Many people are worried about living in, or visiting, Australia all because of its poisonous spiders. Is there really a reason for you to be worried? Could you be killed after being bitten by a spider if you visit, or move to, Australia? Should the possibility stop you from going to Australia?

In case you did not know it, Australia has only two spiders that should be of a major concern for anyone visiting, or living there. The two spiders that you need to be most concerned with are the funnel-web spider and the red-back spider. These spiders have caused deaths in the past.

But, with a little common sense and caution these spiders are not the major concern that they used to be. There now is anti-venom for both and neither one has caused any reported deaths for many years.

Funnel-Web Spiders Where are they found?

These hazardous funnel web spiders are found most often in the Brisbane and Sydney area. There have been a few isolated funnel web spider bites in the Adelaide area. The are not usually found in Perth or Melbourne area.

How big are they? The females are usually bigger than males and they are most often found to be around 6 or 7 cm long when including their legs. If you put this into perspective you will realize that a female funnel web spider is found to be about the same width as the palm of a person’s hand.

The funnel web spider is not like the timid red-back spider. The funnel web spiders are aggressive creatures. They will not hesitate to attack if they feel that they have been provoked at all. What’s more, their venom is very quick acting and if they are not promptly treated their bite can end in a rapid death. This can happen within an hour so that quick action is a must.

Even though the funnel-web spiders are much more aggressive than the red-back spiders, their bites are not near as common because the funnel-web spiders are much bigger and so they are easy to see. As far as how many people fall prey to the funnel-web spider? The average seems to be around 5 or 6 bites requiring anti-venom treatment each year in Australia.

Some people wonder if funnel-web spiders can jump? No, they cannot jump. What they do is they back up when disturbed then they will bite you with a fast downward stroke. When they are provoked they may rush toward you aggressively, but they are not actually able to propel themselves up off the ground.

The funnel-web spider burrows holes in the ground. They are usually found in moist, shady areas like dense shrubs, rockeries, logs and in leaf debris..

Red-Back Spiders can be found in every area of Australia and is usually around 2 to 3 cm long including their legs. The red-back spider is a relative of the familiar black-widow spider. Red back spiders are Australia’s best-known spiders. They have songs written about them and they even have a brand of beer named after them.

Red back spiders flourish in populated areas. Every year there are hundreds of bites reported but fewer than 30 percent of them require the anti-venom treatment; for the most part only the female Red-back spiders will bite as the males are usually too small to.

The venom of the red-back spider is much slower acting than the funnel web spider and the anti-venom is quite effective. The majority of victims of red-back spider bites do not turn out to be ill. The possibility of death from a red-back spider bite is possible but it is quite rare. Since the anti-venom became available in 1956 there has not been any deaths from red-back spider bites. As far as how many people fall victim to the red-back spider? The average seems to be around 250 anti-venom treatments being administered every year in Australia.

The red-back spiders are usually shy and they will pretend to be dead rather than bite someone. They will usually only bite if they are forced into contact with someone that is putting on their gardening gloves, boots, shoes or similar clothing.

So, if you are contemplating visiting or moving to Australia do not let your worry about being bitten by a poisonous spider keep from going. With a little caution you should not need to worry about getting bit. But, if you are bitten a quick trip to the closest hospital should fix you right up.

Michael Russell
Your Independent guide to australia-guides.com/ Australia

So you’re planning a trip for the coming months, and want to get the best deal possible. You may be missing out on money saving opportunities, though, just because you don’t know they’re there. Here are some top hints to ensure that you get a great deal on your next flight!

1. Are you traveling with a senior citizen? You may be able to get a senior discount as well, so be sure to ask.

2. If your flight seems too pricey and has a connecting city, try pricing out two separate tickets, one to the connecting city and one to the final destination.

3. If you or a family member is in the military, be sure to see if your carrier has a military discount. Or you could look into a Space-A flight through the armed forces for a fraction of the cost of a regular flight.

4. You should buy your tickets at least 21 days in advance. While it sometimes works to look for last minute deals, you could also get stuck having to pay much more if the flights you need are in high demand.

