstonmotorhomes.com/, to search for your next motor home or come by and visit with us at any of our five locations. Find the perfect bankstonmotorhomes.com motor home for traveling to all of the splendors of North America.

There is nothing like being in a condo to get your mind off of things. Renting or buying condos in the Hawaiian islands is the same way. You will suddenly find that you are living somewhere that you love, without any of the pressures of actually living there. If you have Maui condos you’ll see that you can simply be free to go to work and to go about your pleasures without dealing with any of the hassles. All of the landscaping and other yard work is done for you, and you don’t’ have to worry about things like repairing roofs or putting in new windows. At the same time, renting Maui condos means that you are living in a gorgeous place where you truly feel at home.

Maui condos are not for just the rich, and they aren’t even for just the retired people. Maui condos can be for everyone, because no matter what age you are at you deserve to live the greatest life possible. If you can pay for the rent in Maui condos, you’ll see that everything else is done for you, and you’re simply able to enjoy the life that you are leading, without any stresses regarding the world around you.

Come and check out the Maui condos that are for rent. You’ll find that your dream home is waiting for you, and it is waiting for you in a place well known for its sandy beaches and beautiful scenery. Maui condos are home for you, and they are simply waiting for you to come and find them. You will wonder why you have spent so much time during your life not living in Maui condos, and you’ll feel as though you have finally discovered what life is all about. Come home to Maui condos and you’ll know what home really means.

Jim Dornfeld has been offering his own private and distinctive alohacondos.com Hawaiian condo rentals to guests since 1998.

Today he has 96 of the finest privately-owned alohacondos.com/maui/mainpage.html Maui condo rentals available to choose from, offering some of the finest accommodations on the islands.

A summer vacation at Disney World brings to mind massive crowds and waiting in long lines in the sweltering heat, right? Fortunately, by making preparations, creating a plan of attack and following the Disney World time-saving tips below, you and your family can enjoy the ultimate Disney World vacation getaway.

• Arrive at Disney World early – at least a half hour before it officially opens – so you can get a jump on the crowds.

• Use Disney World theme park maps and tip boards to develop a plan in order to visit as many attractions as possible.

• Don’t follow the crowd – Many people will go to the right and move clockwise throughout Disney World’s theme park, so try going left and moving counterclockwise.

• At Disney’s Magic Kingdom, beat the crowds by hopping aboard the Walt Disney World Railroad, which has train stations in Frontierland and Mickey’s Toontown Fair.

• If you want to experience such immensely popular rides as Expedition Everest at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Splash Mountain at Disney’s Magic Kingdom, Twilight Zone Tower of Terror at Disney-MGM Studios or Soarin’ at Epcot, make them your first stop since they tend to draw some of the longest lines at Disney World.

• If you love a parade, stake out your spot early since they usually draw crowds. Also, by picking a spot toward the beginning of the parade, you will get a jump on everyone else. You will have finished the parade and made it to the most popular rides while most of the crowd is still watching the parade.

• Take advantage of Disney’s FASTPASS, a free reservation system that helps you to avoid crowds at the most popular rides and attractions.

• Avoid driving to or from Disney World on Interstate 4 during rush hour, which usually runs from 7 to 9 AM and 4 to 7 PM.

• Eat a good breakfast before you get to Disney World. Once there, try to eat lunch a little earlier or later than usual to avoid crowds (before 12 PM or after 2 PM). Eat while the restaurants are empty and everyone else is on the rides or watching a parade.

• If you are planning to dine at one of Disney World’s themed restaurants, make reservations well in advance if possible. Just call (407) WDW-DINE (939-3463).

• If you think you’ve had enough and it’s time to leave, get your hand stamped. After a little rest and a shower, you might feel like returning, especially since it cools off a little after sunset and the crowds thin out. Most of the Disney theme parks have a grand finale show such as a big parade, light show or fireworks.

