The Wonderful Danube River Tour

Preparing a Danube River trip for your upcoming travel is almost a certainty. It is an great destination and will enable you to check out a great many places in Eastern Europe. Stretching from Germany all the way to the Black Sea, there is more than sufficient here to keep you in amazement.

A normal Danube trip will start near Munich, Germany with boarding in Passau near the Austrian boundary. In Austria popular stops are in Melk to tour the Benedictine monastery that is over 900 years old. Next is Vienna, capital city of Austria. At this place you may visit Hofburg Palace or the Opera House. Make sure to check out the stunning scenery as you go through Wachau Valley. Just after the Austrian boundary the Danube runs straight through Bratislava, capitol of Slovakia. Here you will learn that visits to Old Town and Bratislava Castle are in order. Additionally don’t fail to spot the ruins of Devin Castle. You can go here while in Bratislava and you will pass the ruins as you sail by on the Danube River.

Budapest, Hungary is the next capitol city on the regular list of stops. In this great city you can see the Hungarian Crown Jewels at the Parliament or go to Castle Hill to observe Buda Castle. The first castle was done in 1265 but the oldest part that exists now goes back to the 14th century. Buda Castle also rests on the banks of the Danube. Perhaps the most majestic as well as picturesque part of your Danube cruise will be while cruising through the Iron Gate. This is an 83 mile stretch on the border or Serbia and Romania. The Iron Gate is a chain of gorges, a channel and the Iron Gate Dam.

Often Bucharest, Romania is the last stop prior to the Danube clears out into the Black Sea. Here you can go to The National Museum of Art of Romania the areas most famous museum. Later you can choose to see Palace of the Parliament or Arcul de Triumf, both 20th century landmarks.

These are only some of the countless destinations that a Danube River cruise can bring you. I believe you are eager to begin planning this river tour on your next cruise to Eastern Europe.

Do You Want A Group Tour

Are tour groups for you? You’re moving ahead with your trip planning. You’ve decided where you want to go. Now you need to come to grips with how you’re going to get your hotels, get around, see the sights. So I guess the next decision in your trip planning is… do you want to join a tour group or be an independent traveler.

Both options have pros and cons. If you choose to take a group tour, your hotels will be taken care of, as will your transportation during the tour. Depending on the package, most meals will probably be taken care of too, so you won’t be looking for a restaurant. Air fare to and from your destination may or may not be included.

All of this can make it easy on you for trip planning; you don’t need to worry about making reservations or finding hotels and restaurants on the road. You don’t need to worry about that foreign language, though that is truthfully not usually a problem.

You will be traveling with a group of people. If group size is important to you, be sure to check on that. Again depending on the operator and package it can range from 10 or 12 people all the way up to a bus full of about 45 to 50 people. That can make it fun, or it can slow things down as you’re waiting for everyone to get up in the morning and get on the bus. You’ll probably see all the highlights, but you won’t be able to get into small venues that can’t accommodate big groups.

You won’t be lonely… you’ll have your group to interact with. That can insulate you some from interacting with locals, but some group tours introduce you to locals or even get you into ceremonies or places that independent travelers don’t have access to. And hopefully you’ll have knowledgeable tour guides who can teach you about the area… something that independent travelers might miss.

Tours can be an economical way to travel. Tour operators get good prices on hotels and transportation. But if you want to sleep in and the tour is moving on… you’ll just have to get up and get going. You might learn things you wouldn’t have learned otherwise…. and if you’re a first time traveler, one of the things you might learn is that you don’t need a group tour.

Sometimes that first tour group experience is more than worth it… it can give you the confidence to travel independently. And if you learn that you like the company you’re traveling with, and you like group travel… you’ve come up with a great shortcut for your trip planning in the future…. just find more of their tours that you like and you’ll soon be traveling the world.

Canal Cruise In France

Searching for a relaxing holiday on the rivers? Canal cruising in France is only the thing for you then. It is a famous holidaying way for people around the globe, and France is one of the regions where you can enjoy this experience. So if you have chosen to go river or canal cruising, the only thing left to determine is: canal boat or hotel barging?