5. Use websites like Orbitz, Priceline, Hotwire, or Travelocity to compare ticket prices and find a great deal! So while are you planning out your upcoming vacations, take the time to be prepared and save money on cheap flights! It doesn’t take long and you could save big! And that means more money to spend when you get to your destination!

Michael Colvard is a 26 year travel industry veteran who now spends most of his time educating the average consumer on how to stop overpaying for their travel.
secretsofdiscounttravel.com secretsofdiscounttravel.com

Summer all year… gorgeously turquoise ocean… sandy white beaches… shopping from Mexican handicrafts to designer clothes… stunning hotels with interesting architecture, many right on the beach… world-class restaurants… nightlife and dance clubs that go till early morning… Mayan ruins in the middle of it all… that’s Cancun!

Water sports include swimming, surfing, diving, boating, fishing, kayaking, and snorkeling. Day trips to Mayan archaeological sites offer you a glimpse of the fascinating civilization that was in the area for centuries.

No wonder Cancun is one of the most popular beach resorts in all of North and South America! With over three million visitors a year, the folks in Cancun have figured out how to provide what you want for a memorable vacation, whether it’s total relaxation, going out dancing, water sports, enjoying spring break or a honeymoon, or whatever.

Cancun’s history is short. In the early 1970s, the Mexican government had a study done to decide where to put a new resort. A little piece of land in the Caribbean sea, just off the coast of Yucatan, was chosen. It didn’t take long before tourists were coming in ever-increasing numbers. Now Cancun (on the mainland just opposite that slip of land) has a population of something over half a million — and the visitors keep coming!

Cancun is its own kind of place. It’s hardly typical Mexico, but it’s a lot of fun in its own way!

********

Rosana Hart has traveled to Mexico many times. Her website,

Now that winter is setting in, I think most people start to think ahead to their summer holidays, or just getting away from the rat race on a hot summer weekend.

Have you ever considered Camping? If not, why not? It’s relatively cheap, you don’t need to pack much to have a relaxing weekend, you have the freedom of going anywhere you like and it’s a great way to see the country.

This time of year is the best time to buy a tent; the shops are offloading last seasons tents, as new models will be out for next year. Nothing wrong with last years models, as the makers don’t change the specs that much. Also you could pick a bargain second hand tent.

When buying a tent, take into consideration, what size you need, I know this sounds obvious, but if you are a family of four and buy a four berth tent, then you will find that once you have you clothing and essentials in the tent there isn’t much room. Always go for a bigger berth tent than you need. It doesn’t cost much more to buy a bigger tent, and you won’t find yourself saying” I wish I had more room” and regretting not buying that bigger tent!

Also, look at the size of the living space; can you fit a table and chairs in it? Along with the cooker. Some tents nowadays have built in ground sheets, although this sounds a good idea, inevitably it will get dirty, and in my opinion, it is far easier to clean a ground sheet that is separate from the tent, than one that is attached. Look also at how easy the tent is to erect, ask at the camp shop to show you what to do. Take into account the weight of the tent as well, the tents with the metal poles are going to weigh more than the flexi-pole tents, but in their favour they are more solid and stable tents.

Essential equipment that you need:
SLEEPING BAGS;
BEDS;
RUBBER MALLET;
EXTRA PEGS;
TABLE;
CHAIRS;
COLLAPSABLE BOXES.
SOME SORT OF COOLER BOX, if you want to spend a bit extra, you can invest in electric hook up, then you could use an electric cooler, and you will not need ice packs to cool the box. One thing to take into account with electric hook up is, you can be limited to the choice of pitch. Normally electric hook-up pitches are close to caravans and statics.
COOKER AND GAS BOTTLE, not really essential, but will save you a lot of money if you cook your own food;
COOKER STAND;
SMALL BARBECUE, again not essential, but adds to the outdoor experience;

Also there is a lot of other equipment that you may feel that you need, the more you go camping, these include:
PORTABLE TOILET;
WARDROBE;
FOOD STORAGE;

I hope you have found this article helpful, as camping is a wonderful way to holiday, with great freedom to do what you want.