Booking Cruise Holidays : Take A Mediterranean Cruise

In this part of our guide to cruise holidays we look at the Mediterranean…

The most varied kind of cruise you can take is surely a Mediterranean cruise. The Mediterranean coastline boasts over 120 seaports as well as 17 different countries making incredible one week, two week or even longer cruises possible.

More than 50 companies offer cruises along varied routes in the Mediterranean. While some companies concentrate on ports of call all over the Mediterranean, such as Portugal, France, Spain, Morocco, and Italy, some provide service to just the Western Mediterranean. Others have Eastern Mediterranean cruises, concentrating on Greece, Turkey, Croatia and Middle Eastern countries.

Popular specialty Mediterranean cruises include those that tour the North African countries, or the islands of Malta and Cyprus, or the area of the Greek Islands. If it’s a longer trip that you seek you can arrange for a cruise itinerary that will take you to most, if not all, of the various Mediterranean locales.

History, culture, grand cities, ancient monuments, romantic islands and breathtaking views are all within easy reach on a Mediterranean cruise. The Western Mediterranean is home to the world-renown Manzanilla sherry of Cadiz, the classic white Andalucian villages of Southern Spain, the cultural hub that is Barcelona, and of course the French Riviera.

Cruising along the coats of the Italian peninsula is a popular way to view such cultural and historical sights as Mt. Vesuvius, Pompeii, and the fantastic city of Rome. The islands of Sicily and Sardinia hold many delights too on a Western Mediterranean cruise. Cruises to the Eastern Mediterranean will reveal to you the spectacular Croatian coastline and the city of Dubrovnik before heading southeastward toward Greece and its classical islands. If you only visit the Palace of Knossos while in Crete, that one historical site is enough to make the entire trip.

The Israeli ports of Haifa and Ashdod make for an easy visit to the city of Jerusalem and can be reached on an Eastern Mediterranean cruise to the Middle East. Port Said in Egypt is a great place to visit also. Port Said has access to the world-renowned Suez Canal, where vessels travel into the Red Sea and on towards the Arabian Sea.

Learn To Ski : Insurance Considerations

In this installment of our learn to ski guide we look at ski insurance.

About one-third of all skiers do not purchase insurance, and thereby open themselves up to the risk of owing literally thousands of dollars of medical and/or rescue bills in the event of an accident.

Murphy’s Law would suggest that what can go wrong, will go wrong, and skiing is no exception; consider issues such as baggage loss, stolen or broken equipment, personal liability in the event of an accident that requires repatriation/restoration, and even things like piste closure that you may not have thought about, all of which can cost you money.

These are all reasons why purchasing an insurance policy for your ski trip makes the best sense. There’s a huge range of policies to choose from though, so how do you choose between them?

The first consideration is what kind of skier you are. If you’re a beginner or inexperienced skier, or someone happy to stick to the piste at all times, you’ll find basic policies will suit your requirements, even the cheapest ones. Starting right around $30, basic insurance policies can be purchased from your insurance broker, your travel agent, and you might be surprised to find this type of insurance offered in the supermarket.

Skiers who are more advanced and who will be engaging in heli-skiing, cat-skiing, or off-piste will need a more inclusive policy to cover those things. Premiums can be significantly more expensive in line with the increased risk or danger and you should expect to have to use a specialist insurance provider to be fully covered.

You must also consider how much coverage you need. A policy may offer different bands of coverage and your activities will fall within one of those bands. An example of a premium policy would be coverage of up to a million dollars for medical expenses, whereas for losses under a basic policy, you would be covered up to $250,000. Excess payments on any claims made can end up being a considerable amount of money if you go with a less expensive policy, so that is something to which you should pay attention.

To ensure that you are covered with a valid policy of insurance, make sure you buy it before you take your trip. An insurance company will protect its interests by making sure you have documentation that proves you had your insurance in place prior to any accident occurring.

As with any policy of insurance, read the terms, including the fine print, thoroughly so that you know exactly what you are covered against. Nothing will protect you more than to know what’s covered in your policy, and this can only happen if you actually give the contract a thorough read-through and ask questions about anything that doesn’t make sense to you or that you don’t understand.

Madrid Guide : Plaza Mayor En Madrid

The Plaza Mayor is one of Madrid’s main tourist attractions and draws in millions of visitors a year.

While it is not an architectural wonder like so many other attractions, The Plaza Mayor is the best place to experience Madrid’s welcoming atmosphere. It’s an amazing place to experience the culture first hand, both Spanish locals and tourists frequent the area.

The most recent incarnation of The Plaza Mayor was formed after a terrible wide spread fire back in 1790. In a literal sense, it has functioned as an area for the public by having bullfights, festivals, political clashes and even be-headings. Reading up on it’s history prior to visiting it, or even whilst there, will make a trip there even more worthwhile.

A near-perfect square and about 100m on each side The Plaza Mayor isn’t considered too large by some standards, however it can hold 50,000 people at one time. It’s often crowded, particularly so in the summer months. It still holds festivals throughout the year too and those are good times to visit it if you want to have a true Spanish experience.

It’s the perfect place to get a meal or a drink or just take a rest, as there are dozens of cafes, bars and restaurants on offer there. Not to mention all of the traditional Spanish foods which can be found at a reasonable price. There are also many souvenir shops were you can purchase something to remember your trip by.

Around the square, there are structures that provide useful vantage points that allow people to watch the events happening in the streets below. If you have time, it is recommended to make your way to these buildings, as you will be out of the bustle of people and able to enjoy the sights and sounds the Plaza Mayor has to offer.