Fighting Wars and Poverty…

On the way from the Vantaa airport to my hotel, the streets were busy and the shopping centers on both the sides of the road were crowded. I could not believe that this city has undergone severe adverse conditions as wars, poverty and plague. From all the adverse conditions the capital city of Finland has come up strongly and now it is thriving as one of the most developed business centers in the world. When I reached here in one of the cheap flights to Helsinki I never expected such a developed city. The things I read in many books about Helsinki were totally different.

Being the capital city, we preferred it as our head quarter for our company’s business activities in Finland. My trip was in connection with that proposal. After a course of hard work in searching cheap plane fares and bargaining for best airfares, I reached here at last to start my work. As it was the initial stages, there were not much work apart from meeting some of the existing customers and a few real estate agents to find out a place for starting our office. This helped me to see the city and the experience was so thrilling one.

The city is spread across a number of bays and has a long coastline too. It includes several islands too. Korkeasaari Island is the most attractive one among those islands. It houses the country’s biggest zoo. I spent almost a day inside the zoo enjoying the clear atmosphere and watching many rare species of birds and animals. From there I went to another island by boat. The boat journey was something unforgettable as we were travelling straight opposite to the setting sun. It seemed to be a journey to the horizon. When we reached the Island Soumenlinna Island, I came to know that this is also a most important place to visit. This island has been announced as a world heritage site and there were many tourists wandering around the long corridors of the century old fortress situated in that island. Most of the tourists are coming to see this fortress and the number of visitors is increasing every year. Almost all airlines are operating flights to Helsinki and this helps the visitors to get the flight tickets easily.

Helsinki Central Park which is narrow and almost 10 kilometer in length is another attraction for foreign tourists as well as the denizens. Various recreational activities were going on there when I visited. The greenery around and the clean lawns gives us relief from the busy world outside. I have seen many couples sitting beneath trees and enjoying their private moments.

Pihlajasaari Island was another place I went. It is a favorite spot for naturists during summer. The eye catching scenery is something that helps you to forget all your worries. Once the airlines started issuing cheap tickets to Helsinki, this island started receiving more tourists in summer. When I returned after finishing my job, I had a feeling that I could not spend enough time here. I am planning now to visit this city once again.

A winter in Alaska

Alaska is the largest and least densely populated in the United States of America. With vast areas of land and lesser people, most of the areas here look like villages. This is the most suitable place if you want to spend your holidays in a calm and quite atmosphere. Even the cities like Anchorage and Fairbank are not as crowded as other cities in US. Still these cities can offer you all the modern facilities available in other cities. We have decided to spend the last summer there and started searching for inexpensive flight tickets. In our city there are many travel agents who are dealing in flight tickets. I have approached almost everybody to get best fares. Though it was a busy season, we were lucky enough to get seats in one of the cheap flights to Alaska.

When we reached the airport a person from the hotel that has been booked in advance was there to receive us. It was winter and the climate was too cool. As we had enough winter clothes with us we did not have to suffer much. On the way to our hotel we have seen the empty roads covered with snow. After reaching the hotel we have decided about the tour plan and we have started our trip the next day itself.

As mentioned earlier the interior Alaska was just like a huge village with hardly any habitats. Fairbanks city is the only habitat in this region. The calm and cool atmosphere was quite capable of arouse the romantic feelings of even the most arrogant persons. The volcanoes in the Aleutian Islands were another attraction. Some are even live now. The travel through these islands was really an unforgettable experience.

However the most interesting part of our tour was that we could participate in various winter festivals and carnivals here. Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race is one such festival and we have seen a lot of foreigners also participating in this race. Most of the visitors are visiting Alaska during this season and almost all major airlines will operate additional flights to Alaska during this season. This usually starts and Anchorage and ends in Nome. World’s Ice Art Championship which is being held in Fairbanks is another interesting winter event which attracts a lot of people. We went to the venue where this championship is being held. The different structures made with ice really displayed the talent of the artists. Some models and structures made in ice were incredible. As all airlines are offering cheap tickets to Alaska during this championship, the crowd was too much. Still the organizers had made all arrangement for conducting the event without any troubles.

Later on we came to know that there are more events in Alaska that attracts people from all over the world. Alaska Hummingbird Festival and whale Festival are some among them. The festivals and the village atmosphere were really thrilling and it worked a lot to keep us warm during the winter.

Travel to Dominican Republic

Being a Hispanic country, the heritage and culture of the Dominican Republic is largely Spanish. The golden beaches and world class resorts and hotels lure a large number of tourists to this place year after year. I started scouring the internet for cheap plane tickets as soon as I decided on my Dominican Republic travel. Flights to Dominican Republic are many and even those who are planning a last minute travel to this place can choose from a wide range of travel options online.