“In addition to the time-saving tips above, make sure you purchase discount Disney World theme park tickets in advance online and avoid long lines at ticket windows, while enjoying substantial savings in the process,” said Kyle Collins, Director of Interactive Marketing for HotelsCorp.com

orlando-florida.net Orlando, Florida Guide, the best online guide to Orlando, offers discount Universal Orlando tickets, orlando-florida.net/disney/discount-disney-world-tickets.htm discount Disney World tickets and discount SeaWorld Orlando tickets, as well as discount Orlando hotels and individually tailored Orlando vacation packages.

budget adventure travel, discount adventure travel, family adventure vacation

In recent weeks I have read at least three articles about how poorly the flying public perceives the customer service provided by the airline industry. As a frequent traveler myself, I know how frustrating (and that is an extremely mild word to use here) it is when you are stuck in an airport because a pilot has not arrived on time, or a flight was overbooked or for any other reason.

But before I go any further, I should first put things in perspective. Since September 11, the airline industry has been on the ropes, financially. In the U.S. four of the five major carriers have filed bankruptcy, and not one of them has shown a profit for a single fiscal year. The industry has also reduced its workforce by 200,000 fewer people.

So, as this industry’s customers, we cannot realistically expect to receive the same level of service as we received before 9-11.

But, and this is a very important “but,” there is still no excuse for rude or indifferent behavior. On this level I am happy to report that of the two airlines I have personal experience with, American Airlines and British Airlines, their employees seem to be trying harder to be courteous, helpful and empowered to go the extra mile.

Of course this all boils down to my own personal perception, but I have generally heard more positive feedback from other travelers on these airlines.

Given all the financial problems facing this industry, how can one still get VIP treatment from airlines? Before I answer that question, I first want to say that what I am about to write in this article is not to offer pity for the airline industry or to excuse unexcusable behavior on the part of indifferent employees, but it is to offer advice in the context of the reality of the industry’s financial woes.

Let’s think about the old expression, “the customer is always right.” Clearly this is not always the case. Customers often expect and demand much more than they are entitled to. In the real world, no business can really act as if the customer is always right when customers want something for nothing. Can a restaurant give free meals? Can a store give away free merchandise? Of course not, and neither can an airline give free airfare.

But airlines are in the unique position to know which customers to give VIP treatment to: their frequent travelers. If you are a member of an airline’s loyalty program AND you truly are a frequent flyer AND if you usually travel on first or business class tickets, your VIP status with that airline will swiftly rise.

Airlines can track the profitability of each and every one of their loyalty program members. Now, what if a customer shows up and asks for special treatment, or expects something extra from the airline? If that person is not a loyalty program member, or is a member but hasn’t flown with that airline in over a year, or if that person only flies on deep discount tickets bought through an online consolidator web site, he probably will not get an extra level of VIP treatment. (He should, however, be treated with courtesy, respect and receive the proper value for his travel dollar, but he probably won’t get the VIP treatment).

Now suppose a different customer comes up to the ticket counter and travels every month or so on tickets in the mid price range. That person should expect to receive the extra request if the request is reasonable.

What is the lesson to all this? Simple: the airline industry will not be financially able to offer a lot of extra perks to all its customers for a long time to come. But you can upgrade your status with any airline by making it your sole carrier whenever possible. There are many people who are members of five or six loyalty programs and spread their travel among those airlines, usually based on the ticket price available at the time they travel. But if those same people were to concentrate on one airline, they would probably find themselves receiving VIP treatment more often.

COPYRIGHT © 2006, Charles Brown. All rights reserved.

Think budget travel equals boring travel? Think again! Learn the Guerrilla Traveler’s insider secrets to budget adventure travel to the world’s most exciting places and experience the coolest travel adventures without spending a bundle. Charles Brown is a former attorney, turned travel writer who now spends his time indulging his passion for travel and shares the unique travel destinations and adventure travel bargains he uncovers on his blog, Guerrilla Traveler – Adventure on a Budget, guerrillatraveler.blogspot.com guerrillatraveler.blogspot.com

The city of Puerto Vallarta is a delightful coastal resort area with appealing beaches, colonial atmosphere and architecture, and first class restaurants and hotels. The town is situated in Banderas Bay, which is on Mexico’s western coast in the state of Jalisco. In the East is the Sierra Madre mountain range, which works as a natural barrier against tropical storms. The area offers an extensive stretch of beach with tranquil waters and rich marine life.

