2008 Beijing Olympics – Let the Games Begin!

I cannot even begin to tell you how excited I am about the upcoming Olympics. The whirlwind countdown to the 2008 Beijing Olympics has begun… and those who are still undecided about whether they want to be part of the biggest sporting event held every four years might well be left behind. The hotels in Beijing nearest to the Olympic Village are simply bursting at the seams with advance bookings. My cousin Eric is due for a business conference in Beijing in mid-August, and he’s glad his company has its own guesthouse there.

Well, some people have all the luck. Work is taking him close to the venue of the 2008 Beijing Olympics, while the very same work will have me doing a 9-5 every day of the Olympic month. Not that I regret it much. The ‘idiot box’ is good company.

Perhaps I’ll settle down with a bowl of comfort food (yum..chips and cola and popcorn and roast chicken..and ..ok..can fantasize later) and watch my favorite gymnasts and swimmers perform. Well actually, it’s small comfort for someone who nearly booked a flight to China (boo hoo... but that’s how reality stands!).

My work keeps me online for 17 hours a day, and I am well, nearly up-to-date with anything remotely connected to China tours. (I was almost on that plane... remember?). All the online world travel guides of any importance are announcing last minute rush bookings for Beijing hotels, reaching out to those who still fancy a tour of China, which is the place to be at in August 2008. In a way, I realize I have made a decision in favor of practicality.

China hotels and tours are the hottest commodities on the web, and Chinese economy is cashing in on the big interest. So if you are headed to China this year, be prepared to shell out big bucks or best of luck with a world travel guide that gives you the ‘cheapest deals’ for everything related to the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

You might be interested in:

• Dubai Shopping Festival 2008 – Best gets Better
• Venice Carnival 2008 – Venice at its Best!
• USA Academy Awards 2008 - Great upcoming Internati...
• Paris Hotels: An Abode of Luxury
• Enjoy Thailand tours with world travel guide

Peru Tours: In the Land of the Incas

All my interest in Peru had been borne out of Tintin books - the Seven Crystal Balls and the Prisoners of the Sun; books that I had read over and over as a child and gifted to my son when he was old enough to read. In fact I had promised my son that we would be going on a Peru Tour on his tenth birthday and I had to go by it. But of course Peru Tours are something you cannot be satisfied with at one go or on a short visit. So there we were, lucky to get a cheap flight to the land of the Incas.

True, there is a lot to see in Peru but the Inca ruins take the cake. The ruins at Machu Picchu are simply spellbinding. I mean they are just so larger than life! You cannot possibly get over the vista they create on the mountainous slopes. And if you come to think of the fact that they were built way back in the 15th century…well! And I felt a strange sense of shame to think that we bargained against this for the crowded cities down in the plains.

However, Machu Picchu is now well serviced by tourist guides and sound transport systems, and many of the Peru Hotels arrange their own trips and hikes to the ruins with their guides.

A friendly piece of advice - do consult a proper world travel guide before going on Peru Tours; and do not forget to get into one of those smoky pubs infested with immensely talented singers and musicians, who seem to live just for the sake of music, still.

You might be interested in:

• London Tours: An amazing world tourist destination...
• Dubai Tours – Shopping and Sand Surfing
• 10 great places for travel bargains in 2011
• Wandering the Streets of France
• World Travel Guide

UK Tours: UK Calling!

Wednesday, March 9th 2007. I’ll never forget the day! An aunt in the United Kingdom wanted me to come to her and promised she would bear all my expenses and tantrums too. Fast as my legs would carry me, I visited a cyber cafe, surfed the net, glanced through all the customized UK Tours and decided on one promotional offer by a good travel agent. Bingo! England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland! History and heritage it is this time. Let me tell you of muffins, haunted castles and other things English.

I was lucky again to get a seat in one of the cheap flights to UK. Landing at Heathrow airport my first thought turned towards accommodation. Yes I could have easily gone and stayed with that aunt of mine but being independent always helps. Especially in a foreign country! The thrill of being on unknown territory is unparalleled. As such my hotel was already booked through my travel agent. A downtown budget accommodation close to Hyde Park suited me fine especially after going through the steep tariffs of the big UK hotels and high end London hotels in particular. One thing that struck me most about London hotels is that most of them are located in the pedestrian footpath without a boundary. They mix well with the surrounding milieu.

Once I’d settled in my hotel and visited my ecstatic aunt, my next stops were Buckingham Palace, Trafalgar Square, Kensington Palace, London Bridge and London Dockyard. I am an avid fan of Charles Dickens you see.

UK Tours would be deemed incomplete if you don’t visit the countryside of England with its inns and English breakfast. So very PG Wodehouse! However due to time constraint all that I could make out in the ensuing days were Stratford Upon Avon, Edinburgh and Cardiff. Yes a bit of Scotland and Wales along with sightseeing some English castles felt good. On the whole my UK Tour was enriching, fun-filled and yes, I still thank my stars and hope that I find one or two of these long lost aunts in Brazil or Egypt too. Just some of the places my world travel guide got me interested in. o and also opened up mind-boggling options, making my thirst for the unknown limitless.

You might be interested in:

• Hotels in Bangalore: Replete with World-class Faci...
• Alex Salmond travel to Delhi Commonwealth Games
• America's top 5 Most Livable Cities 2010
• Facebook Buys Travel Guide Start-Up
• New Travel Guide App for iPhone
• Top Places to see in Mumbai
• In London, Travellers hope for Departures
• Kingfisher Airlines Bomb suspect Kills Self

Italy Hotels – A dreamy delight

Italy! The name evokes a lot of great memories for me. Especially images of the fabulous Italy hotels. The nation is such a delight that no matter how many times one goes on an Italy tour, there is always something surprising in store. Italy features on almost all world travel guides of repute. Rome is the capital of the country and it is also on the top of the list of places to explore in many Italy travel guides. Other lovely cities of Italy include Milan, Venice, Florence, Ravello, Positano, Naples, Pisa and Capri.

Most world travel guides or Italy travel guides will tell you that enjoying Italy tours does not come cheap. But with the right and timely booking of Italy hotels, one can save a lot of money. In each city there are a number of economical Italy hotels to check into. Of course for those who wish to splurge, the sky is the limit. Some of the finest luxury hotels in Italy include Suite Sistina in Rome, The Westin Palace in Milan, Hotel Danieli and Luna Hotel Baglioni in Venice.

Romantic as Italy is, there are many options for those looking for Italy hotels in Venice and Florence, two of the most romantic cities in world. Some of these include Bauer Il Palazzo and Hotel Gritti Palace in Venice, The Westin Excelsior and Villa La Vedettain Florence. Other romantic Italy hotels are Capri Palace Hotel & Spa, Caesar Augustus, Villa d'Este, and other such hotels await you during your Italy tour.

You might be interested in:

• 2008 Beijing Olympics – Let the Games Begin!
• Peru Tours: In the Land of the Incas
• UK Tours: UK Calling!
• 10 great places for travel bargains in 2011
• London Tours: An amazing world tourist destination...
• Dubai Tours – Shopping and Sand Surfing
• 10 great places for travel bargains in 2011