In the cross roads of the world

Recently I had to visit New York City for an official purpose. It is an international city with people from all over the world making it their home. With the head quarters of United Nations situated there, it has an important role to play in the international diplomacy also. The Time Square, the busiest pedestrian cross is also called as the cross roads of the world. Hence almost all flights to New York City are full almost all time of the year. There are many cheap flights operated by domestic as well as international airlines to this city. Still you may feel difficulty in getting airline tickets some times. After trying in major airlines like British Airways and Air France, I got tickets in one of the cheap flights to New York City and reached there as planned.

Once I reached here, I had to spend almost one full week for my office work. Hence I could not get enough time to visit many places of importance. Still I could enjoy the evenings in the city in certain night clubs and at venues of performing arts. I can never forget the evening I spent at central park. This is a large park with a zoo and a theater. The music and dance program is conducted inside the theater.

After I got some time from my hectic schedule, I visited the Statue of Liberty. I am at loss of words to describe this beautiful architectural splendor which is famous all over the world. Gateway National Recreation Area is another attraction there which has been spread across almost 26000 acres surrounded by the city. I got a chance to view some cultural events at the famous Lincoln Center for Performing Arts too. I visited some art galleries and museums also.

Anyway, the most thrilling experience was shopping at some of the unique places. I went to the Adidas Original Shop at Wooster Street to purchase a pair of shoes and my shopping spree started from there. Barney’s at Madison Avenue is another most important shopping point in this city. This shop has a vast collection of women’s fashion wear. The vast collection will certainly confuse you.

Though I had not done any shopping from there, the green market at union square attracted me very much. Farmers from the nearby villages gather there four times in a week to sell fresh vegetables and fruits. The products they bring there are really farm-fresh and thousands of people gather there to buy them. The life there is totally different from the rest of the New York City with lot of hustle and bustle.

At last the day arrived when I had to leave this beautiful city and board for my home town. I felt very sad on that day. I have decided to come back once again. As cheap tickets to New York City are available, it will not cost me more.

Travel tips for Fun and Frolic at Fort Lauderdale

Fort Lauderdale, the Venice of America beckons you for a blissful holiday with its canals and waterways. Get ready to savor the magic of Fort Lauderdale by planning a trip with these trips by booking cheap plane tickets to this fun-filled place.

Flight bookings:
To get to Fort Lauderdale, first book your flight tickets on an elite airline like Alaska Airlines well in advance after checking out heir deals and discounts. .

Best Time to visit Fort Lauderdale:
Book the Alaska Airlines Flight Reservations to Fort Lauderdale in the right weather from mid-November to mid-December or mid-March to April. Summer is hottest and winter too is mildly warm.

Packing for Fort Lauderdale visit:
What you pack for your Flights to Fort Lauderdale must generally comprise of light cotton casuals, comfortable shoes, sun block, hat, sunglasses etc are a must for any season. Swim suits and aqua gear are optional if you plan to hit the water.

From the Airport to the City:
Alight from your cheap flights to Fort Lauderdale at the Miami, Fort Lauderdale or Palm Beach international Airports. Take a hotel shuttle bus or a metered taxi out of the airport.

Getting around Fort Lauderdale:
•    Get around Fort Lauderdale by bus – using the Broward County Transit System services.
•    By train it is the tri-rail service.
•    Take the Sun Trolley or Water Bus for a unique experience.
•    Yellow cabs are also available on metered fares.

Tipping Tips for Fort Lauderdale hotels and Restaurants:
•    Tipping is customary in Fort Lauderdale.
•    Restaurants; waiters-15-18%
•    Bartenders-$1-2 per drink.

Fort Lauderdale’s Shopping Tips:
No doubt you are going to spend all the money you saved from the cheap tickets to Fort Lauderdale on your shopping sprees, but look at these tips first.
•    Do not shop on beaches on A1A as the items are over-priced.
•    The sales tax here varies from 7-8%

Fort Lauderdale’s Nightlife Scene:

Fort Lauderdale is famous for its watering holes with pubs and bars scattered on the Strip, Downtown and Olas areas. The Elbo rooms, Parrot Lounge, Voodoo Lounge, and Tarpon Bend are famous hotspots. Beware of gays and lesbians here.

