November 21st, 2008

Frosted Leaf or Standing out from the Crowd
Special Care is Necessary When Using Your Digital Camera in the Cold!
It’s that time of the year for many of us around the world, when the dreamy warm days of autumn slip into the bone-chilling, teeth-chattering days of winter.
But wintertime can be the best time for getting fabulous shots like the frosted leaf showing here. While there are gray days, there will also be days of brilliant blue skies, bright golden sunshine, and sparkling snow blankets, dazzled in twinkling diamonds. How can anyone resist shooting photographs under those conditions? I certainly can’t.
But along with wintry conditions comes cold, and digital cameras (and their batteries) don’t like extreme temperatures of either variety, hot or cold. So, you must take precautions when using your digital camera outdoors in the winter.
Read on . . .
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Tags: cold weather camera tips, how to take care of your digital camera in cold weather, shooting photographs in the cold, using a digital camera in cold weather, using your camera in winter
Posted in Digital Cameras, Photography tips, Variety | No Comments »
November 19th, 2008
Have you ever spent a Christmas season in New York City? No? Then my suggestion to you, if you love a good old-fashioned Christmas complete with all the fixins’, is to spend a few days in the Big Apple when the spirit of the Christmas season is at its apex. There is nothing else that compares. I promise.
Read on . . .
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Tags: big apple at christmas time, christmas spectacular radio city music hall, christmas window displays in new york city, New York City, things to do in new york city at christmastime
Posted in Adventure Travel, Family Vacations, Holiday Celebrations, New York, Tourist attractions, Travel tips | 2 Comments »
November 18th, 2008
Yes, drugs. And the accompanying side effects.
It’s not possible to travel to many countries today without first getting topped up with a variety of inoculations and prescription drugs. Take Brazil, for instance. Getting the plane ticket or the cruise ship ticket is the easy part. Then it’s time to roll up your sleeve. The sleeve on your needle arm, that is.
Read on . . .
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Tags: anti-malaria drugs, doxycycline, how to plan for a trip to brazil, malaria, malarone, precautions to take when planning a trip to the amazon, travel medications, yellow fever shots, yellow fever vaccinations
Posted in Adventure Travel, Brazil, Cruise Ship Travel, Family Vacations, Ports of call, South America, Travel - General Advice, Travel Health, Travel Products, Travel Visas, Travel safety, Travel tips, Travel with kids, Tropical Destinations | No Comments »
October 21st, 2008

Peggy's Cove, Nova Scotia
Bored kids? Bored grandparents? Bored you? Is there a cruise line that is perfect for the entire family? Yes.
With the huge number of cuise lines to choose from, and the even bigger number of individual ships in the line, the task of choosing a ship that will be perfect for your family might seem impossible.
There is hope. And help. One of the Internet’s most popular social sites for cruisers has come up with it “Editors’ Picks” for 2008. Among the site’s conclusions includes the BEST family ships and the BEST ships for fitness buffs.
Read on . . .
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Tags: best cruise lines for honeymoons, best cruise ship dining, best cruise ships for families, best shore excursions, best teen programs on a cruise ship, cruise critic editors picks awards winners 2008, how to choose a cruise ship
Posted in Adventure Travel, Caribbean, Cruise Ship Travel, Family Vacations, Travel - General Advice, Travel tips, Travel with kids, Variety | No Comments »
October 19th, 2008

Long gone are the days of simply buying a ticket and hopping on a plane; travel today is a much more precise science, especially if you are planning a trip into the Amazon, or other parts of Brazil.
When budgeting for a trip into Brazil, be prepared for all the extra fees you will encounter, fees that have nothing to do with your flight or your accommodations. Like the cost of getting a Brazilian tourist visa.
You may be living in a country that is exempt from needing a Brazilian visa, but if you are Canadian, Australian, or American, you must apply. (Citizens from countries like Germany, France, and Italy do not require a Brazilian visa.)
In addition, no matter what country you hail from, Brazil (especially the Amazonian area) is disease-carrying mosquito territory, and you must prepare. That means getting vaccinated for Yellow Fever, as well as Hepatitis A and B.
Read on . . .
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Tags: Canadians traveling to Brazil, how to apply for a Brazil visa, how to prepare for a trip to the amazon, travel documents needed for Brazil, travel to brazel, travel visa to Brazil, yellow fever shots, yellow fever vaccinations
Posted in Adventure Travel, Brazil, Cruise Ship Travel, South America, Travel - General Advice, Travel Health, Travel Products, Travel Visas, Travel safety, Travel tips, Tropical Destinations | No Comments »
October 17th, 2008

