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I find myself on the road for most of the year on business trips.  Now, for most people, they just wouldn’t enjoy that type of lifestyle, but since I am single with no kids, it is a great opportunity for me to see the world, and get paid to do it.

Most of my trips involve hopping into a plane, and flying to a destination where I would catch a cab to the hotel that I was staying at.  But from time to time, I get to rent a car, which gives me a little more freedom on my time off from work.

Usually, the company that I work for only rents budget vehicles to keep the costs down, but I was pleasantly surprised when I picked up my Orlando rental car today at the airport.  Instead of some cheap compact, the company rented me a sports car.

I asked the sales clerk if there was some mistake, but he assured me that this was the car that I was supposed to receive.  As soon as I sat down in the driver’s seat, I knew that this trip was going to be a different experience altogether.  I just better not get used to it – who knows if I will ever have such a sweet car on a business trip ever again.

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People who are planning to spend time in Orlando might want to look at villas in Orlando as the best accommodations for their stay. Here are some tips to follow for staying at an Orlando Villa.

• Take the time to choose your villa wisely. Figure out where in Orlando you want to stay in relation to the activities that you’d like to do while you are there and find a villa that is located in that area. Make sure that it has all of the perks that you want such as a pool or extra bedrooms.
• Pack items that will help you personalize the space. Take a framed photo along with you. Bring your favorite bathrobe. This will help you to make the space your own even though you’re staying in someone else’s house.
• Take advantage of the level of relaxation this allows. Many people get up early on vacation because they don’t like hanging out in small hotel rooms. Villas give you the chance to have breakfast in bed or to comfortably turn in early for the night.
• Leave it like you found it. At the end of your stay, spruce the place back up again. You want to establish positive relationships with villa owners so that you can go back again in the future!

Orlando villas are far better than hotels for most visitors so take advantage of the opportunity to enjoy one!

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Whenever you go on vacation, I definitely think that renting a car is the way to go.  When my husband and I went to Hawaii, we did the tour thing.  The two weeks that we were there were so busy and scheduled that we didn’t get to relax or even really enjoy ourselves.

We went to Las Vegas about 8 months ago and decided to get a Las Vegas rental car.  The trip was so much more relaxed and fun for us.  We didn’t have to follow a schedule or worry about missing some tour bus.  We were able to drive around and just kind of explore Vegas.  It was also cool because we were able to drive to places outside of Vegas.  If we heard someone talking about a place that we thought sounded interesting, we found out where is was and just drove there.

We are now planning a trip to Cancun and we are definitely going to do the same thing.  As a matter of fact, checking into Cancun rental cars was one of the first things that we did.  We already know of a couple of places that we want to drive to outside of Cancun.  We want to check out some ruins and go on some snorkeling trips, so getting a car will be perfect.

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I recently took my very first trip out of the United States — actually, out of the lower 48 states.  This was my very first experience with customs and passport control, and on the whole it was pretty reasonable.

When we arrived in London, we had to go through passport control, which is a fancy way of saying they check your passports, make sure it’s you, and ask you a few questions about what you’ll be doing while in the country.  Everyone who just got off the plane is going through the line at the same time as you, so there is a post & rope setup to keep everyone moving through like good little sheep.

Coming home was much of the same, except that we had to go through customs AND security.  At the first stop, we were blocked from entering the rest of the airport until we’d gone through both, by means of another post and rope system.  First we went through customs, where we had to declare a dollar amount for what we were bringing back with us, indicate whether they were personal souveneirs or business merchandise, and answer some questions about whether we’d come into contact with any lifestock or farm dirt.

Then it was back through security — though why I don’t know, because we hadn’t acquired anything since going through security the first time, in London.  Maybe they just don’t trust other countries’ security personnel!

My experience may have been good, but just days after getting back, I heard about someone’s experience that wasn’t so positive — someone trying to cross the U.S. border on a business trip.  It makes me shudder to think of how it would have destroyed the vacation if I’d had to deal with a delay like that!

Technorati Tags: customs, passport control, post & rope, post and rope, U.S. border

For those who have been where I am, there is just nothing better than Canadian Rockies coach tours.  These tours take you into the heart of the country, into the landscaped areas that are just so amazing to watch out your window or to relax with in your skis! I love to take these trips because the Rocky Mountains in Canada are a fantastic sight to see as you drive through the region. And, since you do not actually have to be at the wheel driving, you can take in everything that is around you as you get to your destination.

For some people, it is all about Banff ski vacation destinations. There is no doubt that you will find that this is some of the best skiing out there. But, you can also enjoy a range of different activities to enjoy as well. For example, we like to go mountaineering. If you have not had the opportunity to do these things, definitely make it a point at your next vacation. Plan a Lake Louise vacation to enjoy since this region is filled with wilderness and amazing beauty. Plus, there are some great places to stay in this region. It works well for both winter and summer getaways.

Technorati Tags: Banff ski vacation, Canadian Rockies coach tours, Lake Louise vacation