Self-drive canal boat and hotel barging are very different. Both might sail on similar canals but life on board is not similar. Hotel barging in France is a bit similar to a luxury hotel including a Chef just for you on the ship and all tourist activities pre-organized. Every barges are rather up-market with rate (fully inclusive) starting from A$ 2500 per person each week. Self-drive canal ships in France, Germany, Holland, Ireland, Italy and just recently Poland, come in varied size. Much smaller than a canal barge. Self-drive canal vessels can be compared to floating self-contain apartments accommodating up to 12 individuals. Price begins from A$ 1360 per week for two persons.

There are some points to remember prior to you go for canal cruising. As this is a different holidaying experience, there are a number of points to be taken care of.

No certification is necessary to drive a canal vessel in France. When you get to the base, you will be given a personal lesson and you will be taught fast how simple and fun it is to pilot a canal boat.

There are a lot of bases to begin with and every place has its distinct character. No matter which route you take, all rivers are enjoyable, with plenty of communities and constant beautiful countryside. In many situations, you have the possibility to choose between return and one-way trip.

Lastly remember that passing through locks with a canal boat is exciting, though the first one is always a little tense. Some locks are automatic, others are hand-operated, and some are administered by a lock keeper. ensure to have a small chat with them and don’t think twice to buy vegetables, homemade jam, and many more if they offer some on display.

Sustainable Tourism

For sustainable tourism, we need to protect the cultural environment as well as the natural environment. We need to respect local cultures and ways of life, and contribute positively to local communities.

The potential negative effects of tourism are both local and global… but if we practice sustainable tourism, we can keep the negative effects to a minimum.

If we’re not careful, we’ll degrade the environment and the cultures we travel to see. Where ever we travel, we need to keep in mind that the local people have to profit from our visit. If you go someplace because there are wonderful native handicrafts, you need to buy some of those handicrafts from locals, so they get the money.

If you’re visiting a national park, you need to employ locals as guides so they will continue to value and protect the park. Those are the kinds of things that make for sustainable tourism.

Here are some more things to think about when choosing a hotel, a tour group or activity…..

Is the hotel locally owned and operated so that the profits stay in the community? If not, is it at least staffed by local employees?

How does the hotel contribute to the local community? Do they buy local produce for their restaurant? Do they sell local handicrafts in their gift shop?

If you’re taking a tour, travel with a tour operator who is environmentally responsible. Smaller group sizes make less of an impact… and make for a more enjoyable tour for you!

Is the group lead by a local guide? Does the tour company contribute to the local community in some way? To have sustainable tourism, the local community needs to benefit; not just some global tour company.

When hiking, stay on marked trails. Maintain safe distances from any wildlife you encounter… for your safety AND for theirs. “Leave only footprints”… carry your trash out or use trash bins.

If you’re snorkeling or diving, don’t touch the coral. Be careful with your fins, it’s easy to kick the coral if you’re not paying attention or to stir up sediment. Either way you can damage the reef’s fragile ecosystem… and most reefs are in trouble now, so they need all of our help.

Try to buy local products… You’ll support the local economy… and we all need that now no matter what country you’re visiting. Foods will be fresher, give you a taste of local cuisine and save fuel because they haven’t traveled half way around the world… only YOU have! Fewer imported products will be needed.

Don’t buy souvenirs or other products made from endangered animals or plants. You probably can’t get it through customs, and if you believe in sustainable tourism, you don’t want to contribute to the extinction of another species!

Treat locals with respect. You went there to learn about their culture! Learn a few words… at least hello, good-bye and thank you. Be open to our cultural differences. Read up on the area you’ll be visiting so you’ll know how to dress so you don’t offend anyone. Check to see if there are any behaviors or gestures that will offend your hosts.

Rejoice in our positive differences. Support them, and you’ll be contributing to sustainable tourism.

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