Though Spanish explorers visited the region along the Cuale River as early as the 1500s, Puerto Vallarta wasn’t settled until the mid-1800s, and it wasn’t named until 1918. Migrants from the colonial mining centers in the surrounding mountains first developed the town, and it later became the vacation spot for wealthy Guadalajarans. The area grew steadily for the first half of the 20th century, but it wasn’t until 1963, when John Huston began filming Night of the Iguana, that it earned its place on the international map. Conveying the magnificence of this tropical Eden, Huston’s film lured celebrities to its shoreline, altering the exclusive area into a playground for American travelers.

The city has two main areas. There is the old center, known simply as downtown or, in Spanish, El Centro. El Centro is divided into two main areas lying north and south of the Rio Cuale, which bisects the town. The area south of the river is known by various names: Old Town, Olas Altas, and the Romantic Quarter. In recent years, a flourishing restaurant and bar scene has taken hold, lending the district a European allure. North of the river is where the largest part of the bigger businesses are located, set along a stretch of oceanfront known as the Malecon.

James Hunt has spent 15 years as a professional writer and researcher covering stories that cover a whole spectrum of interest.
Read more at best-of-puerto-vallarta.info best-of-puerto-vallarta.info

White water rafting uses special terminology, so familiarizing oneself with some key expressions and terms of white water rafting before taking a trip could definitely be helpful.

Many of the terms relate to the river. A run is used to describe that segment of the river that is feasible for rafting. Put-in and take-out are the points where the trip commences and finishes. The gradient is a phrase used to quantify the depth of the river.

The term boils is used to refer to an unexpected and abrupt rise in the level of the water. A hydraulic is used to refer to a transformation in the current that can lead to a modification of the speed of the raft, whereas an eddy is the flow of water upstream behind an obstacle or obstruction.

Bow and stern are used to describe the front and the back of the boat. When a boat capsizes or tips over due to an accident, it is known as a flip and when a boat is held against an obstacle by the strength of the current it is called a wrap.

A strainer is a barrier that allows restrictive entry. It enables water to pass through but impedes the passage of swimmers and rafts. A swimmer is a person who falls out of the boat and a throw bag is a piece of equipment that is used to save the swimmer.

White water rafting has become a major adventure sport today. It is extremely popular in countries like Peru, Chile, Ecuador, Mexico, New Zealand and Australia. It is a great favorite with the youth and others with a great appetite for risks. The sport has gained in popularity over the last few decades.

e-WhitewaterRafting.com Whitewater Rafting provides detailed information on Whitewater Rafting, Whitewater Rafting Trips, History of Whitewater Rafting, Whitewater Rafting Terminology and more. Whitewater Rafting is affiliated with i-yachtcharters.com Mediterranean Yacht Charters .

After an enjoyable dinner at Modavie I was ready to head to my next scheduled activity: a ghost tour of Old Montreal. Old Montreal Ghosts or Les Fantomes de Vieux Montreal was founded about 8 years ago by a local Montrealer, Eric Poulin, who got the idea for a ghost tour on one of his travels to London. Recently he has started to collaborate with Louise Hébert, owner of Guidatour and a very experienced tourism entrepreneur who has won numerous prizes from Quebec Tourism and in 2005 was also honoured as one of Chatelaine Magazine Top Ten Women of the Year. Both entrepreneurs together combined to provide a special experience in Old Montreal.

Old Montreal Ghosts offers a variety of tours: a traditional ghost walk that introduces visitors to the streets, alleyways and piers of Old Montreal, to the locations of many historical events including fires, ghost appearances, political gatherings, hangings, crimes, heroic acts and unexplained facts. The Montreal Historical Crimes Tour makes visitors relive some of Montreal’s most famous crimes through the testimony of victims and criminals.

I was going to partake of the New France Ghost Hunt, with characters dating back to the founding times of Montreal. Another ghost tour focuses on the Port area while a Scavenger Hunt is also offered where competing teams have to find answers to rally questions.

Based on these interesting offerings, I was sure a special experience was waiting for me. So just before 8:30 pm I went to a booth on Jacques Cartier Quay in the Old Port of Montreal to participate in the New France Ghost Hunt. Quebec was part of New France and Montreal’s French regime lasted from 1642, the founding of Montreal, to 1760, when France conceded its overseas territories to Great Britain in 1763 at the end of the Seven Years War. The ghosts we would be meeting tonight would date back to that era.

