Melbourne - A Thunder down Under

The southern hemisphere’s only continent has two faces of infinite glory, Sydney and Melbourne. The later takes the cake due to its in-your-face attitude that carves a niche for Melbourne. To have been one of the capital cities of major sports Football League, Tennis and Cricket is no mean business by any standard of imagination.

The Australians love their beer and their cities. Melbourne is the very picture of this candor, laced as it is with bars and is open to many acts rendered censored. The elegant taste of artistry that makes the tourist feel as if he has entered the Victorian era is as much appreciated as the Mexican waves. The place is a conundrum of ideas and has been built with a fluid mixture of many races. This makes Melbourne a special place.

With an ever encompassing eye to accommodate all activities, Melbourne, in keeping with the Australian trait, gives a freehand to talents in whatever fields they are. This ensures a steady streams of champions; singers, dancers, sportsmen, thespians and rowers etc, emerging out of the beautiful cities that has beautiful places to romp into.
The city changes color fast, be it in natural clime or the general appearance and teaches you the variety of life.

Kerala Backwaters - Simply Smashing

The Sunder bans and Kerala are only two places in India with backwaters. Though the former is admittedly beautiful, the later accompanied by natural grace is a much better place to be in; thanks to the palm fronts, sunset and greenery.

With an expanse of 1900 kilometers, 900 of which are readily navigable, the backwater solves the employment problems of many who are willing to shed some money to acquire houseboats. The boats here are colloquially called Kettuvollums.

They take you in the middle of nowhere almost as an assurance of a midnight dream and one gets a feeling that the enchantment will stay a bit before the harsh reality of the morning takes over. The quality of houseboats is dependant on the capacity of the wallet, there is no compromise on the fulsome beauty that sidelines the Kerala backwaters.

Little hamlets laced with curious faces, lush foliage, mountains, trees jutting out of water to create an arcade over the houseboats, and the promise of serenity make Kerala backwaters an exciting concept.

The breeze and the weather is warming generally and the people around very friendly and you get to have a very memorable experience which has to be lived to be believed.

This Indian masterpiece of nature is a golden try.

An Alternative To Asia

Asia is an extremely popular tourist destination throughout the winter months of September - February, especially for tourists from Europe. This is obviously due to the temperature but unfortunately, it comes at a price. Of course, flying from Europe to most places in Asia is fairly costly at anytime of year, but during the winter months, even more so. As a result of this, and the state of the economy in Europe at the moment, people are looking to destinations closer to home for their winter breaks. There are many winter break destinations in Europe, to cater for all desires. If you’re looking for winter sun, the obvious choice would be to head down to the south of Spain or if you’re looking for something a little more cultural, Europe is full of exciting, vibrant cities offering lots to do in the winter months. A popular tourist destination this winter is Portugal. Specifically, The Algarve. You can find lots of Villas in The Algarve that offer low cost rental options to tourists over the winter months and the Faro region boasts some of the best beaches in Europe. Of course, villa holidays in The Algarve are becoming increasingly popular amongst tourists so you’ll need to book fast in order to find a villa or apartment near to the beach!

Travelling In Korea

Korea is one of our favourite tourist destinations in the whole of Asia, not only because of its bustling night life and truly beautiful cities but because of the people also. There are lots of destinations to see in Korea and you can find lots of Korea travel tips online, but one destination that particularly deserves the spotlight is Seoul. Seoul is situated in South Korea and just so happens to be the largest city, boasting a population of 20 million people. Seoul is an ideal destination for any tourist as its downtown area is one of the best in Asia and there are lots of things to see such as the Korea Finance Building and the N Seoul Tower. Not to mention the tower palace - but, if touring around the city in Korea’s extremely humidity isn’t for you, you can always check out the many seoul bars and seoul cafes at any time of day or night. Rest assured you will find some friendly locals who will be more than happy to give you an after hours tour of the city and who knows, you might find one or two nightspots that the average tourist just might not experience!

Medical Tourism in Asia

The Asian tourist industry has been developing tremendously. The main attraction with tourism in Asia is the low cost associated with it as compared to travelling in Europe or elsewhere. Now, besides leisure, medical tourism is also becoming very popular in Asia. It is expected to earn US $4.4 billion by the year 2012.

Many westerners are flying to Asia to get urgent or planned surgeries done. The cost of these procedures is only about twenty percent of their cost in USA or the UK.

