Travel Ideas

by: Figi Lesole

The Fiji Islands, are one of the most desirable destinations in South Pacific area. They are known for their climate, beauty, and culture and hundreds of thousands travel there every year to sample just a few days of paradise. With thousands of miles of unspoiled white sandy beaches, coral reefs, and emerald lagoons, the Fiji Islands fulfill everyone’s idea of the perfect tropical paradise. Add to that dream a few waterfalls, a rainforest, and deep, lush valleys and the Fiji islands soar are simply insurmountable as a tourism destination.

the Fiji Islands are a unique setting with some of the friendlist people in the world as its residents. You will experience the unique blend of old and new not found in other locales. Here you can relax and enjoy what you will surely call your own paradise.

Whatever your interest may be, there is something on the Fiji Islands for everybody. Many visitors take the time to experience local markets and villages while others merely like to lie on the beach and read a book. Most sporting activities are geared for daylight hours, but the larger cities have evening movies and some have independent restaurants and nightclubs. Dances and festivals may be held on weekends, holidays or other special occasions.

The Fiji Islands are unparalleled in their range of water and outdoors activities and for the water lover, the Fiji Islands are shjeer heaven. Scuba diving and snorkeling are available year round to allow people to explore the safe but exotic marine life. Wind and body surfing, sailing of all types, kayaking and water skiing are just a few of the many other activities for visitors to enjoy the warm tropical waters.
For those less inclined to have fun on the water, land lovers may prefer to explore the rainforest, caves or archeological sites. In addition, back-packing, biking, golf, tennis, horse back riding and bird watching are other activities that are readily available.

The Fiji Islands offer all of the customary lodgings, but the small intimate resorts with their unique bungalow style accommodations are an experience not to be missed. These bungalows otherwise known as bure can be simple or world class, depending on your budget. You will find them to be the perfect place for your dream wedding or honeymoon, family vacation, and even that lengthy business trip. These resorts usually offer all inclusive packages, providing rooms, meals, activities and entertainment.

About The Author

Figi Lesole is the owner of Fiji which is a premier resource for fiji information. For more information, go to http://www.fijicom.com.

by: Marcus Hochstadt

How youth hostels provide the magic power to surprise almost everybody. Here is the little known (yet true) story of the origin of hostels.
In August 1909 the German teacher Richard Schirrmann had been caught in a violent thunderstorm on an eight day migration with his pupils and found accommodation in a barn by a farmer.
While the pupils were sleeping, Schirrmann was laying awake the whole night.
The thought attacked him suddenly, ?One would have to create places, at which move-joyful young people and pupils receive a safe and inexpensive overnight stay?.
He published this idea for the first time in 1910 in an essay about ?Voksschuelerherbergen? (”elementary school pupil lodgings”),
“?also the boys and girls of the common man must practice fresh merry moving as counterweight for the room stool time of their school years… how do I imagine now appropriate and sufficient lodgings for the enormous army of the elementary school pupils?… each city and nearly each village has an elementary school, which almost waits in holidays with empty areas for it, into a sleep and a dining hall for move-merry children to be transformed. Two classrooms are sufficient, one for boys, one for girls. The banks are set partly one above the other. That gives free area for the list of 15 beds. … each camp place consists of a tautly with straw plugged bag and cushion, 2 sheets and a blanket… each child is stopped to bring its camp place back in order finely neat… ”
After publication of this essay in the “Koelnische Zeitung? (Cologne Newspaper) numerous money and gift contributions in kind and support offers came from whole Germany.
In 1912 the first youth hostel was opened in the Altenia Castle, Germany
The first youth hostel was arranged according to Schirrmann?s plans: 2 sleeping halls with 3-storied solid wood beds, a dayroom, kitchen, wash and shower rooms. First hostel warden was Richard Schirrmann. He lived directly above the hostel rooms. In the same year Schirrmann also published the first hostel listing with approximately 140 addresses.
In many of these lodgings however were not even basics of accommodations, e.g. for girls were nothing at all.
In 1913 were already 301 youth hostels in cities and villages. One year later one counted already 535.
In 1920 the first expenditure of the “youth hostel” magazine appeared, and with approximately 700 addresses the first manual with addresses by youth hostels were published.
>From 1924-1929 with the first lottery in favour to the youth hostels 1.5 million realm Marks were gained. In 1932 had already been 2,123 youth hostels in Germany. More than 4.5 million overnight stays took place. But at the end of the twenties in further countries, like Poland, Holland, France, England, and Switzerland, more than 600 youth hostels were already opened.
On October 20th, 1932 in Amsterdam in presence by land agencies from Switzerland, Czechoslovakia, Poland, the Netherlands, Norway, Denmark, Great Britain, Ireland, France, and Belgium, the International Youth Hostel Federation (IYHF) was created.
The federation has its seat today in Welwyn Garden City near London. Richard Schirrmann was selected as the president. Conference language was German.
On the following conference in 1933 also Isabel and Monroe Smith from the USA participated. Within one year they could open thirty youth hostels in the United States. Also in 1933 the national socialists arrived in Germany at power.
All political and religious youth combinations were dissolved and replaced by a system of obligatorily university-formed youth organization, under the line of the “realm youth guidance”. Richard Schirrmann must withdraw as a chairman of the German youth hostel factory.
He let himself impress by the idealistic elements of the new movement and became honorary president of the realm federation for German youth hostels. A decision which he should bitterly repent later.
In 1936 for political reasons it had come to the break with the international youth hostel federation. In 1947 after the end of the world war, 247 youth hostels with 1,158,500 overnight stays were counted again in Germany.
>From 1949-1990 also in the GDR were an extensive network of youth hostels developed. Initially still led as federations, these later had become to state led institutions of the youth. The existing federations were dissolved. In 1960 were the most youth hostels in the Federal Republic. More than 720 houses realized 11,300,312 overnight stays.
In 1990 after the end of the GDR also in the new Lands of the Federal Republic youth hostel federations were created. In November these federations joined the German youth hostel association.
Youth hostels today
World-wide there are more than 4,000 youth hostels in 65 countries, whereby more than 600 alone in Germany.
The youth hostels in Germany offer to their guests far more than an inexpensive overnight stay. Beside small cosy old buildings or the experience in castles and residences you also find many houses in scenic delightful environments as well as in large cities. For more details go to http://www.smart-travel-germany.com/hostels-germany.html
This true story was published in German language by the German Youth Hostel Association, and translated by Marcus Hochstadt.