Sights to Enjoy

Dominican Republic is a picturesque locale that is replete with a number of monuments and historical sites. It is a place that boasts of a rich history and culture. During my trip to Dominican Republic, I enjoyed trekking on mountain ranges such as Cordillera Central. I also enjoyed a comfortable stay at the Puerto Plata resort where I could take advantage of fun filled entertainment, affordable city tours and luxurious spa facilities.

Currency/Exchange

Since the local currency called Peso is not available outside the city, you should carry sufficient money before setting foot in this place. I was happy to see the presence of a number of banks and ATM’s at all important points within the city as soon as I landed in this place using the cheap airline deals. Prominent credit cards are accepted at all the shopping centers, but, traveler’s checks are accepted by a few banks only.  

Safety

Since the crime rate in this city is more, I avoided touring the city during late nights. Cheap tickets to Dominican Republic comes as a boon for those who are eager to find the best deals and save on their travel expenses. While traveling around this place, it is advised to keep your valuables safe and avoid wearing expensive jewelry to the public places.

Social Conventions

The Dominican lifestyle resembles that of Northern America. During my sojourn in this place, I found the people to wear modest clothing in the public places. Shorts and beachwear can be worn to beaches but not to cathedrals or churches. The people of this place are very friendly and courteous and give maximum importance to good grooming and manners. Hence tourists are advised to dress their best and behave in a courteous and polite manner especially in front of higher officials and senior citizens in the public places.

Tax and Tipping

On top of a 12% tax, restaurant bills automatically include a 10% service charge. Those who find the service to be very impressive can give additional tips to the hotel staffs.

Visa and Passports

Tourists arriving from places such as Europe, UK, US and Australia need not carry a visa but should carry a valid passport while traveling to this place. Single entry and tourist visas are valid for a period of 2 months. Cheap flights to Dominican Republic can enable tourists to enjoy their travel to this scenic location in an affordable way.

Telephone

A number of wireless services and internet cafes enable tourists to communicate easily with their near and dear ones from this place.

I used www.farebuzz.com to book my flights to Dominican Republic in advance. The site serves as a storehouse of travel information and can help you with your travel planning in the best possible way!

The capital of many empires

When the matter of holiday trip came up in our dinner discussion, my wife insisted to visit Istanbul. She is a history enthusiastic and according to her, that is the only city that served as the capital for many empires. It was the capital of Roman Empire once. Then it served as the capital of Byzantine Empire, Latin Empire, and Ottoman Empire. Presently it is the capital of Turkey. According to her no other cities in this world has this distinction. She started talking about many things about Istanbul and I too got interested in visiting the city. Being a family trip I did not want to undergo the tensions of catching last minute flights. Hence I started working on our trip from the next day itself. I tried to find out the cheapest airline. Being a hot destination for tourism, there are quite a good number of flights to Istanbul. After a long search and bargaining, I have booked our ticket in one of the cheap flights to Istanbul. Meanwhile I have prepared all other documents too.

Once we reached the city, we went to the hotel that has been reserved for us by our agent. Being a history student, my wife has somewhat good knowledge about the city and the places to visit here. Hence we did not hire a tourist guide there. Galata tower was one such place. It was a part of the Genoese citadel of Galata originally constructed during the period of Ottoman Empire. The citadel has been demolished during 19th century and presently only this tower is left over as a memorial of that citadel.

There are many other historic structures in this city and many foreigners are coming here daily to visit those places. The architecture has a mix of Roman and Ottoman architecture and a perfect blend of this makes the structures beautiful. Most of the tourists are coming here to visit such historic sites and the government has taken special care in keeping them in good condition. Anyway, the historic sites are not the only things that attract crowd in this city. There are many museums which showcase the rich culture and heritage of Istanbul. These museums are functioning as study centers as far as the history of Istanbul is concerned.

The city is also known as the cultural capital of Europe and there are many venues where a number of arts and cultural events are performed. These are also attracting many tourists and after the introduction of cheap tickets to Istanbul by many major airline companies, the rush has increased further.

We really enjoyed that holiday. While my wife enjoyed the historical sites, the arts and cultural show were my favorites. The city provides the facility to enjoy both. Though, there is a heavy rush of visitors, the authorities have provided very good infrastructure facilities to accommodate this rush. Hence there was not a single problem with accommodation and food. Even the local transportation was tension free. We have decided to visit the city once again in the near future as we could not see all the places.