Fort Lauderdale’s Safety Tips:
•    Do not venture into NW or SW areas of Lauderdale.
•    Avoid areas west of Andrews Avenue, Lauder Lake, and Lauderhill and Sis trunk.
•    Don’t swim deep else sharks may get you.
•    Beware of drunks on the beach and thieves in rental cars.
•    Do not carry heavy cash or jewelry.
•    Use credit cards as there are a lot of ATM's in Fort Lauderdale.
•    Keep your valuables and passport in a safe deposit locker at the hotel.
•    Always travel in groups and never at late hours.
•    Do not keep your wallet in the hip pocket of your pants.
•    Keep your camcorder secured with a shoulder-strap.

Fort Lauderdale is the best fun and frolic holiday destination. Do visit Fort Lauderdale after checking out the airline deals and offers from farebuzz.com.

The city of seven hills

Istanbul, the capital city of Turkey has many unique features. It is called as seven hills city as it is situated on seven hills. It is the only metropolis that spreads into two continents. It is the only one city in the world that has been served as the capital for several nations. Istanbul was the capital of Roman Empire once. Later it served as the capital of Byzantine Empire, Latin Empire and also of Ottoman Empire.

However I was not aware of all these features before visiting the city recently. I have heard about Istanbul and as I did not have any special interests I had never tried to collect any information about the city. Recently, when our company planned to expand the area of operation to many new countries, Turkey appeared as a potential place. They asked me to go there for an initial survey. My work was to meet some industrialists and traders and discuss about our products and plans for marketing. I had to make suggestions depending on their feedback.

As, it was the first step in the direction of expansions and as the company was not sure about the results, it did not want to spend more. Hence they advised me to get cheap tickets to Istanbul. After a long search and bargain I got the cheapest airline ticket. After checking into a hotel, I tried to contact the persons in my list. As I did not have any special interests in this city, I did not want to spend more time there. I have decided to finish the work as early as possible and to go back at the earliest.

On the second day of my arrival at Istanbul, I went for a business discussion with a dealer. He was a decent Youngman with a positive thinking. After finishing our discussion we sat for a cup of tea. During casual chatting, he mentioned about Hamam or the Turkish bath. It started during the Ottoman period as a culture of leisure and now it has been accepted by the world as a way of treatment. There are many Hamams in Istanbul where you can have Turkish bath.

This created a sort of interest in me and I have taken details about Turkish bath and hamams in the city from him. Cemberlitas Hamam is the oldest hamam which has been built in 1584. Apart from Hamam, there are many historical places in the city. Once I came to know more about the city, I really repented for being ignorant. It has many modern structures also which depicts the development of the city. Now it is one of the major cities in the world and almost all major airlines are operating flights to Istanbul.

When the city became more popular, many airline companies introduced cheap flights to Istanbul. This caused sudden increase in the number of visitors. By the time I gathered more information about the city and planned to visit more places here, I received a call from my company to stop the work and report at the head quarters. Catching one of the last minutes flights, I returned after an incomplete trip.

A nostalgic tour of New York

On receiving the invitation from my cousin to join her for her convocation at New York, I was overjoyed. New York is one place I always wanted to set my foot on. So grabbing the opportunity, I checked out on the cheap flights to New York City.

New York being the epicenter of the US economy is served by 3 airports-JFK, Newark and La Guardia thronged by cheap flights. Delta, Jet Blue and United Airlines are but some of the airlines I tried a getting ticket on.

New York Attractions

Having secured accommodation in a good hotel, I now set out on exploring the attractions of this beautiful city.

Statue of Liberty

Flights to New York City always give a glimpse of this iconic landmark. But to get the true feel of its magnificence, I took a ferry to Liberty Island. I strolled around the promenade and park and clicked some great shots.

Empire State Building

Standing atop the 1,453 ft Empire State Building made me feel on top of the World. The spectacular view and the visit to the Observatory made the trip more special. Hard to believe that this gift from France was shipped as 350 pieces and put together in 4 months.

Rockfeller Center

The Rockfeller center in Mid-town Manhattan is the vital shopping and dining hub of New York. Shops like Coach, Tumi, Metropolitan Museum store and eateries like Rainbow Room, Sea Grill and Two Boots give you a sample of the New York lifestyle. I also watched kids on the skating rink and dropped in at the Radio City Music Hall.