Two ghost tours were being offered tonight: one in French and one in English. Together with a family from Battle Creek, Michigan, and another family from Boston I was ready to go searching for Montreal’s ghosts. A lady dressed in a late-medieval costume called us together and explained to us how the tour would work. She handed out some critical accessories: a flag of New France as well as a lantern and designated a tour leader who would have to coordinate our efforts.

She gave us maps of Old Montreal that contained 4 stops at each of which we would have to locate the resident ghost and call him or her by chanting “Long live the King of France”. This would make the ghost appear. And off she sent us on our treasure hunt for the ghosts of Old Montreal.

Well, it was a beautiful evening and hundreds of people on the outdoor restaurant patios on Place Jacques Cartier could attest to that. Our first ghost destination was located at Champ-de-Mars, a former parade ground for military manoeuvres, and since 1991 a place where the old fortifications of Montreal have been revealed. We went through our ghost calling ceremony and sure enough, the ghost of a young man appeared, telling us stories of young forbidden love, arson and his early death. He was a rather charming ghost that endeared himself to his audience with his French-Canadian accent and his bright smile.

Our next ghost location was just south of Montreal’s City Hall, in the Place de la Dauversière, a public square next to Place Jacques Cartier that holds several works of public art as well as a statue of one of Montreal’s most famous mayors, Jean Drapeau. Place Jacques Cartier itself at one point held a public market and a statue of British Admiral Nelson overlooks the square, however, the famous admiral interestingly faces away from the port area.

Having arrived at the proper spot, we were able to call up a young female ghost who told us tales of her voyage to North America and her love story with one of the sailors. She was also reaped away by an untimely death and her expressive playful demeanor was fitting for such a young girlish ghost.

Then we crossed Place Jacques Cartier and strolled to Cours Le Royer, a complex of huge warehouses that used to be the property of the religieuses hospitalières (nursing sisters) of Saint-Joseph, an order of nuns who rented out the warehouses to importers to generate revenue for their organization. The complex was built between 1860 and 1871 and features a cobble-stoned alley between the warehouses.

After some searching we found another ghost and went through our ghost calling ritual. A young male ghost talked to us of his journey to the New World and how he came into conflict with the authorities. In gruesome detail he depicted the torture techniques that were used at the time of the French regime. This ghost was the most scary of all and his anger at his fate was palpable. When he was finished telling us his story we started to proceed to search for our fourth and final ghost. As I looked back, this ghost was still standing on the rue Saint-Sulpice and his haunting gaze kept following our group, sending a chill up our spine.

Finally, on Place d’Armes, after a long search, we were able to find our last ghost. He was one of the “coureurs du bois”, young men that used to venture deep into Native territory in order to negotiate with Indian tribes who were supplying fur to the merchants of New France. His stories made the early years of fur trading in wild and uncharted lands come to life.

Each of these ghosts shed light on a different aspect of life in New France in the 17th and 18th century, a time when adventure and danger were part of daily life. Our tour finished around 10 pm, a perfect time for me to walk back through the safe streets of Montreal to write up today’s experiences and catch some sleep for my adventures tomorrow: a walking tour of Old Montreal.

Susanne Pacher is the publisher of a website called travelandtransitions.com Travel and Transitions ( travelandtransitions.com travelandtransitions.com) Travel and Transitions deals with unconventional travel and is chock full of advice, tips, real life travel experiences & interesting life journeys, interviews with travellers and travel experts, cross-cultural issues, and many other features.

Susanne has recently published a series of FREE travel ebooks about destinations such as Spain, Cuba, Mexico, Sicily, New York City, Chicago, Montreal, Toronto, Nova Scotia and many more. Visit travelandtransitions.com/ebooks.html travelandtransitions.com/ebooks.html Travel and Transitions – FREE ebooks (www.travelandtransitions.com/ebooks.html) “Life is a Journey – Explore New Horizons”.

Alaska has variety of natural wonders and is full of exotic landscapes and breath taking locations. It has many oceans, rivers and other navigable water bodies that attract tourists and visitors year after year. It is advisable to get proper advise from an Alaskan travel expert before setting out on your dream vacation to Alaska .The advise can be provided by guides and the travel company who is arranging your vacation.