About The Author

Marcus Hochstadt travels extensively to countries, continents and Germany itself as a sales manager and entrepreneur since more than 14 years. He knows in almost each German city the points of real interest. In his free monthly Special Report at http://www.smart-travel-germany.com/smart-travel-guide.html he reveals more valuable insider tips and travel secrets.

by: Sheldon Hey

Coral reefs around the world are under siege - FACT. Threats from over-fishing, urban coastal encroachment and rising sea temperatures are destroying sensitive corals and devastating the marine life they support.
According to The United Nations, in the last four years ten percent of the world’s reefs have died, and nearly a quarter are sick and suffering. Think about that for a second. More than half of the living reefs are seriously threatened, and scientists estimate that if today’s trends continue mankind will cause the irreversible loss of reef formations and related fish species within 40 years.
Fortunately, there is a growing dedicated global effort to reversing this decline and to finding new - and sustainable - ways to manage the last of Earth’s remaining coral reefs. Here are some reef facts for you to consider:

Coral reefs are home to more than 25 percent of all marine life - yet occupy less than one percent of the ocean floors.
Coral reefs have been around 100 million years and are the largest living structures on earth. Australia’s Great Barrier Reef is more than 2,000 km long and can be seen from outer space.
Scientists have found as many as 3,000 different species living on one reef in Indonesia.
Coral reefs protect shorelines from erosion and storm damage. Without reefs, many islands, in the Banda Sea for example, and low lying mainland would be underwater.
Coral reefs are a tremendous medical resource, providing chemical compounds used in antihistamines, antibiotics and other medications for illnesses ranging from asthma to leukaemia and heart disease. Indeed, more than half of all new cancer drug research focuses on marine organisms.
More than 350 million people worldwide depend on corals for food and survival.
Corals are animals-not rocks or plants-and they come in two types, hard and soft.
Some deep water corals grow very slowly-as little as 30 cm in 1,000 years, while some shallow water corals may grow up to 15 cm per year.
Corals need very specific conditions to survive - a narrow range of water temperatures, access to sunlight and low pollution levels.
More than 14 million hectares/35 million acres of coral reefs have been destroyed by human activity - 10 percent of the world’s reefs have died during the last four years alone, a number that could rise to 20-30 percent by 2010 without immediate and decisive action to preserve and sustain those that are left.

There are a number of reef threats one has to be aware of. These include the following:

Global warming is perhaps the most serious threat to healthy coral reefs. Scientists expect sea temperatures to rise several degrees in the next 20 years. When water temperatures get too high, corals turn white or bleach and eventually die.
More than 75 percent of the earth’s people live in coastal areas, bringing to pristine coral reefs such threats as over-fishing, pollution and direct physical damage. Asia’s population is expected to double in the next 25 years - the threat of further reef over-exploitation grows as well.
Fishing with explosives, as in Burma and Thailand, and poisons in Indonesia not only kills fish but reefs as well. In the Philippines, about 180,000 kg of cyanide is dumped into the ocean each year, badly degrading local reefs.
Sedimentation caused by run-off from poorly planned and managed construction, logging or mining, muddy reef waters with silt, cutting them off from the sunlight they need to survive. There are now no coastal reefs remaining in Phuket.
Water pollution from sewage, oil and other chemicals can poison coral reefs. Ordinary rubbish dumped in the ocean can also kill coral reef life - plastic bags have been found in the stomachs of reef fish and turtles. Both these degrading activities are taking place in Phi Phi Islands.
Coastal development, which involves altering coastline habitats and the cutting of mangrove forests, also threatens the ocean’s fragile ecosystem. The small group of Thailand Dugongs is under serious threat at Koh Turatao due to this very problem.

About The Author

Sheldon Hey is the founder of Dive The World (http://www.DiveTheWorldThailand.com) and has been an passionate scuba diving professional for many years. Sheldon and the Dive The World Team would love to share their experience with you to ensure your next diving trip meets all your expectations.
Sheldon@Dive-The-World.com