American Museum of Natural History

This was one place I longed to visit after watching “Night at the Museum”. The Rose Center Planetarium was another added attraction and the unique exhibits made the trip enlightening.

Central Park

Now for some leisure- I made a visit to the Central Park where I enjoyed a boat ride and also a Carousel ride like a kid. The Central Park Zoo was another baby’s day out for me.

Things to do at New York City

What about some rambling and roaming in New York?-let’s try it, I thought.

Time Warner Center

The renowned Time Center may be just a mall to some. But anyone on cheap tickets to New York City will never miss this busy hub. Be it listening to jazz at Dizzy’s Club Coca Cola or dining at Takayama Sushi Restaurant or just relaxing at the 56th Stone Rose Lounge – this place has a New York Feel.

West Village

I couldn’t believe this calm cobble- stoned, tree-lined neighborhood to be part of New York. But a stroll in this area with a peep into the Magnolia Bakery, Jefferson Market Courthouse and Spotted Pig Gastropub satisfied my curiosity.

Film Forum

For a film-buff like me, this place was the Mecca. I was glad to see a healthy mix of the arty, unusual, foreign and regular popcorn flicks – but what an awesome range to choose from?

A lot more is in store in New York but I had booked my airline tickets and so I planned to return for more.

From the Mountains to the Coast line

Most of the places in the world will have a geographical identity. It can be a desert, a mountainous place or seashore. However California has a diverse geographical feature ranging from the eastern Sierra Nevada Mountains to the western Pacific coastline. This diversity makes the state more attractive and the tourists are coming here to experience and enjoy this diversity. Being a major global city many international airlines such as British Airlines, Air France etc are operating flights to California. Still there will be always difficulty in getting tickets as the number of visitors is more anytime. The airlines that offer best fares are always flying their flights in full capacity to this city.

When I planned to visit this city on an official tour I had to try very hard to get cheap tickets to California. After collecting my tickets and completing the necessary formalities, I flew to California as decided. As our representative was there in the airport to receive me and hence, I did not face any problems there. He had arranged for my stay too. After settling down, I started discussing about the business matters with him and went to visit a few of our clients too. After two or three days work, when the weekend came, I decided to go out for a sightseeing trip. Our representative had arranged a cab for me. Hence I did not have to face any problem for travelling.

At first I visited the higher side of the city. Mountains were always my favorites and it used to remind me about the village where I spent my childhood. Yosemite National park, Sequoia National park etc are the attractions in this area. I have seen quite a good number of tourists in these parks. After many airlines started operating cheap flights to California, the visitors are coming more and more every year. My cab driver told me. While you travelling towards west, the height of the land is coming down and finally you reach the coastline of Pacific Ocean. The long beach along the Pacific coastline is another hot spot for international tourists. Here also I have seen a lively beach life with beach volley and beach football. I have seen many people who were enjoying sea bath there.

After the weekend, I got engaged in my work and did not get much time for sightseeing. On the day prior to my return I went for shopping. Shopping is an art here. You will get anything here. From a latest fashion dress to fresh vegetables to ceramic bowls to anything. There are many shopping malls and shopping centers in California which deal with the high quality products. At the same time you will get colorful dresses and Mexican traditional foods on the streets too. Many wayside vendors were there who were selling traditional Mexican handicrafts.

The shopping here was really an unforgettable experience. The way the clients bargain and the way how the dealers are closing a deal was an interesting scene. Just to enjoy that experience, I have decided to visit California once again.

Barbados - A beautiful Caribbean destination

Our recent tour to the tiny Caribbean country Barbados was really an unforgettable incident in our life. Unlike in many other Caribbean Islands the influence of English culture is more visible here and that could be the reason for adopting cricket as the national game. This tiny nation has produced many big names in cricket including Sir Garry Sobers. To be honest, we have a bit of confusion in selecting the holiday destination. As one of our friends strongly recommended this nation, we have decided to go there. As usual, I did a bit of hard work in getting best airline tickets with cheap price. Being a tourist season there the flight tickets were hardly available. That was the season of their most important festival Crop Over. Anyway we have managed to reach there in one of the cheap flights to Barbados.