With the shortening days (at least here in the Northern Hemisphere) we are being treated to some of the most glorious sunsets and sunrises. Do you have trouble capturing sunsets or sunrises? If so, here are a few tips to help you capture all those blazing colors.
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Tags: automatic modes on digital cameras, digital camera scene modes, learning from your digital cameras scene modes, photographing sunsets and sunrises, sunrises, sunsets
Posted in Digital Cameras, Photography tips, Travel photography | No Comments »
September 29th, 2008

Directions, please!
Are you taking photos and letting them sit in your computer’s digital dungeons, or worse, on a memory card? What a shame since sites like Flickr are just a mouse click away. I spent several hours at a harvest festival outside of our city this weekend. The colors and the festivites were so vibrant; there was no end to photo opportunities.
This little Halloween teddy bear came into my possession (my husband won him in a “fish pond”). I loved his strong orange color and decided to add him to my shots. He turned out to be the perfect subject, so well-behaved and so patient.
I could have posted this photo of him as I had taken it, but Flickr also offers this cool photo manipulation program called, “Picnik.” And well, using Picnik, is as much fun as a picnic. And it’s so easy.
You can do it, too. Like I did, you can manipulate (tweak) your photo’s colors, contrast, and midtones. And you can add a frame or text, like the orange text I added to the white sign. It was just crying out for a little creativity.
Flickr is so easy to use and it’s free unless you choose to go “Pro” and even that is ridiculously inexpensive.
Go on. Get your photos out of your computer’s digital dungeon and share them with friends and family. Or the world.
Happy Halloween!
Wishing you safe and happy travels,
Sheree Zielke
Tags: autumn, flickr, halloween, orange, photo manipulation software, picnik, posting your photos to the internet, teddy bear
Posted in Digital Cameras, Holiday Celebrations, Photography tips, Variety | No Comments »
September 25th, 2008

Are you yearning for the open seas? A vista complete with swaying palm trees and exotic lands? Someplace that isn’t here (where you are at the moment)?
Then grab a cup of coffee and settle down with your computer for at least 45 minutes. You are about to go on an adventure, a cruise, the first cruise you should take before booking your real cruise.
Your first port of call? Vacations To Go.
Read on . . .
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Tags: cheap cruise ship vacations, cruise bargains, cruise ship fees, cruise ship travel, cruising tips, great cruise deals, how to find a cruise ship deal, how to find a good cruise ship deal, inside cabins, vacations to go
Posted in Adventure Travel, Budget Travel, Cruise Ship Travel, Travel - General Advice, Travel Destinations, Travel tips | No Comments »
September 18th, 2008
Yes, Virginia, there are cheaper days to fly, especially during holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas. And if you plan your flight schedule to include connecting, instead of direct flights, you will save a bundle.
It’s true. The airlines lower their fees on holiday days and days surrounding holidays because fewer travelers are choosing those days. If you can opt for some of the cheaper flying dates, you could save enough for another flight on a later date.
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Tags: bumping, Cheap Flights, cheap times to fly, cheaper airplane travel, cheapest days to fly, flyring during holidays, how to fly cheap, save money on flights, traveling cheaply on holidays
Posted in Airline Fees, Airline Travel, Budget Travel, Cheap Flights, Family Vacations | 2 Comments »
September 15th, 2008

Some of us call it urban blight, some of us call it street soul, some of us call it a shame, while others of us simply call it, “beautiful.”
Is there a city or town in the world that doesn’t sport its share of graffiti? Our city in central Alberta is no different. And while our city has sent out its graffiti-removal brigade, thank goodness the cleaning squad hasn’t found all of it. This artwork, with its nasty invectives and racial slurs, especially viewed against the backdrop of the setting sun, can be very intriguing.
Read on . . .
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Tags: abandoned buildings, edmonton alberta, Graffiti, homeless, inner city art, Street Art, street soul, urban blight
Posted in Adventure Travel, Alberta, Art Galleries, Canada, Graffiti, Street Art, Travel photography, Variety | No Comments »