When an individual goes to Alaska on vacation, it is important to know the kind of climate and weather during the time of travel. One should also keep all the required travel papers like passport and visa in proper order so as to avoid legal complications. Medication if any, should be properly packed before you leave, and proper clothing should include garments for warm and cooler days. One should also take along bug and mosquito repellents and sunscreen cream.

All reservations should be made in advance for hotels and attractions in order to avoid disappointment in the event a venue is full; this includes reserving a reliable form of transportation during your stay. If any currency conversion is to be done, it should be sorted out to avoid delay during transactions.

If you plan a cruise vacation to Alaska, especially during peak seasons, all reservations on board should be made in advance including, rooms, gaming zones, bathing spas and casinos. You should also keep a record of the different destinations the cruise will be taking you to and the facilities for shore excursion, fishing etc. Do keep a note of the different type of food served, and if you are allergic to any of them, mentioned this to a tour organizer, so alternate arrangements can be made.

e-AlaskaVacations.com Alaska Vacations provides detailed information on Alaska Vacations, Alaska Fishing Vacations, Alaska Vacation Packages, Alaska Paddling Vacations and more. Alaska Vacations is affiliated with e-alaskacruises.com Alaska Cruises and Ships.

When I tell people that they can get easily and cheaply rent an
apartment in Rome for their city vacation, they sometimes look at me like I’m nuts. It’s not that they’ve never thought of the idea. It’s that they think its too hard to arrange, or heard some strange things about it, like:

1. Its far too expensive for any reasonable budget.

Price is probably the most common misconception. I’ve even heard this from good friends who have seen me take this option just about any time I want.

The only thing that price and these apartments have in common is that both can give you a huge choice. The big difference is that when you know how to find the perfect place, and you understand how much freedom you can gain, you can win with this game just about every time you play.

Finding a great apartment has nothing to do with luck. It has
everything to do with knowing where to look, and getting a huge
choice that fits a given budget.

2. You’ll Struggle to get a good location, and be nowehere near the action.

When I first started to travel to Rome, I thought the same thing. But, you know what, its just not true. The resource I’ll recommend to you at the end of this article can put you right next to The Spanish Steps, in a glorious apartment with balcony views. They can also find you a family villa, tucked away in the hills outside the City – and pretty much everything in between.

I’ve rented apartments in Rome plenty of times since my early
stays in the cities Hotels, both on business and pleasure, and
not a single one of these places has let me down . In fact, they were all perfectly sited for my needs on each trip, sometimes bustling and convenient, sometimes peaceful and secluded.

And the fact is, you don’t need to spend hours of research to
find just the right thing. These days you can simply go to one
website and find a choice of apartments to match your requirements.

With my partners at Venere.com, that’s a breeze.

3. Isn’t it just less hassle to book a package deal?

Renting an apartment in Rome is cool for two reasons. First, you
get an unbelievable amount of freedom and flexibility that most
city centre hotels just can’t offer. Just come and go as you please. Drop in for a quick shower after a hard days sightseeing, and freshen up before you go out to the Opera House. Use as a base to entertain friends and family into the early hours, there’s no-one to complain about the noise! Sleep in till lunchtime if you want, there’s nobody clamouring to clean the room.

The second reason is that you get much closer to the people.
You can easily find a rental property that’s tucked in with
the locals… say, just off the Piazza Navona near the city
centre, and really get a feel for Roman life close up. I
promise you it takes a short vacation to another level
of experience, and you could find you’re visitng the
Eternal City more and more often.

For both reasons, I believe that the minor hassle of making
slightly more detailed plans before you travel is well worth
the effort. Most people don’t understand that, and that’s why
they miss out.

4. You’d Need A Top Quality Agent You Can Trust with your Money.

And at this point I tend to agree with them. Business and leisure travellers have been using the Agent I recommend for many years, and they specialise in renting apartments in Rome. It’s one of their biggest sources of revenue, and therefore a line of business that they guard carefully.

The truth is, I needed to have an ultra reliable resource to back up my travel plans, and I wanted to deal with people that had strong contacts on the ground in Rome. And that’s all they do!

It can take me less than fifteen minutes to find and book my
exact requirements every time I click through to their site.

So, You don’t need to search for hours when you want to rent
an apartment in Rome. You just have to look in the right place.