The best thing is that although the prices are very low, the quality of services provided is extremely good and a lot of doctors are qualified from Western universities. Cures may be sought for heart problems and orthopedic and cosmetic surgery may also be obtained in Asia. Many couples are also trying IVF in Asian medical set ups.

Although many good hospitals may be found all around Asia, my personal recommendation would be to try those in Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore. Also, look around for travel agencies that offer packages in which, along with medical treatment, you can also avail a vast variety of rehabilitation and leisure activities to make the most of your time and money.

Top Asian City Break Destinations

If you have the time and money, why not spend a nice city break in Asia? There are many city break destinations in Asia such as Bangkok, Singapore and even Hong Kong. These are great city break destinations, especially if you like shopping. These cities are popularly known as shopping havens, so if you are looking forward to a nice shopping spree where everything is cheap, these are the cities you should be heading to.

Bangkok is the capital of Thailand, and it has a long history. With more than 10 million people in the capital itself, Bangkok is a city with life and colour. At the same time, congestion and crowds are one of the problems in Bangkok - but that is not going to stop you from having a great time in Bangkok. Bangkok is enjoyable both day and night.

You can see The Grand Palace, visit a temple known as Wat Po (that is dated far back in history) and enjoy the nightlife in Bangkok - all sure to amaze you. There are many pubs and bars to entertain you, with all the drinks you can imagine. All you need is to relax and enjoy a nice city break in Bangkok. Bangkok is perhaps one of the best city break destinations in Asia.

Hong Kong is best visited for its cuisine. You get to enjoy all types of excellent and mouth watering cuisine - especially Chinese dishes. Apart from that, shopping is also a must-do for most tourists, because of the cheaper prices for branded items. There is an island known as Lantau Island, which is a must-visit location where you get to have fun in Disneyland, explore the monasteries and laze around on the beaches. Overall, Hong Kong is one of the extremely popular city break destinations in Asia.

Singapore, on the other hand, is more down to earth and yet oh-so modern. Basically, Singapore is best enjoyed on foot. There are so many skyscrapers in Singapore that you need to walk around to enjoy the scenery. Some of the buildings are one-of-a-kind, and there is no way you can miss them if you are travelling by foot. Singaporeans are nice and polite, so you don’t have to be afraid if you are lost as you can simply ask any one of the locals that come along.

Shopping malls are near to the train stations. It is a small country with trains to and from anywhere, so it is easy to travel around Singapore. Buses, too, are frequent - so you can always catch a bus whenever it is convenient for you. Another popular location is the zoo. Kids and adults both love the Singapore Zoo and Bird Park. Talk about being one of the best city break destinations in Asia!

Budget Airlines In Asia

Airfares are rising, whether you like it or not, and for those frequent travellers, they have been hit with a shock - especially during the fuel price hike not too long ago. The effect still takes place today, but it is not impossible to find budget airlines. All you need is to know where to find them, and how to get them. With a little planning and searching, you can find the best budget airlines in Asia with ease. Some of the best-known budget airlines include Air Asia, China Air and Tiger Air.

If you are a frequent traveller, you will love these budget airlines. Not only are they cheaper than the other airlines, but the services are not too bad at all. The best part is you can even exchange your frequent flyer miles for discounts on airfares. For example, China Air attendants will ask you upon booking whether you have any frequent flyer miles to be exchanged for a discount. This is not practiced in many big airlines. After all, there are no airlines that want to earn less profit.

Sometimes, you might not able to find a budget airline that is heading to your destination. What you can do is to check out the flying routes of a combination of flights in order to get to your destination. While this might take a longer time to get there, you can save a few hundred if you plan well. Of course, the downside is you will have to spend more time flying before reaching your destination. If you have the time to spare, though, why not?

Usually the cheaper airlines will sell out of tickets fast. So in order to secure a place on a budget airline, you need to be quick when booking. For example, you need to place your booking months before the departure date. Often, you will find that budget airlines have a liking to up-sell some features, such as “pay more so you can check in earlier” or “pay more to get a larger seat”. So, when you are shopping for a budget airline, be sure to look out for these as well.

Another important thing you need to work out are the extra charges such as taxes, fuel surcharges and administration charges, if applicable. Some budget airlines offer cheap airfares but there are other additional charges - so beware. However, some airlines are excellent in providing great services and cheap airfares with no additional charges, or minimal additional charges.