When we reached the airport, we could feel the importance of the festival as there was a huge crowd of tourists. During this season many airlines are flying special flights to Barbados. Our main intention was to participate in the festival. It includes various cultural programs, competitions and funny games. As most of the events are taking place outdoor, anybody can participate in those events and enjoy the fun. We too enjoyed a lot. At the end of the events, there was a selection of harvest king and harvest queen. The man and woman who have harvested most number of sugar canes have been selected as the harvest king and harvest queen. The crowning ceremony was also most interesting with many traditional rituals and funny entertainments.

After taking part in the event actively, we started our tour. There are many places to visit here like National Museum, Flower Forest, and Barclay’s Park etc. The sandy beaches are also giving a lively face with many recreational activities going on there. During this season, this tiny Island nation will always be active with many foreigners who come here. Major airlines such as Air Canada, British Airways etc are also operating some special flights during this season. This brings a huge crowd to this tiny nation.

The streets were also crowded when we went out for shopping. The Broad Street in the Bridgetown, the capital city is the main shopping area. Apart from many departmental stores and small retail outlets there are a few duty free shops also. Anything from the clothes to electronic goods is available here and we came to know that many people are coming here only for shopping too. As cheap tickets to Barbados are available, they come here more frequently to purchase many things in bulk and they are selling it in their places. The wayside vendors in Swan Street and Roebuck Street were selling attractive dresses for a cheaper price. We have purchased some dresses from there. They are more colorful and casual wears and in the latest fashion too. We have seen some vendors who were selling handicraft items at Tudor Street. We purchased a big statue of an unknown warrior from there as a souvenir of our tour.

Key West Travel Tips

For a fulfilling holiday in Florida’s Key West, there is more than booking cheap tickets. It is always better to plan your trip using these tips.

When to visit 

With a mild tropical climate, Key West is the only country that claims to have no frost. So book your cheap flights to Key West in May or in November-December. December is sometimes too crowded at Christmas time   May is when the heat is on and Key West is less crowded. Fantasy Fest in October and Sunset Festival at Mallory Square are the times when Key West teems with visitors.

Getting around

Key West, being a small island is best to explore on a bike. A Public Transport System exists between Key West, Marathon and Florida in the form of a bus service.

Taxis:  Taxis in Key West have biking racks where you can prop up your bike if you get tired of cycling all the way.

Trolley: Key West’s Trolley is the cheapest and most famous transport option

Rentals: Mopeds, cars, electric cars, golf carts can be rented. However, motor biking is hazardous.

Caution: Driving is difficult in Key West. Parking is as expensive as at least quarter of your cheap tickets to Key West.

Clothing: Casual dressing is the norm for a sunshine holiday in Key West. Ladies can pack sun dresses, shorts, swimsuits or bikinis, light jacket and sandals. Guys can pack camp shirts, shorts, Bermudas, etc. Polarized Sunglasses, Sunscreen with SPF 30+ and a hat are a must.

In short, pack your bags for your flights to Key West with light clothes, swimsuits and sandals.

Dress Code & Etiquette:

• Don’t blow your horn in traffic-it is considered rude in Key West.
• Ask before taking snap shots of other people.
• Leave your valuables at the hotel in a safe locker.
• Wrap your money in plastic if you plan to swim with it.
• Treat bartenders and barmaids with courtesy.
• Look out for free –roaming chickens on the road when you drive as Key West has lots of them.
• Handle your booze while you are in Key West as you can’t afford to land up in jail.
• Stay close together with your friends while in pubs and trust no one.
• Avoid Fantasy Fest in October if you are planning to visit along with your kids.
• Most restaurants require shirt and shoes while at bars, shirts may be off for guys.

Restaurants & Shopping:

Blue Heaven is one of the top rated restaurants of Key West. So don’t miss it. Key West Sandal and Fabric Prints are world famous. So pick some at Duval Street.

Nightlife in Key West:

Duval Street is the place for hectic nightlife at Key West wit live rock bands, funky nightclubs, pubs, bars and more.

Key West offers a fun and frolic holiday. So hurry and check out the cheap airfares at Fare Buzz to enjoy a heavenly holiday at Key West.