That’s all for now. In my next article, I’ll explain more of my
travel tips for your time in Rome

Get full information about planning your trip to Rome, including
flight deals, Rome accommodation tips, Apartment and Villa rentals,tour planning and tips on all the top Rome attractions at out web site: lets-travel-rome.com lets-travel-rome.com

You can also grab our free hotel guide and newsletter from the
homepage, and keep up to date at our Travel Rome Blog:

lets-travel-rome.blogspot.com lets-travel-rome.blogspot.com

What I want to tell you is what vacations are for me, a mother and wife. Tom and I have been married for 23 years and have had four children (We gave one to the U.S. Marines, and are looking for the highest bidder for the other three.) Our first child was born after we had only been married for 14.4735 months (At least according to Tom, Some odd calculation of his.) So when we were younger (speaking as a 41 year old) vacations were few and far between. Most of the time our vacations were visiting family, camping trips or after we got a little more stable, we started using Time-share condo’s. Needless to say that is still not much of a vacation for “The Mom”. I still have to cook and clean, sometimes for more than my little brood, and the kids still do not want to clean the kitchen.

On top of it I am married to a Workaholic (We took the Workaholics Test where if you answer yes to 3 of 20 questions then you may be a Workaholic and he answered yes to all 20. He’s a freaking Workaholic, now if only I can convince him.) Since he is also very good at his job most of the time has had to work while we were on vacations. When we drove from Portland, Oregon to Orlando, Florida one year, his company even went so far as providing him with a Skypager and laptop that they never took back because they found it very convenient for him to have it, to take with us. In a way I could see why, we were gone for a month. But he did have to work a little each day. I do need to clarify here that we took a month vacation because he had to take the time or lose it. At the end of the month he still had three weeks of vacation time sitting there for him to take within the next year. This was back when we still had to use dial-up connections, so as you can imagine, now with high speed connections it has only gotten worse.

Camping is not even a way to make him get away from it all because we either rough it camp (really not much fun for mom) or we go to a developed camp ground were most of the time there is an internet connection available. Not that he now needs it because of the cell phone he has, it also doubles as a modem.

So now to my main point… Why I Love Cruises!!! It is a great way to force your Workaholic to get away from work. And, I get a true vacation myself. True you can still get an internet connection on most ships, but it is sporadic, expensive and unless you bring your own computer you cannot use the ships computers for much. True, if you are like my Workaholic, your phone can connect for you. But if you are out at sea the cell phone either does not work or the ships cell phone service charges are higher than can be justified unless it is an emergency. If you are in port then chances are you are in an area that is considered International by your carrier, so then again the charges are fairly high.

If you are lucky enough that money is not a problem, then the next deterrent for your Workaholic is workspace. Yes, most laptops now have really good batteries but your Workaholic is not going to want to take the chance that it will run out of power while they are working and they would have to stop in the middle of something. So that means they go in search of a power outlet that uses the right type of plug (unless you were smart enough to buy an international power conversion set), most of which are already in use by someone else’s Workaholic. In the cruises we have been on there were very few public power outlets. So that then leaves your Workaholic working in your cabin. True, if your Workaholic is like mine he or she will not really notice you as you go in and out of the cabin but let’s face it, everyone who has ever cruised knows that the cabins are a little small to spend too much time in.

What you need to do at this point is start pointing out that there is a show in the theater, the pool and sun are calling the both of you, there is a class on something they are interested in, the art auction is about to start, the casino is open, they are doing a game show in the lounge, the chocolate buffet is start, or any of the multitude to things to do on a ship. Eventually they will come out of their shell and join you in enjoying at least a part of the vacation.

So the point in the end is for the spouse of a Workaholic, cruises are great. You don’t have to cook and clean, your husband or wife starts to remember there is more to life then the perfect program and work problems really can wait for a few days most of the time. So get out there and enjoy life.

So, to prove that he is a Workaholic he has edited and helped me flesh this out, and he still says he is not a Workaholic, after all he plays poker (Isn’t that a thinking and calculating game, ummm work…)

Karla Truxton lives in Portland, Oregon is the mother of 4 and with her husband operates a home-based travel business at TimeEnoughTravel.com TimeEnoughTravel.com creating escapes for parents, families, and people of Large Size.